Chapter 2

Merrick shook his head as he studied the order that came though along with the report. It wasn't the fact that it was something the Ghosts could do but what it entailed. The man had seen a lot when he served first under Elias and then took over as commander of the team. And there were some wounds that did not heal with time. He looked at the screen and asked, "Are you sure this is best, sir?"

Little choice, Captain. The PC is highly valuable.

"That is not the problem sir."

I know. I've heard of your history with Charlie Team. In fact they were responsible for recovering another important asset.

Merrick would hardly call Sequoia an asset. She was a teammate. She was a Ghost and had earned every bit of it from the moment she head butted him when he exfilled her with the Walker boys. She was a dead shot but her talent lay in close quarter combat and interrogation. The latter he learned was a result of her time in the program Freefall. She was not an asset but for the sake of keeping her on the team, he would call her what Command wanted to call her and when he was getting favors from a certain colonel with clout.

Despite the history your team is vetted for success for this. So you better get your men in line and tell them to stow it. I don't need to remind you that we need every man there is to keep up this defense.

Merrick hid his feelings as he confirmed his obedience to the order, "Roger that sir."

Oh and Captain, that asset going in with you…

"Wilco." Merrick waited until the screen when black before heaving a sigh.

"I'm sorry about that."

Merrick nearly jumped when he heard Sequoia's softened voice and spun on his heel to see her in her ACUs with her devil of a dog right with her. "Could you not do that Hawk?"

Sequoia grinned as she stood at ease. She knew Bear wouldn't react if Merrick got too close since they knew the drill with Riley but it was special circumstances with hers. She had to work all of the team over in that he was trained to protect and that they needed to keep movements small and controlled. Plus he fed off on her emotions and posture. He knew that she was not threatened and hence relaxed because of that. And it looked pretty bad if your MWD tore off the limb of your CO. She replied, "Then I'd be useless as a Ghost now wouldn't I? Plus someone has to keep you on your toes, Merrick."

Merrick looked at the woman who had somehow managed to make the Ghosts into a legend with her antics despite the fact that she had been nearly dubbed as a traitor and couldn't help but smile at her. "You're more trouble than Riley."

"You love me."

Merrick made a slight sound at that but he didn't mean it. "You're a Ghost, Hawk. Nothing to it."

Sequoia hummed at that and relaxed since she had been given silent permission to speak freely and move about freely. She moved to assume a familiar posture with the man. "You wished to see me before briefing?"

Merrick looked at Sequoia. She knew when to joke and when to be serious, a lot freer with her emotions than her father was but still the same strong countenance that got them through the mission even if it went close to FUBAR and even FUBAR. She knew that she was there because of her association with Freefall with her special circs and she didn't enjoy it all but she made it work. "Yes."

Sequoia nodded and signaled to Bear to stand down. The Malinois laid down but was still alert. His ears rotating and his nostrils expanding and contracting spoke to that. She moved closer to Merrick and took a look at his expression. She guessed, "We're working with someone that about half the team wants to beat the shit out of huh?"

Merrick gave a side look, "Not exactly but we will have to be in close proximity to Charlie team." He held out a folder. It was his eyes only but he owed her that much. He waited until she started looking through it before explaining, "An asset of Freefall has gone missing. He was being exfilled from a deep cover op undercover as part of the transport team. Not even security knows who it is."

Sequoia looked at the file, her eyes narrowing over the details. "Standard drop off and checkpoints?"

"Copy that." Merrick pointed at the map that was in the file folder. "They disappeared halfway between drop off and the FOB checkpoint. Last transmissions from Charlie Leader was that they were ambushed and taking fire." He looked at Sequoia as she studied the file down to the last detail. "Slayton wants the asset recovered and Washington wants to know what happened. They wanted to send another team in but we were vetted. Slayton specifically requested you."

Sequoia looked at the file and then looked at Merrick. So they wanted her in there and there was one reason for that. It meant that Slayton was going with worst case scenario and assuming the asset was either dead or compromised and if it was the latter… She swallowed at that. She was back on mop up and it stank of memories of when Elias sent her team to uncover the infiltrators that tried overrunning Fort Santa Monica.

Merrick watched her expression. He knew that something was up with that and it was something that she didn't like remembering. "You got something to say Hawk?"

Sequoia looked at the CO of the Ghosts. She could be like the other assets and be a complete asshole and declare it a need to know but she wasn't like them. Besides the team was the colonel's "pet team" as Washington called it and they did get the job done. Sighing, she replied, "There is a reason they requested me."

