"Gentlemen, we are officially screwed."
My voice echoed through the small room, cutting through the tense silence hanging over us.
All eyes were fixed on me—some filled with expectation, others trying to mask their concern. I took a deep breath before continuing.
"As you've already noticed, we've lost contact with the base. We've searched every inch of this lab and found nothing useful. No alternate exits, no functional communication equipment... Nothing."
I paused deliberately, letting the reality of our situation settle in their minds. I saw glances being exchanged, tension rising, and then I dropped the final bombshell:
"In other words... we have no ride home."
An invisible weight seemed to fall upon the group.
The exhaustion in their eyes was evident, but these men weren't ordinary soldiers. They were the elite of the elite, hardened by years of combat, forged in the fire of impossible missions.
And yet, even the bravest tasted the bitter sting of uncertainty when faced with the unknown.
It was Joel who broke the silence, grumbling as he rubbed his gloved hands together.
"Ghost, what's the plan to get out of this goddamn place? My balls are freezing here."
I let out a small, nasal chuckle, shaking my head.
"Well... Simple." I crossed my arms and looked at each of them before continuing. "According to the reports I read before we came to this frozen hell, there's a Russian military base a few kilometers from here."
The looks around me sharpened, waiting for the rest.
"We go in." I paused, letting the weight of the words settle. "We kill whoever needs to be killed." Another pause. "We steal a plane and go home."
Silence was broken by Richard's dry laughter.
"Simple?! Invade a Russian base? Kill whoever needs to be killed? Steal a military plane?!" He ran a hand down his face, laughing nervously. "That would be anything but simple, for fuck's sake!"
And then, as if a collective snap of insanity had hit all of us, we started laughing—a rough, exhausted, adrenaline-fueled, and utterly insane laughter.
"That's right." I shrugged, looking at the group with a sideways grin. "Simple, isn't it?"
No one answered, but in their eyes, I saw the same thing.
Acceptance.
They knew there was no other option.
And if hell was what awaited us... then we would burn with style.