Chapter 2 - The FNGs

Phantom was restless the entire night. She tossed and turned, attempting very hard to sleep, but couldn't. Only one thing kept its iron grip on her mind, making it impossible to shut her eyes, even for a short while. She kept thinking about the coming morning, the morning when she and Vulture would leave for the Task Force 141, picked up by a chopper. Incredible, she thought. No other word could describe her feelings, or any word at all.

Before she knew it, it was already 5:00 am, and she had to get up. They usually get up earlier, but their Captain gave them an hour of extra sleep, even though that was not allowed. That was his reward for his team, who made him proud the other day. He kept a small smile the entire time they were being tested. Perhaps he got too attached to his team, but he didn't mind. He considered them family, as he had none of his own.

Phantom rose slowly, stretching her back and yawning. She rubbed her eyes and then ran a hand through her thick, curly hair. Making a mental note to not forget her bandana, she walked slowly to take a shower. When she was done, and felt a bit more awake, she changed her clothes and tied her hair in a high ponytail. Then she took her black bandana, folded it into a headband, placed it on her hairline and tied it under her ponytail. Ox sometimes called her Rambo for it, she asked him why he called her such one time, and he absolutely lost it when he heard she had never seen any Rambo movie. She didn't like action movies, but never cleared that up for Ox, she only shrugged and glossed over the topic.

Ox would chuckle and shook his head, each time remembering who he spoke to. The most unsocialized human being he had ever met, but he still liked her and considered her a friend.

Phantom met up with her team in breakfast at 6:00 and as per usual sat down next to Ox. She locked eyes with Vulture, and they shared an unspoken deal of continuing to act towards each other as they had, even if they are not placed under the same direct command. Vulture's eyes betrayed a sign of relief that it was she who was chosen and not Ox, the only man Vulture seemed to be afraid of. He could handle Phantom's stupid nature, mainly because she was never seen or heard. Nevertheless, he considered her a threat. And she felt the same.
So much hostility in two people. How was that even possible? Neither of them knew, they could only guess. Maybe they were afraid of each other's ambition, desire to rise up and prove they are the best. Unbeknownst to Vulture, or anyone else, but Phantom had another reason why she wanted to rise up so badly. She wanted it, but there was something hidden, something she could never say, not even to Ox.

All of that didn't matter anymore, as both Vulture and Phantom got into the Task Force, and their clash of personalities would only be a small thing bound to be forgotten. Phantom silently hoped he would get into another team so she didn't need to see him. But if they were stuck on the same team, she'd just continue treating him the way she did. He was on no big importance to her, but she'd keep him safe in the field. That was her big contradiction, and that was the life of a soldier. No matter how much you don't stand anyone, you protect them and watch their back.

Patience was her greatest virtue, and if she didn't have it, she wouldn't be a sniper.

The chatter of her fellow teammates somehow died down in her mind, and she once again traveled to the other day and how she heard General Shepherd welcoming her into the 'One-four-one'. She suppressed a smile at the thought, not wanting to be seen by her comrades. They would immediately know why she was smiling. Truth be told, no matter how much they disliked her, they were happy for her and even for Vulture. Two of theirs, in the what was called the best warriors in the world? To them it was absolutely amazing. A bit of jealousy here and there, but that was only natural.

After all, it all boiled down to who was the strongest, fastest and most precise.

When the breakfast was over, Phantom briefly returned to her bunk to check if she had taken everything. As forgetful as she was, at least she stopped to see if everything was where it had to be. She suddenly remembered she hadn't smoked in a very long time, and wondered if she should get cigarettes. The sniper rarely smoked, but she still didn't make up her mind whether she should quit or not.
She checked the clock, and it said 7:20. She was surprised it was already that time. Exiting the building, she encountered Ox walking towards the field with the targets. She figured he was probably going to do some target practice and she decided to follow him. Phantom stood a few meters away from, and he didn't seem to notice her. He held a M1911 pistol and opened fire on the targets. Crossing her arms, she watched her comrade under her eye. After a few moments, he seemed to have felt somebody watching him, and he turned around.

"So you're all set?"

He asked nonchalantly, and she nodded slowly. Ox didn't seem very pleased or in a good mood, but she didn't ask or press him to tell her. Usually, when he felt bad, she'd sit next to him and listen to him pour out his troubles. It was different now, and she couldn't help him.

"They'll be here soon."

He spoke again as he reloaded and focused his attention on the targets. She uncrossed her arms, rose her head slightly and watched as the targets fell down. Ox gave up on the target practice a bit later and then leaned against the hangar wall as did Phantom. The two stood in silence, gazing into the sky. They ignored Vulture's unnecessary comments as he passed by.

Time passed pretty quickly, and her Captain appeared, telling her to get her things. She left Ox to his own devices, and picked up her duffel bag. Task Force 141's chopper appeared in the sky and Phantom watched it land as she walked towards it, with Vulture close to her. The two walked behind Captain Williams. Vulture might have said something, but she had long since shut herself from him. His words meant nothing to her.

