Auburn, frizzy curls stuck out comically as she ran her comb slaked in gel in a desperate motion across the top of her head. "C'monnnn..." she shouted emphatically as she raked the comb harder, and her face contorted in pain as the wide teeth scraped her scalp. A twist in her locks grabbed onto the teeth and held tight, causing the woman to yelp out in pain. With a frustrated scream, she threw the plastic torture device as the strand she had been slicking down burst out of its hold.
She planted her face into her hands dramatically as her whiny growl of aggravation echoed out of the bathroom door, followed by a flurry of curses. Kate Laswell stood outside the door and sighed upon hearing the venting woman inside. Closing her eyes, Kate tried to imagine a world in which her sister would be ready and waiting in the car for her instead of the normal fight to get her out of the house. Kate had been put in the circumstance to be her sister's guardian long ago, and the younger woman hadn't changed at all. Kate smirked as she recalled this very situation occurring all through her sister's education as they fought against the clock every morning, shoving pastries from foil pouches into their mouths as they ran.
"Hannah, let's go!" she called, swinging the door open and revealing the hard truth of her life. Standing there in a towel, her hair nearly slicked back with lumps and missed strands coiling outward, was Hannah. Her icy blue-gray eyes met Laswell's, and she screeched through clenched teeth. "This cannot happen today!" Hannah pouted, sighing in exasperation. Shaking her head, Laswell stepped onto the tile and slipped slightly on the slick surface, uttering out her own curses. "Fuck," she sighed as she put her hands on her hips and leaned back, cracking her jumbled back and shaking her head. A grin splayed across Hannah's face as she watched, causing Kate to glare back with feigned annoyance.
"Must suck to get old," Hannah teased her as her lips curled further upward. Truly annoyed by this comment, Laswell scoffed and declared, "Fine. Go to the ceremony looking like Medusa." Kate turned on her heel and nearly crashed on the slickened tile floor once again. Before, she could even recover her balance this time, she was grabbed from behind and nearly crashed onto her head. "No!" Hannah squealed in desperation, clutching her sister's arm. "I'm sorry!" She got down on her knees, clasping her hands together as though praying and nearly losing her towel in the process. "Pleeeease Katie! PleeeeAAASSSEEE!" Hannah drew out her name as she begged. Laswell looked at her watch and let out a groan.
After a moment of letting the young woman plead with her on the floor, Kate Laswell finally relented. "Get up," she said finally. "But you owe me." Hannah squealed in delight as Kate turned back to her and she leapt to her feet causing her towel to slide to the floor in the process. Hannah hugged her sister tight before she could move away, making Kate wince and try to step backwards out of her embrace. "Hannah, you're nude!" Kate complained as she fought to get away without falling. Hannah clung to her, pressing her bare chest to Kate in excitement, while Kate swatted at her with the utter disdain written across her face.
"Since when have naked breasts disgusted you, Kate?" a soft, sultry voice asked from behind her. Blushing, Laswell peered over her shoulder to see her wife standing there, arms crossed, and a slight smile played across her lips. "Any that aren't yours, especially my own sister's breasts, are disgusting," Laswell grumbled with a sigh. Her focus shifted to Hannah, who had released her after she quit struggling. "Brat," she muttered as Hannah bent over to pick up the projectile comb and Kate quickly looked away as her bare ass was exposed. By the time Lorraine had given her a reassuring pat on the arm, Hannah had gone back to slopping gel into her hair, trying to weigh it down.
"I'll never understand what you military folks have against curly hair," Lorraine swept past Laswell and picked up Hannah's towel from the floor. She studied Hannah in the mirror as the comb made little progress in its efforts, which quickly sparked Hannah's ire once more. "Trade?" Lorraine offered the now-focused Hannah her towel as she tossed her own chocolate curls over her shoulder. The soft coils bounced across her shoulders in neat and glossy ringlets, and Hannah pouted as she admired them as she always did. If anyone knew how to deal with the frizzled mess on her head, it was her sister-in-law. Hannah accepted the trade with a sigh and handed over the comb before wrapping the towel snugly around her once more.
