writinghabits1

[writinghabits1]

Karma Part 5

Part 4

Pairing: Ghost x OC

Warning: Gunfight, gunshot wounds, blood, ambush, angst

Summary: Karma knew something wasn't right before they even attacked. But now there are lives hanging on with only a few rounds left.

A/N That picture is something how I imagined Karma. Also, I really enjoyed writing this part!

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 It was dark. The night had crawled in fast as Karma and Widow made their way under cover of several trees closer to the compound. Karma’s C8 rifle was slung over her front as she aimed her sights at the compound to get an image of it. She spotted three men carrying what looked to be small automatic weapons as they scanned over the area around the compound.

“Three shooters on the roof,” Karma called out, down her mic connected to her comms. “Check in.”

“Team two approaching point Charlie.” Ghost answered down the mic first.

“Team three, two mikes out.” Price called, confirming his whereabouts.

“Team Four, five mikes.” Glass was the last to update Karma as Widow stopped a foot behind her but two meters to her right. They both took a knee while training their weapons down at the compound.

“Will I be happy to have this over with,” Widow muttered to Karma, to which she received a slight chuckle of agreement.

“You got that right. This prick has been a pain in the tit.” Karma muttered to her, causing Widow also to chuckle.

“The sooner I can get a martini, the better,” Widow answered back. They both knelt there watching, hidden from sight in their black gear. The only thing that wasn’t black was their patch showing white Angel wings with a small flame in the centre. Velcro was attached to their armour over their chests. They both fell into a deathly silence, the calm before the storm. But something didn’t feel right to Karma as the air was too silent.

“Karma,” Widow muttered in a voice that showed she felt the chill of death. Something about how the wind moved against the trees surrounding them felt off. Karma’s heart pounded in her ears as her eyes began to search. Something was not right, and she could always trust her gut.

“Something isn’t right about this.” She told Widow as she began looking back at the compound. The small army they were expecting was nowhere to be seen. Only the three men were on the roof.

“Does anyone have eyes on more tangos?” Karma asked down the comms only to be hit with a chorus of no’s. It took a minute before Karma made a quick decision.

“Laswell, send the chook,” Karma told her over the comms.

“What’s wrong? Has something happened?” Laswell’s voice called back with a worried tone.

“Why are you calling evac now?” Ghost asked as Karma continued to scan the area.

“Karma, I heard something,” Widow said, spinning to her right with her weapon pointing the way she was looking. Karma’s breathing picked up rapidly as her head and eyes snapped in the same direction the Widow said she heard a noise.

“Karma, sit rep.” Price’s voice sounded over her comms, but she remained dead silent, eyes not daring to rip away from the spot to her right. Her jaw clenched as the air around them grew heavier. A noise sounded from Karma’s left, which she heard this time. Karma whipped around with her rifle, pointing toward the new noise. The sinking feeling setting into Karma and Widow that they felt surrounded.

“Widow,” Karma hissed out as she moved backwards until her back tapped Widow’s back. “Move.” Karma hissed again in a low, hushed tone to keep as quiet as possible.

“Widow, Karma, what’s happening.” Fox’s voice sounded concerned over her earpiece, but neither dared to speak more than needed for fear of triggering something. Karma’s finger moved to the safety switch of the weapon and set it to fire with the familiar click. She was followed quickly by Widow’s click of the safety off. Widow was the first to move, keeping as low to the ground as possible, making her way back the way they came.

“Karma, speak to us.” Ghost’s voices echoed in her ear. She wanted to reach up and tell them what was happening. To say they were okay and not worried. But she knew they were not okay. Years of training and practice made her aware that they were not in a good position. “I’m moving to their location,” Ghost called out.

“Negative. Stay where you are.” Price’s voice called out to him.

“Price, Karma called evac. Something is happening.” Ghost stated over the comms. If Karma weren’t too busy figuring out what was making the noises around her and Widow, she would have picked up on the slight tang of fear lacing his words.

It happened in a split moment.

The glint of metal flashed in the moonlight through the bushes next to them. Karma’s weapon was instantly trained on the threat now in front of them. Karma pulled her trigger, sending several bursts of rounds down through the barrel and into the oncoming men as they rushed out of the bushes around them.

“Ambush!” Karma yelled out as she and Widow began to take down men that rushed them.

“Fuck!” Widow yelled as she continued to fire at the men. They seemed never to end as they moved in bounds to break contact. Karma would fire while Widow moved back, and then they would swap. Karma dipped behind a large rock before Widow joined her.

“It’s an ambush. Get to the evac!” Karma yelled down her comms before standing up to fire while Widow reloaded her weapon. Once she was reloaded, Karma dipped down to also reload.

“I’m moving to your location,” Ghost told her quickly as Karma gripped her radio.

“Negative! Get to the Evac!” Karma yelled at him over the gunfire.

“You’re outnumbered!” Ghost yelled to her; she could hear he was running.

“Stand down! Get to the evac!” Karma yelled aggressively. While she appreciated his need to help, she knew it would only put another life on the line if he were to come to them. “That’s an order!”

“Ghost, you heard the Major.” Price warned him down the comms. Karma could only imagine the anger coming from him, but while Ghost was a deadly soldier, he never disobeyed orders.

The dull sound of metal hitting flesh ripped through Karma’s ear as she watched Widow fall back and hit the ground next to her. Widow’s C8 hit the ground hard a second after her body. Widow coughed, splattering blood over her face as a look of fear and pain washed over her face.

“Fuck!” Karma yelled out frantically as she rushed out and grabbed Widow by the shoulders of her body armour and pulled her up against the rock. She stood up and fired off several bursts of rounds, taking out some of the men. Stopping for a moment, she ducked and grabbed Widow’s chin, making her look at her. Widow gasped desperately for breath as blood began to ooze out the right side. The bullet hit just before her armour started under her left arm. “Eyes on me,” Karma told her as she pulled out a dressing from her pouch and pressed into against the hole in her chest. Karma grabbed Widow’s right hand and pressed it against the bandage. “Hold it tight.” She instructed Widow as she moved up and fired off several rounds again.

“Widows hit,” Karma called out over the comms as she fired several more bursts. “I repeat, Widow is hit! GSW to the left chest.” Karma informed whoever was listening. The men kept coming, but there was more than before coming at once this time. Karma knew it wouldn’t be long before she would run out of ammo.

“Karma, go.” Widow choked out as she grabbed Karma��s trouser leg pulling at it. “If you stay, we both die.”

“Pipe it; I am not leaving you!” Karma told her bluntly, earning a small chuckle from Widow. “You think I could face their little faces if I left you here?”

“Don’t be pulling that card.” Widow hissed wetly in pain as blood dripped out her mouth, mixed with saliva.

“You’re damn right I’m pulling it,” Karma told her as she dropped down and pulled one of Widow’s mags from her chest, having run out of her own. “You have two kids that need their ma.”

“Karma,” Widow called to her. “Tell them I love them,” Widow asked; Karma could hear the fear and sadness in Widow’s voice, but she didn’t want to accept it.

“That’s your job to tell them,” Karma told her as Widow coughed hard, causing blood to spill from her mouth. Karma was distracted for a second before being hit by white-hot pain from her right shoulder. She stumbled back slightly, realising she had taken a bullet to the shoulder. Releasing a hiss of pain before moving her heavy arm back to the pistol grip and trigger to continue firing. Her blood began to sock into her sleeve before dropping in a thin river to the ground. The dry dirt ground greedily, devouring Widow’s and her red liquid.

