Yea...I have no reason as to why this is late other than me being lazy-
You're lucky I'm even uploading this, when I'm watching IronMan. . . Yup. IronMan. Be jealous.
Ghost awoke first the next morning, feeling something warm resting against his right shoulder. He looked down, spotting brown hair haphazardly sticking up around a strip of white.
"Roach…" Ghost mumbled, shaking his head softly. He didn't recall falling asleep-much less letting the young sergeant use his shoulder as a pillow. Ghost closed his eyes, tilting his head back against the concrete wall. With a sigh, he started to move his left arm, ignoring the pain it caused. He didn't dare move his knees-that thought alone made him feel sharp stabs of pain.
A groan sounded, Roach shifting slightly until he sat up on his own, rubbing his uninhibited eye blearily before trying to rub his right eye. He paused, Ghost watching in amusement as Roach felt the cloth covering his face. A very confused look came on his face as his fingers skimmed over the material.
"…what the fuck…?
"G'morning bug." Ghost said humorously. Roach jumped, turning to face Ghost.
"…wh-…Ghost?" Roach asked, squinting his visible eye.
"Who else would it be?" Ghost raised an eyebrow, Roach frowning in return.
"Dude, it's been, what, five days? This is the first time I've ever seen your face, so it's kind of hard to recognize you." Roach grumbled in annoyance. "And my eyesight is shit when I first wake up, not my fault."
"Isn't that a medical issue that should be noted in your dossier?" Ghost asked, ignoring Roach's first complaint.
"…it isn't already?" Roach muttered, looking down at his chest. He frowned, tracing the dried blood that went diagonally across. "…do you really have the same scars?"
"Apparently-I don't really pay attention to it Roach." Ghost frowned. "Strange, but not unexpected, for Gonzalo to remember every little thing he did to u-me…" Roach cast him a glance before his eyes went down to Ghost's chest, a small frown on his face.
"I guess you do. And a helluva lot more." Ghost didn't bother to look, only giving a wry smile. Roach copied the smile, hand still hovering over his makeshift bandage.
"Good morning." The door swung open, Gonzalo in jeans and a plain black shirt. His prized Desert Eagle was still strapped to his leg, a type of reminder of who was in charge. Ghost frowned as Roach shrank a little closer to him.
"Never a good morning with you around." Ghost said. With a frown and spoken order, Juan and Jorge came in, Roach mumbling under his breath as they were hoisted to their feet; Ghost was helped to walk as they followed Gonzalo down the stark white hallways. The two Task Force men blinked furiously as their eyes watered from the brightness, slightly stumbling as they walked.
"You two are so slow." Gonzalo seemed to complain as they stopped at a door.
"If you hadn't bloody shot my knees-" Ghost started angrily. Juan, who was helping Ghost walk, gave a sharp kick to his left knee-the white hot pain made Ghost cry out, taking in deep breaths through clenched teeth as he fell to the side as Juan dropped him. He landed against Roach, who kept him up as the three men watched, Gonzalo's eyes dancing with happiness. The door slid open, Roach and Ghost forced inside behind Gonzalo. In the middle of the pristine white room were two wooden chairs sitting side by side, two large tubs of icy water sitting in front of them.
"You've GOT to be kidding me." Roach grumbled as he spotted the equipment.
"I found this particular method while on the internet-such am amazing discovery. Regardless, it seems if one were to submerge a victim's head in water enough times they would be more willing to comply with another's wishes, the fear of drowning making them more than cooperative." Gonzalo explained as Ghost and Roach were tied to the chairs.
"I thought that waterb-"
"Roach, are you honestly going to finish that sentence?" Ghost interrupted the sergeant sharply, looking right to give him a stern look. Roach paused, mouth open mid-word before he clamped it shut, shaking his head.
"That was stupid."
"No shite, twat."
"If you were referring to waterboarding-" Gonzalo said suddenly. "I am well aware of that technique." Ghost shot a glare at Roach.
"Good going."
"It wasn't my fault!" Roach protested.
"If we could continue." Gonzalo frowned. Jorge approached behind Roach, a thick glove on one hand. He passed the other to Gonzalo, who slid it over his own hand swiftly. "I know we do not really want information from you, however, it would be nice to call you by your real name instead of 'Roach' all of the time."
