Chapter 11

One of these days you're going to have to tell me how you manage to be on the same page or a step ahead.

"I can't tell all my secrets, Mummy," Nicolette said as she walked through the lookout to the roof. "But I figured that since Hassan is in bed with the cartel, they would know something is going on. Get eyes and ears out there and figure it out."

Well, you have something. Now we just need to know where the missiles and guidance systems are.

"I can send people to track the specific Russians that sold them to Hassan," Nicolette already made the decision to do that. She was just being polite in letting Laswell know about it.

If I tell you to leave it, you're not going to, are you?

"I don't like loose ends," Nicolette replied. "However, I can do strictly intel only. No action. Could be that their presence may prove useful down the road. All players have a role at some point, Laswell." She paused at the stairs heading up. She turned to look down the hall.

Which is why I am going to say strictly intel. If it pans out to something worse…

"They'll be taken care of. Barkov was cakewalk."

You don't have to go that extreme.

"Depends on them, Mummy. Remember Viktor?"

I know. Be careful, Ryan.

"I will. I'm very familiar with the situation here. We'll get it done."

Be careful.

"I'll send anything I get from the source coding." She paused a moment before adding, "I am glad you're okay." Nicolette then ended the call abruptly. She didn't mean to be rude, but it was time to get down to business.

She had found out that a big meeting was to occur at the house of one of the lugartenientes. Alejandro's sources confirmed that, and they were scouting out the place from a lookout point. They were close enough to look, but far enough away to avoid being spotted unless someone got careless. The time spent scouting and confirming allowed her to collect her thoughts after earlier.

It also forced her to pay close attention to Shadow company in general. They followed their orders and followed Graves' lead, yet she was not blind to the stares she got when she walked by. She knew the difference between love and lust, and she was seeing the latter. She wasn't a stranger to it, but her unease was something else. She held secrets, but she sensed that Graves held something more… she couldn't put her finger on it. She decided that it was better to play along and follow Ghost's lead.

She came out onto the roof quietly to find the four men surveying the house. She approached to take a look, staying behind them. She played with the alebrije that had been attached to her flower hairpiece. She wanted to keep it with her, and she knew that Alejandro put it in the hairpiece to make sure she got it. He knew her well.

"La casa de Sin Nombre?" Soap asked as he looked through the scope.

"No," Alejandro replied, "One of his Lugartenientes."

"A cartel lieutenant," Soap translated.

"Orale wey," Alejandro replied with a grin, "You're learning."

"Wait until he picks up the swearing," Nicolette said as she stepped forward. "First thing most learn first."

Soap looked at Nicolette with a slight smirk. "And you were born fluent in it. In all languages," he retorted in a good-natured manner.

Nicolette laughed at that. "At least you know the truth about me," she replied. She sobered quickly and said, "So, intel from the other side of the pond came back that the Russians sold guidance systems and that they are on the missiles. So aside from Hassan, the cartel knows where they are." She moved to lean on the ledge of the roof. "Now my sources here gave me the place."

Alejandro nodded and joined in, "Sí, my sources tell me all the VIPs in Las Almas will be there tonight. Some are invited. Others are um…"

"Volun-told?"

Nicolette shifted to look at Graves. He had been polite to her, and she was in kind. She nodded while Alejandro confirmed that. She played with the alebrije with her fingers. She rubbed along the wood grains she could feel. She glanced back at Ghost to see him standing there and surveilling the landscape too.

Graves looked at Alejandro but also stole a look at Nicolette. He had been impressed with her. Her intel had helped them out on occasion. In fact, he looked forward to working with the famous Ryan. He found her a bit aloof, but polite. He was impressed when he saw her sing earlier and observing her interactions and the ease she could speak Spanish… He asked, "What's the meet about?"

Alejandro gave a chuckle, "Nosotros. Las Almas is burning, and they want to know who lit the fire."

"Considering we raided a cartel compound and made off with their client and left a sizeable dent in manpower, I'm not surprised," Nicolette said. She gave a gentle bump to Alejandro, "Como la primera vez, eh, hermano?"

"Orale," Alejandro replied. "But this is different."

"Not that much. Still the same assholes," Nicolette countered. She turned to look at the others.

"Sin Nombre will be there, yeah?" Ghost looked at Nicolette and Alejandro. He knew Nicolette had been out earlier getting intel and one or bother would have something. That much was clear.

