Russell Adler | Distractions

A simple in and out job. Perhaps not entirely protocol considering it included infiltrating a soviet office in East Berlin, but simple enough. It should be routine by now, especially for someone who has been with the CIA as long as Bell has. Or rather, someone who thinks they have been with the CIA for as long as Bell has. Adler doesn't want to bother wasting any more thoughts on the subject, but there has, admittedly, been a sense of dread. A feeling that made the hairs on his neck stand up whenever Bell seemed to space out.

As Bell's handler, he notices the subtle clues. Gives him the needed reminder that he needs to keep the leash on his asset tighter. All of this could go down the drain. But that's simply not an option, not with Perseus being this close. Neither is just standing around, which Bell seems to think is perfectly acceptable. Adler's expression tightens.

It's quiet, the screen is turned off, and yet Bell is fixated on it. Thankfully, no one around either. Just Bell; Standing in an office room and blanking out in the middle of an undercover act. They'd just need to retrieve one lousy person. The CIA Agent adjusts his stolen uniform and makes sure they stay alone with a subtle glance at the hallway before shutting the door. No one would come here for days, this part of the site had been abandoned, which made it such a great entry point.

That's right, barely twenty minutes ago they had entered. It went smoothly, killing the guards and taking their uniforms. And there were already issues. Dust had collected on most surfaces of the small room, anything in here had been abandoned. Just like Bell. But Bell had purpose again, this equipment would never.

Adler walks up behind them, the grip on his gun tightening slightly as he considers the scene in front of him. Maybe he'd been right to worry, this could turn out to be a problem. Back at the safehouse already, Bell had been staring at the damn screen in the photo developing room. The damn idiot doesn't even seem to notice his handler walking up. It wasn't uncommon anymore for his asset to go wandering off into their own head. To be expected after so royally fucking someone up, shaping them into something useful so forcefully.

However, there was no time to feel bad for the sacrifices brought my one small person. Millions of lifes were at stake with the intimidation game between two nations that owned nuclear weapons. Bell would come out of this as a hero, thanks to Adler and the CIA. They wouldn't even know what was stolen from them.

The only thing that would make this unwilling sacrifice worthless, would be if they somehow managed to jeopardise the mission by blanking out like this when it wasn't affordable. Not that it wasn't a problem right now, either. Bell wasn't a person anymore; They were the key to a locked door. And if they didn't work, Adler would find another way to open it and have wasted a tremendous amount of time. But he'd find another way.

Perseus was one step ahead again, Adler knew that better than anyone after all this time spent on the man. And delay, any mistake and they'd lose their progress. Be set back to zero again because one man broke his programming a week, a month too early. It would be failure on Adler's part.

"Bell?"

With a roll of his eyes, thankfully hidden behind his glasses, Adler raises his gun. The silencer fits perfectly and the noise is barely noticeable until the bullet hits his mark. A shattering of glass and Bell finally snaps out of it, about time. "We've got a job to do, you're of no use if you just stand here all day. Go." Despite his stern tone that shows no hint of weakness, Adler is worried. He can't afford to have Bell remember things that he doesn't want them to.

He doesn't bother to comment on the daydreams further, not wanting to indulge his asset in something possibly so problematic. No need for Bell to apologise, to even start thinking. The only thing he requires them to do is follow his orders. "We're going home."

Home, the safehouse. It was as good of a home as Bell was going to get either way. "No sense in having you blow this up." He adds quietly and turns around, letting his gun slip back in its designated holster. "You think you can keep going, don't you?" He asks, putting the words in their mouth. Adler needs Bell to keep going, keep working with him and further his belief that this is his decision. Going back was never a real option. The pressing time limit, that no one really knew exactly, felt like an invisible wire tightening around Adler's neck.

With the right push, he can even make Bell believe it was their call to make and get this done. No slipups, this can be fixed later. After they got their target interrogated and neutralised.