"What? She's your COMMANDER?" Hesh's voice could be heard from the base below. His mother scowled at her son's words.
"I'm just telling you the truth, Hesh. Why would I lie? What would be my gain from that?" Knight sounded more agitated than she was when Hesh pestered her after their fight in the fort.
"Logan, don't you see, if Dad knew, then he would have told us. I mean, if Knight IS telling the truth, which would mean Dad, knew about Mom; he would have known that she was alive, and wouldn't have set up a funeral, a grave or anything." Hesh's speech became erratic and pained. "Knight are you telling me that my Dad, Captain Elias Walker, told a LIE for his entire life, to his kids and his TEAM! NO WAY!" Hesh became infuriated, his face turned red and his voice boomed. "You are the LIAR! YOU LIED! You said you weren't RISE, that you could be trusted!" The rest of the Ghosts and Knight's team were silent, knowing that even a word from them would add more fuel to Hesh's fire.
"DAVID TERRENCE WALKER! WHAT DID I TEACH YOU WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG?" A voice behind Silver rose.
"Mo..m?" Logan looked over to his right; a tall, slender, mid-60s woman appeared. She had platinum blonde hair in a bun and blue-green eyes.
"Hey Logan," His mother patted his shoulder. "DAVID! STAND DOWN. YOU ARE TALKING TO A SUPERIOR. APOLOGIZE."
Hesh bowed his head in defeat. "I'm…sorry, Knight."
"It's okay," Knight put her hand on his shoulder.
"Knight, Spectre Team 6. Good to see you guys together again. Ghosts."
"Hi ma'am."
"Joana?" Keegan was surprised.
"Yes? I may not look like the homemaker you guys know. But I am here now."
"Mom?"
Joana Walker looked at Hesh, endearingly. "Honey…"
"Mom!" Hesh hugged his mother. He cried into her arms.
"Shhhh…everything's going to be alright, sweetheart." Joana stroked Hesh's head as hiccups and tears were expressed.
"Hey Mom." Logan hugged his mother and Hesh.
"Let's take this into the base; it's going to get dark soon."
Joana took the Walker boys to her office through the officer entrance. She instructed Spectre Team 6 to show the oldest members of the Ghosts through the lobby entrance.
"So here is where you check-in, make sure your IDs are visible when you enter. You are then scanned with our biometric system to make sure that your mental and physical states are the same. If you have any injuries, you then are passed into the infirmary, checked, and sent on your way." Chris said.
"That's the most I've ever heard you say one go..." Ian's sarcasm shown through his cold exterior.
"Really, Ian? You would go there..." Silver nudged Ian.
"I was..."
"JUST BEING LOYAL. WE KNOW," the whole team 6 said.
"Merlin, do you know where diagnostics is? We need to know about the attack that Samuelsson was talking about." Knight turned inward to speak to Merlin.
"Yeah, it should be on the third floor, but they move around. You and I haven't been here in quite a while, so they could have changed floors again."
"It's on the sixth floor now." Silver crossed his arms. "They changed again after Commander Walker found a bug in the coding."
"Geez, can't they just fix the bug? Why would they change floors?" Kick interjected.
"Well," Knight explained, "the Captain of diagnostics is…sort of...paranoid? So they request floor changes after anything happens."
"Wow."
"That's exactly what everyone said when they heard he was moving diagnostics after finding a roach in his papers."
"When are you going, Knight?" Merlin looked at Knight.
"Later today. I have to get Logan and Hesh settled after they talk with Commander Walker."
"Let me get this straight," Neptune rubbed his hands together, "Captain Elias Walker, is what?"
"He is Captain Elias T. Walker, he preferred to be called Captain, rather than Commander," Silver answered.
"And how did he recruit everyone here without approval?" Merrick walked to the left of Knight while the rest of both squads were in back of them. They passed through a small corridor that led to many of the recreational and resting rooms stationed on the east wing of the base.
"He...well, like me, he evaluated many of the members the same way all new members of the Ghosts, through physical, mental and emotional testing. Yes, we are Ghosts, officially in our system, but undetectable through normal Ghosts means, like records and files of the US Military. Our names are then replaced with call names, like Knight, Silver, Wizard, Lightening, Dragon. We are then filed into the system without names, confusing anyone that hacks the Ghosts system, like what Rorke did when he got to Ajax four years ago." Knight led the two teams into the Recreational Wing, where Ghosts at the base sleep, eat and relax. She motioned that they file to the central wall lined with kiosks that checked identities and room numbers of the many soldiers that pass through here everyday. Today, though, it was clear of any commotion.
