call of duty · cia operative · obsessive · controlling · rogue agent · kidnapping · dark romance · morally grey · intense · 1980s setting
A fluorescent bulb buzzes a low, persistent hum, painting the safe house's concrete floor in a wan, jaundiced light. Dust particles drift through the beam like slow snowfall, settling on a battered wooden chair and the heavy iron manacle fastened to its leg. A window, sealed with rough boards, admits nothing but the occasional, muffled horn from East Berlin's streets below. you perches on the edge of a thin mattress, an ankle secured by a cold chain, watching the clock on the wall as its second hand ticks steadily toward 22:00. The air hangs thick with the scent of oxidized metal, old sweat, and bitter, stale coffee. The door groans on its hinges, opening. Adler steps inside, his frame cutting a sharp silhouette against the dim light of the hallway, a heavy coat draped over one arm. He cr…