#church didn’t really give me the encouragement I was needing
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The depression and emptiness is real tonight, prayers appreciated
#I don’t have the energy or desire to fight them right now so I think I’m just resigned it to and I don’t know if that’s better or worse tbh#church didn’t really give me the encouragement I was needing#though one interaction at least made me feel missed and wanted#I still have no clue what to do though#I have counseling on Thursday so I guess we’ll see if that helps any#prayer request
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Colson Whitehead on Making Novels Half-Asleep
I deleted my Substack because, you know, its founders are evil. But this post I wrote last October feels relevant for writers going into the New Year. If it's TLDR, skip down to the "What Meant Everything to Me" heading.
Writing with Chronic Fatigue
I went to the Brooklyn Book Festival last weekend! It was pure magic after so many years of being away from the English-speaking book world. I felt like someone on rations finally allowed to eat my fill, gulping down book panels and author talks.
Colson Whitehead Goes to Church
One of my favorite festival events was a talk with Colson Whitehead in the St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Church. I’m a big fan of hosting cultural events in places of worship.
Colson Whitehead imparted insights that felt like gospel for writers. For those unfamiliar, Whitehead has published nine novels, two nonfiction books, and won two Pulitzer prizes. His book The Underground Railroad is one of my favorites of all time.
But I did not always like Whitehead’s work. I first had to read his 2003 essay collection The Colossus of New York in university, and it struck me as self-obsessed, MFA-brand New York nonsense. Like, he romanticized Port Authority, the dirty hellhole bus station where, in 2003, I was an elementary schooler waiting nervously for buses that were always late while getting continuously harassed by grown-man casino gamblers dressed like lumberjacks.
I really hated Whitehead’s cheery romanticizations. I wouldn’t pick up another Whitehead book until 2017.
(^just an HD image of Colson Whitehead)
Add Whitehead to the list of authors who wrote some of my most detested 1-star reads before they published the 5-star books of my heart: NK Jemisin, Maggie Stiefvater, Jeff Vandermeer, Colson Whitehead—almost all of my favorite contemporary writers put out messy, uncompelling books before they entered the realm of the virtuoso.
“I wrote a book called The Intuitionist,” Whitehead said at the church, referring to his debut, “and everyone hated it. So I thought, ‘Okay, I need to do better next time.’”*
It was surreal to hear a writer speak with such open eyes about the trajectory of their own career. Like, I knew I hated Whitehead’s early work. I didn’t realize that he knew it, too.
(It’s worth mentioning that someone who came up to ask Whitehead a question during the Q&A said, “The Intuitionist is my favorite book of all time.”)
But that wasn’t the insight that meant the most to me.
Nothing Is a Joke
Whitehead made joke after joke about chronic fatigue. He never used the words “chronic fatigue”; he never referred to his own health. But he repeatedly described scenarios that resonated with me as someone who lives with fatigue and hypersomnia:
“I spend most of my day just sleeping,” he said. “I mean, coming out here [to the book event]? Really big deal for me. Glad I could make it.”
And everyone laughed, but I don’t think that’s the kind of joke you make unless you mean it. I don’t think it would even dawn on a non-fatigued individual to make it.
What Meant Everything to Me
When Whitehead described his writing process, he said he writes about eight pages a week.
Eight pages a week.
Estimating 250 words/page, that’s 2,000 words per week. Or as he said, “32 pages per month, 320 pages after ten months. I find it adds up.”
He writes, he said, about three days each week. So that’s a little over 600 words each time he sits down to write.
To put this into perspective: If I write fewer than 2,000 words in a single writing session, I don’t consider it to have been a proper session. In less than a month, hundreds of thousands of people will join in NaNoWriMo and try to write at least 1,666 words every day for a month straight.
We live in a world where writers are encouraged to crank it way, way up, sacrificing what writing actually is in an attempt to maximize monetization of a craft that is not easily monetized. Romance writers give advice online for how to write just one draft of a book, no revision needed. Self-publishing writers crank out novella after novella to feed to the Kindle Unlimited machine. Everyone wants to be done with their book in a month. Memes proliferate in which writers scold themselves for daydreaming, plotting, outlining—for doing anything at all that isn’t literal putting words to the page, as if those other things weren’t integral to novel-making.
I thought I was immune to that hustle-and-grind mindset, because I know what writing a book actually entails for me and I have no intention of cranking out a first-draft story for KDP.
But I had never once considered giving myself the patient grace that Colson Whitehead shows himself.
“I don’t push myself,” he said. “Writing is hard work. On days when I’m not up to it, I revise instead. Just tinker with my last paragraphs.”
He joked about how, during the pandemic, he had to write his novels while his young son was at home. Whitehead said he usually writes a paragraph or two, and then sleeps for a few hours.
Daddy, why are you always in the dark? his son asked during the lockdown.
