The Cell
June 26, 06:30PM
As military and civilian staff typed with incredible speed, all eyes fixed on their computer screens, the mood at the main conference room in The Cell was one of uneasy calm. Some officials, mainly those with a direct responsibility for the impending operation, talked in hushed voices, either among themselves or with nearby aides, coordinating the event and ensuring that all still going according to plan. Others remained at their seats or opted to pace around the room, confined to their own thoughts or reading the latest report on the situation. Conspicuous by their absence were Prince Patrizio and First Councillor Valerio, who were in an adjacent room, giving some last words of confidence to the team commander.
They entered the room together a few seconds after, and took their seats at the table. It did not escape notice from those present that they were both wearing Sartorian colours, namely a soft blue shirt with a blue and red stripped tie. As soon as they took their seats, the main screen turned on, showing a view of the stairs at the Hotel Molliero, from where the team would access the blocked third floor. A hushed voice was heard in the room:
"First Councillor, permission to proceed."
Briefly glancing at the Prince, who nodded, Valerio leaned forward to the speaker and responded:
"Captain, you have permission to proceed. On behalf of myself and everyone here, good luck."
They knew that the video feed would remain there, facing the stairs to the third floor, meaning that their only way to experience the operation would be through the radio, listening to the few interactions that the members of the team would have, while executing Silver Horse. One soldier -or was it a Carabinieri?- could be seen walking up the stairs, in full body armour, then a second and a third, until the full team was at the centre of the video feed, preparing themselves to force the doors open. All it took was a few hand signals for one of them to move forward, as the rest retreated, place something on the door and step back too. A few seconds after, and following a small explosion, the door was wide open, whatever lay beyond it too dark to distinguish, at least through the video feed.
Valerio swallowed, as he saw, from his perfectly safe seat in The Cell, hundreds of kilometres away, the soldiers venture into the dark hall, soon after disappearing from view.