"No guarantees," Alejandro replied.

"More likely they are there," Nicolette said. "Let's face it, we pretty much fucked with things the past couple of days." She looked at Alejandro. "They lost face. That will get the boss' attention." She then lowered her voice and added, "Sabes lo que significa cuando pierden la cara."

Alejandro looked at her. He knew she was right. The things they did five years ago was proof of that. He nodded and looked at Ghost as the man approached, "It is our best shot."

"Then we take it," Graves suggested. He joined their group, "I got enough Shadows here to take over the whole damn country."

"I'd prefer if you didn't." Alejandro knew it was meant to be an example, but he wanted to make it clear that he appreciated the help, but that's all it was to be.

Graves sensed that was a sticking point and made to reassure, "I'm just saying… one house shouldn't be a problem."

"Maybe so," Nicolette interjected, trying to lower the testosterone in the area. She glanced between Alejandro and Graves, "Thing is, we need El Sin Nombre alive, Graves. Without him, we don't have jack shit."

That would be a problem. Graves looked at her, taking in her words. "You made a point, Ryan," he admitted. "We need to meet him."

Soap had been watching. He didn't like how Graves was looking at Nicolette. He noticed how uneasy she was earlier and how well she hid it. He didn't press since she came back feeling more like herself. He asked, "How?"

Graves looked at Soap, "Give 'em what they want."

"You mean intel," Nicolette confirmed. She could see where this was going. She thought about it, and it seemed the way to go. Thing was, it was also a sure-fire way to get yourself killed if you went about it wrong.

"Exactly," Graves said and grinned at Nicolette. "Seems you are the smart one." He looked at the others, "They wanna know who's here. Let's tell 'em."

Alejandro could see where this was going to. He knew that Nicolette was thinking about the idea and could see she was leaning towards it. He asked, "In person?"

"Correcto," Graves replied. "We get one of us inside, find the boss… roll him up."

It was a sound plan. Nicolette knew that it was their best option. The problem was that she didn't like going in too blind. They didn't know what types of security was in there, what they may find… She had gone on ops like that, and it drove her crazy because of her OCD and need to be in control of things she could control. Yet, they didn't have time to do that. They would have to do it.

"I'll do it," Soap volunteered.

Nicolette looked at Soap. Her eyes widened just a fraction. She didn't expect that, but then again maybe she should have. She knew that he was determined to stop the missiles from being launched. They both were on board with that.

"You go in there, and they'll kill you hermano," Alejandro warned. He hadn't failed to notice Nicolette's reaction. True she had that cool façade she always wore, but he noticed the widening of her eyes. It only confirmed which she never nailed down in words.

Soap was aware of the risks. "I'll take my chances. We came here to stop a missile. Let's stop it." He glanced at the team. "I'll offer intel for a meet with Sin Nombre. And if he's there, we pounce."

Alejandro was impressed. He admitted that Soap had a set on him for doing this. "You get in, you'll need eyes and ears. I'll go too." It was the least he could do for Nicolette. He would watch out as best as he could for the man.

"I'll take overwatch," Ghost said. He gestured at Nicolette, "Ryan will pull overwatch command. Shadow circles the target in a helo."

Graves was puzzled at what Ghost meant by overwatch command. He saw that it wasn't going to be explained to him, so he went with it, "Roger that." He pulled off his insignia patch and handed it to Soap, "They're going to want proof. Show 'em this."

Nicolette stood there, accepting Ghost's assignment. She gave him a meaningful nod, which he returned. She took a breath and turned to walk with them to gear up.

"Are you mad at me, lass?"

Nicolette was checking the sniper rifle that she had chosen. She had already packed her secondary and pistol. She was just finishing the assembly and locked and loaded it. "What makes you think I'm mad at you?" She looked at Soap.

Soap had removed his vest, so he didn't appear to be a threat. He knew that Nicolette wasn't too happy about the plan. He did volunteer to go into the lion's den and quite possibly not make it out alive. He leaned on the table to peer at her, "Because you refused to even look at me. And I noticed your reaction."

"And you must be proud of yourself for that."

Soap made a face before saying in a low voice, "Nico, you know someone has to do it."

"I know. That's why I'm mad." Nicolette took a breath to control her temper. She didn't want to shout and bring attention and she really wasn't mad at him. She looked at him. "I know we need someone on the inside. I can't tell you how many times I've been in your position. How you are literally holding your breath while the one with the gun decides you are valuable or not."

