A flash of silence

The end of Day 1

Alex's POV
Winning our game was amazing, we're moving forward into the quarterfinals.

We were in the armory as I cleaned my weapons methodically, I had to really scrub to get some of the powder out of my Aks lower receiver. Leave it to OCD to force me to clean my guns, I looked up when I heard tapping on my door into my prep area. "Oh hey Hunt, need something?" He nodded as I stood and opened the door letting him in as he spoke in a low voice "Good news, Washington is off our asses. The files you recovered are all accounted for, as far as the world knows We were never there" I nodded slowly "you're not telling me something" he chuckled as I sat back down "I'm regretting teaching you how to read body language, we've gotten word from our Russian counterparts about possible White Mask movements in the Nile valley. Specifically, Sudan" I glanced up at him before returning my eyes to my AK "Sudan? Really?" He spoke again "war torn country, people looking for protection, searching for food and shelter. I mean come on it's a terrorists playground" I sighed "well do you blame them, eh?" He paused for a moment "Unofficially no, but we can't let them allow a white mask take over" I nodded before asking "when do we leave? I doubt DC is happy about terrorists running a military" he chuckled "Oh they're ecstatic. We aren't moving yet, FSB is still painting the picture and DC doesn't want another Iraq" I looked up "So CIA and FSB? First I've heard of this, Are we seeing other people now?" He laughed "no, we're still independent, just working together" I nodded slowly "Is Rainbow getting involved or is this unsanctioned?" He sighed "I don't know" my head snapped towards him "What?" He looked at me "I don't know" I pressed "what do you mean? You make the calls, you always know the answer to my questions" he looked at me "Erebus, you know just as well as I do we're just pawns, we don't make the calls" I stared at him as he spoke "ere-" I cut him off "Don't, just don't. Keep me updated" I placed my AK in its case before I grabbed my hat and walked past him out of my area and walked out to the garage. I grabbed my keys out of my pocket and walked to the back corner, pausing infront of my car before I heard my name get called, I looked over and saw Taina without her face paint "Hey T, looking good" she gave a wave "Hey E, this yours?"

I nodded as she asked "Going for a drive?" I nodded again "You want to come with me?" She smiled "Sure, I could use a break after my match" I unlocked the doors and walked to the drivers seat and got in, putting my wallet in the cup holder before I connected my phone to the Bluetooth speakers and started the engine. "Let's go then" I fed the engine some fuel and headed towards the gate, stopping so the guards could check the car and search for anything contraband while one checked our IDs. A couple minutes later the guard returned "Sorry about the wait sir, we've had some trouble with our new network" I waved him off "Don't worry about it" he nodded and motioned to another guard as the gate lifted and I pulled out of the base heading down the empty side roads as Taina picked a song from my phone.