It’s part of my process! he joked. But I think he also meant it.
Novel Advice
He’s not the first writer to give this advice; this isn’t the first time I’ve heard it. Maggie Stiefvater wrote her first book only on Wednesday evenings, raising her children and working the rest of the time. Terry Pratchett wrote 400 words each day before he became a full-time writer.
But these are stories of pre-success, the ways we need to struggle when our creative lives are stuffed into the spare corners of our weeks. And when your week doesn’t have spare corners because you’re barely trudging on as it is, that advice doesn’t feel encouraging.
But Colson Whitehead is already successful. And this is still how he allots his writing time: In low-pressure, long-term, sustainable accumulations.
2,000 words a week.
I’ve known for a long time that I can no longer wait for healthy, clearheaded days to write. I don’t have them anymore. But it sort of sounds like Colson Whitehead doesn’t have many of them to spare, either, and yet he wrote the most energetic Harlem heist book I could ever want (Harlem Shuffle). He wrote the most literary zombie apocalypse book imaginable (Zone One). He has an oeuvre that brought enough readers to fill church pews, the line to see him wrapping all around the block. And he built this work, according to him, in between long naps.
In fact, his writing style probably hinges on his method. He’d be writing very different kinds of books if he wrote quickly. His just-a-few-paragraphs-a-day approach*** is probably how he writes descriptions with so many precise details, like these images of a party-supply store after the apocalypse hits:
The unit had completed a sweep of a party-supply store, a narrow nook on Reade that had been washed off Broadway into a low-rent eddy. Dusty costumes hung from the ceiling as if on meat hooks: cowboys and robots from chart-busting sci-fi trilogies, ethnically obscure kiddie-show mascots, jungle beasts with long tails intended for the flirty tickling of faces. Kingdoms’ worth of princesses and their plastic accoutrements, stamped out on the royal assembly line, and the requisite Naughty Nurse suspended in the dead air, tilting in her rounds. Do Not Expose to Open Flame. For Amusement Only. The masks had been made in Korea, delivering back to the West the faces they had given the rest of the globe: presidents, screen stars, and mass murderers. The rubber filament inevitably snapped from the staple after five minutes. The graft wouldn’t take.
I used to imagine Colson Whitehead as just being so impossibly brilliant that he spit this stuff out on the fly, leagues beyond the rest of us mere mortals. Now I see it differently: It happened laboriously, made by a tired, human brain full of faith in its own accumulative productivity.
Going Forward
No more for me, I think, of harsh deadlines and crank-it-out word counts. Instead: I need to provide accommodations for my own writing life. I must consciously factor in my own fatigue and stop demanding that I strain myself in ways unsustainable for a long and fulfilling creative life. Instead: Crank it down. Way down. And take naps between the paragraphs.
2,000 words a week.
Thanks, Colson Whitehead, for being honest about the work. We need more of that in the book world.
----
*None of these quotes are verbatim, just based on memory.
**This is similar to how both Donna Tartt and Nabokov have described their own writing processes. Maybe we spend so much time screaming at new writers to “just write” that we don’t talk about how slowness and care may enhance the quality of our prose.
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My ✨ post-apocalyptic Lesbian Cowgirl Mailman choose-your-own adventure✨ has just updated! Read it here for free on my Patreon and vote in the poll! There is a summary of the first part, here, the second part, here, and the third part, here. They have everything you need to know about Lou, her requited-but-complicated love, the religious assassin who just beat the tar out of her, the worst person she's ever met, and the ill-advised journey she is on! There is also now a discord where Pony Express readers from all across god's green internet can gather, here!
The Girls are working through revelations from the most recent update and this shit is real! They really did meet each other before. It's a small post-apocalypse, but is it that small? Or is this the work of the gods? But why would the gods, who have so much else to worry about, give two shits about a five-foot-nothing, loser lesbian cowgirl mailman?
Read the update for free on my patreon & vote on what happens next!
Excerpt below the cut.
“I’ve prayed before,” Lou said. She prayed all the time. Well, maybe not all the time. But on holidays and sometimes she went to a shrine for deliveries, usually under the encouragement of a shrineward that she felt too awkward to turn down. “You obviously pray all the time. You work for Their Honor. Your mama and daddy are both church people. And look where you are now. How long do you have left? Some good it’s done you.”
Artie’s eyes darted back to Holliday and Lou realized that she hadn’t just missed all the crush conversation, but also the conversation about Artie being put to death. Luckily, she didn’t seem to notice as she was shifting back and forth experimentally in her saddle.
“It’s done me a lot of good, actually,” Artie said. Her voice sounded thick and she swallowed before continuing. “If I drop down dead from the saddle right this second, prayer still made the twentyish years I’ve had between escaping and right now years that were worth living. Because the gods care about me, like they care about you, like they care about Holliday.”