"Why is there no one here?" Kick put his MTAR on his shoulder, as did Neptune and Keegan.
"They're training on the Ghostship, getting ready for the defensive forces that we have to line for the RISE demonstration next week, as per Samuelsson's statement yesterday." Ian stood close to Silver.
"So what are we doing here? We already have our official IDs..." Keegan held up his. It was a clear green card, with his name, military number, squad number, and a black strip that held his most important information regarding his identity."
"We're here to find out where you guys sleep." Chris was obviously very tired. She slumped to the floor, in front of one of the other kiosks, and rested her head.
"Yeah, we are. Logan and Hesh will have their's done by the Commander, so we don't need to know theirs." Knight inserted hers, demonstrating the instructions to the older Ghosts. After everyone was done, they moved to the housing lobby, showing them the different halls.
"Floor one is for base service members, like Kick and Neptune."
"Yeah, and we share a room," Neptune threw his hands in the air. "Why do I always have to put up with you?"
"Well, why do I have to put up with you and your stupid…FACE!"
"Why are you two so childish?" Keegan scratched the back of his head. It was the first time Knight has seen Keegan without his balaclava on. He removed it in order to have the biometric system read his facial features. Although Knight was attracted to Logan, she also thought Keegan was pretty damn good-looking too.
"Merrick and I will be housed in the Captain's quarters on floor 4," Knight motioned to Merrick's ID.
Keegan eyed Merrick who was to his left. "Just shove a pillow in your face when you go to sleep. You snore keeps me up, you fucking tomato."
"Then stop listening. It's hard enough to hear you move around like you're fucking your pillow every night."
"Ooh, those are nice," Ian clapped his hands like a child in a candy store. "They have one person suites, unlike the others, so that Captains are able to work overnight and are able to leave their quarters for other more 'professional' business. And the beds are soo comfy!"
"What about Keegan?" Kick asked. Keegan looked at his ticket.
"Floor 2 it says."
"Floor 2 is Sniper Row. It's okay," Silver was next to Ian and Chris on the floor. "It's always very quiet and very dark. No one really is sociable there."
"Great place for Keegan and his pillow fucking," Merrick chuckled.
"Fuck you, tomato."
"Hey the dark side has cookies." Kick nibbled on a couple he got from the vending machine across the way.
"You're always eating and leaving a mess. Look at all the crumbs you leave." Neptune pointed at the floor.
"Where do you guys sleep?" Kick nodded towards Merlin, Ian, Chris, and Silver.
"Floor 3. Special Forces." Merlin, who stood in back of Knight, moved in order to see Kick.
"Back to our previous conversation, Joana became Commander when?" Keegan asked. He sat down on the vanity chair next to Neptune and Kick sat in the embroidered chair across from them. Merrick and Knight stood.
"I don't know since I wasn't here at the time. But maybe…" Knight looked around.
"She was here all the time, mate." A voice came from behind the corner where the escalators were located.
"Darien! My favorite sniper!" Ian said with is arms out wide. Silver's face was hidden behind his hand.
"Ian, shut up." Silver shook his head. "Don't make this worse."
"Oh, Silver, Ian and I made nice. All he has to do is…"
"Darien." Knight crossed her arms.
"Oh…hehehehe…Knight." Darien put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall, next to Keegan.
"This is Darien, Team 6's scout sniper. Where's Alex?"
"Not here, love. She's in maintenance right now, getting that bloody rifle of hers amped up for the assault."
"What about Joana?" Keegan sounded more annoyed.
"Well, as a senior member, unlike you guys, I was here when the additional supports started. Joana became Interim Commander when Elias was away on 'baby' duty, as you guys well know, and, well those blabbering bunch of diapers were here every day their father wasn't able to take care of them."
"So, how did she become Commander? She has no military training." Merrick looked hard at the Brit.