"Oh, that's a good one" she looked over "I've never heard it, I just hit shuffle" I nodded "as you should" she looked at me "what's bothering you?" I glanced over "What do you mean?" She sighed "Something's on your mind, I can see it" I sighed "Am I that easy to read?" She chuckled "No, it's just extremely obvious" I sighed "Troubling information has been passed me, what the information is? I cannot say, what I can say is if it's true then my job has gotten a lot more work" she nodded slowly "The masks?" I nodded "Supposedly" she chuckled "Always something with them" I shrugged "So how was your match?" She looked out the window at Greece "Exhilarating, My team worked together so well. Everyone was at the top of their game, it was so much fun" I asked "What was the score?" She replied "4-2" I sighed "Faster than mine" she nodded "I was watching, you had some moments but you struggled more than I thought you would" I turned down the radio slightly "Yeah, I'd get a kill or two and then I'd get hit from the side, shit was so annoying. δεν θα μπορούσα απλά να με αφήσω να τους σκοτώσω(couldn't just let me kill them)" she gave me a look "I didn't understand half of that but it didn't sound good" I chuckled "just a joke" she looked at me "What's the point of a joke if I don't understand it?" I glanced over "What's the point of a soldier if they're just going to die?" She gave me a worried look "You okay?" I didn't reply causing her to ask again "Erebus, are you okay?" I nodded "Yeah, uh, yeah I'm good" she didn't look convinced "you sure?" I nodded "Yes Taina, I'm okay" she sighed before changing the subject "What's it like? To be back in Greece, I mean" I shook my head slightly "It's weird, I remember living here, I remember growing up and my friends and the games we'd play but I can't remember their faces, their homes, anything before working with the CIA really" she subconsciously leaned closer, letting the interest control her movements "So why do you speak so much Greek then? If you don't remember most of it" I shrugged "My mother always talks to me in it" she silently gasped "You've never mentioned your mother before" I nodded "I've barely talked about myself since I got here" she sighed "And it's annoying, you're this giant mystery and I want to solve it" I chuckled "you speak like I'm broken" she shrugged "Maybe you are, or maybe you see the world in the true light" I watched the landscape pass by for a couple minutes, just enjoying the music and Taina's soft singing before I spoke "I doubt that" she looked over "Doubt what?" I spoke again "That I see the world in the true light, I doubt it" she cocked her head "Why's that?" I glanced over before replying "The healthy human mind doesn't wake up in the morning thinking this is its last day on Earth." She looked at me, worry in her eyes as she asked "You think everyday is your last day alive?" I nodded as she asked another question "Why?" I scoffed softly "do you see the line of work I'm in? I go into enemy countries and organize revolutions, assassinate leaders, hunt down loose ends. If I don't die on a mission at some point, I've gotten extremely lucky" she looked at me "do you ever get tired of it?" I gave her a questioning look as she clarified "constantly being a step away from death" I shrugged "not really, I love my missions" she motioned me to explain as I spoke again "I hate people, I hate what they do, I hate how they act towards the world. I hate the lies and deceit, I hate the games they play, I hate the way they shaped the world" she spoke a little bit later "it sounds like you hate how people act more than you hate them" I shrugged "Maybe, maybe not. Either way I know that if the US has an enemy, I'll have people to kill" she chuckled "that's a way to look at it" I nodded before asking "what about you? Do you ever get tired of being shot at?" She paused as she thought over her answer "I suppose, I do. I love being an interrogator and I enjoy Rainbow and the excitement but I do wonder what my life would be like if I walked away or I never joined BOPE" I nodded "I don't think I could go back to being a Civvie" she looked at me "I can see why, you've been military and espionage since you were 7. That's something you can't just walk away from" I sighed "My mother's been trying to get me to retire, I think me being alone all the time and off in some random country playing chess with my life is getting to her. She keeps asking about marriage" taina chuckled "Somehow I cant imagine you getting married" I glanced over "Why's that? I don't think I'm that ugly" she laughed "I never said you're ugly, I just can't really see you trusting someone that much" I saw a rest area over looking the rolling hills of Elis. I parked and got out walking over to the fence and climbing up sitting on it as Taina leaned on it to my left as I spoke "I could trust someone that much" she gave me a look of challenge "oh really? Prove it" I looked over "what do you want to know?" She looked thoughtful "alright, why are you so cynical? por que você luta com confiança?(why do you struggle with trust?)" I looked at the setting sun as I replied "that's easy, I've seen governments turn on their most devoted soldiers. I've seen men get told they're special and irreplaceable and then they died and a day later, their replacement's arrived. I've seen men who should be touted as heroes, reduced to shadows by their friends who survived... all I've seen has proven that people will never look out for you the way you do them" she nodded slowly "você vai deixar alguém entrar?(will you ever let someone in?)" I shrugged "Most likely" she nodded before asking "você confia em mim?(do you trust me?)" I paused as I thought it over "sim. completamente? Eu não sei sobre isso, mas eu confio em você(yes. Completely? I don't know about that one but I do trust you)" I saw a small smile grow on her face when I said that before I checked my watch "17:47, we've been gone an hour" she nodded "We didn't tell anyone besides the gate personnel we'd be gone either" I nodded towards the car "Come on let's head back" before sliding into the driver's seat and pulling back onto the road heading towards the base.