“Venus prays for me, anyway,” Lou said. Venus told her all the time that she was praying for her starting very early on in their acquaintance.
“And Venus knows your heart completely? Every dark corner? Every fear? Every desire?” Artie asked. She seemed lit from within, not with a soft, pleasant glow, but a wildfire. For the first time in a while, Lou remembered that she frightened her. “Lou, if you don’t pray, you probably don’t even know your every desire. Prayer is revelatory. It reveals things.”
“Oh, good,” Lou said. “Just what I need: more desires I can’t achieve. I’m always thinking that what I really need, what’d really do me, is to have more wants.”
“Just because you don’t know they’re there doesn’t mean they’re not hurting you,” Artie said. “If you can see them, if you talk to the gods about them, then together, you can handle them.”
“I can’t understand why I’m being preached to right now,” Lou said. Her head ached.
“‘Cuz, unfortunately for you, you’re traveling with a fucking disciple,” Artie said.
#a couple of familiar faces in this update#for longtime Wasteland fans#Wasteland Pony Express#katieakipresentsthewasteland#original fiction#original content#oc#Lou#Louetta Primrose#lesbian fiction#interactive fiction#choose your own adventure#queer western#western romance#lgbtq fiction#choose your own path#cyoa#Artie#Reckoning Tehachapi#Holliday#Holliday Bell#wasteland pony express update
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Operation Kingslayer: 3/?
OCs:
Hannah "Sparrow" Clayton - @revnah1406
Alyssa "Aly" Martinez - @alypink
Mandy Macfie - @alidravana
Charlotte "Jade" le Jardin - @sleepyconfusedpotato
Captain Arjun Dhingra - @welldonekhushi
Annabelle "Gremlin" Pham - @applbottmjeens
Damien Whitlock - @kaitaiga
Captain Lachlan Jones - @kaitaiga
(so many OCs! 👀 I would thank specially to all my mutuals and people who participate in this fic to help me with the writing and their ocs! thank you so much guys. I love you so much <3)
Spotify playlist!
Warning!: This chapter contains specific violence, and a detailed description of torture methods. Non-accurate medical procedures.
(All locations and places that appear in this Fic are fictitious and based on the Ghost Recon Wildlands video game)
NOTE!: The events of Op Kingslayer take place before MW3, so there are no Spoilers. This chapter was written before the Call of Duty MW3 campaign was released. Despite the little relevance it has, you may find differences between the fic and the campaign.
<- previous chapter
The bullets flew like an intense rain of fire. The team could barely hold the position. Arjun was shot in the leg and little by little his vision began to blur due to blood loss.
"Mandy! Where the fuck are you?! We need an emergency evac now!" Aly exclaimed over the comms.
"I'm trying to! But I'm taking heavy fire! I can't get close!" Mandy responded over the radio, from her tone of voice she seemed to have problems too.
"Shit. We have to get away from here as soon as possible"
How had they ended up in a situation like this? Well the story is a bit long, but long story short, the team finally found El Yayo. He seemed to be a reasonable man and someone who could be negotiated with. After all, he was just an old coca grower trying to survive under the feet of an empire. Rodolfo Yana didn’t like the idea that his grandson Gonzalo was on his way to a federal prison in the United States. But in the end he came to his senses knowing that it was the safest place for him, away from El Sueño. He also didn’t overlook the fact that his grandson had been tortured. Jade did a great fucking job, despite the torture, Gonzalo Yana was still alive and even though he was missing some nails there would be no permanent physical damage.
Bowman managed to negotiate with El Yayo, assuring him immunity and protection from the CIA, if he collaborated with them, of course. And this is how they managed to end the first pillar: Production. Now it's the next one's turn: Influence.
El Yayo didn’t seem to have great friendships with the rest of the leaders of the Santa Blanca Cartel. But he managed to give information about the head of the pillar of Influence.
His name was Gustavo Serrano, better known as El Cardenal (The Cardinal) . He was the preacher of the Santa Blanca Cartel, the greatest devotee of La Santa Muerte. He was also one of El Sueño's closest advisors. Gustavo Serrano was in charge of the propaganda and philanthropy strategy of El Sueño, and he is the one who gives the sermons on the radio and in the churches of Santa Blanca. As responsible for its public image, he encouraged El Sueño to participate in charitable events and develop educational and humanitarian activities for NGOs.
And if they managed to catch El Cardenall and make him talk. Maybe they got a direct pass to El Sueño. The interesting thing about El Cardenall is that deep down he was a good guy. He tried to do charity work to help Bolivians, build schools and churches, but neither the church nor the politicians were going to help him. He was aware of the damage caused by the cartel, but he believed that all the good he could do would outweigh the bad...
In summary, El Cardenal wasn’t really a cocaine drug trafficker, just someone who wanted to spread the word of God and La Santa Muerte. And in a way, maybe the team underestimated him a little bit.