"You telling me you would have volunteered if I hadn't?" Soap didn't want to get into an argument with his girlfriend. He tried to make his movement not harsh, and he wanted to understand where she was coming from.

Nicolette frowned, "No. If I had a chance to think it through, which we didn't have time to do, I would have suggested the one best suited. And it would have been either you or Alejandro." She gave a slight smirk as she added, "You forget. I'm a fucking analyst."

Soap studied her as she reacted to his question. He relaxed a little and felt the tension leave his body. He was relieved she didn't take his question as an attack. He nodded, "Aye. I know. Scary smart."

Nicolette gave a mock punch to his bicep. She felt better as she looked at the man. She softened her expression as she said, "Just go in. Tell the truth. Don't lie." She took a breath and added, "You can't make a lie sound like the truth to save yourself."

"Now you wound me, Nico," Soap replied. He took her warning to heart though. "Thing is I'm more worried about what you may do."

"It's overwatch command."

"Aye, and I remember what that means. I was there when it was invented." Soap was smirking at her as he looked down at her. "Saved my life."

Nicolette nodded as she looked up at him. "Let's just hope that you won't need me to do that. But I will gladly do it. Always."

"It's why we work well together." Soap held up his fist.

Nicolette smiled at him and gave a fist bump. It was the closest she would get to touching him without being suspect. It was normal since she was always slugging him or Ghost over something. She looked at him, wanting to say more, but she wasn't sure how to say it.

Soap noticed her expression. "Hey." When he got her attention, he continued, "It's okay, Nico. Just do what you do best. Make the LT pissed." He grinned at her.

Nicolette made a slight face at him. She gave him a playful shove, "Get out. Don't be stupid when you go in." She pointed her finger in warning.

Soap chuckled and gave a warning finger back before moving to head out. Nicolette felt a bit better about the mission. She picked up her rifle and slung them over and fixed her earpiece for her radio. She tapped it to check it, "Addy, are you online?"

I am to some degree. My program is still limited.

"That's alright. I just needed to feel reassured. How is the analysis of the coding?"

I am working on the source of the missile. I can't project when to have which batch the missile came from.

"Ok. Thanks," Nicolette said. She paused as she walked by Shadow company getting set in their bird. Once she was past them and on her way out, she said, "Let me know when you have it. If we find out where they came from, we can track movements, the drill."

Copy that. I'll keep in the background.

Nicolette chuckled as she switched the frequency. She headed out towards where she would set up for the beginning. She came across Ghost who was going in the same direction she was. She chuckled and gave a friendly punch, "Seems like we're taking another walk."

"Only as far as my overwatch. Then I'm kicking you out," Ghost groused. He glanced at her. "Keep watch and be ready to do what you do best."

"I'll be my obnoxious self," she replied with a smirk. She gave him a mock punch. "It'll be fun," she added as they moved their locations.

Nicolette knew that she had to separate from Ghost. She waited until he found his overwatch spot before heading out. She wanted laugh at her assignment. She intended it to be a joke when she first said it. Yet, Ghost had asked her to do the same thing after they cleared their misunderstanding. It was effective when it was used.

She had trained in sniper shooting and Ghost had her improve on it. She could fire a gun and always claimed that she couldn't shoot well. More of her modesty. With the training, she could provide overwatch support. Overwatch command was more of a code for her to provide sniper cover, but she could also move in to provide close support. She also provided tactical awareness to coordinate the units. That was usually done with Addy helping. Ghost knew she was limited this time out, but she knew what he was asking.

She made it to a point where she had good position on the courtyard. She set up her sniper rifle and peered through the scope. She saw something and grinned a bit. She took aim.

Shadows on station.

Copy. All set here.

Nicolette chuckled at Ghost and teased, "Getting slow there, Ghost. I had time for a mani."

Blow it out your rear end, Ryan.

"Already did," she countered. "Overwatch command set. Have eyes on the courtyard."

Seein' room to set down on the roof.

Check. Eyes on two armed at the front door.

"Check," Nicolette said. She had seen them when she shifted to her spot. "Reminds me a bit of cops and robbers."

Alejandro, how you doin?

Un Vaquero inside.

Goddamn, how'd you do that?

Violently. With death not far behind.

