So sorry for the two week wait. I had gotten sick and was a bit under the weather for three days, but things are back to normal and going well! In this story, I try to remember to convert my Imperial units into the standard Metric units, because I don't want to cause readers (not on the Imperial system) to have to look up speeds and sizes of things. I feel like that'd be annoying. So enjoy! :)

Chapter 22 - Into the Hornets' Nest - Part 3

"Ah, glad to see you've returned, Mr. Blair." Arsenio spoke with a mischievous stare. "How was our good friend, Allister Danbury?"

Soap's sharp eyes found Arsenio. "Grumpy as usual. He made his proposal very clear."

"I bet he did." Fernando chimed in flatly.

Soap looked down towards him as Arsenio stepped forward. "Right, right. Let's head to my office, shall we?"

Soap outstretched an open palm to his side. "After you."

"So gentlemanly." Arsenio stated with a smirk as he walked past with suave. Fernando followed after his brother, but not before shooting Soap a probing stare. The Scotsman returned the intensity of the look as he waited for the two brothers to lead the way.

Gesturing in the air, Arsenio called for some of his men nearby. "Carlos, Emilio. Come."

The two men standing near the tail-end of the stage, bobbed their heads in understanding and paced after their boss in an orderly fashion.

Rico bit her lip while she waited for Soap's lead. He sent her a concerned, but ardent stare. They followed shortly behind the four men as they passed up the threshold of the massive doorway leading out of the foyer and into the west wing hall.

Just like the east end hall, Soap had journeyed down prior, it possessed a similar mediterranean style of architecture and design. Windows were finely adorned, furniture was elegantly upholstered, mood lighting was warm and welcoming, and the smooth travertine tile glimmered under their feet. Doorways, entrances, and window frames were all arched to perfection and symbolized a feeling of dignified fortitude.

Echo watched on the cameras while they strided down the hall with an air of confidence.

Rico could feel the back of her throat getting dry with worry. She had to peer up at Soap and whisper. "What am I supposed to do during all of this?"

Soap kept his eyes on the four men leading the way; they kept to the front some distances away. "Just keep your eye on everything. Watch for any threatening gestures or movements."

Suddenly, Fernando glanced over his shoulder to look back at the couple.

"Hurry up." He ordered blatantly.

Soap gazed back at him with intrusive eyes while keeping his voice low. "And just stay calm. Speak if they engage you."

Rico and Soap straightened up and held their chins up high as they neared a doorway. Arsenio took the lead with Fernando right on his heels. Everyone entered into the room with ease. Soap and Rico had to pause and observe their surroundings. The room felt quaint, and only a large fireplace, overhead lighting above a pool table, and desk lamp kept the room alit. Off near the left portion of the room where the pool table sat, a set of armchairs added a sense of masculine character.

Arsenio was quick to make his way over for the entertainment space, snatching up several cue sticks. He looked up with a grin. "Let's discuss our transaction over a game of billiards, si?"

Fernando sent an irritated look towards his brother. "Do we really, now, Arsenio? This is-"

Shooting a hand into the air, Arsenio interrupted. "Fernando. You're more than welcome to sit this one out." He quickly launched his attention in his brother's direction. "Got it?"

Fernando sniffed with a grim expression before mumbling to himself and taking a seat. "Fine." He then glanced over towards the two guards and motioned for them to find a space to stand near the door.

Soap and Rico couldn't help but send each other perplexed expressions before Arsenio grabbed their attention.

"Ay! Come on, hombre. Deal with me over a game of pool." Arsenio was now setting up for a round of billiards. He leaned over the felt top of the solid, dark-stained oak table with a smile. "You can play, si?"

"Aye." Soap responded and stepped forward, accepting a cue stick from Arsenio.

"Ah, si. But the true question lies with, can you win?"

Soap was now standing opposite of him and watched closely with keen eyes, which shimmered in the overhead, pendant lighting. "I think the better question is: how will you feel after you lose on your home turf?"

Arsenio set the cue ball down and sent an amused grin towards the large Scotsman. "I see you're confident." After removing the ball rack from the table, he took aim. "But overconfidence is always your enemy, and I can smell the weakness."

Thrusting the cue stick forward, the tip of the stick and the white cue ball, which was painted with dissolving red chalk, cracked together. The ball traveled in a straight line with pristine precision and rocketed towards the triangular wall of billiard balls. They smacked into each other, and broke apart to scatter in search of neighboring pockets. The striped-15 ball found a cozy spot after breaking from the crowd of its fellow companions.

