Capture Or Kill

Chapter 20: By His Side

Y/N's POV

1 Month Later

The air was cold, and the wind blew through my hair. Al Mazrah was quiet tonight, with only the sound of my breathing being heard. AQ forces had been keeping to the main city, so luckily I had gotten a break from the fighting. I just enjoyed the stars above trying to count them all. Everything has changed now since Chimera's return a month ago, with hard decisions being made that day and hearts forever broken. I knew what I had given up, and part of myself would always hate me for it, but I was happy, safe, and loved. My new uniform kept me warm in the cold February breeze. I had replaced most of my wardrobe, with the biggest change being a new armor carrier that was identical to Soap's, but I kept the many throwing knives that lined either side of my chest. I had also gotten a new backpack and jacket, which had a shoulder cape on the left. That had actually been one of Simon's old desert covers, but he gave it to me so I would "feel cool." I pulled my knees up to my chest as my boots scraped along the concrete roof of the old two-story house. Chimera's knife was still clipped onto the right boot, but now it held a different meaning for me, one I didn't like. The sound of boots coming from behind me made me smile softly once they stopped next to me and the man sat down.

"You okay today?" Simon asked.

"Better now that you are here." I replied, resting my head on his shoulder.

"Johnny, Price, and the others will be back soon."

"Good, I was worried about them." I replied, scooting closer to him.

"He's still out there, you know."

"Chimera's plans have been delayed, if not ruined, and I'm sure he will reveal himself soon." I whispered as Simon pulled me onto his lap, wrapping his arms around my waist. I closed my eyes, and that day came flying back into my mind—the day I lost Chimera again.



"I'm sorry." I spoke softly toward Price.

That sentence wasn't meant for him, and he quickly understood that. I would never forget everyone's faces when the second Chimera turned to lead me up the stairs. I turned, and with every ounce of strength I had, I pushed him back against the railing. He was much larger than me and had always beaten me in our sparring matches back in the day, but this time was different. I felt the adrenaline rush as he stumbled back, hitting the railing hard and popping his back in the process. He grabbed onto my vest, trying to yank me off, but I refused to move, trying my best to keep my feet from sliding. Chimera began to panic as Reyes, König, and Price began to race towards us. He knew he couldn't beat us all, so he did the only thing he could in that moment. He finally used his own strength to knock me back, sending me crashing into Price, who used the opportunity to scramble up the metal stairs and up to the already hovering helicopter. He had managed to jump on as he ordered his soldiers not to fire on us, just as the entire team raced up after him.

"I don't blame you, Y/N, but next time you will come with me!" Chimera yelled as his transport sped off into the distant gulf, disappearing into the night.

I had made my choice that day, and I didn't regret it. I picked my new friends and partners over my old ones. Chimera wasn't the same person I had fallen in love with all those years ago; he was twisted and evil now. I truly felt like I had lost him forever, but this time I had Johnny and Simon, and I wasn't alone. Simon truly thought that I was going to go with him until I quietly mouthed "I love you" while Chimera was offering Reyes, König, and Gaz the opportunity to join him. Simon had understood what I was planning to do but still clearly wasn't comfortable with it. In the end, everything worked out and the chemicals were destroyed, but we knew that wasn't the only threat, and thanks to Kate's CIA team, we had been sent back to Al Mazrah to destroy any of Chimera's convoys we could find. It had been over a month since that day I fought Chimera, and since then we had been a thorn in his side. His trucks were being ambushed by our squad and US marines without breaks, but tonight all that mattered was Simon, Johnny, and me.

"You're thinking about it again, aren't you?" Simon asked, firmly planting his chin on my now even longer hair.

"Yeah, I can't help it, Simon."

"I didn't say it was a bad thing, love; you just shouldn't dwell on it too much." He replied.

"You're right as always." I laughed, leaning back into him.

Soap, Price, and Gaz had gone on a recon mission to Al Marazh City earlier and had left by the time Simon and I had gotten back with Reyes and König from our own mission. We had ambushed a convoy as it passed through the airport, destroying Chimera's shipment of munitions. I knew he was probably beginning to reconsider his offer for me, but it didn't matter now; I had made my choice and I would stay with Simon and Johnny. In the distance, a car was making its way towards us as Price's voice came across the radio.

"We are back. Don't shoot us."

"Affirmative." Simon answered.

"I've got a surprise for you two!" Johnny yelled into the radio, causing both of us to flinch.

"Soap! Shut the fuck up!" Price yelled back.

I couldn't help but laugh at the interaction between the two. Soap still kept up his usual amount of energy throughout the Al Mazrah deployment. He and Gaz found their way into boatloads of trouble, and I even joined in. Two weeks ago, Price had sent us out to gather gas cans for the truck, but we got distracted and ended up bringing back six stray dogs instead. Gaz and I had also accidentally forgotten to refill the car while coming back from a supply run. Ghost chewed me out for that one since by the time we got back, it was dark, and Reyes nearly blew our heads off when we failed to confirm it was us. I had actually been doing well the past month with the team; Nova's death and Chimera's return still haunted me, but Simon and Johnny had been by my side the whole time. Johnny was especially good with the emotional side of everything, often checking in on me or staying with me at night. Simon had his part too, but he was only cuddly when no one else was around, like tonight.

