Lennox looked up from his files with a sigh, his thoughts trailing to the person whose name he'd just read in the after action report of their last deployment.
With mounting unease, he had observed Lieutenant Commander Felice Manning over the past weeks. Since they'd returned from North Korea she had changed. Her expression was grim when hunched over the Intel they received to filter of any useful information on the White Ghost and though she pretended that everything was fine when with the team, she could not fool him. He had watched her training alone in the gym one evening and he was fairly certain that a few tears had mingled with the sweat running down her face while beating the crap out of a punching bag. He had tried to talk to her, but she'd cast off his attempts each time.
He could relate to her nevertheless. It was always hard to loose somebody in a fight. In her years of service with the Navy she had undoubtedly witnessed quite a few people dying in the line of duty, but she'd always been in her fighter jet, separated from the battlefield and the anguish and grief as comrades died next to their team mates. Now, she was experiencing it first hand and it was not the first time Lennox wondered whether it had been the right decision to pull her into this – his – line of work.
Lennox' look fell on the manila folder at the far end of his desk. It was the one containing the information about the naval NEST program. He glared at it.
In addition to his sorrows about the young woman's state of mind, Director Mearing had called him twice, asking whether Felice had made her decision yet. Both times he had been able to get rid of her quickly, but he knew that he had to tell Felice because if he stove off Mearing once more, she would be standing on his doorstep and then it would be too late.
Knowing that he would not get his work done with his head full of thoughts, he stood from his desk with an impatient sigh. He had to get rid of the issue. So he went to look for Felice, a plan forming in his mind that he dearly hoped would work.
He found her in the arms room at weapons cleaning with Epps and Scott. The three of them were chatting animatedly and before entering, Lennox took a few seconds to observe the scene in order to get an idea about Felice mood. He had to tread carefully or his plan would fail. Watching her now, he thought that Felice looked a little more at ease than she had since they'd returned from their latest mission. A smirk was lightning up her features as she listened to her team mates banter while she worked swiftly on her rifle. He entered the room.
"Hey."
She looked up and smiled at him before resuming her work on the weapon.
"Hi."
"Can I talk to you for a sec?"
"Sure." Felice replied glancing up at him for longer now, sensing the slight unease in his voice. "Something wrong?"
"No. Not at all." he reassured her with a smile.
Was this the right moment to tell her about the program? Though she seemed to do better today, he knew that she was still digesting their latest mission and he did not want to add more load to her shoulders than she was already carrying. But he had to tell her rather sooner than later.
"Let's go to my office."
"OK." she replied, shooting a bewildered look in Epps' direction but followed him out of the room.
While walking the familiar corridors, Felice at his side, Lennox' unease grew bigger with every passing second. He still had not decided how to break the news to her without giving away too much thus practically pushing her back into a fighter jet and in harm's way. But he could not lie to her either, so he settled with what would be the truth yet containing only so much information she would need to pass any conversation with Director Mearing and General Morshower.
They reached his office and stepped inside. Closing the door behind himself, he turned just find Felice looking at him, eyes filled with curiosity. He held her gaze for a moment, taking in the sight of the woman in front of him. This beautiful, talented, enchanting woman… No, he could not let her go off to that taskforce. Even though she would make it through the training and succeed in setting up the naval NEST program, he could not bear the thought what would happen when they would be deployed to fight the 'Cons.
"What?"
Her playful teasing voice roused him from his dark thoughts.
"You dragged me to your office to stare at me?"
"Sorry." he shook his head distractedly and sat down on the table's edge.
Best to come straight to the point, he told himself and took a deep breath before he began to speak.
"A while ago, Director Mearing and General Morshower approached me with an offer." Though that was not entirely true - it had been more an order than an offer to be exact - Lennox decided to make it sound the least appealing to Felice. "They are thinking about liaising with the Navy and they need personnel for that."
Just as he'd spoken the word 'Navy', Felice eyes had lightened up and he inwardly groaned. It was exactly what he'd expected and he hated himself for what he was about to do.
"It's mostly an administrative job. You know they have their own chain of command and the regulations how much authority we will have are still not sorted out, but since you are our only transfer from the Navy, they suggested you for the job."
Lennox observed her closely as he spoke. A slight frown had appeared on her face as she listened to him.
"What do you say?" he asked tentatively.
