Ghosts of the Past (A Call Of Duty: Ghosts Fanfiction)

Chapter Five

By the time we got back to base, my stomach was rumbling in protest and my head was spinning. Hesh dropped off our weapons as we passed the armory and joined me in peeling off some layers before getting some food with me. 

    "I still want to know where you learned to drive like that," he pressed as we traveled the halls. 

    I shrugged. "My dad taught me."

    "And your dad must've been a street racer," he huffed in a joking manner. 

    "Yes actually," I caught his attention as I picked up things from the food bar. "One of the best where I grew up." 

    Hesh followed me to sit down, interested in my story. "Sounds highly illegal. Go on." 

    "He took me along once I turned six," I remembered the times as if they'd been yesterday. "My mother didn't like it very much, but she was never really around to begin with. Her life was focused around serving the country." 

    Recognition flickered in Hesh's eyes. He wanted to say something yet he also wanted me to continue to open up about my past. This was a past that wasn't printed on files or in military records. 

    "After my dad was killed by a gang for his illegal trading and racing with them, I ran away from it. My mother was home from deployment with injuries and she needed me most. After she died..." I swallowed and looked down at my food, "I suppose I followed in her footsteps." 

    Hesh was eyeing me in complete interest now. "Why were you so nervous to fight me a few days ago?" 

    I cocked my head. 

    "You can handle yourself by the sounds of it." 

    I huffed in amusement, smiling to myself. "Dad almost always did the physical things. I was his brains. I'm...good at reading people," I picked up a grape and examined it. "Of course, I have had to defend myself a few times." 

    Hesh grinned, a rare sight even for me. 

    "There are the two rebels," Kick came into the cafeteria with a smirk.

    "What's up Kick?" Hesh grew more serious. 

    He plopped down, taking a grape off my tray. "Merrick wants to debrief." 

    I took a bite of my rice and nodded. Hesh scarfed up a big bite of his vegetable mixture in silence. His eyes had grown a little dark compared to the cheeriness of seconds before Kick had walked in. I wondered if being reminded of where he was and who he was with, set off a deep emotional pain. 

    "How you doing?" Kick nudged me with his knee. 

    "I'm handling it," I managed a closed smile.

    Kick studied me with his unique amber eyes. "Good." 

    After finishing our smaller meal, Hesh and I followed Kick back to the briefing room. Merrick was already there with Keegan. They both looked at the trio of us upon entering. 

    "Nice to see you in one piece," Merrick commented to me. 

    "Yes, how did our little newbie do?" Keegan narrowed his gaze in my direction.

    "Very well," Hesh spoke up. "Despite the unexpected turn of the mission, she handled everything in stride. I'd say her driving skills are impeccable." 

    I shot a look of gratitude toward him. 

    "Yes, we saw the escape through our system," Merrick eyed my position. "Well done." 

    I just prayed he wouldn't question the unexpected skills like Hesh had. "Thank you sir." 

    "Now," Merrick got more serious, looking to Hesh with focused hazel eyes. "What did you see?" 

    "It's definitely a factory, weapons specifically. You were right about that." 

    "If Rorke was there then it means the place is important," Keegan mused. "No doubt he'll be blowing it in the next few days with the events of today." 

    "If Rorke does that he will lose a lot of weaponry," Hesh defended.

    Kick put up a screen of surveillance images. "We got these while you were there. Does anything match?" 

    "The meeting," Hesh growled at the fuzzy image focused on the gathering through a window. "Rorke was right there." 

    Merrick handled the younger man's attitude. "You know you had no chance." 

    "But now the bastard is still out there," Hesh argued. "How are we supposed to find Logan when—" 

    "Later Hesh," Merrick ordered and shot a glance toward me. 

    I studied the image as best as I could. The guards posted in the meeting room also had tiny gold circles on the left side of their chest. I reached to move the image from Kick and he glanced my way in confusion. 

    Zooming in, I cleared up the image to reveal clear stars. "The stars." 

    "What?" Merrick snapped, removing himself from a stare down with Hesh. 

    "The guards at the front gates had this same symbol on their chests," I pointed out, drawing conclusions. "They're part of a group." 

    My eyes betrayed my curiosity as I looked to an older image on a billboard behind Merrick. I passed him, unpinning the matching insignia image and flipping it over. The room was silent. 

    "Federation of the Americas," I looked up. "The guards there were them." 

    "I'm not sure you're qualified—" 

    I ignored Keegan. "They were speaking Spanish, Portuguese, and English." 

    "You picked all of this up?" Kick looked impressed. 

    "If I'm reading this map right," I moved to the map where the image had been pinned, "then the Federation mainly frolics in this area." I moved my hand around the areas of Mexico and South America. "The same languages are spoken there sir." 

    Merrick said nothing as he studied the map and both images. I pinned the paper back up, eyeing an image of Rorke on the board as well. 

    "This Rorke guy," I paused and faced the group, "he's high on the totem pole." 

    "We know," Hesh managed, looking up from the table. "We definitely know that Ash." 

    I wanted to know everything, but I knew asking too many questions would set the Ghosts off. What I needed to find out was in the file tucked away in my quarters. I was sure it would hold all the answers so I'd be caught up. 

    "How do you suddenly know all this?" Keegan questioned me through narrowed and untrusting eyes. 

    "I've always had more brain than brawn," I crossed my arms. 

    "Do you know what this means?" Hesh looked to Merrick across the table, in his own little world to a certain degree. "What this is leading to?"

    "I have an idea." 

    Hesh leaned over the table, a dark look in his green eyes. "They're coming back and Rorke is too." 

    "We took half of everything they had," Keegan reminded in the darkly deep voice of his. 

    "Yeah, and they're coming back from it," Hesh argued. "Rorke is building back up again." 

    I looked to where Merrick was deeply thinking, his fingers on his trimmed facial hair. He released his chin and rested both hands on the table in an effort to have everyone's attention. His eyes were fierce as he raised them. 

    "I suppose we'll just have to bring him down again. Permanently this time."