Portman Island Counter Terrorism Episode 1

           By the gods, she was beautiful.

           "While some heralded the act as a blow for freedom, a crack in the perceived conspiracy to maintain the order and keep the populace trapped in the Underworld by artificially maintaining the Sickness, the official and therefore true story is that it was the first in what will be an extensive campaign to infest the entire network of underground cities with Surface Sickness, and destroy the way of life of the inhabitants of the Allied Islands."

           Honestly, it was disgusting how beautiful she was.  She paced back and forth in front of her chalkboard, all flowing blue skirts and bouncing red hair.  And she breathed - how she breathed between every sentence, sucking in air and swelling her uniform in ways that were surely beyond the naval code. 

           "Colonel Vox was personally selected by Doctor White as the head of field operations for Portman Island Counter Terrorism, and from intelligence we have intercepted the Colonel believes phase two of that campaign will begin today.  You are paying attention, aren't you, Nate?”

           Lieutenant Nate Stratigias nodded, having taken in the whole briefing.  Well most of it.  The important bits, anyway.  Certainly he remembered the bits between the talking.  His mind threw up many questions, but he knew most of them would earn him little more than a rebuke or possibly a glare, which was something he wasn't hoping for from his superior.  He didn't want to make a poor first impression.

           “You actually look as if this is new,” the woman said, shaking her head.  That cascade of rich red hair tumbled about her shoulders.  “Didn’t they teach you anything about Island history in that mission school?”

           “Um...” Nate began, mind flashing blank.  Great, thanks a lot, mind.

           “Do you even know why the flag has thirteen red stripes and a white cross in the blue quadrant?”

           “Well there’s thirteen Islands,” Nate suggested, struggling.  “And... something to do with unity.  Look, I live here, it's not as if I need to know all this.  I remember the basics of why the Underworld exists.”

           “Government officials are not to call it by that name.  The Colonel wanted me to brief you on exactly why our targets are planning to attack us.  Anyway, here is his current location,” she continued, moving swiftly on.  Her slender finger pointing to a map, blue nail polish shimmering in the Briefing Room’s lanterns.  There was a porthole to her side, but dawn had barely broken and precious little light ever got into the bowels of the ship.  “When he returns with the information we need, you will join him and the PICT Element for the recovery operation.  Understood?”

           Nate nodded again then raised his hand.  Turning from the chalkboard, his superior swept back a length of hair and sighed.  “Yes?”

           “Would you like to go to breakfast with me when I get back?”

           “The equipment locker is this way,” she replied.

* * *

“Tell me where the bomb is!” Colonel Vox bellowed.  He slammed his hands onto the arms of the chair, leaning right into the young man's face.  The young man looked back, trembling.

           “I-I don't know.  I only know they had a plan, that's all, I swear!”

           The Colonel's shaded eyes reflected the sheen of sweat on the youth's brow, and Vox pushed himself back off the chair, pacing across the floor.  “And how did you know about this plan?  Who told you?”