The chopper landed on an empty residential road of the old village; the ground covered in a foot of snow. Peaked drifts had formed along the front ends of the houses, and as they chose one to make their lodging for the next few nights, they begrudgingly shovelled a path to its door.
A house—even with the task of shovelling—was a much better option than tenting considering the frigid winter weather was in full swing in the region. But having shelter still wasn't enough to counter the cold, so while Drew and Price moved their equipment and supplies from where the helo had dropped them off, Ghost was setting up a generator so they could heat at least the living room. They'd be staying there together, avoiding the waste of fuel it would take to heat all of the rooms, as well as keeping in mind that they'd stay warmer if they barricaded themselves into one room.
Drew was on her fourth trip from the street to the house when she unzipped her jacket, too warm to wear the parka any longer considering she had a thermal shirt beneath it. She dropped it onto a bin, catching the attention of Ghost a few feet away.
His eyes flashed to her, then to her jacket before huffing and looking back to the exhaust he was setting up in the window.
It made her stomach sink. It reminded her of what Fox had said, about her wanting people to look at her.
Is that why Ghost was always so annoyed by her? Did he feel the same way?
Her fingers twitched to grab her jacket again.
"Starin' ain't going to make me go faster," he grumbled. "But you don't seem to care for the heat anyways."
"Thing's too hot," she mumbled.
She was torn between putting the jacket back on or keeping it off.
"Takin' a break already?" Priced called from behind her.
"Think she's judging my work," Ghost countered.
"I'm sure he won't blow us up, come on," Price called.
She immediately followed the order, walking the path back to the road and grabbing another bin. There were only a few left, so when she dropped the one she was carrying and returned for another, it was the last. As she came back in, she knocked the door shut with her foot before she wandered back into the living room.
Price nodded before unzipping his coat. "Let's have supper then organize ourselves. We've got time before we have to move out."
It took a few minutes, but that cold feeling from her memories of Fox subsided and she was able to relax. Price's chatter and jokes worked to calm her thoughts before they transitioned the conversation to their plan as they set up the living room to act as a workspace, then suited up.
Slowly, the anticipation of getting the mission started was raising her adrenaline—a feeling she sought after; how her senses would become sharper as her mind slowed. That energy had built as they loaded their belts and small rucksacks with equipment before they were pulling on their jackets and prepping to leave.
"I'm going to scout ahead to make sure we're clear before we head out, I'll be back in five."
"Stay frosty," Ghost teased lowly.
Price huffed but slipped out the door, leaving Drew and Ghost in silence.
When she finished zipping her jacket, she reached for the balaclava that was sitting beside her gloves. But then she caught sight of another one on a bin behind Ghost. He was facing away, checking over his bag, so she wandered behind him quietly and grabbed it.
He ignored her presence—surprisingly—and she slipped away, pulling on the balaclava and then her gloves.
"Really, Daisy?"
It felt foreign to have her face covered, but she flicked her eyes up to meet Ghost's as a smirk formed on her lips. "What?" she asked as if innocent.
He walked toward her, frame imposing—especially with all his gear and mask. It wasn't her first time seeing him with the skull, but it was the first time she decided that it was in fact intimidating. Even though it only thrilled her that he was baited.
"When'd you get in the habit of stealin' people's shit?"
"I haven't stolen anything," she said simply, "I'm just borrowing."
He held her gaze as his fingers took hold of the fabric at the base of her neck. But he didn't pull it off; he just tugging it—and as a result, her—toward him slightly.
Maybe he was thinking of pulling it off. Maybe he wanted to strangle her. But he did neither; his eyes just traced over her face. Despite being nearly entirely covered, she felt exposed, sending her nerves buzzing as he looked over his skull balaclava on her. The thought of sparking a fight with him was exciting, but this tension... was better.
"You're trying to test me," he murmured.
"Always," she agreed, chin raising a little in defiance.
"Careful. If you push too far you might not like the consequences."
"I think I can handle them."
His eyes flicked between hers. "You really are a brat, aren't you?"
She tried to hold back the surprised spark that went through her at his words, but it was obvious that he caught how her eyes widened slightly. His words so clearly had a double meaning, one that was far too intimate for her co-worker to be calling her out for, but fuck, it only made that tension between them thicker. And she was a sucker for it.
"What does that make you?"
He let out a breath that sounded more like a growl. "The sorry sod who has to deal with ya."
She smirked a little more, taking a step back so the fabric was pulled from his fingers. "I'm sure Price could deal with me instead."
Without pause, his hand dropped to wrap around her belt and pull her toward him—although it didn't seem like he'd meant to. His brows furrowed a little, as if it was instinct and not a conscious action. But then his fingers tightened around the material.