"What if I told you I had horrible birth parents? They called me a dangerous lunatic. And fed me only potatoes, well, it didn't matter when the birds ate it before I got to." Roach replied, the corners of his mouth twitching as he tried to keep his laughs in. "And to top it off, they shipped me off to this science-y place where they made me a lab rat all of the time, had to wear this horrible orange jumpsuit-but at least they gave us sixty bucks for it!" Ghost only stared in awe and confusion as Roach spun an extravagant tale about meeting a new friend who tried to help him get back home and some random adventures. Some unseen signal was sent to Jorge, who grabbed a fistful of Roach's hair, makeshift bandage going askew as he forced Roach's head underwater. Ghost was about to voice his anger when someone-he knew was Gonzalo-grabbed a fistful of hair roughly, eliciting a hiss of pain as his hair was pulled up by the roots, and suddenly feeling the icy sting of the water as it surrounded his head. His immediate reaction was to gasp. That was not the best thing to do; seeing as how he immediately got a rather large amount of water in his lungs. The next reaction was to get the hell out-the hand with the vice grip on his hair thought otherwise, keeping him firmly in place as he tried to rise out of the water. The frantic struggling only made it worse, Ghost's lungs burning in protest for oxygen. Precious air escaped his lips and bubbled to the surface of the water, spots starting to dance into his vision with the black starting to creep in. As he started to get light-headed, mercy seemed to come as his head was jerked up, free from the water's grip. Ghost coughed, gasping as he tried to regain his breath and at the same time expel the water trapped in his lungs. Roach was in the same position, trying desperately to catch his breath.
"That was only for thirty seconds, I hope you realize." Gonzalo said simply, his grip on Ghost's hair tightening painfully. Ghost hissed in pain, eyes shut tight as Gonzalo seemed to jerk his wrist, at the same time twisting Ghost's head to the side.
"Pull ti-tighter on m-my hair, wo-would ya?" Roach sputtered as he regained his breath. "I-I still ha-have my scalp."
"If you have the breath to talk, you definitely have the breath to stay submerged longer than thirty seconds, agreed?" Gonzalo asked threateningly.
"Not in the sli-" Roach was cut off when Ghost's head was once again submerged in the water. Not recovered from the first time made it all the more harder for him to keep from taking in a deep breath-resulting in another lungful of water if done. His throat closed on its own, vision swimming and fading in and out as he fought his body's natural instincts, still struggling to rise above the water's level to get even a small amount of oxygen. Ghost could faintly hear voices above him, someone talking before everything blended into a fog that settled in his head, muddling everything into a blur. Something burned in his chest, prompting him to take a breath out of reflex. The amount of icy water he consumed in that one 'breath' blew the fog away, reminding him he was in grave danger of drowning and he was lacking air. Just as he started to panic his head was lifted with a jerk, a gasp of both pain and the need to breathe was the first thing that passed his lips, coughing violently to get rid of the water settling into his lungs. He leaned back as much as the hand gripping his hair would let him, taking deep breaths as his chest heaved. With a slightly open eye he spotted Roach in a similar fashion, his breathing much shallower. Jorge looked down at Roach, tightening his grip on Roach's hair slightly every few seconds and pulling up. Roach made a small noise of discomfort but did nothing more, opting to stay quiet. Ghost understood why-Roach's lip would be the cause of more 'underwater adventures' and for much longer periods of time.
"Are we done talking for the day?" Gonzalo asked, looking between the two soldiers. Roach coughed once, water spilling onto his lap. Ghost closed his eyes, tensed in case he was forced back under water. "That is a relief. You two talking irritates me immensely." Ghost sensed Roach was about to add his two cent's into the conversation.
"You know what this reminds me of?" Roach asked offhandedly.
'I can predict the future.' Ghost thought as he shook his head.
"That mission in Alaska a few months ago-" Ghost stopped him short.
"The one where the captain, Reaper and I panicked when you got trapped under the ice because you fell in?" Roach went red with embarrassment.
"I did not fall in. I told you, I dove in because I thought I saw so-"
"Saw your own reflection, right you narcissist?" Ghost frowned.
"NO, I thought I saw someone underwater!"
"You fell in and were trapped for a full three minutes before Reaper spotted you a hundred meters away under the meter thick ice banging desperately to break free." Ghost said monotonously. Roach's face became a deeper shade of red.
