Here's another transition chapter. Pretty much just trying to get readers to get to know the characters a little more outside of missions.
Chapter 7 - The In-Between
"Do you all want the good news, or bad news first?" Samson asked the group sitting before him.
Shawn opened his hands out in front of him. "Depends-"
"Yeah, depends on which news we want to hear first." Reggie interrupted.
Shawn peered over at him. "Well, no shit. I mean it depends on how bad or good each is."
Reggie's eyes rolled over the wall as he thought. "...Considering bad news is never good news…"
"Oh Christ, you know what I mean-"
"Fuck guys. Just tell us the bad news first. Get it over with." Trevor butted in with impatience.
Samson waited for everyone's expressions to go back to their default settings before continuing. "We all good?" Everyone returned the stare, a few nodded. "Good. Well, it turns out there were actually two shipments. The second one Echo didn't learn about until recently."
"Wait," Trevor pulled himself forward. "What does that mean?"
"It means we made less money." Shawn commented.
Trevor's sharp eyes found him. "Yeah, no shit. I mean what does it mean 'Echo didn't learn about it until recently'. Did they just fuck up, or…?"
Price was ready to add into the conversation from his seat near the corner. "The original shipment Echo had learned about was just one load. That was the one we attacked. Somehow, last minute, that shipment was halved and split into two separate vessels. So, we only recovered half. The other half made it to Cuba."
"How'd that happen?" Shawn narrowed his eyes with inquiry.
Price had to give a small shrug. "No clue. Paranoia? Either way, we now know how big of a seller it was."
"This makes for a perfect transition into the good news," Samson announced. "The good news is, the shipment we intercepted was carrying a load that was equivalent to 4 million American dollars."
"Holy shit…" Shawn murmured with disbelief as Trevor nodded with approval.
Soap was ready to join the conversation as he moved his large hand away from his chin. "What's the next step?"
Price's eyes looked tired as they moved in Soap's direction. He had been up the night before with Samson, as they evaluated all of the new information Echo had just sent them. "The data we recovered indicated a certain seller in Italy. Near Napoli. They operate in a large warehouse, about 10km out of the city, disguised as a food packaging company."
"So they package food on the side, and package cocaine as their day jobs." Ricochet commented. She was returned with a slow nod from Price.
"Right. So this leads to my next point. Our next task is to find this warehouse and destroy it. The American government is giving us the OK, and the Italian government will simply think it was an unfortunate fire." Samson stated as he finally took a seat with a sigh. "This is getting big, and quick. This Vasquez drug lord deal...well, it's the biggest thing the TTF has taken on. We haven't been given this much clearance and freedom with something this significant before. I'm assuming it's because of our success rate-"
"That, and the American government doesn't want to get involved." Trevor added in.
"Exactly. So we can't fuck this one up." Samson finished.
Reggie had to bite his lip. "Whoa. Samson cussing. This is a big deal."
"I know, right? Echo is in the process of verifying all the data we received and Talon is beginning to prepare our transportation, while we got a few days of standby duties." Samson had to relax back in his chair. "Although it's going to get chaotic, it's still a good thing. It means bigger paychecks, better equipment, better bases, the works."
"And credibility." Trevor chimed in with a raspy voice.
Price had to give a steady nod as Samson opened his mouth to speak. "Right. So, ideally, we'll hear back from Echo by tomorrow. Then Price and I will set up the plans, and hopefully, you all will be receiving a brief by tomorrow evening or the following morning. Sound good?"
Everyone nodded and was dismissed. The Darkhorse team separated and went off to do their own things.
Before everyone completely dispersed, Tatiana threw her arm into the air. "I will be giving haircuts in the hangar! I'm seeing some unsightly hair-dos and split ends. Price, you should definitely consider stopping by."
Price's eyes shot over in her direction in mild amusement. He couldn't resist the urge to run his hand through his alright short, greying hair. "Did you just call me unsightly?"
She chuckled as Soap stepped in to make a comment. "Not a good look with a receding hairline, old man."
Price's blue eyes flicked towards Soap. "You better bloody watch it," he said with a sharp point of a finger.
Soap could only smile as Tatiana looked him up and down. "Hmm, you need to stop by as well. You have the opposite of a receding hairline, and your warhawk needs some trimming." She stated while rubbing her chin. She was a meatier woman, in her late 30s to early 40s. All the meat that could have gone to her rear ended up in her breasts giving her an even stockier look. Despite all of this, she had a fair, soft face which didn't match the rest of her build.
