Home - COD Simon Ghost Riley X Female OC

Chapter 23

"The ache for home is in all of us."

- Maya Angelou

Ghost approached Price slowly, unsure how to keep himself from sounding too hopeful. The man had cleaned his office, and he had been spending a lot of time in the med bay with Leanne outside of his duties. He looked tired.

"Tell me." He didn't bother standing.

Ghost clasped his hands behind his back, at attention. "She repeated what she had told you, only she let it slip that the previous city where Halcon was located has been leveled." Price nodded. "Which we know to be incorrect."

"You think he's there, then."

"I'd put money on it."

"You think Ricardo is still with him?"

Ghost had the urge to shift his feet. He chose to become deathly still instead. "I doubt he'd let her go."

"Then go."

"Go." He stated, frowning.

"If you think she's there, go and get her."

Go and get her. Go and get her. Get her. "And then?"

Price humored him. He knew Ghost's previous confession, even though it had been in frustration and distrust, had made it harder for him to think clearly. He would avoid focusing on Mariana to protect his image, his dignity, and his heart. Ghost needed the logic spoken. He needed to know his emotions weren't a part of the reasoning.

"While capturing their leader was a good move, the original plan was always to have both in hand." Ghost nodded. "She's an American, Simon. And she's in danger. This is what we do."

Ghost knew that Price felt an incredibly heavy guilt for all of it. He knew that it would have still taken time, but Mariana could have made it safely home once he revealed how they had found her to the right people. And he trusted that the man had only ever tried to do the right thing while weighing the life of one against many.

Price came to stand close to his Lieutenant. Simon was smart, incredibly sharp, aware of everyone else's emotions, predicting their actions and reactions with an ease that only came after unnamable suffering. But he forgot to read himself sometimes. His unease in all of it was obvious to the older man, who had seen him through many things, both on and off the battlefield.

"I should have revealed more to her sooner. I shouldn't have gone off the rails, thinking she would be an asset to us. I'm sorry for that."

Ghost looked down at him. "I know." The phrase was full of forgiveness. He needed the trust between them. He couldn't afford to be on his own. He carried his own guilt for questioning the loyalty of his Captain.

"I'll take a group out tonight."

"Good." Price leaned back against his desk. "The US is sending backup. This is an international incident now, and no longer an investigation into Mariana's allegiances."

It wasn't lost on Ghost that none of that would matter if she ended up committing a crime. Or dying. "If we can get her now, we won't need a negotiation."

He nodded. "They're working on warrants, but it takes time. If we can avoid a negotiation, and we have them both, it will speed things up."

Ghost thanked Price and gathered everyone else. They were familiar with the location. Since it was a search and rescue, they packed light so they could move fast.

Ghost was eaten up by anticipation. Nerves. He hated it worse than anything in the world, and he hadn't been sleeping. Or properly eating. He had convinced himself that he could look for her only in the context of the original mission, and it hurt more than he hoped it would. If it was one of them, no man left behind would trump that context. But she wasn't one of them. Certainly not.