“I’m empty!” Karma called, and she ducked down behind the rock slinging her weapon to her side. She sat with her back to the rock next to Widow as they both panted out of pain.

“It’s been a hell of a ride, boss,” Widow smirked at her as she turned her head weakly to look at Karma, who chuckled with a smile. Karma held her left hand over her wounded shoulder before moving it to her radio.

“All stations, we are out of ammo. Tangos approaching our position.” Karma spoke breathlessly over the comms as she attempted to wet her lips using her dry tongue. “I’ve been hit, right shoulder.”

“Evac one mike out!” Price’s voice called to them over their earpiece. Widow moved, pulled her pistol from her leg, and handed it to Karma, who took it.

“Always come prepared.” Widow dipped her head slightly before Karma took the pistol. She had to make it last until the evac got there. Mustering all her strength, she stood up and counted each shot.

“30 seconds!”

Karma fired her last shot. That was it; she dropped to her knee and grabbed her shoulder as she squeezed her eyes shut to deal with the pain that rocked her mind.

“I’m sorry,” Was all she muttered over the comms as the sound of men yelled grew closer than ever.

“Don’t you fucking give up!” Ghost yelled down the comms as the sound of blades grew closer. But it was too late; the enemy was on them with their rifles pointing directly at their heads. Karma looked at Widow with a sad smile, almost like an apology. Karma lifted her hand to her radio with breaking eye contact with Widow.

“I’m sorry, Simon.”

[writinghabits1]

Karma Part 4

Part 3

Pairing: Ghost x OC

Warning: Talk of killing and war

Summary: It's mission brief time. Now they have a target.

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“Apologies for the slight misinformation given to you all.” Price spoke as he stood at the end of the briefing table with Karma and Laswell. The two teams sat on either side, watching the Captain as he spoke. “While the training was helpful, it is not the real purpose for the Angel’s visit.”

“What is then?” Gaz asked curiously as he sat with his hands crossed over and his elbows on the armrests of his swirl chair.

“As you may know, we handle mainly human trafficking and smuggling groups across the globe,” Karma muttered as she moved to the table and moved some paper around. “There has been one group, led by a man named Kago. South African criminal turned businessman.” Karma shows a picture of a man dressed in a white suit shaking hands with a known terrorist.

“Every time we got close to him, he escaped.” Widow added as her eyes looked up to Karma, who nodded.

“Our source had dried and went quiet,” Karma explained as she turned her head to look at Laswell. “Which is why we came to Laswell.”

“My source gave us information about a hideout just off the coast of Somalia,” Laswell added on. “We believe that Kago is held up there under a small army of men to protect him.”

“Getting this man will stop thousands of young women and boys being trafficked. It will stop money from going to terrorists to allow them to fund their regimes.” Karma explained. But Ghost could see there was more in her eyes that she wasn’t letting out. He rested his head against his left fist with his elbow and the table. A pistol sat in front of him; he had to take it out because he couldn’t sit on the chair comfortably due to it against his thigh. He only wore his balaclava, his skull mask off and in his room. He had brewed himself a cup of tea before he was dragged into this last-minute meeting, meaning he couldn’t enjoy it. Ghost knew by the time this meeting was over; his brew would be cold.

“What I don’t understand, though, is why involve us?” Ghost asked, watching her body language closely. He was trying to understand this woman. One moment she was relaxed and smirking, completely readable. And then, she was stone cold in an instant, and he could not read a thing from her.

“After the last time, we realised that we can’t get him alone,” Karma answered as her eyes snapped over to Glass, who had a worried expression.

“What happened last time?” Soap asked as his eyes never left Glass and her pained expression. Her eyebrows scrunched together in fear, something he would never think to see on an Angel’s face.

“There were too many of them,” Fox explained as her eyes moved between the other three Angels. “Glass was wounded by Koga; it was a little too close.”

“They have an army, and against four, it was impossible. But eight of us, we stand a chance.” Karma looked around as she put both her hands on the table’s edge and leaned forward with a soft sigh. “That being said, if you don’t want to join us. It won’t be held against you, and no questions will be asked.”

“You know that wherever you go, we follow.” Widow spoke to Karma as the other two women nodded in agreement, even Glass, who now had a determined look on her. Karma looked at her while tilting her head slightly as if to ask if she was all right with this.

“Till the bitter-sweet end,” Glass smirked at her, causing Karma to lift her mouth into a side smirk as well with a soft nod.

“I think I speak for all of my team,” Price said while looking at the men with an agreeing look. “We’re in. What’s the plan?”

“Great,” Karma said before leaning forward and moving paper around to reveal a large, printed layout of the compound where Koga was believed to be. “We split into teams of two. Assault from different sides. We will hit them at night, so suppressors and knives are necessary.”

“In and out, better to keep knowledge of us being in the country to nothing,” Laswell added as Karma nodded.

“So, it’s a black op?” Gaz asked as Karma shook her head softly.

“No, there won’t even be a record of this.” This made them realise almost exactly what they were getting into. “If we’re found, it could spark a war.”

“So, in and out?” Soap asked as Price nodded.

“We get in and kill Koga. A boat will be waiting for us just off the coast, around three miles from the compound. It will take us to a cargo ship which Laswell will be stationed in.” Price told him as he nodded.

“Widow and I will be first to attack from the north. Then Ghost and Soap from the east. Price and Gaz from the south and Fox and Glass from the west.” Karma explained to them, pointing at parts of the map. “It’s important that we attack at separate times; that way, they should be distracted by different sounds from different directions.”

“If you see an opening to go into the compound, you take it.” Price told him as he tapped two of his fingers over the picture of the compound itself. “And if you have a shot, take it and confirm it and then get the fuck out of there.”

“There will be a chinook on the cargo ship as an emergency evac.” Laswell looked at Karma, who nodded.

“Let’s pray we don’t use it.” Glass muttered as she eyed the compound map.

“Alright, any questions?” Price asked.

“What if there are civilians?” Gaz asked a genuine question, and Karma looked him dead in the eye.

“Leave them.” She told him bluntly without any emotion in her voice. Gaz’s face scrunched up in distaste at her answer.

“Come on; you can’t just leave hostages,” Soap called out almost in a yell as he moved forward in his chair, clearly upset with her answer as she just shook her head.

“They will only slow us down. I have contacts to go in and get them home, should there be any.”

“And how can you trust these contacts?” Ghost asked as Karma’s eyes snapped to him with a deadly stare. He was challenging her, and she didn’t like it. But something else flashed through her eyes that Ghost couldn’t catch in time to figure it out.

“Are you questioning your orders?” She asked him deeply, waiting for his answer. Karma stared directly into his eyes, neither of them wavering against the other, fighting a silent battle between themselves. Karma could feel the hairs lift on the back of her neck as his eyes dropped from her eyes to her lips. But it was only for a brief moment, so quick she actually doubted it even happened and that it wasn’t in her mind.

“When the orders are questionable, yes, Ma’am.” Ghost returned fire as her mouth tilted into a smirk as she straightened her back. You could hear the smirk in his voice, almost like he was purposefully trying to taunt her into an argument. But she just dropped her gaze to the table under her hands and chuckled deeply before looking back up at Ghost with an amused look.

“Good,” She smirked, which caused most to be confused with her answer. “Never leave a question unanswered. Especially in this line of work.” She smirked at him before walking around the table and tapping his shoulder as she headed for the door to the room, “But yes, He and I trained together many years ago.”