"Stop dicking around, Daisy. We've got a mission to focus on."
"I am focused," she said innocently before tiling her head a little. "Price is about to walk in the door."
Just as she finished speaking, the door opened.
Ghost released her belt but kept his eyes on her, sending a warning look before turning to his bag.
"We're clear to move out, you both ready to go?" Price asked as he stepped into the living room.
"Yes, sir," Ghost nodded.
"Mhmm," Drew agreed, grabbing her bag and helmet.
"Oh, hell," Price laughed, "I'm surprised I came back to you in one piece," he jeered as he looked over at her.
"Wanted to show some team morale, you know? The Lieutenants workin' together."
"You and your fucking morale," Ghost muttered.
"You don't hate it," she teased, although it had to be true since she was still wearing his balaclava. Why, she didn't know. But she wasn't going to miss an opportunity to get further under his skin.
"Let's go," he barked, passing her and Price to get outside.
"Can't help yourself, can you?" Price asked with a brow raised.
"His looked warmer," she shrugged, the excuse rolling off her tongue easily. "Besides, he had the chance to take it off, and he didn't take it."
"Did he?" he asked, that piece of information seeming to be extremely interesting to him.
But she ignored the tone, grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. She hummed in agreement, pulling on her gloves as she passed him.
"Just remember to keep all that away from the mission, yah?" He asked as he followed her outside.
"We're professionals, Price," she mocked. Although they were; they wouldn't let their animosity affect their work.
"As long as you follow orders, we won't have a problem," Ghost stated.
God, she wanted to rebut, to tease, and her eyes communicated as much as they locked on Ghost. But his warning look—as well as knowing they needed to focus on the objective—were excuse enough to keep those words at bay.
"Roger that, Lieutenant," she agreed sweetly before flicking down her night vision goggles.
Just because she wouldn't outwardly challenge him didn't mean she couldn't do it on the DL.
Price shifted, moving to stand in front of them both. "We'll take the long away around through woods. We're keeping away from the road to the bunker and we'll come round from the back and work our way down. Keep chatter to a minimum, and watch each others backs."
Both Ghost and Drew nodded in understanding before they started their trek. It was only six kilometres directly, but they were nearly doubling the distance to give them and the bunker a wide berth. And ten kilometres wasn't much walking—or even running—but trudging through snow and over thick roots while in bulky winter gear was less enjoyable.
The snow was too powdery to wear snow-shoes—much to her annoyance—so they were forced to go through it. Price didn't seem to have an issue as he led the group, trudging through like a snowplough. She wasn't so lucky; so even though it felt stupid, she'd taken to stepping into his footprints rather than making her own because at least that way she was conserving some energy.
Eventually, Price came to a stop and he pulled out a compass.
"You gonna make it there, or are we going to lose you in the snow?" Ghost's voice was quiet, especially beneath the wind.
She looked over her shoulder at him. "Focus on the mission, not me," she countered bitterly.
"Switch spots with me."
"Bite me."
"That's an order, Daisy," he said knowingly before trudging his own path around her so he was between her and Price.
"Dick."
"Princess."
"We have two klicks to go and then we'll turn toward the bunker," Price called back before beginning to walk again, apparently not hearing their argument.
She hurried her steps to stay close behind Ghost. "How am I the princess? You're the one who is stomping around to get his way," she argued quietly.
"You're making a fuss over something that's going to make your life easier," he stated blandly over his shoulder.
She huffed before noticing what he was doing; tamping more snow down so she wasn't doing knee-highs for every step.
It shut her up quickly.
They spent the rest of the walk in silence, eyes shifting through the trees and listening for any sign of enemies. They'd had to make their way up the back end of a small hill, the bunker being built into it for ease. During the war it would have been the perfect location because the root line would have been far enough above the bunker depth that it would stay covered by the forest.
As they approached the last five hundred meters, they slowed, caution high as they worked nearer and nearer to their mark. It was only when Price held up a fist that she realized they'd arrived.
"Entrance is a hundred meters ahead, we'll start setting up surveillance. Ghost, twenty-five meters north-west, Daisy, twenty-five meters south-east. I'll get the router going."
They nodded and she split apart, moving to her location before pulling out a small camera and tucking it into a tree.
"How's that, Price?" she asked through the headset.
She saw him looking at a small tablet before nodding. "Clear."
"Mine alright?"
"You're good, let's keep moving."
They regrouped, and as they continued forward, she noticed less and less snow underfoot.
"The place is being heated," she said, nodding to the ground. "They must be staying inside."