Laswell smiled softly at the scene after breathing a sigh of relief. Her two favorite people bantered playfully as Lorraine's skilled hands soothed the wild locks into place. Kate looked on in amazement as the tidy bun was secured in no time and Hannah smiled with glee before hugging Lorraine tight in appreciation. Catching Kate's gaze, Lorraine gave her a puzzled look at her expression, to which Kate only shook her head as she smiled. "You're a magician, dear," Laswell said as she approached the pair and kissed her wife's cheek. They looked at each other lovingly for a moment until Hannah screamed again. "Fuck! I'm gonna be late!!!" Hannah screeched in panic as she ran between them, forcing them apart and leaving Lor chuckling as Kate stared in astonishment. Hannah had burst out of the bathroom with her towel long forgotten in her wake, and her white ass disappeared around the corner in a flash.
"Fucking nudist," Laswell sighed. Turning to the partially fogged mirror, she checked her own hair and makeup and frowned. "You're perfect," Lorraine assured her as she helped place her cap on her head. She was adorned in her formals for the ceremony today, and she had to look pristine. "Not as perfect as you," she sighed and leaned in to kiss her beloved. Pink lipstick transferred onto Lorraine's cocoa skin, and she laughed. "Hmmmm... not my color," she teased as she wiped it from her lips. The two were lost in a moment of serenity until they heard the door open and slam shut, and Hannah's curses faded into the distance outside.
"That's my cue," Laswell laughed and stepped out of the bathroom. Lorraine folded her arms around herself and pulled her shawl close as Laswell buttoned the annoying top button. As Kate opened the front door and began to step out, she turned and smiled once more at her love. Lorraine had an emergency client meeting in a few minutes, and she was forced to miss the ceremony, which Kate could tell was eating her inside. "I'll buy the recording for you, Lor," she promised, hoping to ease her wife's guilt. Lorraine could only smile sadly and nod. "Thanks, Kate," she murmured before politely shooing her out the door. "Knock 'em dead, baby," Lorraine called as she watched her go and Kate blew her a kiss over her shoulder in return.
The base bustled with excitement as the lawn chairs on the yard started to fill. Officers stood around laughing as they mingled, and Hannah turned with the echoing of voices adding to her nervous distress. Around her, Hannah heard the chortles of old men and the apologies of low-ranked soldiers who were assigned to work the event. Overrun with the chaotic energy around her, she could only turn around in circles, taking it all in. Her eyes widened with the effort to keep up with the activity around her and she gulped hard, trying to swallow the lump forming in her throat.
"You'll be fine," Kate's solid tone soothed her sister almost instantly as her focus returned to her. Kate was a good bit taller than Hannah, and she stood erect with pride in her formals. A striking CIA badge adorned her chest, and her high security badge swung deftly at her pocket on a retractable lanyard. Hannah turned to face her and appreciated the confidence in which Kate held herself. Hannah had always admired her sister, but watching her as she carried herself through the throngs of people with a distinguished confidence, she could only watch in awe. A cadet on scrub duty for the event scurried past and nearly collided with Kate, but she quickly stopped him and gave him quiet admonishment in his ear. The young man apologized before giving her a quick salute and diving back into the throngs of people.
Hannah watched in amazement at how Kate worked in a crowd. Older men bent their heads in quick acknowledgement as she passed, and she could see groups of men trying to discreetly point her out to their companions. Hannah's brow furrowed as she heard men laughing around her and she began to take offense as though it were directed at Kate, but her sister quickly diffused her. "Hannah, this is a man's world," Laswell said cautiously while she looked around them and looking unfazed by the attention. "Men dominate in the military. It's always been this way. But women," she continued while resting her hand on Hannah's shoulder and beaming down at her, "have made great strides as well. And today, you will be a female ranked officer. That is something to be incredibly proud of."
