Chapter 19

"You alright, Moppet?"

Nicolette splashed water on her face to wipe off the soot. "I'm fine, Captain." She dried her face and hands. "They didn't have their way with me, if that's what you're asking."

"It was implied," Price said as he took a step forward. He put his hand on her shoulder, "I assume you talked to Ghost about it."

Nicolette made a slight face at that, "You know me pretty well for a three-year acquaintance."

"I knew what I was getting when I paired you with him and that you'd both come to an understanding." Price made a slight face since he well remembered what it took to get to this point. "And I like having you around. You're on my team Ryan."

Nicolette didn't say anything but nodded in understanding. She took a breath and said, "I'm okay. I'm just… Graves fucked with what is mine and me. I want to fuck him back." She put it bluntly, knowing the captain would understand. "No one fucks with my family or friends and gets away with it. That's how it's always has been."

Price studied her. If he had to describe her, she was a cold fuse. She was like Ghost in many ways, but the differences lay in her relationships, the contacts, and assets that she connected with. As much as she tried to keep people at arm's length, she connected with them. She could get angry, but it was slow and long burning and revenge came in the harshest of manners through careful planning and when the target least suspected it. She also had a loyalty streak. You earned her trust and she'd back you. He nodded, "I get that. I'm not gonna hold you back."

"Most would," Nicolette pointed out.

"And I'm not most," Price replied with a grin. He patted her shoulder, "Come on. Laswell needs to show us the product of your handiwork."

"You give me far too much credit."

"Gave us a place to start."

Nicolette gave Price a look as they huddled around to hear what Laswell had to tell them. Nicolette sighed, feeling the adrenaline she had been running on die down a little. She was going to need a serious nap after this shit. Or maybe just tell Price she was going to a concert and that was the end of it. Either way, she just wanted this mess to be over and wanted respite.

Looking at the small screen, Nicolette rolled her eyes and walked forward and pulled out a drawer with a keypad. She tapped a few keys, "Really, hermano? After the upgrades we put in here last year?" She didn't expect an answer as she made Laswell's face appear on a larger screen.

"Walker, good to see you."

"Well, I'm not dead yet," Nicolette replied. "Most don't want me to haunt them in the afterlife."

Laswell took a look at Nicolette and asked, "Still playing with fire?"

Nicolette shook her head and gave a dry chuckle, "You know I like to cook." She tapped a few keys and added, "You're on."

"With the data Ryan provided, I uncovered redacted intel regarding a black bag operation occurring two months ago. Conducted by General Shepherd and carried out by Shadow Company. They were transacting American ballistic missiles to our allies fighting Russians in the Middle East. The mission did not go as planned."

That was an understatement. Nicolette listened as she recalled an intel package that she had submitted about Russians potentially overrunning American allies in the Middle East. She had surveyed the situation and spoke with contacts in the region of the situation. She wrote it up and sent it in. She knew her reports were used. Her intel on Ghorbrani was such proof. This had her uneasy. She had been in black bag ops enough to know that something like this spelled huge trouble.

"Reconnaissance said the route was clear of enemy activity. The reports were wrong. The shipment was spotted before it arrived at its destination. The Russians executed the entire squad and got ahold of Shadow's comms. They learned Shepherd was behind it. Russian gave the missiles to Hassan. Shepherd's intentions were good, but the shipments were illegal and off the books. He and Graves buried it. The cover up is always worse than the crime."

Nicolette started putting two and two together. She asked, "So my downloading the source coding and pushing…"

"We were getting too close, and they weren't gonna let that happen," Laswell said. She didn't want to put blame on Nicolette. She was only doing what seemed the right thing to do and that was find out where the missiles came from. "Three missiles were stolen. We've only found two. Hassan's got one more and we need to find it."

That was everything. Nicolette cut the transmission and walked away to think about things a bit. She knew there was one person that knew where the last one was. The puta said she was a courier. That would mean…

"Hey, something on your mind, love?"

Nicolette shifted to see that Soap had followed her. She had her fingertips press together and noticed Price going to have a private conversation, probably with Shepherd. She said, "Well, just thinking that to find the last missile, we need the one person that knows. Who is currently locked up in Alejandro's base."

"Valeria?"

Nicolette nodded as she tapped her fingertips together. "She was the courier. She was the one that made the transactions. She would know where the delivery was to." She glanced over at Alejandro who was talking with Rodolfo and some of his men. "That means we would have to take back the base."

"Well, I think that was the plan." Soap studied her a bit and asked, "But that's not what you're really thinking about, are ya?"

