A/N - Thanks so much for the reviews, alerts, favorites and just for reading in general! As I said, this story is 3 chapters, and it is basically finished. I plan to get the last chapter up this weekend once I've had time to review it. I introduce Sue Sylvester in this chapter, hope it's not too far fetched. I don't know much about the military and rankings and all that either. And I don't own anything here you recognize. Thanks again! Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving! :)
Chapter 2
xxxx
December 13, 2014
Dear Brittany,
I know you're upset with me. And I know I broke my promise to you but I'm coming for you. I'm not strong enough to handle this anymore. I need to be near you. I need to find you. Forgive me?
They've almost completely given up on training us. Rachel and I just joined barely three months ago and we're already in a base camp in Hungary. I know you can't say where you are exactly but I've asked around and everyone seems to think your Division is still fighting in Russia. I hope we'll be there soon; I did come to be near you after all.
I was hoping I would have found you by now. It's almost Christmas and I wonder where you are. I can't help but think back on that year in Glee club when you were determined Santa would make Artie walk again. As miserable as I was that you were with him, I'll never forget the smile on your face when he took his first steps in that transformer getup. I wonder where he is too.
I love you Brittany. I know you're mad at me for joining the army but you need me. And I need you. And Berry was driving me fucking crazy. She's doing ok by the way. Tell Quinn. Oh, and your mom helped the Tubbster send me a letter. I'm sure you've gotten a few as well. He apologized for the six stitches in my hand. The eight on my foot he said I deserved. He also said he misses you. But I know he can't miss you as much as I do.
Please take care of yourself and be careful. This fucking world isn't worth saving without you in it so you better duck when Quinn fucking tells you to and you better be planning to keep your promise to come home to me. I've never raised a hand against you but I swear to God Brittany, if you let anything happen to you, I'll kick your ass. I love you. And don't worry about me; I was born to take out losers like these fuckers. Merry Christmas baby. I love you.
Santana.
xxxx
Santana tried to smile as her companions tunelessly belted out Jingle Bells for the sixth time in one evening. It was Christmas Eve and she was sitting in their mess hall with over two hundred of her army mates as they tried to add a little Christmas cheer to their surroundings. A small tree had been acquired and a strand of lights had been strung around it. She couldn't help but smirk as it significantly resembled the Charlie Brown Christmas tree from the classic cartoon.
Even the joking of her companions couldn't completely lift her spirits. Santana had hoped she would have found Brittany and Quinn by now. Instead it seemed the two blondes were even further into enemy territory and locating them was proving nearly impossible. They still were able to exchange the occasional letter but in the three and a half months since Santana had joined the army, she had lost track of how many times she had been moved and relocated.
She and Rachel had eagerly signed up to go rescue their women but had failed to take into consideration the fact that Europe and Asia were large areas of land and getting to them would be rather difficult.
They had only been in Europe about a month and had already seen their fair share of the war. Santana was a natural fighter. She credited it to Sue Sylvester and the Cheerios. She hoped Quinn was having a similar experience since she had in fact also been head cheerleader. Santana knew no matter how long Brittany was there, she simply would not become accustomed to the fighting. She was simply too gentle and kind hearted. It was one of the things Santana loved about the blonde.
Santana sighed as she pushed herself away from the table and away from her singing soldier friends. She slowly made her way back to her personal quarters that she shared with Rachel. When she entered, she found the smaller woman resting quietly on her cot.
"God they're awful." The Latina mumbled as she flopped onto her cot across the small room from Rachel's. "Worse than that all girl's school choir back in high school. We should totally go out there and show them how it's done."
"Are you implying that my singing voice is actually extraordinary as opposed to when we were in school and you were always trying to steal my solos?"
Santana scoffed. "Extraordinary? No. I'd say it's adequate. But compared to those jokers out there you're better than your beloved Barbra."
Rachel laughed. "They do sound pretty bad. But what can we expect, not everyone was born with my natural talent and pitch and your cigar smoking raspy quality."
