A Ghost Encounter: My Time with Simon "Ghost" Riley

Part Forty-Seven: Arch Industries Tower

Sounds of helicopter blades whirring are all that fill my ears until the silence is broken by the thickest Scottish accent I've ever heard in my entire life.

I don't think I'll ever get used to it, so I let out a soft chuckle.

Soap turns his head to me, sketches a brow, and softly chuckles. "What is it? Do I have something on my face?"

"No," I laugh through our private comms. We're wearing headsets to drone out the loud whirring sounds from the helicopter. "It's just...I like your accent. I've never met a Scott before."

"Ah, I see," he chuckles again. "Excited we get to work together, then?"

"Of course! This is the dream team," I wink at him.

The helicopter continues to make its way to the top of Arch Industries Tower.

"Do you think there'll be anyone in the server room?" I ask Soap, curious as to what he might think.

"Hard to say, but let's plan on there being someone just to be safe." Soap gives me a thumbs up.

"Right." I return the thumbs up.

Since joining Task Force 141 I've only worked alongside Ghost so it'll be interesting to see Soap and I's dynamic. I'm not concerned, though. Even before leaving for Iran, Soap and I got along well.

Mid-thought, I'm brought back to the present when Soap asks me, "No hard feelings then, eh?"

No hard feelings?

I tilt my head to the side in confusion. "What do you mean?"

A soft blush appears on Soap's face. "Y'know, after the kiss and when we talked..." he says awkwardly.

Oh...

"Of course not. Like we talked about, we're friends. Don't worry. No hard feelings at all," I say, giving him a soft smile, hoping to reassure him.

He playfully wipes his forehead and lets out a big sigh, "Good, haha. Just checking. I don't want the L.T. to come after me."

That's strange of him to mention Ghost out of nowhere. Why would Ghost go after him?

"Lieutenant Ghost? Why would he go after you?" I chuckle nervously, having a feeling I know what his answer will be.

Soap's face says it all: the look of someone whose Freudian slip bested them.

"Uhh, haha, y'know? You and Ghost," he nearly whispers that sentence, airing on the side of caution.

Me and Ghost? My word fear has been confirmed. How could he possibly know that? Did Simon say something to him?

"M-me and Ghost?" I stammer nervously. "Did Ghost tell you something I don't know about?"

"No," He shakes his hands nervously. "I can just tell the L.T. has eyes for you. Nothing confirmed. Just a suspicion."

A suspicion? He hit the nail on the head with a hammer! Are we that obvious?

"Oh, haha...Is that your observation?" I ask.

"That's everyone's observation, sweetheart," Soap grins smugly, knowing his observations are spot on.

Shit. So we are obvious...

My face immediately turns bright red and I look out the helicopter window to try and shield my face from his gaze.

"Don't worry, Sergeant. No hard feelings. Besides, he needs someone like you to keep him honest." I face Soap once more to find him smiling at me.

To keep him honest.

I've known Soap and Ghost are close but I'm happy to know Soap always has Ghost's best interest in mind.

"Right," I say briefly, not wanting to continue on the subject.

Besides, I'm not sure if our relationship is a topic Ghost wants everyone to know or talk about, so I won't outright confirm anything.

We finally reach the top of the tower and exit the helicopter.

Some static fills the comms and then we hear Laswell's voice cut through.

"Remember, the server room is on the 54th floor. You'll need to rappel down to enter undetected," she states.

"Let's get this thing started then." Soap nods at me.

We both put on our rappelling gear, ready our weapons and begin our journey down the tower.

My anxiety kicks up, not only because of the gravity of this mission, but when I look down I see hundreds—not thousands—of feet underneath us. And if we drop then we drop, we drop to our imminent deaths.

Take a deep breath, Breanna. Hyper-focusing on my fear will only lead me to make mistakes I can't afford.

"Try not to look too far down. Keep your eyes on the prize, Roberts. We got this," Soap tells me over the comms, trying to comfort me.

"Yes, sir." And with that, I take a deep breath and continue down the tower.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see movement in one of the upcoming rooms.

"Do you see that?" I ask Soap, my heart beat racing.

"Shadows," he growls.

Shit. Shadow Team is here.

If they're here that can only mean one thing: Shepherd is here too.