Warning! This fic is slash, so if you don't like that, don't read. I should probably also warn that there will be a fair bit of swearing. When I say fair, I mean a lot.
Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Soap, Ghost, or any other part of Modern Warfare as they all belong to Infinity Ward. I'm just amateur writer who likes to borrow them a little.
Note from Sassy: We're in to double figures! And on a slightly soppy note, I have to really say a big thank you for the pile of reviews I got for chapter 9! You all made me feel really fuzzy and warm inside, so I decided to stop being so pathetic, dosed myself on painkillers and managed to write another chapter for you to keep my updating streak going. I'm so lucky to have you guys motivating me. :D And on that note, its reply time. This could take a while…
VerityA: No worrying about me, I'm just being a bit pathetic. :P Although cookies do help. Even if I have to console a sobbing Price. :P Soap is definitely such a baby underneath it all. Either that or a teenage boy. I swear his hormones are still running riot. :P
Carovinee: Ghost hugs all round again, yes. :) As for my talent…when I shall just sit here and blush a lot. If you like the epic kisses, all I can say is that chapter 11 might be your favourite chapter. :P Thanks for the lovely comment!
Reeserella: I think Price is who Roach takes after for clumsiness. And if I'm honest, I really think Soap and Ghost need you there to sort them out. They're useless really… :P And thank you for the get well wishes too :D
UrgentOrange: Thank you! I love writing Ghost's dialogue, so that really has made me grin a little too much. Hope you managed to get hold of the 141 xmas card too. :)
xGhostxStealth: You might not be saying that after reading this chapter, since I'm now attempting a real plot and will most likely drown in plot holes :P I am sooo glad you like the dialogue, and the characterisations! *hugs you* You know what that means to me. And your reviews are way awesome, so thank you so so much.
Dunedain789: I find myself looking forward to your caplocks love! And your Price's new favourite too for taking such good care of him. Thanks so much though, I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much!
xStealthxSniperx: Slashbacks ftw! I'll have to try and write some more so we can use the new word more often. I'm so glad you liked the chapter; I think the boys work the best with a mix of angst, humour and sexual tension. On that note, they will get there I promise… *cough* chapter 11 *cough*. :D
GubbleBum96: I feel so very very sorry for you! You sound as if you're having a nightmare of a weekend there *hugs* I hope that you manage to get rid of it soon… As for the obstacles, they will definitely sort them out, and its been a nightmare for me because I've just wanted to push them together, but sadly its not as simple as that for them… I'm rambling too now. Either way, I did read it all, and I'm very honoured that you still wrote a review even though you've had so little sleep. Try and get some rest, and enjoy your cookies and Ghost hugs! :)
Greenyfox: Haha its fine really, I'm just so happy whenever I get a review. Its great to know you're still liking the story. You are so very kind, and I hope that the story keeps you intrigued in the future chapters. And don't worry…they will be happy, very soon. :D
And now…drum roll please…chapter 10! Enjoy!
To call it an 'Operations room' was a tad optimistic.
In its essence it was a plain, box shaped room, the walls an encroaching and unfriendly shade of grey. On three of the four walls there was a desk which housed at least two different computer monitors, each desk manned by one of Nikolai's men. There was a single radio transmitter sat on a table alongside the only other free wall, but it was mostly silent, apart from the occasional hiss and crackle. Along each and every expanse of wall were charts and maps, post –it notes attached to each one with scrawled notes written in predominantly in Russian. But the real hub of the room was in the centre, where a large, oak table lay, an object that looked as if it belonged more in an antiques show than within a base of military operations.
In short, compared to the luxury he had grown accustomed to with the 141, Soap's new centre of operations was stripped down to its most basic.
He was beginning to regret the lack of morphine, as Soap staggered into the room flanked by Ghost, the pain in his side burning with every step he took. He wanted to scream, frustration at his pathetic state coursing through his veins, but he held it back, trying to even convince Riley of his "healthy" condition. After all, as soon as Soap stepped through the door of the operations room he made sure to alter his posture, no longer hunched over, but stood tall, the extension of the wound in his side a constant agony. But if Soap had learnt one thing in command, it was that he should never show weakness; never allow his men the chance to worry about his condition. And today that meant looking every inch the healthy man. Or as healthy as he could anyway. The sweat staining his brow and the dark circles around his eyes told a different story entirely…
Leaning against the oak table, Soap glanced around to the other men who were gathered around them. He recognised them all, although unlike Price he had a tendency to forget names, a constant embarrassment to himself. Directly opposite him stood Price and Nikolai, the Russian busily explaining something to the Captain under hushed tones. As was his custom, Nikolai was stood in his beige pilot's uniform, a characteristic shared with a couple of the other men in the room. The others were dressed more like mercenaries, dressed in more practical jeans and shirts, although most of them still wore bullet proof vests even when on the base. Soap laughed to himself. They might have been in hiding from enemies that outnumbered them at least ten thousand to one, but at least Nikolai and his men were always prepared.
