Haunted - COD Simon Ghost Riley x Female OC

Chapter Eleven - Lessons

After one of the most blissed out, dreamless sleeps you've had in what feels like eons, you get ready to meet with the rest of the taskforce in the briefing room. You needed to go over the mission from yesterday and hopefully there was something useful in that building that would lead you to another target. Every strike against this cartel left you feeling like you were fighting a hydra; as if each time you cut off one head, two more sprouted in its place. Yesterday was the largest weapons cache to date that had been taken from them so you did count that as win but you couldn't escape the sinking feeling that you were fighting a losing battle.

You were dressed in simple black cargo pants and a form fitting t-shirt, your hair pulled back into a braid. Walking into the briefing room, you were immediately overwhelmed with the tension in the room. Price sat at the head of the table, Soap on one side and Ghost on the other. Gaz walked in just behind you, letting out a low whistle. He lightly clapped you on the shoulder and sat beside Soap. You decided to play it safe and sat directly across from Price by yourself. Price cleared his throat and began the debrief, going over the details of the op from top to bottom. While they were clearing out the building, they had recovered some documents and a USB that were currently being analyzed but it looked promising. Price had sent photos to Laswell of the weapons cache and it was determined that the weapons were of a Russian origin and you couldn't help the groan that escaped your lips. You may not have been a fan of the heat here, but you would take the dust and blistering sun any day over the bone deep cold of the Russian tundra. The group seemed to unanimously agree that going to Russia was not something any of you were looking forward to. Price was hoping that the analysts would have something for you by the end of day in order to keep ahead of the curve and maybe help close the gap that has apparently formed. He advised everyone to take it easy but to gather their stuff in case there was a last-minute call out. You nodded and rose from your chair, deciding to head to the armoury and then back to your quarters to ready your kit.

Once you packed everything up and readied your gear next to your door, you decided to change into shorts and go for a run around the base. With earbuds in, the steady thrum of your feet pounding against the ground, and the only thing you're focused on is regulating your breathing and pushing your legs further, you start to do laps around the base. You were never a runner. In fact, you hold tight to the firm belief that the people who go off about a "runner's high" are liars. There is no 'high' for you. Just a full body ache and some time alone with your thoughts. Despite not being a fan of running, your endurance for long distance sometimes shocks yourself. You're on your second lap of the base when you can feel that someone has joined up beside you. You turn your head to the side and see that Price has swapped out a tilly hat for a backwards ballcap. The look shocks you momentarily as you take in the captain jogging beside you. You turn your music down and take out an earbud.

"Decided to join me in my own personal brand of torture, Cap?" You huff out a laugh as you continue jogging on the set path you've mapped out for your laps.

"Can't let you show off all by yourself." Price throws you a wink as he matches your pace.

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but you're already a lap behind."

"A lad needed to change into his gym gear, it takes some time." You laugh at his retort and offer up your spare earbud to Price who happily accepts it. Turning your music back on at a volume that was comfortable, the two of you jog around the base.

The leisurely jog soon devolved into a competition of who was more stubborn between yourself and the captain. You couldn't stop running first because it would look like you're a quitter but if Price stopped before you, he would lose because he still had an extra lap to run before he would catch up to you. The two of you began throwing playful jabs at each other, trying to egg the other on to give up. You were just starting your fourth lap of the base and your lungs were on fire and you were genuinely surprised you could still move your legs. How Price had kept up a solid pace with his smoking habit was also a mystery. Almost as if he was sensing that you needed an out, Gaz appeared and flagged the two of you down. You made a mental note to give Gaz a hug and your desserts for the next week in appreciation. The two of you came to a halt in front of him, sweaty and breathing heavily. You focused all your energy into your legs to keep you upright.