Nicolette sighed as she tapped her fingers together. "Just another case of finding out what I provided was used to create a mess. I did the survey of the region and sent the report in. Using it, Shepherd made the decision to make the shipment." She shrugged her shoulders.

"It's not on you."

"I know. I just feel… I don't know…" She frowned, not sure what to think or feel. She looked at the ground. "Maybe wondering how you feel about what I did during our jailbreak? It's just muddled up here." She gestured at her head and her hands were shaking a little.

"The adrenaline is just dying down," Soap replied. He gestured for her to give him her hands. When she complied, he took a wrist in each hand and turned them over and with his thumbs started massaging the pulse point. "Kind of surprises me. You did say that you did a lot of this with Alejandro."

Nicolette focused on Soap massaging her wrists. She could feel the pressure that dug in but didn't hurt. She could feel her nerves calm down a little from it. "Yes, but I've not been captured, had two Shadows get handsy whom I gave gruesome deaths, been on the run all night and spent the day prepping to assault a prison to free men that are like family to me. I think it doesn't apply."

Soap caught on that Shadows had gotten handsy with her. He asked, "Did they hurt you? Do anything…?" He wasn't sure how to voice it. He focused on massaging her wrists so he wouldn't let his anger at Graves take over.

"They… touched me," Nicolette admitted after a pregnant pause. "I guess you would call it feeling me up. I knew what they wanted to do. Their orders were to bring me alive, but it didn't say…" She looked at Soap with a pensive expression on her face.

Soap paused and looked at her hands. They weren't shaking anymore, and he reluctantly let her go. He had no reason to touch her without drawing attention to their relationship. He swallowed the anger that was threatening to erupt and calmly asked, "So they didn't get far?"

"Just the touching," Nicolette replied. She had been watching Soap and knew he was angry. "When they were going to take it further, that was… when I struck." She swallowed and looked down as if to beg Soap not to let her retell what she told Ghost. She didn't know how well Soap would handle it.

"Was that what you were talking to Ghost about?"

Nicolette nodded. She clasped her hands together. She really sucked at this, and it felt like she was going to be backed into a corner and the only way out was to run. She knew Soap had a right to know what she was fully capable of and what she did, but at the same time it scared the shit out of her because of the fear of being rejected. She could feel her breath start to hitch a little and took a breath. She nodded again and said, "Yes."

It didn't take a genius to see how bad she was freaking out about saying anything. Soap saw it and knew she was scared to tell him. Granted it hurt, but the fear on her face struck him the most. He guessed that she thought what she did was so bad that his opinion would change. It had come up a couple of times. She would tell a little, but not paint a picture of it. It was enough for him to guess what it was. It hadn't changed his mind about her, just added more to respect the woman cause she will let you have it. This seemed bad and he could tell she wanted to tell him. He asked, "That bad?"

"I kicked their asses and… I tortured them by… cutting off their balls," she said the last bit in a whisper. She just had to come out and say it.

Soap blinked at that. He knew she had to have been pissed at being violated or near violated like that to have done that. It was just hard to imagine someone like her doing that. He believed her though. She never lied to anyone on the team. Maybe kept things close to the vest but out of long-term habits of keeping them safe from the shit she knew and had to do. Thinking about it more, Soap had the same reaction when Graves hinted at what he was going to do to her though he'd probably take it further. He peered at her and said, "Did what I was thinking of. Graves implied that he was going to or did something what nearly happened."

Nicolette looked up and asked with a slight frown, "When?"

"When we got back to the base. Nico… it fucked the hell with my mind thinking about him hurting you like that." Soap pursed his lips and looked away, feeling the anger from all of that. He felt a gentle punch on his good shoulder and turned to look at her.

Nicolette looked at Soap and gave a pensive smile, "I worried for the both of you too. I knew that you could get yourself out of trouble and I never let myself think that you didn't. When I heard the radio confirmation that Graves was looking for the both of you… I was relieved."

"We still had to fight our way out."

"Oh, that was easy. You were on your playing field," she said with a teasing grin. She gave a mocking punch to his shoulder. She sobered and asked, "Does this change things?"

Soap shook his head, "Not on your life, lass. I told you how I felt and that hasn't changed. And I know Lt. doesn't think less of you. I think you impressed him with those Shadows in the hall. You've been holding out on us."

"Just… fear of going down that route back to those days in Las Almas. I was toeing the line and I pushed Alejandro to do more. He made the decision and agreed and did that." She accepted what Rodolfo told her. It still bothered her but not as much. "I also realized I wasn't fair to you guys, holding out. So… just have to do what I have to do." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Don't expect anything less, love," he replied. He studied her. "Feeling better?"