"Damn right." Santana muttered. "Do you ever wonder what happened to the rest of them?" the Latina asked after a few moments of quiet.
Rachel sighed and nodded. "I do. After Finn, and Sam, and Blaine, I didn't want to hear about any of the rest. But I do wonder. Those were good times."
Santana swallowed thickly and nodded. "They were. Rachel…I never said I was sorry…for Finn. I know you loved him and…I'm sorry."
Rachel smiled when she met Santana's gaze. She wasn't sure she had ever heard the Latina utter those words and the sincere tone to her voice for some reason made Rachel want to wrap her arms around her. "Thank you. I did love Finn. I always will. He was a good guy. But I think more than anything, I was in love with the idea of Finn, not in love with Finn himself. He really did mean well…even if he didn't always make the best decisions."
Santana's mind immediately drifted to the very beginning of her senior year when Finn had inadvertently 'outed' her. She sighed, remembering the struggle of that time, but also the happiness that followed when she was finally able to be with Brittany in public. "I wish I hadn't been so stupid back then. I wasted so much time…God I hope they're ok."
Rachel glanced to the other woman and noticed her sad expression. "Quinn will look after her, she promised. And you know Brittany will look after Quinn too, it's just in Brittany's nature. I'm sure they're fine Santana. It's the Holiday Season, we should be celebrating. We're relatively safe here and we have wonderful memories of our friends from glee club and Quinn and Brittany are closer to us than they were just a few months ago. We'll find them any day now. I have no doubt that Finn, Sam and Blaine wouldn't want us feeling sorry for ourselves. They would want us to carry on."
Santana smiled, still somewhat sadly. "You're right. We shouldn't feel sorry for ourselves, we're still here. And we should totally sing Christmas songs in honor of them, wherever they are."
"Santana," Rachel groaned, even though she was secretly relieved to see Santana's face relax into a bit of a smirk. "You know I love to sing and enjoy the spotlight more than most but you have forced me to sing your Christmas carols for weeks on end now. Need I remind you that I'm Jewish? We have our own traditional songs for this time of year."
"Yes I know." Santana replied, her smirk still in place. "And I sang those Dreidel songs with you."
"One!" Rachel exclaimed, "You sang one Dreidel song!"
Santana bit back a laugh. "There's more than one? And trust me Berry, one is more than enough. Come on, you know you sound great at our traditional Christmas songs. How about Silent Night, or Winter Wonderland. Or…that Welcome Christmas song from the Grinch…that's always been Britt's favorite."
Rachel watched as Santana's gaze dropped to the ground between her feet and her jaw clenched. The slump in the usually strong woman's shoulders had Rachel's heart clenching painfully. She then determined to do anything possible to keep that sad look from Santana's face. She smiled slightly and then sighed.
"Fa hoo fores da hoo dores, welcome Christmas come this way…"
Santana glanced up and with her eyes watery; she joined in singing, a smile finally splitting her face.
xxxx
Quinn dropped into the foxhole next to her blonde friend. Bombs were exploding over their heads and snow was falling thickly.
"Merry Christmas Quinn." Brittany muttered as she reloaded her weapon.
Quinn smiled slightly and watched as Brittany loaded the weapon with perfect precision. She had never been more proud of her usually ditzy friend. "Merry Christmas Britt."
Brittany jumped to her feet and turned, taking aim over the ledge of the foxhole before popping off a few rounds at the enemy across the field. She slumped back down into the frozen ground and glanced at Quinn beside her.
Quinn smiled somewhat sadly before abruptly pulling Brittany closer and pressing a kiss to her temple. "Merry Christmas Britt."
Brittany looked slightly confused before exchanging a crooked grin. "You already said that Quinn. It's Christmas and we're blowing up people. I'm pretty sure Santa is going to put us all on the naughty list this year."
"You're probably right." Quinn muttered. "But if we're on the naughty list, those fuckers shooting at us are probably ten years deep on the naughty list. Remember, we're the good guys."