Arsenio rounded the table to line up the next shot. "Stripes." Before deciding on any strategies, he returned to speaking. "So, Michael. What is your proposal?"

Soap watched intently as Arsenio lowered closer to the table. "Danbury has requested I throw in a bid for 20,000 per kilo."

"American dollars?" Arsenio arched an eyebrow after performing a failed bank shot.

"Euros." Soap replied firmly as he analyzed the felt surface of the table and the objects it housed.

Arsenio narrowed his eyes with annoyance. Fernando rose from his chair out of aggravation as his hands went into the air.

"Eso es absurdo! (That's absurd!)" Fernando yelled. "That's like $24,000. You have your head up your ass throwing that number at us. Make it 16."

Soap kept his eye on the cue ball as he lined up a shot. "Hm. That's odd. I didn't realize you were in a position to negotiate a set price. Danbury wants 20."

Fernando began to open his mouth to sneer a venomous comeback at the sight of Soap showing little interest in his outburst, but Arsenio quickly jumped the gun. "But 20 is an unfair amount. We're trying to sell to Columbians, Mexicans, and Americans over the border. We need to make a profit from this as well."

After making a successful shot, which landed a solid-2 ball into a pocket, Soap rose up and shook his head with a sigh. "20 is far more than fair."

"My ass." Arsenio scoffed as he stared from over the table with an angry Fernando in the background.

"Delude the product once you get it, and up the price by 20%. It's a wonderful technique, that I'm sure you both are well aware of."

"We're more than just aware of the technique. We specialize in it." Arsenio responded flatly.

"Wonderful. Then 20 will prove to be a satisfying number for everyone. Happiness all around is what we want." Soap stated deeply

Rico watched closely and swallowed hard.

Soap sighed after seeing the two brothers' probing, angry stares. "Danbury is offering a product with 92% purity. The number he is asking for is a set price."

Fernando crossed his arms viciously over his chest. "92%? The cocaine should have a purity of 98% with a price tag that high."

Soap calmly took another shot with his stick and cue ball, splitting two balls in half. His target found an empty left corner pocket. "No. With a purity of 98%, you'd be looking at about 30."

Arsenio continued to watch him closely while Fernando huffed and turned away to glare towards the desk.

Soap straightened his posture and peered in their direction with concentrated eyes. "Gentlemen. Danbury is asking 20 per kilogram. You need to consider smuggling costs. I need to pay out smugglers to transport several thousand kilograms of pure coke over the Atlantic. That number covers that cost as well."

"Make it 14 with added smuggling cover costs."Arsenio requested sternly.

After taking a third, but unsuccessful shot, Soap rose up again and shot Arsenio a mildly annoyed look. "So you just went from offering 16, to offering 14. I didn't realize you two were professional comedians as well."

"He said with included smuggling costs, you fuck." Fernando hissed causing Soap to peer up and stare at him with amusement.

Arsenio sent his brother a disapproving glare. "Fernie. Shut your flaps before you get carried away." He slowly looked back to Soap who was now waiting patiently for an apology. Arsenio had to sigh with irritation. "Forgive him. He's a hothead."

Soap waved off the stiff tension with ease. "I understand your level of frustrations all too well. You see," he began, "Danbury has encountered some complications with a smuggled shipment in the Baltic Sea. They were attacked and the cartel was confiscated by an unknown source."

Immediately, Fernando and Arsenio perked up at the comment. Soap instantly saw their change in mannerisms.

"So you've ran into some troubles as well?" Fernando asked eagerly.

Soap nodded. "We have. And we've also heard about how you've ran into similar issues."

"Unfortunately…" Fernando muttered.

Soap cocked his head. "Any idea who was behind it? Danbury and myself can't figure it out. It was almost as if it just vanished into thin air."

"We have some leads…" Arsenio chimed in hoarsely after making a play.

Rico and Soap peered over at him. Both wanted to know just how much the Vasquez brothers knew about TTF and their operations. Echo listened in with anticipation.

"Is it the U.N.?" Soap inquired.

"Don't think so." Arsenio shook his head.

"American government?"

"Not sure." Fernando murmured. "However, we think Americans are behind the heists."

"What do you mean? Like the D.E.A. or an international drug control operation?" Soap inquired.

