Shortest. Chapter. Ever. Worst case of writers block. Ever. I am so sorry! I promise better soon!

Roach let his eyes open wide. The words were not the drifting tone he had heard moments earlier. These were solid. This was the captain he knew. "Sir?" MacTavish rolled his eyes again and pulled a cigar from his desk drawer. "I said, you don't think I know that? All they are doing is acting like a bunch of bums. We have barely made any of our missions successful lately." Roach cleared his throat. MacTavish knew? He realized it? What was he doing about it? "Um, sir, what are you going to do about it?" MacTavish lit the cigar and put it in his mouth, taking a breath in. Roach watched as a few moments later he let a big breath out, a cloud of smoke filling the room. "You know that things have been bad, right?" Roach felt a puzzled look cross his face. "Yes, sir." MacTavish breathed in and out again. "Well, Ghost is the one who has fallen apart to tatters. I assume you know that also." Roach only nodded. "Well, then, I guess I could tell it to you straight. He collapsed like a burning building. Quick, and hard to watch. He was my right hand man, and still is. Losing him in this way of mental state was like having a carpet ripped out from under my feet. Now, lad, I hope you understand what I am going to say next is not to be repeated." Roach nodded, his voice firm. "Yes sir." MacTavish cleared his throat, and as he took a breath before speaking Roach felt like he had ants crawling over his body in fearful anticipation. "I am the captain of this task force. Task Force 141, the damn best soldiers out there. Screw what anyone else says. You guys are the best of the best. I would never doubt you, or any of the others. I need to tell you two things. The first is, even though I am captain, and Shepherd is general, Ghost is the rock here. He is the base, the solid floor under all of our feet. He is the man who runs the drills, can be a pain in your ass, but he is full of courage, and you know he has your back. That is who he is. When his mask came off, everyone thought he was different. Dynamics changed a bit, and some turned on him a bit, but by acting a little worse than normal he proved we still had a solid surface to stand on. We were like a recovering city with him as our base. But when he lost you though, it was yanked away. Things spiraled into despair. I tried after a few days to get them back up, all of them, but with Ghost gone, everyone was gone in a way. That is why things are so awful. The second is, we need you. If Ghost is the rock, then you are the glue that holds us together. Ghost gone, you gone, we are nothing more than a mass of debris. Now, I couldn't do anything, because how can you build something if you have no base or no glue?"

Roach felt his face wrinkle, in frustration and in realization of what the captain had said. "So, sir, you are saying you couldn't do anything? Its not that you didn't want to?" This got him a somewhat frustrated look from the captain. "Lad, you don't think that I hate this? You are part of my family, all of you, no matter how much you can annoy me. And I would do anything I could to get them back together. I hate seeing them like this. God dammit, I hate seeing me like this!" Roach flinched as MacTavish grabbed the empty bottle on his desk and flung it against a wall. "See, that is what I am fucking talking about!" MacTavish yelled. "Ghost has changed us all! We need him back right away!" MacTavish drew in a deep breath of air as Roach looked on with wide eyes. "can you do that Roach? Please tell me you can."

Roach swallowed. He felt as if a giant spotlight was looking at him, all the eyes in a crowded theatre looking at him. "Sir, I think I can. I think I can." Roach tried to shake away the tremor he heard in his own voice. Something in him was urging him forward, telling him that his thoughts were true, and Ghost could be saved. Another part of him was telling him Ghost was too far gone, irreparable. Roach shook the thoughts away. MacTavish may have seen the look in Roach's face, he may not have. But Roach new just as well as he did that Roach was the last hope for the whole task force. Roach thought of a quote he heard somewhere, and whispered it under his breath. "Don't take the weight off my shoulders, just make my shoulders broader." MacTavish glanced at him. "What was that?" Roach cleared his throat. "Nothing sir. I was just thinking about what to do." MacTavish wrinkled his nose. "Well, you better decide fast." Roach nodded respectfully, and opened his mouth to call loudly for Ghost who must be outside a bit. Just as he was about to call out, he paused. "Um, sir, one last thing?" MacTavish nodded. "Go on." "Well, sir, I was wondering if I may confiscate any alcohol I find?" MacTavish nodded. "Go crazy. Let them all go cold turkey for a bit. It will help." Roach smiled, and called for his friend to come and get him.