Brittany nodded and once again jumped to up fire off a few more rounds of ammunition. She squatted back down next to Quinn and cast a sad glance up to the stars above them. "I love you Quinn, but this is the worst Christmas ever. Even worse than the one when I realized Santa doesn't really exist and couldn't make Artie walk again. At least then I could sneak over to Santana's and let her make me feel better. She always makes me feel better…where do you think she is Quinn?"
Quinn clenched her jaw. She hated when Brittany would ask about Santana because the blonde would become even more sad and depressed than the war had already made her when Quinn didn't have an answer. "I'm sure they're somewhere warm and dry singing Christmas songs right now. Or Santana is pestering Rachel to sing Christmas songs while Rachel is complaining about her not singing any Hebrew songs. They're having a great time Britt, don't worry about them."
A smile split Brittany's face at the thought of Santana bitching until Rachel agreed to sing with her. Quinn smiled at the sight. The two let their gazes meet as they nodded and then stood up together and continued to fire off rounds at the enemy behind them.
xxxx
Nine months later
Santana squinted as she took in her surroundings. Her pack was heavy on her back but after being in the service for nearly a year, the strain to her muscles was no longer even noticed. She tightened her grip on her automatic rifle and glanced to her left where Rachel was similarly eying the landscape in front of them.
They had finally arrived at their latest destination. Their new base camp was located somewhere deep in the Ukraine mountains. The Allies were finally having some measure of success and were pushing the Arabs back out of Europe. The Arab stronghold in Western Russia was also weakening. The Arabs were therefore becoming much more fierce in their fighting and vicious to the soldiers they managed to capture. And still they were not backing down.
Santana and Rachel had been transferred to the 28th Infantry Division almost six months prior. Santana had quickly shown her potential as a soldier and had been promoted to Captain. Rachel however was content to serve as a secretary to one of the higher ranking Corporals and had seen very little 'action' as they troops called it.
"Well, shall we go check out our new home?" Rachel asked quietly.
Santana nodded and turned back to the buildings behind her. "How long has it been since we've heard from them? No new letter from Quinn?"
Rachel smiled sadly. "The last letter that was forwarded to me was from about a month and a half ago and you know if I had gotten another letter you would be the very first person to hear about it. You also know the fighting in Russia has been picking up…I'm sure they're just too busy to write. You'll see, we'll hear from them soon. Better yet, we'll see them soon!"
"The Commander did say the 43rd would be sent back from the frontlines soon. They've certainly been there long enough. Brittany's last letter left me worried. She's still pretty upset with me for joining up and I know she's keeping things from me, not telling me how things really are where she is."
"Wouldn't you feel the same if your roles were reversed?" Rachel replied with a nudge. "She's just worried about you. Quinn didn't take it too well either. It seems they doubt our ability to wield weaponry. We, well you, have certainly proven them wrong Captain. Perhaps you missed your calling and were born to be a military woman."
Santana smiled faintly. "No. My goal is still to find Britt and Quinn and get the fuck out of here."
Rachel shivered and pulled her regulation jacket tighter around her small frame. "I completely agree. European winters are not a pleasant experience. After the last one, I know what to expect and while it's only still Autumn, I'm already dreading the colder weather."
Santana nodded her agreement and the two stepped inside the mess hall. The room was teeming with activity as soldiers were scrambling to get their food and relax.
"Oh my God, Santana, Rachel?"
The two stopped and turned upon hearing their names called loudly across the hall. They were shocked to see Tina Cohen-Chang rushing toward them.
"Tina?" Santana exclaimed as Rachel and the other woman shared a hug. "What the fuck are you doing here? How are you?"
Tina laughed and pulled Santana in for a hug as well after releasing Rachel. "I was drafted about nine months ago. Thanks to those nursing classes I was in they let me serve as a medic so I hardly ever see any of the excitement. How are you guys? It's so good to see you!"
They quickly grabbed a table together and Tina introduced the new comers to her friends at the base. They spent the next few hours catching up on what each had missed since they had last seen each other. Mike Chang as it turned out had been declined from service after receiving his draft papers. The army told him it was because of his eyesight but they later found out the job he was working at in a factory building different machine gun parts was viewed as equally important to the war effort. Santana and Rachel were both relieved to hear he was safe at home. When Tina heard what division Quinn and Brittany were a part of, she frowned.