Arsenio and Fernando fell silent momentarily as they became lost in their thoughts. Arsenio pulled up from his leaning position, after having taken a missed shot, and exhaled heavily. "Like hired guns."

Soap let silence fall over their conversation while they all began to stare and observe profoundly. Rico peered over at Soap who had let his brow furrow and his expression intensify.

"So you think we have mercenaries on our hands?" Soap questioned with interest.

A darkened shadow seemed to loom over Arsenio. "They're relentless, and it's obvious they're in it for the money."

Soap let his cue stick rest against the pool table as he rubbed his chin in thought. "Highly unlikely it's mercenaries. Too professional."

"Does it matter if it's government or mercenaries? It's still a fucking problem either way." Fernando uproared. "We've lost 15 million fucking dollars because of these pricks! 15 FUCKING MILLION DOLLARS!"

Soap nodded slowly and Rico shifted in her spot within a chair. Arsenio suddenly chuckled at his brother; a manic look in his eyes. "Relax, Fernie! There's light at the end of the tunnel."

"That's a hard blow, though." Soap stated matter-of-factly. He tightened the knot in his tie and continued to speak. "What if they strike again? I'm concerned for our next batch heading to Russia."

Arsenio raised a sneaky finger and pointed playfully towards Soap. "It is a hard blow! But we'll bounce back, just watch. We're scheming and developing some potential solutions to the problem. But...they're still in their developing stages and we appreciate any suggestions."

He grinned brilliantly, evil glimmer still reflecting in his eyes, as he steadily looked over towards Rico. "How about you, señorita? What do you think we should do?"

All eyes fell onto Rico who calmly raised her chin up to speak. "Vell, I believe ve should find the fuckers so you can practice your unique body disposal techniques on zhem."

Arsenio snickered and smiled. "I love the sound of that!" He then rested his hands onto the pool table and continued to smirk. "Luckily for us, we've captured several feeds and photos of these culprits."

"Oh?"

He nodded. "Si…we have a few leads...some of which we've obtained from Merida." He stretched back with a pleased look on his face. "It's refreshing to learn that they may be closer than we thought."

The look he abruptly gave Rico caused her to narrow her eyes gravely and sit back calmly into her chair.

Fernando immediately scoffed with irritation. "Still no good to us if they're not in our grasp and still sabotaging our cartel. 15 million fucking dollars, Arsenio."

"I'm well aware, Fernie." Arsenio replied back with arrogance.

"Pfft. Then stop fucking smiling."

The two brothers then took a moment to glare daggers at each other.

Fernando finally began to pace and adjusted his light grey, dress coat. "And we owe Hernandez about $250,000 for the lost women and children in Tulum."

"Oh, they're family. They'll give us some slack." Arsenio commented light-heartedly.

"Women and children? You two getting wrapped up in sex trafficking now? And what's this talk about 'family'?" Soap questioned with interest. "Is that some kind of reference you use for business partners?"

"No, they're actual family...some fucking family, though. Backing out on us and leaving us in the dirt…" Fernando snapped through gritting teeth.

"No shite?" Soap stated with intrigue.

"Cousins." Arsenio added in.

Soap nodded in understanding. "Not very supportive cousins if they left you out to rot."

"Exactly." Fernando hissed. "We'll see how they like it when Sly dies in prison. Dumb piece of shit thought it'd be entertaining to murder that damn whore."

"Alright, Fernie-" Arsenio said.

"No! Sly can go get raped in prison! I don't give a rat's ass!" Fernando quickly slicked back his black hair that was beginning to become flustered by his energetic gestures. "If Rio wants his brother out, he can pay bail. I'm done helping his obese, pompous ass."

Arsenio took a moment to chuckle lightly. "No es que el gordo. (He's not that fat.)"

While Fernando sat quietly, red in the face, Arsenio looked back to Soap and lowered his voice. "You want my advice? Convince Danbury to start dealing in the sex trade business. Easy money, and there's little loss if women go missing or...tragically die."

Suddenly, a man broke into the room through the french doors. He appeared frustrated and bothered. All eyes landed on him as he paced over towards where Arsenio stood and quickly whispered something into his ear. Arsenio's expression instantly hardened as his brow flattened.

His eyes flashed towards Soap and reflected a mixture of concern and anger. "Mr. Blair. You'll have to excuse us. There seems to be a problem that I must attend to immediately."