"What the hell is the opposite of a receding hairline?" Soap inquired with lowered brows of confusion.
"Widow's peak. Works with your warhawk...just...don't do any other hair-do." She replied.
He couldn't help but utter a small chuckle. "Luckily, I'm not in the mood for something different, so it looks like I'll be stopping by as well."
"Good! See you two gents in the hangar." She responded as she followed Reggie and Shorty's tracks.
Soap and Price paused to give each other a look as Price began to get Soap caught up with everything. "How are you liking Darkhorse?"
Soap's eyes met Price's stare and gave him an agreeable nod and shrug. "The interception mission went smoothly. Everyone seems to be professional and competent at what they do. No complaints from me."
"Good. I will give you a fair heads-up...since we're going to go get our hair cut."
"Oh?" Soap raised an eyebrow.
"Tatiana, she's an...eccentric woman. When she cuts your hair she'll most likely set her abnormally large breasts onto your head. She enjoys the confused looks on people's faces. At this point, everyone here is used to it. But you're new...so get ready for that."
"..." Soap blinked at his old man. "So...she's going to set her breasts onto the top of my head while cutting my hair? How's that work?"
Price shrugged and crossed his arms. "She'll reach for something. Set them right on top. Then chuckle at your expression. I get the feeling she'll have fun with you. Also," Price stepped closer. "She, well...she may grab your crotch."
Soap had to pull his head back to stare off into the distance as he bit his lip. "...And why's that?"
"She likes to say, 'I'm seeing what I'm missing'. She's a flap queen. So don't get too excited. I know you've gone a very long time without any kind of attention like that," Price had to pause to think. "Christ, mate. Probably at least 6 years." He looked to Soap and smiled from behind his grey beard.
Soap frowned disapprovingly as he was stuck between wanting to laugh and wanting to feel sorry for himself. "Very funny. I wasn't planning on getting action from a Russian dyke anyways…"
Price uttered a small snicker before patting Soap's shoulder and heading for the hangar. Soap rolled his eyes and bit the inside of his cheek as he followed.
Inside the hangar, Tatiana trimmed Reggie's warm-brown hair while Shorty and Trevor were off to the side near the Iroquois. Shorty's eyes found Soap's face and she couldn't help to utter to Trevor.
"Why does his face confuse me?" She asked quietly.
Trevor blinked slowly, before turning to look at her from his position on the step stool he sat on. "Who's face confuses you?"
"Soap's," she narrowed her eyes and gestured.
"That's kind of an odd observation."
She hopped down from the inside of her Iroquois and joined Trevor's side. "It's...I don't understand its shape. It annoys me. Try to draw it. I bet you can't draw it."
Trevor raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm not one for drawing men's faces. You know, Ricochet said you were pretty rude to him."
She threw her arms into the air. "He knocked me onto my ass! Then he was late getting to the dock, even after we told him the ETA. Then he just has that air to him that says, 'I'm such a badass'."
He had to emit a quick laugh. "Alright, alright. So you two are off to a bad start. Give him a chance. The old man is clearly trusting in him. Meaning he's good. Besides," Trevor gestured in their direction, "he's probably just shy. That's what I get from him."
She blew some fallen hair out of her face. "Whatever."
Reggie then stood from his seat after Tatiana had brushed the hairs off his neck and removed the cape. He stretched and released a content sigh.
"Thanks for the haircut," he turned to her with a smile and ran a hand through his hair. "It feels fantastic."
She moved her cigarette away from her mouth and waved him off. "No problem, darling. Now move your ass. I got a line building up." Reggie laughed and moved away to join Shorty and Trevor. Tatiana spotted Soap and Price standing some distance away. She smiled at them and motioned for them to come. "So, who first?"
Soap felt Price's hand land on his back and push him forward. "You first, son."
Soap nodded and made his way for the chair. Tatiana looked him up and down as she sucked on her cigarette. Once he neared she patted the chair and removed the cape. "Sit down right here."
He brought himself into the chair and peered at the temporary vanity before him. His eyes stared at the reflection and found Tatiana's frosty-blue eyes as she lowered her brow and stuck her lips out. She observed his face and nodded. "So, what are we doing here? Trim?"
He bobbed his head in agreement. "Aye."