"How did they end up in that division? They've seen the worst of it from what we hear. But we've also heard that they're on their way back here. In fact only a few days away. They're going to be leading the raid on the Arab contingency holed up in the mountains on the Ukraine-Russian border and then they'll break here."
"A few days?" Santana replied; hope finally sounding in her voice. "Holy fuck, a few days. We're really going to see them in a few days?"
The friends parted to finish their duties for the day but Santana and Rachel were noticeably more hopeful, an almost hum of excitement buzzing around them.
xxxx
Quinn dropped onto the cot next to Brittany who continued to stare straight ahead.
"Britt? You ok?"
The taller blonde tensed slightly when Quinn placed a hand on her forearm. She clenched her jaw and remained silent.
Quinn sighed. "Brittany, there was nothing we could have done. There was no way we could have gotten to the camp in time to save the prisoners. And those fuckers are experts at planting IEDs. There was just nothing that could have changed today's outcome."
Brittany turned finally and met Quinn's gaze. The shorter woman felt a chill at the empty, lifeless look in the once bright blue eyes. "They were just kids Quinn. Kids. And they were just left there to starve to death. They weren't even war prisoners! They were their own people, Arab kids, Quinn and they just left them!"
"I know Britt, I know." Quinn replied softly. "But you have to push past this. We're finally winning this damn war and it could all be over soon. We could be home this time next year Brittany. And as soon as we get this next raid over with tomorrow, we get to rest for a while. And I'm sure that as soon as we get to a larger base we'll hear from Santana and Rachel. Just stay with me a little longer Britt, please."
Brittany nodded and allowed Quinn to pull her in for a tight embrace. "Let's just get through tomorrow." Quinn whispered. "Remember, any one of those fuckers would love nothing more than to keep you from getting back to Santana. Don't let them."
Brittany sighed and closed her eyes tightly as she allowed Quinn to hold her, both seeking comfort in the embrace.
xxxx
The next day, Brittany narrowed her eyes watching the scene below her, waiting on her command to move. Quinn was close by, similarly waiting.
"What are we waiting for?" someone whispered.
Brittany ignored the voice and continued to watch for any movement from the alleged enemy hideout. So far there was nothing. The blonde had a nagging feeling that something wasn't right.
She continued to watch as one of her fellow soldiers stepped away from the hideout, having scouted the area. He waved his arm once indicating the area was secure.
"Something's not right." Brittany whispered harshly to Quinn as they moved to their feet. "This doesn't feel right Quinn. I don't like this."
Quinn shrugged slightly. "Jackson says its all clear. Let's just consider ourselves lucky that this last raid ended even more quietly than we expected."
The two had held back from the others slightly as they continued to warily eye their surroundings. Suddenly a yell split the air around them and before anyone could register what was happening, an explosion rocked the hillside.
Their division was suddenly flooded by Arab soldiers rushing in for an ambush. Brittany and Quinn both rushed for cover to better defend themselves against the attack. When Brittany realized Quinn was no longer right next to her, she looked around in a panic. She finally spotted her hunched behind a boulder in a fairly vulnerable position as chaos was erupting around them.
"Quinn!"
At hearing Brittany's scream, Quinn looked around frantically, afraid she had been injured. She spotted Brittany scrambling toward her.
"No! Brittany, no, you stay down! Stay the fuck down!"
As Brittany continued to scramble toward the other blonde, saw an Arab soldier rushing toward Quinn from behind her. "Quinn, down!" Brittany quickly stood and took aim. Quinn's eyes widened as she realized what was happening and she dropped flat. She swore she could almost feel the bullets zipping past her as Brittany downed the enemy soldier. The next thing she knew, Brittany was on top of her frantically trying to see if she'd been hit.
"I'm ok." Quinn mumbled, still slightly in shock as Brittany pulled her into an upright position. "I'm ok. Jesus Britt, that's like the third time you've saved my ass."
