Protocols & Hearts

Chapter 7

September 5, 20XX. Approx 6:28 a.m. A motel in a small town outside of Base.

Aelia slowly woke as morning light filtered into the small safehouse room. She let out a tired yawn and stretched, blinking the last hints of sleep from her eyes. Rolling over, she saw the empty space where Ghost had laid beside her the previous night.

Rubbing the vestiges of dreams from her mind, she glanced out the dusty window to spot his familiar imposing silhouette. Hands raised a cigarette to his masked face, broad shoulders tense as he gazed out at the quiet street below.

Aelia rose from the lumpy bed, joints creaking from her unconventional sleep arrangements. As she set up her laptop on the rickety table, fingers tapped anxiously while her overactive mind analyzed the case details. What clues lay buried in the encrypted code she'd uncovered? Could their supposed ally Sarah truly be a mole within their ranks? And what thoughts swirled behind Ghost's enigmatic mask as he stood vigil outside - did he share her mounting suspicions, or see things differently?

More pressingly - what did he truly think of her, after the craze of yesterday? Did he view her only as a colleague, or had something deeper begun to form between them?

Shaking her head to clear such ruminations, she roughly combed her fingers through short and disheveled blonde hair. Feelings had no place clouding her judgment during an active investigation. The truth was all that mattered - she had to focus solely on discovering it. But that was proving.. rather difficult, to say the least.

Suddenly, the patio door swung open as Ghost stepped back inside, now adjusting his re-secured mask with skilled familiarity. His eyes met Aelia's warmly as she offered a small smile in greeting.

She noticed a lingering scent of tobacco clinging to his dark clothing as he leaned over her shoulder for a better view of her laptop screen. Binary code scrolled by in a blur as her fingers danced nimbly across the keyboard, pulling up encrypted files and running analyses.

Ghost watched her capable hands work for a long moment before speaking up. "How'd ya learn to do all that?" he asked, genuine curiosity softening his usually gruff tone.

Aelia's typing faltered briefly as she gathered her thoughts. "I told you before, I grew up around technology," she replied shortly, evasively.

But Ghost saw through the deflection. Shaking his head slightly, he pressed, "No, I mean the hacking - scrubbing your identity, selling your skills online. That kind of operation doesn't spring up overnight."

Releasing a slow exhale, Aelia pushed back her chair to face him fully, shoulders tensing in preparation for the confrontation. "I wanted a fresh start, away from my past," she said stiffly. "Can you blame me for trying to make something better of my life now?"

Beneath the frustration, Ghost detected hurt - old wounds not yet healed. He knew all too well what drove people to extremes. But the soldier in him pushed. Ghost hardened his tone authoritatively. "I can tell you're hiding somethin' important, which is a problem if there is a mole breaching base security," he stated bluntly. "So spill the truth or I'm taking you in cuffs right now for questioning."

Aelia blinked in stunned disbelief before furrowing her brows in frustration. "What happened to trust between partners?" she demanded, rising from her chair to stand at her full height before him despite only reaching his chest.

"I thought after yesterday we understood each other," she continued, hurt creeping into her voice. Waving her hands anxiously, she searched for answers in his stoic expression. "We fought side by side, I thought that meant something. But now what, one show of care and you think I've betrayed you?" Her eyes traced the worn carpet as a resigned sigh escaped her lips. "I'm not your enemy, Ghost. There are just some demons in my past better left buried."