Capture Or Kill

Chapter 23: For The Dead

Soap's POV

Y/N hadn't said a word as I stitched up his knife wound. He now had all three of his squad mates' dog tags attached to his belt. Chimera's hit had sliced through the one unprotected spot on Y/N's arm between the vest strap and the shoulder pad. I had to remove the pad and clean the wound in order to be able to stitch it up. It would definitely scar, but it would simply join the others he already had across his body. He had also gotten a busted lip and several bruises along his face and arms. Simon had been furious that he had gotten hurt, swearing to kill Chimera for even laying a finger on him, but this time Y/N didn't say anything back. Price had contacted Laswell to inform her of Reyes and König's deaths, but Kate only told him that Y/N was the closest thing they had to family. Laswell had also been hard at work as she and her team tracked Chimera's helicopter as it headed deeper into the mountains; pretty soon they would have the location of his stronghold. I hoped we wouldn't be too late to stop him, but right now all that mattered was the man sitting in front of me.

"Hey. Are you okay?" I asked softly, closing up the medical kit.

"No, but they knew this could happen." He responded softly as his hand tightened around the twisted bits of metal that once belonged to his friends.

"Simon and I are here for you. Please just say something."

"They would want us to finish the mission and stop Chimera. Especially Reyes." He whispered.

"You are taking this really well."

"I'm really not; I just know that they would all want us to focus on the task at hand. I don't care what happens to Chimera anymore."

That sentence was both comforting and heartbreaking for me. Y/N had trusted Chimera and even cared for him at one point, but now I could see the bloodlust in his eyes. Chimera would be located, and we would have to go after him. Laswell had told Price that once the base was located, a team of US Marines would help launch the assault. The mission had been taken out of the shadows because the risk was just too high to keep it a secret anymore. Price had also contacted Farah and Alex, who agreed to help since they knew the risks Chimera posed. It wouldn't be too long before we were on the move again, and Y/N would most likely face Chimera one last time. It made my stomach turn at the thought of them both facing each other down, mainly because I knew deep down that one of them wouldn't walk away from the fight. I knew Simon felt the same way I did about not losing him; we had to keep him safe, so I made a promise to not leave his side again.

"How are you?" Simon asked, walking into the room.

"Fine. Johnny did well with the stitches."

"Not what I meant." Ghost said walking over and sitting next to Y/N.

"I'm... fine, just wanting to end this all before anyone else gets killed." Y/N replied as Simon looked over his arm.

"You know we are here for you, right?" Simon asked.

"I know, just please stay close to me these next few days, okay?"

Ghost and I just nodded, giving each other a sad look. Y/N had been through so much with the loss of his first and second squads. Chimera certainly wasn't helping, and I would kill him if neither Y/N nor Ghost did. Fuck him for putting Y/N through all this; he would be stopped no matter the cost.

"Johnny." Y/N spoke, raising his voice.

"What?"

"You zoned out; are you okay?"

"Mad about everything."

"I understand, but please don't let that drive you; we have to be at our absolute best when we catch up to Chimera again." Y/N stated standing and starting to undo his vest straps.

"Do you really think this will be the final fight we have with him?" Ghost asked for help getting the back straps undone.

"It will be the last time I face him."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Ghost, and I should be with you." I stated.

"I'm sure you will be, but Chimera is my burden to bear, and I need to be the one to take him down. Fuck!" Y/N yelled as his shoulder strap hit his wound.

"Sorry!" Ghost flinched.

"It's fine, just a bit sensitive, that's all."

"Everything okay in here?" Gaz asked, poking his head through the door.

"Fine, I just want to get out of this bloody shirt." Y/N groaned as he struggled to pull it over his head.

"I'm sorry about Reyes and König, captain."

"Thank you, Gaz. I know you and Reyes became good friends." Y/N replied, finally getting his shirt off.

I couldn't help but stare at him; he clearly kept in shape along with the rest of us. His torso looked like one of the marble statues but was also dotted with scars. The most notable was a large one that cut his abs in half diagonally; he had explained that this came from a mission gone wrong. He and Price had gotten too close to an exploding building, and a piece of shrapnel sliced him open. The others were a mix of bullet wounds and cuts, along with bruises from the fight with Chimera today. Ghost also seemingly seemed to get distracted by the sight, as Gaz held back a snort upon seeing our expressions. Y/N just smirked, walking over to Gaz and throwing his good arm around the sergeant.

"Price probably needs you two; Gaz and I have to talk anyway." Y/N said as he and Gaz turned to leave.

"Wait. Are you going to be okay?" I called out, tossing his fresh shirt over.

"Eventually."

He and Gaz walked out, leaving Ghost and I alone in the room. I was worried about what could happen in the next few days or even hours. It was very likely that we would be leaving soon to give chase, meeting up with Farah and Alex closer to the Russian border. I just hoped all this would be over without any more people being lost. I wanted more from life than just killing and watching my friends die. I had never talked with Simon about it, but I wanted to eventually settle down and live a normal life. Price has actually told me he wants to retire one day and get a house in the countryside.

"Peace and quiet Soap." He laughed when I asked him why the country.

"You gonna raise sheep or something, Price?" I laughed as he lit his cigar.

"Maybe, or I could just smoke a cigar every morning on the porch and enjoy a cup of tea."

"Fucking Brit's." I smiled and shook my head.

Price deserved to retire and get the peace he wanted. He was older than the rest of us and had seen his share of death and destruction, but he kept our team together, always pushing forward. I admired the man, and Gaz and I had begun to copy some of his actions without realizing it until Ghost told us. Price was a father to Gaz, but to me he was my captain and a good friend, good for a laugh or a talk but always professional when he needed to be. Who knows, maybe one day I'll be a captain; it has a nice ring to it, "Captain Mactavish."

"Johnny!"

"Huh what?" I shook my head, getting pulled back to reality.

"You zoned out." Ghost rolled his eyes.

"Oh, sorry, LT, just thinking."

"About?" He asked.

"Would you ever...settle down?" I asked nervously.

I had absolutely no idea how he would react to my question, but it was better to ask now before anyone else was lost.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, Y/N and Price are similar, and I know the captain wants to retire one day; I'm just wondering what we tell Y/N if he wants the same as well."

"You mean I would leave the army for him?"

"Or me," I whispered.

"Do you want to leave?"

"Part of me does, and you have to admit Y/N gives off hope for something more in life. Just think, Simon, a house, a dog, or something."

Ghost seemed to think about it for a minute before pulling me into a hug.

"If you want that, Johnny, yes. I would leave it behind. Not sure how well I would do as a civilian, but I love both of you too much to say no." Ghost whispered, holding me tight.

"I love you too."

"Assuming we all live after this, you should probably talk to Y/N about this." Simon said, lifting his mask above his nose.

"I will. He needs time before we ask him that."

"He's strong, but we'll be there for him when he needs us." Simon replied, placing a gentle kiss on my cheek.

"For Y/N, then?" I asked, blushing.

"For everyone we have lost." Ghost whispered, placing our foreheads together.

For the dead, we fight.