.

Liu "Lesion" Tze Long

…

It's a little more than a week into Rainbow's 'field trip'. Once again, dusk had come, marking the end of yet another tedious 14 hours under Commander El Fassi's watch. For the people lodged at the Kasbah Sehkra Mania, now would be the time for rest and boredom.

Liu Tze Long, who was running late on his 'appointment' tonight, was not about to have either of that.

"Ow… Easy does it…"

He winced in pain when his bandaged foot touched the marble floor. He adjusted his posture, carefully this time, to make the next few steps more bearable. Then he popped open a medicine bottle from one of his shorts' pockets and swallowed a pill. Earlier today, he twisted his ankle thanks to a bad fall on the mountain obstacle course. Doctor Melnikova quickly rushed to his side and brought him to the ambulance, despite the latter's insistence that he was fine. He missed the better part of the day thanks to her; there was no way he would be sitting out the rest of it. The foot injury would probably put him out of action for a while, though. The checkups would likely be a regular thing until he fully healed. Mei Lin would certainly give him an earful for being so careless. To be fair, he wouldn't mind having the girl nag at him right about now.

At least it would distract him from his hands, which also had been shaking uncontrollably these past few days. The last time it happened was Operation Green Viper, almost a year ago.

"…Okay. Let's do this."

That mission proved that he was really accustomed to pain. Even before that, he had been shot, stabbed, smacked, and scalded quite a lot of times. The SAS put him through the wringer once upon a time, and he lived. And even then, he survived a lot of close calls during his days working at the shipbreakers of Cheung Kwan O. Yet he kept going. It would be a disservice to his reputation if he started complaining about agony right now. Such a tempting thought, since he had to hobble on his own across the brightly-lit, drab hallways of the Fortress, then to the old tower stairs that connected the ground level to the second floor. Every step he took was an exercise of care and haste. Regardless of how his body ached, he sucked it up and acted normally, lest he attracted that gaze of his fellow Operators or the handful of GIGR staff making the rounds. He didn't need their attention. He didn't need their help.

And before he knew it, he arrived at his destination, located just a short stride away from the dormitories. The murmurs coming from the other side of the brick wall were promising, causing him to smile like a giddy schoolboy. His pockets were ready. His state of mind was right as rain, as usual. He placed one hand at the door knob and turned it…

…

"Yo, yo, yo gweilo! Anyone up for a game of-"

*tonk*

The jest was met by an empty water bottle, thrown from across the room.

"Shut up. I'm tryin' to nap 'ere.", said a man with a British accent.

James Porter was on a couch, legs propped up on a chair, and an arm over his face. The usual laidback and lively persona was absent, much to the Hong Konger's surprise - today's tests must have taken a huge toll for dear 'ol Jimmy to be down for the count. If that wasn't a convincing argument, the neatly-stowed pool cues and the tarp-covered pool table would definitely be one; it was rare for the games room to be this uneventful at night. On another couch beside James was a short-haired girl, sitting with earphones between her head, scribbling something on her notebook. She looked as deathly tired like the other man was.

"Do you have to be so loud?", Siu Mei Lin glared. "Also, that's the dumbest greeting I've ever heard."

"Come on, I need to set the mood!"

"We're exhausted. The Commander marched us back to the Fortress with a full combat load...", she mumbled, then did a double take to get a snarky point across. "…Oh wait, you weren't there."

"Yeah. Caught a lucky break, ya barmy bastard.", James butted in.

They resented his leg injury, since that meant he had a free, express ticket down the mountain slopes in an ambulance. Of course, they didn't know about the stress he went through under the care of the GIGR's medics. A whole lot of prodding and questioning, since the usual painkillers were not working for him at all. Apparently, they didn't bother reading through his colorful medical file first…

"Look on the bright side!", Tze Long tried to lift their spirits. "At least the old man is not around to stop us tonight!"

He hoped that last clause would be enough to pique their interest, as El Fassi had forbidden any revelry in his 'house'. Tough luck for him, because the codger was unceremoniously summoned for an emergency meeting in Rabat, leaving nothing more than a skeleton crew to watch over the Team. But as much as the bandage-wearing man would want to get everyone in the mood, they simply weren't budging. James still laid on his couch, held up a hand and waved 'no', rather weakly. Mei Lin, meanwhile, refused to utter another word, and instead returned her attention to the notebook and the soft music on her earphones. Their day was done, as far as they were concerned.

