She hopped off the plane and sighed at the dense jungle surrounding her. She hated missions in the jungle. As far as she knew, she was going to be taking down a center known for trafficking drugs and get rid of the guy in charge to clear some things up politically for some big-shot. She pulled at her bowstring and stretched, shaking out her legs since she had been laying down most of the flight.
Barney came up behind her and pat her back. "Hey kid," he said, "ready for this?"
She nodded, rolling her neck and letting out a breath. "Of course I am."
He nodded, pulling her aside slightly and lowering his voice. "Listen, uh, I know maybe you've been having a tough time, but… If you need anything, you let us know, alright?"
She scoffed, slapping her hand against his chest. "Okay boss man. I'm an expendable, my team comes first, you know that. You don't have to worry."
He nodded, "yeah," he said, "I thought you'd be a big help for us on this mission because intel shows that these guys are, well, sexist assholes."
She raised an eyebrow. "What do you want me to do? Make them melt with my femininity?"
He shook his head, awkwardly shuffling. "No, well- I think you'd be a good way to inside. They won't suspect you of anything, because, well, you know-"
"Because I got tits," she said, nodding along. "So you didn't bring me here to shoot people. You brought me here to break you in, so you could shoot people?"
His face flushed and she could tell he was uncomfortable. "Their security is higher than we're used to. Big money, big guns. You get us in, you can shoot whoever you want."
She smirked, nodding along.
"They're bringing in a convoy tonight. Some of the soldiers usually bring some women back from the cities."
She crossed her arms. "You want me to play prostitute?"
He dropped his head to his hand with a bit of a groan. "You just have to get in that convoy. They'll be drunk, they probably won't even notice if you slip in."
"And if they do?"
"Well-" he tried, stuttering a little. "Use your best judgement."
She watched him squirm for a second more before she burst out laughing. She'd done plenty of missions where she had to take advantage of the fact that she was a woman. Where Barney and the crew had brute strength and force, she had charm and a way with words. Not everybody could punch their way through a problem, and she'd learned that a long time ago.
She didn't realize Lee had been eavesdropping until he walked over while she laughed, that shadow drifting over his face.
"I don't like this plan," he said, shaking his head, "there's too many variables."
His doubt sent a surge of anger through her. "I can handle myself, Christmas," she said a little too fast, a little too harshly.
Barney looked between them both and rolled his eyes. "It's our best shot to do this thing safe and easy, Lee."
Lee put his hands on his hips and rolled his tongue over his lips, shaking his head. "I don't like it. I don't think it's the right call."
"Why?" She asked, turning to him. "I can handle my damn self."
Lee looked at her and shook his head with a little laugh. "Against all those men in there? Drunk men, nevertheless? What happens if you can't get away from them?"
She gritted her teeth, her nose twitching in anger. "Then I make it work for me. Maybe you'll wanna stop listening in, but I can-"
"Handle yourself, right," he interrupted, throwing his hands in the air.
"Because I can, Lee!"
He turned back to her, his face hard and distant.
"I don't need to deal with this shit," she said suddenly, handing her big weapons over to Barney so he could hide them away along the perimeter for her. She tucked your pistol into the back of her pants and grabbed a big cloth scarf, bumping Lee's shoulder as she walked by him. Barney raised an eyebrow at Lee, and he grunted, walking in the opposite direction of her.
He didn't know why he hated the idea of her putting herself in the hands of those men just so they could get the job done, but boy, he really hated it. Barney wasn't fond of the idea, either, but he knew she wouldn't bite off more than she could chew. He knew the skills of everybody on his team, and he knew exactly how to use them. This was one of those times.
Or so he hoped.
—-
The plan was that they'd drop her off a mile out from the city and she'd hike the rest of the way there. It was humid as shit, and Lee decided last minute he wouldn't be in the drop off committee. It stung a little, but she was angry at him for being so stupid and also incredibly rude. She wasn't some frail little girl that needed protection from the eyes of men. She was a woman, and her world didn't revolve around Lee Christmas and his little tantrums.
Regardless, she tucked the knife he gave her into a holster under her shirt and bumped Barney's fist as she pulled the cloth over her head and moved to leave the car.
"Hey," he said, right as she was about to close the door.
"Yeah?" She asked, pulling it open just a bit.
"Don't worry about what Lee said," he said, and she felt like there was something more he wanted to add, but he didn't. She just offered him a nod and slammed the door, giving it a few slaps before he pulled into a turn and headed back the way he came. That left her alone on the road heading towards a small city, with at least twenty minutes to think about everything that had happened and how weird it was.
