More Than Human

Chapter 81: A Crash

He scratched behind her ears and a small amount of smoke blew from her nose as she purred. He chuckled, the familiar smell of the dragon's smoke soothed his ache.

"Where would I be without you, my girl?" He asked as she shoved her head against his palm so that he would pet around her horns.

He stayed fixed to that spot for an hour before finally willing himself to get up and check on the others. He sort of expected them to all be in their respective rooms, but he instead found them all in one of the smaller lounge rooms, watching a movie. Soap must have been between waves of his post full moon heat because he and Ghost were both there as well.

It made him smile slightly seeing them all together like this. Relaxed. Safe.

He had to let himself enjoy it at the moment. Depending on what was happening they might have to go back to what they were before for a time. Soldiers. That's what they all were. But here, they got to just enjoy life, Price was able to know that they were safe.

It was the one thing he hated about his job. He had to be the one to send them out into the world. A world that seemed to hate them for what they were, and would do anything to smother their light.

For now he stepped a little farther into the room.

"What are we watching?"

Soap turned his head and grinned around Simon's arm, "Bambi. Bunch of these fuckers haven't seen it."

Price looked at the screen, they must have just started as they were toward the beginning. He took a seat on the floor beside the rest of the team, "You picked this?"

Soap nodded.

"Surprised you didn't pick an action movie or something." He commented.

Soap looked mildly embarrassed, "It was the only VHS we had at my orphanage. Makes me nostalgic."

Price hummed and gave him a little smile before focusing back on the screen.

Did a bunch of them cry when Bambi's mom got shot, maybe. Was Price one of them even though he had already seen it and knew what happened, who knows?

They had just gotten to the end of the movie when Price's phone buzzed in his pocket and he quickly fumbled with it as he hurried to stand and get back to the study. The name on the call made his heart flutter slightly.

He frantically answered the call, "Nik?"

"John!"

He must have been flying, his voice was distorted from his mic. He had been doing some underground surveillance the past few months. He had come out to help rescue Laswell during the Hassan debacle, but other than that, Price hadn't seen or heard from him. He missed him deeply, but hearing from him now was confusing.

"What's happening?" He asked.

"Laswell sent me out to the base." The man explained, "It's a fucking wreck, John."

Price swallowed, "What do you mean, Nik?"

"Looks like someone took a blowtorch to the whole thing!"

The captain felt dread pooling in his stomach, "Survivors?"

"Not sure, I'm in the air. No movement, though." He said, a little regretfully.

What the hell had happened there? What was the fucking reason?

"дерьмо!" Nik hissed out, "Have a bit of company, John. What the fuck?"

"Nik, whatever it is, don't engage, you hear me?"

"Yes, Captain." He grunted out, "My cameras are recording."

John didn't give a shit about that right then. He gave a shit about making sure Nikolai made it out of this with his life.

"Do not die." He found himself saying, "Because if I have to listen to you die over the phone... Listen, I've studied necromancy, I would raise you from the dead so I could kill you myself."
Nik laughed, in spite of the situation. Price just stood with a death grip on his phone, listening to the sounds and curses coming from Nik's mic. Whatever was on him was chasing and clearly giving him a hard time.

Price had to pull the phone away from his ear as a loud boom sounded and alarms aggressively blared.

"Nik?"
"Took a hit to one of my engines." Nik told him through gritted teeth.

"What did I say about dying, Nik?"

"Not to worry, Captain. This isn't my first crash, and it certainly won't be my last!"

The line went dead and Price stared at his phone, mouth slightly agape. He swallowed and messaged Laswell about what happened. She tracked the coordinates of Nik's small plane that he had taken and sent them to Price.

Price stormed out of his office and went to gather up his gear.