Ghost nodded. "No where else for them to stay that's close enough."
As they reached the arch of the entrance, Drew crouched, inching toward the edge. "Hold my feet," she ordered quietly as she dropped to her stomach and wiggled until her upper body forward. Once hands wrapped around her ankles, she pushed until she was dangling over the edge, fingers tucking a camera expertly into a nook of a tree root that had burst through the concrete. It faced the road, and although there were a number of trees blocking its direct view, they would still be able to see any incoming traffic.
Then she pulled herself up before wiggling back, the hands releasing her as she turned and stood.
Price's eyes were on the tablet and he nodded. "We need some facing the entrance. We'll make our way down and around, set one up..." he trailed off, eyes scanning the area before his brows furrowed, "are those trucks?"
She turned, barely catching sight of a few vehicles parked between trees beside the entrance. Then she noted the strategic removal of a few trees, creating a crude pathway from the road.
"Let's get a camera set up behind them. Make sure it's not somewhere visible if they're going in and out. He scanned the area and nodded in the other direction, "Over around there. Close enough that we'd be able to see people's faces."
"I've got the trucks," she noted, stepping around them.
"I'll keep watch, but cover your arses," Price ordered, looking between her and Ghost.
"Rog, Cap," Ghost agreed.
She slipped away, moving the long way around the back of the bunker and down the hill until she curved her path back. Eventually, she spotted the trucks, nearing until she found a good spot. It was the hollow of a tree, just big enough for the camera and receiver to fit.
"How's it looking Price?"
"Move a little to the left, see if you can get some of the road in there as well."
"Copy."
She shifted it slightly, making sure it was still hidden enough. "Better?"
"Better."
She stepped away from the camera, then moved the trucks, eyes scanning their beds for anything, then into the windows.
"Mine's in place, it alright?"
"You're clear. You can both make your way back."
She looked through the trees, catching a glimpse of Ghost moving back.
"Hold. Find cover; we've got a vehicle moving toward us. Prepare for hostiles."
Her head shifted to look down the road, but from her position it was impossible to see. It was only when she'd moved to cover that the headlights were close enough to show through the trees.
"Status?" Price asked.
"Covered."
"Covered."
The com line stayed silent after that, all three of them waiting in anticipation as the vehicle neared the bunker. From her line of sight, she could just make out a transport truck—smaller than the one from the other night, but still carrying a good amount.
The supplies.
The truck came to a stop and two men dropped from the cab, moving to the back of the trailer to open the doors. She heard conversation, but they were too far to hear what they were saying.
Then the door of the bunker creaked open and three men exited, dressed in heavy jackets and boots as they made their way toward the truck. They greeted each other warmly before the five of them began unloading boxes. Some were plastic, some looked like cardboard, and they dropped them near the entrance of the bunker—right in front of the trucks.
She watched two men carry a particularly heavy looking bin.
"Christ, what's in this thing?" one of the men asked bitterly, accent familiar.
He's British...
"New walkie talkies," the other said, the Italian accent clear in his excited voice. "And some other technology."
"Fuckin' finally. I'm ready to burn the ones we have now," the first chuckled.
Her brain sparked immediately, and she was moving forward. With all of the men at the back of the truck, she slipped toward the bin, opening it and pulling out a walkie talkie.
"Daisy, what the hell are you doin'?" Ghost asked hurriedly.
She put a finger to her mouth before replacing the lid and disappearing behind the truck.
"Lieutenant Farrell, sitrep," Price ordered.
Her teeth grabbed the Velcro strap of her glove and ripped it back before she tugged it off and reached for her swiss army knife. "I'm making an opportunity," she whispered as she worked quickly to snap open the casing.
"Stop playin' games, what're you doing?" Ghost bit.
"Bugging a walkie, now let me work."
There was a quiet click and the machine came apart in two pieces, which she slipped the bug inside, disguising it among the wires before snapping the casing back together.
She slipped the knife back into her pocket before scanning under the truck for feet. Once they were gone, she stood and scoped, counting each person before going back to the bin and dropping the walkie inside.
But she caught sight of a laptop inside.
She scanned toward the men, grabbing the computer as she ducked behind the truck again.
"What are you doing now? Get out of there."
She didn't answer—she couldn't, the men were behind her. She grabbed her knife again, undoing the screws on the back of it. She slipped a bug inside, before screwing the panel back on. Her hand was stiff and shaking from the cold, so it took her longer than it should have, but finally she got it back on.
Then she scoped once more, checking before rounding the truck and lifting the bin's lid.
The groan of the door had her heart stuttering and she dropped the computer and hurried away, listening carefully and peeking around the corner.