"Sounds good," she then reached for the trimmers as her breasts smashed into the top of his skull. He pursed his lips and nodded slowly with disbelief. She pulled back and saw the look on his face, and couldn't resist the urge to grin at him in the mirror. "Oh damn, forgot my scissors." She leaned back in and pushed even harder against him. Price shook his head with a smile as Reggie giggled.
"This is Soap's first experience. She's going to give him the most awkward time of his life." Trevor commented with a smirk.
Shorty had to snicker as she watched Soap's forehead disappeared underneath Tatiana's breasts. Soap's eyes were shining with a mixture of amusement, confusion, and terror. When she pulled back up, she flashed him another smile.
"What's the matter, darling?" She asked through her wide grin as her eyes stared at his reflection.
He shrugged and shook his head. "Nothing at all."
"Good!" She started up the trimmers and began to run it along the surface of his head and around his warhawk. Her hands guided the trimmers and his head in the necessary directions as she tilted his head forward to get the hair on his neck. He blinked towards the ground as he watched the dark hairs falls to the floor. He knew everyone watched him with entertained eyes. She tapped his shoulder, causing him to look up and find her stare in the mirror again. Preparing her scissors, she gave him an approving nod.
"I tell you what." She began as she brought the scissors to his hair after making it damp. "You look mighty fine."
"Hmm?" Soap lowered his brow.
"I said you look mighty fine. You've got the manliest chin and jawline combo I have ever seen. You're making me rethink my sexual preferences."
Soap smiled nervously as she had to chuckle at his facial expression.
"Ugh, no way!" Shorty suddenly shouted from her spot by Trevor.
"Did you hear that, Shorty? Soap's face makes Tatiana moist." Reggie announced loudly, causing Tatiana to let out a loud burst of laughter and Soap's face to blush.
Price even had to laugh. "The real charmer."
"Tatiana! No!" Shorty had to shout from her position. Tatiana paused to look over at Shorty with a wide smile. "Stick with the women. Don't change your sexual preferences for Chin over there."
"You gave him a nickname?" Trevor sent an amused look in her direction.
Tatiana spoke with entertainment through a wide smile. "Oh, hush. I'm just telling it as it is."
"Shorty just can't mentally digest Soap's man chin." Reggie commented, bearing his signature smile.
"Reggie, shut up." Shorty ordered, only causing him to laugh more.
Soap was not used to all of the attention, and the growing redness to his cheeks and the nervous smile were all distinct implications. Price smirked towards Soap whose eyes were screaming, 'help me!'
The meaty, Russian woman turned back to look at Soap's reflection and evaluate the work she had done. "Almost done, darling." Soap had to heave a relieved sigh as she finished her task and removed the cape from around his neck and shoulders.
With catlike speeds, Soap brought himself out of the chair and brushed his hand over the top of his head, causing some remaining hairs to fall off. He could feel his cheeks burning. The man could take insults, ridicule, bossy orders, and endless teasing, but he was not equipped for being complemented...or whatever that was back there. His eyes shot up towards the many faces that watched him; he felt like he needed to improvise a speech as the many eyes watched him with glazed over amusement.
Suddenly, Tatiana's voice grabbed his attention. "Feel fine?"
"What's that?" Soap asked quickly, looking towards her.
She smiled and pointed. "Your hair. Does it feel fine?"
"Oh," he began, hand still on his head. "Yes, much better."
"Good! Because it looks fantastic," she then smacked the back of the chair. "Price, get your fine-ass over here."
Price walked past Soap with a faint smile and took a seat. Still feeling uncomfortable, Soap left the hangar to hit up the courses and gym. He needed to escape the awkward space he was now finding himself in. As he left, Price could only snicker and shake his head.
"That muppet...he can bloody destroy a man with his bare hands but he can't handle some attention from a clam licker." His voice was course and laced with delectation.
Tatiana flashed a smile as she cleaned off her tools. "He'll come around. I guess he isn't used to it?"
"Used to female attention? Soap has done nothing but circle his life around his career; he hasn't had time for attention from females." Price met her stare in the mirror as she nodded.
"Let alone a 'clam licker', right?"
"Get to cutting this 'unsightly hair-do', love." He gestured towards his head.
She had to utter a giggle. "The old man is feisty today. I like it!"