The truck below came to a stop, with Soap jumping out and racing inside while Gaz and Price talked to Reyes below. It was another few minutes before we heard the boots racing up the steps and the door fly open. Johnny was out of breath as he kicked the door open, pulling off his red skull mask.

"Soap! Stop kicking doors open!" Price yelled from below.

"Sorry sir!" He yelled back, jogging over and plopping down next to Simon.

"So what's the surprise?" I asked as he leaned forward, placing a kiss on each of our cheeks.

"Take a look!"

  He pulled out a black and red desert scarf, unwrapping it and revealing a bunch of candy. I had no idea where he would have even found that in Al Mazrah, but he seemed proud of it. Simon shared a confused look as Soap scooted closer, unwrapping a piece and popping it into his mouth.

"So you broke into an old store?" I asked as he tried to get Simon to eat one.

"Old supermarket, the scarf is for you since your old one is kind of gross."

"Johnny, get that thing away from me!" Simon growled as Soap pressed the hard candy against Simon's covered lips.

"You ate half on the way here, didn't you?"

"No... Gaz ate some too."

"Well, that explains the crazy amount of energy you have." I took the yellow one, unwrapping it and eating it. Lemon-flavored and surprisingly still good.

"Kid, I need to see you." Price called through the radio again.

"On my way," I replied.

I was stopped by the pair of strong arms that were still wrapped around me. Simon didn't want to let go, but I knew Price had something important to talk to me about, so I just continued to try to wiggle my way out.

"Simon, let go." I huffed slightly out of breath.

"No."

"Simon!"

"No."

"Fine." I turned so I was now facing towards Soap, quickly giving him a kiss on the chin. He finally let go as Johnny began frantically tapping his lips, wanting one too.

"Kid!" Price called again.

"I'm comi-"

My sentence had been cut short by Soap tackling me and smashing our lips together. Price had clearly heard us groaning through the mic since he had caught us once already. He had walked in on Soap and we were getting a bit too "comfortable" with one another. He just gave Johnny a death stare and told us to be ready to leave in 10 minutes. I was embarrassed, but Price knew better than to push the subject, just giving me a frown when he noticed the marks on my neck. Soap finally pulled away as I stood up, messing his mohawk up on my way across the roof and down the stairs. Price was waiting for me in the garage, where König was working on the truck's engine. My sergeant gave me a wave from behind the hood as Price motioned for me to follow him outside.

"What's up?" I asked.

"First off, turn your mic off when you two are doing that, and secondly, we need to talk about Chimera again." He stated sitting down on the old bench outside the front of the house, pulling out a cigar.

Price and I had a long conversation the day after Chimera's return. I didn't sleep at all that night, despite both Simon and Johnny trying their best to get me to. Price hadn't slept well either and called me into one of the meeting rooms back at Alejandro's base. The long conversation that followed was a mix of yelling, crying, confused yelling, and a lot of silence. We were not mad at each other, but both of our emotions were out of whack following the revelation. Price was at a loss for words by the end of it, just asking me how I was feeling about him being alive. I told him it was a mix of happiness and anger since now Chimera had changed from the kind individual I had fallen in love with to an insane psychopath. Price understood the battle that was going on between my mind and heart. I also had to sit down with Ghost and Soap that day and tell them how I was feeling about Chimera being alive. I felt awful that Johnny didn't understand that I wasn't actually going with Chimera, but he made it clear he just didn't want me to leave him or Simon. I promised I wouldn't go back to Chimera or join in his evil plans for revenge against the world. We had left Las Almas and Alejandro a week later and were headed to Al Mazrah.

"What about him?" I asked, slouching against the cold wood.

"You understand you will most likely have to face him again?"

"I know, but hopefully I won't be alone." I replied, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"You won't be; Ghost and Soap won't leave you, and neither will I." Price stated placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Do you think I will have to, you know?"

"I hope not, but if we can capture him, we might be able to help him get past all his built-up anger." Price reassured me.

The thought had crossed my mind more than once. I knew I would eventually have to face Chimera again, and the possibility that one of us wouldn't walk away from it was very real. It was for this reason that I had knocked Ghost's rifle out of his hands that day. Chimera was right—part of me would never forgive Simon for killing Chimera, but if I were the one to capture him, maybe I could try not to hold it against myself. Ghost and Soap knew that I had to be the one to bring Chimera in, or Price, for that matter. We had known him the longest, and both of us felt the responsibility of his capture weighing us down each day. The possibility was growing with each day; the convoys had become less frequent, and the ones that did pass through Al Mazrah were more armed than the last.

"I should be the one to do it, dad."

"Are you sure you want to?" He asked, blowing out a cloud of smoke.

"I don't want to, but I don't have a choice; if he is allowed to run free in the world, he could hurt god knows how many people."

"Just don't do it alone, okay?"

"I promise I won't, dad. One way or another, I will bring him in."

I would face Chimera again, and this time I wouldn't let my emotions get in my way.