“Wheels up in two hours,” Karma called as she left the briefing room and walked to her bedroom. She was offered an officer quarter, but she hated them and would rather stay close to her team. Thankfully she was never one to unpack her go-bag, so she decided to go for a shower before leaving.

She wasn’t sure how long they would be away, so she decided to get a little luxury before she left. The warm water felt glorious against her skin as it washed away the sweat from the day she had. Finally, they had a lead on where Koga was, and she would finally get him after what he did to Glass. Watching Koga drive a knife into Glass’s back played back in her mind. They hadn’t seen him leave the room they had yet to clear, she hadn’t seen him, and he stabbed her subordinate, her friend, in the back. They were lucky he had just missed any vital organs. But it took nearly six months for Glass to be back to fighting condition. They were lucky that time, and she could only hope that luck would continue until Koga was dead.

Part 5

[writinghabits1]

Karma Part III

Part 2

Pairing: Ghost x OC

Warning: Swearing, shooting

Summary: A little competition between 141 and Hell's angels. The loser pays the bar tab

A/N Im actually really enjoying writing this series!

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“Endurance,” Fox called out to the group of soldiers. 141 stood mixed in with Hell’s angels on the ranges. The sun burned their skin as the heat was still high, even though it was fading to autumn. “One must be able to compose themselves even when they believe they can’t.”

“You will run two hundred meters, 20 pull-ups and then fire a sniper at a target four hundred meters,” Karma spoke, stepping forward to the group from behind Fox. She wore almost exactly what she wore yesterday. Black combat trousers tied over black boots and a long-sleeved shirt tucked into her trousers. Her black cap shields the sun from her brown eyes. But it didn’t stop Ghost from seeing the small bead of sweat that trickled down just past her left ear. Her hair was tied back today in a small pony at the back of her head, allowing the small breeze to cool off the back of her neck.

“Gaz, you’re up first.” Fox nodded to him as she looked at Glass, “Glass, you too.”

“Tell you what, let’s make this a competition?” Gaz laughed out as Soap smirked and nodded in agreement.

“141 against Hell’s Angels!” Soap called out in an agreement.

“You sure, fellas?” Widow smirked at them. Soap just nodded and looked to Price and Ghost, who stood next to each other. Price gave Ghost a knowing look before sighing and waving his hand out.

“Alright then, what’s the wager?” Price asked with a small smirk.

“The losing team pays for the bar tab tonight.” Fox nodded as she walked over to stand next to Soap, who she would be going up against.

“May the best angels win.” Widow chuckled as she took her place next to Price. Ghost took the spotter scope to watch Glass’s shot while Karma took Gaz.

“Once you fire your shot, you will move to the spotter scope to watch the next shooter,” Karma told them as she adjusted the scope.

“Ready!” Soap was the one to call the start of the race. Gaz and Glass were neck to neck on the run. Gaz quickly moved on from the pull-ups, with Glass only one behind him. Gaz moved next to the sniper in place from him and took up the weapon. Quickly rescoping it to how he needed it, he fired a shot just as Glass rescoped her sniper.

“Hit! Far left!” Karma called out as she moved from the spotter and walked behind Price and Widow, getting ready to take her place.

“Hit! Far right.” Ghost called out before Glass took over Karma’s spotter and Gaz took Ghost’s. Soap and Fox were next, and while Fox quickly overtook Soap in the run, he managed to catch up with her on the pull-ups.

“Hit! Low left,” Gaz called. Fox stood up from her sniper just as Soap fired off his round.

“Hit, High left,” Glass called out Soap’s hit. So far, the teams were in a draw. While they all hit the target, none had hit close to the centre. Then it was Price and Widow. The both of them put everything into it, in the end showing they were evenly matched as both hit almost dead centre of the target. That left Ghost and Karma.

Karma moved her feet as fast as she could; she was known for her agility and speed. She flew ahead by over three meters within the first few minutes. She felt the cool breeze as she ran hit her damp neck as she skidded to a stop next to the pull-up bar. She knew that if she had started the pull-ups simultaneously with Ghost, she would have fallen behind. While she was faster, it was clear that he was stronger. But those few meters on the run gave her a head start. Karma hit twenty and dropped to the ground before rushing to her sniper.

Ghost was not too far behind her as she took control of her weapon. Pressing the butt of the sniper against her shoulder, she wrapped her arm under the weapon just behind the trigger. She grabbed her upper right arm to balance it against the bipod. Her left leg bent up to stabilise her firing position as her cheek pressed against the cheekpiece. She closed her eyes as she pulled in a breath for four seconds, held it for another four and released it over four seconds. She completed this three times to calm her heart and her breathing. Her eyes snapped open on her last breath release, and she aimed. Halfway releasing the breath, she pulled the trigger.

“Hit!” Price called out, “Dead centre.” Just as Ghost released his shot.

“Hit!” Widow yelled. “Dead centre.”

“Well fuck me.” Soap laughed with a single clap of his hands. “Finally, someone to reveal Ghost!” Karma and Ghost stood up, leaving the snipers at the firing point as they walked back to the group.

“So, who won?” Gaz asked, looking around as Fox laughed.

“Us because we had the best shot.”

“If you remember, all shots end the same on each team.” Soap pointed out as Karma smirked at the bickering that ensued. She stood watching, her arms crossed over her front.

“Good shot with the sniper.” Ghost muttered to her as she turned her head to look up at him with a soft smile.

“Thanks, you ain’t bad yourself.” She chuckled as he responded with his chuckle. Karma felt her phone vibrate in her pocket; reaching for it, she pulled it out and opened the text. Ghost immediately felt her demeanour change. The smile on her face dropped instantly, and he could see her neck tense with her shoulders. Her eyes snapped up, and Ghost followed their line of sight. Turns out Captain Price must have also received the same text while looking at his phone. His eyes looked up at Karma before they both put their phones away without a word. Began walking back to the base. Ghost watched, confused, as the two walked off.

“Where are they going?” Gaz looked around while the women stood still, watching their commander walk off.

“You ladies know, don’t you?” Ghost asked as he watched their faces. It wasn’t hard to read their reaction.

“We aren’t just here for training,” Fox muttered as she looked to Widow, who gave her a look as if saying it was not her place to tell. Which it wasn’t.

“What?” Soap asked, confused, “If this involves us, then you need to tell us.”

“You’ll be told when you need to know,” Widow explained, stepping closer to the men. “Which clearly won’t be long.”

Part 4

[writinghabits1]

Karma Part II

Part 1

Pairing: Ghost x OC

Warning: Smoking, fighting, swearing

Summary: Ghost and Karma have a chat on the roof after their training

A/N Just a wee one to help continue the series

WC: 1.1k

Karma could feel the autumn breeze coming in after a long hot summer. Her elbows were resting against the cold steel of the barrier separating her from a five-story drop to the concrete ground below. Her body weight sitting on her left foot with the right resting its toes on top of her left. The breeze lifted her red hair slightly as her brown eyes watched the stars above. She lifted her right hand to place the cigarette held with her finger and thumb between her pink lips. She breathed through the tobacco, feeling the burn as it rushed down her throat and into her lungs. The quick and short nicotine rush hit her mind before she let the smoke exhale from her lungs through her nose and mouth. Her hand dropped as her head dropped to like down at her hands.

“It’s rude to stare.” She muttered with the last smoke in her lungs, leaving with her words. The figure walked over to her right side and mimicked her stance against the barrier, but his back was slightly more hunched down to his towering height. She sniffed softly before moving into her pocket and pulled out a packet of cigarettes; she opened the top and pointed it towards the man.