"It sounds interesting." she said slowly. "But I am not sure if I like the term 'administrative job'." she concluded with a wary smile. "Do you know more about it yet?"
It took Lennox a lot not to sigh with relief. She'd taken the bait. And even though he felt miserable about double-crossing her, he reminded himself that it was for her own good.
"No, not yet. It's merely an idea. I just thought that you might want to know about it."
"Thanks." she said with a genuine smile. "But I think I will continue here for once. Unless you want to get rid of me." she added with a suggestive grin.
"Not at all." he smirked back, ignoring the nagging feeling of guilt as he closed the distance between them and kissed her.
Just five weeks after the incident in Korea, NEST received another call.
This time they were sent to Iran. Two news reporters had gone missing. Felice wondered why the US military wanted to rescue the two men with such urgency – this kind of missions usually preceded months and months of negotiations before a single soldier was informed about the case – but to Felice the lives of two civilians were equally valuable to any soldier and she didn't question the orders but hoped that they would be able to rescue them.
After another nighttime airdrop they made their way into the steep mountains near Saravan stealthily; a task that was easier said than done due to the Autobots' size and the lack of cover by trees or other shrubs. But after two hours of walk they arrived in the mountain area where they suspected the men to be held captive.
It was cold and snow had begun to cover the topmost parts of the surrounding mountains, letting them glow eerily in the faint moonlight. The absence of any tree or bush emphasized the rough nature of the terrain they were moving in; reminding Felice forcefully about the only other time her boots had touched the ground in this part of the world. She shuddered at the memory and pushed it quickly aside. This was not the moment to lose her cool. They had to get a job done.
In the pale moonlight, she could make out the shape of Lennox, now signaling them to stop. They came to a halt instantly, waiting for their leader's orders.
"Ratchet, Optimus sweep the area." he said quietly.
There was a few moments silence before the leader of the Autobots spoke.
"They are in a cave up that mountain." he raised a giant finger to point the direction. "No Decepticons near them."
"Maps." the Colonel ordered quietly and Mitch stepped forward.
"Vantage points here and here. The only path up is here."
He trailed a small path with a finger of his gloved hand. Lennox nodded.
"Good. Take Felice with you and set up shop on the ridgeline. Dino and Sides take the other vantage point. The rest come with me."
Felice opened her mouth to protest, but Lennox silenced her with a warning look. She glared at him, well aware of his motives.
They'd barely left Andrews AFB when Lennox had announced the team order for this op. Briefing them on the mission he'd deemed it necessary to place snipers near the cave to secure their exfil route and because Felice was one of the best snipers she'd gotten the job. She had almost wondered aloud why Lennox was not placing the best sniper on the job but her instead, but a warning kick on her shins from Epps had stopped her just in time to prevent her getting into trouble.
She knew that he wanted to avoid another situation like North Korea; her ending up prisoner… or worse. She'd been lucky back then, damn lucky. But she would have been perfectly OK to be on Lennox' team again, yet almost grounding her by placing her out of reach was not what she had in mind.
"Roger that, Sir." she muttered and grabbed her duffle bag with her sniper gear, following Mitch into the hills.
They had chosen a spot halfway up the steep way to the ridgeline Lennox had mentioned. It provided a good overview of the valley and their surroundings and shielded their backs in case of an ambush. While they hid under their sniper covers and Felice checked the terrain for threats and Mitch radioed in their position. When he'd received confirmation that Lennox and his men were in position, he picked up his rifle and began peering through the scope as well.
In the distance they could see Lennox and his men entering the cave, while the Autobots stood guard at the entrance. The minutes dragged in, both Felice and Mitch staring into the darkness, eyes glued to the cave entrance. Then, there was she sound of muffled gunfire, then silence again.
"They have no reception in that cave." Mitch spoke out what Felice had already guessed by the lack of status report from Lennox and his men. With mounting tension, she continued watching their surroundings.
Then, some fifteen minutes later, she saw the NEST soldiers emerge from the cave, supporting two battered looking men in their midst.
"This is Lennox. We have the package. Returning to the rally point. Snipers, hold your position, how copy?"
"Roger, holding position." Felice replied and breathed a sigh of relief and heard Mitch do the same. The hostages were safe and no casualties this time. It was not yet time to relax, but some of the pressure had lifted already, not only on Felice but also on her fellow sniper who spoke up now. But it was nothing related to their mission.
