Soap coughed and winced from the spark of pain in his chest.

"Still sore?" Nikolai asked glancing at him. Soap nodded slightly not looking up from the map in front of him. Price was explaining which precaution routes they should take at the safehouse, but Soap wasn't really able to focus on the old man's words. His mind kept wondering to Ghost, and the horrified look on the Lieutenant's face as he made for the door. Hopefully Archer was able to keep Ghost in check as they wandered through the wilderness outside.

Ghost crossed his arms as he gazed over the ledge at the river 200 feet below. Archer came beside him and paused a little farther away, peering cautiously over the steep edge.

"Come on mate, I won't let you fall, I promise." The Lieutenant chuckled.

Archer ventured closer, feeling a bit more secure with his CO keeping an eye on him. The beauty of the scene below nearly took his breath away. There was a large waterfall the dropped into a deep yet calm pool of water which funneled into a peaceful flowing river.

"So is this where you disappear to?" Archer asked as he fixed his gaze on the swirling water below.

"Sometimes, it relaxes me, makes it easier to clear my head." Ghost answered.

Archer looked up Ghost's face. With the mask off, it was easier to read the Lieutenant's expressions and right now he looked anything but relaxed. Ghost's eyes were dark from lack of sleep and they were glazed with sadness. His body looked tense, as if he was expecting an attack of some sort. Ghost must have sensed Archer's eyes because his focus shifted from the ledge to some unknown object on the ground. Archer knew Ghost must have been thinking about the events at the safehouse. Shepherd's betrayal, Roach's horrible death, nearly being burned alive, and then watching as Archer was nearly beaten to death for information. Ghost was the one in charge of the operation, he was responsible for the team, all 7 of them. Now, five of them were dead and Ghost and Archer had nearly lost their lives as well.

"It wasn't your fault." Archer said suddenly.

Ghost turned his blue eyes to his friend and slowly blinked.

"The last time I lost my team," he said softly, "was in Mexico when we were going after Roba. The ones that survived along with me, were beaten and tortured until they were brainwashed. They eventually turned against me."

Archer's eyes widened at this new bit of information, but the Lieutenant continued. The younger man hardly moved and remained silent as Ghost told his horrible tale. He didn't skip out on the details of the torture he endured, nor the shocking murder of his family and how he was blamed for it. He told Archer about how he went after the two men responsible for his family's death, how he snuck into the SAS's barracks and slit Washington's throat before dragging Sparks back to his apartment where his family was killed. He told Archer how he killed Sparks, then switched their tags before burning the building to the ground to fake his own death. He told how he hunted Roba down and took his final slice of revenge before killing each and every one of Roba's guards, the burned Roba's complex to the ground.

"I managed to sneak my way back into the SAS, using a fake name, going by "Ghost" and wearing that skull mask I always wore. I didn't know what else to do or where to go. That's where I met Soap, but he left shortly after I arrived. Unfortunately for me, someone knew who I was and it didn't take long for them to come get me. It was during training, that's when I spotted a chopper headed towards us," Ghost said narrowing his eyes, "It was Shepherd," He said the name with an angry hiss, "he offered me a position in the 141. Not that I had a choice. I was believed to be dead, and if I was discovered alive then they would lock me up for life if I was caught. He made it clear I didn't have a choice but to join. So I did."

Archer swallowed, "Toad told me about when you first arrived. He said you scared most of the men, being always quiet and mysterious."

Ghost smirked.

"It took me a while to accept where I was now. But the fact I was part of a group of handpicked soldiers brightened my mood a little. If I was going to be forced into warfare at least it was with men that knew what they were doing," he said, "I was still having a hard time trusting the people I was with. Especially Soap. We knew each other a bit but had never really spoken, and since I was to be his second in command he was determined to get to know me. Of course I resisted at first…but I eventually started to trust and respect him."

Archer nodded, his head with buzzing with all of these interesting yet horrific discoveries about his CO. Understanding flooded him as he realized why Shepherd's betrayal had taken such a toll on the Lieutenant. It was as if Ghost's past had repeated itself even thought the lieutenant had sworn to himself not to let it happen again. He wasn't sure why Ghost was telling him all this, but it felt good to know the man trusted him enough to give him such an insight on what he'd been through.

"Thank you." Archer said.

Ghost turned to him with a puzzled look.

"For what?"

"For telling me all this. I know you have to really trust someone to be this honest. It just makes me glad I'm one of those people." Archer said. Like Roach, he had looked up to Ghost as soon as he had joined the 141. Archer was only a year older than Roach, and had been chosen for his flawless sniping skills. As soon as he had met Ghost and saw what the Lieutenant could do he formed a deep respect and admiration for him. Archer, like the other young new recruits, fought and trained hard to be noticed by Captain MacTavish or his right hand man, but Roach had outdone them all in his skill and endurance. He had quickly won favor with Ghost, and if you were on good terms with Ghost, you had the Captain on your side as well. Archer couldn't help feeling jealous at times when Roach got his special treatment. Roach was allowed to sit with the CO's at meals, he was allowed at meetings, he was practically the only person the CO's treated as a friend and he was privileged to hang out with Ghost and actually have the Lieutenant speak to him. When anyone else came around Ghost during free time and such, he hardly threw them a glance.

"I just felt like you needed to know." Ghost said breaking Archer's thoughts as he returned his eyes to the scene of nature in front of him.

Archer exhaled slowly and followed Ghost's gaze. He remembered when Ghost had rushed to his aid after being attacked by the dog. He remembered how Ghost, although terribly wounded, had fought like a rabid animal when Archer was being beaten in front of him. Archer felt a feeling of safety wash over him as he shot a glance at the strong from of Ghost standing next to him. He couldn't help feeling thankful that he was on the same side as this guy. He knew that if anyone threatened him or MacTavish, Ghost would gladly give his life to teach the offender a lesson they won't ever forget.

"Maybe we should stay for a bit longer if that wound is still bothering you." Price said as he rose from the table and headed towards the kitchen.

"I'm fine," Soap answered as he continued to stared down at the table, his head propped up with one arm, "We'll leave tomorrow."

"What about Ghost?" Nikolai asked, "he suffered harsh burns to his arm and I'm sure he's still suffering from the gunshot and stab wounds."

Soap was about to reply when Price spoke first.

"If he can handle running around in the snow all night I'm sure he'll be fine."

Soap bit down the frustration burning in him. Price didn't understand how much Ghost was struggling with himself right now. Soap was worried, he knew that Ghost's mental state had depleted after he was injured in Kazakhstan, and he seemed to have slowly gotten better, but then after Shepherd's betrayal Ghost had taken a horrid turn for the worst. At times, he didn't even seem like himself, like if another more dark and sinister person was in control of his thoughts and actions. Soap shivered when he remembered the gory killing of their Russian prisoner. That wasn't like Ghost to lose control like that, but then again, maybe there was a deeper part of the Lieutenant that Soap didn't understand yet. What he wanted to do was protect him, somehow. Soap had grown very close to Ghost over the years and losing him would be mind numbing. Soap couldn't go through that again, not after he believed Ghost had been killed at the safehouse only to find his broken body clinging desperately to life when they arrived. Seeing Ghost like that had brought a fury in him, but also an overwhelming sense of relief that at least he was still alive if only barely. Soap had to admit, he had felt lost when he thought his second in command was dead, and he knew that without Ghost, he wouldn't know what the hell to do.

"Soap!"

The urgency in Price's voice caused the captain and Nikolai to look over at him. Price was walking slowly towards them.

"There's a group of about eight surrounding the cabin. Grab a gun and get ready," he said as he reached for a UMP resting against the wall, "we've been found."