Nicolette held her hands. They were no longer shaking, and she was breathing steadily. She nodded and replied, "Aye."

He's a dog with a bone, and I highly recommend you don't try and take it. Ask Ryan, she knows that.

Price looked at Nicolette. No doubt what she did to escape pissed off Graves. He didn't expect anything less from her and he knew that there was a reason for it. He wouldn't force it from her, but it seemed she had her head on and was already working on something. He nodded at Alejandro. Time to take Graves down.

Alejandro led the way to where the Vaqueros were waiting and conversing. He gave a whistle to get their attention, "Hey, Vaqueros, pay attention."

That was Price's cue. He gave the plan, "Alright, listen. We are taking back your HQ. We are getting our prisoner. We are killing Commander Graves."

Soap had stood beside Nicolette. They were in a position, close enough to hear, but not be seen. He took her hand and gave a reassuring squeeze. It surprised him that she returned it and she rubbed her thumb on the top of his hand before letting go.

Rodolfo asked, "When?"

"Now," Ghost replied.

"This is a fight against our own. We are not 141 and Los Vaqueros on this," Price affirmed. He knew that to make this work, they truly had to band together and be as one. "We're a team."

At that moment, Ghost picked up a bag full of ski masks. He dumped it on the table and the masks spilled out. They had skulls on them.

"Ghost Team," Price said.

Nicolette was staring at Ghost as the man had locked eyes on her. She and one other person had seen his face. She was impassive when he removed the shroud he wore like a shield and revealed his face. She gave a slight smile and said, "Nice to see you again."

Price looked at Ghost and gave approval before he took his boonie off. "If you're in, take a mask." He picked one up. "If you're not, don't."

"Colonel, ha vuelto?" Rodolfo asked as the men took up the masks, leaving none for Nicolette.

Alejandro nodded and reached down and pulled out a box. He put it in the table in front of Nicolette and looked at her. "Listo, hermanita?"

Nicolette looked at the box. She took off the hoodie that she had been wearing and tossed it aside before opening the box. She pulled out a hoodie that was true black in color, but the silver-grey embroidery made the purpose clear. She heard the murmurs of approval from the Vaqueros as she pulled it on and raised the hood producing an almost ghostly shadow on her face. She replied, "El Cihuacóatl ha regresado." She looked at the Vaqueros, "Hermanos, ahora tu estás las fantasmas, verdad?"

They murmured in agreement. The one who could bring death swiftly had returned to them. She wasn't alone this time. Nicolette nodded and looked at Price and Ghost as he pulled on his ski mask. It was a time for ghosts and now to plan the attack.

"My troops know the Fuerzas Especiales better than Shadow and Angelita practically lived there, so we'll have the advantage. Be advised, they'll be on high alert because of the prison break," Alejandro warned.

"We have another advantage," Nicolette interrupted. She tapped her earpiece, "Addy, are you online?"

Loud and clear S64. I've been hibernating in the base security systems. Shadow Company thinks they have control but say the word and they will be locked out completely.

"Figured you might think of that, Angelita," Alejandro said.

"Wise man said it was always good to have a backup plan," Nicolette replied. "Addy can provide technical support on doors, security… anything tied to the base. However, if Graves and his men brought additional hardware, we need to take precautions."

Alejandro nodded in agreement. "We'll infiltrate the base with two Ghost Teams. Team 1 is Captain Price, Gaz, me and one pilot. Team 2 is Ghost, Soap, Rudy and Los Vaqueros. El Cihuacóatl will do what she does best. Recuerdo?"

"Copy that," Nicolette replied with a knowing look.

"Team 1 will use the tunnels to get to the tarmac and commandeer a helo. My pilot will take the Captain up. Team 2 will standby outside until Price fires on the entry gate and lets them in to fight their way to Graves. I suspect he'll be in my HQ defended by his best shooters."

Nicolette studied the plan and added, "Addy will be on comms to provide assistance as needed. She has full control of base systems. Ask and you'll receive." She saw Alejandro's look and smirked, "Don't worry. She'll relinquish once the base is secured. She travels with me."

Alejandro grunted and nodded. He trusted Nicolette. She was not the type to leave a virus to continue to hack in or whatever she did. He did tell her to leave a back door just in case something happened like this. She went above and beyond as always. "While Gaz and me locate and secure Valeria, Ghost Team 2 will find Graves and kill him."