Off in the barracks containing the indoor courses and gym equipment, Soap found a few others lifting weights and stretching out their bodies. Shawn was one of them. He greeted Soap with a nod of the head before scaling a wall and leaping over. Shawn made the task look easy as he ran up the side with intense agility. Soap's eyes ran over the equipment before finally making up his mind. Eventually, after some time had passed, Price joined the space a few Darkhorse members had occupied. He took a seat in a nearby chair and lit a cigar. After inhaling the cigar sweet smoke into his lungs he watched the movement before him. He was looking awfully suave while he smoked his cigar with his freshly groomed head.
After awhile of observing, a movement in his peripherals caught his attention; he recognized it as Ricochet. She approached Price with a content smile and concentrated eyes. The old man looked up at her from his chair while he puffed on a cigar. Once she stood before him, she nodded.
"Price," she began, "I'd be honored if you could show me some grappling and hand-to-hand combat techniques. I know a few fundamentals, but back in my days sniping in the Air Force, I didn't get much practice. Care to show me a few tricks?"
Price blinked up at her, taking everything in as a faint smile appeared from behind the greying hair on his face. Her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail and determination glowed within her eyes. He respected the ambition, so he put out his cigar and brought himself up. Soap looked up from his position by the exercise equipment. The old man showing someone how to grapple? Now that was something to fear.
He stood before her and stared intently into her eyes where she returned the looked. "Anything in particular?"
She thought about it momentarily, but it didn't take long for she already knew what she wanted. "Defensive strategies. Like if I get compromised or attacked up close. I want to be able to have a counter ready. Quick thinking, fast reflexes, ways to break out of a grip, that sort of thing."
He bobbed his head in understanding. "Mm hmm, I could show you a few beginner techniques. You said you've practice fundamentals in the Air Force?"
"Very fundamental. Like prominent pressure points, thumbs being the weakest link to a person's grip...nothing fancy."
"We can start with some basic self-defense strategies. Like disarming and stunning." He replied nonchalantly as he began making his way for the floor mat, where he gestured for her to follow. She watched his backside as he strided with an air of confidence and refinement. Once he found a decent spot in the center, he turned to face her. "I'll show you a disarm if the person is holding a handgun. Here." He reached for his USP to give to her. "Safety's on. Double-check it." Her eyes looked it over to confirm that the gun was set to a safe setting.
"Yep," she verified.
"Alright, point it at me."
She hesitated momentarily, before raising the gun with both hands, one hand on the trigger and the other supporting the grip. With catlike litheness, he side-stepped, placed a strong palm against her wrist, and popped the gun right out of her hands. She felt her joints give and the weight of the gun disappear; her eyes found the guns in Price's hands where he was now aiming it at her face. Everything had happened so fast, that it took her wrist a second to realize that it was now sore.
"Always have to be quick. Don't hesitate to immediately take the shot once you've obtained the weapon. It would be unfortunate to successfully steal the weapon only to have it stolen back." He lowered the gun and raised his arm to hand it back to her.
She grabbed it back gently and prepared to take aim once again. "Alright, show it to me at a slower pace this time, Speedy Gonzales."
He smirked at her comment. "Aim it." She brought it up. This time he was slower and more obvious with his moments; Soap was now watching the whole thing unfold, forgetting that he only showed up to work-out and not to watch his old man train someone in hand-to-hand. "Watch the movement. Always move your head to the side first. The brain has a delayed response but your movement will scare your opponent, most likely causing them to get trigger happy. So once you side-step, bring your palm up to their outer wrists."
Yet again, his hand landed on her wrist and was big enough to encompass her entire hand and part of the gun. "Twist the wrist, pop it forward; it will weaken the grip, giving you an opening to snatch the gun right of their palm." He showed her the motion, grabbed the gun, then raised it before her face once again. "You do it to me this time. Go step-by-step, then you can try it out at a faster pace."
She nodded and immediately followed through by practicing the steps. She got it down quickly as her memory came back to her, and after a few attempts, she was ready to move on. Price showed her the technique if someone was holding a knife instead. Pretty similar, only difference was having to change the tactics around if someone was charging at you. After she managed to disarm Price several times, he was ready to move on to the next step.
"The next thing I'll show you is some hand-to-hand. You do have a weight disadvantage, unfortunately. However, that doesn't mean you can't stun someone long enough to get away or get the upperhand. I'll first point out several useful tips." He shook the tension out of his arms. "The collarbones can only support about 2.5 kg before snapping. In your American lingo, that's about 5 lbs." She smiled at him. "Using a palm or a strong fist, you can smack the air right out of someone with a well-placed hit to the sternum. Make sure you hit like you mean it. None of that sissy girl bullocks."
