Page 123 of Promises in the Dark

“Tomorrow, Task Force 121 is shipping out. We’re heading to Helmand Province, Afghanistan,” he announced, likeit was some grand fucking adventure. “Both soldiers and med staff have trained hard for this.”

Yeah, we all knew what that meant. More blood, more death. He kept talking, laying out the details like it was some routine errand.

“You’ll be providing medical and humanitarian assistance. Set up field hospitals, distribute supplies, clean water, food, and offering support to the local population. This isn’t just a combat mission; it’s humanitarian. We need to win hearts and minds.”

Yeah, right. Fucking ‘hearts and minds’. The usual crap he fed us to make us feel like we were doing something noble.

But while everyone else swallowed the captain’s garbage, I had other plans brewing. I wasn’t about to keep following orders like a mindless grunt. Not anymore.

This time, I was getting intel on the move. Digging deep to find out what dark shit he had hiding under that ‘humanitarian’ excuse. Because no fucking way was this just about handing out food and bandages.

“That’s all,” Capt. said, finally wrapping up his bullshit briefing.

The usual curt tone, devoid of any real concern for our well-being. Simple, yet it was a death sentence for some of us.

As soon as he dismissed us, I turned to Pyro, and he gave me a subtle nod, already knowing what I was thinking. He was always on board with whatever I had planned.

We needed to talk, and we needed to talk now.

I motioned him to follow, and we made our way to a quieter spot. Raven showed up, with Viper trailing behind, still miraculously on his feet after that gnarly wound. Red came too, looking like hell, her eyes sunken and rimmed with exhaustion.

Raven stood to my left, her eyes locked on mine, waiting for my next move. Viper hung back, looking like he was already plotting his own angle.

When it came to him, I hesitated. Sure, he was back on his feet, but something about him still didn’t sit right with me. Yet, the more boots on the ground, the better our chances of sniffing out the truth. So I kept him in, even if my gut told me he’d stab me in the back if it suited him.

Once we were out of the briefing room, I pulled them into a huddle.

“Alright, listen up,” I said, gathering the team around me. “I’ve got some concerns about this mission. I think the captain’s up to something, and I aim to find out what.”

Raven spoke up first. “What makes you think that?”

“Think about it,” I said wryly. “How many times have we been sent on missions that seemed designed to get us killed? How many times have we been fed bad intel or left high and dry? It’s a pattern of fuck-ups that reeks of sabotage.”

Viper, that cynical fuck, just cracked his neck, not even pretending to give a shit. “In war, people die, Lieutenant. It’s a risk we take.”

Raven raised an eyebrow. My temper flared up at his cavalier attitude and I turned on him sharply. Pyro’s hand on my shoulder was the only thing keeping me from decking him.

“Not like this, Viper. Not when we’re being sent in blind with no backup and no clear objective other than ‘go kill some bad guys’. So, spare me the platitudes.”

Raven stepped forward, her eyes probing mine and asked the question that needed asking:

“Rogue, do you have any concrete evidence besides your gut feeling?”

I took a deep breath before pulling out the ace up my sleeve—or rather, from Captain’s office files.

“I’ve seen some interesting documents in the captain’s office,” my voice dropped lower as I continued. “Seems we’re supposed to be equipped with some fancy new gear... but we haven’t received jack squat. And don’t even get me started on those ‘accidental’ ambushes we keep walking into.”

Pyro’s eyes narrowed as he processed this new information. “That doesn’t sound right.”

Red let out a quiet sigh, like this was the last thing she needed to hear, while Viper leaned in, still skeptical as fuck.

“That doesn’t mean shit,” he said, remaining impassive.

My jaw clenched. This prick was asking for it. “It meanssomething,” I said slowly, trying to choose my words carefully. “It means our CO[4] might be playing both sides against each other.”

Viper looked unimpressed still—typical— but Raven nodded, taking it seriously now. Red stayed quiet, as usual, but I could tell from her eyes she was thinking it over.

“You snooping around the captain’s office now?” Viper asked, flanking me.

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