Morning came without mercy.
The first rays of sunlight crept into Base 13, filtering through the shattered remains of what once might have been a blanket fort.
Rina stirred awake, surrounded by crushed pillows, open chip bags, and at least three empty mugs that smelled suspiciously like coffee and regret.
> "Morning…" she mumbled, rubbing her temples. "We survived… somehow."
> "Define survive," Mira's voice came from under a mountain of cushions.
Eira, already awake and sipping her morning coffee of doom, sat near the corner with her usual deadpan expression. "Technically, our vitals are stable. Mentally? Debatable."
Celia suddenly popped out from under a blanket like a resurrected soldier.
Her hair was sticking out in every direction, her eyes burning with purpose.
> "Girls…" she whispered dramatically. "It's time."
> "Time for what?" Rina asked warily.
> "Operation: Breakfast."
Rina froze. "No. We're not doing that again."
Celia grinned, eyes gleaming with dangerous optimism. "Oh, we are. But this time, we'll make it right."
> "You said that last time," Mira muttered.
> "And I learned from my mistakes!" Celia said proudly.
> "You burned the toaster," Eira reminded her.
> "Character growth," Celia said.
---
Phase One: The Plan
The squad assembled in the kitchen — or, as Celia dramatically called it, The Culinary War Room.
Rina had already started taking notes for her "Incident Prevention Report."
Mira checked the equipment like she was prepping for an actual mission.
Liri arrived carrying an enormous box labeled "SNACK SUPPLY: DO NOT TOUCH" — which, naturally, everyone immediately touched.
> "This," Celia announced, slamming her hands on the counter, "will be the breakfast that defines us as a team!"
> "Or destroys us as a base," Mira said dryly.
Eira sipped her coffee, unimpressed. "You can't destroy what's already a disaster."
> "Exactly," Celia said. "We can only improve."
---
The plan, according to Celia's hastily drawn diagram on a napkin, was simple:
1. Rina would handle the cooking.
2. Celia would "supervise and inspire morale."
3. Mira would ensure "strategic efficiency."
4. Eira would monitor fire hazards.
5. Liri… would be on snack duty.
> "You mean I get to eat them, right?" Liri asked.
> "No," Rina said. "You distribute them."
> "That's just eating with extra steps."
> "Exactly," Celia said approvingly. "Efficiency!"
---
Phase Two: The Execution (a.k.a. the Beginning of the End)
The operation began with surprising coordination.
Rina prepared pancake batter like a professional, Mira measured ingredients with military precision, and Eira stood by the extinguisher with grim patience.
It was all going so well… until Celia decided it "needed more excitement."
> "What if we add… chocolate syrup and energy drink?"
> "That's not breakfast, that's biological warfare," Rina snapped.
> "It's innovation!" Celia protested.
> "It's stupidity," Mira corrected.
> "It's delicious!" Liri said, already holding a spoonful.
> "Liri, no—"
Too late.
Liri swallowed it. Her eyes went wide.
> "I can see sounds," she whispered.
> "Medic," Mira muttered, rubbing her forehead.
> "I'm fine!" Liri said, jittering in place. "Actually, I'm great! I think I can hear the pancakes cooking from here!"
> "That's the smoke alarm," Eira deadpanned.
---
The "pancake incident" was only the beginning.
While Rina fought to save the frying pan from total annihilation, Celia began organizing a "snack reinforcement line."
> "We'll combine tactical reserves," she said, stacking potato chips like ammunition. "Breakfast, but with firepower."
> "You're not weaponizing snacks again, are you?" Mira asked.
> "No," Celia said innocently. "Just repurposing them."
Two minutes later, a chip bag exploded.
> "Celia!" Rina screamed.
> "It wasn't me!" Celia lied instantly.
> "You're literally holding the bag!"
> "Evidence is circumstantial."
Eira sighed, extinguishing another small flame near the stove. "I should've transferred to Squad 9 when I had the chance."
