Scorned (Rainbow Six Siege Fanfiction)

Champion

"Râsemûse, Râsemûse." The grey-haired male approaches her, watching as she crosses her laces and ties them tightly. She looks up, squinting at the lights beating over his silhouette and dusting her hands on her lap.

"Sam Fisher." She greets slowly, sitting back. "How are you, old man?" She teases, making him laugh heartily as he sits on the bench next to her.

"I'm just fine. How have you been handling your recovery?" He asks as she assembles her vest, undoing and reapplying the velcro a few times to get it perfect.

"Good, I think." She sighs contentedly. "They said I was inside the Singularity for over half a week--dropped onto the deck one night and Gunnar and I were clinging to each other. Harry was petrified the whole time." The woman remembers the moment vaguely, brushing off the weird feeling that courses through her for a moment. "Nothing long term though, aside from the knee and a little memory loss."

"How is Gunner?" Zero asks, making her stop suddenly. She looks at her husband in the distance, talking with Maxim 'Kapkan' Basuda. He seemed happy, despite the scars on his exposed arms and the brace on his knee.

"He's... Getting there." She averts her eyes. "It took him a while to remember what happened, but now he jokes that we have matching bad knees." She tries to laugh the pain away, a small scoff escaping her.

"Well, I hope he gets better." Zero nods at her with a sympathetic gaze. "Does he know about your message?"

"Da." She nods, holding her helmet in her lap. The visor was still cracked at the bottom from the fight against the Protean. "He thought I made a really noble choice."

"You did. It takes a special kind of person to pick reprieve over revenge." Zero assures, patting her shoulder firmly. "You happy to take over as a captain?" He changes the subject.

"I'm surprised, honestly." She shrugs. Her team, consisting of Maverick, Glaz, Jackal, and IQ approaches her. She wasn't exactly prepared to take over as team captain, but there was no backing down now. This was the last chance she needed. "I thought I'd be the last person Harry would choose."

"Well, you weren't." Zero stands, nodding to the rest of her team. He could tell Ritual felt a bit out of place, but when it came to anything Rainbow, she always felt that way. "Get to it, and good luck."

"Thanks, Sam." Ritual smiles before slipping her helmet over her scarred face. Beside her on the bench lays an oddly shaped submachine gun, its surface just as scarred as her. As she watches her fingers trace over the marks, her eyes shift to the bracelet on her wrist. Its camouflage pattern made her miss the man she called her father. "For you, Yaroslav." She brings the weapon to her face and rests her forehead against the side.

"This is it, team!" She stands and raises her stoic voice, adjusting the wrap on her bruised fingers before sliding her gloves over them. "The Grand Finale. No matter what happens, stick to the mission; If you can't, do whatever you have to, but never give in. Maverick, Glaz, start West." She point to the two men. "We know where they'll be. You're going to clear surrounding site, make some sight lines through Service, and hold eyes on the objective. IQ, you'll start Basement and sweep site for any traps. Jackal, I want you East to clear and hold flank in hallway while I move, so I'm counting on you."

"Attackers, to the map." The Announcer's voice rings through the stadium. Ritual watches the group grab their guns and sprint up to the entrance. She takes a deep breath, glancing over her shoulder at Gunner. Her heart flutters when they make eye contact, both smiling to each other.

"Go get them, Rainbow." He watches with a grin. The blazing sun strikes Ritual, shining off of her visor as her feet meet the bright red track. Her team takes the zipline to the Gantry, the woman feeling her boots meet the hard metal with a nervous breath. Grasping the railing and swinging over, she pulls herself up, meeting thousands of faces all landing on her at the top of the arena. She tenderly brushes her hand over her gun, feeling it against her back. A part of her wondered if Gunner could see her from this height.