“Who said I smoke?” His voice questioned curiously as his skull mask turned to face her.

“No other reason to be up here.” She spoke, and while it sounded like a question, it was more of a statement as Ghost nodded and reached to take one of the white tobacco sticks from her. His hand moved up to grab the bottom of his mask.

His eyes kept an eye on what Karma would do as he lifted his mask. Some would have their eyes glued, eager to have even a glimpse of his face. While others would start to become panicked and have no idea where to look. But Karma was different. She reached for her pocket again to pull out a lighter. Her eyes were fixated on the starry night before them as she moved to lighter closer to him. He placed the cigarette between his lips and took the lighter before lighting it up. He handed her back the small lighter that seemed to grow bigger as soon as it hit her hands compared to in his.

They didn’t say a word; instead, just stood next to each other in perfect silence, looking out and watching as a couple of meteors struck the atmosphere of the earth above. After about five minutes, the sound of their teams returning from the pub caught them. Soap and Gaz walked next to Glass and Fox, laughing loudly due to the amount of alcohol. Fox yelled something while laughing and clocked Soap one across the face. It would have been a hard punch as she could barely stand up, while Soap looked to have lost his balance due to the punch and the beverages.

“Idiots,” Karma muttered, shaking her head as she released the last puff of her cigarette. She stubbed it out of the steel barrier before stuffing the end into her pocket.

“You’ve got a lively team.” Ghost muttered as they watched the four. Fox, now straddling Soap, tried hard to punch him while Soap laughed loudly, covering his face with his arms. His legs flailed under her, not trying to get her off.

“Can’t hold their alcohol one bit,” She muttered as she moved her lips and tongue to push out a loud four-toned whistle. Fox and Glass visibly froze in their spots, while Soap and Gaz looked confused.

“Shit!” Glass yelled quickly, followed by Fox yelling run. The two of them took off faster than you could blink. Sobering up almost in an instant. Soap and Gaz looked confused momentarily as the two women disappeared before them. Their eyes looked around only to move their trail up to Ghost and Karma staring down at them. Soap waved up with his left hand while his right stretched the back of his head.

“Oh, Hi, L.T. Ma’am.” Soap called up before he looked back at Gaz and nodded his head in a ‘let’s get the fuck out of here’ motion. Ghost and Karma fell silent again as the soft breeze flew past them.

“So, what are you really doing here?” Ghost spoke, breaking the silence between them.

“At this moment,” She muttered as she turned to look back at him, his mask now back down. “Classified.”

“I see,” Ghost muttered while turning his head slightly to look at her. It was then he really took in how she looked. Her cheeks tinted a soft red due to the breeze; her pink lips glistened as she had just moistened them with her tongue. Her little button nose was also slightly tinted red at the tip. Her almond-shaped eyes held brown irises that hid behind long black lashes. Her black cap sat just above her eyebrows, the same colour as her hair. Her face was scattered lightly, with freckles against her pale skin. Her red hair softly tickled against the pale skin of her neck where her black jumper hood sat close against.

“It’s rude to stare.” She told him with a soft side smirk on her lips. His eyes snapped up to hers before turning his head to look back out over the sky. Ghost heard a small chuckle come from her chest as she took a deep breath and pushed off the railing. Both her hands tapped the steel as she turned around and walked back towards the door. “See you tomorrow, Ghost.”

“Major,” Ghost called to her as she opened the metal door with a squealing noise. She stopped and turned her head to look at him as he turned to look at her. “It’s Simon.”

“I know,” She muttered to him before turning back to the door, “Call me Major again; you and I will have problems,” She told him as she walked in through the door. “Simon.” She said just as the door shut behind her. Quick enough for Ghost to have heard her.

“Yes, Ma’am.” He muttered, smirking under his mask. His mind flashed back to how she looked, standing next to him under the moonlight. He was going to be honest and say he had never seen such a beautiful woman before, and he had seen many women. Her skin almost glowed in the soft silver light and that smirk that appeared on her lips. Ghost cleared his throat before pushing himself off the barrier and turned to head the way Karma had also left the roof. He let out a little chuckle as he realised that since he first saw her step into the training room earlier that day, his mind had not thought of anything other than the mystery of the red-haired woman.

Part 3

[writinghabits1]

Karma

Pairing: Ghost x OC

Warning: Training, fighting,

Summary: Hell's Angels are invited to help further 141's hand-to-hand training. And one catches Ghost's eye

WC: 1.4k

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“Boys, we have four newcomers appearing today.” Price muttered as they all stood in the training room. “They are here to help us better our hand-to-hand.”

“Our hand-to-hand is just fine.” Soap piped up as he stepped forward, closer to the Captain. Price just sighed and nodded his head slightly.

“Yes, trust me. I know. But this is coming from above me.” Price told him as Ghost just crossed his arms.

“Who are they sending to train us?” Ghost asked curiously to know who they thought could teach 141 new skills.

“Ever heard of Hell’s Angels?” Price asked them as Soap nodded.

“Yeah, are they not like the female version of us?” Gaz asked Price, who nodded.

“Affirmative, expect some would say they are even deadlier.”

“Bullshit.” Soap laughed. “No chance a group of women are better.”

“Sergeant, never underestimate a woman,” Price warned him.

“When are they due here?” He asked Captain, whose head looked down at the watch on his wrist.

“Should be about now,” And true to his words, the door to the training room opened, and four figures walked into the room. One thing that surprised them was that they were all women. They wore almost identical uniforms of black ubac shirts tucked into black combat trousers. They wore black baseball caps with a black British flag on them.

“Here they are,” Price muttered as he linked his hands behind his back. They were all beautiful women from Ghost’s point of view, but one stood out the most to him. She was the last one to enter the room. She had bright red hair falling from under her cap that barely touched her shoulders. She was slightly different, with her shirt sleeves rolled up to under her elbows. She stood just behind the three with her arms crossed over her chest and her feet shoulder-width apart. Ghost couldn’t see her eyes because the cap was so low down.

“Captain Price,” A woman with blond hair tied back in a long pony spoke as she stepped forward to shake Price’s hand. “Fox,” She introduced herself to him as Price shook her hand.

“Thank you for coming to join us.” Price nodded to her as she moved to shake hands with Soap.

“Widow,” The next woman walked up to Price and introduced herself; she had short blond hair tied in a ponytail.

“Glass.” The third woman smiled at Price; she had mid-length curly brown hair also tied back. Price looked at the red-haired woman who had not moved from her spot. Fox stood next to Price and let off a small chuckle.

“This is Karma,” Fox muttered to them, “She doesn’t talk much, but don’t let that foul you.”

“All right, let’s get this show on the road.” Glass chirped happily as they all walked out onto the training mats. “Okay, first off. Let’s see how you boys fair. Who’s first?” Gaz put his hand up and walked up to Glass, who still had a large smile on her face.

“You ready?” Glass asked, and Gaz nodded gently before readying himself. Glass made quick work of Gaz, beating him rather too quickly that it bruised his ego more than anything. Fox and Soap where next, and then Price and widow; each of the boys had lost to the women. It was going to be Ghost and Glass, but something had intrigued Karma about this man.

She had been watching him closely during the training and noticed that his eyes watched every single one of the women’s movements. Analysing them down to the inch. She could read a little about him when he looked at her during one of the fights. His eyes were cold and calculating, but she could also see a long-standing pain seated there for a long time.