This simply would not do. The man didn't limp his way from the infirmary just to be turned down by those who agreed to tonight's game. The homebrew painkillers would be wearing off in a while. So, in light of his comrades' apparent inattention, he walked to the center of the room, then dragged with him the most reasonably-sized table he could find. It made a light screeching sound as the pegs scratched the surface of the rec-room's lacquered wooden floor. The boisterous Londoner and the rich girl-turned-cop soon found themselves staring at their friend, as if they were given little choice but to acquiesce to his request.

"What are ya doin'?", asked the former.

"You still owe me 50 quid, yes? I'm giving you a chance to win it back. With difficulty, of course."

He also pulled up three wooden stools from a corner, one for each player, right before settling to sit in the middle. Next, he pulled out the pack of cards that had been resting inside his back pocket this whole time, and started shuffling it. He chucked one card to each player, as if to begin the match in earnest without their permission. The two were amazed by his feistiness.

"Nickeling and diming yer mates? Never thought you'd stoop that low."

"Better that than be a chicken like you, James my old friend."

The half-hearted insult was enough to rile the other man from his couch, demanding a piece of the action. Or his skin.

"That's it, ya ponce. I'm in."

"Hah! That's the spirit!", he laughed, then turned his eyes to the other player. "Meimei (little sister), how about you?"

She replied by looking at him with uninterested eyes, right before she shrugged and took off the earphones. She cast aside her notebook as well, realizing that there was no use stalling the whole thing. So far so good; one of them sorely needed to return to the infirmary, lest his condition worsened. Commander El Fassi might be returning anytime soon…

…

…

A good thirty minutes had gone by, with lots of cheers and laughs in between the toss of cards. For once, they were having fun in the dour, Spartan-like Fortress. True, there were worse places to be, but Tze Long could not wait to come back to England. It sounded like hogwash coming from someone who could endure almost anything. But even the humdrum day-to-day could get into anyone's nerves. as the SAS taught him. And taught him well, they did. He learned it was important that after every hardship, a person should be rewarded with some levity. To counteract the suffering, lest they be forever scarred by it. Hence, tonight's poker game, designed to help tired minds recharge and cope with the tedium.

It was down to the last set for each player. Nobody bothered to count how much their pot had grown at this point; Mei Lin was yet to contribute with her own cash. Tze Long brought out a toothpick and placed it between his lips, exuding a sense of dominance over his friends, much to their chagrin. He also did it to calm his nerves. Much as he wanted to keep playing, something was keeping him from fully enjoying the game.

His hands didn't stop shaking. His bandaged leg didn't stop throbbing. He knew exactly what they were: signs that his medicine was wearing off and he needed to visit the docs for another session. His body was begging him to ease up; rather than listen, he pressed on with the game, while hiding his handicap so that his friends would not worry about him. After each toss of the card, he quickly pressed his wrists against the table's edge and hide thee spasms. This also allowed him to hold his pieces closer to his chest - perhaps with this gesture, it would also make it seem like he was dead serious on winning this round.

"Hmph. I'm done.", the woman blurted out.

"Eh?"

"I have a bad hand… You guys win.", she sighed in disappointment. She was either telling the truth or she was bluffing.

"Only one way to find out!"

Showdown time. Mei Lin was the first to reveal her hand, who evidently accepted her defeat. She wasn't kidding when she was said she was dealt with a terrible combo: five different suites with only one ace. Then it was James's turn to show his cards. He went with it by smacking his lips and shaking his head in disappointment. It was a hard sell; he was actually confident that he was grasping at a winning suite. The obnoxious grin just made it all the more apparent, as did the sudden outburst from his voice.

"Three of a kind, buddy boy!"

The cockiness had returned to the chap. This was the other man's chance to steal the show and rub the salt on their faces.

"Ohoho… Full house.", He dropped the cards with a tap on the table.

The startled look from James was priceless, as did Mei Lin's blank stare of disbelief. Both images were picture-perfect, worthy of suffering the rest of night in a hospital bed. Tze Long was absolutely elated, knowing he just earned another 50 bucks in the bag, half from each player. He basked in his victory with an annoying laugh. He made a fist-pumping gesture and he shifted his seat. It was a careless move.

Both were enough to actually stretch a tendon in his right arm.

"Ow!"

The sudden jolt of pain from the limb sent him back to reality. It was not even the worst; the moment he moved his legs, he also felt a sudden, stabbing sensation on his bandaged ankle. He could not believe it; the medicine had worn off far sooner than he expected. One minute he was relishing the win from the poker, the next he was reeling from the agony his body could no longer hold at bay. Despite this, he still giggled like he just realized a bad joke. His face said it all: half-smiling and half-wincing, utterly confusing his buddies.

"Woah, you alright mate?"

"Yeah! Never felt better!"

Humor was sometimes the only refuge left for a resilient man.

"Bloody hell, is this like the thing in Macau?"

