"You don't understand the seriousness of the situation." Price glared down at Brylie as she stormed into the warehouse. A heated arguement erupted over the coms while McTavish and Hunter were on their way back from their Recon mission.
"You think I don't know he wants me dead? So does the rest of the United States!" Brylie snapped. Ghost felt as if she had snapped at him, and took it personally. She didn't know he was the reason why Price was bringing this up, so he tried to remind himself of that fact. He only did this because he cared for her.
"Brylie, you could get killed. That's what we're trying to tell you." Soap spoke softly, putting his hand on the girls shoulder.
"Keep in mind what your death could do to those around you." Lizzy added. Brylie stopped speaking for a minute, and looked around at everyone surrounding her. Her eyes landed on Simon, who said it all with a quick look, and then turned away as if he didn't care. But he did. If he lost Brylie it would be the end of him.
"So what do you want me to do?" Brylie asked, looking around again. "I'm not sitting this one out. If you're right then he will come for me if he doesn't see me out there..."
"Then we'll set a decoy." Simon interrupted the Captain before he could speak. "But you'll need to hide your identity."
"How do I do that? The skull thing is already taken..." he detected a hint of amusement in her voice as she looked at him.
Ghost handed her a black gator, and a dark green trucker hat. "Tuck your hair into the hat. Make yourself look as much like a man as you're able to. Soap and I will take care of the rest." Brylie nodded, putting on the gator and the hat, then letting Soap lead her over to the corner so the other could discuss a plan.
"So what's going on with him?" Brylie asks, looking at Simon.
"He couldn't live with himself if he lost you." Soap spoke softly, watching her tuck in her hair. "Simon loves you more than his rifle."
Brylie half smiled. "I feel the same way about him."
"Have you told him?"
"No."
"What's stopping you?"
"The mission." She spoke softly as Simon headed in their direction. Simon immediately started putting eye black on her face around her eyes and covering up what he could.
"Pull up the mask real quick." Soap looked at her as she did so, then looked at Ghost. He stood there, almost out of breath from the way she was looking up at him. The black around her eyes made the bright blue color stand out, yet it was slightly intimidating.
"Bloody fuck." He thought to himself as she tilted her head to the side. Even Soap swallowed hard, wondering when the girl had that effect on him and why.
"McTavish! I need your help." Lizzy called, Soap jogged off, leaving the two alone.
"I think we just found the look." Brylie chuckled, looking at her phone camera. Simon pulled down her mask, grabbing her by the throat and tilting her head back, then slamming his lips onto hers. Brylie was so taken aback, but she returned the kiss anyways. His hand tight on her neck, yet light enough not to break it, he lightly bit her lip. Brylie gladly let him shove his tongue into her mouth. Such aggression filled the kiss, and before she knew it he was pulling away. "What was that for?"
"You look fuckable." He shrugged, pulling down his mask over his face.
"Excuse me?" She giggled, looking up at him. Simon smiled down at her, then settled in between her legs on the floor, his back to the crate she was now sitting on.
"You heard me, Corporal."
"Don't call me that." She mocked.
"I'll call you exactly what I want, when I want." He huffed as her hand slid onto his shoulder.
"Okay Simon."
__________________________________
Simon had laced Brylie's fingers with his own, one hand on his rifle as the two of them got into position, standing against the sheet metal wall of the makeshift gate.
Two buggys sped out, causing both soldiers to duck down into the grass to avoid being seen. Simon had started squeezing her hand without knowing it, causing Brylie to half smile.
"You must be really nervous, Lieutenant." She whispered. He looked down at their hands and cursed, then gently let go of her hand to grab his rifle.
He mumbled an apology, and quickly stepped out of the grass only to be pulled back in as another buggy came speeding out. Brylie kept her hand on his shoulder, then looked at him. She pressed her forehead against his for a brief moment then jokingly pushed him backwards as she took the lead. Soap was seen in the distance, looking at the two of them from the back entrance of the camp. Simon stayed close to Brylie, the only thought going through his mind was, "Protect Brylie".
She crouched down behind a car, listening to Price give them orders.
"Soap has eyes on Justin. Upstairs, fourth building down that road. Guards posted outside of every building. I don't see how you can get up there without being seen-"
"We know how." Brylie cut him off. She turned to Simon and whispered, "Still remember what I'm talking about old man?"
"Yes I do." Simon playfully glared at her, then nodded towards the first building. Brylie quickly ran around to the back, and hauled herself up onto the first crate. Simon followed after she hauled herself up onto the next one. So on and so on, brick by brick, and finally she was up on the rooftop.
Simon followed behind her, hurrying to the fourth building where they would drop down through the window. Brylie, with her rifle in hand, quickly looked through the scope. Justin had no idea who this woman was, but smirked at Simon.
"Got yourself another woman you cannot please, Ghost?" Justin sneered. Brylie narrowed her eyes on Justin, keeping the gun locked on him, and only him.
"Do we want him dead or alive, Captain?" Simon growled through comms.
"What do you think, lieutenant?"
"I'm leaning more towards death for what he did to Brylie." He snarled, glaring at Justin.
