But you looked up from the blood and from the dirt and from the dying, to the stars.
" The shadows played their part, To the world, The Ghosts are the villain now," John said.
"Hundreds of casualties, so many innocents dead, How many more lives are gonna be lost Ghost? How many Jades are gonna pay the punishment they didn't deserve, while we stand by doing nothing? We can't hide anymore." Tori said expressing her anger and frustration.
"Then what do you suggest?" Ghost asked.
"Just take the bloody gloves off and fight, Hit them in the front, We have got a location from the files John located in the safehouse, Why can't we just go and dig whatever we can find there!" Tori yelled.
"You take the gloves off you get blood on your hands." Ghost said.
Tori looked down.
"But there is a fine line between right and wrong, and somewhere between them, in the shadows, we go in to fight them, we get dirty, so the world stays clean, that's our mission." Ghost added.
"Start the prep, John."
"The place is a bloody fortress, With an actual dungeon. Built to withstand any siege. The building survived every brutal winter. The occupants... they weren't so lucky. Became a Monastery. Didn't survive the purges. Over the last century, it's played host to anyone the government didn't want, but couldn't kill. The place is filled with living casualties of the last war... which I swear I thought we'd won. But I suppose it's all a day at the races, you back the losing horse, and this is where you end up. Prisoner 627 is held up there, all we know is the shadows don't want us the get him. That's why they killed Makarov. Our best intel is the place is run by Russian mercenaries. They have heavy military support, We are gonna need an army." John said.
"I can get us an army." Another familiar voice said at the door.
"Major West." Ghost greeted.
"Ghost." West nodded.
"Tori, Isn't it?" He said looking at Tori.
Tori said nothing. She didn't even look at him.
" It was hard to convince General Shepherd, but he is gonna help us, for now," West said.
"That would be enough." Ghost said.
"So what's the plan?" West asked.
"We hit them in the front."
"Jade, honey, are you sure you can do this?" Tori asked as she and Jade walk into the cemetery, holding each other's hand.
Jade took a deep breath, "Yeah, I can, it's just, it's been a while since I've visited her."
They find what they had been looking for.
" CATHERINE WEST
BELOVED MOTHER AND WIFE."
Jade slowly approached her mother's forever-lying bed. She rests the purple gladiolus flowers she brought on the soil. She touches the letters carved on the stone,
"Happy mothers day Mom. It's been a while since I've visited right? I know you are angry about that, Usually, I come alone, But this time I've brought someone. Someone who is very significant in my life. Meet Tori, The love of my life, Mom."
" I was so afraid, but Tori gave me hope. She is always there for me when I need someone to reassure me that everything will be okay. Tori gave me the happiness I had searched for all my life."
"And I promise to keep her happy for the rest of her life," Tori said.
"Goodbye, Mom," Jade said as she hold Tori's hand and turned around.
"Are you okay Jade?" Tori asked.
"As long as you don't let go of my hand, Tori."
"Never," Tori said smiling.
The truck ride was brutal, they have no idea where they are now, but Ghost trusts West.
"Are you sure this isn't a trap, Ghost? the government want us dead" Helena asked.
"Shepherd doesn't work with the government, he has his own ways," John said.
"This is our only chance to end the shadows, West won't let us down, the wests never let us down." Ghost said.
Tori smiled and also felt upset at the thought of Jade.
"We are almost there boys, Get your masks on," West yelled from the front seat of the truck.
The team puts on their masks, Only Ghost didn't need to, he never took off his mask. Tori wonders, how scared is he down there.
They hop out of the truck one by one, Tori feels Shepherd's men's eyes on them. Whispering to one another.
"I can't believe it. It's the Ghosts."
"Shepherd really got them to work."
"Look at that guy."
"He is massive."
"They creep me out, man."
They enter the main operating building, where they find the general and a dozen men. A bearded man in a camo Boonie hat nodded to Ghost, who nodded back without saying anything.
"Shepherd, They are here," West said.
Shepherd eyes every one of them, and lastly Tori,
"I thought they would be taller." He comments.
"Gentlemen, Uncle sam would've given me a medal for taking you down, But that wouldn't have been the right thing to do. I know your past, I know your present, and I know what you all are capable of, but you trusting me also means I am trusting you. Whatever happened in Los Angeles, I know you men didn't do it. We are at war. But we can win the war before it even starts if we work together. Welcome to the task force initiative." Shepherd said.