"You're splitting my sides." She replied with a big smile and sarcasm lacing her words.
"Also, the jaw will send someone for a loop. Hitting the heart will definitely cause them to catch their breath, and obviously the throat is a good way to stun someone...or the groin if you like those kind of dirty, cheapshots. Here, I'll have you watch some techniques before you can practice." Price turned his attention to Soap, whose eyes immediately widened. "Soap, get over here so that I can beat you up in front of the lady."
Soap heaved a sigh and ambled his way on over to their sides, where his eyes locked onto Price with anticipation. "What are you going to do to me this time, old man?"
"Be quiet and watch." Price immediately went in, snatched Soap's right forearm, sat it against his shoulder and threw Soap over his back and onto the floor. Soap laid there momentarily with the wind knocked out of him as Price gestured in his direction. "See that? You can attempt to pull that on someone who tries to take a punch at you. You use their momentum to carry them on over your back. Soap probably weighs 15 kg more than me, and look how gracefully he flopped into the floor."
Ricochet eyeballed Soap as he began to bring himself up; his face said that he knew what else was coming. "But...he didn't take a swing at you. Can you still flop them gracefully over your shoulder?"
"If you're strong enough, yes. Luckily for Soap, he loves getting injured."
"Let's just start cracking jokes at my terrible luck when it comes to getting hurt." Soap commented.
"Once a muppet, alway a muppet," Price replied carelessly as he snagged Soap's arm again and placed a palm into his outer elbow, this time he didn't complete his attack. "If you hit this spot hard enough you can dislocate their elbow. Especially if they take a swing at you, and their arm is stiff. Great counterattack." Price let Soap go and patted him on the back. "Take a swing at me, Soap. Mean it too, I want to see you mad."
"Price…" Soap sighed.
"Do it, son. The lady needs to see examples." Soap just stared at Price. "Go ahead, show her what you can do."
Soap rolled his neck and swallowed hard and took a quick jab at Price, but was met with a counter. Price grabbed a hold of his forearm, spun it around his back, and broke Soap's balance by kicking in the back of his knee. Soap fell onto his other knee but was forced onto his face by Price.
"What kind of bloody punch was that, mate? Get pissed. You can knock a wanker out with one punch to the jaw, so you bloody better act like you can." Price taunted.
Soap turned his head and exhaled against the mat. His eyes found Ricochet's amused, big-eyed stare. He wasn't used to having women around...it was making him nervous and more uneasy having her watch him get his ass handed to him by someone old enough to be his dad
So Price got off of him and allowed for him to stand, where he turned to face Price who was smirking at him with amusement. Price pointed at his own chin. "Right here, Soap. In case you forgot where the chin was."
Soap blinked and flashed a quick smile, before planting his feet and sending a surprise lefty in Price's direction. This time he put more force into it, but Price managed to block it and return a quick shot into Soap's sternum. All of the air in Soap's lungs shot out as he took a step back from receiving the blow. For some reason, it hurt way more than he anticipated. He couldn't tell if it was the old man's strength alone, or something on his end from after taking a knife to the chest from back in his day. After a short moment, Soap straightened his posture and returned to staring at Price. Price nodded at him then looked to Ricochet.
"There's that. Now work with her on it, Soap. I got somewhere to be." Price claimed, uncrossed his arms, and began making his way for the door to outside. The two of them blinked in his direction.
"...Alright," Soap murmured as his eyes landed onto Ricochet's side profile.
"Thanks, Price!" She said after the old man who rose his hand in the air to return the gesture.
She then turned to face Soap and met his eyes. Feeling nervous that she caught him in mid-stare, he scratched his head and moved his eyes off to peer at a distant object. "So, I guess he wants me to show you some stuff."
She gestured in agreement and could immediately see the change in his mannerisms. Ricochet couldn't quite tell if he was anxious...or just uninterested in showing her anything. "If-if you'd rather not show me anything right now, that's not a problem."
He shook his head. "No, it's no trouble, I just uh…" his eyes found her again, "...never practice sparred with a lass before."
"Oh, yeah?" She smiled in his direction. "Afraid you'll break me?"
"Break you?"
She shifted her weight. "Yeah...because I'm just so fragile," she said jokingly.
"Oh...so, you think I'm worried I'll shatter you?"