"It wasn't always about hurting Brylie." The way he said her name sounded as if there was much vile behind it. "Why do you think I went after her so much? I wanted to hurt you, Lieutenant. You had nothing I could use against you until she came along. All of us saw the way you looked at her."
Brylie could see the regret in Simon's eyes as he looked at Justin. She knew in that moment he was blaming himself for her getting hurt, for her taking those beatings day after day for the last seven years.
"She got what she deserved. That bomb in Ukraine took care of her. Her whole life she was nothing, a useless runt. And you, Simon. I always hated you. Always getting promoted and shit you didn't deserve!"
Simon held the gun higher, aiming right at Justin's heart. "Say one more fucking word." Brylie darted her eyes over to who she assumed was the CEO they had come looking for, then back at Ghost. She whistled, and looked back at the man who had his hands tied behind his back and a gag in his mouth. A small bomb was planted behind him, with a timer for the next five minutes.
"Kill me, and you have no way of turning off that bomb." Brylie didn't like the sinister smile plastered on Justin's face. She didn't like what was about to unfold not only for him...but for her.
"Brylie don't speak if theres a hostage situation." Lizzy said over comms. Brylie stayed silent.
"Don't speak if theres a bomb." Once again she stayed silent. Whatever bomb Justin had planted was a decoy, something to get them riled up. But she had other plans, so technically it wasn't entirely a lie.
"One more. Don't speak if Justin has the remote."
More silence, though this time she had lied. She was the one with the remote.
"Shit. Okay. Ghost, shoot him on the count of three. Brylie you take out the bomb-"
Simon wasted no time as Justin started running his mouth about how he was going to kill Brylie. Lizzy didn't finish her sentence, and Brylie dove towards the captive. She had already pulled her knife out, and cut through all the wires in rapid haste. She listened to Price and Soap cuss out Ghost.
The captive screamed but it was muffled by the gag in his mouth. Brylie grabbed his arm, putting him over her shoulder, and grabbing Ghost as well, dragging him along too. Ghost was still arguing, and then Brylie heard a ticking noise. She knew Justin wasn't dead, if she could successfully get the two out of the building and blow it up without them knowing she'd never lie again. Ghost stopped and looked at her, he heard it too. She looked over in the corner of the room, where the real bomb was lying in the corner. Three minutes. Three minutes until their lives would ultimately be over.
"Get the fuck out of here, Simon!" She yelled, hurrying him out the window. "Take the captive."
"Brylie what the fuck are you doing?" Simon looked at her. She rushed over to him, lifting her mask and his, then slamming her lips onto his.
"He's not dead." She pushed him, then turned around. Justin was already behind her, knife to her throat. "Get the fuck out of here! They can't lose you."
"We need you-" Ghost started off then stopped, "I need you." His voice was soft.
"You were always weak, Simon! I'll kill her if you don't leave-"
"I told you once you son of a bitch." Brylie growled, "You can't kill what's already dead!" She shoved her knife into his thigh, pushed his arm away and turned around. Simon couldn't watch, he wanted to help but the captive was already gone. He had to leave, she wanted him to.
"Once again you've fallen into my trap, Brylie." Justin smirked, panting from the pain blinding him. Brylie cut the line of her radio with her knife as she heard them panicking over her.
"That's where you're wrong, Justin. I knew it was a decoy." She said.
"What? How?"
"I had everyone convinced I didn't know." She chuckled. "I knew all along about you're little plan. I've known for years."
"You didn't see the bomb-"
"I knew."
"And you allowed yourself to get hurt?"
"I allowed myself to play your little game." She chuckled, "I had everyone convinced, but it all lined up just like I thought it would."
"How did you see through my plan?" Justin asks, looking around at all the possibly entry ways of getting into the building.
"Believe it or not, we think alike." She knelt down on the ground, shoving the barrel of the rifle into his chest. "Everyone in the camp is dead, I made sure that was taken care of while we were in here. I knew you were planning something from the day you showed your weakness. I did some digging, and found all these ties that added up to what had been happening to me. Day after day I was a pawn in your little revenge plan against Simon." She growled, "At first I thought it was something personal. You had me convinced, a well done performance indeed.
"You're fucking crazy!" Justin's eyes were wide with terror. Like he was facing the devil himself.
"No." She smiled, "I'm just smart." She shoved the butt of her rifle into his face, not hard enough to knock him unconscious, but enough to break a few bones. "I rigged this place up with dynamite. This place is going up in flames as soon as I leave."
"What will Simon think of you betraying him?"
"You think I didn't worry about that day after day?" She snapped. "I am doing this for him. You didn't live the life he did. He didn't deserve anything you did to him, just like I didn't deserve any beating you gave to me. You're blowing up with this place. Good luck finding your way out with two broken legs." She growled, then stood up and walked out the door, jogging down the stairs. She cleared herself of the camp before hitting the button, and the whole camp engulfed in flames.
Brylie knew she was crazy, she knew all along of Justin's plans. And she knew she'd lose the trust of the task force, she'd lose the trust of Simon. But she did it for him, so he could move on with his life. It may not have healed any trauma, but it cleared one more obstacle so he could do what he loved doing. Fighting for what was right.