A/N: Wow it's been so long since I've last updated! I actually had this chapter done a few months ago, but I could not upload because of health and college problems, so I had to get those things straight first. I also hope everyone is doing okay in these trying times and that we will make it out fine! As always, thank you so much for your support! Stay safe!
kiejera: Thank you for the review, I appreciate it! Here it is, I think I should be a bit faster now with uploading, since I have more time now.
Chapter 18 - Snowblind
August 11th, 2016
"Come on Soap, move it!"
Phantom yelled at her teammate as they rushed through the snowy terrain, trying to escape their pursuers. They had already lost all their weapons in the avalanche, which they barely survived, and yet they were still being chased by the same people. In the distance, she saw a frozen lake and a crack in two mountains and told Soap to they could try to lose them there. But the two soldiers were getting tired of all the running, especially in the harsh environment, they found themselves in. If only it wasn't that cold...
The two finally made it to the lake and saw how thin the ice truly was, and they had to cross it safely. Running was not an option.
"Be careful, the ice is thin!"
Soap warned her and they looked down at it. It was almost completely transparent and she felt like she was standing on the water, not solid ice. They dared to look behind them and saw that their pursuers have given up as soon as the duo stepped on the lake. They were screaming at them, throwing their fists into the air and eventually turned around and left. Whatever they said to them, was not good, judging by the tone of their voice. Soap and Phantom looked at each other briefly and then decided to slowly traverse the lake towards the crack. It would take a while, but at least they'd make it.
"This was a bad idea."
Phantom spoke, trying not to look at the ice or slip on it. In other circumstances, Soap would have agreed, but seeing as they had no other options, he disagreed. The only type of weapon they had were their combat knives, which were still tucked safely in their sheath. They even lost their pickaxes. The two soldiers were halfway there when they heard a crunching noise beneath their feet and they instantly looked down, stopping their trek. The ice under Soap began to break. The crack spread wider under him and he wasn't sure whether or not he should move. He looked at Phantom who shook her head to make him stay. Walking would only make it worse, but then he risked falling if he should stay.
The ice stopped cracking, and the two remained standing in place for a few moments longer until they decided they should try to cross the frozen landscape of the lake. Just as they began to walk, the ice cracked once more, and in a heartbeat, Soap fell through it, letting out a pained sound.
"NO!"
Phantom screamed as her teammate slipped down into the cold water, barely holding onto the remaining ice. Risking it, she quickly moved to crouch by him and grab him with all her strength. She immediately threw her hands on his back, desperately trying to pull him back up before he slips further down. To make matters even worse, the ice began to break in another spot, forcing Phantom to hurry up. She finally managed to get Soap out of the water, lifting him up and slinging his arm around her shoulders so she could move him. He was shaking and gasping, and she hoped hypothermia wouldn't kick in.
"It's okay, I got you!"
She attempted to reassure him as they two walked fast towards the passage, not caring anymore about the ice. All she wanted was to get him out of there and somewhere safe. But where exactly? They were in the middle of nowhere, and maybe, just maybe, they could find a cabin. The two reached the passage and squeezed through it, reaching the other side. What they found was a huge snowy field seemingly stretching into eternity. Phantom couldn't stop, she had to move, even if she was out of breath. Soap's clothing was soaking wet, and it had to be removed.
As if the two weren't unlucky enough, the wind began to blow, making them shiver more.
"Just leave me and go—"
He cut off, coughing slightly, but she wouldn't hear of it either way. He had to survive - he would survive!
"No, you're gonna be fine!"
She said, picking up the pace. Their accursed trek continued, they were weaponless, cold and lost, their mission incomplete. At least, of all the things they lost, they still had the ACS module. Then, Soap tripped and nearly fell, and she tightened her grip on him, pulling him closer to her. Luck smiled upon them and in the distance, a small house appeared.
"A cabin! Let's go!"
Phantom exclaimed, hoping it was empty so she could treat Soap. The two reached it after a while, and Phantom kicked the door open, immediately setting Soap down on the floor. Then, she closed the door, not even noticing an elderly woman sitting by the fireplace in the corner. The woman stared at them, shocked and confused, and utterly speechless. Phantom kept her eyes on Soap, removing his beanie and ski-glasses. Both of them were out of breath.
"You'll be fine, okay? I got you. Let me just—"
She spoke as she heard a noise coming from the corner of the cabin. Phantom's instinctively went for her knife but didn't draw it when she saw the elderly staring at them in silence. Phantom's expression softened and she quickly apologized.