The taller woman pulled away with wide, panicked eyes, her breath coming in short gasps. Quinn squeezed her hand hoping to calm her. She glanced around and saw a number of their fellow soldiers scattering toward the direction they had arrived.
"I hate this Quinn. I hate it. I hate it! I want to go home!" Brittany felt as if her throat was beginning to close as panic settled in. Quinn tried to calm her, as well as control her own nerves.
"I know baby, I know. We're almost there. Come on B, stay with me. We have to get out of here. We're going to make a run for it. Follow the rest of our troop and don't you dare fucking stop running until we're surrounded by our own tanks, you understand me?"
Brittany nodded almost frantically but at least seemed focused and her breathing began to slow. "Yeah ok. You go first. I'll cover the right, you cover the left. I'm right behind you."
Quinn eyed her cautiously and was relieved to see that Brittany seemed calmer. "Ok. You ready?"
Brittany gave one nod before pushing Quinn out with another group of soldiers passing, rushing toward safety. She then crouched low and scanned the area to be certain it was clear to make her own run.
Quinn heard shouting behind her and quickly glanced over her shoulder to be certain Brittany was still with her. She spotted her, further behind than she would have liked, especially when she saw the large number of Arabs breaking through into a small clearing and gaining ground. Before she could scream for Brittany to hurry, something flashed off to her left. She barely had time to register the pain before her world went black.
xxxx
Santana and Rachel nodded to each other as they both entered the makeshift conference room at almost the same time from their respective duties. The Commander in charge of the base had called the troops together for an emergency debriefing.
"Alright, listen up!" The tall, authoritative man announced. "We have some news…some not so good news."
Santana felt herself tense. Commander Austin had never shown any kind of emotion in the months she had known and followed him. So the sight of his furrowed brow automatically made her stomach drop.
"The raid on the Arab hideout was not successful. In fact, the 43rd and the 16th Divisions and the English squadron with them suffered massive casualties. We don't know the full extent yet but we do know that a large number were taken captive. The survivors are on their way back here where the injured will be treated in our facility. The casualties that could be recovered are also being brought back."
Santana felt her knees going weak and she tuned out the rest of the Commander's words. The base was thrown into chaos as they rushed to prepare for the onslaught of the wounded who were expected to arrive within a day's time. Additional space was cleared in the infirmary to make room for those who would need attention.
Santana and Rachel refused to discuss the possibility that Brittany or Quinn wouldn't be among the survivors. They simply rushed frantically with the others and silently hoped they would be reunited and their hopes of a happy ending were not ruined.
Finally, as the sun dipped below the horizon the following day, the first truck roared into the base grounds. They rushed to help unload the wounded soldiers and rush them into the infirmary. Santana was just helping deposit yet another young man onto a cot when she glanced back over her shoulder. A familiar head of blonde hair on a stretcher being carried in left her air leaving her lungs in a rush.
She quickly scrambled closer, dodging more soldiers being carried in. She reached the blonde's side just as she was being placed onto a waiting cot.
"Quinn!" she gasped out in a strangled voice.
The blonde was barely conscious. Her jaw was clenched to ward off the pain and her left side was covered in dirt and blood, including a large gash just below her hairline.
Santana scanned the room looking for Rachel. She spotted her helping settle another soldier in across the room. "Rachel!"
The smaller brunette snapped her head up at the sound of her name being screamed. When she finally saw Santana leaning over a blonde on a cot and tightly clutching her hand, Rachel sprang from her spot and sprinted toward them.
"Quinn? Quinn! Oh my God." Rachel began to brush matted blonde hair away from Quinn's pale face. She choked out a laugh as hazel eyes finally focused on her face.
"Rach?"
Rachel quickly pressed her lips to her sweaty forehead. "I'm here Quinn. It's alright, you're safe now."
Quinn grimaced and coughed slightly. And then her gaze landed on Santana, still hovering with a worried expression on her face. "Santana."
