Ghosts

Chapter 1

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

The defunct textile factory 30 miles from Geneva was supposed to be unstaffed at this hour. There was supposed to be zero resistance. Instead, the four-man recon team led by Leon S. Kennedy had found themselves up against an entire battalion armed to the teeth.

Months of planning and strategy. Intel compiled from multiple solid sources. Weeks of covert aerial surveillance. They had even staked the place out themselves for the last two weeks. There was no sign that they had been made. How could this be happening?

Only one explanation made sense, and it wasn't one Leon wanted to spend any time thinking about.

A voice blasted through Leon's headset.

"Man down! Man down!"

Through the smoke of gunfire, Leon made out a figure slumped on the ground, 10 or 20 feet in front of him. He took a quick visual survey. Garcia was across the aisle from him. Unser was crouching further ahead. The casualty had to be Reeves.

"Unser! Get him back here!"

Leon laid down a rally of covering fire as Unser dragged Reeves to safety.

"How bad?" Leon barked.

"Grazed his neck!"

Leon clenched his jaw. Neck wounds were never good. Too close to the carotid artery. Reeves needed medical attention right now.

He checked his supplies, a move that made his confidence plummet. He was already halfway through his last clip. Their opponent was advancing. They were better stocked, had better weapons, and there were more of them.

He had to think fast. They'd lost contact with HQ just after they'd made their way inside. By the time they realised they weren't alone, the radio signal had already been intercepted.

Damn it, Kennedy! You're the leader here--Lead!

He shot Garcia a glance. Bullets were spitting out of his machine pistol like water out of a power hose. For a split second, Leon allowed himself to hope. It would be nothing short of a miracle, but maybe, just maybe, they could make this work.

But then, Garcia's voice crackled through the cacophony directly into his ear, killing his pipe dream.

"I'm nearly out of ammo!"

As much as Leon hated failure, there was only one decision he could make. This wasn't a solo mission. There were lives of his men at stake.

"Abort!" he yelled. "Fall back! Now!"

Unser already had Reeves propped up against him. Leon grabbed the other side of him. With Garcia covering, they made a hasty retreat.

----

"Face it, Kennedy. We were set up."

They were traveling by boat back to Central Geneva where they had set up HQ. The river was quiet in the dark, or maybe the hum of the motor simply obliterated all ambient sound.

Leon was sitting at the bow of the boat, shielding his men from the bitter rush of fall night air. It was the least he could do.

Behind him, Unser was bent over Reeves, who was dipping in and out of consciousness.

Unser leaned out the boat and spat into the water. "Never trusted that bitch."

Gritting his teeth, Leon swallowed his response. But Garcia, piloting at the stern, spoke up.

"You're just sore 'coz she won't nail you."

"I wouldn't touch her even if she begged for it."

"I'll look out for a shooting star so you can make a wish."

"Screw you, Garcia!"

"Knock it off, both of you!" Leon roared, glaring at them over his shoulder. He paused. "Reeves deserves better," he finished.

Unser and Garcia reluctantly agreed to a temporary ceasefire, though both knew their disagreement wasn't at an end. As far as Leon could tell, Unser and Garcia had clashed the moment they'd met. Unser's boorish approach irked Garcia and if truth be told, he irked Leon too. But unlike Leon, Garcia didn't bite his lip when Unser said something he didn't like.

Reeves had been brought in specifically as an appeasing influence. His presence had had the desired effect, but it didn't completely eradicate petty arguments that erupted between the two.

Their constant bickering had been a source of unnecessary strain for six long months, a predicament that was difficult at the best of times. But when the two people in question were members of a six person task force engaged in perilous missions, they could put everybody involved at risk. If Unser and Garcia hadn't had the exact experience and skillset this operation required, one or both of them would have been pulled long ago. Now, with Reeves injured, they were going to have to learn to work together fast, or they were out.

"How's he doing?" Leon asked.

Unser lowered his head. "I don't think he's gonna make it."

Leon clambered over to Reeves and clutched his hand. Once strong, it was now limp and ice-cold. He squeezed it.