"N-"
Before Roach's retort could be made, the two found themselves being submerged, struggling frantically to resurface. The third time, all cognitive thoughts were tossed aside with reckless abandon as the two tried desperately to free themselves. This time it seemed like much longer than any previous, maybe because Ghost was so unprepared, ready instead to retort to any comment Roach was about to make that he was too surprised to hold his breath. This led to him being completely out of air as it all bubbled to the surface, fighting against Gonzalo's firm grip. The seconds ticked by, Ghost's frantic struggling slowing down as the fog entered his mind once again, white sparks flickering as black crept ever so slowly into his vision. Everything seemed to slow down, the sharp ache and pounding reappearing in his chest reminding him vaguely that he needed oxygen to live. His body instinctively took in another deep breath of what his brain thought was just really thick air, prompting the blackness to sweep over his vision completely as the stars twinkled out, something gripping his head pushing him forward. And suddenly, he started to fall in the opposite direction as bubbles of air passed his lips, everything rushing past him-or was he passing it? Ghost couldn't tell anymore-nor did he care, as a sort of blissful feeling washed over him, someone's calls echoing faintly.
"Ghost! You fuckin' killed him! You bastard! GHOST! Wake up!"
Roach was pulled unceremoniously out of the water, gasping for air as he coughed violently. His throat was sore, and he was starting to shiver from the water's icy temperature. The grip on his hair was released, letting him hand his head in exhaustion.
"…él no está respirando." Gonzalo's voice drifted in the room. Roach didn't take any heed to the Spanish, coughing again to rid the water trapped in his lungs. When Jorge moved away behind him, he relaxed, closing his eyes and listening as something to his left was moved.
Ghost was on his left.
Roach reopened his eyes and turned his head to see Ghost's face a pale blue and body unnaturally still, watching as he was laid down, chest not moving. Suddenly Roach understood what that Spanish meant.
He isn't breathing.
"Ghost! You fuckin' killed him! You bastard! GHOST! Wake up!" Roach screamed in a panic as Juan and Jorge knelt down, blocking Ghost from view as they started CPR. Gonzalo watched a little ways off with a dark look, issuing orders in a quiet hiss. Roach was focused on the top half of Ghost's head that wasn't hidden with anxiety, willing for the Lieutenant to open his eyes, say something, to breathe.
"Yo no creo que pueda ser revivido." Juan said as Jorge continued, rhythmically pumping down on Ghost's chest.
"Hacerle respirar de nuevo." Gonzalo said bitterly, gaze flitting to Roach as he tried to free his hands futilely.
A sudden gasp interrupted anything Juan was about to say as Ghost started to cough, taking in deep breaths in between spitting out mouthfuls of water onto the floor next to him. Jorge forced Ghost to tilt his head to the side to avoid choking as Roach gave a sigh of relief.
"Tie him back down." Gonzalo didn't bother speaking in Spanish as Ghost slowly opened unfocused eyes and scanned around him. Roach winced as Jorge and Juan pulled Ghost up by the shoulders, the sharp pain looking as if it gave a little sense back to Ghost as he moaned in pain, sat back into the chair and retied down. He hung limply, wet hair dripping in clumps and sticking to his forehead. Roach frowned as Gonzalo leaned closer to Ghost, whispering something into his ear with an amused look in his direction. Ghost shook his head slowly, muttering something in reply. Gonzalo's expression darkened as he stood rigid, glare redirected at Roach. Another muttered phrase had Ghost shaking his head a bit faster, eyes opened partially to give an exhausted glare.
"Bad enough I almost died in front of the kid, now you want to do that?" Ghost spoke quietly, his voice rough and edgy. Roach was now more confused as Gonzalo smirked, putting a hand into his pocket and fiddling with something. A few thoughts passed Roach's mind, increasing with every quiet sentence spoken between the two. It seemed to get much more heated with the passing minutes, hearing little snatches-none of them were pleasant words.
"Well, we did forget Roach had a say in this." Gonzalo said airily. Ghost frowned angrily.
"I told you already to leave him alone."
"But since when do I listen to you Simon?" Gonzalo moved slowly towards the deeply confused Roach. This didn't seem to be a situation he wanted to be involved in as he unconsciously tried to move away from the approaching man. The very dangerous spark in Gonzalo's eyes, and the very dangerousknife now in his hands (that was probably what was in his pocket the entire time-Roach had no idea where it came from otherwise, and other reasons would make him feel a little too awkward to even suggest) had a dozen different ways he could be harmed forming in his head.
"You know, now's a good time to start! I mean, Ghost is a lieutenant, and he is scary as shit when he's angry! He once had me running one hundred laps after four hundred push ups AND sit ups!" Roach tried to reason, pulling once at his bound wrists futilely before sighing, knowing Gonzalo wasn't going to stop.