The brunette smiled in relief. "Hey Q. Jesus, don't you know you're not supposed to get blown up? Didn't they teach you anything in that fancy army school of yours?"
Quinn didn't smile. Instead her eyes filled with tears and she reached for Santana's hand again, causing the brunette's heart to clench.
"San, I-I don't know where she is. Britt. It happened so fast. San…I'm so sorry!"
Santana's blood froze in her veins. She reached and dropped her hand on Quinn's head, fisting her hand in blonde hair, almost roughly. "You're ok Quinn. You're going to be fine. She's just on another truck…you'll see. You'll see Quinn."
The blonde tried to respond but the nursing staff quickly pushed them away so they could tend to her. Rachel and Santana were hesitant to leave but another truck of injured soldiers was pulling to a stop in front of the infirmary.
xxxx
Well into the night, or early hours of the morning depending on how you looked at it, all the injured soldiers were finally settled and tended to. The bodies of those who had been killed that had been recovered had also been unloaded. Santana felt her face morphing into her blank "bitch" stare from high school as she made her way through the tent where the deceased were being housed.
It was with a sigh of relief that Santana realized that Brittany was not among the deceased. But when she realized that the blonde was also not among the wounded she feared the worst. Brittany's options were now limited. Santana figured she had either made it out but had gotten separated from the others and was therefore alone in the wilderness, or she had been captured. She refused to consider the possibility that the blonde had been killed and not recovered.
Santana finally slipped back inside the infirmary and made her way to where Rachel was perched next to Quinn's cot. The blonde was recovering nicely and was expected to make a full recovery. She did require a number of stitches in the gash on her head and her left arm was badly burned from the blast but nothing life threatening.
Santana slumped into a seat next to Rachel and eyed the blonde sleeping peacefully. "There's no sign of Brittany…in the other tent. And she's not in here…"
"That's where you've been?" Rachel whispered almost harshly. "Why didn't you tell me you were checking the tent? I would have gone with you…someone should have been with you in case…you are ridiculously stubborn, do you know that?"
A weary laugh left the Latina and she dropped her head into her hands. Rachel quickly wrapped an arm around the woman's shoulders as they began to shake with sobs. Neither noticed Quinn stir on the bed and throw a sad gaze on the pair.
"Brittany is going to be fine Santana." Rachel said softly, gently stroking her back. Santana nodded and wiped her face, attempting to collect herself. When she glanced up, she saw Quinn watching them intently.
"San," the blonde whispered. "You didn't find her? God I'm so sorry."
Santana and Rachel jumped from their seats and moved closer to Quinn's cot. Santana reached and squeezed the blonde's uninjured hand. "It's not your fault Quinn, it's not. I'm so glad you're ok. And we just have to find her, that's all. We'll find her."
Rachel gently wiped Quinn's tears and once again pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Santana's right. One of the soldiers said they're pretty sure they were able to recover all the bodies. That means she hasn't been killed. So we just have to find her."
Rachel reached and grasped Santana's free hand. Even with her friends vowing to help find Brittany, Santana found it difficult to feel anything more than simply numb.
xxxx
Brittany squinted against the harsh sunlight as the blindfold was ripped from her eyes. She was able to pick up bits and pieces of the conversation going on around her but really, the blindfold and having her hands tied behind her back were enough to convince her that she was in trouble.
She glanced around and saw a handful of other soldiers in a similar position. The last few days had been a blur for the blonde. She had tried her best to kick and fight against her captors as she was wrestled to the ground back at the ambush site. The butt of the rifle slamming into her head had instantly subdued her.
The next time she opened her eyes, it was to darkness. Brittany at first feared blindness but soon realized that she was blindfolded and tied. If the rough jostling was any indication, she was also in a vehicle traveling over rough terrain.
Now as she glanced around, she was slightly relieved to see that she wasn't alone. She recognized some of the soldiers with her as from her own division. The blonde wasn't certain if she should be relieved or worried that she didn't see Quinn among the captives.