"So, what's the deal with you and the boss?" Mitch asked quietly, his voice barely more than the light yet icy breeze that blew gently around their faces.
"What do you mean?" Felice replied equally quiet, still peering through her binoculars. Lennox and his men were descending the mountain, flanked by the Autobots.
"You seemed … edgy around each other after our last mission." Mitch pressed on, yet somewhat hesitantly.
"Well, we still haven't caught the White Ghost and we never will if you don't keep your head in the game." she whispered irritably then froze. "Hey, heads up! Contact, twelve o'clock."
Mitch peered through his scope. About a dozen dark shapes were moving over the hilltop, sneaking up at the small group from behind.
"This is sniper 1." Mitch spoke quickly into his earpiece. "Be advised, we have movement behind you. I say again, movement on your six."
"Roger that." Felice heard Lennox reply, as she adjusted her sniper rifle and peered through her scope instead of the binoculars. She watched the small group of soldiers reform their position, shielding the civilians in their midst, before she swung towards the hostiles. About ten men in local clothing moved down the hill, rifles in their hands. She observed them for a few more seconds.
"They don't look like villagers to me." Felice whispered.
"No, they move far too trained and organized." Mitch replied.
Then, shots cracked through the air, followed by the bang of an exploding hand grenade that missed Lennox and his team by inches. Felice and Mitchell watched them retreat hastily.
"Sniper 1 and 2 you are cleared to engage." Lennox ordered them and they could see him and the others take cover. "They are enclosing fast."
"Copy." Mitch replied for both of them, then addressed Felice. "I'll take the right side."
Felice confirmed and focused on her mark. The shots rang through the air in a short succession, each a hit for the enemy could not see where the shooters were positioned hence they could not take cover.
"Sniper 1. All clear." Mitch spoke softly after a few minutes.
"Roger that. Thanks buddy."
Mitch looked sideways and exchanged a grim smile with Felice. They watched them descend the mountain and packed up their things when their team was safely with the remaining Autobots. A faint noise to their left told them that Dino and Sides were following them as well.
They reached the foot of the mountain and made their way over to where Lennox was standing. When they were within earshot, the Colonel spoke up.
"Nice shooting you two. I…"
But he didn't get to finish his sentence. A ray of blue light suddenly illuminated the darkness, followed by an earsplitting bang. Out of nowhere five Decepticons materialized in front of Felice, Mitch and the two Autobots blocking their path towards Lennox and his men.
"Take cover!" Mitch hollered, quite unnecessarily because Felice had already ducked behind a small group of rocks and started shooting at the Deceptions immediately. The 'Cons had turned on Lennox and his men and by firing at them she wanted to draw them away so that they could reposition themselves while the Autobots had a clear shot in engaging their enemies.
It worked fairly well because a few moments later, Lennox spoke to them over the radio and told them who he wanted to engage in the fight. Felice and Mitch confirmed, still crouched down behind their rocky cover, returning the enemies' fire whenever possible.
"Lennox, move your men, we are taking over." they all heard Optimus' voice over their radios. "Get the hostages into safety."
"Roger that." Lennox replied and ordered their retreat.
But it was easier said than done. While the Autobots were fighting the Decepticons relentlessly, rolling all over the place and shattering everything in their path, Lennox and his men had a hard time moving the hostage which were in no fit condition to make a quick getaway. From their hideout, Felice and Mitch could see their trouble.
"Snipers, we need a diversion."
"Copy, Lennox." Felice replied and looked towards Mitch. He had already scanned the situation and come up with a plan.
"You draw them towards you and then we take them into crossfire. By this we might get them away from the others."
"Sounds good to me." she replied as she put a new magazine into her weapon.
"But be careful." Mitch urged her as she was about to move.
Felice turned one last time. "Always am." she replied with a grim smile then vanished into the darkness.
Their plan worked fairly well at first. Once Felice had started to fire at the two Decepticons closest to Lennox and his men, they turned and walked towards her, but Mitch took them down with precise shots. Taking out the Decepticons' eyes first made them an easy target for the kill shots directly into their core. One after the other went down.
Meanwhile, the Autobots fought the three remaining Decepticons. They managed to kill two similar looking 'Cons in the shape of tigers after another few minutes, leaving the last one, a giant transformed tank, to Optimus.
