The next morning, Fatih's phone ringing woke him from a deep sleep. It was only 6:30 AM and the call was from the command.
Last night's 'Sea Watch' by the window had ended in a war of nerves, and he had thrown himself into bed, forcing himself to sleep.
But he didn't feel rested. His body was heavy, his mind foggy. Still, it wasn't a day he could skip. He sighed half-heartedly, quickly showered, put on his military camouflage uniform, and went to his office.
When he opened his computer, the email marked with a red exclamation point in his inbox caught his eye.
The email was screaming something very obvious. This was basically the universe saying "I've got you cornered" to Fatih.
Subject: URGENT MISSION
From: BRIGADE COMMAND – Operations Division
To: Captain Fatih U.
Captain Fatih Ulutürk,
A systemic failure has been detected at the Delta-9 Border Radar Station.
You are required to deploy to the area as of 08:00 together with Defense Engineer Deniz Hazar.
Mission scope:
– On-site detection of system failure
– Technical intervention
– Security assessment and initial situation report
Considering travel time, the mission duration is estimated as 1 full day, with the possibility of spending the night in the area.
Please make the necessary preparations.
Confirm this email and respond as soon as possible.
Good luck with your mission.
Operations Officer
Brigade Command
Fatih angrily held his head in his hands. He couldn't even stand being around Deniz. Either he felt like attacking the girl with meaningless anger, or he desired her like a teenage boy.
Now a full day of mission together was literally suicide. He was afraid of burning the last remaining bridges between him and Deniz.
Moreover, after seeing that photo of her with Harun last night and the conflicting emotions he experienced, this news was pure torture.
But fear had no benefit against fate, the mission had clearly come to him. Moreover, it was approved by Brigade Command. There was no way to escape.
At 08:00, he went to pick up Deniz with the military jeep.
Deniz was waiting ready in front of the quarters. She wore practical pants and a black sweatshirt. She had tied her hair in a ponytail and had only applied light makeup. Even like this, she looked very beautiful.
"Good morning, Captain," Deniz said as she got in the car.
"Good morning, Engineer. Are you ready?"
"Of course. We can go," she said.
As soon as Deniz got in the seat, she opened her GPS location and placed it in the car's compartment. During this, her long auburn hair spread across Fatih's lap. After activating the phone, she tucked the hair falling on her face behind her ear and pulled back with a smile.
Unlike Fatih, she seemed relaxed. This situation drove Fatih even crazier.
'She now sees me as just a regular guy!' he thought.
As Fatih started the engine, the scent of Deniz's perfume filled the car. He was shaken but pulled himself together, fixed his eyes on the road, and the journey had begun.
The first half hour passed in silence. While Deniz watched outside, Fatih tried to focus on the road. Finally, Deniz broke the silence:
"Thank you for approving my leave request last night. Harun turned out to be a very good friend. He hosted me very nicely," she said.
Fatih's jaw tightened—a volcano was literally erupting inside him, but in a calm tone:
"I see. Harun is a good soldier, a good friend too," was all he could say.
"He said very nice things about you," Deniz said, glancing at him sideways. "Especially about your first day trying to make pasta in the kitchen..." she started giggling.
Fatih was surprised:
"Harun told you about that incident? That was actually embarrassing," he said.
But what was spinning in his brain was obvious: 'Wow, the bastard told her everything to embarrass me!'
Deniz laughed:
"I don't think it's embarrassing. On the contrary, it shows what a thoughtful person you are. You made so much effort to win your soldiers' hearts."
Fatih smiled:
"I was almost burning down the kitchen trying to make pasta there. Did he tell you that too? While mixing the sauces, I added hot pepper instead of pepper powder, everyone was crying after the meal," he said.
"Really? He didn't tell me that!" Deniz said with laughter.
Fatih, while admiringly watching Deniz's laughter, averted his gaze and murmured,
"I swear. The whole battalion's eyes were bloodshot, except for a couple guys from Antep. It was like everyone had been attacked with tear gas."
