Yay I'm back!
xldoorslx: Thanks for the Review (*_*)...I'm embarrassed now...I wrote Boreno in the last chapter but I actually meant Bolivia *face palm*
(I already changed it though). Be sure to read closely,there is a hint to Logan in this chapter!
And also Thanks to the people who have faved and followed this story...
Also I want to point out that I try to keep the grammar and spelling errors to a minimum (O_O)/)
Secrets:
"This is madness." Keegan simply said, while looking Hesh in the eye. The younger Ghost didn't even think about backing down. This was their only chance and they where to blind to see it. It didn't matter to him if Riberalta or whole Bolivia was contaminated. He would turn every stone, cut through every tree and fight every enemy to the see Logan again.
"The only madness I see is your blindness." The young man spat out, while his eye brows twitched together. „You are all thinking it's way to dangerous." Hesh's eyes found Mila and Merrick behind him.
"We have reasons." Mila spoke for the three of them, while the other two let their heads sink. Hesh knew a little bit about what happened in Riberalta all those years ago. The incident took place when he was just a little kid, but he remembers to have watched the news cast on that day. He will never forget the face his mother made when she heard the news caster name the number of casualties. The US military attacked Riberalta in an attempt to cripple the federation's supply ordnance.
"Why would Rorke drag Logan to Bolivia?" Merrick tried to keep his calm. Mila crossed her arms and showed them the next slide. Again a lot of pictures and files popped up. Some of them where taken from a satellite others with a just a normal camera. One of the satellite pictures depicted the city of Riberalta covered in a huge cloud of smoke. The rest showed quite familiar pictures of dead bodies plastered on the streets of the once lively city. It looked like they weren't warned in anyway.
"After the war started the Federation needed a safe place to develop and test their weapons ." Mila carried on. "The attack never reached the city." she finished her sentence by showing them some more satellite pictures. The date in the bottom right corner said: "December 4th".
"That picture was taken two months ago." Hesh moved closer to the screen, that showed some kind of facility from above. A glass tunnel connected the two separate wings across the river. Even from the pictures Hesh could see that the place was heavily guarded for whatever reason.
"You mean the whole think was a cover-up?" Keegan tried to get on one layer with Mila, who nodded in agreement.
"So what is holding us back, then?" Merrick got inpatient, as he observed Hesh studying the pictures.
"We are not a hundred percent sure if Logan is there or not." The red haired woman defended herself stepping beside Hesh. "The risk would have been to high."
"Since when do you care about risk?" Merrick threw at her. Instead of bursting out in anger Mila stayed calm and collected, while she gathered her thoughts.
"People change, Thomas." She responded. It hit Merrick like a brick to the head,when she called him by his first name. It doesn't happen often that the sound of that name finds his way into his ears.
Mila laid her hand on Hesh's shoulder, causing him to shift his gaze over to her. A warm smile came across her face;
"Everything is going to be okay. We will bring Logan back." She promised the Walker boy.
"I suggest we wait for the report of the surveillance team on the situation there." Mila patted Hesh on the shoulder, than she turned around.
"You all must be exhausted." She led the men outside the room, but Hesh hesitated to leave. He stood there frozen. His head lowered, what casted a shadow across his features.
"Hesh?" Mila called him, but he didn't react to it. Mila told one of her soldiers to lead Keegan and Merrick to their quarters. The slide door closed behind her again, leaving the two alone in the room, which appeared to only be lightened by the screen Hesh stood on front of.
"It's okay to be desperate…" Mila took his hand. Hot tears streamed down Hesh's face but his features stayed locked in a mix between anger and sadness. The elder woman was well aware that everything that happened the past few months has scared the boy forever. First the murder of his father, than the kidnapping of his brother. She would keep a close eye on him; he would try literally everything to bring his baby brother back, no matter the cost, even if it meant for him to give his life.
"Do you think Logan is there?" Hesh asked.
"What does your gut instinct tell you?" Mila countered with another question, since she already deep inside knew the answer. She wanted to protect Hesh from what was about to come.
"I don't know…I think I lost it." Hesh mumbled under his breath, bitting his lip slightly.
"It's about time you get it back…" Mila responded chuckling. Hesh on the hand was more confused that amused. He rose an eye brow.
"I want to offer you something." Mila's tone got serious as ever again. Hesh crossed his arms and let Mila continue;
"Let me train you."
"No." Hesh simply said, without taking her offer even in consideration. He turned on his heel but stopped;
"Unless you kann teach me some magic spell to summon Logan here."
As the door of the control center slid open, everyone drew their attention to the person stepping inside. The technicians and soldiers jumped from their seats, standing straight. They saluted in respect to their leader.
"At ease." Mila said closing her eyes in annoyance. Everyone knew something upset boss today and none wanted to know why, though none was brave enough to take her wrath. One young woman though dared to walk over;
"Are you okay?" she was concerned. She wasn't used to see Mila in such a state. A slight nod set Mila's head in motion.
"It's okay, Cady." Mila settled her arms on the shoulders of the other woman. "Don't worry….Any news?"
"The Royal Ghost tries to reach us, …" Cady noticed Mila starring passed her, at the big screen which showed a world map. It marked all the places Ghosts where stationed at. If their status was confirmed to be "okay" the points would appear in a bright green color. However if something was up they would blink in a warning red.