---
Phase Three: The Snackpocalypse
By mid-morning, the kitchen was less a place of nourishment and more a warzone.
Flour covered the counters. The air was thick with the smell of smoke, sugar, and defeat.
Somewhere, a waffle iron hissed menacingly.
> "Status report!" Celia barked.
> "Waffles down, pancakes missing in action," Rina replied.
> "Snack reserves at critical levels," Mira added.
> "Morale is… edible," Eira said.
> "And I think the toaster's evolving," Liri said nervously.
Everyone turned. The toaster was glowing faintly, emitting a low, mechanical hum.
> "It's learning," Eira said grimly.
> "Learning what?" Rina asked.
> "Vengeance," Eira replied.
---
Suddenly, the lights flickered.
The toaster beeped ominously.
Celia stepped forward.
> "Don't worry," she said confidently. "I'll handle this."
> "Celia, no," Mira warned. "Don't—"
Celia pressed the lever.
The toaster erupted.
Not in flames — but in an explosion of toasted bread and crumbs, firing slices like shrapnel.
> "Incoming carbs!" Liri yelled, diving behind a counter.
> "Take cover!" Rina screamed.
> "This is it," Eira said, completely calm. "The day the machines rise."
---
Amidst the chaos, Celia grabbed a pan like a shield.
> "We can still win this!" she shouted.
> "Win what?!" Rina cried.
> "Breakfast!" Celia roared back.
Mira, covered in flour, sighed deeply. "We've lost control."
> "We never had it," Eira corrected.
---
Phase Four: Aftermath
By noon, the kitchen was silent again — mostly because everyone was too exhausted to speak.
The walls were dusted in sugar.
The floor was sticky.
A single pancake hung from the ceiling, defying all logic.
Celia surveyed the damage proudly. "Mission accomplished."
> "Accomplished?" Rina repeated. "We nearly blew up the kitchen!"
> "Minor setback," Celia said.
> "We used half the base's snack rations!" Mira added.
> "Tactical resource allocation."
> "The toaster is gone," Eira said quietly. "It… jumped."
> "Heroic sacrifice," Celia said, saluting.
Liri looked around, blinking. "So… do we still get breakfast?"
Everyone stared at her.
Rina groaned, collapsing onto a chair. "Never again."
Celia sat down beside her, grinning. "Until tomorrow?"
> "Never again."
> "Got it. Tomorrow, brunch."
---
Later That Day...
The squad reconvened in the common room, trying to clean up the last of the mess.
> "I can't believe we did all that just for breakfast," Rina said.
> "It's the most important meal of the day," Celia replied cheerfully.
> "Not when it tries to kill you."
> "Adversity builds character!"
Eira leaned back on the couch. "If character is built from trauma, then yes, I'm a hero now."
Liri munched on a half-burnt waffle. "Worth it."
Mira sighed, rubbing her temple. "Next time, I'm cooking."
Celia gasped. "Mira, you can cook?"
> "Yes. Efficiently."
> "But where's the fun in that?"
> "In not dying," Rina said flatly.
Celia pouted. "You people have no appreciation for culinary innovation."
> "You almost weaponized toast," Eira said.
> "And it worked!" Celia replied proudly.
---
As the sun set, peace finally returned to Base 13.
The girls lounged in the living room, worn out but laughing.
Despite the chaos, there was something warm — something real — in their laughter.
Rina looked around at her teammates:
Celia grinning like a proud general,
Liri still covered in crumbs,
Mira already cleaning up with quiet determination,
and Eira pretending not to care, but smiling softly into her coffee.
This was Squad 13.
A disaster of epic proportions — but somehow, her disaster.
Rina smiled faintly. "At least no one got hurt this time."
At that exact moment, a distant pop echoed from the kitchen.
Everyone froze.
Eira stood up slowly. "The toaster…"
> "...it's back," Mira whispered.
> "Round two?" Celia grinned, grabbing a spatula like a sword.
Rina buried her face in her hands. "I hate mornings."
To be continued on Chapter 6: The Great Laundry Rebellion