Quiet Mornings And Loud Nights(Ghost Simon Riley)

9-The Plan

The day dragged on like an insufferable weight that couldn't be lifted. Aspen spent his day preparing to get back on the field and rehabilitating his arm. No sign of Simon since he left early in the morning.

"What could I have done so wrong" Aspen asked himself, heat rising in his face.

He was alone in his room, and nothing seemed to make him happier. He watered his plants which grew on his windowsill. He read a few chapters of All Quiet on the Western Front. He showered and took a long nap to try and relax. But his head kept spinning.

A knock on his door sent him running for it. When he opened it, his dismay was so blatant that Soap was offended.

"Expecting someone else?" He asked frowning

Aspen shook his head and quickly began, "No I- well- maybe... sorry about that, what can I do for you?"

Soap laughed and waved his hand for Aspen to follow him. The two walked down the hall towards the main command center and Aspen began to worry. He couldn't see anything out of the ordinary and hoped that nothing was wrong.

"Here we are, just follow me to the right. It'll be explained momentarily" Soap announced opening two huge doors.

Inside the room were tons of computers, files, and maps. Men and women were pacing the room speaking to eachother, writing things down, and analyzing data. Aspen was taken aback at how well organized the group was and had trouble looking away as Soap pulled him into a conference room.

"Wait here. Some more people will be showing up soon, I'm going to make sure everything is in order" Soap commanded, leaving the room quickly.

Taking in the space, Aspen noticed that two of twelve chairs were in use. Gaz was sitting at the far left space and to his right was Price. They were talking in very hushed tones and when they noticed Aspen they faced him, ending their conversation.

"Aspen! Glad you're here, take a seat. Johnny is grabbing the last few folks for this meeting" Price said, his voice now commanding and loud.

Choosing the spot next to Price, Aspen sat down and tried to focus. He was fidgeting with his hands, and bouncing his leg in anticipation. No one had said a thing and as the seconds turned to minutes he felt his anxiety skyrocket.

The doors to the room opened and a few people walked in. Among them, Simon was speaking to Soap about something. His voice was just loud enough for Aspen to catch a few words, "stolen, outrageous, revenge."
This only heightened Aspen's fear and his anxiety overwhelmed his senses. His face heated up and he struggled to breathe.

Simon spared him a glance and noticed his state. Patting Soap's back he walked towards the table. He choose to sit down beside Aspen and whispered a hello. Acknowledging him with a nod Aspen fought down his feelings and stress, yet each time they came back up. The shaking continued and became visible to everyone.

He began getting weird looks and concern from Price. Simon had the most worry in his eyes and in an attempt to help put his hand on Aspen's thigh. Price watched Aspen's struggles die down and lifted a brow.

"You okay there soldier?" He asked quietly, making sure no one else heard.

Aspen nodded and took a deep breath, squeezing his hands together he regained some form of calm. Simon removed his hand cautiously but Aspen caught his wrist and put it back. Without letting go he turned his focus to the front of the room. Price cleared his throat and began with, "Gentlemen there is no easy way to say this, but we have reports of a counterattack being planned on our base."

Aspen's jaw dropped and he felt Simon's fingers intertwine with his.

"The contraband we retrieved was not an easy task, seeing that one of our men was injured. However, our enemies will stop at nothing to get it back. Unfortunately they have enough force to easily destroy our base and kill our fellow soldiers if we aren't careful" He continued.
"The decision of what to do next is up to you all, however, time is limited. Our scouts have this data-" He said, pointing at a chart.

Leaning forward Aspen saw a force of men, tanks, and aircraft as well as a map of their locations. He held on to Simons hand as he returned to his seat. Fear and unrest filled the room as discussions began between everyone. Aspen looked to Simon who had a stone cold expression. Nothing about him was readable, except for his hand which was squeezing Aspen's.

"Simon what are we gonna do?" Aspen asked shakily

Simon faced him and spoke low, "personally I think we should launch an operation to retrieve the other half of the contraband while they move towards our base. By the time they arrive we can be infiltrating their base and leaving before the whole force is notified."

"Thats pretty ingenious, however there may not be a base to return to if we dont stop them. Do we have anything to truly defend ourselves?" Aspen responded

"Not exactly, but I know of a few safehouses nearby we could store our absolute necessities in until further notice. Perhaps we could make them believe our base is empty and leave nothing important behind, it doesn't matter what they do. Not to mention the base is pretty sturdy, she'll hold if they try anything stupid." Simon replied, thinking the entire plan through.

Aspen nodded and squeezed Simon's hand which hadn't moved from his leg. They looked at eachother and for just a moment, everything froze. Aspen missed the feeling and once it was gone, realized that with time Simon could be his. Maybe...

"ANY IDEAS GENTLEMEN?!" Price shouted, interrupting Aspen's thoughts.

Aspen looked at Simon and nodded, standing up. He felt Simon's hand leave his and the warmth still carried as he cleared his throat.

"Si- ahem Ghost and I had an idea" he began.

Over the course of 15 minutes he explained in depth the plan, how it would work, and with some help from Simon, pointed out the best locations to move.

The two worked well together.

Thanks for reading!
What kind of plants does Aspen have?
See you soon!🦦❤

To be continued...