"Leave him to me." the Autobots' leader had ordered his friends. "Get Lennox and his team out of harm's way."
While the hostages were ushered into the vehicles, followed by most of Lennox' men, the Colonel and Ray Jones kept looking for Mitch and Felice. They must have heard the order but neither could see them through all the dust and smoke that was thrown into the air by the giant alien battle in front of them.
"There comes Mitch!" Jones yelled over the deafening noise and pointed towards a figure that was running in their direction. Panting, their team mate skidded to a halt next to them, the muzzle of his rifle slightly smoking in the cold from the massive amount of shooting, his face smudged with sweat and dirt.
"Where is Felice?" Lennox demanded at once.
Mitch looked around then frowned.
"She was right behind me… wait. There she is!" he gestured towards Optimus and his opponent. Trapped behind a rock in the middle of the fight was Felice, unable to get out from behind her cover without risking to be crushed by the two giants fighting each other. Lennox cursed.
"We need to get to her." he said. He pushed the talk- button on his radio. "Felice, stay where you are. We are going to help you." he said and was about to move, when Jones got hold of his arm.
"Wait." he jerked his head in Felice' direction and Lennox saw what he meant.
The young woman had raised her weapon and was firing precise shots into the Decepticons' core. He did not die, but it didn't seem to worry Felice for in that moment, Lennox heard her voice over his earpiece.
"No worries, boss. I got it." she replied, sounding a little out of breath. "Get the hostages into safety."
There were a few more cracks of gunfire, their amplified over the radio. The Decepticon staggered around more uncontrollably than ever before, twice almost stepping on the place where Felice was hiding, missing her only by inches. There was a yell of shock by Felice about the near miss and that, more than anything else, made Lennox snap.
"The hell I am." he muttered and without another word he took off into the direction of the fight.
Still trapped behind the rock, Felice had trouble avoiding to be killed by either Optimus or his opponent, the latter staggering a lot now, and she doubted that she would need less than half a dozen shots to finish him off once and for all. Cursing that she had to engage this particularly though 'Con who wouldn't die as easily as Mitch's targets, she reloaded her weapon. But this was not the right time to complain yet when glancing up again and she felt her heart almost come to a standstill.
Running towards the fight, alone and without cover, was none other than William Lennox. Felice swore. He and his stupid protective instincts! What the hell was he thinking? Engaging in the fight in such a reckless lunatic way!
He was close now and his voice carried over to her as he shouted at the 'Con.
"Hey, big boy! Over here!" Lennox shouted and fired a few shots at the Decepticon. He hit the target but the shots didn't do much damage for he wasn't using the special ammo Felice and Mitch used in their sniper rifles. Nevertheless, he achieved his goal.
At once, the robot turned and to Felice' horror advanced now on Lennox instead of her. A burst of gunfire thudded into the ground right in front of him, throwing up shards and plumes of dust. Felice gasped in shock. But the diversion had given her the chance to leave her hideout. Without taking her eyes of the scene she crouched out of the danger zone and grabbed her rifle, bringing it up and aimed at the torso of the Decepticon.
There was a deafening sound as the projectile left the muzzle followed by and earsplitting bang when it hit its mark. It staggered, but it was still not dead.
Why can't you just die, Felice thought desperately as she watched the 'Con lifting its gun, aiming for the spot where Lennox must stand – Felice could no longer see him through all the dust. But just then, Optimus had emerged from thin air, raising his sword. The blade slid deeply into its torso and sliced the Decepticon in half. Falling to the ground motionless the 'Con was dead; at last.
It took Felice a few moments before she was able to move. Slowly, she lowered her rifle and turned to look for her friend. Lennox was coming to his feet, filthy but unharmed; a half-smile on his face as he enclosed her.
"Well, that was fun…" he smirked, but his smile faltered when he saw the look on Felice' face. Her eyes were blazing with anger and he was absolutely positive that she would yell at him any second, but he was proven otherwise.
"And you tell me not to take any stupid risks." she said so quietly he had to strain his ears to hear her yet her voice was filled with such venom it pierced through him like ice. And with one last furious glance at him, she turned and marched away towards the rest of the team, leaving him standing there with Optimus and the dead Decepticon.