This time they were both laughing.
After the ice between them broke, they continued talking throughout the journey. Fatih loved this relaxed state of Deniz. And her laughter had literally warmed his heart.
After a three-hour journey, they arrived at the radar station at the furthest point of the border line. This was quite a remote area. As soon as Deniz got out of the car, she put her backpack on.
Fatih was watching her curiously. With her current appearance, Deniz was literally a redheaded Lara Croft. She looked very attractive with her ponytail hair, black tight clothing, backpack, and military boots.
Deniz turned her gaze to Fatih.
Fatih, like a little child caught red-handed, turned his gaze away in confusion.
Deniz was smiling. Then she turned her eyes to the radar tower.
She began to observe and examine the surroundings. She saw the control box below the radar tower, approached it, and opened the panel.
Fatih stood with his hands on his hips, eyes narrowed, watching curiously.
Deniz realized there was no signal coming to the control panel and immediately took out her technical equipment and started climbing the tower. She had climbed a few steps when she felt a hand on her foot.
Fatih's eyes were wide open. "Wait, you're going to climb up there like that?" he said anxiously.
Deniz was struggling not to burst into laughter at the astonishment on Fatih's face. This man was really far from these things.
She put a standard smile on her face and showed the steel rope system on her waist.
"This rope system is attached to my pants and belt. I'll advance by changing it every two steps, Captain. So I'm securing myself with the steel rope. But if you have any other suggestions and experience with radars, I'm listening," she said with the mocking pleasure on her face.
Fatih's body was literally burning with anxiety. But he couldn't tell the woman, 'No, come down. Don't do your job.' Moreover, she seemed quite knowledgeable—she must have done this job dozens of times.
He calmed down. "Okay, then I'm here waiting," he said.
Deniz said with a smile, "That would be troublesome, Captain, because it's not really possible for me to walk back to the base."
Fatih had realized that Deniz was now teasing him. He huffed and puffed and turned his gaze elsewhere.
Deniz continued climbing with pleasure.
When Fatih raised his eyes, Deniz now looked tiny. "Look at this woman, like Spider-Man. Don't you have any fear of heights!" he muttered.
Just then, a voice came from the radio.
"The problem is in the system's motherboard," Deniz said while looking at the computer. She hadn't thought it would be such a big problem and hadn't brought a spare motherboard. "But the spare parts here are insufficient. We need to have a spare brought from the central base. Delta A9 Motherboard," she said.
Fatih sighed:
"Understood. If there's nothing you can do, come down, Engineer," he said.
Deniz said, "Okay, I'm coming."
Fatih checked his phone—so they wouldn't have to go back for materials, could they obtain parts from other radar towers? He was curious.
But he heard that sound he'd been familiar with for years. It was the sound of a bullet carried by the wind. And the target wasn't him!
He looked up.
"Deniz!" he shouted. But Deniz was continuing to descend very quickly.
He immediately took cover behind the armored vehicle, drew his weapon, and tried to detect the direction of the bullet. Right now, he was the only person who could protect Deniz.
And for the first time, aside from protecting a mission partner, he felt a crazy heart pain.
Immediately after, another bullet came from the north direction, this time it was the step right above Deniz.
It was obvious that the person facing them wasn't a sniper, but they weren't someone who had never held a gun either. Fatih couldn't make sense of there being a terrorist in the cleared zone. That's why he hadn't even brought a team, thinking it was just a technical mission. And now Deniz was in danger.
So what was the purpose of this attack?
From the beginning, was the issue to draw them to this point? Or did they just want to get rid of the radar? While fighting with these deep thoughts, his body was literally trembling.
He immediately assumed his military identity, sharpened his eyes, and fired 3 rounds in the direction of the attack. The fire had ceased briefly. But with this weapon in his hand and without visibility, he didn't think he had hit the target.
They were clearly being watched.
At that moment, he made a decision and left the area where he had taken cover, advanced toward the radar, and shouted.
"Deniz, stay calm and keep coming down!"