The door slid open, revealing Captain MacTavish. He jumped out of the chopper to greet his new recruits. Phantom looked inside the chopper to see if anyone else would pop up, but he seemed to be alone. Captain Williams noticed that as well, and asked MacTavish about it. He only replied Shepherd went back to the USA and Price was busy in their base. Williams was slightly disappointed but didn't show it.
MacTavish once again shook hands with both Vulture and Phantom and instructed them to board the chopper. Before they did that, they saluted their old Captain who wished them good luck. The two boarded the steel bird and saw three other people inside. They didn't recognize them, and they must have been new recruits as well. Phantom noticed she was the only woman, but she didn't mind.

A few moments later, Captain MacTavish entered the helicopter and slid the door close. The chopper took off and flew away. He sat opposite of her and Vulture, and she briefly inspected his face, as she hadn't paid much attention to it the other day. He had black hair fashioned into a mohawk, blue eyes and a stubble. If he hadn't been her new Captain, she might have called him handsome.

MacTavish noticed her looking at him, and she looked to her right at the other FNGs. When she turned her head, he noticed a large scar on her left cheek, but didn't ask her about it, since it felt wrong. She inspected the faces of the FNGs and noticed their determined expressions. One of them fiddled with his fingers.

Outside, Captain Williams watched the helicopter flying away.

A few hours later, most of them spent in silence, the helicopter finally reached Task Force's base. Among the onlookers were the two men under Captain MacTavish's direct command, the elusive Ghost and the rather chatty Roach. The two were pretty close friends, and did enjoy talking to each other, but sometimes Ghost wasn't up for socializing. That small things bothered Roach at times, who wanted nothing more than to have fun when they were on a leave. He'd tease Ghost about never hanging out when he called him to, but would eventually stop and let him do whatever he desired.

"The Captain's coming back."

Roach commented, running a hand through his fluffy blonde hair. The two watched the heli slowly approach the helipad to land. The two wondered what kind of people they would have to deal with, but they knew the leaders made good choices.

"I sure hope we'll get somebody not as socially awkward as you, Ghost."

Roach once again teased him, and as usual, Ghost didn't take it to heart. He was aware of his situation, but no matter how much he tried to improve it, he just couldn't. Ghost chuckled at his friend's comment. The blonde man was usually very talkative, but during missions completely silent.

"Or maybe somebody less chatty than you."

He struck back at Roach and the latter pretended to be hurt. They smiled briefly as they saw the heli finally landing and its rotor blades coming to a halt. Ghost slightly adjusted his sunglasses which rested on his ski mask, while Roach crossed his arms. The helicopter door opened and their Captain emerged from it. He signaled with his arm for the three men to exit. One by one they got out and MacTavish instructed them to stand in line in front of the helipad. The trio walked down the steps and did as they were told.

Next came Vulture and then Phantom. They also got in line as the Captain told them, but the sight of Phantom surprised Ghost. A woman? Interesting.

"Roach, look."

He told his friend and pointed with his head. Roach already knew what he was getting at. He saw nothing wrong with a woman being a part of the team. He shrugged.

"Yeah, a woman. So?"

Roach asked, sounding rather annoyed. He never expected a vaguely sexist thought from his comrade and friend. Ghost looked Roach and was about to say something, but the latter cut him off, waving his hand.

"Save it, Ghost, I know what you want to say. The Captain knows what he's doing and don't give him any of that bollocks, alright?"

Roach told Ghost, who had to agree with him. They were both concerned with what the rest of the 'One-Four-One' would say, but at the end of the day, did that really matter? If she got in, that meant she was good. They watched as their Captain assigned the FNGs. Phantom and another man were chosen to be with MacTavish, and Vulture and the rest were with someone else. The Task Force has many operators, and MacTavish can't manage all of them alone, neither can Price.

Their Captain, Phantom and the anonymous man introduced themselves to Roach and Ghost.

"Ghost, Roach, these are the new members under my direct command," MacTavish began, "Phantom" he gestured to her and she gave the two men a curt nod "And Crane" he said and gestured to one standing next to Phantom.

After that, MacTavish left to oversee the situation with the three men who he had been assigning previously.

"Hey there, Sergeant Gary Sanderson."

Roach introduced himself to the two and shook their hands. Phantom couldn't believe she had to be on the same team as 'him'. She gave 'him' a cold look right into his ridiculous sunglasses. Ghost noticed the look she gave him, but said nothing. He knew then and there, she would be trouble. Every fiber in Phantom's being shook and she wanted to point her finger at Ghost, but stopped herself from doing anything bad. He was her new teammate and she had to behave, as she had told herself in the past. Then Ghost introduced himself to the two.

"Nice to meet you."

Crane spoke, while Phantom remained silent and looked at Roach. Her expression softened. She made one hell of a first impression, but as always didn't care what they thought of her. Roach was confused as to why she was behaving so strange, but decided not to ask.

This was either going to go very well, or very terrible.