They were quickly forced to their feet and ushered into a large gray building. The women were separated from the men and they were quickly stripped of their uniforms. They were forced into a large room where cold water sprayed down on them. After, Brittany grimaced as she glanced down at the faded prisoner garb she was forced to wear. But as she pulled the garment over her shivering body, she forced herself to be grateful that she was in fact given clothes to wear.
"At least they look like pajamas." She mumbled to one of the women next to her.
The woman nodded. "But they certainly won't do much for warmth."
By the end of the day, the captives had received no less than three stinging beatings and were introduced to their new lives as prisoners of war.
xxxx
"I'm not leaving without Brittany."
"Fabray, you have been injured and are eligible for an honorable discharge to return home to your family. I suggest you take it and be grateful." Commander Austin replied firmly.
Quinn glanced sideways to where Santana was standing at attention but staring at her intently. "With all due respect Sir, my family is here and my arm is healing fine. I'm fine. And Private Pierce has saved my ass more times than I care to count…I'm not leaving without her. I request permission to remain and transfer my orders to the 28th Infantry Division. I'm a valuable asset Commander, I know the area well."
"Captain Fabray-"
"Save your breath Commander." An eerily familiar voice sounded from the doorway. All eyes snapped to where Colonel Sue Sylvester stood scowling.
"Holy fuck." Santana muttered from her position, eyes wide.
Sue sauntered further into the room and smirked. "Language jugs. I thought I taught you better than to show your glaring lack of vocabulary skills to a superior. As I was saying Commander," she continued, turning back to Austin, "Captain Fabray here was one of my best Cheerio's back in the day…head Cheerio. And she knows you leave no man behind. I taught her that. So I suggest you save yourself the headache and get those transfer orders in the works."
Commander Austin looked unsure if he should jump to follow her suggestion or reprimand her. He settled for a sigh and dismissed the group from his office with a wave of his hand.
Santana and Quinn scrambled after their former coach. "I don't understand, how did you even get here…and you're a Colonel? What the fuck?"
Sue turned and glared at Santana once again. "Did I not tell you that I had been a member of a rather elite division of Special Forces? One of your problems Lopez, you don't listen. Never underestimate one Sue Sylvester. Why do you think this war took such a turn in the right direction recently? Because my old squadron got back together and we've been gathering very valuable Intel on our terrorist friends. Intel such as the fact that captured soldiers are being held in a prison camp in Central Kazakhstan."
Santana and Quinn exchanged glances. "Do you have information on Brittany?" Quinn asked.
"Negative on that Captain. Just general info."
"Are you going after them?" Santana asked folding her arms across her chest.
"Of course I am." Sue replied with a smirk. "Sue Sylvester isn't going to leave American soldiers to rot in a prison camp in the middle of nowhere. Especially when one of those American's is a former Cheerio. We stick together."
"Then we want in." Santana insisted.
Sue smirked again. "I'm way ahead of you. That's why the 28th Infantry Division is joining my forces. We're leaving tomorrow."
xxxx
Brittany shivered as she huddled in the building designated as the prisoners' sleeping quarters. It was no more than a shack and did nothing to keep out the biting cold. She had been in the camp for two months now…or was it three. She could no longer be certain.
It was winter again. But it always seemed like winter in her cold, gray existence since being drafted. Brittany was a summer child. She loved short shorts and tank tops. Sunbathing and swimming. The winter months in Ohio were always the longest for her. But winter in Ohio was nothing compared to winter in the mountains of the Ukraine or Russia or wherever she was. Even their captors stayed inside mainly, knowing it was too cold even for prisoners to work.
She felt her eyes drifting closed again as she imagined her former summers lounging on the beach when her family would visit her grandparents in Florida. Santana came with them every summer. Santana.
Brittany's eyes snapped open again at the thought of the Latina. Where was she? Had she been captured too or was she home right now? God, how she hoped Santana was far, far away from this place.
Brittany tried to smile as one of the other captives shuffled closer, the gray puff of cold air escaping their mouths. "Some of us overheard two of the guards talking. They're coming for us! They're going to rescue us!"
