Unmasked (Simon Riley)

Chapter 1

*Ghost's POV*

My heavy footsteps echo in the halls as I walk towards the briefing room. The meeting had slipped my mind, and I'm sure to be the only one not present. Soldiers glance towards me with unease as I stride past them, conversations going silent. Finally, the wooden door is within view.

I swing open the door quickly, entering and closing it behind me. Gaz and Soap are already waiting with Price, Price leaning against the back wall. All eyes turn to me as I enter.

"Glad you could join," Soap jokes, his Scottish accent filling the room as he rolls his eyes. I huff in response, turning to face Price and crossing my arms over my chest. "Right, I wanted to inform you that Kate is coming, along with another agent. We'll need them for the next mission."

"Who's the other agent?" Soap asks, glancing towards Gaz who is clearly wondering the same thing. "You'll see," Price says. I frown slightly, of course he's being secretive. "They'll be here soon, we'll brief the mission once they arrive." His eyes land on me, and I give a curt nod of understanding.

We file out of the room, all instinctively heading to the tables to wait. "I wonder who it is," Gaz says out loud, the pair heading to grab food. I pick an empty table to sit at, sighing as they soon join me.

"What's the mission anyways?" Soap asks nobody in particular. "Considering the C.I.A is coming, it's going to be something concerning intel," I say, snarkier than I meant to be. Both pairs of eyes land on me, but I keep my eyes focused on the rest of the room.

"Woke up on the wrong side of the bed, LT?" Soap asks. I bring my eyes down to meet his, a cheeky grin on his face. I huff in response, the distance sound of a helicopter filling my ears. I push myself up off the bench, falling into step with Price as we head outside.

The others walk quickly to catch up, stopping beside us as we watch the helicopter land. Two soldiers run forward as the doors to the chopper slide open. They help the two women out, grabbing their bags from them. I glance at Laswell, my eyes falling on the women beside her. The mystery agent.

They approach with their heads down, the wind from the chopper making it hard to see. The helicopter ascends once more, the sounds of the engine growing distant. "Laswell," Price greets, approaching the two as they straighten up. "Brooke," he greets the other agent, raising her hand to place a light kiss on the back of it.

She sends him a captivating smile, "nice to see you again, John," she greets sweetly. Soap let's out a quiet whistle behind me, as I catch the small glare Laswell sends Price.

He clears his throat as he turns back to us. "Boys, this is CIA Agent, Brooklyn Laswell." My eyes widen slightly at the name, turning to land on her once more. "Hello, and you can call me Brooke," she greets with a grin. "I wasn't aware you had a daughter, ma'am," Gaz states, sounding shocked. My eyes trail the new girl, taking in everything about her.

She's dressed casual, and looks highly under qualified for what we might be asking her to do. Her long, light brown hair is tied back, her clothing hugging her small form.

"Good," Laswell responds to Gaz. "The less people that know, the safer she is." Brooklyn rolls her eyes at this, glancing towards her mother. "You'll need the best for this mission. Luckily, she's the best." She continues, a red hue rising to Brooklyn's cheeks at the compliment.

"We'll brief inside," Price says, indicating towards the door with his head. Gaz and Soap turn first, I turn to the side, letting everyone else pass first. Brooklyn's eyes land on me, as if noticing me for the first time. She falls behind her mother and Price, "Lieutenant Ghost, is it?" She asks, glancing up towards me.