Brief

I hope you've been enjoying this story so far and will hopefully enjoy this chapter too anyway I will let the story roll as always I don't own COD but I do own M1J.

A few days after we were dismissed by Shepherd we were told to report to the HQ centre by 0300Hrs which we knew was serious due to the time, it felt like I was back in SAS with the early fucking o'clock starts. I was pulled out of my bed by the alarm which I had set outside our tent, it made me get up and move which meant that I was awake.

I wandered out into the black of the Liberian night which was pretty bloody cold, it did wake me up and I knew that I would have to be awake for the meeting, I saw Grommit's massive frame blast past me, he didn't actually acknowledge me as he moved past but gave off a grunt.

"You not all that awake yet, Grom?" I asked forward to him as he just placed his head under a bucket of water which made his extremely toned abdomen and pectorals tighten making them even more prevalent.

He grunted something in Polish before turning back to the tent and running past me shouting, "Better!" I then heard a loud whip and a groan from inside the tent as I stretched my arms above my head watching a rather pissed off Jaeger move out of the tent.

"Fick dich, Polnisch," He shouted as he rubbed his stomach and pulling his shirt down to cover his new whip mark.

"powinny masz na czas," Grommit replied in Polish as he came back out with his shirt and trousers on with his weapon slung over his shoulder not wanting to leave it alone.

"English Grom, English," One told us as he shooed Syrup out of the tent and guided us over to the HQ. I made sure that my 5-7 was in place, I reached down feeling the clip which kept the hilt of the gun in its holster. I shuffled to keep up with Grommit who was just going through the door to the HQ, with a still extremely pissed off Jaeger holding it open.

"Come on Jaeger, you're not giving the pleasant German image that Merkel wants to give," I jokingly told him as I walked through the door into the somehow even darker room which was only illuminated by several computer screens.

"Haha very funny, arschloch," He replied as One and Syrup wandered into the room.

"Again English, you know Shepherd is made nervous by foreign languages," One chuckled as he checked around the room waiting for some sign of where to go.

We all sat in the dark only being able to see the rough outline of each other based on who was standing in front of the monitors. It must have been about five minutes reaching about 0259Hours before an unseen door next to Syrup ripped open with a medium framed man stood in the doorway, all that distinguished them from the faceless man was the glow emanating from the lower head area, it was followed by a puff of smoke and a raspy voice.

"Oit muppets, in 'ere," The smoky rasped voice of Price, emanated from the shadow.

We followed Price down a set of stairs which were better lit than the previous room but we were going deep underground from what I could tell. I could smell Price's cigar as we descended behind him, it hung in the air making me feel very much like I was back at Credenhill. Eventually the stair case ended and there were a couple of what I was assuming to be central idiot agency, but I couldn't tell they didn't have any recognisable tabs on, I just nodded as Price pushed them asunder to enter the room they were guarding.

I saw that Soap was leaning over the table looking down at a map which was covered in red writing and a series of circles, I walked over and tapped him on the shoulder. His hulking frame just turned slightly as he looked at me and nodded but turned back to his focal point on the map.

"You look like it's going to be a good one," I said to him as I stood up straight crossing my arms in the process.

"You've got no idea mate, remember Russia?" He asked, I felt a lump grow in my throat as Soap spoke, I just nodded feeling the excruciating pain I felt when that grenade went off under me, "Well this is going to be a whole different clusterfuck."

"Fucking great," I whispered whilst swallowing my lump and waiting for Price to start addressing us.

Price stood in the same way I did with his arms crossed and looking over all of us like a hawk. He just scanned us like he was looking for some kind of weakness some kind of regret but we all stood strong. I kept repeating Soap's warning in my head reliving what happened in Russia, I was beginning to feel very uncomfortable on my prosthesis, like I was when I had just gotten it.

"Gentlemen!" Shepherd commanded as he walked into the room from an adjacent one which I assumed was his bunk. One was the only team member to stand to attention as he walked in, Shepherd just looked at him and nodded him to ease.

"Sir," Price said simply as he stood to the side and Shepherd took the reins.