As Laswell's hand stayed affectionately on her sister's shoulder, Hannah looked around nervously once more and sighed. She chewed her lip before asking what had been on her mind since the moment she heard of her promotion. "Do you think they'd be proud?" she almost whispered the question, but Kate didn't need to hear her to know what was on her mind. She turned to face Hannah and placed the other hand on her other shoulder, holding her square and staring fiercely into her eyes. Whispering back, Laswell smiled and said, "Of course they would be. And even then, I'm proud enough for both of them combined." Hannah wiped a tear away quickly, her eyes darting around the crowd in embarrassment. If you wanted to be respected in the military, you couldn't cry.
Hannah smiled sheepishly and looked down before uttering a small, "Thanks, Katie." Kate smiled and shook her gently before pushing her toward the stage. "Go get 'em, Bunny," she teased as Hannah blushed and stuck her tongue out at her before heading to her assigned spot. Those who were ranking up today were called to stand at attention, and waited for further instructions. Laswell looked on with pride and clapped her hands in response to the introduction by the Colonel, who appeared at the podium at the from of the platform. Behind Kate, a heavily mustached man approached and his lightly accented voice rose above the applause to beckon her. "Come sit?" Kate didn't turn to see who she already knew was there and she slowly nodded before she peeled her eyes away from her sister.
Laswell turned and followed Captain Price to the back of the lawn where thick canvas tents were pitched to house special guests for the ceremony. Outside the opening of one of the structures they stopped and Laswell smirked as Price looked where she pointed in amusement. There was a white sign with bold lettering that identified each of the tent's identification numbers and to which party they were reserved. The place where she had guided him was no different, and Price chuckled upon reading 1-4-1 on the sign, with Laswell's signature below showing the intended reservation. Each of the canvas tents had the door flaps neatly secured back to allow the guests a full view of the stage, so only three sides were covered. They sat in the padded seats inside and looked toward the Colonel who was beaming with excitement. Both Kate and the captain shared a knowing glance, as they knew the man very well and he sure loved a party.
Laswell sighed and tilted her head as she realized with amusement that Hannah's hair had broken free of its gel prison. A single strand coiled downward from her brow and touched her cheek. Unable to break from attention, Hannah's eyes glinted from embarrassment, and a touch of pink decorated her cheeks. "Nobody will notice, Bunny," Laswell whispered her encouragement under her breath. and Hannah's eyes flicked to find her in the place Kate had pointed out to her earlier. Once Hannah saw Kate was there, they held eye contact as Kate smiled in encouragement and gave her a big thumbs-up. Holding back a smirk, Hannah quickly looked away before she could break attention.
"That her?" Price asked gruffly. All softness faded from Laswell as she nodded, clapping again in response to the speaker and she switched back into business mode. Price sat silently for a time before he turned in his seat to talk into the darkened corner of the structure. "What do you think, Ghost?" Price asked the darkness where a large man in dark tactical clothing sat looming with his arms folded across his chest. Kate was startled at first and her eyes widened at the mention of Ghost, but she kept her gaze on Hannah, who was about to receive her rank. The agent stared at the stage where he observed the woman in question for a few tense moments before he responded. She met his intense stare suddenly, and he felt his breath catch in his chest as her stormy gray eyes widened in shock and horror. Shit, he thought to himself as he watched her mind spin through every scenario. He hurried to look away.
On stage, Hannah froze in terror as a dark, masked figure seemed to appear behind her sister. Torn between staying at attention and wanting to scream to alert Kate, a bead of sweat formed on her brow. Her terrified eyes locked on the man's mask, his dark eyes luring hers in. For a moment, she was captivated and unable to move as they studied one another. His steady and unreadable gaze sent shivers through her body and she nearly ran from his sight. She was about to run from the stage to protect Kate, but then the man's eyes turned to her sister instead. Hannah was shocked as Kate turned to speak with the man in the mask.