She always knew that Lee had a protective side. He'd beat the shit out of anyone that hurt someone he cared about, but she hadn't ever witnessed anything like that. He always knew where the line was, and for her, that line was work: questioning her decisions or her choices was definitely over the line. There was a different between suggesting a different plan and outright denying her ability to do something. And, as she had said before, she could handle yourself. She wasn't afraid of men. She'd spent your life around guys like the expendables, so she was used to being undressed by their eyes or talked down to. She used it to her advantage, even. At first it was gross, but then she realized it was their weak spot more than it was hers. Being a woman wasn't a weakness, and it had nothing to do with being strong or weak. She could take care of herself and get them in so they could all finish the job and get home. Then she'd be able to look Lee in the eye and say "I told you so."
She'd like to be able to say that about Lacy, even it would be pretty fucking cruel. She heard her headset buzz with static, and then Barney's voice came through.
"Dusty, can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear boss man," she said, looking around the empty road. A little bit of dust and dirt blew up from the ground.
"Good, we're good," he said, and she could vaguely make out the sounds of the guys in the background. She knew they'd come in the second anything seemed a little fishy, because they'd rather storm their way through than actually let her subject herself to anything slightly risqué. She hoped, for their sake, that'd they'd just let her work her magic so she could let them in through the back door so they could rig an explosion.
Before she knew it she was within the city, on the look out for the drug lords insignia on the side of a truck. She could hear some ruckus and whistling around a corner and she pulled the scarf a little higher over her face, casually walking around the side of a broken down building and seeing a few men dressed like makeshift shoulders talking to some girls. This was her chance, so she hurried to hide just out of sight and wrap the scarf around her shoulders, letting her hair fall from its ponytail. She made sure her earpiece was covered, even though it was small and blended in pretty well with her hair. That would be a horrible way to be found out. After a little bit of adjusting she stumbled out to join the other girls, who seemed to be a little intoxicated and giggly. She grazed on of their shoulders and she turned and inspected her, though nothing on her face gave away that she had no idea who Dusty was.
One of the soldiers said something in a language she didn't understand, but she turned to him with a cheeky smile.
"You speak English?" She asked, taking a step towards him.
He looked to his buddies and smirked before looking her up and down. "What's an American beauty like you doing all the way over here?" His accent was thick, but relatively easy to understand. She smiled, her eyes exploring his face.
"Just trying to have some fun," she said, pulling her lower lip into your mouth, reaching a hand up to run her fingers just barely over his jacket.
He smirked, taking her hand and pressing a kiss to her knuckles.
"You seem fun," she said, moving closer to him still, "are you?"
He was so close her could feel him breathing on her. It wasn't hard to get him wrapped around her finger, clearly, because he caressed the sides of her face and found her eyes.
"Come with me, and I'll show you how much fun I can be."
She smiled, allowing him to take her hand and help her up onto the truck. He smelled of alcohol and sweat, his skin slick from the humid air. The rest of the soldiers piled in with their girls, all of them getting a little handsy, fumbling their way around all the bodies.
The man she had approached placed a hand on her thigh and lowered his face to be level with hers. He raised his eyebrows and smiled, his eyes shifting between her eyes and her lips. She couldn't wait to knock him out and get on with things, but she was only just beginning. His hand wandered up her thigh and he moved in closer. She shifted her head so his lips would find her neck first and she was grateful the ear piece was on the opposite side of her head. She drew in a breath and held it, fighting the urge to sigh and back away. The ride was bumpy and chaotic since everybody except for her seemed to be completely wasted.
She could hear the soldiers at the gate speaking to the driver, and all of a sudden there was a flashlight shining into the back of the truck. She squinted and held up her hand while some of the other girls squealed and laughed. The man she picked seemed to ignore it completely, focusing instead on toying with her hair and pressing kisses to her neck and ear.
The truck pulled forward again, and she felt relieved to know that she was in. It wouldn't be much longer until it was over once she cleared the gates, considering that she preferred to work fast rather than slow and steady. The men all stumbled out of the truck and girls followed. Her guy took her hand and helped her down, pulling her away from the busy center and off to the side in the dark. He pressed her against a metal crate and let his hands fall to either side of her, his eyes unsteady.
He forced a kiss to her lips, his eyes lulling closed as he drunkenly tried to explore her body. She kept your eyes open, checking to see if anyone was around to witness what she had planned.
She pushed him away from her, trying to smile as he started to complain. She covered his lips with her pointer finger.
"Sh," she said, slowly moving around him, "let me."
In an instant she had him locked in a headlock and sinking to the ground on his knees, choking quietly and grasping at her. He scratched her arms up pretty good, knocking away the scarf that covered her tactical gear. After his fighting weakened and her grip tightened, she tugged suddenly to the side and he fell limp. She stepped away from him and drew in a deep breath, looking around to make sure she hadn't been seen.
