Reliant ~ [John Soap MacTavish]

VII. New faces

"Are you kidding me, Soap?" I hiss, keeping my voice down while still sounding angry. "I thought we agreed that I'd be the one to send for you."

"Shut up," he raps. "I need an update. Now."

"Everything is fine. I would've notified you if it weren't."

"Fine. Continue," he says, sounding somewhat defeated.

"Was planning on that, yeah," I sigh before releasing the button.

Carter looks at me with his brows raised, a smile curling up at the corner of his mouth. "What the hell was that?"

I shake my head. "It's nothing. Now please tell me what happened while I was gone."

"It was a mess, Alex," Carter hums. "You were right. That man is crazy."

"I know," I sigh, growing impatient. "Details, Carter. I need to know the specifics."

His smile fades as he begins recounting the chaotic events during my absence. His tone turns serious, and he looks around to ensure no one can overhear our conversation.

"Canmoore was losing it," Carter says in a low voice. "He blamed everyone for being a trader, leaking information to the enemy. It got ugly. He was demanding answers from everyone, about you too, and we were all under intense scrutiny. No one knew anything. No one had seen you go."

I lean in closer, my concern growing as I listen to his account. "Did he find anything? Any evidence? Tell me he didn't.."

Carter shakes his head. "No, he couldn't find anything concrete. But he was paranoid, Alex, more than usual. I heard him talking about using the chips on us. For safety, he said."

My eyes widen in shock. "Are you kidding me? That's insane."

Carter nods solemnly. "Yeah, things were getting bad. We lost valuable time and resources due to the internal strife. The weapon production took a hit, and his obsession with it only made things worse."

I clench my fists, frustration, and anger coursing through me. "I'm working with another team."

Carter's eyes widen in surprise, and he leans in even closer. "Another team? Alex, do you want to die?" he whispers.

"Do you think I'm stupid enough to put myself in that position? I know what I'm doing."

"Can you trust them?"

I glance around cautiously, ensuring that no one is eavesdropping on their conversation. "I can't. Not entirely, but I had to do something. I'll continue to feed them information. It will be easier to end Canmoore with their help. Trust me."

"I trust you, Alex. You know that. But this is dangerous," He sighs, running a hand through his hair. "Canmoore will blow your head off if he finds out."

"Yeah, and so would the others have if I didn't propose this alliance." I reach out and grab Carter's arm. "Come on. You know I'll still do it without you, but having you help me would make my life a hell of a lot easier."

Carter looks at me for a moment, his gaze searching mine. Biting on the inside of his cheek, he rolls his eyes. "You're the reason I'm going to die one of these days," he sighs.

I smile gratefully, relieved that Carter is on board. "I would never let that happen. I'll make this work. If one of us dies, it'll be me."

Soft static fills the room, and if it weren't for the complete silence between the two of us, none of us would've heard it.

"Alex. You copy?"

I close my eyes and sigh. "Affirm. What do you need?"

"Need you here soon. We're going over some plans. Can you get out of there?"