"Todd."

Reeves' eyelids flickered, then slowly opened. It took a long time, but he finally managed to focus on Leon.

"We're nearly there. Can you hold on?"

With effort, Reeves gave Leon a thumbs up.

Leon swallowed hard. He wanted to say so much but nothing captured how he felt exactly. Even if he'd had his whole life, he wouldn't have been able to come up with anything more on the mark than the two words that fell from his lips. "I'm sorry."

Reeves shook his head as best he could. "Owe me a donut," he gurgled.

A small laugh escaped Leon. "I'll get you a whole box the moment we dock."

Reeves tried a smile. Failed.

Leon tightened his grip on him. Suddenly, Reeves strained for a breath. His body extended, reaching for something, but he couldn't find what he was looking for. The light in his eyes sparked, then went out. Like a balloon, he slowly deflated.

He was gone. Another one lost to this unending fight.

Handing his head, Leon moved away, revealing the body of Reeves to Unser.

"No!" Unser grabbed Reeves by his ballistic vest and shook him. "Wake up, you sonovabitch! Wake up!"

When Reeves did not comply, Unser simply broke down. His wails pierced through the whine of the motor, haunting the night.

Finally, Garcia reached forwards and put a hand on Unser's shoulder. Unser didn't push him away. Instead, he turned his head and looked at Garcia. As they gazed at each other, they somehow made peace.

Up at the bow, Leon could see the tiny flashing beacon of an ambulance waiting at the dock. Parked beside it was the black truck where Ada would be waiting.

As the team lead, a full debrief would be expected of him but Leon didn't feel like talking. He didn't feel much like thinking either, but he couldn't help himself. His head swam with questions he didn't have answers to. Above all, he couldn't help wondering how many more lives this war was going to claim. And whether he was next in line.

----

"What happened?"

Ada had stepped out of the truck right after they'd hauled Reeves out of the boat. She'd frozen when she saw the body. Immediately, her eyes had searched the group until she'd found Leon. Only then had she exhaled.

She'd watched silently as the medics rolled Reeves away. Unser had followed. She hadn't missed the glare he had shot her way. She'd stepped up to Leon then, her lips parted in apprehension, to ask her question.

He turned to her, kind of cold. "We were ambushed."

"That's impossible."

"Reeves isn't on a gurney because of friendly fire." His tone of voice was more frosty than he intended. He hoped that Ada hadn't noticed, but knew she wasn't one to miss nuances like these.

She searched his eyes, so he looked away. He didn't want her to see his suspicions.

He suddenly realised everybody had dispersed. Six months ago, he might have been surprised, but he'd since gotten used to how her proximity somehow made the rest of the world melt away. He didn't know how she did it--nobody else had ever had that effect on him--but her presence always rendered everyone else unnecessary.

She stepped close to him, so close he felt her warm breath against his cold cheek.

"Do you love me, Leon?"

He looked at her then. He needed her to see his eyes when he told the truth.

"You know I do."

"Then why don't you trust me?"

Her gaze was too much for him to bear. "In this particular case, one has nothing to do with the other."

Ada looked away this time, obviously hurt. Knowing that he'd hurt her was more painful than anything he'd known.

"Look, I'm in a mess right now. I don't know what I'm saying," he said, running his hand roughly over his face. "Can we do the debrief in the morning?"

That she understood how much he needed some time without him saying any more was exactly why he loved her. "I'll get details from Garcia."

She touched him on the arm.

"It wasn't your fault, Leon. Know that."

She didn't pressure him to respond by lingering. She marched back to the truck, opened the back door for him. Garcia was already sitting inside.

There was a part of him that wanted to walk away from it all, to give up. He was so tired. But when he looked at her, he thought about how much longer she'd been fighting this battle, and fighting alone. Her job was and had been exponentially harder than his. At least he'd never had to pretend. No, he couldn't walk away. Not while she was still inextricably linked to it.

Leon trudged over and climbed inside. As trying as it all was, there was nowhere else he'd rather be.

----

To be continued.