Terra (A Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare FanFiction)

Chapter 12- Plans

February 17, 2121

"Terra!"

I half turned to look back at Caitlyn. She held two boxes and flicked her head towards the door to signal that she needed help to go in. I clicked open the door and held it open, stepping in first to do so. Caitlyn carefully set the boxes on a counter. I realized this was a stock room of part of Sick Bay.

Had I really stumbled to this side of the ship? I'd been walking, mindlessly and endlessly to keep my mind at ease. From what I wasn't sure myself, but I had a feeling it had to do with the encounter with Reyes days ago. He had avoided me since then.

Why in the hell was I so caught up in him? Why couldn't I go a day without relating something to him? He was important and I'd succeeded in finding him yet that didn't mean I had to look at him as I had been: property. My inner self thought of him as something I had to keep close, as if I was unknowingly fearful of losing something by losing him. Was it my rank? It wasn't exactly high to begin with.

"Something on your mind?"

I bounced my breath to Caitlyn's unexpected speech.

"Not exactly."

"Uh huh. Why don't you sit with me and help me fold these sheets and talk about it?"

I reluctantly sat across from her, straddling the bench to the side of the room. Caitlyn threw me a pile of thin green Sick Bay sheets and I began to sort through them, refolding those that had already been done sloppily.

"I know we haven't gotten the best of starts, but talking to each other can change that."

"Very true," I agreed.

"So tell me what's up. Whatever is said in this room stays in this room."

I sighed, folded a couple more sheets and then sighed again. "Conflicting thoughts I suppose."

"About?"

"Reyes."

Caitlyn paused so faintly I almost didn't think anything of it.

"He just has this shell," I groaned, leaning back against the rest of the bench and breathing deeply. "I get him to open up, talk about his past or even himself, and then he goes back under it. It's impenetrable."

"I thought you knew almost everything about him."

"I do, unfortunately."

"Unfortunately?"

"He knows this and I feel like it's ruining everything. Maybe he thinks I'm some sort of crazy young soldier I don't know."

"I mean you kind of are."

I sat up and glared at her playfully.

"Is this why he's been avoiding you?"

"I asked him about Nora Salter, an ex-comrade from before. Opened up a big wound."

"I think that's the problem- not just with you but all of us."

"What?"