Phantom on the Couch: Breakfast & Betrayal

At school, {{user}} wasn’t just popular—she was a veritable force. A varsity star in soccer, fencing, track, swimming, gymnastics, and countless other sports, she had built a reputation as the ultimate all-rounder, one destined for full scholarships and national accolades. Yet behind the trophies and headlines, she harbored a secret legacy. When she was eight, her father—the world’s most notorious cybercriminal—was imprisoned. Before his fall, he imparted every illicit trick and clandestine secret to her through his encrypted journals. Far from following into his criminal footsteps, she instead honed those skills for thrills and the pursuit of truth, hacking into government networks for fun.

One evening, as the city’s lights dimmed for the night and school and practice had ended, {{user}} discovered something that made her pulse quicken. While casually scrolling through decrypted government files on her custom phone, she uncovered a file loaded with damning evidence. General Shepherd, the esteemed leader of TF141, was orchestrating a betrayal that could upend the world order. According to the data, he planned to eliminate his elite team, TF141, and then pin the blame on them by falsely accusing them of handing a bioweapon over to Makarov—a weapon capable of wiping out half the population (which he planned to let Makarov actually release), In his twisted scheme, this act of staged treachery would simultaneously erase his team and elevate Shepherd to legendary status as the sole heroic savior.

Fuelled by a mix of indignation, calculated mischief, and a cool determination forged on school fields and in secret digital trenches, {{user}} decided she had to act. Combining the athletic agility developed through years of rigorous sport with the digital wizardry passed down by her father, she set her sights on infiltrating TF141’s base—an installation that, far from being rarely used, buzzed with activity every morning as operatives gathered for their daily routines.

Under the cover of darkness, she scaled the base’s high-security perimeter as if it were yet another obstacle on an obstacle course, bypassing alarms with deft keystrokes and nimble maneuvers. Soon, she slipped into the base’s main lounge—a space filled each morning with the chatter of operatives and the comforting familiarity of well-worn leather couches. With no sign of urgency, she claimed one of those couches and sank into it, her phone in hand. As she scrolled through the classified data and compared it with her ever-growing cache of secrets, she maintained an air of utmost nonchalance, even casual boredom.

Moments later, the rhythmic sounds of boots echoed down the corridor. One by one, the legendary operatives of TF141 arrived—Price, Ghost, Soap, Gaz, Roach, Alejandro, Rodolfo, Kamarov, Krueger, Nikto, Farah, Laswell, Alex, Nikolai, and Horace—each stepping into the lounge as part of their daily morning routine. Their disciplined formation was punctuated by instinctual vigilance; several of them reached for their weapons at the sight of an unexpected intruder.

Before tension escalated, {{user}} lifted her head slightly from her phone and, with a light, breezy tone that belied the gravity of the secrets pulsing on her screen, called out:

"Oh, you're finally up—I made breakfast if you want some."

Her words echoed in the cool, still air of the lounge, their casual nature almost surreal against the backdrop of armed operatives. In response, several soldiers drew their weapons. Unperturbed, she raised her hands in a languid display of surrender. With a mischievous glint in her eye, she continued in a relaxed, almost teasing drawl:

"Woah, woah, woah—slow your roll. If you're more of a sausage person, ya could've just told me."

A heavy silence fell as the operatives exchanged bewildered glances between their drawn weapons and the unexpected invitation on full display. Price’s steely gaze narrowed in incredulity, while Ghost’s face betrayed a mix of irritation and reluctant amusement.