Karma was well aware of who Ghost was; after all, his is famous amounts soldiers. The rumours about the man having no soul and killing just for fun. How can he disappear for weeks on end, and no one bats an eye at it? How there is no image of his face. All in all, a mystery of a man.

And Karma doesn’t like not knowing.

Karma uncrossed her arms and walked over to where Glass stood, about to ready herself for the fight. Karma placed a hand on her shoulder, catching her attention. Glass knew this meant that Ghost had caught her attention and that she wanted to fight him. Glass nodded and stepped back away from the mats to allow Karma to take her place.

“This will be fun to watch,” Fox smirked as she stood next to Soap, holding a cloth to his busted lip.

“Who’s that?” Soap asked, looking over at the woman whose eyes were on Karma.

“Karma very rarely gets involved with training like this,” Fox explained, and Soap’s face contorted into a confused look.

“But what is the point in coming to the training if she isn’t getting involved?” Soap asked her as Fox just chuckled.

“She analyses soldiers. Studies them.” Fox explained, “We never truly understand it, but it’s like she is sizing soldiers up.”

“For what?” Gaz asked curiously about this unknown woman who hadn’t spoken a word. Fox just shrugged her shoulders at them.

“Even we don’t know. But I can tell you this.” Fox said as she watched the two size each other up on the mats. “We would gladly follow her wherever she goes.”

“She’s your Captain?” Soap asked, surprised for a moment, but Fox shook her head softly.

“No, she’s our Major,” Widow answered him with a smile.

“Fuck me!” Soap called out as their attention snapped back to the fight.

“Shh, it’s about to start,” Glass muttered excitedly as they watched closely. Karma stood staring at Ghost, who made the first move. He swung his right hand to try and punch her face, But Karma just dipped under, twisting slightly to flip Ghost over her shoulder. Ghost hits the mat hard with a thud while Karma straightens up.

“Predictable.” Was all Karma muttered as she brought her fists up to cover her face, ready to continue the fight.

“Jesus fuckin’ hell!” Soap called out as he watched this six-foot-2 man be thrown around like he was nothing more than a small bag of rice by a woman half his size. Ghost then moved and threw several quick punches at Karma, which she seemed to block easily. Without missing a beat, she brought her right foot up and pushed a strong kick into Ghost’s stomach, sending him backwards. She then balanced herself for a split second before jumping and twisting a roundhouse kick at his face. Ghost managed to block her kick.

Her feet landed back on the ground just as Ghost swung again at her head. She noticed this just in time and hit the ground, moving behind him. She stood up and kicked the back of his knee, causing him to hit the ground while she snaked her arms tightly around his neck. She locked them in and squeezed tightly.

Ghost reached up, grabbed onto her arm wrapped around his neck, and pulled himself forward. This caused Karma to flip over his head. For any normal person, this would have landed them on their back and vulnerable. But Karma was prepared for that move. She landed on her feet, used the flip force, pushed off the ground, and moved into a backflip. Swinging her heel onto Ghost’s head, knocking his face into the mat. Ghost was still for a moment before moving as if to try and get back up. But Karma just walked over and placed a foot on his head. She didn’t apply much pressure, just enough to keep him down.

“Stay down.” She told him firmly before lifting her foot off his head and turning to walk out of the room. Gaz and Price made their way over to Ghost to help him up onto his feet.

“Where is she going?” Soap asked as they all watched her leave the room.

“Same place we are about to go,” Fox chuckled as the three women followed Karma, “To get a drink.”

“But it’s five in the afternoon,” Gaz called as he steadied Ghost.

“Exactly.” Glass laughed as they left the training room.

“What the fuck was that?” Soap asked out loud, looking at Price, who just laughed.

_______

I made a part 2

[writinghabits1]

A Familliar Face

Pairing: Ghost x OC

Warning: Fighting and a little gore. Betrayal. Wounds

Summary: Daniella now works as a bodyguard. She is tasked with protecting a man that the 141 are after. But the last she saw them was when they turned their back on her after she was used as a scapegoat

WC: 2.7k

_______

Black heels clicked against the floor as Daniella walked down the marble-floored corridor with a purpose.  Her hips were clothed in a tight-fit mermaid black dress covered in sequins and clear stones that sparkled with the heavy sway. The dress covered her right shoulder and then down to her wrist hugging her arm tightly. A low-hanging choker diamond adorned the bottom of her neck with dangling diamond earrings to match. Brown hair hung above her shoulders in loose waves that bounced with every step.

“Miss,” The butler nodded to her as he opened the large white door to the room where the party was being held. The music was gentle and loud enough to cover sensitive conversations between people below. Daniella walked to the railing before her to look down, scanning the area. Then her eyes fell on someone she was hoping would not appear tonight. Her head lifted slightly while she breathed before turning to her right to walk down the stairs.

“Miss Hamilton,” A voice pulled her from her thoughts as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Plastering a smile on her dark red lips, she snapped her brown eyes to look at a man in a white suit. He was young with short brown hair and a few days old stubble adorning his jawline.

“Mr Lopez,” Her voice smoothed over his name effortlessly as she put out her left hand for him to take.

“Please, I have told you many times.” The man smiled at her as he took her hand and brought it to his lips to kiss her knuckles. “Call me Simon.”

“And as I have said before, Mr Lopez, this is professional.” She told him while raising an eyebrow. There was more of a reason she didn’t want to call him that name. That name held many memories she didn’t want to bring up again.

“When I was told you would be the one keeping me safe, I must admit.” Mr Lopez smirked at her as he released her hand. “I was shocked.”

“Why because I am a woman?”

“Preciously, you do not get many women in the protection business.”

“And that’s why I am the best choice.” She stated quickly with confidence. “No one would expect me.” She smirked.

“I love the way you think.” Mr Lopez smiled at her before offering her his arm. “How about a drink?” He asked as Daniella took his arm and nodded with a smile. He led her over to the bar, where he ordered her champagne and bourbon for himself. Another thing that seemed to hit too close to home with this job. Gritting her teeth, she smiled back at the man she was given to protect.

“I am guessing you have already scouted the room?” Mr Lopez asked her as she took a sip of her champagne with a gentle nod.

“Yes, everything seems to be good for now.” She told him as she held her small black clutch back in her right hand.

The night seemed to carry on easily as Mr Lopez conducted his business with other partygoers. Introducing Daniella as his date for the night so he could keep her close and not raise suspicion. But something was in the back of her mind the whole night, that face she didn’t want to see. Mr Lopez or someone in the party is on task force 141’s radar, which didn’t do well for her.

“Bella, we have business that needs conducting.” Mr Lopez whispered in her ear as he led her off behind another two men in black suits.

“The woman stays outside.” The man pointed at Daniella, who eyed him up and down.

“Afraid not, gentlemen. She stays with me.” Mr Lopez shook his head as the man went to fight him, but the other elbowed him in the side, gently shaking his head.

“Fine, but she doesn’t mutter a word.” The man pointed his finger at her. Daniella’s eye twitched with anger which was clear across her face. They walked into the office-like room, and Mr Lopez made his way over to the table where an older man sat behind. They quickly greeted as Daniella walked to the other side of the room. She had no interest in knowing what their business was about. She was only here to keep Mr Lopez alive; that is all she would concern herself with. The men were about halfway through their business when a loud thumping and grunting could be heard from the other side of the door.

