Chalice of Revenge (Ghost X Ruby Laswell)

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"You have a clear aim, Red?" Soap asks as be nudges my elbow.

I aim my sniper, adjusting my stance on the ledge. "Clear. Any visual on Graves?" I ask as I try to balance the gun.

"Not yet. We'll know more once we push up." Soap replies.

"Sick the guy on the left; we're torturing the intel out of the one on the right." Alejandro says. Casual of us to say, I suppose.

My finger feels the trigger. "Copy." Bam. Body dropped.

The guard next to him looks alarmed, waving his gun around frantically. Ghost then throws a dagger into the guard's leg as Alejandro and Soap run to him, binding his hands and feet as well as taking his walkie off his uniform.

Ghost kneels down, his face directly in the guards. His gun was directly pointed at the guy's chest, and in his eyes you could see he was pissed the hell off.

"Where's Graves?" Ghost pushes his gun into the guards chest, pinning him against the wall.

"Bull!" Rodolfo exclaims as he holds his gun up.

"I don't know!" The guard yells with his hands up.

"Bull. Shit." I step forward, kneeling down into the guards face. "This can go one of two ways, buddy. You know you're going to die either way so I'm going to play Mr. Nice and let you make a choice." I shove my finger into his uniform, feeling my teeth grind. "You can either tell us where Graves is and die an honorable man, or you can not tell us shit and die a slow painful death. Graves couldn't give two shits about you, hell probably less than me. If you choose option two, be prepared for the worst pain of your life. I will slowly pull every one of your teeth out then-"

"East wing!" The guard yells. "East wing, outside behind the warehouses. He's programmed and protected in some sort of tank."

I stand up, pushing my foot into the guards chest. "Good boy," I pull up my gun and aim it into his chest, pulling the trigger and walking away. "Let's go."

"What the fuckkkk?" Soap whispers. "Badass, Red!"

Ghost looks at me with astonishment as I walk away, his gaze shocked. I truly never expressed the darker sides of myself for a reason unless I had to. And if I could help it, I could. But it was taking everything in me to not rip Graves throat out and cram it down Shepherd's throat.

We walk up to the East Wing, going up the stairs to the ground level. Who had to be such a pussy to hide in a tank of all things?

Ghost pushes open the door to the outside, the yellow sand and scenery surrounding us all around. Night was falling. There were concrete buildings that surrounded us.

"Where's that tank?" I look around, trying not to expose myself.

"Better question, how the hell are we going to blow it up." Alejandro asks.

I smirk as I turn around, slinging my bag onto the ground and pulling out 6 things of C-4.

"Holy shit," Soap says.

"That'll do it." Ghost responds.

"Now the next question- how the hell are we going to get him to fall for it." Soap asks as he kneels down.

"Me." I look down at the ground, sighing. "I'm the only one here he has a soft spot for, he would kill the rest of you in a heart beat, I can—"

"No." Ghost interjects as he looks at me. His eyes are in a warning glare.

"You don't have the authority to tell me no, Riley." I snap back. Everyone exchanged glances as Ghost and I banter in the best way we knew how to.

"She's right." Rodolfo says.

I look over to him, seeing everyone nod to each other. Ghost stands back, his expression altering from protective to annoyed.

"She has a hold over Graves. It's a risk we have to take." Soap says crossing his arms.

Ghost looks to me as I raise my eyebrows in a "I told you" fashion. He frustratedly turns around, walking to the opposite side of the concrete platform.

"Okay, plan." I look up to Ghost who intently listening from the side as he pouts. "We each run into different directions. You guys plant the C4 on the back of the tank when I guide Graves towards me. Graves won't see you in his peripheral because the height of the tank. There's no other way Graves is going to chase me down or kill me within seconds, so that's what we have to do."

"Sounds good to me, hermana." Alejandro nods.

"Agreed," Rodolfo says. I look up to Ghost who broods in the corner still, throwing me a hesitant thumbs up.

"Remember I'm not going to be armed. I pose a threat to Graves if I am. Mission is starting now." I slide the bag over, looking out into the open dead field. "But I have to look the part first." I look back to everyone else, taking off my uniform top leaving me in a white tank top. I take my pocket knife and rip from the bottom hem, bringing the tear to reveal my stab wound and slightly slice my hand with the knife to show a little blood- distress, you may call it. I take out my hair, flipping my head up and down trying to appear mangled and beat up.

"Holy-" Soap begins to talk, but Ghost makes his over.

"Let's get this over with."

I give a thumbs up as I walk out into the field, looking like a lost puppy.

"Graves?" I call out. I cup my hands around my mouth, projecting my voice.

"Graves! I know you're here!" I make my way over to a building, leaning against it and holding my side as if I was freshly wounded.

"The fuck are you doing here, Laswell? You got a death wish?" A speaker sounds over the distance, a tank emerging around the corner.

"You were right!" I yell as I hold my non sliced hand up, beginning to walk backwards. I then slightly nod to everyone to begin planting the explosives. "They betrayed me, Graves..." I hated this. So much.

"141? Betrayed Kate Laswell?" Graves laughs over the speaker. The tank approaches closer, the wheels turning towards me.

"Yes.. they thought I was not fit to be on the team. After they saw what we had." I wanted to throw up.

"Let me take a wild guess, you rejected Simon Riley? He did seem possessive over you." Graves accuses.

I nod, going along with it.

"You stabbed me, but it was out of frustration. They did this to me out of pure evil, Graves." I sit down on a crate, leaning over.

"Why are you here." Graves demands.

"I'm on your side, I want to be apart of Shadow."

"Bullshit," he laughs.

"I'm tired, Graves. I need someone who understands me- no one does but you. I get I've been impossible to deal with but you know how bad life has been for me this last year."

The speakers emit static. Bingo. Emotional output reached.

"I'm not dumb, Laswell." Graves accuses again.

The barrel of the tank aims to me, and a sound start to come from the system. Shit. I see Ghost give me the go, meaning they were ready to blow.

"No. I think you are, Philip."

Boom.

Fire and orange flames emit from the tank, the contraption blowing up in the process. There was no way no one lives from that.

"Run!" I yell to everyone as I run to the side gate, grabbing my gun and bag and to the car. Everyone follows close behind, as the alarms blare calling his minions to dinner.

We all get to the car, out of breath and panting. "Go, go!" Soap pats the top of the car as Alejandro floors it. I look to the right at Ghost, who's gaze softens.

"I told you I could do it, Ghost Riley. You undermine my acting skills," I tease.

He looks at me blankly, taking his hand and picking up the ripped fabric from my tank top. Without any hesitation, he moves it over my exposed skin.

What the hell were we?