"Please, I need a blanket to cover him! I—"
She gave up on her requests when she saw that the woman didn't understand what she was saying, so Phantom continued removing Soap's equipment as fast as possible. She threw aside his assault vest and holsters, and she drew her knife to rip through his soaked jacket. She took it off and discarded it with the rest as he was panting, slowly turning white. Then, she ripped off his long-sleeved shirt and finally removed his pants. By the time she took it off, besides his underwear, the elderly woman understood what she was doing. She stood up and decided to help the two strangers, she took a towel and handed it to Phantom.
Phantom thanked her in Russian, as it was the only word she knew. The woman didn't respond, she simply turned around and went to boil water to make tea. Phantom dried him off and then slid her hands under his back to lift him up. She walked him over to the bed and moved the blanket to let him lie down. She covered him with it and let him rest. She knew that making jarring or excessive movements isn't a good thing to do, but they had to make it out of the cold somehow. She focused her gaze on his face and saw his pale skin and red spots around his nose. Crouching beside him, she gently stroke his hair and assured him he would be fine. She didn't want to lose him, not after all these years. He was a good man, and there were few of them like him in the world, especially these days. He was still trembling, but not so much as before.
The elderly woman then brought two steaming cups of tea to Phantom, and thanking her again, she settled hers on the floor and offered the other one to Soap, bringing it to his lips. But the tea was too hot, and despite the pain, he was in, he made a funny face, indicating his disinterest in the tea. His face made Phantom chuckle a little bit and she settled the cup down next to hers.
"I told you, you'd be fine."
She spoke softly, and he slowly turned his head to look at her. His blue eyes were now emphasized due to his pale skin and he managed to smile ever so slightly.
"Ada…"
He breathed out and wanted to say something else, but he was still too tired and too weak. She patiently waited, but nothing else was said. He cast his glance down, and she took it as a signal to pick up the cup, which was still steaming.
"It's still too hot. Hold on."
She took his cup and blew on it a few times, but despite her efforts, the tea was still too hot to drink. He watched her blow into the cup and she couldn't help but smile at his innocent stare. It was as if he was so fascinated by her doing such a mundane task. His lips parted to say what he meant, but once again, he couldn't, and he only coughed. After a while, she brought the cup to his lips again and he sipped the tea. Her smile slowly faded away. After a short while, he refused to drink anymore and she settled the cup down again.
Phantom then sat down on the floor, her back against the bed, and drank her own tea. She watched the woman sitting silently in the corner, neither of them knowing what to say. Phantom realized the torn clothes and equipment was still scattered on the floor. Leaving her cup, she stood to pick it all up and place it next to Soap's was slowly getting more and more stable.
"Amerikanskiy? Britanskaya?"
An elderly voice suddenly spoke. Phantom turned her head to look at the source, the old woman sitting in the corner, watching them carefully. Phantom still wondered why she had helped them, instead of kicking out the two strangers who burst into her home, uninvited and unwanted. But what she could have done anyway, she was absolutely alone and in the middle of a frozen wasteland? Perhaps Phantom had underestimated her, it wouldn't be the first time.
She sat up straighter.
"British."
The soldier replied. The old woman simply nodded. Now that she knew the woman wasn't mute, she had to ask her few things, but how could she when she didn't speak Russian, and the woman English?
She had to try, no matter what.
Phantom stood up and walked slowly to the Russian woman. She only had just realized she didn't even know her name. Phantom crouched before the woman. She placed her hand on her chest.
"Ada," she said, lightly tapping her chest, introducing herself, then she pointed to Soap, „John."
The woman briefly glanced at the soldier lying in the bed. She focused once more at the woman crouching in front of her. Phantom met her gaze. She gestured at her.
"You?"
Phantom asked. Catching on, the woman said;
"Tatiana."
Phantom withdrew her hand and nodded. It was time for the hardest part. How would Phantom ever ask the woman anything if she didn't speak the language? She couldn't even remember anyone who did.
As if on cue, the doors flew open and a woman staggered in. Phantom and Tatiana looked at the person. The newcomer violently slammed the door shut and began speaking something in Russian, all the while bolting and locking it.
Phantom didn't even notice its many locks. She was too busy trying to help her teammate the moment they stepped into the cabin. The newcomer, a woman in her late 40s, then turned around and noticed the two people who shouldn't be there. First, Soap, then Phantom. She immediately went for the gun in her holster, but Phantom saw her intention and drew hers faster, pointing in to her.
"Don't even try!"
She warned, intending on shooting the woman if it meant she could protect Soap and even Tatiana. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Phantom looked at Tatiana, who then, gestured with her other hand that Phantom should lower the gun. At first, Phantom was reluctant, as she saw the woman standing by the door a potential threat, but Tatiana wasn't alarmed at all. Tatiana most likely knew her, perhaps it was a relative or a friend.
