Reliant ~ [John Soap MacTavish]

XLVI. No Splitting Up

"Have you spoken to that guy since then?"

"I haven't," I say, the AR Price had given me swinging against my hip as we walk.

He's talking about Brian. The single security guard I trust at least the tiniest bit. He had helped me last time, and I promised to get his gun back to him.

"I have no idea how things are right now, so prepare for the worst."

"The worst..." Ghost repeats, his voice coming from right behind.

"Yeah. Like.. entire building on fire and everything."

"Right."

"That was a joke."

"Yeah, got it," he says, his voice low and without much emotion. "You're just not very funny, that's all."

I snicker, softly scoffing as if to act offended. "You literally wear part of someone's skull. Do you think you're the right person to talk about jokes?"

"Actually, yeah," he mumbles.

"Fine. Tell me a joke that you find very funny."

"Okay," he mumbles, seemingly thinking for a little bit. "Alright, I've got one."

"Go on."

"Two goldfish are in a tank.." He starts, his voice betraying the fact that he finds himself really funny right now. "One turns to the other and says.. you know how to drive this thing?"

I stay silent for a little bit. "You find that funny?"

"It is funny. Objectively."

"You're no better than I am."

He scoffs loudly. "That's quite a statement, Alex. Don't you think?"

"Sure is," I cut him off. "Now walk a little faster. It's getting darker quickly."

He continues walking behind me, keeping quiet for just a second. "Is that a bad thing, then?"

I sigh. "Perhaps not."

"Then why are you saying it like it's a bad thi—"

"—Oh my god can you shut up? I should've taken Soap or Keegan, for fucks sake."

A snickering sound escapes his throat with the mention of Soap's name. I snap my head towards him, eyes warning as to not push any further, and he shrugs lightly, not following through with prying.

But when the building appears in sight, he suddenly turns serious. He keeps up with me and comes to stand beside me when I take a moment to inspect it. "Jesus," he mutters, eyes gliding over the sides of the building.

The outside of it doesn't look too out of it, though it's clear that something's different. Some windows are broken and a thick cloud of smoke is coming from one of the vents on top of the building.

Ghost looks at me from beside me, but I keep my gaze on the building.

"Let's take a look.. Shall we?" I raise my brows, hands tightening on my weapon.

We make our way to one of the side doors, and to my surprise, it's unlocked. "Odd," I mutter, looking behind me to see Ghost right behind.

We enter the building and the dark hallways are even darker than usual. Everything is eerily quiet, and some lights flicker as if they're half broken.

"We're in," Ghost says low, the echoes immediately crackling as we wait for a response.

"Good copy," Price answers after a second. "Keep me updated."