Don't fear the reaper - Captain John Price

XVI

The darkness was deepening with the tall peaks of the trees taking over the night sky. There was nothing around but the silence of the night, as the rare noises of nature were heard from all around and building more suspicion to the surroundings. The bids were leaving the two wondering if it was the nature of the enemies hiding in plain sight. But it did not last long, as the endless trails finally led the team to the meadow where the team was planning to regroup.

The three men were standing on the far corner of the lawn, ready to meet with their captain or any danger the forest was hiding. Luckily for all of them, the silhouette of the captain appeared out of the trees, instead of dozens of Konni's ready to surround them. The mission was done, not with the best result the team was hoping for but it was finally done. There was no reason to stay in the area anymore, especially after the attack on the base. The communication line with Laswell was quiet, leaving the team no option but to wait for the further instructions of the captain or the noise of the helicopter in the forest, but this time not to bring danger to the area, but to take them far, far away.

"Soap, want to offer your friend a seat?" Price noticed hesitation with each step a brunette behind him was taking toward his team. A brunette couldn't hide behind the man the whole time, even with the height difference between them.

After all, they were characters of completely different stories in the military. 141 who were supposed to wait for a couple of days for Makarov to show his face in the mountains, and a medical officer living her routine in the concrete wall of the base. Amelia knew that she didn't belong in the room with them, yet there they were surrounded by the silence of the forest.

"Mel?" A smile appeared on Soap's face as he noticed a familiar face. He was glad to see her alive after the attack at the base. Despite years of minimal contact as the two joined the forces, both knew each other since childhood and were like family to each other even in the darkest days.

"Thank you, I appreciate it," Knight wrapped her hands around MacTavish's shoulders, as the two shared a quick, yet warm hug. Johnny knew she needed it, just to feel the wave of warmth after the horror the gaze of the brown eyes seen earlier on the ground of the base. Emotions make great soldiers weak, but at the end of the day, each of them is just humans with their own traumas and experiences. At that moment, a brunette felt as if she was seven again on the school playground when their friendship with Soap just started.

"Jes, you are bleeding," Gaz's voice echoed around the dark and silent meadow as the drops of red liquid fell onto the frozen ground. Amelia could feel the discomfort in her arm but didn't pay much attention to it before the feeling of safety took her over and finally, the wave of pain rushed through her body.

"Good catch, Kyle," The darkness was not the best friend at that moment, as the fingertips of the woman were running over the wound and the cut material of the uniform. The wound was slowly bleeding, and leaving the mark on the jacket of a brunette, but all of them knew there was nothing lethal about that injury.

"Same place you had yours in Las Alma's, Johnny, " Suddenly, Ghost's voice was heard from the other side of the meadow, as the eyes of the masked man fell on her just for a woman. The memories of the mission in Mexico were rushing through his head, leaving a bitter taste in Simon's mouth.

"Fucking hell that was hurtful, " Johnny could swear that he felt the pain in his shoulder, in the wound that healed a year ago. At least now they were in a better situation than he was back there on the dark streets of Las Almas with shadows on all the corners waiting for the man to show his face.

"Watcher, tell Nik we are plus one," A cigar was slowly burning in the gloved hand of a captain, as the conversation with Laswell was running in his headset.

John felt defeated just for a split moment, but the other side of him was ready to plot revenge. Thoughts of regret were running through his head every time the captain heard Makarov's name. Price was always on good terms with his own self-control, but sometimes he wished that Soap wouldn't listen to him just for a moment and end Makarov back in Verdansk. The history was written by them throughout the years, but it wouldn't matter if Vladimir won this time. And it was something none of them could ever let happen.

The thoughts were taking over the captain's thoughts as the anger was building up in his mind, and the gaze of the blue eyes was ice cold. The noise of the helicopter brought life back into the quiet lawn. Finally, the team was leaving the beautiful mountain landscapes. Even though their mission failed, tomorrow another day will come and they will start it all over. The helicopter lowered over the tall peaks of the trees, ready to take the team away from the base and further to their main enemy.

"Welcome aboard, miss Knight," Price was the first to step his foot into the metal bird, hearing about her wound, the man offered a hand to an officer helping her to get into the helicopter.

"Thank you, Captain Price," The captain's name was burning on the tip of Amelia's tongue, as the two let their eyes stay on each other for way too long before anyone else noticed. Amelia could feel the smell of the tobacco from the cigar Price was smoking just a moment ago. 

The two were too close to each other for the teammates, yet too far away from lovers. Something ached inside of the brunette's chest for a moment, as the pain from the wound was long forgotten about. Understanding, that their connection could raise the questions of the team, Knight took a seat on the further side of the helicopter, letting her eyes walk around the well-known forest for the last time before the metal bird took them far away from the burning ground of the base and the snowy mountains.