Don't fear the reaper - Captain John Price

XLI

There was no color in the sky except for the gray. The sun shone over the base in the first hour of the early morning when the sunrise woke up the personnel and let the people know about the new day that just started. Lost in the fog of sleepiness the minds of people can never pretend what the new day was supposed to bring to them. Was it a good day? Will they hear good news today, or maybe some information that will bring the aching feeling of pain back into the minds of carefree people? Or maybe, this day could be the same as thousands of others, bringing nothing but the memory of another beautiful sunset. Every morning is just like Pandora's box, you'll never know what exactly is waiting for you.

The captain's desk was finally occupied by him and not by the emptiness of the room. The thin layer of dust covered everything around while he was away. The dark green duffle bag was sitting in the corner of the office, as Price still didn't have time to visit his room and bring life back into the place. His office was the only place that felt like home. Not the childhood house from which John escaped as soon as he got the chance, nor the apartment in faceless London gave the same warmth to the man as his office. The thick smoke of the cigar rose up in the air, as it was sitting in the rough hands of the man. Suddenly, everything in his life aligned just like a perfect puzzle as soon as his foot stepped inside the base after a long break.

"We can move as soon as I get you the clearance to Pentagon, John," Kate's voice escaped out of the open laptop on Price's desk. The messy handwriting of the captain was leaving notes on the old pages of paper that were left in the notebook as his dark blue eyes were running along the pages of text in the mail sent by Laswell before their meeting started.

"What about witnesses, camera footage?" A cigar kissed the man's lips, and the taste of tobacco was planted in his mouth. Another puff of thick smoke rose up to the ceiling, just to mix up with the stiff air of the room.

"I will take care of this part," The woman's electronic reflection looked back at the man, as the map of the long corridors of the Pentagon finally appeared on the screen. The building was too big for him to be unnoticed by at least someone. Years of work hand by hand with Laswell taught John to trust her, after all, she was the one in the room who knew these corridors better than the wall of her own home. "Your part Price is to put an end to the general's lies and not to worry about anything else, clear?"

"Rog. Kate," The captain decided to brush off all the other thoughts that were jumping around in his head for a while. The cigar saw the last moments of life before meeting with the cold glass of an ashtray and was left never to feel the warmth of John's lips.

Killing the United States general in the walls of the Pentagon sounded like suicide, but not a perfect plan. Numerous cameras, security, thousands of workers, and of course, the technologies of security many people could never even imagine existed. But, leaving Shepherd alive could cost Price more than a couple of gray hairs on his head. The general was a problem, especially since the latest intel showed the possible connection between russians and him. Even if there was no partnership between him and Makarov, the man already deserved to find his peace in the grave after betraying 141. John Price had only one way of dealing with betrayals and traitors, and keeping them alive never fitted his view of life.

The clock showed 9 in the morning exactly when the three pairs of heavy combat boots echoed in the office of the captain. It was their first meeting in the walls of the base since Soap died. Johnny's chair was empty, and no one dared to get closer to Price and occupy the seat that was always taken by the Scottish man. The pressure mixed with pain in the air, but the sweet taste of preparation for revenge was ready to remind everyone about itself as the light didn't have any possible way inside of the room and the large map appeared on the empty wall.

"I and Laswell will take care of Shepherd first, " Shepherd's face appeared on the screen alongside the map of Washington, pointing out on Pentagon where everyone knew Shepherd's office could be. The three were on the edge of calmness, ready to take the weapons and hop on the plane at the very next moment. But patience was the main ingredient to the whole plan.

"I would put a hole in his head with all my pleasure, sir," Ghost's voice came from the furthest chair at the table, as he looked back at the general's face in the photograph. Riley's man's face was emotionless, while his eyes remained cold. No one in the room knew how badly Simon wanted to use his sharp knives on Shepherd.

"I know, Ghost, all of us would. But I need you to be ready for Graves," Price was standing next to the projection of the map right when Phillip's face appeared on the wall. The cocky face was looking back at the team just like a reminder that they missed him back in Mexico. Same as with Makarov, they were so close yet already far away from catching the Commander. Some mistakes are too expensive to be repeated.

"We have the intel on the possible shadow friend of Makarov," Laswell finally interrupted the conversation, opening another drawer of the Pandora's box. The puzzle was slowly getting bigger more information they were getting.

Price looked at the Pentagon once again, wondering how his mission could be a success and not turn out to be a total failure. In the base case scenario, he could walk out of the building alive, but the worst outcomes were constantly coming into the captain's head. Shepherd was one of the founding fathers of the Shadow Company. Following the trial, his death could put an end to PMS. After Shepherd's death, of the main contractor the company could be dissolved by the government, at least everyone hoped it would. Losing the company should make Graves feel like a child pushed to the corner of the darkest room, and that was the perfect moment to strike. The whole plan finally made sense in John's mind. Anger for Soap's death, on himself for letting Makarov escape was suddenly rising up inside of the man, as he wished to watch all three men die slowly in pain more than anything else in his life.

"Bastard jumps from one side to another faster than a grasshopper," Kyle took a sip of water out of the glass that sat on the wooden surface. The tense muscles were seen on his face, as the man looked at his teammates in disgust for the actions of the the man they all shared hate for.

"As soon as Shepherd is dead, we move on Phillip fucking Graves in his little hideout," Price looked over the map just to see Shadow company's HQ in front of his face. On paper, everything always seemed so easy, even the buildings never seemed as large as they were in reality. They had only one chance to do it right this time, and all of them had to use both hands to grab it.

"Wait, but Shadow company are allies of Farah's forces?" Amelia's voice finally broke the silence in the room. She looked at Price, then at a map before letting her gaze meet with Ghost and Gaz. A brunette knew her question sounded naïve, but her curiosity was always taking her into its power.

"They were our allies before taking over Alejandro's base and hunting me and Johnny down in Las Almas," Simon looked back at her, as the memories of the mission in Las Almas were playing in his head.

It seemed as if the time passed way too quickly. From the times when Graves and his team called 141 brothers, passed less than 24 hours as the bullet of their weapons got stuck in Soap's shoulder. Ghost knew that trusting anyone in our world was a dreadful mistake, but never did his allies stab his team in the back this fast. Brown eyes were traveling along the map, as the man was clenching his fists awaiting the time they meet Phillip's face.

"And after we are done with the two of them," John turned around just to find the three pairs of eyes looking back at him. The flames of anger were burning in the oceans of blue, while his raspy deep voice stayed calm as if they were talking about the weather in an empty park on a sunny day. The captain's palms touched the polished surface of his desk, as the man finally let his body come back to the comfort of the chair. He nodded as if letting the operation start from the very same moment. "I'll hang Makarov with my bare hands."

There was no way back now. The hunt for the three men whose faces were looking back at the team had officially begun.