Soap straightened up and nodded in understanding. "Everything all right?"

Arsenio merely held his expression as he turned to look at his brother who bore a face of perplexity. "Fernie. Come."

"What is it?" Fernando questioned with his palms out. "Can it not wait?"

Arsenio shook his head and glanced in Soap and Rico's direction with aggravation just before glaring at his brother. "It seems a few of our men have gone missing."

"So?" Fernando scoffed. "Let our men take care of it. We can deal with this later."

The man that had ran in moments before stood up straight and laced his fingers together before him. "(Sir. We've had no connection with three of our men for some time now. Two of which I had seen myself just before they vanished.)"

Arsenio and Fernando stared flatly at him as Fernando pulled on his mouth out of irritation. "¿Cuánto tiempo han estado fuera? (How long have they been gone?)"

"(Mario has been missing for nearly an hour. Andres and Miguel for a half hour. Miguel went off to search for Mario, and Andres was ordered to fill in for Mario since he had left-)"

Arsenio waved him off. "Suficiente. (Enough.)" His eyes moved towards Soap and slowly returned to the man before him. "Show us."

Fernando sighed. "This better be worth our time."

Soap took a step forward. "Surely it can wait. The irresponsibility of your men shouldn't cut into your time to deal in business. We haven't settled on an arrangement, yet."

"No. It shouldn't." Arsenio stated. "However, my men are being paid, and their incompetence will NOT be tolerated."

The shout that emitted from the back of his throat caused everyone, but Soap and Fernando, to flinch. Arsenio wiped his mouth on his sleeve and nodded slowly. His and Soap's eyes were in a deadlock; Soap's deadpan expression caused a smirk to appear on Arsenio's face.

"My apologies, Mr. Blair. But we have to excuse ourselves. I'm sure you understand the amount of pressure one can experience when forced to deal with such incompetence." Arsenio said charmingly.

Rico narrowed her eyes and looked off towards the doorway; the two men standing at its opening were quick to stare back.

Soap bobbed his head firmly. "I do. So if you must take your time-"

"Si. I plan on resolving this issue immediately." He interrupted. "So please, sit and make yourself comfortable. My men will keep you company and provide you with any assistance."

Soap rose a reassuring hand. "We'll be fine. It sounds like you're in need of more men-"

"Oh, no! They stay. If you need anything, feel free to ask them." Arsenio's sharp eyes shot in the two men's direction by the door. "Emilio. Carlos. Quédate aquí. (Stay here)." He then stepped up to the man on the right and lowered his voice to near inaudible levels. "No dejes que se vayan. (Don't let them leave.)"

The two men nodded and allowed for the Vasquez brothers to pass through the opening, with the man from before leading the way.

The room immediately went silent. Soap exhaled calmly through his nostrils and let the weight of the cue stick relax against his palm as he outstretched his arm away from his body. He kept his eyes on the two men by the door, and the weight of his stare began to make them shift. Rico looked from face to face as she smoothly crossed her legs and straightened her back within her spot in a comfortable chair.

Soap gestured the cue stick in their direction. "You two mates play? Want to have a go?"

They merely gawked at him in silence.

"You two are the personable type, I see."

The one on the left sniffed and crossed his arms with disinterest. On cue, the awkward stillness returned.

After a brief moment, Rico suddenly rose up from her seat and brushed off her dress. "Herren. (Gentlemen.)" She gestured her head in their direction. "If you'll excuse me, I must find ze restrooms-"

She began to walk for the door but was immediately stopped in her tracks. "Nice try, chica. But you stay." One of the men grabbed her arm tightly.

She glared at him. "So, you insist I relieve myself in here? Eine solche Unhöflichkeit. (Such rudeness)."

"No. I insist you sit your ass down and do what you're fucking told." The man barked as he pushed her back.

Soap was quick to step forward with a glare. "Easy with the lady. No need to create enemies where they're not needed or wanted."

The two men shot Soap looks of distraught and contempt. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you best keep your attitude in check." Soap replied deeply.

"You need to back up, hombre, before I pop one into your leg." One of the men snapped as he placed a hand onto his holstered sidearm.

Soap had to emit a faint chuckle. "You take your jobs seriously."

The two guards could only watch Soap closely as he nodded steadily with a slightly amused smirk. He turned on his heels to calmly stare down into Rico's face. She could see the scheming in his eyes; his thoughts and mind were racing behind those grey eyes of his.

