That night, Alex found herself in Caracas with Keegan, Logan, and Hesh. Logan was up with Keegan watching for Ramos's helicopter while Alex was down with Hesh double checking her parachute one last time before readjusting her harness. She watched the fireworks for a moment before pulling her mask down and Keegan came down with Logan.
"Set up your launchers and check your chutes for exfill." Keegan told the three. Alex went over to her zip line launcher and deployed it, firing her line across to the other building. Once she and the others were hooked up, they jumped from the building and zip lines over to the other building. Alex looked down for a moment to see all the people in the streets partying and having a good time while she zip lines over them in the night.
"Three, two, one…detach." Keegan counted down and then the four unhooked from the zip line and swung down to the side of the building so they were hanging down and could advance down the building. They advanced down and took out several enemies though the windows before they reached the floor where Logan and Keegan could upload the virus into the building's software while Alex and Hesh remained hooked up to the ropes for back up if they needed it. While waiting for Keegan and Logan, Alex noticed a group of guards walking out of where the others were. They walked right by her and Hesh and downstairs. "How in the hell did they not see two large holes cut into the windows?" Alex said to herself, drawing a small smile from Hesh which of course, Alex couldn't see.
Logan and Keegan came out a few minutes later and hooked back up to the ropes before triggering the virus, causing all the power in the building to shut down. The four began to move down the building again and came across guards standing on the balconies below. "Two on the left balcony." Hesh reported. "Take them out quietly with Alex." Keegan responded. Alex shifted closer to Hesh and descended down to the guards, pulling her knife out. Once they were close enough she looked at Hesh and counted to three with her fingers. On three she and Hesh descended down the wall and jammed their knives into the guards' throats. "Targets down." Alex said over the comms.
Once inside the building Keegan reminded the three that they had to shut down the elevators to seal off Ramos's exits. "I'll take Hesh to the main bank in the west wing and shut down the elevators there." Alex told Keegan.
"We'll rendezvous in the junction to cut the secondary's." Keegan responded. "Hesh you listen to Alex and follow her orders. Logan, on me."
Alex and Hesh moved downstairs and came across three guards standing around a table tuning a radio. "Three tangos ahead. Let's take em' out together." Alex said. "On you." Hesh took the first shot and Alex took out the others. They walked through the lounge-like area and reached the bank a few minutes later. "Controls are in the back." Alex told Hesh. "Cut the power to the elevators. I'll cover you." Hesh did as he was ordered and Alex stayed in front of the counter. Two guards walked in and she took them out as soon as they entered just as Hesh came back out. "Elevators are shut down." he said.
"Let's get back to Keegan and Logan." Alex replied.
The two left the bank and went another route to get to the control room. They cut through a meeting room, taking out six tangos to get through. "Alex, Hesh, check in." Keegan's voice sounded over the comms. "Main elevators are offline, secondary's are still active." Hesh reported.
"Copy, see you in five."
Alex and Hesh were almost to the control room, when Alex stopped as she went to round a corner and signaled for Hesh to stop as well. "Tangos ahead." Alex informed Hesh. "Too many to stand and count. Once this goes off, unload on these assholes." Alex pulled a flash bang off of her gear, pulled the clip, and threw it into the room. "¿¡Qué coño!?" one of the guards shouted right before it went off. Once the flash bang went off, Alex and Hesh walked into the room and unloaded their weapons on the guards. Some bullets hit the desks in the room and papers flew in the air, but it was all over in a matter of a few seconds.
"Good shooting." Alex complimented. "Looks like Elias's training is paying off."
"Thanks." Hesh replied.
As Hesh and Alex approached the control room, Keegan's voice came over the comms again. "Hesh, Alex, we're entering at the northeast corner."
"Roger that, we're almost to the control room." Alex responded.
