They piled into the truck, loaded rucks, and rolled toward the compound. The ride was quietâSoap and Alejandro talked tactics, while Valkyrie stayed low and focused. Ghost crouched forward and scanned with his scope when they stopped.
Ghost: âValkyrie, you take right. Iâll take left.â
She slid down beside him, checked her sight, and breathed out.
Bangâtwo suppressed shots. Snipers neutralized.
They moved in, Rudy guiding them to the security room.
Ghost: âRudyâfind Alejandroâs cell. Soap, you run cameras and prep charges. Valkyrie, help Rudy. Move.â
Rudy spun through the CCTV feeds while Soap tapped controls. Valkyrie stood behind Rudy, rifle at the ready.
Valkyrie: âRudy, where do you hold prisoners?â
Rudy: âWe have cellsâseniority-based. Waitâhold on.â (He flips the feed.) âThereâAlejandro, solitary. Two Shadows on the door.â
Valkyrie (into comms): âGhost, this is Valkyrie. Weâve located Alejandro. Solitary. Two guards."
Ghost: âRoger. Weâll get him out.â
They packed fast. As they closed on the cell block a chopper droned overhead.
Rudy (quiet): âHeliâwatch above.â
Static, then Ghostâs voice:
Ghost: âWeâre clear of it. Move.â
Rudy tried the cell door. Locked.
Soap: âWant me to breach?â
Ghost: âNo. Rudyâknock.â
Soap and Valkyrie exchanged looks. Rudy knocked. A guard cracked the door and stepped outâRudy grabbed him. Ghost shot twice; the guard folded before he could react. They forced the door, rounded the cornerâand contact erupted.
Valkyrie: âEnemy contact!â
She dove behind a wall as rounds stitched the air. She rounded the corner, popped rounds into two threats. Soap wasnât farâhe primed a flashbang.
White light and ringing smashed their senses; they turned and fired. The room went quiet, then loud with controlled shooting. Minutes that felt like forever later:
Rudy: âAlejandroâup the stairs.â
Soap: âExpect contact.â
They pushed upward. Valkyrie caught movement to her left, squeezed the triggerâone less threat. At the top they found the cell. The door burst open; Alejandro came at them wild-eyed, fighting.
Soap: âOiâAlejandro, itâs us!â
They pinned him to the wall until he calmed. Breath ragged, he blinked and recognized faces.
Alejandro: âRudy⌠Soap⌠Ghost⌠Valkyrie.â
Soap: âThought we left you for dead, did ya?"
Rudy handed Alejandro a sidearm. He nodded, wiping blood and grime from his face.
Alejandro: âAlright. Letâs fight fire with fire.â
They moved to retake the compound. Room by room, they cleared it, freeing Alejandroâs men and arming them. The tide turnedâwhat had been an organized shadow sweep became a ragged, coordinated counterattack.
As they opened a final door and flooded a corridor with ally gunfire, Valkyrie felt something like calm steal over her.
She leveled her sights and called outâhalf promise, half threat.
Valkyrie: âWeâre coming for you, Graves. Hope youâre ready.â
The team pushed deeper into the base until they reached the mess hallâa vast space filled with overturned tables and heavy shadows. Plenty of places to hide, but also to die. Valkyrie and Ghost stood back-to-back, covering angles.
A bullet ricocheted off the pillar beside her, the debris slicing her cheek.
She touched the cut and hissed as her fingers came away bloody.
Valkyrie: âToo far from the heart. Iâm fine.â
Ghost: âGood. Thatâs what I like to hear.â
She smirked, darted around the pillar, and fired before ducking back. Ghost couldnât help but respect her gritâhow she kept pushing forward no matter what. She wasnât the strongest or the fastest, but she had the kind of spirit that held entire teams together. She fought like someone whoâd already survived worse.
An hour later, Ghost finally called it.
Alejandro: âThis place is huge. Make sure every cornerâs clean.â
They split up, clearing rooms and corners until the area was empty.
Rudy: âWe open this door, head down the stairs, and weâre out.â
Ghost stepped forward, bolt cutters in hand. He snapped the chain, and one by one, they moved through the door, rifles sweeping every angle.
Gunfire erupted outside. A helicopter thundered overhead.
Ghost: âSoapâtake the launcher! Drop that heli!â
Soap swapped weapons, loaded the grenade launcher, and fired. The shot slammed into the chopperâs hull. He reloaded, fired againâthe helicopter spun out, crashing behind the wall in a burst of flame.