Then she grabbed him by the feet and pulled him so that he was completely submerged in shadow. She leaned against the wall and glanced around one last time before she finally spoke.
"We're in," she said, checking her watch. "The east fence is clear where I am. I can help you guys sneak in from here, and we can set the charges, find the guy, and get out of dodge."
"Good work," Barney said, clearing his throat on the other end, "we'll be on our way there."
She figured a disguise would work in her favor, so she bent down and pulled off the mans uniform jacket, pants, and hat. She tugged the clothing on and put her hair up on top of her head, covering it with the hat so she passed more as a man. The jacket was pretty bulky on her, but it only had to do for a little bit. Either way, it covered her gear better than the scarf did. She hurried to cut open a slit in the wire fencing, big enough for the guys to fit through. There were lights scanning the outside above her, but nothing directly down. They'd have to sneak through the security, but her part was done.
She waited and watched as the guys made their way to her, expertly dodging the men keeping watch above. She held open the fencing for them, her fingers bleeding a little bit as she strained, until Barney and Caesar were through and took over for her. She stood back and picked up her bow, arrows, and gun, which Barney had waiting just outside the perimeter. When Lee pulled through the fence, he didn't look at her much. He always looked good in his beret and kevlar, and she wasn't blind to that, but the anger was creating a fog around him. She only saw him for all the stupid things he'd do and say, and lately there was a lot.
"Alright, set the charges all around the main building. I'm going in to find the guy and take him out," Barney said, looking over the group.
Caesar handed her the charges and she slung her bag over her shoulder, preloading an arrow into your bow. She felt Lee's eyes drift over her and she tightened her jaw, ready to get some action and let her anger out on some drug traffickers.
The group took off in their individual directions under the cover of night. She happened to be next to Lee, sprinting across the field to the main building before she drifted from him, slapping a charge onto a support pillar as she went by. She knelt down and let an arrow fly at someone standing guard rounding a corner ahead of her and reloaded her bow, taking a second to make sure no one else was coming before she hurried on and slapped a few more charges down.
She was running low on charges when someone tackled her from the right. She rolled a little, pushing against the man as he clawed at her, grunting and vying for control. Her ear piece slipped from her ear and she pushed against him once he landed on top, against the knife he had gripped in his hands.
She lifted a knee and knocked him in the chest, lunging to the side as he lost his balance and fell forward. Another man grabbed her from behind, pulling the helmet off and dragging her back by your hair. She kicked and cried out, reaching up to try and loosen his grip, to no avail.
Lee was the closest. She fought against them both, lifting a leg and kicking out despite the pain running through your scalp.
"Lee!" She called, crying out as she felt her hair tear from her scalp with a yank. She wrapped her legs around the other mans neck and squeezed, watching his lips turn purple. The other man dropped her suddenly and she slammed her head to the ground, twisting and taking the other guy down with her. She reached for the knife Lee had given her on the plane, the only thing that hadn't been knocked out of her reach in the fight.
Before she could lodge it in the mans artery, the guy that was holding her hair kicked her in the side, sending the knife flying away from her.
She rolled away, trying to catch her breath even though the wind had been knocked out of her. She struggled to her feet and coughed, holding her hands out in front of her. The man was bigger than her, and like her team, had brute strength on his side. He continued forward to her, but she ducked away and kicked him in the leg, sending him tumbling over and away from her. She wiped a bit of blood from her lip and dove for her gun, catching Lee sprinting by in the corner of her eye. She looked up at him, distracted, and saw his eyes meet hers. She went to call out for him, but as fast as she had seen him, he was gone.
What the fuck?
She was about yell out in anger at him not coming to help when the big guy got up from the ground and had Lee's knife in his hand, shining against the crisp moonlight. She knew the charges would blow soon, so she went to take the safety off just as he struck her with his fist. She stumbled over but he grabbed her, holding her up by the jacket she had stolen. His face twisted into something evil, and she could smell death around the corner. She'd come close to meeting that reaper a few times, but she didn't feel like she wanted to die in that jungle.
She lifted up a leg and kneed him in the groin and he loosened his grip enough for her to slide out of the jacket and tackle him. He fought against her, rolling her over, though she used the momentum to get back on top, just close enough to her arrows to reach and grab one. He clawed at her and she felt a deep stitch in her side suddenly. Thinking he must have broken a rib, she clasped the arrow in her hand and lodged it into his neck, severing the carotid and getting sprayed with blood.