"Well as you all know, we've had some heavy activity over the border in Sierra Leone, we believe that a known HVT maybe there," He began pointing down at the larger map which highlighted a small clearing in the Sierra Leonean jungle about fifty miles inland from the border with Liberia.

"Which one?" Porthos simply butted in on Shepherd.

He's got balls, I thought to myself as a smirk grew across my face. "Well we have good intelligence that it's either Makarov or some of his lieutenants, maybe both," Shepherd continued seemingly unfazed by the interruption. "We've been surveying the area for about a month and we know for definite that Makarov has been on the ground," He told us as he slid a couple of photographs taken by UAVs towards us. "We took these three days ago, as far as we know he's still there no aircraft have been seen exiting the area and only a single Ka-52 is stationed on the ground."

"So they've got some heavy guns?" I queried picking up the images which displayed the twin rotored helicopter sat in a clearing just a few hundred meters from the base.

Price took back the reins from Shepherd again, "As far as we know they only have mortars but they could have some larger guns in the canopy," He pointed in a region about ten miles south of the position, "Here, they may have up to six Spruts in the trees, we won't know until they fire but we can't see anything on thermals." Price finished as he nodded the lead back to Shepherd.

"Thank you Captain," Shepherd responded begrudgingly, "You'll be attacking this place from an insertion point thirty clicks north so you'll be going in out of range of those guns." He then ran his hand around the area which would be facing us on the approach to the encampment, "We have good local intel that the west side boys are active in this area, they're the guys that Makarov is believed to be hiding with."

"They're also the guys who have been trying to overthrow the government for almost fifteen years, they're ex-SL army, oh and they also the guys who kidnapped the Royal Irish back in Barras," Price told us.

"I thought you and the Para's shoved a hot poker up their arse and burnt it clean," I told Price making him snigger a little as he continued talking.

"We only destroyed the largest sect, the rest moved into the jungle, regrouped and reorganised. Now they've re-emerged and made an attempt at making their move on Freetown."

"They clearly have their sights outa line," I laughed.

"Yeah but their still dangerous mate, especially with the whole world's concentration diverted on the outbreak in that area so they've been given free will to move at will," Price added.

"Aye, Sir," I replied letting the brief continue.

Shepherd continued to walk us through the approach to the camp, I followed every word but I still had the idea in my head that he was keeping something from us, he talked us through possible mine fields left from the civil war but we had means to get though those. I couldn't place my finger on it but I knew something wasn't right like the whole plan was rushed, not properly thought out.

I finally tuned back in at the final sentences of the brief, "You've been given an hour call card, don't give specs but you can tell them that you're in the continent, you all know the drill you've been SF for long enough. Also you'll be given two weeks leave after this one so get it done clean. Gentlemen, you're dismissed."

I scooped up the card that had been slid across the table to me, it had a series of numbers on it looking just like the call card I had been given in the marines. I guess that was what to expect when the base was essentially run by the British.

"Well I guess I should call Ash," I said trying to sound sarcastic but I really did want to hear her voice even if it would be over the grainy shitty waves that the sat phone could receive.

"You got a woman?" Grommit said as he pulled the door on the HQ shut.

"Yeah we've got one kid, she's deaf," I told him solemnly, "You?"

"Me?" He said in shock, "I've got an ex-wife and several children who don't speak to me because their mother poisoned their opinion of me."

"Shit dude, that's extreme," I told him as I placed my hand on his huge back, "Well atleast you can chase all that local." I raised my eyebrow at him.

"Yeah I guess but I'd honestly rather have your family life," He shot back catching me well of guard.

"The five am starts, no sex and the 'real' world," I exacerbated to him laughing as I did.

"Honestly," He started as we walked into our tent, "Yeah."

"Grom you being a pussy again," Pothos said to him as he slumped down on the bunk which he had claimed.

"Fuck you bitchtits," Grom replied as he laid back on his bunk.

"Alright sugar tits," Porthos replied sounding like Nessa from Gavin and Stacey.

"Right I'm going to the sat phone," I told the group as they slammed themselves down on the bunk but as I did Jaeger shot up and ran in front of me.

"Nope, my phone untermensch," He shouted back at me as he whipped off into the medical tent where I assumed the sat phone was.