Alejandro: âSkyâs clear! Move! We just need to get over the wall!â
They sprinted for cover when something green clattered onto the ground nearby.
Price (over comms): âFriendly! Friendly!â
Valkyrie and Soap exchanged relieved glances.
Alejandro: âI like the sound of this.â
Alejandro ordered his men to stand down. At the wall, a rope line dropped. Price reached down, helping Soap up first, then Valkyrie.
Soap: âCaptainâitâs damn good to see you.â
Ghost: âHowâd you know we were out here?â
Price: âLaswell. Sheâs been digging into Shepherdâs files. Found out what he did. Wouldnât have gone deeper if it werenât for this lassâs early call.â
He clapped Valkyrieâs shoulderâa firm, proud gesture.
Soap: âHell yeah! Knew it was smart to follow her instincts.â
Ghost rolled his eyes, exhaling sharply. Heâd known long before anyone else did.
Price: âAlright. Letâs get out of here and regroup.â
They climbed over the wall, finally breathing fresh air. Relief washed over the team. Gaz fell back beside Valkyrie as they walked.
Gaz: âHowâre you holding up?â
Valkyrie: âI think Iâve made a few more friends.â
Gaz (smiling): âThatâs good. Soapâs obnoxious, and Ghost can be terrifyingâbut theyâre good people.â
Valkyrie: âYeah⌠the scary one isnât so scary to me. I can see heâs hurtingâlike me.â
Gaz: âGhostâs been through a lot. No one really knows how much, except maybe Price.â
Valkyrie nodded, eyes distant. Maybe Ghostâs past mirrored hersâthe parts of Berlin she could never talk about.
Valkyrie: âSo⌠was this a test from the Captain?â
Gaz (laughing): âCanât say. But if it was, lassâyou passed.â
His laugh eased her tension. For a moment, the war around them faded. But she could still feel Ghostâs eyes on herâwatchful, unreadable.
Alejandro called for them to move to the trucks. Price tossed Gaz the keys.
They piled into the van. Price took the front seat as the doors slammed shut behind them.
Soap: âSo Valkyrie was right. Shepherd was hiding something.â
Ghost: âYeah. He knew weâd find out eventually.â
Valkyrie: âThatâs why Graves was sent after us.â
Price: âAye. Laswellâs digging shows this goes back at least two months.â
Valkyrie bit her cheek hard, tasting blood.
Valkyrie: âHe hid all this? And thought it was fine? Weâre cleaning up his messârisking everyoneâs lives for it.â
Price didnât reprimand her. He understood her frustration.
Price: âI hear you. But higher-ups play their own games. We canât control that. What we can controlâis this.â
Back at the makeshift base, the team gathered around as Price joined a secure call. Shepherdâs face flickered on the laptop.
Price: âYou hid this. Why?â
Shepherd: âWe all have secrets, Captain.â
Price: âWhy wasnât I informed?â
Shepherd: âConsider yourself informed now, John.â
Price (sarcastic): âOh, brilliant. A day late and a missile short. There were three missiles. Weâve only found two.â
Shepherd: âThen point yourself in that direction and fix it.â
Price: âAnd who fixes you, eh?â
Shepherd: âI donât need fixing. Iâm a patriot protecting my country.â
Price (mutters): âMore like protecting your own arse.â
Shepherdâs calm arrogance only deepened.
Shepherd: âI do what I must. No red tape. I know whatâs best for the cause.â
Price (laughs, cold): âYouâve lost your bloody mind, General.â
Shepherd: âAnd youâve forgotten what youâre fighting for. To do good, you sometimes have to do bad. And when we make a messâwe bury it. Thatâs where it stays.â
Price: âYeahâbut we donât bury each other, do we?â
A tense silence filled the room.
Shepherd: âTurn that part off, John. Face the real enemy.â
Price (leaning in): âYou need to call off your Shadows.â
Shepherd (smirking): âHeâs a dog with a bone. I wouldnât try to take it.â
Price: âThis is your last chance to change your mind.â
Shepherd: âAnd then what?â
Price: âThen after I go after himâŚâ (he shuts the laptop) ââŚIâm coming after you.â
Price looked up at his teamâGhost, Soap, Valkyrie, Rudy, Alejandro. His jaw set.
Some parts I cut and made short. The story is about her. (I'm having to remind myself of that hahaha.) Yes I even added somethings that isn't in there as well. Few more parts and this one will be finished. Then I will switch to Mw1 before 3. I want to post pone 3 as much as I can. Hope you enjoy!