"Unfortunately," he began as he reached for the suppressed M9 in his coat, "so do I."

He spun around quickly and took aim at the man who produced the most threat. Both of their faces flashed with worry and anticipation. The first man was abruptly shot dead after receiving a blow to the forehead. His hand fell from the gun in his holster as his body went limp and crashed to the floor. As if time had suddenly slowed, the second man soon followed after Soap had swiftly changed targets. The man steadily slid down the wall where a blood splatter was left staining the plaster.

Soap lowered the Beretta and concealed it within the confines of his interior coat pocket. He craned his neck and peered over his shoulder towards Rico who was standing still with a stern expression.

"Let's get the fuck out of here." He said flatly, voice laced in seriousness.

Seeing no reason to not oblige, she followed after his hurried steps.

"Should we hide them?" She inquired softly as they stepped over their bodies.

He shook his head. "No time. We have to get back to that foyer before our friends see us."

She gestured her head with affirmation.

The voice of the man working for Echo suddenly filled their ears. "You two need to hightail out of there as fast as possible."

"What do you think it is we're doing?" Soap questioned with impatience. "We need an update on the location of Vasquez. Do you have a visual?"

"We do." Echo replied. "They're still in the east wing hallway on the second floor. We'll notify the Talon members at the front of your ETA. Remember, they're working the valet."

"Copy that." Soap said as he led Rico past the threshold and into the great room.

Partygoers still danced and savored food and drink. They were all in their own little worlds, completely unaware of the recent events that have unfolded right under their noses.

Soap and Rico quickly parted a small space in the crowd as they hurriedly neared the entrance; he held onto her wrist firmly in fear of getting separated during the commotion. Seeing the archway to the entryway, they quickened their pace and soon found themselves outside into the warm Gulf atmosphere.

Within the massive confines of the Vasquez residency, a man with a bullet through his head was discovered by the door in the library. Instant panic ensued.

Arsenio grabbed one of his men by the collar and shook him violently. "Averigua quién mierda hizo esto. (Find out who fucking did this.)" His words came out like venom and caused the man to nod in worry.

By the time the two brothers returned to the office, their guests were missing and two additional men lay sprawled out and lifeless against the cold floor.

Soap and Rico had strolled as casually as possible during all of this, where they were quickly met by valet. The valet man had an intense stare and only uttered a hasty, "Wait here," before walking off into the distance. He vanished from afar in the car lot that was covered in a variety of luxury vehicles and obscured by tropical vegetation.

Feeling tense, Soap peered over his shoulder with irritation at the amount of time it was taking to retrieve their alleged get-away car. "Fuckin' hurry up, damn it." He uttered with impatience.

Rico stepped closer to him as several partygoers ambled passed the two and laughed in a tipsy stupor. Her eyes scanned the area with a growing anxiety. Sensing a growing chaos from behind them, she craned her head in the direction of the villa where she could see some of Vasquez's men scurrying past the second-floor windows from inside.

Soap's eye caught the quickened movement as well, and by habit, his knees bent slightly. "Shite."

Finally, they could hear the revving and roaring of a serious engine. From around the corner, came a midnight blue Jaguar XKR coupe. It pulled up to the curb with a glimmering elegance. Both Soap and Ricochet's eyebrows rose with intrigue as the Talon valet man from before hopped out and gave them a stern, approving look; a faint, entertained smirk was barely visible.

"Holy shit...looks like Talon is stepping their game up." Rico stated with excitement sparkling in her eyes.

Soap grabbed her arm and guided her towards the vehicle. "Now that's what I'm talking about." Even he was thrilled by the powerful image of the coupe wielding a V8 510hp engine. Rico jumped quickly into the passenger seat as Soap entered in shortly after her on the driver's side. As soon as they got in, Vasquez's men ran out with guns raised.

"Buckle up, now." Soap ordered as they both secured themselves in.

At the sound of the clicks, Soap slammed on the clutch and shifted the gears into first, then second once the rpms ramped up, and then into third as they accelerated off in the matter of a few very quick seconds. Their bodies pushed back into their seats from the shear force and momentum of the car. They could hear distance bullets soaring through the air managing to ping into the back tail-light of the Jaguar. Partygoers ducked and ran for cover at the sound and panic of the erupting hysteria.