When they reached the control room Logan and Hesh went to kill the power to the rest of the elevators while Keegan and Alex hooked up the ropes. "How'd he do?" Keegan asked as he toed the rope to the window. "Good." Alex replied plainly as she tested the rope's secureness.
"They're on the team, Alex." Keegan reminded her. "Get used to it."
"You know what I think of newbies."
"You were in their position before."
"I'm sure I'll get used to them. I got used to you, didn't I?"
Keegan let out a small chuckle as they finished tying the ropes when a bullet hit the window next to them. Keegan instantly pulled Alex to cover and called Hesh and Logan back to assist them. They fired at the approaching guards and were losing time if they wanted to get to Ramos. Once they took out the rest of the guards, Hesh told Keegan to give him his extra charges so he could cover their exit.
"I'll cover Hesh." Alex told Keegan. "You two get hooked up."
Keegan and Logan hooked up to the ropes and climbed out of the window while Alex covered Hesh as he got the charges set. "Make this quick!" she told Hesh as guards began to enter the room again. She took them out and Hesh was almost done setting the charges. "Any minute now would be great!" she yelled over the gunfire.
"I'm done!" Hesh replied and went over to the ropes. Alex shot down the last guard and they hooked up to the ropes. "Move your ass!" Alex told Hesh as he hooked up. Once they were attached to the ropes more guards flooded in. Alex pushed Hesh ahead of her and out the window, her not far behind as Hesh blew the charge. They were in a free fall until they ran out of slack in the rope and came to an abrupt stop, causing Alex to drop her gun.
"Are you kidding me?!" she growled as she pulled out her secondary. They rappelled down to a window where they gained entry inside only to have Federation guards waiting for them. The first one Alex shot, she took his automatic and helped take out the guards. "We don't have time for this!" Keegan yelled. "Keep pushing! We can't let Ramos get away!"
Once the team pushed through the guards, they reach the room where Ramos should be. Hesh and Alex went to one entrance and Keegan and Logan the other. They breached at the same time and Hesh and Alex found Ramos. He went to get away and since Alex knew they couldn't risk killing or harming him, she grabbed the binder on the desk next to her and threw it at him, hitting him right in the head casuing him to fall to the ground. Hesh went over to him and picked him up by the back of his jacket. "Damn it!" Keegan's voice exclaimed over the comms. "He's not here! Hesh, Alex?"
"We got him." Hesh told Keegan as he threw Ramos through the door. Ramos flew into the room and landed on the desk before rolling off onto the ground. Hesh walked over and picked him up off the ground only to throw him into the chair by the desk. Hesh pulled a pistol out and aimed it at him when he went to get up. Ramos raised his arms and told the group Rorke knew they were coming.
"Where's Rorke?" Alex questioned. "Where is he?"
"I don't know." Ramos told her. "No one knows!"
"Hesh." Alex motioned to Ramos and Hesh picked him up and slammed him on the table, positioning his hands on Ramos's arm so he could break it. "You have five seconds to deliver coordinates on Rorke." Keegan said to Ramos. "Four…"
"He's not here!"
"Three…two."
"His location is in there! In an encrypted file!"
Alex reached for the briefcase just as the television turned on and the Ghost Killer himself came on the screen…Rorke.
"Well, well, well, if it ain't the walking dead." He said.
"Rorke." Keegan responded, looking at the screen with the others.
"I knew you'd follow the bread crumbs."
"You tried to kill my father you piece of shit!" Hesh exclaimed.
"Hesh!" Alex said in a stern voice.
"The sons of Elias Walker. Boys sent to do a man's work…and the sister of Thomas Merrick. Looks like they're getting desperate for Ghosts." Rorke said.
"Where are you, Rorke?" Keegan questioned.
"Where I am doesn't matter. What matters is a decade ago you left me to die in this city... And from this night forward Elias lives with the knowledge he sent his own sons to their death. And Merrick gets to live with the fact that there was nothing he could do to save his sister."