"Ow. Yeah… Yeah I think so, haha!"

"You know what that means, yeah?"

"There aren't any whorehouses out here in the desert, Jimmy!"

Now there was one story that he would gladly retell, if only to escape the pain that was wracking his body. Would've been a great alternative to the poker too, in hindsight. The two men laughed at the thought.

"What are you two talking about?", Mei Lin asked. The only woman in the room was out of the loop.

"Long story. Go ask him about it.", James tipped his chin.

She was about to open her mouth when Tze Long abruptly cut her off. He didn't want her to prod about Operation Green Viper when he was at his most vulnerable. More to the point, he didn't want her to worry. A good finger-wagging would be a better idea.

"Go get me my money first, meimei."

*tonk*

She replied by tossing a half-full bottle to his forehead, then left the room in a huff to get her wallet. Where on earth did that come from? The other man chuckled, taking her jab in stride.

As she left, silence quickly settled in the room, bringing the ambiance back from what they started with half an hour ago. Two men, both waiting for the other to break the ice. But not a lot of words were needed; the Brit already knew what was up. They had been through a lot to know that the man with the beady eyes and the strong body was exactly that: a man. A man with limits, which he was about to exceed tonight if he didn't let up.

"You should really get some help, mate."

"No need for that.", Tze Long spoke reassuringly. "I'll be fine. Promise."

First order of business would be to go to see the doctors again and give himself a good run through. There was no use insisting that he was fine, when all evidence had been saying the opposite. But that could come later. Tze Long had to keep up with the goofy and smiling face. It was not about making a show of how strong he was. It was about keeping with his positivity: a reliable source of cheer in trying times. Macau proved that, as did his time in Rainbow so far. This would surely take a toll on his health sooner or later, but the man had already resigned himself to this fate. And he was willing to see it through.

"It's yer funeral...", James shrugged.

He was resilient. He was accustomed to pain. He had gone through so many hardships that it would be a darn disgrace for him to show weakness right now. And he endured them all without anyone's help; there was no point breaking that winning streak right so soon. Though, perhaps it might be high time for him to take things a wee bit slower from this moment on, lest he'd soon find himself sitting on the sidelines. Irrelevance: that frightened him more than the pain. Someone should always keep a happy face in these parts. Someone should always remind the Team to be human, every once in a while.

"…Let's clean up this mess eh?"

"Right."

…

*blam*

The door to the games room suddenly swung open as they were stacking the cards. Tze Long turned to the noise, but James was the first to blurt out.

"Oi, Finka. What's going on?"

Red-haired, stern faced, and flanked by two more of their comrades. For a moment there, the Hong Konger thought he was about to be dragged downstairs to the infirmary, to be chained to the bed until further notice. But there was a… 'different' sense of urgency in the doctor's eyes. This was something else.

"You didn't hear?", she raised an eyebrow. "A cargo ship has been hijacked off the coast."

"What!?"

James followed their friends into the briefing room, which was just next door to where they held their game. Something was up. The other man followed suit and hobbled his way, as much as it annoyed him. Already, a few other Operators were inside the furbished command center, kitted out with the hundreds of tech components Team Rainbow brought with them from hundreds of miles away. A projector in the middle of the room was playing a live, satellite feed. There was a giant red blip in the middle of the screen; 'off the coast' was a bit of a misnomer, as the blip was actually more than a hundred kilometers northwest from Morocco's nearest shoreline. The words 'Situation: in progress' were displayed in the top left corner of the feed.

Was this the reason why Commander El Fassi was recalled from his post tonight?

"When did this happen?", Tze Long asked again.

"An hour ago.", Lera replied. "GIGR and the Moroccan Navy are already scrambling to assist Rainbow."

"What are you talking about? We're still here."

When she said 'Rainbow', the first thought that came to mind was that of the Team here in the Fortress. He couldn't have been so wrong. On the screen was a helicopter, in its lonesome, making its way at full speed to the cargo ship's current location. It bore the identity code of an aircraft belonging to the British Royal Air Force.

"Hereford was called in… Blackbeard is leading a response team."

…

Author's Comments/Notes: I thought I'd do something less training-oriented with Lesion's chapter, and instead use this opportunity to explore his friendship with Smoke. Unused voicelines say they both love playing poker so I thought that was something they'd also do after a stressful day. I also like to think that Lesion is in good terms with Ying, so I added her here, though in hindsight I suppose I could've also picked somebody else (was thinking about Thatcher at one point).

Just an FYI: I'm nearing the end of my series. Blackbeard is next, followed by Dokkaebi, and a secret character. They're going to be relatively shorter because I want to complete this particular story before May.