"I assume it's because you would know the asset by face and anything you guys communicated."

"That's part of it." Sequoia straightened up and sighed again, "The other part is to determine status." She gave a pointed look at Merrick.

Merrick took in her expression and though about it. He remembered the mission Elias had sent her on as one of her tests. She delivered and… "Determine if dead or compromised."

"Pretty much and to eliminate loose ends." Sequoia became somber as she looked to the side. She then felt a wet nose nudge her hand. She realized Bear had acted and come in reaction to her mood. She rubbed his ear to indicate she was okay. "I know the asset though and it would take a lot for them to be broken and turned. You know that."

"Hard not to since Hesh pretty much forced my hand with the colonel. How could you let yourself go through that?"

"My father started that when I was young. Not the torture part." Sequoia offered a grin. She had long got over the revelation of what she and the other assets had to do to make it through Freefall. "That came with Freefall and Ashford had me pegged from the start. All assets are unique and the ones that made it through…"

Merrick took in the shrug that she had given at the end of that. It was a difficult thing to talk about. True that he had suffered physical torture but from what he had been allowed access to, Freefall candidates were subject to extremes of physical, emotional and mental as tortured and in enhanced interrogation. Some went on to specialize. "And you? What was your specialization besides enhanced interrogation?"

Sequoia looked at the man and pursed her lips slightly before turning it into a slight grin, "Black ops, undercover intelligence gathering."

"And you settled for patrol?" Merrick smirked a little at that.

"You know me, I don't like all that stealthy shit," Sequoia replied with a smile. She knew that Merrick knew that Elias had requested her to be transferred under his command after her first five years. And the man was well aware of her skill set then.

"But you're damned good at it," Merrick countered. He straightened up and looked at her. "Look Hawk, I know you have your thing for the colonel but…"

"I got your guys' backs. That won't ever change." Sequoia shook her head to confirm her assertion. "And it didn't when I was evaled those three months." She knew that Merrick needed some assurance and she didn't blame him. "I can do this and if it comes to it that the asset is in danger of compromise, I'll eliminate."

Merrick saw the fire in her eyes. It was the same look that she got when they were on a mission, the look that she was going to see it through no matter what. Keegan said it was the same look she gave when she charged during their mission in Caracas to find Ramos with nothing but her pistol and her tomahawk and it was against a squad of Fed and with sentries on the balconies. He knew that she could get the job done. "And you have no problem if we come across Charlie team?"

"Charlie Leader may be an ass but he's still one of us, a soldier," Sequoia replied with a slight scoff. That was a rivalry that was never going to go away. "No one gets left behind."

Merrick nodded in approval as he took back the folder. "Alright. Dismissed. See you in briefing."

Sequoia nodded as she straightened up to salute the man and exited. She signaled Bear to follow her. Before she exited, she turned and looked back at the man and grinned, "You might want to remind the guys that Charlie is a soldier. They don't forgive and forget so easily." The grin turned into a smile as she took in Merrick's warning signal and chuckled. She clucked at Bear and the dog followed her out to head to briefing.

Merrick watched her leave. Maybe he was breaking protocol with giving her the whole picture but he felt it was right and he wanted to assess if she was ready to go back into the field and work with Charlie team. He got that there would be some bad blood between his team and theirs since they did have a pissing match over turning in their Hawk. He was concerned that she might be taking this way too well but he had to give her some credit.

When he got the order of an asset call sign Falcon assigned to them, he saw the emblem for Freefall and grimaced since it came with the order that they were now under Colonel Slayton's command. He was surprised when he saw that it was Hawk and the questions were answered in the briefing with her, him and the colonel and the mission prerogative. They would still carrying out their missions but they also had specialized missions with intelligence. It was a change of pace but they still were doing their jobs.

It had Merrick wary at first that Sequoia had been changed but that fear was put to rest when she interacted with them. He still was suspicious though now that he knew her specializations. The tendrils of doubt were there that she was playing them but he trusted her. It became evident when on a mission she literally through herself in the line of fire of some Fed bastard that flanked them and had Keegan in his sights. Then the whole thing with her MWD… The other factor was Hesh and Logan though Merrick thought that Hesh was being too much like a lovesick boy but it had been nothing but professional between them and Riley was a big help.

Merrick knew now that he trusted her but he was still wary of Colonel Slayton's motives. It was one of those dangerous grounds when working with intelligence but he was a soldier. He was going to follow his orders but he wouldn't be a good team leader if he didn't keep an eye out for his team and that included the daughter of Charles Williams, the best damn operator he had seen in his lifetime. Taking that into account, he exited his office and headed to debrief his team on the mission and what they were going to do.

