The Bullet's Whistle (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Fanfiction)

Chapter 23

    "Hey," there was an obnoxious slam on the bars to the rocky cell. "Wake up, Shepherd wants to see you." 
    I sat up from where I rested next to Roach in a corner on the uncomfortable ground. Roach did the same, glaring at the two soldiers as they opened up the cell door. The first one picked up him harshly, harming his side no doubt. 
    "Come on," the second one huffed as he hauled me up. 
    They sandwiched us between them as we rounded a corner to a main area of the base. Roach stayed close to my side as we paused to examine the room with computers and systems. A few masked soldiers worked at some stations, communicating with others. 
    "Keep moving." 
    Shepherd really had an entire military system he'd kept right under everyone's noses. While it was organized, I questioned how much power they wielded. It was only natural the men would be disciplined and well-assembled, but preparedness and actual level of training was questionable. There hadn't been enough time for Shepherd to truly make sure his men were skilled. 
    I eyed the soldier leading us through the caves. He was shorter, but thickly muscled without a doubt. He held his head high, yet I could see a waver in confidence by the way his fingers twitched at his pistol. Located on his right thigh, the weapon was ready to be fired and I didn't doubt that he would be overly sensitive to using it.
    Roach was also examining the area around us, hazel eyes narrowed. He met my gaze for a long moment and I shot a meaningful glance to the soldier in front of us. We shared a tiny nod. 
    In a fluid movement, Roach flew backward and I forward. I gained a grip on the clueless soldier as Roach fought hand-to-hand with the one behind us. Roach threw his enemy's weapon to the side while I managed to knee mine. 
    "We need backup now!" the soldier I was easily beating down shouted. 
    I clutched his pistol as he raised it and shot to the left of my neck. My arms burned as I pressed against his strength in order to take the weapon from the enemy soldier. His blue eyes widened a fraction once he realized how easy I was overtaking him. 
    "Look out Fox," Roach shouted just before a gun went off. 
    I froze in my movements of stealing the pistol as the soldier paused as well. He widened his eyes more and then looked downward, between us, with a slack jaw. I released him entirely as his knees went limp. 
    "Restrain her!" 
    A deep voice called the command, yet heavier hands latched onto my shoulders. They forced my wrists in front of me and then tightly cuffed them. I winced from the sharp metal digging into my skin. 
    "We almost had it Fox," Roach sounded hopeful as he was also cuffed. 
    "Keep your chin up Roach," I breathed out as two soldiers shoved us forward.
    I walked in the direction they pressured us, making sure Roach didn't make any rash moves to follow. He glared at every soldier, especially the one leading us, and his eyes moved ahead to a closed steel door. 
    The soldier knocked twice and then opened the separated room. Shepherd stood up from behind a desk, his eyes looking tired as ever. Roach braced beside me and the soldier behind us smacked his back with the butt of his rifle. 
    Roach collapsed to his knees and let out a grunt. "Fuck you." 
    "Leave him be," Shepherd motioned to the same soldier bracing to kick Roach. "He's dying from the inside anyways." 
    "No he's not," I stepped forward to the distrust of the soldiers. "You're going to give him medical attention." 
    Shepherd looked amused. "Oh?" 
    "If you want my cooperation with anything, you'll help him." 
    "Shadow Company doesn't have time for surgery," Shepherd argued. 
    "Help him," I ignored his bullshit. 
    Shepherd released a stiff sigh and then nodded to one of the guards. "Take him." 
    I clutched the wrist of Roach as he got up, glaring toward the soldier assigned to escort him. "If any harm comes to him, I'll carve your eyes right out of their sockets. Understand?" 
    The soldier was younger and less experienced as he swallowed. Roach shot me a worried glance as he allowed the trooper to whisk him from the room. The door closed behind them. 
    I took a count on the room. Two soldiers closer to Shepherd, both readily armed, and two on either side of me meant I was outnumbered four to one. It was five to one if Shepherd had his revolver, which was always the case. 
    If shit went haywire, I'd snag the two Shadow Company soldiers closest to me at once, grab the knife off the chest of the right one and use his stabbed body to defend against the other while I shot his partner. The other two would try to shoot, but I'd take one out with the stolen rifle and throw the knife into the face of the remaining. Then it would come down to Shepherd and myself. 
    And not even cuffed hands would hold me back.
    "Why did you want to talk?" 
    "I want to know where Soap and Price have gone." 
    I laughed. "You think I know?"
    "I'm not blind, Sam. You and Soap had a couple of nights together." 
    My heart dropped to my knees and I felt my throat tighten. "I have no idea what you're talking about or where they are. It was your idea to split up the team." 
    "I will admit it made things easier," Shepherd paced with his hands behind his back. "But those two weaseled their way out of the boneyard." 