“Shit,” Danielle muttered as she opened her clutch and pulled out the only thing in there, a combat knife. “Mr Lopez, Sir, through that door now.” She told them, pointing to a door on the opposite side of the room. “Do not move from that room until I come and get you.” She ordered them. Mr Lopez nodded and guided the older man to the doors.

Daniella kicked off her heels and kept them at the side. She waited for the doors to burst open and for a man to rush in. He wore a white collared shirt with black tactical vest and formal trousers. Daniella rushed out from behind the door, jumping onto his back and wrapping her arm around his neck, locking him in a chokehold. The man dropped his rifle against his body and reached up to try and pull her off.

“Fuck!” The man squeezed out through breaths as he moved backwards and smashed Daniella against the door. Hard enough for her to loosen for a moment. Enough for the man to grab her arm and flip her over his shoulder, she twisted her body, so her legs hit the ground before anything else. Allowing her to keep her footing. She held her knife up, ready to fight.

“I don’t wanna fight a woman.” The man muttered in a thick British accent. Danielle looked at his vest and noticed the 141 patch.

“Good, because you won’t win.” She smirked at him as he pulled out his knife, ready to fight her. He was the first to move, swinging his knife to her neck. Daniella throws counter strikes back, only managing to nick his right cheek.

“A little busy right now!” The man yelled clearly to someone was his comms in his ear. Daniella took this moment of laps to make her move. She stepped forward before dropping and hooking her leg under his to pull. The man flew backwards, cracking his head against the flooring before Daniella moved and landed a heavy punch to his face, knocking him out. She stood up and quickly made her way to the door to open and look at Mr Lopez and the older man.

“We gotta move.” She told them as they followed behind her back into the office. They looked at the unconscious man on the floor.

“Jesus, Bella.” Mr Lopez muttered as he looked back at her.

“Head to the cars out back. I’ll make sure you’re not followed.” Daniella told them as they nodded before leaving quickly. Daniella walked over to her heels and slipped them back on just as a groan emitted from the unconscious man.

“Who,” He muttered through a groan.

“I suggest you stay down,” Daniella told him as she slipped on the last heel. “And tell your friends to stand down.” She told him as she turned and walked to the door; the man reached up and grabbed her ankle.

“Look, I’m only going easy on you because of that 141 patch.” She told him as she ripped her ankle from his grasp. “Don’t take my kindness for weakness.” She said as she walked away from him.

A few moments later, two other men rushed into the room where the unconscious man lay with a blackening eye.

“Gaz, you broken?” A deep voice asked him as the man knelt next to Gaz.

“Negative Cap, just a bruised ego.” He muttered as Price helped him sit up while Soap guarded the door.

“What the hell happened?” Soap asked as he continued to keep his rifle trained down the hall.

“A woman in a black dress. Must have been a bodyguard or something.” Gaz muttered as he wiped the blood from the small nick on his cheek. “She used nothing but a combat knife. But she knew about 141.”

“What,” Soap called, surprised as his eyes snapped to the Captain. “Sir, you don’t think…”

“Price to Ghost,” Price called down the comms. “I think we have a problem.”

Daniella made her way down the corridor with the heels clicking and echoing around her. She had tucked the combat knife back into the clutch she had picked back up before leaving the room. As she rounded the corner, several handguns were immediately trained on her. She immediately stopped and scanned the area in front of her.

“What the hell is this?” She hissed as she looked at Mr Lopez on his knees with a pistol at his head by the older man.

“This is me taking matters into my own hands.” The older man grumbled as Daniella’s jaw clenched in anger and her nose flared.

“I don’t appreciate a pistol being pointed at me.” She muttered in a deep, dangerous voice. Her eyes gave him a warning. “I am here to do one job. Protect Mr Lopez from any threat.” She told him as she slowly stalked through the men around her. “Do not make yourself a threat, or I will take you down.”

“Really? I have six men with pistols pointing at your head. You make one move, and they will shoot.” The man muttered.

“Do you know what is more dangerous than a trained woman?” Daniella muttered as she stopped with the older man’s pistol pressed against her forehead.

“What?” The man asked, taking a gulp. He could see there was no fear behind her eyes, only anger.

“A woman with nothing to live for.” She muttered to him before moving fast and hooking her arm around his, twisting their bodies so that the older man took all the hits for her once his men began firing their pistols. Daniella reached and took the gun from the older man and turned around to fire the clip into the three men around her. Just then, a tall figure appeared behind them, and Daniella’s heart jumped at the sight of a familiar man. She shook her mind quickly out of the train of thought before turning the pistol onto another man, but he knocked it out of her hand. She moved easily to knock the man out quickly before the newcomer took out the last two men. Now, the two stood amongst dead bodies on the ground, staring at each other. They didn’t say anything but stood sizing each other up.

“Why the hell are you here?” The man grumbled behind his mask—a mask she wished never to see again.

“A job.” She muttered to him bluntly.

“Explain.” He ordered her, which caused her to laugh deeply. Daniella could tell without seeing his face that he was angry, making her smile, knowing she was the cause.

“I don’t need to explain anything to you, Simon.” She told him with a smirk, and he took a sharp breath. He lifted his rifle and pointed it right at her. “Let’s not forget how we got here first.”

“That was three years ago.” Simon fired back at her, not taking his eyes off her.

“And I was dishonourable discharged because I was protecting the team. A team that was supposed to have my back kicked me to the kerb.” Daniella hissed loudly at him, taking a step forward. “I trust you, Simon, of all people.”

“You murdered innocent people,” Simon told her.

“They were not innocent, Simon. It was a cover-up, and I was the scapegoat.” She told him with a pissed broken look. “The General fucked up and pinned on me so he could keep his job.” She told him. “When I came to you and the team for help, you looked at me like I was some criminal. Just like you are now.”

“The evidence was there,” Simon told her, his resolve beginning to falter. “I watched you on the tap.”

“Please, with the right people, they can be edited,” Daniella muttered to him as she took a deep breath. “I loved you, Simon.” She told him before looking down at the floor. “But seeing you turn your back broke everything in me.” She told him as her bottom lip began to quiver. She pulled in a deep breath to compose herself.

“Danni,” Simon muttered as his rifle dropped from her. Daniella lifted her head to look at him to say something but saw a man round the corner behind Simon. Daniella moved before she could think and threw the knife at the man behind Simon. Simon didn’t move as the knife flew past his head and landed in the man’s eye behind her. But not before the sound of his pistol firing ripped through the room. Simon spun around to point his rifle at the man who hit the floor. He relaxed before turning around to look at Daniella again. She was looking down at her stomach, which her hand pressed against.

“Damn it,” She muttered as she stumbled slightly before catching herself. Simon moved quickly to her just as more men appeared from the corner again. He lifted his rifle and began to fire off at them, and he wrapped his left arm around Daniella’s waist to support her while they moved out the hall.

“Price, this is Ghost. We are pinned down the south hallway.” Simon yelled down his comms before he let go of Daniella, who now supported herself against the wall, while Simon leaned around the corner and continued to fire his rifle. After what felt like a while, Simon looked at Daniella.

“Stay here,” He told her as he moved around the corner to finish off the men; Daniella could only guess that the rest of the team was there. She knew she couldn’t stay here. There was an order for her to be taken in; she learned many things about many bad people. Something that the higher in the military want. She couldn’t go back, knowing she would never be let go.

