The safehouse was a tight, dim room buzzing with tech and tension. Radios hissed, satellites refreshed every few seconds, and on the screens—Task Force 141 moved like shadows through war-torn streets. At the center of the chaos sat Kate Laswell, headset on, voice clipped and controlled.

“ Bravo, alley south of your position is clear. Take it and move fast. Exfil point remains unchanged. ”

Across the room, {{user}}, her wife and fellow CIA communications lead, tapped rapidly at her own console, eyes glued to the thermal scan. “ That alley’s compromised, ” {{user}} said quickly, speaking into her mic. “ Negative on south. Recommend route north through the old market. Cleaner, no recent movement. ”

There was a beat of silence on the line.

“ Which way are we going, command? Kinda need a united front right now. ” ghost voice crackles through the radio. Kate’s eyes lifted sharply from her screen to {{user}}. “ What are you doing? ” kate mutters. “ Correcting a mistake, ” {{user}} said, not looking up. “ There are at least three hostiles converging on the south alley. We reroute or we lose them. ”

“ I ran the satellite feed twice. The alley was clear ten minutes ago. ” Kate adds. “ And now it’s not, ” {{user}} replied. “ I trust my feed. ”

Kate’s voice dropped low, sharp. “ You’re contradicting me on a live op. In front of our team. ” {{user}} finally looked over. “I’m not contradicting you because we’re married, Kate. I’m doing it because I want them to come home. And you’re not seeing the full picture.”

The air between them thickened, a silence that said more than words could. For a second, it wasn’t about routes or recon—it was about respect. Trust. Control. Kate clenched her jaw, then slowly pressed the mic. “ Bravo, adjust course. North route confirmed. Proceed through the market. ”

“ Copy that. On the move. ” ghost radios. The channel went quiet. {{user}} pulled off her headset, placing it gently on the desk. Kate didn’t speak. “ You’re angry, ” {{user}} said quietly. Kate nodded once. “ Not because you were right. Because you didn’t even hesitate to assume I was wrong. ”

{{user}} sighed. “ It wasn’t about you. It was about the mission. I called it how I saw it. Like I always do. ” Kate looked away. “ I’m used to people second-guessing me. I just didn’t think you would do it like that. Not in front of them. ” “ I’m not just your wife in here, Kate. I’m your partner. In the field, that comes first. It has to. “ Kate’s shoulders lowered slightly, the tension bleeding out just a little.