"Da…" Nikolai spoke loudly, immediately attracting the attention of everyone else, even the men who had previously been sat typing away at their computer terminals. "It is good to see you back with us, my friend." He nodded graciously to Soap, who smiled in return, trying to avoid the almost contemptuous stare of the medic Artem from across the table. "You are better, yes?"
"I'll survive."
"Good… good!" Nikolai laughed, before turning his attention to Riley. "And Ghost…You have come at the right time. We are needing more friends now than ever before."
"Enough of the pleasantries, mate…" Price shook his head, interrupting abruptly although he was sure to smile to the Russian in the process.
"Apologies, Price." Nikolai nodded, before turning back to the men and addressing the whole room. "Thanks to Price and Mactavish we now have the means to defend ourselves. But that is no good with the war outside that we cannot end."
"Then why try?" A thin, tall man spoke out, his skin creased and weathered around the eyes and mouth. "If there's nothing that we can do to stop it, why don't we wait for the two sides to demolish each other like last time?"
"The stakes are higher this time, Lev." Nikolai warned, raising an eyebrow.
"Besides…" Price interrupted, folding his arms. "We're the only people aside from Makarov who know the truth about how this started." He paused, running a hand across his mouth before continuing, almost as if he was withholding his own anger. "Shepherd might be long gone, but his truth still remains."
"So we discredit a dead man?" Ghost spoke out, a hand rubbing across the top of his masked head. "How the hell do we manage that?"
"The same way Shepherd planned to keep himself safe." Price smiled, sliding a picture of Makarov across the table to the men. "We find him."
"Except we have no idea where he is." Soap rolled his eyes. "As far as we know, Makarov's location died with Shepherd."
"Sounds to me like we just need more intel." Price shrugged. "We've done it before."
"We weren't on the world's most wanted list then, old man." Soap sighed.
"Shepherd took the DSM…" Ghost said softly. "That thing was a mine of intel in itself."
"But it's most likely destroyed." Price shook his head. "Shepherd was hardly going to leave something that incriminating lying around."
"So basically…we're fucked."
"Not quite, Soap." Price smirked, sliding a map across the table this time. "Site Hotel Bravo." He pointed to it with his index finger, tapping the paper repeatedly. "Shepherd was using this as his base of operations for Shadow Company, and he was pretty damn keen to keep it all hush hush." He smiled to Soap in particular. "If there's any intel that he's left behind, it's got to be here."
"You're losing your mind." Soap shook his head. "You saw the tonne of C4 in that control room, there'll be nothing left…"
"…Wait…" Riley was hunched over the plans to Site Hotel Bravo, one hand lifted up to silence Mactavish. He traced his finger along the blueprints, tapping when he found what he was looking for. "Gotcha!"
"Ghost?" Price was looking on intrigued. "Care to explain?"
"We don't need the control room…" Riley looked up, shaking his head, a hint of triumph clear in his voice. "Sure, if you want to access information then it's your first stop…but…" He pointed to the same spot on the plans before continuing. "We could use the mainframe just as easily as long as it's operational. It's big, makes a lot of noise, so no one in their right mind would put it in the control room." He glanced at Soap. "If it was left undamaged by the blast then it might be possible to patch into it…"
"And then what?" Soap scoffed. "Search for a folder named 'Dirty secrets'?"
"No…but it's the best shot at intel we have. Besides…" Riley laughed softly. "Even if the files are encrypted, with enough time I can get around that."
"All this is possible, my friend? Really?" Nikolai looked at Riley intrigued.
"In theory…yeah. I can't be dead certain though."
"But that doesn't solve the other problem…" Soap shrugged. "Even if this thing is working…or can be made to work, we'd still need to get in. And Shepherd bombed the shit out of that place trying to kill me and Price." He shook his head defeated. "Half the tunnels will be collapsed."
"Unless we went in the same way as last time." Price suggested, pointing to the plans. "That was the other side of the base; the chances are those tunnels would have been sheltered from the blasts."
"And what if Shadow Company have already looted the place for intel?" Soap glared at the other Captain defiantly.
"Then all we'll have lost is the fuel to get us there and back." Price shrugged. "So far this is the only lead to Makarov we have."
"It is good plan, my friends." Nikolai nodded, stepping into the feud for the fear that it might escalate. "Lev, Markov, you will give Captain Price ground support." He waited for the two men to nod in acknowledgement. "The rest of my men will stay here, to see if they can gather any more intel."