"We gotta work with fucking Charlie again?" Kick moaned along with everyone as they exited their debrief to kit up. He glanced at everyone that exited and noted the expressions.

"More like save their asses," Logan muttered in a huff.

"Guys," Hesh said, trying to be reasonable, "A team was ambushed and they need our help."

There were some more grumbles even from Keegan. It was most unusual from the quietest of the bunch but he had good reason for it like they all did. They didn't like the fact that they had to be in close proximity of Charlie team. They had a grudge and they wanted to nurse it.

"They are soldiers, like us," Sequoia's soft tones entered as she turned to look at the group. Her reddish brown eyes looked at everyone from the more senior to the younger ones of the group. She continued, "No one gets left behind." She then turned and headed to grab her gear and get ready to move out. Bear followed along behind after giving a reproachful look.

Hesh took that as the opportunity to relay orders since he was going to be lead on this. He was the field commander after all though it felt weird to be ordering older men like Keegan and Kick. "Alright, kit up and grab rack time. We move out at 0600." He turned to do the same thing that Sequoia had in mind.

It was not late but it was best to grab as much rack time as they could before heading out. Hesh had his gear ready to go but when he went to his quarters after catching up on last minute prep with Merrick, it was gone. He knew what that meant and he gave a slight smile. Putting his hand in his pocket he looked down at Riley that was looking at him like he was crazy for not getting a move on. "Alright Riley. Stealth time."

It was probably a lot of risk doing this but it was the only way they would be able to have some alone time. True they used downtime to spend time but it was always in view of the others or involved Logan or one of the team or Mackenzie in whatever was planned and together time was usually training with their dogs on a new skill. Hesh had been a bit uneasy at first and he was the one that suggested it and it impressed her. In the end, they established a routine when it was possible.

Hesh made his way through the barracks to where the female soldiers slept. He tensed when he caught sight of the guard tower. If he got caught, he was so getting shit for this. He felt Riley press against him in reassurance and he patted the dog. At least Riley was confident and it helped as he made the familiar trek into the barracks and slunk down the hall.

It was always a tense moment since Riley's nails clicked on the floor. It sounded loud to Hesh's ears but it was pretty quiet and he knew that he could move a little easier. He gave a sharp look when he heard sounds coming from someone's room and blinked. That was ballsy of whoever was in that room. He shook his head and moved down to the door that was familiar as holding an M4 or other weapon.

There were perks to being part of the colonel's team and perks to being his favorite asset and probably most valuable. It was the one thing that Sequoia exploited and it made Hesh appreciate her all the more since she was not like that. Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved the duplicate key she had given him and unlocked the door. He paused when he heard noise from that one soldier's room and felt everything stand up straight.

When he was certain he was in the clear, he opened the door quietly to let Riley in first and slipped in. He narrowed his eyes playfully when he heard the low rumble of a greeting. He said nothing as he closed the door and locked it from the inside. He turned to see his rival looking at him, panting as if daring him to do something foolish. He said in a low voice, "Really, Bear?"

The Malinois cocked his head as if to ask what was wrong and gave a slight whine. It was for good reason though and Hesh turned his attention to the source of it. He said, "Another one, boy?"

Sequoia had turned in early and she was asleep but Hesh watched as she twitched and recognized the signs of a nightmare. Hesh was familiar with them having gotten them occasionally too. It was the way of life for an operator; there were some things they did that haunted them. For Sequoia, he could just imagine and it more likely would make him angry since part of it had to do with her captivity with Rorke.

Recognizing he was getting angry, Hesh took a couple of deep breaths. He looked at Bear on the ground who had already been joined by Riley. He was in the clear to approach and did so with slow and steady movements. He knew Bear would protect her at all costs and made that point clear when he was introduced to the team. By now everyone knew to make small movements when approaching her and they didn't have any problems.

With a stealth that was clumsy compared to Sequoia, Hesh crawled onto the standard issue twin that came with the room, sliding up behind her. She was sleeping on her side, facing outward and in position to snap awake if she needed to. At the moment though she was twitching in her sleep and Hesh did what he could to not get an elbow in his face. That would be pretty hard to explain to Merrick.

"Leave Hesh alone."

It had been muttered softly but Hesh heard it. She always did fear that her team be used as leverage and him and Logan especially. She said it was silly in the beginning because she hardly knew them then but when they did that assault and LOKI… Hesh understood that since he felt the same before that but he had been a bit of a coward to say it. He got it and gave her that understanding.