Mila remembered, she had stationed the Royal Ghost, which was the surveillance ship responsible for monitoring the west coast of Federation territory, near the coast of Peru, to be able to keep track of the activity inside Bolivia. The situation on Riberalta had been one of their top priorities for a long time now. In the beginning they didn't know what they would stumble upon. Mila actually counted it to be a stalemate right in the beginning but it was worth a shot, because they had received a major increase of Federation activity near Riberalta, which was strange because everyone assumed since the attack on the city it was abandoned by the federation government.
All their assumptions were proven to have been wrong all along. The truth was so out the window, Mila even demanded a definite prove of the statement, which claimed the existence of a secret federation camp inside Riberalta. When a team was just about to set foot on the ground there, Mila cut the whole mission off. She had looked at the satellite pictures the day before again and decided, it to be too risky for any team to handle.
From all they knew it was a fortress; one way in; one way out. Even if a team managed to get close enough to the compound to engage, what in it's self would have been shear luck, considering the sturdy defense rings around the area and the large number of guards all around, a eight-men-height massive concrete wall would have still stood in their way.
"We have a signal." One of the technicians announced. Mila moved forward and let her attention be drawn to the big screen, which streamed a video call to the Royal Ghost. The signal seemed poor; the technicians tried their best to solve the problem.
"Commander." The captain of the ship, greeted Mila with a serious nod. Mila addressed him by crossing her arms.
"We have conformation that POW-Alpha is actually in Riberalta as we speak." The Captain paused, taking a deep breath.
"What else?" Mila got inpatient.
"We also have conformation that Alpha, as we already assumed, is not, I repeat is not a friendly…"
"Are you sure?" The woman kept her calm, even though she knew what that meant. She was about to make one of the toughest decisions in her entire life. "Is there any evidence?"
The captain grab something from his pocket and showed it to the camera. The object he held, where dog tags; the tags of fallen Ghosts. Mila's legs turned into rubber when she connected the dots, but than a feeling of anger rushed through her vines.
"I ordered you to stay aboard the ship and wait for further orders." Her eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Those Ghosts knew the risk!" The captain demanded.
"Enough!" Mila silenced him instantly; not only him but the whole control center grew into a silent room filled with grief.
"Do those brave men and women one last favor and return their bodies home." Mila paused for a short second, swallowing hard. "I dismiss you from your duty as a Ghost." The conversation was ended bevor the Captain had even time to blink.
"Mila-" Cady wanted to get a hold of the elder woman, but failed and was just fast enough to watch her storm through the door, her head held low.
All of this didn't seem real; he never let the thought of there being other Ghosts come alive in his mind. He wondered if there other things his father kept a secret from him and Logan. He didn't understand why.
He spent the last half hour in the shower to figure that out. The cold water didn't help him to find the answer; it rather caused him to lose track of time completely. A shiver went down his spine when he pressed his forehead against the wall tiles. From there he looked down at his hands;
"Do I really lag the skill to save my own brother…Why else would she make me such an offer?" He shook his head. "No, dad tough us well. I don't need any other teacher, than him…" He slammed his fist agains the wall;
"Why?…Why did you have to leave us?." He became aware of the pain in his throbbing fist."Mum, Dad…" He tried to picture them in front of himself, but their faces where just a blur of fading memories. There was not much he could recall regarding his mother. His dad also almost never mentioned her again, after she passed away.
"Mum's smile…" It was the same warm smile Mila had one her face several times, since they met. That was the single most important memory he kept from his mother. He could pinpoint why…
"Hesh?!" He heard Keegan knock at the front door of his room, what called Hesh back into action from his trance. He quickly got dressed with a shirt and simple camo pants. As he wanted to attend the door, Riley was pacing around it excited.
"What is it?" Hesh yawned, he wasn't in the mood for a conversation. Riley set down on the ground and listened to the two humans;
"I just wanted to check on you." Keegan said, when Hesh leaned against the door frame.
"I'm good. " Hesh obviously lied. Keegan could tell from the sign in Hesh's eyes, which moved sideways to avoid to make eye contact.
"Didn't your father tell you to not lie to your comrades?" Keegan joked, but Hesh didn't quite feel like laughing.
"There are a lot of things he didn't tell me about…apparently." Hesh mumbled. Keegan wanted to disagree with Hesh, since what he just said hit the nail right on the head. The sniper did his best to preserve his impartial expression.
"For example that there was a whole bunch of other Ghosts running around!" Hesh grew angry.
"Things are more complicated than you are aware of-" Keegan said.
"You are the same as him!" Hesh accused Keegan. "I'm not aware because none is telling me anything."
"There is one thing you need to know." Hesh eyes grew wider, while Riley spiked his ears up. The two switched to listening mode.
"Your parents loved you and your brother more than anything else in this world."
"Wait…my parents?" Hesh swallowed. " Does that mean you knew my mu-"
"You have to see this guys!" They heard a guy yell to his comrades. " Someone picked a fight with that American Ghost!"
"Merrick!?" Hesh's and Keegan's glances met, as they turned on their heels into the direction the announcement came from.
Haha, Merrick seems to have trouble in keeping his temper...
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, be sure to leave some costructive critisim. Tell me what you like about the story/ what you don't like. Maybe give me some ideas? Suggestions are always welcome in my InBox (^_^)
pixeltrix141...out