Just then the team heard explosions go off all around the building as the TV cut off. "It was a set up. Let's move!" Keegan ordered as the building began to shake and fall. Keegan and Hesh rushed to the door, but Alex grabbed the briefcase and ran out with Logan.
"Command, mission is compromised! Attempting an aerial exfil from the 52nd floor." Keegan said through the comms to Elias as they ran down the staircase.
"Copy, Six-Two. Prepping emergency team for your new rally point." Elias responded.
The tem raced down the steps to the floor below and into and reached a floor where there were windows to jump from. "Windows ahead!" Hesh yelled over the crumbling building. "Copy we can jump from here! Get to the window!" Keegan yelled. The four ran towards a door and opened it up which gave them access to the room with the windows. They raced across the floor and Keegan, Hesh, and Logan were in front of Alex when the building shook again and it knocked them off their feet. Hesh, Keegan, and Logan were able to grab a desk in the middle of the room, but Alex was too far from it so when she hit the ground, she began sliding down the building.
"Alex!" Keegan yelled. Hesh looked up and saw Alex sliding down the building in his direction. He quick reached out and grabbed her arm as she slid by and pulled her over to him. The building shook again and causing everyone to fall and slide down the building. Hesh and Alex slid down next to each other and shot at the guards that were struggling to stand as the slid down. Alex reached out and grabbed a pole and Hesh at the same time to stop them from falling, but it only lasted a few seconds before they were on their way to falling out of the building.
When they reached the end of the floor, the team was in a free fall and crashed through some glass before being free of all the debris and able to deploy their parachutes. "Scarecrow, we're airborne!" Keegan told Elias through the comms. "En route to rally point echo. Good work you three. Now let's get the hell out of here."
"No one tells Merrick I almost fell out of the building." Alex said through a breath of relief.
OOOOO
Later that night on the carrier, Alex was walking back to her room after eating dinner with Merrick when she walked by Hesh and Logan's room. She stopped in her track's and backed up to the door. Hesh saved her ass out there when she fell. Sure they were all going to end of parachuting out of that building, but the last thing any of them wanted was to be separated from everyone. Especially with Rorke on his warpath and what happened to Ajax.
Alex knocked on the door and a few seconds passed until the door opened, revealing a shirtless Hesh. Alex was able to keep her focus, despite Hesh's muscles right in front of her. It was actually the first time she really looked at him. He had brown hair, but it was buzzed and he had a clean shave. He had pine green eyes and slightly tanned skin…probably from living in San Monica for so long. He was in really good shape which was expected, but why is it Alex had to choose to talk to him when he didn't have a damn shirt on?
"Alex?" Hesh greeted in surprise.
"Hi." She replied, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I just wanted to thank you for…catching me earlier."
"You're my teammate. I'm not gonna let you fall out of a building."
"I know but that doesn't mean it has to go unnoticed."
"Well you're welcome."
Hesh put a smile on his face as he leaned against the doorframe. "You know this is the first time you are being nice to me." he pointed out.
"Don't ruin it." Alex said. "And don't get used to it."
Hesh chuckled and Alex cracked a smile. Just then Merrick came walking down the hall. Hesh and Alex both looked at him as he walked closer and Alex noticed the look in his eyes change. "I'll see you tomorrow." Alex said to Hesh before walking down to her room. Hesh watched her walk down the hall before going into her room and when he turned his head, there was Merrick. Hesh pulled his head back in surprise and swallowed out of nervousness. "Good night Walker." Merrick said.
"Night Merrick." Hesh said, backing into his room and closing the door.
When Hesh turned around, Logan started laughing. "Man… you are smooth." He said through laughter. Hesh grabbed the pillow from his bed and went over to Logan, hitting him repeatedly with it. "Dude stop! Hesh, come on!" Logan laughed. Hesh stopped and flopped onto his bed. "Smooth as silk." Logan said before laughing again. Hesh threw his pillow at him and laughed himself as he rolled onto his back.