"Young," Ghost gruffly responded to Price's previous question as he tore his eyes off the woman in question. He could feel her stare from across the lawn as it burned holes in him and he nearly growled at his discomfort. Laswell whipped around in her chair to face him at his condescending comment. With a serious tone, she scoffed and informed him, "Hannah may look young, but she is incredibly skilled. She followed in my footsteps, graduated with honors, and is fully capable for this task." The staring contest between them was broken up by Captain Price clearing his throat and gesturing toward the stage. The Colonel was finally finished speaking and moved to start addressing each of the new officers.
"Why do you want your own sister in 141 so badly then? Seems illogical. You'd be putting her in danger," Ghost brought his chair forward and leaned in to quiet their conversation. Laswell turned her eyes back to the stage as one by one, the new officers received their rank and a handshake and salute from the Colonel. She smiled and cheered as Hannah was promoted to Second Lieutenant. Hannah fought back a smile as she saluted back to her Colonel and went back to the line on stage.
After Hannah's turn was over, Laswell responded. "I raised my sister after our parents died. You're right that I wish so fucking badly that I didn't need to ask this of her, but we think we found Shepherd. He's with Graves in Mexico with a unit of the cartel. We need her skillset. I need help to track the bastard down." She seethed out the last words through gritted teeth. Ghost lifted his head in response, his eyes betraying his fury at the mention of their former colleagues who had betrayed them. Though he and Laswell never seemed to see eye-to-eye, the one thing that they had in common was the guilt that plagued them for letting those two monsters get away.
"Alright then," Price agreed after a pause. "What could be better than having two Laswells on our team?" He slapped Laswell on the shoulder and grinned beneath his mustache. Ghost's seething silence was the only reply, but his furious eyes looked at the Captain to convey his distaste for the idea. Whether Price intentionally ignored his silent threat or not, Ghost couldn't tell and he scowled even harder behind the mask. The ceremony had ended, and Laswell stood to go greet her sister, who was looking for her in the crowd.
When Kate finally reached Hannah, they greeted with a quick and enthusiastic hug. Turning quickly, Kate pulled her sister along to greet the men. Price stood as they approached, and she saluted him. Hannah had heard of Captain Price and had seen his file thanks to her sister. He saluted her back with a chuckle and a warm smile. "Congratulations, Lieutenant Laswell," he beamed. "I've heard so much about you!" Hannah's eyes lit up at the second ever use of her new rank. "Likewise, Captain," she responded with a small and shy smile.
"Come, sit. We have much to discuss," Price invited her to a nearby chair, and Hannah quickly and gratefully took a seat. Suddenly, her eyes snapped to the corner of the tent as she spied the man in the mask as he glowered menacingly from his perch. Price followed her gaze and chuckled while shaking his head at Ghost's harsh demeanor. "Ah, yes, forgive me!" Price exclaimed and extended a hand toward the man in acknowledgment. Kate closed the front flaps of the tent to give them more privacy, and in the dark, the man seemed to disappear completely, save for his ghastly skull mask.
"This is another Lieutenant in our ranks. Goes by the name 'Ghost,'" Price continued and Hannah's jaw dropped. She muttered more to herself than anything and in a shocked and feeble voice she squeaked out, "He's real?" Immediately, she clasped her hand over her mouth in embarrassment and she locked eyes with Kate who could only bite her lip to keep from laughing. "Fortunately, he is," Price exclaimed, laughing at her childlike wonder of the legend Ghost had become. "He's an invaluable member to our team." Price beamed with pride talking about the man, as though he was the greatest discovery of the century. "You mean 'unfortunately,' you old cad," Ghost growled in response and Price laughed harder, a rich and melodious chuckle with immensely contagious energy. Kate and Hannah joined him in his laughter as Ghost seemed to sulk.