Soap continued to accelerate as Rico held her head which was being swarmed with an overwhelming amount of emotions.

"For Christ's sake," she was at a loss of words as Soap punched the gas and veered around twists and turns. Soap was already a great distance ahead of the group of angry Cuban's who had probably scampered off with madness in search of their vehicles.

The road was dark, and few streetlights kept the road in front of them lit. There was a mild sprinkle, which was even more apparent as the headlights lit up the falling droplets. She couldn't believe how he managed to stay on the narrow road while easily maintaining a speed of 90mph (144kph). Her hands clenched the edges of her seat; Soap caught the image of a panicked Rico in his peripherals. Had this been a low-stress scenario, he would have had to take a moment chuckle at her expression.

He gestured his head down near his lap. "Grab that M9 and take aim if we need it."

Letting go of her seat, her hand reached out and snatched up the pistol. Suddenly, up ahead, the front gate was starting to close. They assumed Vasquez had radioed their men standing guard at the entrance

"Hang on," Soap stated with an odd amount of composure. He punched the gas and put the roaring Jaguar into sixth gear. Bullets were fired in their direction, but they sped through the small opening of the closing gates so fast that the flying bullets barely grazed the back of the car. Had the engine not been bellowing like a large beast, they would have heard the many waves of swears and curses as they bolted through the gates shrinking opening.

At this point, the speed at which the car was traveling was easily in the triple digits. Unable to resist the urge to peer over at the speedometer, Rico's eyes found the reading to be at 130mph (210kph). "Oh my God, we're gonna fucking die."

The whole thing was exhilarating enough to have a smile spread across Soap's face as Rico gazed over her headrest and eventually sink into her seat with widened eyes.

Not wanting the threat to gain on them, Soap held the speed, but he knew a main road was coming up soon, so be braced himself as his right hand tightened around the gear stick.

"It's going to get hairy." He commented as he stared ahead with bright eyes.

She turned towards him. "It fucking hasn't already?"

"Nope." At that moment, Soap pushed on the clutch and the brake and switched to fifth gear as the vehicle veered onto the main street and into open traffic. Headlights reflected off of the car's hood and windshield, and glistened off of the raindrops.

Rico uttered a small scream as Soap jerked the wheel to the left, sending their bodies and the car whipping to the side. Car horns sounded and screeching tires were heard. Soap glanced up in the rearview mirror and had noticed two cars which had actually sped up to their tail at the sight of them. Easily some of Vasquez's men which may had been already stationed at the outer ends of the villa and around the pedestrian area.

Soap shifted back into sixth and pulled further ahead after nearly being rear-ended. Looking further up the road, he saw streetlights and upcoming obstacles. As he approached oncoming vehicles, he weaved in and out of them with screeching tires.

The two pursuing vehicles struggled to keep up; they were not prepared to chase down anything as fast as what Soap was wielding. Suddenly, the approaching streetlight changed to yellow as the cars further ahead began to slow at the sight of the switching colors.

"Fuck this." Soap murmured as he soared into the open turning lane and blasted through the streetlight, just barely getting through before red. Using the obvious reckless driving skills he possessed, he narrowly dodged a car which headlights were blaring through their windshield. All while this was happening, Rico held her ears with anxiousness as her heart pounded in her chest.

One of the pursuing cars was fishtailed as they attempted to run the red light, whereas the other one managed to get through by a mere inch of clearance.

Soap's eyebrows lowered. "Alright, we lost one of them. Now we just got to lose these muppets."

"Jesus Christ, Soap." Rico yelled with panic. She had been in several tight and stressful pinches, but this one was by-far the most nerve-racking. "We're going to die in a fiery explosion."

"To hell with that," Soap responded instantly his words laced in a fierce ambition. With that, he weaved through more cars, held the clutch and the brake, and drifted through a tight squeeze, somehow managing to avoid more oncoming cars. The sound of the accelerating engine and the screeching tires were enough to have people slow to a terrified stop. Veering viciously to the left to avoid the approaching read-end bumpers of several vehicles, Soap brought them into oncoming traffic to make a break around the slowing cars before them. He swallowed hard at the sight of impending headlights.

Rico screamed again and shielded her face and embraced herself for the guaranteed doom. Fortunately, Soap saw an opening and slipped through as screaming horns shouted out. He quickly jerked back into the appropriate lane. His eyes scanned the area for an escape. Rico slowly lowered her arms and peered ahead. She followed through with a heavy sigh of relief.