    Relief hit my lungs. Soap and Price were still alive. If I knew either one of them, they'd be heading to kill Shepherd at any time now. 
    "And I ruined your plans at the border," I mused. 
    "Only partially," he paused to look at me. "I never intended to kill you." 
    I chuckled. "I'm sure." 
    "I told you we are family Samantha," Shepherd reminded firmly. 
    "Well, so far you're sticking to your word with that aren't you?" 
    Shepherd held up a finger to the soldier on my right, stepping forward to engage. I smirked, never looking away from the calm statue of my father. 
    "This is the last chance I'll give you," Shepherd cleared his throat. "Come with me and you won't be deemed as a war criminal. You won't have to die." 
    "You think I'd rather go with you? Death sounds like a much better option." 
    Shepherd's eyebrow twitched in impatience. "I'm trying to protect you. As your father, I don't want to see you get hurt." 
    "And as my enemy, you want to separate them from me," I motioned back to where Roach had gone. "You'd rather see them dead." 
    "They're only soldiers, Samantha. You said yourself you were done after the last mission." 
    "That was before my own blood betrayed all of us," I gritted out, finding the five to one situation more tempting. 
    Shepherd looked too at ease despite my words. "You will never understand." 
    "You're no different from Makarov!" I spat out as a soldier came up to take me away. 
    "If I was anything like him, you'd already be dead by now." 
    The soldier dragged me out of the office as the door was shut once more. I struggled in his grasp as he took me back toward the cell. I flung away from him. 
    "Take me to Roach!"
    He looked like he wanted to argue. "He's at the cell already." 
    "He better be," I growled out. 
    As the two of us strolled back to the holding cell, I eyed the scattered soldiers. All of them were armed, yet only a few seemed aware of their surroundings. I suddenly wondered how well-equipped the guard next to me was. Did he have a twitch of his finger near his pistol or a hard-shelled chest plate underneath his uniform?
    "I'm sorry I elbowed your gut," I softened my voice. "This situation is hard for a woman." 
    The SC guard chewed on his lower lip. "I would imagine." 
    Bingo. 
    My eyes sought out the keys to the cell on his waist. "How long has it been since you've had a moment alone?" 
    "Forever," the man sighed, relaxing the tension in his shoulders. 
    "Would you want help?" 
    The gleam in his eye told me I had hooked him deep. As we reached a secluded part of the hallway, he gripped my waist and crushed me against the wall. I let out a small hum of amusement as he dipped down and kissed me. 
    Too easy. 
    My fingers slid around his own waist as we came into view of the cell. Roach was sitting on one of the benches and perked up substantially. I pulled away from the guard as he moved to open the cell. 
    "Oh, you're still locking me up?" 
    "It's the rules right now, sweetheart," he smiled and I walked past him in a taunting way. "Perhaps tomorrow we will revisit." 
    "I'd love that," I grinned, slipping the second set of keys off his belt and into my hand. 
    He purred in delight as he unlocked my cuffs, shutting the cell door after, and I watched him leave. Roach sat back in confusion, crossing his arms. 
    "Now what the hell was that?" 
    "Just a little," I pulled the keys up and dangled them with my finger, "trick." 
    He beamed. "You're amazing!" 
    I tucked the keys back away. "Nothing is happening until later tonight." 
    Roach nodded. "I like your thinking as much as I'd like to go out there now." 
    "Did they help you?" 
    "The medic who looked at me said the internal bleeding is minor and will clear up in a few days. I think it was the shockwave of the mortar that did most of the damage." 
    "I'm glad."
    "What did Shepherd want?" 
    I let out a sigh as I sat across from him. "For me to join him." 
    "I'm assuming since you're right here, you denied?" 
    I nodded. "I'm not going to leave you behind. That and joining him will make it too easy to kill his ass." 
    Roach smirked and looked out to the hallway. "Sounds like they're closing up shop." 
    "Time to play the sleep game," I rested across the bench and Roach copied. 
    "I was in the Task Force longer than you," Roach commented as he straightened out, "but right now, in this situation, I'm trusting you more than I'm trusting myself." 
    I smiled. "I've been in these situations once or twice." 
    "How did you get out?" 
    "Patience and deception mostly," I admitted. 
    "But you have those military skills too." 
    "I do, but I'm no better at it than yourself. It's going to take both of us." 
    Roach smiled and nodded. "That sounds like a good deal to me." 
    I fell silent, watching his eyes shift close as he fell into a real slumber. He looked so much younger in the position he was, with his hair messy from the day of fighting. 
    Shepherd wanted him dead more than myself, as with Soap and Price. The first idea that had come into my head was to get both of us out of my father's clutches, but the second was more practical. 
    Roach could get away with no one the wiser.