Nicolette chuckled a bit. She had spotted Alejandro making his approach on one of the guards. He took out the guy and was going to put on his clothes. He didn't see the other guard coming up from behind. She took aim and fired, making the shot in an area Alejandro would know it was her. She added, "A serious case of a hole in the line."

She could almost see Ghost roll his eyes. She could even hear him grumble and call her a bloody idiot or some other name. It would have been uttered to hide the pride he had in her sniper skills. She knew he would never admit it and would gruffly say that he needed her alive and able to survive on her own. She would take it in good humor, maybe tease him a little and they would go on their merry way. Maybe she was the crazy one who preferred a good fight, verbal or physical, to being reasonable.

Visual on Soap.

Moment of truth.

The moment of truth would be that he survived the interrogation. Nicolette knew that they wouldn't kill him at the door. He had to pass the test inside. That was the real clincher. She was an analyst at heart. While people could be unpredictable at times, they exhibited more patterns than most people thought. She took a breath and prayed that Soap would remember what to say.

They see him?

They do now. They're taking him in.

Kid's got sand.

Nicolette rolled her eyes, "Of course they would take him in. The real test is inside."

Seem pretty sure about that, Ryan.

"I'm a fucking analyst, Graves," she replied, "The ability to shoot is just a hobby."

I hope he makes it.

"Un Vaquero is inside," Nicolette replied in a matter-of-fact tone. She knew that it was foolish, but she knew Alejandro and why he said he would get inside. "Es un baile con la muerte."

Aren't you just a ray of sunshine.

Nicolette rolled her eyes, "I'm a pragmatist, Graves. As an analyst, you have to be. The other stuff is just other stuff." She peered through her scope. "Seems like there are others there that are guests. Probably high ups that it would be bad to be seen in the company of the cartel."

Like who?

"No idea. Politicians, police… those kinds of people," Nicolette replied. "Meetings like this, you take care of all your business." She knew that Graves was probably thinking about where her loyalties lie because of what she knew. "Russian oligarchs and mob do the same thing."

Any idea what they'll do?

Nicolette blinked when she heard Ghost ask the question. It surprised her that he was asking her to give her best guess. She suspected that he was trying to dig more into how she knew what she knew about the cartel despite what she revealed about her association with Alejandro. She replied, "Right now, they are taking him to meet the one who will determine if what Soap has to say is of value. More likely a sicario. Fucking bastards. Anyway, that is where the test will be. All Soap has to do is tell the truth and his chances increase."

The comm went silent as they stayed at their posts. Nicolette decided to move closer. What she wouldn't give to have her own ears at least inside. It was tempting to break her way in and stick to the shadows. Yet, she didn't want to jeopardize things either. She would be patient and have faith in Alejandro to be backup and faith in Soap to stay out of trouble.

Ghost, we're in.

That was a relief to hear. That meant that the first step as accomplished. The next step… that was what she would call fun.

What've you got?

El Sin Nombre is in the penthouse. Third floor.

Nicolette made a decision to move forward. She moved towards the house and scouted around for a way to get her to the roof. Either way, Soap and Alejandro would be heading up there to get El Sin Nombre. "Easy access, Ghost."

What you do best, Ryan.

That was the only warning she would get. She made it to the house without being seen and pulled on a mask before climbing up. She made it to the roof and looked out for the guards. She took them out and hid the bodies and waited.

She didn't have long to wait. She heard the sound off in her earpiece. She didn't respond, but Alejandro and Ghost knew she was around. It was followed by shots fired. She shook her head and muttered, "Shock and awe my ass."

She moved to gain an advantage. She knew that it was a female sicario that they were after and kept an eye for her. She picked the more likely way that she would bolt and moved to intercept. She caught up with the sicaria and leapt off the roof and landed on her to tackle her.

Nicolette had been in a fight and could handle herself. She took the punches from Valeria and gave a few herself until she was pinned by Valeria. At that moment, Graves circled up in his chopper. She rolled her eyes as she got to her feet just as Soap and Alejandro joined. Soap apprehended the woman, "El Sin Nombre. Hiding in plain sight."

Nicolette heard the sneering as Valeria scoffed at that assessment. She wasn't interested in that though. She had noticed Alejandro's expression as he walked up. She hadn't removed her mask, so all Valeria knew was that she was a woman, but no face or name. She said nothing as Graves' men took her but studied Alejandro. She figured he knew her, and it was confirmed when he admitted it.

A/N: So the they round up El Sin Nombre. Next stop... interrogation...