"Let's not waste any of your time, Captain Price, show them their team."
Shepherd said to the bearded man and walked out of the room but stopped at the door,
"And give them the big guns." He added and left.
"Let's get even, shall we?" Price said.
.
.
Tori holds tight on the little bird helicopter as they are flying towards the Gulag.
"Thirty seconds." Price said.
Two F-15s fly in.
"Hornet Two-One, this is Jester One-One, flight of two F-15s, four HARMs for the section. Standby for SEAD, over." Jester One-One pilot radioed in.
" Solid copy, Jester. Go get 'em."
The F-15s fire and destroy a radio station and fly off.
"Good kill. Good kill. Hornet Two-One, you're clear all the way. Good luck. Out." Price said.
" Two going in hot." Hornet Two-Two pilot warned.
Hornet Two-Two fires its guns and takes out a watch tower. The entire gulag is alerted of their presence as Tori sees Russians moving all around the gulag. Dust of debris get in her eyes, but she didn't care. She doesn't care about the pain anymore.
Hornet Two-One hovers across the first guard tower. Helena takes out her M14 EBR and eliminates foot-mobiles on the tower.
" Shift right." Ghost said.
Hornet Two-One hovers to the right to the next tower.
"Stabilize" Ghost ordered.
"Ready. " Hornet Two-one pilot signalled.
The team started firing on the second tower, taking out the guards.
"I see four hostiles on the next tower!" Tori yelled.
"Roger, shifting right." The pilot said.
Hornet Two-One hovers to the right to the next tower. Before the team can engage, an F-15 fires on the tower and quickly flies past Hornet Two-One. The resulting air draft causes Two-One to wobble.
"Hang on!" the pilot yelled.
"Shepherd! Get those fighters to cease fire immediately! That was too close! " Ghost yelled.
" I'll try to buy you some time. One man in a gulag doesn't mean much to the Navy at this point." Shepherd radioed in.
"Bloody hell! I thought they were the good guys!" John said.
"John cut the chatter. Stay frosty." Ghost said.
The Little Bird begins to land on the gulag, dropping off the Ghosts.
"Ghost team is on the deck. Repeat, Ghost team is on the ground and movin'" Price signalled in.
" Specter, Echo, stay on the chopper to provide sniper support." Ghost ordered Farah and Alex.
"Roger," Alex said.
The team engages enemy hostiles positioned on the second level on the way to the entrance of the gulag.
" Two-One is in position for gun run."
"Copy Two-One, lasing target on the second floor!" Price said.
Hornet Two-One fires its guns on the second floor destroying the hostiles.
The team tries to move to the building but Tori notices more hostiles hiding on the 3rd-floor balcony.
"Hostiles on the third floor!" Tori yelled as she saw the ambush waiting for them. The team immediately got to cover but Price got hit.
"Price!" Ghost said.
"Cover Me!" He yelled as the rest started firing on the 3rd floor.
He sprinted to Price and dragged him to cover.
"You broken?" Ghost asked.
"Nah, I am good." Price said.
" Go in, grab Prisoner 627, and get out!" He ordered.
Ghost nodded
"Wraith! Use your grenade launcher!"
Tori nodded as she aimed and shot the 40mm bullet. One loud bang and they were all gone.
"Let's keep moving." Ghost ordered.
"That's the control room up ahead! I can use it to find the prisoner! I'll tap into their system and look for the prisoner! It's gonna take some time!" Roach said.
"Copy that, Roach! we're on cell duty! Follow me!" Ghost yelled.
Roach hacks into the gulag's control systems. The rest of the team goes down the first level and engages foot-mobiles while looking for #627.
" All right, I'm patched in. I'm tracking your progress on the security cameras." Roach said.
"Copy that! Do you have the location of Prisoner 627?" Ghost asked.
"Negative, but I've got a searchlight tracking hostiles on your floor. That should make your job easier." Roach replied.
"Cheeky Bastard," Helena said.
"Stay sharp! The prisoner may be in one of these cells! Roach. we've hit a security door, get it open!" Ghost said.
"Workin' on it...this hardware is ancient!"
The door on the other side of the next room opens.
"Roach! you opened the wrong door!" Ghost yelled.
"Roger, standby... Got it!" Roach said.
The door in front of the team opens.
"That's better, let's go!" Ghost ordered.
The team searches the cells.