She stood up and stumbled backwards, spitting and trying to catch her breath. A chill ran through her and she reached down for the jacket, tugging it over your shoulders and shoving her arms in, lifting her bow and gun and hurrying away at a sprint.
She didn't have the earpiece anymore, so she didn't know what they were doing. Barney wouldn't wanna blow it before he knew she was safe, but Lee had been running out and didn't stop.
Fuck, she thought as she ran, out of breath, gunshots echoing around her, what the fuck is his problem?
The anger and adrenaline were the only things keeping her going. She squeezed through the hole in the fence with a groan and hurried to the brush, catching a glimpse of Caesar just ahead of you.
"Hey!" She shouted, hurrying over to him.
"Hey, I got her, we're good to go," he said into his ear piece, grabbing her hand and pulling her along.
The plane was closer than she thought. Her legs were moving faster than she could handle trying to keep up with Caesar, but he forced her along, the planes engine sputtering as it got ready for takeoff.
He pulled her into the cargo hold just as the plane began to pick up speed. She let her bow fall and leaned against the wall with a wheeze, her ribs aching. So much was going through her mind, especially the fact that she was drenched in blood, and probably needed to get an STD test after kissing that drunk soldier. She felt the plane lift off and she stumbled for a second, wincing. She wouldn't be surprised if she had some minor internal bleeding, but she was standing, so she figured it was good enough for now.
That's when you remembered: Lee fucking Christmas.
"Lee!" She shouted- angrier and louder than she ever had before.
Barney glanced back at her and Lee stood, standing in the doorway to the cockpit.
"What?" He asked.
She stomped over to him, shoving him backwards.
"Woah, woah!" Barney called.
"What the fuck is your problem?!" She shouted, pushing him again, leaving a bit of blood on his shirt. Caesar and Toll grabbed her by the arms, pulling her back from him.
"What the fuck?" Lee asked, climbing out of the cockpit and approaching her.
"You know exactly what the fuck! I fucking called for you, you absolute ass!"
Barney crawled out of the cockpit and held his arms out amidst the yelling while she struggled against Toll and Caesar, her heart still pounding and adrenaline still pumping.
"What the hell is this, Dusty?" Barney asked, his voice loud and thundering.
She ignored him. "Lee fucking left me there! I fucking called for his help and he ran fucking passed me!"
Lee made a face and shook his head. "You were fucking fine! When I saw you the guys were on the ground!"
She made a move and her arm slipped away from Toll just enough to reach out to hit him, but Toll fought to regain control and eventually won.
"Fuck you!" She said, tears welling in her eyes, "I thought we were a fucking team but you're just gonna run by me when I call for you?"
"I thought you said you could handle yourself!" He snapped back, spit flying.
"And you're lucky I fucking did or else I'd be laying out there dead!" She cried, "and why? Because I got you fucking in? Because I did what I had to do to help you get the fucking job done? Because I don't like your fucking- your fucking- your little fucking girlfriend?"
She was running out of breath. A bit of dizziness washed over her and she tried to breathe, letting up on her tug of war with Caesar and Toll just slightly.
Lee just looked up and shook his head, laughing incredulously.
"Hey, woah, woah," Barney said, holding out a hand, "let's calm down and talk about this-"
"You've been nothing but angry and bitter since I told you I was engaged!" Lee said suddenly, taking everyone by surprise as he interrupted Barney. "Just angry and bitter and drunk all the damn time. And you said it so many times before you went in there, you could handle your fucking self!"
"When I'm alone!" She said, her voice breaking, "I wasn't alone and I knew I needed help and I asked for it, you fucking prick!"
She saw a flash of guilt pass through him but it was short-lived. Caesar pulled her back just a bit more and looked over her shoulder. She tugged away from him weakly, fighting the tears in her eyes.
"Wait, Dusty, are you bleeding?"
"It's not my blood," she spat, pulling away as he tried to inspect her under the jacket. Barney looked down, concerned, but Lee kept his eyes locked on hers.
"It ain't my fucking fault you've been head over heels for me ever since we met," Lee said with an air of finality.
She rolled her head back with a groan, a bit dizzy again. "Check your damn ego, Lee," she said, "the world doesn't revolve around you and love."
"Dusty, you should sit down, I think you're bleeding-" Caesar tried again, loosening his tight grip on her.
"It's not my fucking blood!" She snapped, and the world started to spin.
She saw Lee glance down at her stomach and his anger switched to concern immediately. She yanked her arms free of Caesar and Toll and pressed a hand to her shirt, wincing as she made contact with the tender spot. When she pulled it away, it was covered in sticky red blood. She swallowed, shaking your head.