She had to chuckle at the way he said it. "Yes, you have a look in your face that says, 'Oh God...don't break her back.'"
He shrugged and had to nod. "Yeah, that's probably a concern."
"I'll just get Price to practice with me tomorrow, or-"
"No, no. Price said to help you, so I'm going to help you." He turned his body in her direction, they stood roughly 3 feet apart. It was a comfortable distance, but her aura was swarming around him.
She tapped his arm and took a step back. "Well, let's do this then."
He knew she was a pretty girl, but he hadn't had many instances where he was standing at a much closer proximity. Her round, blue-eyes made his heart skip a beat, it was something he was not used to. They had chatted a few times, but not once had they ever touched, so her quick tap to his upper arm would have been the first. And they were about to go into full-contact mode.
"So, um…maybe we'll recap what Price just did to me, I can run over that again for you, then you just repeat the steps on me."
"Sounds good," she replied with a smile.
He paused before doing anything, he wasn't quite sure with how to start the practice spar. His nervousness was making her tense. He took a step forward and steadily became more comfortable as they started with the techniques.
Soap began to ease out of his awkward mannerisms as he reviewed the defensive techniques. To the point where she was finally getting the chance to actually practice them. Shorty walked in with Tatiana and Reggie, and had to stare with an odd amount of disgust and confusion.
"What the hell are you two doing?" Shorty asked with a raised brow. At the moment, Ricochet had Soap's arm behind his back.
They both looked over at her. "Oh, just practice sparring. Price showed me some techniques, now Soap is." Ricochet replied.
Shorty nodded her head slowly. "The Chin is making his presence known."
Tatiana snickered. "Aww, that's adorable. You both look so precious."
Immediately, Soap and Ricochet felt embarrassed, especially Soap.
"Well…" Shorty waved her hand through the air. "You all have...fun."
Suddenly, Reggie ran past them shouting while holding some sort of contraption in his hand. "Shawn! Shawn! Come look at what I constructed."
Shawn dropped everything he was doing to place his hands on his hips and stare over with bewilderment. "Christ. What now?"
Reggie approached him. "Robot arm. It feeds you food."
"Sounds useless…" Shawn commented as the two became immersed in their new found entertainment.
As Shorty walked off with an amused Tatiana, Soap suddenly broke out of Ricochet's hold and reversed the roles. Her eyes were wide with perplexity as she could hear him chuckle quietly behind her.
"Oh man!"
"How's that for a counter?" Soap asked with his deep voice. For some reason the way he said it behind her ear with his chest near her back, it made her unusually flabbergasted. With the position he had her in, he could smell her hair and it smelled refreshing. Then his eyes wandered down her frontside where he got a decent shot of her cleavage that her sports bra pushed up. He swallowed hard, grew uneasy, and had to immediately let her go. He pulled himself away as she turned around to face him, rubbing her shoulder.
"You put some force into that one," she commented.
"Sorry."
"No. It's fine. You're going to have to show me how to counter a counter now."
"The first thing you did, that was lacking proficiency, was the strength of your hold. You really have to put your weight into that." He stated, trying to get his mind off of irrelevant things. "You also let your guard down."
She nodded. "Next time I'll just have to make sure Shorty's not around." His eyes fell onto her chest but went back to her face where he was met with a smile and a blush. "Well, maybe now's good time to end this session. Thanks for giving me your time."
Soap exhaled, trying to release all of the tension through his body. "Not a problem. Get Price or I if you want to practice again."
She gave him a faint smirk before turning to leave. He couldn't resist the urge to watch her ass move side-to-side as she made her way for the door. He suddenly grew annoyed and had to rub his temples. Frustration filled his mind. Lydia suddenly approached him with curious eyes.
"Hey," she said as she neared.
He pulled his head up and craned his neck. Their eyes met as she stared up at him with a growing smile. It was a different kind of smile, more of a flirty smile, unlike the kind smile Ricochet had flashed him. Once he faced her, she immediately began talking his ear off. He had been acquainted with Darkhorse for a little over a week, and already he had experienced more female attention than he had in years. Soap wasn't really sure if he found it annoying or not, but the way Lydia began to speak to him was definitely starting to bother him.
"I'm just a medic for the base, but I wouldn't mind being taught some techniques as well. Can you try some on me?" She had asked him with big brown eyes.