Daniella pressed her hand tightly against her wound as it leaked her blood. Her fingers are stained red as her breathing becomes rugged. She knew if she was going to get out of here, she needed to go now. Pushing the pain aside, she kicked off her heels and forced herself to move forward. Using the wall as support, leaving bloody prints in her wake. She blinked several times to keep her vision from blurring due to blood loss. She stopped at the main doors, and she held the handle tightly.

“Goodbye, Simon.” She muttered before pushing open the back doors and walking out of the building and into the surrounding forest.

_____

“It’s Danni,” Simon told Price and Soap after they had finished taking out the men around them. “She’s been hit.”

“What the hell was she doing here?” Soap asked as he looked around at the number of dead bodies lying on the floor.

“My guess was protecting the target,” Price muttered as he looked at Mr Lopez Laying amongst the dead bodies. “But it looks like he got caught in the crossfire.” Simon turned around and walked back to where he had left her, only to see her heels and bloody handprints leading out of the building.

“Fuck!” He yelled in anger before turning to Price.

“She’s left,” Soap muttered, looking at the forest before them. “There is no chance of finding her.”

“How bad was her wound?” Price asked Simon, whose fists were not balled up in his gloves.

“Bad enough.” He said as he turned around to face back into the building. “We have some digging to do on the General,” Simon told them as he walked away from them.

“Do you think that Danni is innocent?” Soap asked, looking to Price, who sighed as he looked at Simon walking away.

“Something tells me there is more to this than what we see,” Price told him before following Simon.

“What the hell just happened?” Gaz asked Soap, who patted his hand against Gaz’s shoulder.

“It’s a long story. Let’s get to evac, and then I’ll explain everything.” Soap said, leading Gaz the same way the other two went.

[writinghabits1]

We Who Serve

This is the prologue to my book on Wattpad called We Who Serve, which is a crossover of CoD and Assassins Creed. There are currently thirty-three chapters, and is still ongoing. Go have a read if you like this!

Pairing: Ghost x OC (Grimes!Assassin)

Warning: starts off in a warzone. Mentions of being shot and possible death.

10th March 2015

"Incoming!" Soap yelled as he watched several mortars drop onto their location. The explosion caused the ground under their feet to rumble. "Fucking hell, they are relentless!" He yelled down the comms to the rest of the team. 

"Where the fuck is our evac!" Ghost yelled down his comms to Price as they continued their fight. Sending lead rounds speeding toward their enemy. 

"Trust the Air force to be late!" Grimes yelled over the comms. Grimes was reasonably new to the team; she had only been with them for over a year. But in that time, they have grown very close. While they knew she could handle herself, it didn't stop Soap from being protective. But Ghost, even more so, there were times Grimes thought he looked at her, not as a sister. But she also knew that work relationships never worked.

Grimes continued to fire down her rounds at the enemy ahead of them, Her hair tied up in a tight bun with a few stands of loose hair. Her face was covered in dirt due to fighting at the evac point. The sounds of their weapons firing filled the air with the occasional sound of a round flying above their head with a whistle and then a thud.

"Throwing Grenade!" Gaz yelled as he pulled the pin and chucked a small grenade toward the enemy. 

This was supposed to be an easy mission, an in then out job. But yet again, it quickly turned difficult, and they were again expending a lot of ammunition. Finally, the buzz of a helicopter could be heard approaching. 

"Finally, Soap, Gaz you first!" Price yelled out as the helicopter flew over their head and began to land. Soap and Gaz stopped returning fire and rushed over to the helicopter.

"Grimes cover!" Ghost yelled as he ducked from one wall to another as Grimes continued to fire.

"Ghost, Grimes, move now!" Price yelled, and they began to pepperpot their way back to the helicopter. While one moved around, the other two would give cover fire. Price was the first of the three to return to the helicopter while Gaz and Soap laid down careful fire.

Just as Ghost started running to the helicopter, a man jumped out at Grimes. Attacked her from the side with a knife. Luckily she saw this at the last minute and ducked under the swing for her throat.

"Jesus fucking Christ! Where the hell did you come from!" she muttered as she stepped back again, avoiding a knife swing. She found her moment and stepped into the men's range, and wrapped bother her arms around the arm that held the knife. She brought her right knee up several times to connect with his genitals before stepping her right foot between his legs and twisting her body to hoist him over her shoulder, flipping him to the ground. She then swung his arm with the knife still in his fist so that he stabbed himself in the throat.

"Grimes! Move now!" Ghost yelled out, and Grimes pushed her slung weapon behind her back and ran towards the helicopter. The men gave her covering fire as she ran the 50-plus meters.

But just as she was about 20 meters away, a shock of pain rippled through her body. A bullet hit her right shoulder, causing her to release a painful gasp. The force of the bullet hitting her and her running mixed in, causing her to stumble and fall to the ground. She landed on her right shoulder.

"Grimes!" she heard someone tell, but she wasn't sure who as sounds started to echo in her head. She managed to force herself to her feet. Blood began to fill her mouth as she tried to breathe. Just as she took a couple more steps, another round whistle through the air, landing in her back. Blood flew from her mouth as she coughed in pain. Falling to her knee, she watched as Ghost and Soap tried to run to her.

"Grimes!" They continued to yell as Gaz and Price held them, pulling them into the helicopter. The enemy behind them had begun to move up and closer, and they had to leave. Just as the helicopter started to take off, Grimes smiled at them. Before falling face-first into the sand. She could hear the distant sounds of the helicopter disappearing before she heard a familiar voice over the comms in her ear.

"Stand down, soldier. You've done us proud." Price spoke solemnly as she felt herself being pulled into a warmth of darkness.

[writinghabits1]

Two Years

Pairing: Price x f!oc

WC: 2k

Summery: Price reappears at Grace's door after disappearing for two years. Asking for her help. But Grace is not happy to see him.

Warning: Mention of capture and torture. Knifes, arguing, heavy language, mention of sexual relationship

__

Grace rolled over in her bed onto her belly with a heavy groan. The sound of her alarm sounding with an ear-piercing high pitch ring battered her delicate ears. Her hand came up to meet the alarm to turn it off to save her headache from getting worse. Her eyes opened heavily, separately blinking to get into sync. When her vision focused, the first thing that she saw was an empty bottle of whisky. One that she knew had been full the night before.

“Fuck,” She groaned as she rolled over, rubbing her eyes. Her hips were still at an angle as she took a heavy breath. The room was still spinning around as she tried to steady her thoughts. Her right forearm now lay over her eyes, shielding them from the morning sun that assaulted her through the window. She had forgotten to shut the blinds last night and regretted it immensely. Grace began to drift off into another sleep but was pulled from it when a heavy knock came from her front door. Deciding to ignore it, hoping whomever it was would go away. But they knocked again, this time louder.

“Jesus fuckin’ hell,” Grace hissed as she rolled herself out of bed. Her bare feet hit the rug covering the wooden floor’s central part. Her room was simple, with plain white walls, a wooden wardrobe and a bedside table. Grace was never the decorating type, as she never stayed in one place long. Grace moved out of her bedroom and into the living room, where the front door was located.  The knocking sounded again; whoever it was, was impatient.

“Fuckin’ hell, calm down!” Grace yelled loudly to the person as she reached for her keys hooked next to the door. She reached up and scratched her head as she unhooked the keys. Her short brown hair fell just above her shoulders. She wore an olive green, short sleeve t-shirt and a pair of underwear. She put the keys into the lock and quickly unlocked the door before swinging it open.