"Oit fucker I'm not a fucking sub-human!" I shouted struggling to keep up with him on the sprint.

"Clearly you are," he grinned as he whipped into the tent in the dead cold of the night but we could just see the sun rising above the trees casting a glare across the lake. After about two minutes Jaeger walked out with the sat phone proudly in his hand. I just let him walk as I looked out over to the lake I could just about make out the periscope of the Oregon but I wasn't sure how deep the colossal craft actually sat.

I just observed for about half an hour it had gotten to almost daylight and the Liberian soldiers had started to stir and even took up their positions at their posts which did surprise me, maybe they were actually showing some professionalism. But it didn't last long as about ten minutes later they were all high on khat and drinking enough waragi to make an old sailor pissed, at least they were happy.

An hour had actually passed and Jaeger finally wandered over to pass me the sat phone, "All yours," he told me as I took the hulking great piece of grey matter it looked like a nineteen eighties mobile but the aerial was slightly longer and its arse was wider.

I just nodded at him as I hurriedly tapped in my house phone number, I listened to the tone pacing up and down outside the medical tent watching one of the Liberian soldiers just chew on his khat. I almost missed Ashley answering the phone by being too engrossed in watching the drug take effect on the soldier his eyes simply dilated and he jumped at every sound which must have been a nightmare to have in the jungle, where everything that flies, walks or squats in the mud makes some kind of noise.

"Hello?" Ashley questioned down the phone line.

"Hey, Ash," I said quietly.

"Oh my god!" She recoiled in what sounded like fear.

"You alright?" I asked but I didn't get a response, "Ash?"

"I'm sorry," She said sobbing down the phone.

"For what?" I said calmly trying to reassure her.

"Just crying, I should be happy," She paused, "But I just miss you."

"I miss you too babe," I told softly.

"So what's been going on?" She asked me.

"Well I'm a bloody jungle, it's hot and every soldier around me is basically stoned, so I'm in heaven," I replied sarcastically, "How's it been with you and Jessica?"

"It's been good, she went to nursery the other day and we've been called up by an ear specialist for her operation," She told me.

"That's great," I smiled knowing that she couldn't see it but I knew she knew what I was doing, "I have some good news."

"What's that?" She said sounding more excited than she had done when we starting talking.

"If everything goes to plan, I should be home for two weeks in about three days."

"What do you mean if everything goes to plan?" she asked now getting worried.

"Ash," I sighed, "You know I can't tell you, but all I can say is you'll never hear about it." I could hear her welling up again, "You know this isn't about trust," I told her.

"Yeah," She just said simply whilst sobbing again.

"Ash? What's up?" I heard Bailey in the background along with the giggles from Jessica, "Pom, you on the other end of there?"

"Aye it's me," I told her.

"What have you done now?" She asked me as I heard Ashley perk up, Bailey just had that effect on her.

"You know what I've done, I was stupid enough to accept this job," I said her seriously but Bailey being Bailey she just made a joke out of it.

"Yeah but you're a marine, that means you have minus seventy percent of a normal brain." She laughed at me, "But seriously, there's nothing bad about taking that job for the reasons you did, you care about your partner and your daughter, what's honestly wrong with that?"

"Nothing," Ashley said quietly.

"So when are you coming back here?" Bailey asked.

"He's back in three days if everything goes well," Ashley answered for me as I paced around in the ever increasing heat of the Liberian sun.

"What's that mean?" Bailey asked.

"That I can't say anything about it," I said to her.

"Oh, one of those things?" She asked me.

"I will say all I can when I get back," I told them both as I counted down the time I had on the phone. "I have to get back to work there's a lot to do before I step off and it won't do itself." I paused, "I love you all, and will see you in a few days."

"We love you too," Ashley quietly said as I pressed the button to hang the phone up. I just looked over my shoulder seeing the gaggle of Porthos and One who were waiting for the phone, "sorry boys."

I hope you've enjoyed the story thus far and will enjoy it until it ends I have actually got a plan on where I want to end but I will keep that part a secret :p so please leave a review and tell me what you want to see happen and a few suggestions that have been made may actually happen or did I have that planned all along :p so until the next time …PEACE!