"She was CIA when Elias and she got married. She was stationed in the Congo when she met Elias," Darien fumbled with his jacket, "and she passed on a lot of those traits to the blundering idiots that are making a hell of a lot of noise in her office. I can't believe they are her sons."
"A whole lot better than you," Ian murmured.
"What did you say Black?"
"Nothing." Ian hid his head between his legs.
"Enough bickering," Knight spat. "Joana became more involved as Elias paid more attention to the original team (Knight pointed to the Ghosts). She eventually became Commander when Hesh and Logan officially became Ghosts."
"Why now, of all times?"
"Something's up with RISE that's getting them all hyped up." Silver dug around in his backpack to find a piece of torn paper. "Here it is."
"What in the bloody hell is that?" Darien pointed at Silver's torn piece of paper.
"The address to the meeting; got it from Helen in COP."
"What meeting?" Darien became interested.
"The meeting we've all been waiting for. It's the meeting of the year: Project Revolution." Silver gave a big smile.
"So who's going?" Ian looked around. "I bet it's Knight."
"And Logan." Joana walked up the steps to meet the crew in the lobby. "Keegan and Darien are also going to cover your six. The rest of you are security detail. Hesh, Kick, and Neptune will be working from the base to hack into their DREAM systems. If I'm right, Knight, your brother put up a big firewall to keep us out of this meeting."
"True. But, my brother will probably speak, you sure you want me to be the main operator on this one? I can hack as fast, if not faster than Hesh. Hesh and Logan should go; he doesn't know what they look like."
"Alright, I'll leave it for Hesh and Logan, but Knight, I think Darien can step back and could hack the firewall. Kick and Neptune, make sure you gain access to the security cameras and DREAM security systems as Darien hacks to control the mobile suits, all if Alex is going."
"She is planning to."
"Then Keegan and Alex can cover them. Ian, can you gain us access to visuals?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Knight, you're operating this with Merrick. I trust that you two can make things happen."
"Yes ma'am."
"Hesh, Logan, I am sending the two of you into RISE territory. Just make sure you are not spotted by Samuelsson." Hesh and Logan reached the top step as she started to speak.
"Samuelsson is going to be with General Mendoza at the time of the meeting. COP overheard the two speaking over the phone when they are going to meet," Silver gave Commander Walker other torn pieces from his backpack.
"Very good. Meeting dismissed." Joana left the group as she descended the steps. Almost forgetting, Hesh and Logan waved to their mom.
"Good date with Mommy?" Darien motioned to Commander Walker.
"Darien, that's out of line." Silver tossed a piece of paper at him.
"No, we talked about stuff," Hesh said sarcastically.
"She told you about my brother?" Knight had her arms around Logan.
"Yeah. She told us about his transformation and stuff. It's just like how Dad told us about Rorke." Hesh took a seat next to Keegan.
"It's weird. I feel like the Federation and RISE are working together somehow." Silver took a ball from his bag and threw it to Riley, who was next to Logan the entire time.
"Yeah, I feel you." Chris rubbed her neck.
As they parted to their dorms, Logan and Knight took a long walk through the West wing to Logan's room. His and Hesh's room was located in the West wing along with the kennel and the Commander's room on the first floor.
"I'm glad I get to spend some time with you before hell starts." Logan chuckled and wrapped his arms around Knight. They neared the Officers' rooms, trying not to wake the rest of the officers that slept in the adjacent rooms with the lovey-dovey stuff.
"Me too." Knight kissed Logan lightly on the cheek.
"Would you like to spend the night in the West Wing?" Logan smiled. He blew small kisses into Knight's ear. She recoiled at the warm kisses and giggled.
Logan opened the door to his room. He could hear Hesh and Riley across the hall, and smiled at the funny noises Riley makes when he and Hesh are playing before bed.
Knight smiled as Logan closed the door behind him. "She heard what we did in the elevator."
"I thought that was the case. She avoided every time she said your name, trying not to say elevator or kisses." Logan and Knight sat on the bed.
Logan kissed Knight as she enfolded herself in Logan's arms. Logan moaned quietly as he and Knight lay on the bed, Knight only smiling as she drove the kiss more passionately. As she reached for a breath, Knight removed Logan's T-shirt, revealing his chest and laid her hands on it to reach further to Logan's lips. As they removed all their clothing, Logan draped the sheets around them, enveloping her into his arms.