Rebirth | Simon Ghost Riley

5

— You're not a rookie, are you? — Soap studied my face intently, as if trying to catch even the slightest hint of a lie in my eyes. His gaze was heavy, but not oppressive, as though he just wanted to make sure rather than expose me.

— I served three years in the army. I thought you knew that, — I shrugged, trying to stay indifferent, though I really wanted to avoid this conversation.

Just five minutes ago, I was standing waist-deep in icy water, feeling every cell in my body protesting against such torment. Now, completely soaked and utterly exhausted, I was dreaming of getting to my backpack, changing clothes, and warming up even a little. My long-sleeve shirt clung unpleasantly to my skin, almost transparent. I could feel the cold draft seeping through the fabric, sending shivers across my body. My frozen underwear stuck to my skin, making the discomfort worse, and my hands were trembling slightly from the chill.

— Come on, I'll walk you back, — Soap offered, looking at me closely and noticing the shaking in my hands. He extended his hand.

I felt uncomfortable; my underwear was see-through, and on top of that, I was freezing.

— I can manage on my own. You don't need to do this, — I replied, though I knew it was more about trying to hold onto the last shred of pride.

He must have noticed my hesitation when I lingered before standing up.

— Lorren, come on, don't do this. I'm a hundred percent sure you'll get lost on your own. This base is massive. You haven't even spent a full day here. — He smirked, but his eyes remained serious. Pointing towards the door, he motioned for me to follow him.

Sergeant MacTavish turned out to be surprisingly kind and even comforting person, especially compared to the others. Even though I barely knew him, he showed a kind of care that I really needed. In just a few hours, he'd done more for me than I could have expected, leaving me with a strange but warm sense of gratitude.

When we left the hall, I finally mustered the courage to ask:

— That guy... — I squinted, trying to recall. — Is he part of Task Force 141? I don't remember him being on your team.

— Keegan? — Soap repeated, catching my nod. As we walked down the long corridors, he continued: — I don't know if I should be telling you this, but I'll take the risk of trusting you. There are more soldiers on the base right now than usual. They're from different units, even other countries.

— So, the mission's going to be serious? — I already knew the answer but asked to hear his confirmation—maybe even new details.

— Has Price told you anything? — He gave me a sly grin. — I don't know the details, but yeah, the guys are getting ready. — Soap nodded toward a small group of soldiers speaking in German. — That big guy over there, look. That's König and his friends. They're from the German army. Ahead, there's some from Austria. And somewhere nearby, there are soldiers from America, Spain. Not many, but they're here with us.

I glanced at them with interest. Their quiet conversations were too indistinct to catch a single word. Yet it intrigued me. Could I still remember my German as well as I used to? What about Spanish?

— Hey, new sergeant-doc! — a loud voice snapped me back to reality. That was Gaz, I knew it from his profile. He stood before me, extending his hand for a handshake.

His eyes flicked briefly over my soaked long-sleeve, but he quickly looked away. It wasn't a lingering look, more like curiosity and a touch of regret. He saw what the lieutenant had done.

— Lorren, nice to meet you, — I replied with a restrained but sincere smile.

Soap led me further down the corridor. With each step, my body felt heavier, as if it knew we were nearing a place where I could finally rest.