He blinked at her, feeling disinterested, but wasn't quite prepared for a negative reply. "Hmm, I'd actually rather go run some courses. I think I'm all sparred out."
She shifted her weight. "You just looked like you knew what you were doing. I just thought it'd be nice to learn from an expert." Her flirty hand found his forearm, where he immediately broke off the touch to run his hand through his freshly trimmed hair. He was ready to talk himself out of this one, especially as he felt hunger creeping up on him. Shawn's voice began to increase with an irritated volume.
"Oh, God...what do you have in store for me now?" He asked Reggie with impatience.
"A robot arm that feeds you junk food."
Shawn stared down at the black contraption. "Sounds like an enabler."
"Or a jerk off buddy-here just try it out!"
"Wait. What?" Shawn took a step back to narrow his eyes at his brother.
Reggie raised the robot arm out before Shawn's face. "Let it give you a Cheeto."
"No, wait. What did you just say?"
Reggie stared at him with a deadpan expression. "Cheeto?"
"No, before that."
"Robot arm?"
Shawn pursed his lips with aggravation. "...no after robot arm."
Reggie rubbed his chin as he lowered the mechanical arm. "Hmm...junk food?"
"NO, you're digressing!" Shawn threw his arms into the air.
"How about you tell me what you thought I said."
Shawn moved his weight to the side and crossed his arms. "Pretty sure I heard you say jerk off buddy."
Reggie lowered his voice to a near inaudible level. "...My advertising and subliminal messages are working…"
"What was that?"
"Just try it." Shawn found the robot holding a Cheeto before his face once again.
"No, Reggie! Last time you tested one of your...experiments on me, I got injured. So fuck that."
"It's not an experiment if it works and I already know what to expect." Reggie stared blankly into his brother's face who returned an annoyed expression.
"Oh yeah? Then why bother having me use it?"
"For science." Reggie replied, eyes shining with intrigue.
"You JUST said that you already knew what to expect. So why would you need to use it for science if you know the outcome?"
"Please…"
Shawn blinked in his direction, rolling his tongue around in his mouth, before sighing and taking a step forward. "Ugh, fine. Let's get it set up and let it feed me a fucking Cheeto."
While the two chatted, Soap's attention had long since left Lydia and was now watching the two brothers' trade-back. One could tell they had a strong connection, even as they debated over the robot arm. Lydia was noticing she had lost Soap's interest a long time ago and followed his stare, just in time to see Shawn's face get beaten with a robot arm holding a Cheeto. The cheesy snack smashed into Shawn's chin and broke against the bones in his face.
Shawn took a step back, disgust and rage burning in his eyes as he wiped the orange crumbs off of his face. "Reggie, what the FUCK?"
"Oops...Something went wrong."
Shawn's green eyes glared in Reggie's direction only to be met with a wide grin. "No. No. You fucking meant that. You wanted it to beat me in the face. And I fell for it."
"It worked for me. I guess it just didn't like you."
Shawn's hand quickly swiped for the robot arm, but missed as Reggie raised it into the air and high above Shawn's head.
"Give it to me." Shawn bent his knees ready to jump.
"I will perfect it. Make it better. Evolve it into its final form." Reggie said as he quickly turned the robot arm away from Shawn as he leapt in the air at it. "No, Shawn! Back down! This is my invention and you cannot have it!"
"Fine! Keep it! Add it to your collection of other useless crap that you've hurt me with!" As Shawn shouted, everyone in the gym using the equipment and running the courses had all come to a pause to watch the two brothers' interaction. Shawn pointed at his brother. "You are the epitome of inappropriateness and bad decisions."
Reggie could only laugh with his mischievous giggle.
"..." Shawn lowered his arms then sighed. "I'm leaving to go eat."
"My robot arm can help you with-"
"No! Fuck you." Shawn interrupted as he walked away and for the door.
As he walked past Soap and Lydia, Reggie's eyes followed him and quickly realized Lydia had captured another defenseless soul. Feeling compelled, he quickly felt the need to go save Soap from his trap. Reggie lowered the robot arm and made his way for the two.
"Hey, Soap!" Reggie threw an arm into the air, where Soap's eyes immediately found Reggie's stare. Lydia crossed her arms with annoyance as she glared at Reggie. Once Reggie grew near, he looked towards the brown-haired girl. "Lydia, I have to discuss important matters with my Scottish friend here. Mind leaving?"
She huffed, "Fine," before storming off to leave for the door; lunch time was growing near.