Her eyes scrunched up at the sudden burst of morning light. Blinking several times to see three figures standing in front of her flat door. One is standing off to the right with his hands tucked into the pockets of a zipped-up black hoodie. One was standing to the left, leaning against the railing about two meters away from the door. But the man standing directly in front of her was the one that caught her attention. She blinked more to bring his face into focus and instantly felt a bubble of anger rise in her chest.

“Ha! Absolutely fuckin’ not.” She laughed and slammed the door shut before turning and starting to walk back away from the door.

“Grace! Open the damn door!” The ruff voice yelled from the other side, banging on the wood again.

“Price, get the fuck away from my flat!” Grace yelled, “Before I come out there and give my door a new fucking paint job.”

“Damn it, woman.” Price yelled before Grace tuned him out and went to her cupboard to grab a towel so she could go for a shower, wake herself up, and try to rid herself of this hangover. The shower was perfect, steaming water hitting her sore muscles, bringing her back to the land of the living.

Grace pulled back her wet hair into a small lower ponytail to keep it off her face. She was dressed in a pair of khaki green cargo trousers paired with a soft green t-shirt and an olive-green zip jumper. Once she laced up her boots, she turned and moved through the living room to the front door. Peeking out the peephole to check and ensure that man was not there. Thankfully, the coast was clear. Grabbing her keys and burner phone, Grace moved out of her flat and locked it behind her before making her way down to her silver car. The engine roared to life when she turned it on before she put it in gear and pulled off.

The drive to the range was around twenty minutes long. Ten minutes in the city and then ten on the country back roads. After spending her day brushing up on her weapon skills, ranging from pistols to sniper rifles. Her skills with a weapon were clearly still in top form. Grace retired from the military around three years ago, mainly due to a near-fatal injury she had received when she had been captured during a mission that went wrong. Something that still haunts her to this day.

The sun had set, and the dim streetlights lit the streets as she parked her car and made her way back up to her flat. Grace reached her door, but something in her gut told her something was off. One thing that Grace always trusted was her gut. When she reached her door, she noticed it was unlocked, meaning someone else had been there. Bending down, Grace pulled a combat knife sheathed in her boot. Knives are easier to conceal than handguns, and she preferred to use a blade up close.

Holding the knife ready to fight in her right hand, she pushed open the door with her left. Creeping into the flat that was completely in the dark still. She stalked into her living room, listening closely for any slight noise. When she heard it across the room, she reacted quickly. Twisting the knife, she held it by the blade and launched it through the air. It landed with a thud.

“You missed.” A voice grumbled as Grace reached over to the wall and switched on the main light to reveal the same face she slammed the door on this morning. The knife was lodged into her armchair right next to Price’s face. The blade had grazed his right cheek, causing a slight bleed in his skin, just above her bread.

“That was a warning,” Grace told him with a death glare. She walked to her kitchen and opened a drawer to pull out another combat knife she had stashed. “The next one will find its target if you don’t disappear as fast as you appeared.”

“Is that any way to welcome an old friend?” Price spoke as he reached up and pulled her combat knife from the leather. He wore dark green cargo trousers and a tight-fitting black shirt. His bucket hat sat perfectly on his head as he looked from the knife to Grace.

“Friend?” Grace laughed as her eyebrows raised, watching his every move. “Last time I checked, friends don’t fuck their friends and then disappear.” She hissed at him; he dropped his chin slightly and coughed awkwardly.

“Yes, well.” Price began but was cut off by Grace.

“Save it,” Grace told him as she moved the combat knife around in her hand. “The last thing I want to hear is your pathetic excuses.” Grace turned and walked over to the door to replace her keys on the hook and her burner on the tablet under it.

“You look well,” Price spoke, trying to break the silence between them.

“Oh yeah, loneliness and depression are a great accessory,” Grace muttered sarcastically to his statement.

“You’re still drinking?” Price asked as he noticed the stash of half-empty bottles off the side of the room.

“Like a fish.” She fired back as she turned and walked back to the kitchen area.

“How is…” Price began but was stopped when Grace slammed her hands down onto the counter with a loud bang.

“Fuckin’ hell, enough of the nicey nice shite, Price.” She growled at him, her Scottish accent becoming thicker and stronger. A dangerous sign to Price that her anger was beginning to take over. “What the fuck are you doing here, huh?” She asked him in a loud tone of voice. “I haven’t seen you in nearly two years! Two fucking years Price!”

“I need your skills with weapons.” Price told her bluntly, seeing she would not listen to him.

“There is it,” Grace chuckled deeply as she stepped back and leaned on her counter, crossing her arms over her chest. “Need I remind you; I’m retired.”

“I need you out of retirement.” Price began to lose his patience with her, and his voice was starting to rise. “Your skill with a sniper is still unbeatable.”

“Screw you, Price.” Grace yelled at him, “You don’t get to show up at my door with your little entourage of merry men at stupid o’clock in the morning and expect me to welcome you with open fuckin’ arms.”

“Watch your tone.” Price growled at her taking a few steps closer. Grace knew how to test his patience, and he was beginning to lose it.

“Price, do us a favour and do what you do best.” Grace looked at him.

“What?”

“Disa-fuckin’-pearing.” She spat at him with so much venom. Price didn’t know how this meeting would go, but it definitely was not like this.

“Listen, whatever you are going through. I need you to put it aside.” Price told her as he now stood on the other side of the counter to her.

“Put it aside?” Grace laughed with eyebrows raised, pushing herself off the counter behind her and leaning on her hands to the one in front of her. “Put aside the memories of being captured and tortured. Watching my friend being murdered in front of me while I couldn’t do anything. And then, when I came home, I sought comfort in the man I loved. Only for him to disappear. No text, no call, no nothing.” Grace yelled at him. “Two fuckin’ years, Price.” She felt her voice break as her emotions began to get the better of her.

“I drink every night, so I can sleep without seeing everything happening over and over again.” Graces muttered, showing Price just how broken she really was. The truth was, Price had no choice. He had to leave her. Back then, he got involved in a mission that ended with him being watched by the enemy. He couldn’t put her in danger while healing from what happened. When he came back, he saw she had officially retired from the military and thought she wouldn’t want him around, reminding her every time she looked at him.

Price sighed and turned around to walk over to the chair he had been waiting for her to arrive home. A beige folder was on the coffee table in front of it, and he picked it up. She held it in both hands as he walked back over to the counter.

“If you change your mind, my number is in here.” He muttered as he placed the folder on the counter and slid it towards Grace; as she watched the folder carefully. He then turned and walked over to the door to leave her alone.

“It’s good to see you again, Grace.” Price muttered softly to her before he left her alone once more. Grace reached for her combat knife and gripped it tightly in her right hand. The mix of emotions was something she was not used to. She let out a scream of anger and launched the knife at the now-closed door. Grace moved from behind the counter and walked over to her bottles of alcohol. Grabbing the first one to hand, which happened to be whisky and pulled the cork out to take several large gulps from it.

_____

“How’d it go?” Soap asked Price as he appeared at the truck they were waiting at. Price looked exhausted as he opened the door to the vehicle. Price didn’t answer and instead slipped into the driver’s seat. Soap looked at Ghost with a knowing look before moving to sit in the back seat behind Price and Ghost in the front passenger.

“Do you think she will help?” Ghost asked Price as he turned on the engine.

“Knowing her, she will.” Price told him as he pulled the car into the road and drove off.

“You never told us who she is?” Soap asked, not knowing whether pressing the matter was a good idea.

 “Someone I trust.” Was all Price told them. That was all they needed to know for now as far as Price was concerned.