Brittany found it difficult to catch the woman's enthusiasm. She glanced out the crack of the building and into the empty courtyard with snow blowing. Turning back to the woman, Brittany shrugged. "They'll kill us before the good guys ever get here…or move us to some other camp. We're evidence so we can't just be left safe and sound. We won't last long. Three more died today."
The woman's face fell when Brittany didn't join in her excitement. The blonde couldn't bring herself to feel bad for dismissing the woman's optimism. She just couldn't bring herself to care. The last few months had brought nothing but mistreatment and misery and Brittany no longer had the energy to hope for rescue and survival. She was just waiting.
But still, the thought that Santana might be among the troops coming to rescue them did bring a slight smile to Brittany's face. Hadn't Santana said that she would come for the blonde if she didn't come home on her own? That thought had Brittany scrambling for the small scrap of paper and broken pencil she had managed to acquire since being captured.
If someone did come, she intended to leave a note. Maybe Santana would get it. As she began scratching out a short letter, the blonde's heart broke as she resigned herself to the fact that she would probably be dead before anyone rescued her and she would never get to see those brown eyes or hear the laugh that she loved so much ever again.
xxxx
After nearly three months of gathering Intel, they were finally able to zero in on exactly where the prison camp was located in the mountains of Kazakhstan. Santana was growing more impatient with every day that passed and they had still not made a move to rescue the prisoners.
Even with the advanced technology the military possessed, they still could not be certain how many people were actually housed in the camp or how well guarded it was. They set up surveillance not far from the camp and waited for their scouts to return with a report. To say they were surprised to hear that the camp was completely unguarded was an understatement.
They quickly moved in to investigate. Santana tried to fight off the sinking feeling in her chest as they neared the camp. The sky was an overcast gray. At first glance, it appeared to be snowing and one of the youngest soldiers commented on it.
"It's not snow." Santana whispered.
Quinn tensed next to her before they pushed further into the camp grounds. It was eerily quiet as they neared the seemingly abandoned buildings. Santana's eyes narrowed as they landed on a building in the rear of the camp with tall smoke stacks attached. She glanced to her shoulder where a gray fleck had landed. The brunette clenched her jaw and brushed the flecks away, leaving a smear of soot and ash.
"Scatter out people. I want every inch of this place searched for any indication of who was here." Commander Austin called out from behind them.
Santana squared her shoulders and moved in the direction of the smoke stacks in the rear of the camp while Quinn wandered toward what appeared to be housing for the prisoners.
Quinn stepped into the building and shuddered at the sight of the wooden bunk beds piled on top of each other leaving little room to even turn over in the makeshift beds. She strode to the end of the room slowly taking in every inch of the small area. What remained of blankets and bedding was scarce, nothing more than a few tatters here and there.
And then she saw it. A small, folded piece of paper tacked to one of the middle bunks. Quinn stepped closer and her eyes widened at the name scratched in somewhat familiar handwriting.
"Oh God."
She gently pulled the paper from its position with a trembling hand. Cradling the paper as if afraid it would disappear, Quinn stepped back out into the open air and clenched her jaw as more of the gray flecks wafted in the air. She felt tears pooling as she stepped closer to Santana who was explaining to Commander Austin that all indications pointed to the Arabs disposing of the evidence in the large incinerators in the rear of the camp.
Austin nodded solemnly and stepped away with a sigh. Santana let her shoulders droop with the knowledge that they had arrived too late to rescue the prisoners. But maybe the Intel had been wrong. Or maybe Brittany hadn't been at this camp at all.
"San…"
Santana turned quickly upon hearing Quinn's strangled voice. The look on her friend's face made the Latina's blood run cold. "Quinn?"
The blonde didn't even try to stop the tears that began to leak from her eyes as she reached a shaking hand toward Santana. The brunette was certain her heart stopped when she saw her name written on the small paper in Quinn's hand.
Brittany's handwriting. She snapped her eyes back to the building with the incinerators where the ash remains were still softly wafting. Something resembling a sob and yell tore from Santana's throat as she realized what had happened. They were too late.