The Commander's Legacy - MxM

Chapter 8 - Viper

But still...

 

"Viper." I blinked, realizing only now that the sergeant was still waiting patiently beside my bed and the room was empty beside him. Clearly the doctor and nurse have taken their leave, causing me to sigh softly.

"How are the others, sir?" I asked respectfully, wanting to avoid what I suspected to be an interrogation; I didn't need to relive my nightmares during the daytime. His eyes pierced through mine and his lips tightened slightly but he nodded before scratching at the back of his balding head.

"I meant to discuss that point with you. With all due respect Viper, but the council has declared that you're no longer able to fight, at least, not for a long while. You're going to heal and nurse your wounds back to health. All of them." He added pointedly while my mood was quickly dropping below zero.

His expressions twitched lightly while he kept observing me before he sighed and stood upright, looking back out the window. Despite the turmoil going on in my head, my instincts flared to life when I saw a small bead of sweat pearl down his temple.

I wasn't a sniper just because I was a good shot; I needed to make split-second decisions in battle, decisions that always pushed the lives and deaths of several people in my hands. To do that, my mind was sharper than most others' and I had a knack for figuring out the unconscious signals people were throwing off.

My muscles tensed slightly but I forced them to relax, shuffling slightly on my bed so I was leaning back more, in a slightly more weak position. Sergeant Grey glanced out of the corners of his eyes towards me before he really turned, observing my probably pale face, the perspiration gathering on my body and the way I favored my arm.

He smirked.

His lip pulled up in a twisted smirk, a sign that he unconsciously showed his satisfaction with the fact that I lied here wounded and have been close to death. It disappeared instantly but it was enough for me to remember the reason why Mother had ventured out here, on his final mission.

°°°Flashback°°°

"I can't say too much Viper, because I don't want to endanger either your team or mine. " Mother told me while the pilots were preparing the birds for my team. I glanced at them out of the corner of my eyes, frowning before he nudged my shoulder with a serious look in his eyes.

"Doubt you wanted me to start worrying 'bout your health but Mother..." I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck whilst staring at him. We'd been best friends after we butted heads when we first enlisted. Our playful rivalry had soon escalated into a brotherhood, a silent oath sworn between us.

He sighed heavily before stepping aside so he could look at his team, who were chatting with my men excitedly whilst prepping for their mission.

"میںچوہوںکاشکارکررہاہوں" He whispered under his breath whilst brushing by, making sure that it seemed that he was telling me something funny by looking over his shoulder at me with a wide grin before he tapped his head once and turned back around.

Mother walked away as soon as he spoke in Urdu but I couldn't help but stare at his back whilst my brain instantly translated that small sentence that, unknowingly to me, would change my whole life.

"I'm hunting for rats."

 

°°°End Flashback°°°

Yes, rats indeed. From what I could detect from Grey's body language, he was one of them. The small quirk of his eyebrow, the shiver of his lip and the way he couldn't disguise his mirth when looking at my wounds said it all.