Area 12

The mist over the Lake District wasn't just weather; it felt like a shroud. Deep within the jagged silhouettes of the Cumbrian fells lay Area 12, a facility so redacted that even the local topographic maps showed it as a "disused quarry."

Inside a temporary staging hangar at RAF Akrotiri, the hum of preparation was punctuated by the metallic click of magazines seating into rifles. Captain Jane Sheridan stood slightly apart from her team, her silhouette striking—athletic and coiled like a spring, with a natural curviness that she carried with a soldier’s grace. She adjusted her tactical vest, a stray lock of dark hair falling across her forehead. The electric blue and red highlights in her hair flickered under the harsh fluorescent lights, a small, defiant badge of the unconventional streak that made her the best—and most unpredictable—commander in the Special Reconnaissance Regiment.

The Briefing

Jane stepped into the mobile command centre, where Colonel Richards stood over a holographic map of the Scafell Pike region.

"You’re late, Jane," Richards said without looking up.

"I prefer 'tactically delayed' to ensure the gear was up to my specific standards, Colonel," she replied, her voice smooth but carrying an edge of authority.

Richards sighed, tapping a red icon on the map. "Area 12 missed its 04:00 check-in. Total comms blackout. No distress signal, no 'all-clear,' just… silence. This is a Level 5 biological and tech-research hub. If the door isn't locked from the inside, we have a problem. If it is locked, we have a bigger one."

"Unconventional entry?" Jane asked, her eyes tracing the steep ridges surrounding the facility.

"The only way," Richards confirmed. "The entrance is a concealed hydraulic lift disguised as a sheepfold on the northern slope. You’ll drop via Merlin helicopter—low altitude, high speed. Get in, determine the status of the eighty-four staff members, and report back. Do not engage unless fired upon, but Jane..." He looked her in the eye. "Use that 'creative' brain of yours. If it’s gone quiet, something has changed the rules of the game."

Gear Up

Jane stepped back out to the hangar. Her team of seven was ready, a well-oiled machine of specialists.

Sgt. Miller was checking the thermal optics on his L85A3.

Corporal 'Tech' Vance was syncing the team’s encrypted comm-links.

The rest were securing heavy breaching charges and NBC suits, just in case.

"Listen up!" Jane’s voice cut through the drone of the helicopter rotors warming up outside. The team snapped to attention. "We’re headed into the Lake District. Area 12 has gone dark. We’re going in through the back door, and we’re doing it fast. The Colonel wants a status report, but I want us all coming back in one piece."

She checked her sidearm, a smirk playing on her lips as she looked at the heavy-duty grappling launchers she’d requested specifically for this terrain.

"Check your seals and prime your sensors," she commanded, heading toward the open bay of the Merlin. "Let’s see what they’re hiding under the hills."