It wasn't too hard to slid up behind her and settle on his side so her back was facing his chest. His lip twitched when she moved to press her back against him, forcing his arm to wrap around her waist. She always seemed to know and it amused him because she would curl up and dig in; she looked like a little girl and it was cute. He would never say that to her face though. Not if he wanted to be able to keep this up.

Her movements stilled slightly but she still twitched. Hesh peered at her before placing a soft kiss to her temple and adjusted to settle in. He tucked his head into the crook of her neck and caught the scent of the shampoo she used mixed in with other scents. He shifted to where the tattoo that cupped the slope of her neck and headed into the design on her back and tucked his head there placing a gentle peck there.

"You know that won't get you points to seeing it."

Hesh made a low moan. "I thought you were asleep."

"I was," her whisper pierced the darkness. "You're terrible at stealth."

Hesh made a slight sound at that and hugged her waist tighter. He smiled when he heard her laugh softly. "Not everyone had the benefit of your training." He pressed a kiss to the side of her neck. "I still love you."

Hesh felt his hand gripped by hers. She had a strong grip belying the gentleness that arose when she gave her help to not only her teammates but to other men on the base. He felt her lips press on the back of his hand before pressing it to her chest. He then heard her sigh and he asked, "Something wrong?"

"Nothing."

Hesh knew better than that. He had seen how quiet she was during the briefing and he knew enough about the politics Merrick had to balance with carrying out the missions… "It's about mission. The Freefall asset? Or Charlie Leader?"

"Hmph, Charlie Leader is not the problem. He is a soldier."

Hesh felt her hand tighten on his. Something had her worried. He may have read the basics on Freefall but he didn't know all the details. And he still had the letters she sent through Ashford and read between the lines to what she couldn't tell him. So what had her bothered was one of those things that she couldn't talk about. It irked a little and hurt but as a spec ops operator, he understood the necessity of secrets and subterfuge so he couldn't hold it against her. He relaxed his grip and moved his fingers to stroke her skin, "Something you have been asked to do and don't like it."

"You have a way of hitting the mark, Shappa, but yes."

"I won't ask but… I am here for you." Hesh wrapped his fingers over her hand. He shifted when she shifted to look at him. She had a sleepy look in her eyes but her gratefulness and love was showing through them. He looked at her with a serious expression and repeated, "I'm here for you."

"I know."

The smile said enough and Hesh pressed a kiss to her lips. He couldn't help but deepen it by prying her lips open gently to make it sealed before pulling back. "Come on. We're up at 0600."

Hesh wanted to laugh when she pouted a little but she was in agreement. He waited until she turned back around and settled back against him. He hummed softly when she pulled his hand back to where it was and reflected that he was going to have a stiff wrist in the morning but that didn't matter. It was often worth the pain of being hurt if it meant being with her. He smiled at her as he watched her slip back into the depths of sleep as her breathing quieted before settling down himself.

It took some time for Hesh to fall asleep as he stared at the wall he was facing. He did have some apprehensions but what good operator didn't. They could go in all confident and cocky but only fools went in thinking they were invincible. This was just different and there was a dark feel to it. He couldn't his finger on it but it was there. He was just going to have to listen to his instincts on this one and make the best choices out there. Though he could say that what he was doing now could be considered a bad one.

It was no secret to the Ghosts that he had feelings for Sequoia. The extent of that was only what he and Sequoia projected though it didn't fool anyone and least of all Logan and Keegan. There were still some things that they weren't sure of and this was one of them. Hesh was adamant to treating this proper out of respect for her. He had read up on her people and he knew he was toeing the line and quite possibly stepping over it in terms of her virtue. He didn't make a move unless she was okay with it and this was in that realm.

He could have made the argument that they had already shared a bed on a carrier. But he didn't and let her take the lead. It was cemented when she visited him in his room and didn't leave but stayed the night the night she came back to them. Since then, whenever possible, they shared a bed. It helped with the nightmares and it overall gave the feeling that things were alright in the world. And that was all it was: sleeping.

Finally feeling relaxed enough, Hesh let out the yawn that was threatening and adjusted his grip on Sequoia's waist. He glanced around and listened to the sound of Bear and Riley settling in for the night. Certain that things were okay, he tucked his head into the crook of her neck and closed his eyes.

A/N: So Merrick gives the debrief and the Ghosts will be moving out. Stay tuned for more...