Reggie peered back to Soap who instantly returned the stare with thankful eyes. "Look. I'm just going to jump straight to chase." He stepped in closer to Soap who watched him with intent. "Stay away from Lydia."
Soap raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?"
"Well," Reggie had to take a moment to think over his words. "Depending on what type of man you are, you'll either love Lydia or hate her. And based upon your character, you seem to be more of the type to hate her."
"Oh? Does she not leave a good impression?"
Reggie exhaled as he readjusted his invention. "She's pretty much a whore. But keep that quiet. We can get into big trouble around here for getting...sexually involved with other members. It's not quite viewed as professional, for obvious reasons."
Soap nodded with understanding. "I was beginning to get that impression from her."
"Yeah, she's a decent medic, which is why I personally haven't said anything to one of the commanders. I know several members despise her, Price actually being one of them...as well as Tatiana. The radio guys enjoy her though, especially up in their little radio tower."
Soap furrowed his brow. "That's classy."
"Well, I guess if it makes them less stressed, then go for it. But I prefer a proper lady. Not the type to throw herself at anything that walks upright and has a penis," Reggie turned his body towards Soap. "And you're still new here, so she viewed you as a decent target. But, luckily now you know to avoid her...unless you're into that sort of thing."
"No thanks." Soap was quick to reply.
"I figured as much."
Soap was hit was a sudden thought. "I know Tatiana is into the lassies, but what about the other two? Shorty and Ricochet? They don't cross me as the type to seduce men."
Reggie immediately shook his head. "Oh, not at all. You're safe around them. I'm sure the radio guys would love to get into their pants, but they have no chance at all. Those two actually respect themselves and take their job seriously. Not only that, they're fun too. As time goes on, you'll see why they're senior members here. Not only have they've been with TTF for awhile, but they've proved themselves as well. You earn respect, not demand it."
Soap nodded with agreement. "Good. I was under that impression from them. Just really wanted to make sure that they are handling their jobs with professionalism."
"Oh, no doubt. As much as I hate to admit it, Shorty is an amazing helicopter pilot. She knows damn well how to maneuver a immensely giant chopper through tight areas. And Ricochet...had one of the highest hit rates as a reconnaissance sniper in the Army. I'd put my money on her any day."
"So, a sharpshooter?"
"Hands down. Price mentioned something before you came along about your two's experience with scoped rifles as well. You should challenge her...that is if you don't mind getting put into your place."
Soap had to utter an amused chuckle. "I guess I'll have to wait to see for myself."
"Sure." Reggie's eyes found the Tobias and Ivan who were now making their way for the exit. He quickly looked at his wristwatch. "Lunch time. We better get going."
Soap nodded and followed Reggie for the door. After having lunch and a few hours had passed, Samson and Price wanted to gather up Soap and the senior members to inform them on the recent news. They all stood near Shorty's Iroquois within the hangar; industrial fans blowing in the background.
Once everyone looked adjusted and comfortable, Samson spoke. "Echo got back with us. Surprisingly fast, which is good. Our next assignment is set into place, so now Price and I can start preparing you all for it," Samson looked to Price. "Price."
"Right. Napoli, Italy. Our next destination. The sellers are located in the hills, near the wineries and vineyards. The warehouse is somewhat near an old village. Ancient tunnels are known to run underneath the town. We're going to access the warehouse from those. We're led to believe they do some of their inventory transportation through those tunnels, so we should have easy access into the warehouse." Price paused to run his eyes over the faces before him. "Once inside the warehouse, we'll set up the charges, retrieve more information on other sellers in Europe, then light the place up. Easy enough, right?"
"So, we get to blow up an entire warehouse full of cocaine and other drug cartel?" Shawn questioned with wondering eyes.
"We're joint operating with a few Talon members who will actually be posing as shipment delivery men. Once we make the place safe for them to enter, they will load up what they can onto their truck then head for the hills before we light up the night sky." Samson responded with his usual air of calmness.
"Sweetness," Shawn uttered.
"So, there's the quick update. We'll give you all a brief tomorrow morning and immediately set out for departure. Sound good?"
Everyone was quick to respond with excitement. With that, they all went their separate ways once again as motivation filled their veins at the thought of the upcoming mission.
If you're interested in seeing some fan-art and what the characters look like, check out my DeviantArt account which is linked under my profile information. I'm still working on getting the other characters sketched up.