Wiping a tear from the crease of his eye, the captain settled himself and apologized to his friend. "Sorry, mate," he snickered as Ghost's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Sure you are," Ghost replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Tingles crept up Hannah's spine in response to the masked man's words. Unsure if the gruffness of his voice caused that reaction or the subtle accent, she couldn't hide the shiver that it caused. Ghost studied her for a moment and she flushed as she realized he had noticed her tremble. Without a word, he rose to his feet and left the tent without a word. Hannah followed him with her eyes before looking back to Captain Price, who looked at her sympathetically. "Don't take it to heart, Lieutenant," Price reassured her quietly and she chewed her lip in anxious trepidation. Despite the Captain's words, Hannah stared at the tent opening where Ghost had vanished like his namesake.
Clearing her throat, Kate Laswell hurried the conversation along, looking slightly uncomfortable at her sister's sudden interest with the infamous agent. "Hannah, you are aware that Captain Price and I are old friends, correct?" Hannah nodded in response. "Well, Captain Price and I have worked on many missions together through the years. More recently we have been working on the development of a secret class of soldiers known only as 141." Kate was about to continue when Price's excitement bubbled over, and he interrupted. "We want you to join us," Price excitedly interjected, causing Laswell to scowl. "Price," her whispered warning was bristled. Captain Price raised his hands in surrender and motioned for her to continue, causing Hannah to chuckle and shake her head.
Before Kate could start again, however, Ghost reappeared through the flaps of the tent. All eyes turned to him as he swept by Price in his chair before awkwardly placing a cloak around the shoulders of Hannah Laswell. Without stopping, Ghost then continued to his seat and avoided the confused gazes from the women and a snicker from the Captain, who received a death glare in response. Kate could only look on in exasperation as the attention from their conversation strayed farther into disarray. Laswell liked her business to be short and to the point, especially in the presence of so many ears that could be informants to Shepherd.
Meanwhile, Hannah Laswell sat with her mind spinning as she tried to figure out what the hell had just happened. Suddenly it occurred to her that Ghost saw her shiver and had thought she was cold. Hannah blushed crimson and slunk back in her chair as though trying to disappear as she looked to her sister with wide eyes. Kate could only shrug in response at her questioning gaze. She barely knew anything about Ghost, but what she did know left her uneasy at his sudden attention to her sister. "Now, Bunny..." Kate began again after clearing her throat awkwardly. "Don't call me that!" Hannah interjected before lowering her voice and adding, "Not here." Her eyes flicked to Ghost, who was still averting his gaze from his own embarrassment, then back at Kate. Her mortified expression spoke volumes as more of her hair sprung out of the neat military bun, the gel finally conceding. Frustrated, Hannah growled and ripped the bun out, letting her wild locks free. She rubbed her temples and explained to the captain, who looked concerned at first, "Now I can think..."
Laswell sighed and continued her warning to Hannah as she watched her massage out her scalp absently. "If you agree to this, you must know that you will have to be taken into the deepest parts of hell. Your life will constantly be in danger. And I won't be there on site to protect you." With this, Laswell's gaze softened. "I don't need protected anymore, Katie," Hannah sighed under her breath. "What is the mission?" she finally asked. "Classified," was Kate's terse response. "Location?" Hannah tried again. "Classified." "Climate?" "Classified."
Frustrated, Hannah rested her head in her hand and asked, "Is there anything that I'm actually allowed to know?" Kate chuckled and pulled her sister's hand away from her face and held it down with her own. Scowling, Hannah looked at her with annoyance and she began to object, but Kate cut her off with a quiet plea. "I need you on this team, Bunny. I need you to be my eyes and ears in the field and to access where I can't. There isn't anyone else I can trust to do it." After a thoughtful pause, Hannah glanced up to Ghost in his seat, and the man silently motioned 'no' by shaking his head lightly. Hannah frowned and looked back at Kate, who still held on to her hand. Finally making up her mind, Hannah responded quietly by asking one final question to Captain Price.
"When do we begin?"