There was a man at the door, but he stayed in the entrance way, protected somewhat by the door from the cold. When the men returned from the truck, they greeted him just as kindly as the others had greeted each other.
"Thanks boys, you want in for a cup of tea?"
"Fuck yah, it's fucking cold up here. Don't envy you being posted here," one of them joked.
"Internet makes it bearable," he laughed. "Want help getting all that inside?"
One of them shook his head. "Won't take too long. We'll meet you in the lounge."
"Alright, see you in a few."
With that, he disappeared. She kept herself behind the truck, careful not to move until all of their footsteps were inside. Then she inched away, keeping behind trees until she was far enough away that even her night vision was no longer picking up their movement.
"I got a bug on the walkie and a laptop," she stated quietly.
"They're almost done getting the boxes inside, start making your way back."
She followed the order, curving wide around the bunker before catching sight of Price, then Ghost making his way over to them.
She fell instep behind Price but slowed as they reached Ghost, but rather than stepping in front of her, his hand fell to her arm and nudged her roughly forward, falling in line behind her. She bit her tongue and rolled her eyes, unable to argue with him.
The walk back felt longer, likely because Price was adding more distance between them and the bunker, but the lack of a second set of feet clearing the snow certainly added to the energy-sucking journey.
Her body burned by the time the village came into sight, and when they pushed into their little house, shaking off the show and pulling off their boots, she was eager to get something to eat. Pulling the heavy helmet off was satisfying, but getting the balaclava off was even better. She dropped them onto a bin before undoing her jacket and stepping out of her snow pants.
"I'll call into base... then we'll talk," Price said, but unlike normal, his voice held warning.
Her brows furrowed as she pulled off her jacket, draping it, along with the pants, across a bin to dry.
Ghost must have caught the look. "Don't look so fucking confused, Daisy."
She looked at him, "What?"
He walked up to her, eyes glaring. "You are so fucking clueless sometimes, do you know that? What the fuck was that back there?"
"What?" she repeated pointedly, needing clarification on his outburst.
"You and those damn walkies. What were you thinking takin' a risk like that?"
"I got bugs in their tech," she said incredulously, "we'll be able to listen in on their conversations—that's a worthwhile risk."
"No, it's not. Not when you don't give anyone notice. We are your team, you need to keep us updated, not just do as you fucking please."
"I didn't have time! There was an opening and I took it. End of story," she barked, walking past him.
"Not end of story!" He grabbed her arm and tugged her back to look at him.
Her stomach sank as she yanked it away, and to her surprise, he let her go; brows bunching before he pulled his hand away. But he still stepped closer.
"You could have been killed. We could have been compromised. I've told you before you need to work on your goddamn communication skills."
"There wasn't time," she repeated.
"Then don't do it," he barked. "What would you have done if you got caught?"
"I took a calculated risk. If I thought there was too big of a chance of gettin' caught, I wouldn't have done it."
"And we're supposed to just trust you that you'll always know how something will turn out?"
"Yah, as my teammate I would hope you would trust me," she bit back.
"God, you don't see past your own fucking nose do you?" he barked. "You think you're invincible then act like a brat when you get called out for your stupidity!"
She shook her head. "Until you learn to deal with your damn emotions and not yell at me, you can fuck off," she stated, grabbing her jacket and shoving her feet into her boots.
"Where the hell are you going?"
"To get caught by the fucking enemy."
"See, a fucking brat. Don't know how you made it through boot camp, but fuck, maybe you need a reminder of how to behave."
She ignored him before stepping outside and shutting the door. The cold bit into her skin immediately and she pulled the jacket on, walking down the path they'd shovelled as her mind raced. She wasn't so stupid to go off somewhere, but she needed away from him—and fuck, a cigarette would be wonderful, but she'd stopped buying them years ago.
Instead, she leaned herself against the front of the neighbor's house, hands shaking in anger.
Why was he like that? Why did he always resort to yelling at her?
The door opened behind her and her back stiffened. "I'm not fucking talking to him until he learns to not yell at me, Price," she stated sharply. "Fuck I don't know what his problem is, but it's like he's immediately angry when he looks at me," she added tiredly before turning. "I don't—" she stopped, catching sight of Ghost walking toward her, his balaclava gone. "Leave."
"I'm not here to yell," he said, voice frustrated but contained as he stopped in front of her.
"I still don't want to talk to you."
