"Hatch? Able? How copy?" A click on her radio startles her, making her pause their training.
"Able," the man responds, "Coming in for pick up. All of you are ordered to a rendezvous with a... 'James Porter'."
"Smoke?" Ritual says through her teeth, distressed and slightly annoyed as she sees the helicopter closing in. "Why?"
"Apparently, he was the closest," Able remarks, "And needs a few words with you."
"I have nothing to say to anyone but Harry." She shakes her head, her mumble whipped away by the raucous blades. "Men," She swings up onto the helicopter, holding on to the outer rail. "Guns clear and let's go. We'll pick this up later."
The men don't dare to say a word during the ride, only speculating what the meeting could be about, while Ritual knew. As soon as the familiar building comes into view, she jumps down from the helicopter before it fully touches the ground, doing a small roll and standing to her feet. The men follow after, giving waves back to Able before approaching the base they called 'Hereford'.
"Over here." She hears the gruff voice call from the firing range. Once she spots him, she walks with her head bowed to the surrounding glares. "Hello, Scorned."
"Call me by my god damn name, Porter." Ritual snarls, crossing her arms. With nothing but a scoff, Smoke waves for the group to follow him as he enters the base. He leads them up the stairs to a small room with a table and few chairs.
"So, let's cut to the chase." Ritual turns to face him, bracing her palms against the table. He leans against the doorway, looking over them all with stern eyes. "What am I being punished for this time?"
"Oi, here we go..." Smoke shakes his head. "Look. We don't need you and your shields, Scorned. Not anymore."
"Don't make me say it a second time." Ritual says so sternly it hurts her throat. "Out of our near-fifty Operators, we have four shields that I'm not even allowed to be deployed with, so why not? I was given the freedom to train my men however I pleased."
"Not allowed with other ops, why?" Gunnar cocks his head, before Ritual waves a hand to shush him.
"Not now." She dismisses. A shock hits him for a second, as he visibly reels back, but resumes his poise in front of the group.
"Oh, you haven't heard yet?" Smoke chuckles before his smirk drops. "I'm not much one for rumors, but this one has quite the reputation." He waves a finger at Ritual.
"I'll show you reputation." She warns him to stop, annoyed. "So what am I supposed to do with the shields I've spent a year training?"
"No one asked you to train them that way except that one." The man points to Gunnar. "Unless you clean things up, they're going back to their units."
"What?!" Ritual shouts, slamming her hands on the table. "So that's it? I'm just supposed to send them home and go back to sitting in the cage, waiting for a mission I'm finally allowed to go on?"
"If you wouldn't have screwed your job in the first place, maybe you'd be deployed right now." Smoke takes a step into the room and leans down onto the table, glaring down on her. "The fault isn't anyone else's but yours."
"My fault?" She stands straight so swiftly that her chair kicks back behind her, taking a big step and getting in his face. The men watch the two, now inches apart, standing back slightly in fear of what might happen next. "That bomber that would've killed me had I not jumped out of a window high enough to be suicide? Watching my partner die in my arms?" She stifles her anger through her sharp teeth. "I have done nothing but sacrifice myself for the good of Team Rainbow, and all I've gotten in return for it is reprimands and scars from the gloves of people like you."
"I recommend you step back before you get some more, sweetheart." Smoke tries to get her to back down by towering over her. He's so close that she can smell his cologne clinging to his uniform through her vents.
"You really want to test me again, James?" Ritual refuses to bend to him, pressing her helmet peak to his forehead. "We know how that went last time."
"Oho, you're bold, aren't you? On top of every other trait you possess." The man scoffs, and she knows she struck something that bothers him. She can still see the divide in the side of his tongue where she'd caused him to bite into it as it brushes against his teeth with his words. He can feel her eyes on it, slithering his tongue back into his mouth and feeling for it with a grimace.
"I'm lots of things. Sorry certainly won't be one of them." Ritual raises her hands slightly, about to crack her knuckles. Gunnar quickly gets up from his spot and puts the back of his hand on her chest. He shakes his head, easing her away. They exchange a knowing glance for a moment. She huffs and obediently reclaims her spot against the table.
"Figure out how to clean up your mess for once and either send your men back to Harry or send them home." Smoke utters his final warning and crosses his arms once more.
"I thought when Harry figured out what he was doing with the Recruitment Program, he would let me know." Ritual mutters, dropping her head.
