𝐋𝐈𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐘 & 𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌𝐒 | 𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞

𝟎𝟑. 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐫𝐫

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐀𝐈𝐑 had not changed and Lorene determined it was the most unappealing aspect of Russia. Normally she didn't mind the snow, but heading straight to Russia after sailing through the arctic circle, she hadn't had a chance to warm up yet. She rubbed her hands together and huffed several short puffs of hot air onto her hands to try and bring back some color to her fingers that had started to turn purple.

"I told you to wear gloves," Charlotte noted.

"I didn't have much time to pack," Lorene retorted, bitterly under her breath. "Besides, I didn't think it could get much colder than the arctic. How much longer are we planning to scour the tundra?"

"Has the Wolverine found anything yet?" Dugan interrupted the argument with a question meant to serve as a distraction. The winds had picked up and as a result, the Commandos standing around at the edge of the forest all pulled their coats tighter around themselves. They'd been around the Rogers sisters long enough to no longer feel abashed in moments of physical weakness. It had taken some time to get to that point, but that's the price of developing a trustworthy relationship.

Rambeau shook his head. "Howlett hasn't come back yet."

"Damn, it's cold," Dugan muttered, shuddering again in complaint.

"No need to whine about it," Howlett spoke in a gruff voice, suddenly appearing behind the group of soldiers.

While Lorene and Charlotte remained unfazed, having heard "the Wolverine" approach due to their enhanced senses, the rest of the Howling Commandos jumped and clutched their chests as if trying to keep their hearts inside.

"Mon dieu," Dernier exhaled as he swore under his breath. Although he'd joined the war without knowing a lick of English, the Commandos had done their best to teach and he'd recently started to pick it up easier than before. Nevertheless, the strength of his accent made his words just as difficult to interpret. "Why you always do zis?"

"By now you should know to watch your backs," Howlett retorted, rolling his eyes.

"Well?" Lorene asked expectantly.

Howlett returned to his pattern of not speaking, shaking his head to answer the implied question. He'd been sent to scout ahead and tally up the number of guards standing watch around the facility within the forest clearing. However, it seemed the building had been abandoned or a darker trap was waiting ahead for them.

"Could be a trap," Charlotte said to fill the gap of silence, resulting in a gruff agreement from Howlett.

"Or maybe it's just our lucky day?" Lorene shrugged nonchalantly, inching toward the clearing. "We'll never know if we stay here though."

"Hear, hear," Falsworth chipped in with his two-cents of agreement. "I'm freezing my arse off out here, I vote we take the ground ahead of us. Look for a tactical advantage."

"And if it's a trap it would do exactly the opposite of that," Rambeau retorted, crossing his arms.

It was clear that a quick division was forming in the group, represented by the division of sisters. Rambeau and Howlett moved behind Charlotte as Falsworth and Dernier stepped to Lorene's side. Morita and Jones split leaving Dugan in the center, faced with a decision that seemed to be more than just the mission.

"Dugan, let's go!" Lorene called for the soldier. "We already know you're not going to turn down a chance to fight the Reds."

"Uh..." Dugan's eyes drifted anxiously toward Charlotte who crossed her arms.

"Timothy, take more than a second to think this through," Charlotte warned. "We don't know enough to blindly storm ahead."

"I..."