"I'm not the one that fucking left you when you needed me," she said, "I was there. I was there that morning when you needed to be patched up. I was fucking there for you, and you could've just thrown a knife, or a single fucking punch, but you kept running-"
"Dusty, you gotta stop, come on-" Barney tried, reaching out for her.
She waved him away, glancing down at the blood pooling at your feet. Lee took a hesitant step towards her, and she felt her heart finally begin to slow, her vision blurring a little.
She shrugged the jacket off and let it fall into the blood on the floor, revealing a wound she hadn't even realized she had. Lee's knife was sticking right out of the side of her gut, soaking her shirt and gear. She felt dizzy again, reaching down to feel the wound.
"I-" she tried, but suddenly she felt very weak and tired and cold. She looked back up towards Lee as her eyes rolled back in her head and she tumbled forward. The last thing she saw was Lee struggle to reach for her, and then the world was cold and black.
—-
"Fucking shit!" Barney yelled, the entire gang reaching out for her as she started to fall. Lee grabbed her, careful to avoid the knife in her side, and quickly lifted her up into his arms.
When she let the jacket fall, revealing the knife protruding from her side, the entire team had fallen silent. Not just silent, but deathly quiet. The kind of quiet you might hear when everyone is hiding from the reaper himself. Barney had known that sound in his life, and he felt his heart lurch as she collapsed.
"Put her down over here, over here," Toll said quickly, wiping up the blood on the floor with the jacket you dropped. He bunched up an empty backpack and set it down as a pillow.
Lee swallowed, looking down at her with his eyes wide and confused. He could feel every breath he took ripping through his body.
"Lee, come on!" Caesar yelled.
Lee hurried over and laid her gently down on the ground. They all hovered around her, inspecting her body for anymore wounds. She was scratched up pretty bad, with a split lip and claw marks in her arms.
"We need scissors," Toll said, and Lee hurried and dragged out the giant first aid kit. He handed Caesar some scissors.
Caesar cut through her gear and shirt, carefully but quickly working his way around the knife so he didn't dislodge it.
The both of them worked to tug the clothing back, revealing her pale, small frame. Her stomach was stained red.
"I gotta fly the plane," Barney said.
"We got it, we got it," Toll grumbled, waving him away.
Barney hurried back to the cockpit, turning off autopilot and squeezing his fists against the wheel. He couldn't bear the thought of losing her. He had to get home fast.
"If we take it out she could bleed out. It could be stopping it," Toll said, reaching for gauze from the first aid kit and packing it around the wound.
"Look how much it's bleeding now," Caesar said with a shake of his head, "if we don't do anything, she might bleed out anyway. This plane isn't exactly smooth-sailing."
Lee swallowed, sinking to the floor beside her and taking in her form on the floor of the cargo bay. He glanced over to her corner, where she had been curled up on the way there. He was suddenly filled with undeniable self-loathing. If he had stopped, she would've been okay. And god forbid if she died-
"Fuck, she's bleeding through all the gauze."
"We might get better control if we just pack her."
"Lee, give us all the gauze."
Lee felt his mouth go dry. He pulled out the boxes of sterile gauze and handed them over, looking down at her, fast asleep.
"Alright, alright, I'm gonna pull out the knife," Caesar said, pealing open the packs of gauze.
"Um, Lee, get the bottle of alcohol out of there and drip some onto my hands," he said quickly, pointing to the sterilizer.
Lee grabbed it and opened it, spilling some out and watching as Caesar rubbed it into his hands. He drew in a deep breath and grabbed the handle of the knife, looking over to Toll, who nodded just slightly.
He pulled it out slowly, doing his best to keep it perfectly straight. Her body arched against the pain, a tired howl escaping her mouth. Her eyes flickered open but were still rolling back in her head.
Toll pulled away the soaked gauze, revealing the wound bubbling underneath. Caesar grabbed a handful of gauze and pressed it down hard, grabbing a little bit more and holding it there, his arms straight out from his shoulders.
"She's gonna need fluids," Toll said, "Lee, can you do the IV-"
Lee nodded, searching through the box for the butterfly needle and tubing. There were a few bags of fluid in the box, still good, ready for use. He moved expertly down her arm and tied it off with a tourniquet. She had already lost so much blood, and they weren't in any situation to give her a transfusion. He poked the needle in and taped it down, connecting the tubing and the bag of fluids, holding it up and giving it a little squeeze as he watched it begin to flow.
Caesar pulled out the soaked gauze and tossed it to the floor before he grabbed more and pressed down again.
Lee found his knife lying beside her, reflective and slick with her blood. He held the fluids up above his head, staring down at that knife, hearing her words over and over again in his mind.