Redemption

CHAPTER XXXII: Breaking Barriers

Having to face Nikolais again was a huge problem to Graves, and to his own mentality as well. It was already bad enough with the amount of awkwardness and tension they produced the first time they had finally reunited, but Ghost just wanted him to be the sacrifice to do the talk just this one time in order to save both Price and Alejandro. Part of him manifests that this would never work out, considering ordering an old friend – now an unfamiliar face is such a shameful motive, but he couldn't help it either.

Ghost had him tied to his own strings, using his aura to manipulate Graves in a way. It's only considered manipulating because he's using the man to get the two men out of their grasp.

Dirty play.

Graves had just stepped out of the base and onto the remaining vehicles that were available for deployment. He found the other lieutenant there, waiting for him as it had just turned evening – the sun now dried and they meet the moon rising up from its shackles, watching over them and representing a beautiful sight of silver dream.

He reaches the desired vehicle, shortly meeting with Ghost once again, giving him an empty void of look – yet a void could tell so many things at once underneath the empty, endless, black pits of no return. It gave him chills, but just skimmed past him towards the front seat as Ghost takes some time to breathe outside the small jeep, going inside after a few seconds of contemplation.

Ghost had volunteered to drive for the both of them beforehand because he already thought that Graves was dealing with such a task that he knew it would be difficult for him to handle, knowing the fact that him and Enzo are friends. He had the wrong idea, nobody told him they were still friends.

They weren't anymore. At least- that's what it seemed to be.

—-

During the ride, Graves had given Ghost directions to where the base is located, so it really didn't take long for Ghost to figure out where he was pointing at and all. They were both still full of tension with one another, but that was the one reason that Graves was able to reach out towards Ghost. He really wanted him to be clear with his fellow-lieutenant, and he doesn't want to be misty with his sentiments this time. The fogginess blurred the ultimate truth that Ghost couldn't bear in his frozen pulse, the fogginess being able to shroud Graves' mind, churning it to be indirect, despite it being on the right track.

In summary, every interaction with them both only contained such faint fragments of emotion – that it hid their true intentions of what they would've wanted to say. Ghost wasn't honest with himself, and Graves was afraid to be open with him.

The only reason why Graves was able to get through to him, was because of Johnny.

Johnny... having that name mentioned made Ghost soft all the time. It opens so many opportunities to talk, yet Graves couldn't muster up such courage to be able to talk to him. It was also Ghost's fault, because he wasn't being honest with Graves either – the feelings of no remorse always winning his bitter end, denying the inevitable truth that he didn't want Graves to die in the first place after being severely injured that one time.