"He just did." Smoke scoffs and turns out of the doorway, vanishing.
"Yebena mat'!" Ritual shouts and slams her fists on the table. Gunnar grabs her tightly before she can break anything and shushes her.
"Hey, just," He tries to reason over her squirming, eventually wrangling her into sitting. "Relax."
"No!" She takes a deep breath, sitting forward and gripping the sides of the table. "I am so tired of relaxing while my life gets uprooted every time I plant my feet, I am so tired of having every good thing taken away from me... I am not letting this go!" She huffs softly, looking over the men, before settling for a moment. "Unless you don't want to stay..."
"No." Gunnar quickly raises his voice. "You are the only reason any of us got a shot with Team Rainbow. All you've done since we showed up was bring out the best in us... I like to think we bring out the best in you, too."
"You gave us our own gear, made us these amazing shields... You made us into Operators. Why let this go to waste?" Beau asks softly, leaning against a chair and looking over her.
"Yeah," Anton chimes in. "We'll just have to show Rainbow why they need us."
"I'll do what I can..." Ritual says, defeated. "For now, I cannot keep you."
"Well..." Vyacheslav gets up. "What now?"
"I... It's your choice." Ritual finally stands, looking over the group, feeling so proud of them as they stood in their kits with shields stowed on their backs. Under her helmet, she felt misty-eyed. "Are you going home? Or are you staying with Rainbow... With me?"
The group falls silent, looking at each other. The light flickers. The doorway remains unobstructed. The rain outside trickles down the windows, crates are tossed about, men holler and practice their aim. None of it is any louder than the crackling of the fireplace in the next room or Ritual's stifled breathing. All of them are unsure if the choice is truly theirs.
"We're R-T-B to get your things together for when Harry calls." She gestures for the men to follow her out. "Now is your time to decide."
Their footsteps as one, they find their way out of the winding base onto the blacktop. The rain was pouring now, pattering off of their helmets and staining their gear with swathes of wet patches. Normally the men would have sprinted to the helicopter to escape the storm, but Ritual walks no faster than normal, and they follow suit.
The eyes of the British men around her all fall onto her form. Some stare and some only glance, but Ritual avoids the gazes and continues trudging forward. Her eyes only look up to meet Able's, who can read them through the mirrored lenses, and sits back down into his seat without a word.
"Ritual?" The silence is broken only after the door closes. Vyacheslav looks at her, standing against it and grasping the railing. She meets his eye, signaling him to speak without saying a thing herself. "What did he mean when he said that you're not allowed with other Operators?"
"I wish I could tell you..." Ritual scoffs slightly, a look of pain and pity overtaking her masked face. Gunnar averts his eyes as he listens, which doesn't go unnoticed.
"It seems like everyone else knows but-"
"They aren't supposed to know, either." She quickly snaps back. Her fists are clenched at her side, making the man step back. She notices and relaxes her muscles.
"I'm sorry..." He says softly. "But I think we deserve to know why this is affecting us." His voice is soft, trying to reason with the woman. "We came here to join Rainbow, and something you did is keeping us from doing that."
"This was my chance just as much as it was all of yours." Ritual quickly retorts. "Harry gave you all to me to test me, to see if I was fit to lead again, and if you were good recruits. We're supposed to be helping each other."
"Exactly. It's not just about you anymore." Anton says bluntly.
"You're right..." The woman sighs after some time, looking down. "I know this must be very confusing and unfair for all of you... And it is for me, too." She glances at them all for a moment before lowering her gaze again. "But it's classified... Supposed to be."
"We know that isn't stopping you, Rit." Anton dismisses, giving her a stern gaze, since she had already told him. "If you aren't honest, we're all going to get sent home."
"God damn it, I know!" Ritual clenches her teeth, ripping off her helmet and tossing it onto the bench beside her. "I'm scared you won't believe me, like the rest of them!" She wipes some tears from her eyes. "You guys are my squad, my boys... I don't want to lose you, and I feel like I'm damned either way."
"We've seen who are up to this point..." Beau comforts her. "It's not like we're going to turn on you now."
"Okay..." Ritual looks up, adjusting her tear-soaked balaclava. "Fine. You've got me." She whispers, wiping the tears from her delicate lashes. The men nod to her and each other, falling silent again, waiting on her.