Peering further up ahead, he noticed signs indicating a roundabout. Pursing his lips and lowering his brow, he hit the brakes and pushed the clutch to shift into a lower gear. Entering the roundabout, and causing more hectic outbursts, he hastily exited the roundabout at the first available opening, and took a right.

Soap looked back into the rearview mirror and noticed no one was chasing them, so he figured they had reached a point of incognito. He lowered his speed and shifted back into fifth and eventually fourth as he spotted a small side road, located on the left, which broke off from the rest of the nightlife traffic.

Verifying they were finally in the clear, Soap opened his mouth, "Ok, I think we lost them." Yet again, his voice contained no signs of distraught or stress.

Once Rico caught her breath, silence filled the car as their faces lit up from passing streetlights. Soap's strong hand still braced the gear shift and the wheel, but his mannerisms seemed more passive at the thought of having lost the pursuers.

Eventually, Rico looked over at him, heart still thumping. "How-how did you learn to drive like that? That was insane. You're insane."

Soap's blue-grey eyes flickered in her direction, a mild amusement glowing deep within. "In the S.A.S., you're required to pass a reckless driving course; if you fail, you aren't accepted."

Rico allowed for that information to sink in before nodding in approval. "That's pretty fucking awesome." She flashed a partial blissful smile at him.

He caught the smile and glanced at her for a moment. Some of her starched curls had fallen out of of the gemstoned clip that had held them back, and her lips were bright red from the lipstick. Even though she looked rather razzled, she was glowing with energy.

His eyes found the road again as his mind began to slip slowly to the recollection of the previous night from a few weeks back; a night he had not forgotten, despite being under the influence of alcohol. The night they had sex still would find a way to replay in his head randomly throughout the day.

The silence was broken by the radio in their ears. "Well. That was...interesting." It was Price's hoarse voice that sounded.

"Price?" Soap questioned immediately. "It's been too long since I've heard your scraggly voice, old man."

"Right. Just checking in. Give us an update."

"Price, sir. We're in the clear. Where's the drop-off for the Jaguar? Over." She responded.

In the background she could hear Reggie and Shawn's voice gasp with disbelief at the news of Soap and Rico getting the honors of driving a turbo-powered Jaguar around like something out of Fast and Furious. Then Price's voice rang in. "There's a destination already assigned on the GPS system. Use that. It's in an area called 'Punta Gorda'. Also," there was a brief pause, "after all of that commotion, you two need to lay low for awhile. When Talon picks up the car, they'll be giving you a change of clothes and some pesos to get you through the night. Good luck."

"Copy that." Soap's voice sounded deeply. His finger then found the touchscreen of the GPS system as he navigated to 'Saved Destinations'. Clicking the only option, the GPS loaded the direction. Once up, the GPS began giving out the next step for directions. The location was in Frank País Park, a beautiful, vast national park full of lush vegetation and wildlife.

"Good. It's only 15 minutes away. We have to be on foot after we drop this car off. Hopefully we're not roaming the town all night in search of cover." Soap commented as he sighed through his nose.

A serene silence filled the car with only the GPS's digital voice creating the only form of conversation. Both Soap and Rico were absorbed in their thoughts, and they both needed some silence just to allow everything to absorb and digest.

It was a quick and easy drive, and the two of them felt slightly better knowing their mission was hopefully nearing an end. They were both ready to retire; the mission had been exasperating. Between faking a German accent the entire time and running around unequipped, she was glad all of that was over.

They eventually came up to the drop-off area, which was hidden within the seclusion of green tropical overgrowth. The area was obscured by large trees, and a single light that sat atop a small overpass bridge. Moths and other nocturnal bugs buzzed and tapped into the light's surface.

Soap eased the car forward and eventually came to a steady stop. They sat there momentarily looking around through the trees for any sign of movement. Soap scratched his nose and looked over his left arm and out the driver side window. Finally, hating the stillness, Soap flashed his lights. Their eyes caught a movement.

Moving from cover, the Talon force came running up to the car; there were only two of them. They were dressed in dark camo gear, with silenced handguns braced down by their sides. As they converged onto the car, Soap and Rico got out. One of the Talon members tossed a bag into Soap's direction. He caught it carelessly as he stepped to the side to let the Talon group to cease the car.