"It'll be a stealth op." Price ordered, his eyes fixed to the two men. "We still need to lie low, just in case."
"Da…" Nikolai smiled. "It will take time for me to prepare your transport."
"Tomorrow morning then?" Price enquired.
"Yes, friend." Nikolai smiled, before turning to his men and giving them a sharp order in Russian that resulted in most of them dispersing from the room almost instantly. Nikolai himself nodded to Price quickly, before leaving the operations room himself after his men.
"Where are they all headed?" Riley asked.
"By the sounds of it?" Price smiled. "Breakfast."
"So, we're really going back to Hotel Bravo?" Soap raised an eyebrow, almost glaring at Price across the table. "We have no idea what state it's in, whether it's been retaken or searched but we're just going to head in there anyway?"
"We're out of other options, Soap." Price shrugged dismissively. "We need to know the full extent of what Shepherd did, just exactly what his ties to Makarov were."
"I thought we already knew." Soap rolled his eyes. "We were pawns, Makarov was a pawn. Shepherd played us all just to incite the world into fighting."
"So it's our word against a dead man's." Price paused, rubbing at his temple. "A dead man who just so happens to be a fucking war hero." He laughed darkly. "Who would you believe?"
"That's not the point…"
"No, the point is; do you want to put an end to this or not?" He watched as Soap remained silent, smiling almost triumphantly. "Besides, I'm the one leading this op."
"I'm still a part of it."
"You're not." Price shook his head. "You're not even going back to Hotel Bravo."
"What?"
"You're suspended from active duty, effective immediately."
"You've got no right to say that…"
"No, I haven't." Price sighed. "But you're in no fit state to walk, let alone fight. Don't think you can fool me."
"Price!"
"Just because Artem let you get out of bed doesn't mean you're ready to go back out there." Price interrupted, his voice sharp as he caught Soap's glare, returning it with a pacifying stare of his own. "I'm not going to let you risk your life just for the sake of your own pride."
"So what? You're going out there alone?"
"Not alone." Price shook his head. "Ghost is coming with me."
"Sir…?"
"I warned you about that." Price laughed, although when he spoke again his tone was more serious. "You have the best technical knowledge out of all of us, and I know for a fact that you were the one managed to hack into the Gulag systems…"
"With respect, this is going to be a lot more hi-tech. The hardware at the Gulag was ancient…"
"But you still think it can be done?"
"If I have more time…" Ghost paused, glancing back quickly to the plans. "Yeah."
"Then I need you with me." Price nodded quickly. "Sorry, but I'm not really asking you here, mate."
"I came here to help." Ghost nodded, glancing back to Soap briefly, not liking the anger he saw written in the Captain's features. "I'll go where I'm sent."
"Good."
"And so I get no say in this?" Soap muttered, glaring back and forth now from Price to Riley.
"Not this time." Price shook his head. "This time Soap, you're going to listen to reason and keep your head down. Even if I have to get Artem to sedate you first." The older Captain gave him a sly smile. "And believe me, the man's more than willing…"
Soap's only response was to grunt angrily with frustration, his left hand hitting out against the oak table with a heavy slam. He fixed Price with his worst, most disgusted look, as if waiting for him to smile and reconsider. But the older man didn't yield, and instead Soap was forced to storm out of the room, a stream of swears spilling from his mouth.
"Now look who's throwing his toys out of the pram." Price turned to Riley, giving him a lop sided smile. "He really doesn't realise it's for his own good. But he will…"
Ok, so this time I am going to be completely honest with you guys. When I started writing this series, I never really thought that I would get to chapter 10, because I wasn't sure if my idea was solid enough, or if people would like my writing or my characterisations. But your reviews have given me such a huge confidence boost, and so I've made a big (and scary) decision to keep the story going and actually start introducing a little more MW3 plot into it. Which is scary, because I never really intended to get that deeply into all this.
Either way, I'm nothing if not ambitious. Not only content with writing a story that tackles betrayal, disfigurement and the odd bit of confusion over sexuality I've decided to throw in a plot too. It could all go very wrong. But I hope that you guys all continue to support me by reading/reviewing/favouriting. Because you're making writing this a complete joy. So thank you so so much.
So I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know it was a bit slash lite, but there's a reason for that… Now get over here for your Ghost and Soap (yes I drafted him in too) hugs. :)
-x-S-x-
Oh…and for those of you looking for something else to read, might I recommend a fic by VerityA called 'What Came After', something that she very kindly wrote for me. :) If you're looking for something angsty that tackles Ghost's immediate survival with a Soap/Ghost edge than this might just be the one shot fic for you. :)