Decode | "Alex"

Part I

"Echo 3-1 to watcher..." Alex managed out as he pushed himself up off the ground. He ignored every ounce of pain he felt. He was good at that. You had to be when you were in this speciality.

"What happened?" Laswell inquired from the other end, glad to hear his voice. Whatever happened, it was bad. They were so close to retrieving Barkov's chemical gas and saving a lot of people, but instead, it was taken by someone else.

"Terrorist attack. Multiple marines KIA— gas stolen— we need EVAC, now!" He demanded as he looked around him at all his fallen comrades. It seemed he might be the only one in decent enough health at the moment. He didn't know how, considering the vehicle he was in flipped multiple times. This wasn't good at all, it was terrible. And now they had to worry about what those terrorists were going to do with the gas. Those awful weapons were now in the wild.

"Roger. Tracking multiple Russian forces heading your way. Sit tight. We're pushing to you for fast exfil. Watcher out." Laswell clicked off, and Alex let out a sigh as he took in everything around him. Everything was on fire, vehicles were flipped, and he was the only one left standing. He hoped he managed to get out of there before those Russian forces came, because no matter how strong he is, he knew he didn't stand a chance with it just being him.

Luckily enough, they made it in time. Alex was retrieved and sent right back out. Laswell turned to Captain John Price. Her fingerprints were all over this, which wasn't good for her by any means. Now, she had to find a way to clean it up. She was going to take whatever means necessary to do so. The terrorist group which claimed responsibility was Al-Qatala in Urzikstan, so Laswell decided to send Alex right back out there. She briefed him while he was on the jet after talking to Captain Price about the matter.

"We're gonna send you out on the ground and have you searching for the chemicals. Now, we can't send in a whole unit, but we didn't want to leave you on your own. Just in case anything goes wrong, you'll have someone to watch your back. We're sending Echo 9-4, Gabriella Carter, with you, she'll meet you at the landing point." She explained, and Alex was silent as he waited for her to go on. "It's been brought to my attention that it will be crucial for you two to find Commander Karim of the Liberation Forces and get them on your side. Let them know you're there to help, that we need their help, and we're on their side. Now, to avoid them killing you on the spot, you'll need to let them know that you have certain connections to Captain Price." She explained, and he listened closely as she continued on the rest of the important details. Both he and Gabby knew this was a huge risk, but being in the CIA SAC was a risk in itself. They signed up for this. This whole situation was just a little unorthodox. Gabby was honored that she got to be a part of this. She was truly making a difference in the safety of not only her country, but others.

Once they landed, she went to greet Alex. "Gabby Carter."

"Alex." He grabbed her hand and shook it. As he looked down at her and took in her relatively small stature, he couldn't help himself as he wondered about her skill set and abilities. Then again, if anyone had any doubt about her, they wouldn't have sent her along on a mission so serious. He quickly learned not to judge a woman on their appearance when he joined the army. "So, how long have you been in the SAC?"

"Not long." She shrugged. She'd been in the Marines for a while, but the SAC not long. He could tell she was obviously younger. She looked like she hadn't seen a lot. He couldn't help but wonder what made her eligible for this mission, but he didn't want to insult by asking. That just wasn't something you did, at least, Alex didn't. Some people had no problem insulting other people. "What about you?"

"Several years." He replied, and she turned to face him as she realized what he was doing.

"You don't think I should be here, do you?" She gave him a look, and he was slightly taken aback. She was forward, that's for sure.