It was a good plan and Price approved. Now it was time to gear up. Nicolette went to get what she needed and to do a little additional work on her face. She was using her reflection in the window of an armored vehicle to do what she needed to do when she saw she was joined by someone. She made a slight face and joked, "The last time I put this shit on it was for a party."

"How come you didn't say anything about being El Cihuacóatl?" Ghost wasted no time with words. He wasn't upset even though his voice came out gravelly and sounded harsh.

Nicolette finished applying the paint to her face. She turned so Ghost could see she had painted her face like a skull, similar to his mask. She stared at the man and replied, "Because I was protecting what mattered the most. El Cihuacóatl, is a legend in Mexico now. I am the original, but there are many that would proudly wear the mantle in the name of fighting to protect their home from the poison of the narcos. This is what forced me to leave. I was protecting Alejandro and his family."

"But you've returned."

"I was lucky that the cartels didn't know El Cihuacóatl was me. No one saw my face. Most assumed I was a man, and we ran with it," she explained. She sighed and held the can of paint in her hands before setting it down. "It was born after I sang for the troops. It was our bloodiest confrontation to date. It's not that I didn't trust you or Soap. What would you be willing to do to keep those that matter the most, safe?"

Ghost couldn't argue with that. He had started suspecting a few things from their time in Las Almas. He noticed the way Alejandro's men treated her, almost like she was divine at times. He heard how they talked about her and Alejandro when they said that the only thing that could kill the man was himself and Death wasn't that far behind. She never denied it, just didn't acknowledge it. He nodded, "It's why you're better than me, Ryan."

"Oh, you're getting there," she teased. "You actually followed Soap's advice. You took off the mask."

"Fuck off," he groused.

"Knew you loved me."

"I like you alive and making Graves' day a pain in the arse." Ghost had deliberately mentioned Graves to see her reaction. He saw the steel glint in her eyes as she patted the pocket that held the handkerchief. "Still aiming to give 'em back?"

"I have a rule Ghost that those that live take to their graves and warn others: You fuck with me, my family, or friends, and I will fuck with you that you beg for death," she told him bluntly. She wasn't afraid if Soap overheard her since he wasn't too far away. "Graves fucked with us and really tried to fuck with me. Plain and simple."

Ghost looked at her. He understood now where she had been coming from when she came to him earlier. He didn't see that though. He nodded, "Then you'll do alright." He then gave her a rough pat on the shoulder. He wasn't one for brotherly affection, but he felt this warranted it.

Nicolette stood there, shocked. It seemed this mission was challenging everything. She knew her teammates fairly well and didn't expect them to go against what they normally did. It was impractical and selfish. It was why she never pressed harder on Ghost when it came to things like hugging, heart to hearts, or anything like that. So, when he willingly did it, it was always a surprise to her. She figured it was because he liked to get one up on her and she probably was right on that note. This time though, it was meant as a reassurance because of what they talked about. She nodded and grinned, "Seems like I'm rubbing off on ya."

"Don't get cocky," he groused before turning to walk away. "Make sure you have something other than a fucking pistol."

Nicolette laughed to herself as she turned to finish what she was doing. Her face was done and now she needed to pull out what made her as the Vaqueros whispered about. She opened the box and saw that Alejandro had not gotten rid of it.

"I couldn't get rid of it, Angelita. It was you and…"

"You gave it to me," Nicolette finished as she looked at the man. She gave a slight smile, "Kind of glad you didn't." She reached in and pulled out the bolo blade that was black steel with a black handle. She turned it over to inspect it. "Works better than a machete. I remember you giving it to me even though it had been in your family for years."

Alejandro remembered that too. "Because it once belonged to a man who believed as you do, Angelita," he reminded her. "And it's only right that it goes to you." He grinned even though she couldn't see it under the mask as he added, "And I figured you'd want to show off your knife collection." He pointed at the kukri blade hanging at her hip.

Nicolette gave him a look. "Ghost gave it to me awhile back. We had a huge fight, and it was his way of apologizing after we had a serious talk. He came to find me because he said I was the only one to get Soap and Gaz out of the prison they were being held in." She looked at Alejandro and pointed the bolo at him, "Don't think any more into it. Our relationship is not like that."

"I know that," Alejandro replied. He was still grinning even when she lowered the blade. He looked at her and his expression became serious. "Angelita, I want you to let the Shadows know what it coming for them. You know what I mean?"

Nicolette had put the bolo blade down and looked at Alejandro. "Like before?"

"Sí."