"Then listen. You took a risk tonight that could have ended with you getting caught or killed, and then this operation would be exposed. If you're going to be a leader, you need to be communicatin' with your team, because if something goes sideways, they know what's happenin' and can problem solve," he stated roughly. "I trust your abilities as a soldier, but I don't trust your attitude or your willingness to follow orders, so I can't trust you not to do something reckless. Lieutenants can't be reckless. You need to be a role model for your troops, otherwise we're going to be overrun by shits who think they can do whatever they want—and that's only giving bastards like these terrorists more opportunity to fuck up the world. So you need to learn to take a step back, not rush into things like you apparently enjoy doing, and tell your team if you have a plan. Let us watch your back."
She was rather speechless when he'd finished talking, but that annoyance still simmered. "Why didn't you say that in the first place?" she asked sharply.
"Because what you did was fucking reckless and stupid, and it pissed me off."
"That's not an excuse, Riley. You don't just get to berate me—this isn't bootcamp, we're co-workers."
He was quiet for a few moments, "Then don't do stupid shit that pisses me off."
She couldn't help but roll her eyes at his words. "You piss me off all the time but I'm not constantly yelling at you."
He gave her a pointed look as if calling her out.
So, she clarified, "You start it. You get angry at me and I'm left questioning what the fuck I've done. And what's worse is I never know when you're going to go off; one minute you're taking me to fucking report a guy assaulting me, then the next you're snapping at me like I've insulted your mother. I don't know how to fucking deal with it."
His eyes dropped from hers for a moment, jaw tight. "Neither do I."
"Well, that's fucking wonderful," she huffed in annoyance as she leaned her back against the house. "Why the fuck do you hate me so much?"
"Trust me, I don't hate you. You would know."
"Then what is this? Is this how you treated everyone else on the team when you met them?"
"No. No, you're not like the rest of the team."
"Well don't I feel special," she muttered.
"You're fucking childish and petty," he said pointedly as he stepped nearer, "and reckless, sarcastic, and frustrating. But I don't hate you."
"Then could you act like it?"
He let out a deep breath, air fogging between them. "Start listening and I'll be nicer."
"Ugh, you're such a dick," she growled. "I listened to orders; I just added a fucking step."
"Well aren't you a good girl?" he asked sarcastically.
She pushed past the skip of her heart and glared. "Do you get off on condescending to me?"
"Trust me, you're not what I get off to," he answered, echoing her words from weeks ago.
"Whatever. Go zap yourself with the generator."
He shook his head, looking away in annoyance and pulling in a breath. When he looked back to her, he seemed to be trying to keep cool. "Listen we've got another day stuck in this place, let's at least try to keep our mouths shut for Price's sake."
She watched him, "I'm fine as long as you don't provoke me with petty shit. Like forcing me to walk in front of you on the way back because you were apparently mad at me," she said sharply.
"You needed to learn your lesson."
"You're not here to discipline me."
"No, but you'll remember it next time you pull something like that. I can get creative in punishments."
She let out a shaky breath, convincing herself that his words didn't spark anything in her except annoyance. "Keep in mind I'm spiteful, so I'll take a punishment without batting an eye just to piss you off."
"I don't give up easily."
They were staring daggers at each other, neither of them giving in. But the door opening behind them had Ghost turning his head.
"You two finished yellin' at each other now?"
She was still staring at him, watching the way his jaw muscle tightened at Price's words. "He learned to use his big boy words," she agreed.
Ghost whipped his head back to her, "And she realized how daft her mistake was."
"Wonderful, why don't we all get in a circle and sing fuckin' kumbaya?" Price asked sarcastically. "Both of you muppets, inside, before you catch a cold."
She slipped from the wall, feet crunching in the snow before she stepped into the house. Her body tingled from not having the proper protection against the weather, so she plopped herself beside the heater, warming her fingers.
"Wouldn't need to do that if you hadn't made that dramatic exit," Ghost muttered.
"Didn't we have a deal?" she asked pointedly.
Ghost rolled his eyes but kept quiet, letting his jacket slip from his shoulders as he took a seat on a bin.
"You both civil enough to sleep in the same room? Or am I going to wake up to something unpleasant?"
"Sorry about the arguing. We're not going to let it mess with the mission—or your ability to sleep," she added apologetically.
"I like to hear it," Price nodded. "Now, let's get something to eat. Base has the feeds and said they would notify us if there are any issues. We're free for the next few hours."
"Fucking blessed," she groaned, "that hike was terrible."
"That's cause your only three apples high," Ghost joked. Although it was more of a dig.
"At least I don't look like the grim reaper."
Price dropped his head in frustration. "The peace was nice while it lasted."
Sorry this was a day late--I had a very busy Friday/Saturday, so only now got home to my computer!
Hope you all enjoy,
Lots of love!