"Cell 4-D is clear." Tori yelled.
"Cell 4-B , clear." John said.
"Roach, all these cells are deserted," Helena said.
"Got it! Prisoner 627's been transferred to the east wing! Head through the armoury in the centre - that's the fastest way there."
"Roger that! Squad, head for that armoury down there! Move!" Ghost commanded.
The team heads downstairs to the armoury.
" See anything you like?" Helena asked Tori.
"I think I will keep my primary..." Tori said but she picks up a Benelli M4 shotgun. "But I like to keep this one for close encounters," she added.
"Too right, mate," Helena smirked.
"Bad news. I'm tracking three, no, four hostile squads converging on your position!
Tori hears dozens of footsteps all around them.
"I can hear them coming...let's go! We're too exposed!" John said.
Tori saw a couple of riot shields on the corner.
"We can use those Riot Shields." She said pointing at them.
"Roger. Shade, Rev, you are our cover. Get ready Wraith."
John and Helena grab the shields, Tori takes cover behind John , and Ghost , behind Helena.
The door is blown open as Russian soldiers enter the room, their guns blazing. Their bullets, however, do no damage because they are deflected by the shields and are dropped by the Ghosts' retaliatory fire. They advance to the next room engaging enemies. They reach the window at the end of the floor.
"Roach here. Recommend you bypass the lower floors by rappelling out that window."
"Copy that, follow me!" Ghost said.
They rappel out the window down to the bottom floor.
" The camera feed in solitary confinement is dead. The power must be down in that section." Roach warned.
"Roger that. Squad, switch to night vision." Ghost ordered.
They switch on night vision goggles as they enter the bottom floor. They engage hostiles in a dark hallway. Tori ends up killing most of them.
"Hey, Ghost! Are you sure she wasn't trained with us?" Helena joked.
"Focus on the mission Rev." Ghost said.
"Ugh, you are no fun."
Tori smiled.
"Check these cells for stragglers."
"This one's empty." Helena said.
"This one's empty, too." John said.
At the end of the tunnel an explosion blows a hole on the ceiling, lighting up the floor, shaking the whole castle like an earthquake.
" Shepherd, what the hell was that? Get the navy to cease fire!"
"The Navy isn't in a talking mood right now. Standby."
"Ghosts, They've agreed to stop firing for now. Keep going, I'll keep you posted. Out." The general radioed in. They continue through the floor. They reach the end of the hallway.
"' The old shower room's about thirty feet ahead on your left. You can breach the wall to get in." Roach suggested.
Ghost plants a breaching charge on the wall.
"We are taking a shortcut." he said.
The squad takes position around the charge.
Ghost clicks on the detonator as the charge explodes, throwing an enemy across the room as the team breaches the shower room. As the team reaches the middle of the showers, hostiles with riot shields arrive.
" Heavy assault troops up ahead! Don't attack them head-on! Move quickly and hit them from the side! Rev, help me distract them, Shade, Wraith, Flank them!" Ghost commanded.
Ghost and Helena start firing on the shields as they crouch to take cover behind.
Tori and John attack them from the sides with melee weapons. Plunging their knives into the mercenaries necks taking one after another down.
"Good work. Let's go, We can jump in that hole in the far end of the showers." Ghost said.
They reach the end of the showers and jump down the hole into a tunnel.
" Roach, we're in the old tunnel system heading southwest."
"Ok. Keep going along that tunnel." Roach replied.
They keep moving for a minute, finding no entrances or exits.
"Talk to me, Roach! We don't want to be down here when those ships start firing again."
"Keep going, you're almost there."
They slide down a slope and move to the end of the tunnel.
" Prisoner 627 should be right on your left, You can breach the wall to get in."
"Roger, Wraith, plant the charges."
Tori deploys a breaching charge against the wall. She detonates as the team prepares. The wall explodes, and she enters first only to be punched in the face, falling to the ground. Her vision blurred. She shakes her head and turns to face the figure who is pointing her own gun at her. Her vision clears as she notices a woman rather than a man. A woman in her fifties. She feels like she knows her.
"Drop it!" John yelled,
"Drop the gun!" Helena yelled.
"We are not here to kill you." Ghost said.
The woman looks back at the squad.
"John? Helena? and.. " she said but paused looking at Ghost. Tori finally notices the similarities between her and a certain raven-haired beauty she once knew.
"Catherine" Ghost said.