"Good work," one of them said quietly. And as quickly as the Talon men appeared, they drove off with the car, leaving Soap and Rico alone and under the overhead light. The two of them stared off after the Jaguar and waited for it to disappear through the trees.

"I'm going to miss that beauty," Soap stated nonchalantly. He turned towards her and tapped her arm. "Come on, let's move. There's a location to our southwest we can hide in for the night."

She nodded and allowed for him to lead the way. Rico was slower, not only because her strides were shorter, but her silver 4-inch heels weren't making it any easier. Growing irritated by it, she stopped in her tracks and bent over to take the sheen surfaced shoes off.

"Hey Soap," she said. He stopped and turned. He saw that she was now barefoot and had a somewhat bewildered look on her face. "Hold on. I can't move like this. Can you check the bag for a change of shoes?"

He approached her as he unzipped the bag and peered inside, using the little light he had. There were two sets combat sneakers within its confines. His hand seized the smaller pair and pulled it out to hand to her.

She accepted them gingerly and traded off the heels for him to take. He watched her as she bent over to slip the shoes on and tie them up. As she went over, her cleavage became apparent. His eyes found her chest, but feeling rude, he merely scratched his head and looked off into the distance.

After completing the task she pulled herself up. "Alright, let's get going."

Soap put his finger to the radio on his ear. "Price. Where are we getting picked up?"

Again, a moment of silence, but Price's voice returned. "Soap, they set-up checkpoints. We currently are unable pick you two up anywhere. Like I said before, lay low."

"Copy that." Soap replied, mild annoyance in his voice.

"So, what's the plan?" She asked him. His hand waved a moderately large piece of paper in the air.

"Talon included a map in the bag. Let's just find a not too sketchy hotel to crash in for the night. We probably won't get picked up until later tomorrow. I just hope we can stay hidden well enough to avoid completely blowing this mission."

A hotel? She thought to herself, but it was the only thing that made sense. Where were they to stay otherwise? Sleep on the streets? That probably would have been way worse than just paying for a one-night stay at a somewhat decent hotel.

Following the map, Soap and Rico found themselves in small, but lively area. Neon lights attached to bar windows lit-up the night streets, and people who prowled around to enjoy the nightlife populated the sidewalks. As they slowed their pace and made their way around the civilians, Rico brought her arm around his. She had a feeling in her stomach that made her dread the thought of getting separated from Soap. He didn't acknowledge the gesture, but instead, accepted it willingly. After all, he didn't want to lose her either.

His eyes found the map again, as they rolled over the words and the surface. He scanned the area for a street sign and was eventually able to pinpoint their location.

"Alright, there's a hotel about four blocks away. Let's head there." He confirmed as he continued to guide them through the sidewalks. Then a sudden thought occurred to him. He turned his head around to face her. "If we see any vehicles, we're going to hop down one of these allies. I don't want to take any chances."

She nodded in agreement.

As they walked the stretch of distance, they found themselves taking cover on several different occasions. If anyone was nearby during their quick movements, they'd get an odd stare. They both knew it'd look sketchy, but who cares?

Eventually, they came up to the hotel. It was definitely no five-star establishment, but it would do, despite the sketchy ambience it produced. They both just hoped they wouldn't return with bedbugs.

Once inside, they approached the front desk where a younger lady stared unamused at a fashion magazine. She chomped on her gum with disinterest. The movement caught her eye, and she had to raise an eyebrow at the sheer look of the two. They were finely dressed and smelled of cologne and perfume, in addition to that, they bore rushed expressions. She placed her magazine down and leaned forward as they neared.

Before Soap or Rico could even open their mouths, the women said, "Tenemos una habitación izquierda de matrimonio. Aquí, que va a ser un depósito de 1250 pesos. (We have one queen-sized room left. Here, that'll be a deposit of 1,250 pesos.)" She raised a key into the air for Soap to take, but he could only stare at it.

He looked at her. "(Have any two beds available?)"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "No."

"(We'll take it.)" Rico stated wearily; she yearned for a place to rest.

On cue, Soap handed the lady 1250 pesos and grabbed the key from her. With that, they began to make their way for the room. Wanting to avoid any kind of detection, the two of them used the stairs to reach the second floor. From there, they found their room, 230, and entered quickly. Soap shut the door behind her, locked every lock possible and was ready to call it a night.