PANTHER OPS #1
WETWORKZ™ | SHORT STORY
Present Day – Debrief Room – Unknown location
The lights were low in the secure briefing suite. Two men sat at the table, the glow of a monitor painting their faces blue.
Agent Keller leaned forward, clicking the playback. “Santorini. 1900 hours local. This is the shop where the incident took place.”
On screen, a boutique appeared: whitewashed walls, cobalt shutters, racks of bright fabric visible through the glass—a cozy storefront, indistinguishable from a dozen others on the island.
Ross adjusted his glasses. “Roll it.”
The bell chimed. Four young men pushed through the boutique’s door, their frames filling the entrance. Before them was an older gentleman, his wife, and a small child.
Without even turning around, the old man greeted his customers:
“Good evening, how can I help you?”
“You’re just not going fast enough.” One of the men muttered.
The old man looked up from behind the counter, surprise giving way to delight. “Back again, eh? Andretti never warns me when you boys are coming.”
Amina laughed warmly, smoothing the skirt of her dress. “It keeps us young, Luca. You worry too much. These men are family.”
The woman gracefully hugs all the boys, kissing each cheek, earning a fury of scoldings.
“Family who owes us your cooking one of these nights.”
Even Nia, a seven-year-old, was all smiles. She rushed up with her sketchbook. “Cam! I drew you this time.”
Cam knelt, eyes widening as he studied the stick-figure in oversized sunglasses. “We need to practice way more!”
Lion leaned against the counter, lowering his voice. “What do we have this time?”
Luca leaned in, slipping a small envelope from beneath a stack of folded linen. “Andretti said it was urgent. Same channels, same rules. Nothing changes.”
Lion smirked and pocketed the data. Routine.
Present – Secure Debrief Room
“Nothing out of the ordinary, four bachelors looking for suits – You’re wasting my time, Keller.”
Agent Keller switches to the next camera and points.
“Look there, sir.”
Ross squints a little more, focusing on the car rolling up.
“Well, will you look at that? Those are Mikhas’ men.”
Bratva militia.
The playback cut to a wider street view. Three figures approached from the alley. Masks. Compact carbines.
Here’s where it unravels, sir. The enemy faction assumed Rory himself was inside. Intel said Andretti’s network still used the Nuvolo’s as a safehouse. They acted on it.”
Ross put the pieces together.
“And they didn’t care who else was in there.”
“Correct, sir. They were sloppy. Too fast.”
The window shattered inward under automatic fire. Glass rained across the boutique, mannequins collapsing in a tangle of fabric. Tourists outside screamed, scattering.
Amina grabbed Nia, dragging her behind the counter. Luca’s instincts flared; he shoved Cam and Lion to the ground, shouting in Italian for his wife to stay down.
Rounds chewed through racks of Ankara prints, igniting cloth instantly. Chris dove for cover. Lee drew his sidearm too late.
Lee barked, “Move! Protect them!”
But the storm had already broken. A stray burst caught Luca, then Amina. They fell together, hands inches apart.
Nia’s cries cut through the haze of smoke.
The team maneuvered through the smoke, firing at the assailants as they sped past the burning store.
Ninety seconds later, silence.
Lee lifted the girl into his arms, her face buried against his chest, sobbing.
Present – Secure Debrief Room
Keller froze the screen on the aftermath—smoke curling through the boutique, Tav’s men moving among the debris.
Ross studied the image. “Collateral. The family is dead; the girl is alive. That’ll sit heavy.”
Keller nodded. “This explains the coup in New York, but what about Miami?”
Ross tapped his pen against the table. “Not sure, but the Hands of God are down a finger. The Cosa Nostra’s current heir just put bullets in his closest circle, and Mikhas is having a parlay with Shinobu and Inch.”
He leaned back, eyes narrowing at the frozen image of Nia in Lee’s arms.
“This isn’t just an accident, Keller. This is fuel. Mark my words—He won’t let this go quietly. Mikhas just took priority on Rolling Thunder’s hit list.”
Keller’s eyes widened. “Isn’t that exactly what Mikhas wants!?”
Ross and Keller exchange glances.
“Line me up a bird to D.C., Keller. Tonight. Wheels up within the hour—I’ll brief the Director face-to-face.”
The comms crackled alive, their gear still dirty from smoke and broken glass. Lee carried Nia, wrapped in his jacket, her face buried against his chest.
Tav’s voice came through the line—calm, clipped, controlled.
Tav:
“Report.”
Lion:
“Target location compromised. Luca and Ama—gone. Nia’s alive. We’ve secured her.”
(Brief silence on the channel.)
Tav:
“Copy. Listen carefully. You’re not safe there anymore. Santorini is burned. They’ll sweep the island for survivors, for evidence. Evac protocols, now.”
Chris:
“Exfil to Athens? Or another hub?”
Tav:
“Negative. Too obvious. You go dark. Split your signatures, but stay together. Hold for pickup on the secondary pier at Fira. No chatter. You’ll have a boat waiting before dawn.”
Cam:
“And after the boat?”
Tav:
“You ride it to the mainland. From there, the route’s clean. Intercept flight in the Aegean chain. It’ll take you east.”
Chris:
“East where?”
Tav:
“Japan. You’ll rendezvous in the mountains of Gunma Prefecture. Dense cover, limited surveillance, nobody asks questions. There’s a safehouse waiting. You re-arm and hold position until I arrive.”
Lee:
(glancing down at Nia) “And the girl?”
Tav:
“Protect her. She’s the mission now. No matter what happens, you keep her safe. She comes to me alive. Understood?”
The men answered in unison. “Understood.”
Tav:
“Good. Move fast, move quiet. By the time the island wakes up, you’ll be gone. And remember—this was no accident. Someone set this up. We’ll find out who. But first, get to me.”
The channel cut to static.
The men exchanged looks, grim and silent. Nia stirred faintly in Lee’s arms, unaware that her world had just shifted.
Lion:
“Japan, it is. Let’s slide.”
To Be Continued…