Phantom then lowered her weapon and holstered it. She stood up, facing the woman. The woman briefly glanced at Soap, who was by this point sitting up in his bed, looking quite ready to pounce if he had to.
The woman approached Phantom.
"Who are you? What do you want?"
She spoke in English, with a rather heavy Russian accent. At least she did speak it. Phantom felt a wave of relief, but worry as well.
"I'm Ada, and that's John. We're on a mission. That's all you need to know."
Phantom replied. The woman was not impressed by the answer. Phantom's cocky attitude was uncalled for, and unnecessary, considering the situation she found herself in. She needed all the help she could get, and making enemies was not an option.
The woman scoffed.
"Such kindness. I should kick you out for invading my home."
The woman had a point. From behind her, Phantom could see Soap rolling his eyes, clearly at her own misbehavior.
"I'm terribly sorry for that," she began, "my teammate needed help, he fell into the water on the lake."
"And that gave you the right to just come here?"
"We didn't know it was inhabited."
The two went back and forth. The woman sighed and put her hands on her hips, shaking her head.
"You soldiers are something else. You keep barging in, eating our food, drinking our tea. Not even a thank you. Never."
And with that, she stepped away from Phantom and walked over to the old woman sitting on the chair. Her comment intrigued Phantom.
"Do soldiers come here often?"
She asked the woman.
"Why do you care? You're one of them."
The woman spat out, her words like venom. Phantom kept her composure, despite her initial hostility. She knew she had no right to stay there with Soap, but they had no choice.
"I assure you we are not. We are not here to raid you or attack you."
"And yet you almost shot me."
"I wasn't going to do that."
"Yes, you were. We both know that."
The two women exchanged. Phantom sighed. This was getting old.
"I simply wanted to protect my teammate and Tatiana."
And the mention of that name, the woman approached Phantom, puzzled.
"How do you know her name?"
She asked. Phantom responded by saying that Tatiana and herself had introduced themselves to each other.
"You're the first to do that," the woman began, "maybe I was wrong about you."
Phantom smiled ever so slightly.
"Same here."
The woman noticed the two tea cups next to the bed.
"I understand my mother made that for you."
She said, pointing at the two cups. Phantom looked over her shoulder. She affirmed her assumption. She should have made the connection between the two sooner, but the woman could have been anyone to Tatiana.
Then, the woman extended her hand to Phantom.
"I'm Irina."
Phantom took her hand, and shook it in a firm and strong handshake.
"Nice to meet you."
Phantom spoke.
"So, what do you want?"
Hours had passed before Soap was ready to get up and sit at the table with Phantom and Irina. He was wrapped in a blanket, and properly introduced himself, also apologizing for being a nuisance. He had listened carefully to what Irina had told Phantom. How soldiers would often pass through here, and on their way would take up residence in their cabin. Much like the two of them at the moment.
But they were always Russian, and always Ultranationalists. They'd even take some of their things with them. Irina had become a harsh and skeptical woman because of them, always hiding her gun beneath her large coat, ready to shoot them if needed.
But what Irina said next, was outlandish and stood out the most.
"My mother and I escaped from a gulag a year ago. Since then, she rarely speaks. I learned English there a long time ago. I was born there as well."
That earned sympathies from both Soap and Phantom. Being born in a gulag was even worse than getting imprisoned in one.
"I'm sorry."
Soap said, but Irina simply waved her hand.
"We met a strange man there, he also spoke English. We don't know why he was kind to us or even spoke to us."
Phantom asked if she knew his name. Irina looked at Soap.
"He shares your name."
That didn't say much, considering the fact John was a common name. But that definitely was worth investigating. They were in brief silence for a moment, until Irina spoke again;
"He was a soldier, too. He said that. He was always alone. Except for me and my mother. People who were there didn't like him."
She explained. Soap asked if she could describe how he looked like.
"He was an older man, but younger than my mother. Maybe a little bit older than me. He had blue eyes and a big nose. And a grey and brown beard. His head was always hidden."
"Hidden?"
Soap asked.
"Yes, um, with a hat."
"You mean covered?"
"Yes, that's right."
Soap and Irina exchanged. His description, although vague, was familiar. But then again, it could have been anyone. Despite that, a small spark of hope was ignited inside Soap. He shifted in his seat and leaned forward.
"Do you know his last name?"
MacTavish asked. The woman's gaze fell to the table as she struggled to remember. The two soldiers patiently waited. Eventually, she shook her head and said she couldn't recall. It was foolish to think it could have been someone they knew.
Then Irina spoke, rising her hand;
"Wait. I think I know."
Soap and Phantom exchanged a look.