"Leave. Him. Alone." Ghost said angrily, gritting his teeth as Juan and Jorge pressed him back into his chair. Roach flinched when a cold blade touched his cheek, closing his eyes as Gonzalo sought to make eye contact.
"What would be the fun in not seeing the pain in your eyes, the panic as you are left helpless, even when you have someone you trust nearby, unable to help?" Gonzalo seemed to treat Roach like an infant or toddler, one hand grazing over his hair. Roach shuddered, feeling the knife trace his still raw cut on his face. It stung smartly, small droplets of blood resurfacing. "Does it hurt?"
"Stop!" Ghost yelled, trying to shrug off the hands holding him back. Roach was biting his tongue and keeping his eyes shut, refusing to give into Gonzalo. The knife was removed, finding a new spot on his right shoulder.
"Seems to hurt a little, doesn't it Roach? It can stop, if I knew your real name."
"Piss off." Roach grumbled, wincing when he felt a new slice trace over his shoulder. It took all of his training and mental stamina to not yell out every single obscenity in the known universe, instead opting to take slow, deep breaths. He could hear Ghost nearly growling with anger as he tried to free himself, Juan and Jorge laughing at his attempts. Even with his eyes closed Roach could tell Gonzalo leaned in closer to him, judging by being able to feel someone's breath on his face as the knife found a new perch on his right forearm.
"Why are you being so difficult Roach? It's simple, just tell me your name."
"Piss. Off." Roach repeated, his forearm feeling as if it were on fire, knowing there was bound to be a nice, new laceration. Barely opening his eyes and keeping his gaze down did he see the knife was starting to grow red with his blood, and the new cut was still forming was well past five inches in length.
"Leave Roach alone!" Ghost said angrily.
"Simon, do you want a repeat of last time? I know you enjoyed it very much, but Roach seems to be a little young to be broken so early, correct?" Gonzalo asked. Roach let out a barely audible hiss as he felt the knife press down into the fresh cut, keeping himself occupied by thinking of why it wasn't such a brilliant idea to tell Gonzalo his name.
'I can deal with the pain, he doesn't need to know my name-my name leads to the other's names, that leads to MacTavish's name, MacTavish's name leads to the Task Force, which leads to Shepherd, our objectives-Everything! Keep it in Sanderson, don't blow it-Do NOT blow it! It's just a way of letting him win-don't let him win Sanderson! I will slap you if you let your name slip!'
"Roach isn't a plaything for you! Why not have at it with me instead!" Ghost said angrily. Gonzalo seemed to press down too hard on the knife-which had found a new home on Roach's left forearm-'accidentally', penetrating an inch deep into the skin. Roach couldn't help but let out the cry of pain he was trying to corral in, small tears forming at the corners of his eyes. He took heavy breaths, biting his lip to distract himself even more with the mantra in his head-'Don't talk don't talk don't talk.'
"I guess we can…allot, for this one time. Tomela parte de atrásde Américaa su celda. Deje Simon aquí." Gonzalo said crisply. Roach stared in confusion as Juan and Jorge seemed to abandon their guard of Ghost, coming to him and releasing his bonds. Roach soon found himself lifted by his upper arms-Jorge's grip on his right arm over his recently acquired cut-and being frog-marched out. What puzzled him was that Ghost wasn't coming with him.
"Wait, what about Ghost?" He asked, turning his head to look at Gonzalo. He wished he hadn't, when a very dark smile worked its way onto Gonzalo's face.
"Do not worry-Simon and I are going to be reacquainted with one another." Gonzalo replied. Roach twisted around as Juan and Jorge pushed him out, looking at Ghost. His head was down, gaze kept away from both Roach and Gonzalo as Gonzalo pulled out another knife, tip resting on the back of Ghost's neck.
"Ghost! No, wai-" With that, the door slammed shut, separating the two men. Down the hall before Roach reached his cell, he could hear Ghost yelling.
uuuuuuuh...yeah I really don't know where this all came from, and I'm thinking that some of this is a little...meh...
I dunno, if it's a little...off...don't kill me, this is a good time for constructive criticism~ Please, do rip this chapter apart, I beg of you~~
Reduced to begging...huh. . .
*ponders*
Ooooh, btw, Butterscotch MacTavish, I'm sorry I hadn't replied to your PM, but I hadn't honestly seen it until I looked at the reviews-manually. I haven't gotten ANY emails from , and I would be glad to talk to you via PM about your well, PM. I am sorry about that.