How did they find it? Well, that was a masterpiece on Aly's part. Thanks to the information Sparrow got from that cocaine lab. Aly found a large network of trafficking in people and especially children, which extended throughout South America. Aly made this information public on social networks, using fake profiles. Staining the history of the Santa Blanca cartel.
All this scandal forced El Cardenal to come out of hiding and hold a mass in the Church of Santa Blanca in the Malca region. To explain to the people that child trafficking was pure lies and false rumors.
The team thought they had El Cardenal by the balls. That they could capture that bastard before he said mass but everything went wrong too quickly. In the blink of an eye the church and the entire city of Malca had been filled with Narcos armed to the teeth ready to shoot down anyone who looked suspicious. El Cardenl was nowhere to be found and their chances of making it out alive were significantly reduced.
"Shit Aly! Keep your head down!" Sparrow forced Aly to lower her head. Before a burst of gunfire could hit her. Alyssa was too busy looking for possible escape routes and getting to the extraction point without being gunned down.
Sparrow didn’t hesitate to counterattack by shooting in that direction. The entire team was behind a barricade of ruins and debris caused by the explosions and grenades. Jade and Sparrow held the position, shooting any mercenary or narco who got too close or dared to stick their head out for more than two seconds.
Arjun gave orders while putting pressure on the leg. The captain grunted as he tried to get up but fell back to the ground. His leg didn't respond.
"Sir, you should stop moving. You will bleed to death if you continue like this!" Sparrow looked away for a moment to look at his captain.
"Keep your eyes on the firefight, Sergeant." Arjun ordered groaning. He was in a terrible mood at that moment. He had his reasons, he was about to captureEl Cardenal, he was a few meters away, everything seemed to be going perfectly, until a sniper bullet pierced his leg. And that's when the chaos began.
Aly hurriedly approached Arjun to try to make a tourniquet around Arjun's leg.
"Shit! They're surrounding us!" Jade exclaimed when she saw more armed vehicles appearing behind them. "Fuck!"
"Jade! Take care of those vehicles. Sparrow hold position!" Arjun ordered grabbing a grenade from his vest and throwing it right under one of the cars.
"Shit..." Hannah turned away for a moment. All that was chaos. It was practically impossible for them to come out alive. At least all of them.
Adrenaline coursed through his veins, his pupils dilated taking in everything that was happening. Jade shooting at any enemy that moved, sweat sticking her red locks to her forehead. It was clear that she was exhausted. They had been like this for hours, and since they arrived in Bolivia they didn’t have a single day of rest. Aly seemed to be on the edge. On the verge of collapsing, no matter how much she searched on her mobile device and maps for escape routes, she couldn't find anything. She tried to contact Mandy but there was no response. And if that was enough, she also had to help Arjun with that injury. Damn, Arjun. He was bleeding to death. The blood coming from his leg was beginning to create a worryingly large puddle.
Hannah had to do something. If She didn't do anything…they would all die.
"Fuck..." Sparrow closed her eyes trying to think.
"Hey sergeant." Arjun called her after a few minutes of silence. "Can I ask you something?"
Sparrow opened her eyes. She realized that she was sitting on the edge of a cliff near the safe house. It was night, the full moon was shining in all its splendor high in the sky. Everything was silent except for the crickets and insects around. Sparrow looked down at the abyss that the cliff provided, a drop of several dozen meters, full of rocks, stones and dirt.
They had returned from detonating a cocaine warehouse and now they had to rest, at least a couple of hours. But Sparrow couldn't sleep and decided to go out for some air. Apparently the captain soon noticed her absence and went in search of her. When he found her, they were both sitting there, looking at the moon and having deep conversations, about their dreams, ideals or simply things from the past.
"What is it about sir?" Sparrow asked, confused.
Arjun looked at his sergeant for a few seconds.
"What do you think is the hardest decision you've ever made?" He asked with his eyes fixed on the landscape.
Sparrow thought for a bit and then smiled sadly.
"Cut the rope."
Arjun looked at her without understanding what she was talking about.
"Cut the rope?"
Sparrow nodded. "It's the hardest decision for any climber." She sighed as she swung her boots that were hanging from the cliff. "When you have to climb, it’s better to do it with someone. If something happens to you, your partner can help you and save your life. Normally when climbing, both have to be connected with a rope. If one of them slips and falls, the other will be able to hold it. But…” She paused and looked at the moon. "Imagine that when your partner falls, he hits his head on the ice or rock and is unconscious and very badly injured. His body is hanging from the rope that you are holding and you aren’t able to lift him up. If your partner were conscious and in good shape you could both do it. But being alone? No, impossible. Then you stay there, with your half-dead partner hanging from a rope that you are holding. You won't be able to hold it forever, you will end up getting tired and you will both die, both of you falling. into the void or dead from the cold. So the decision is... Will you cut the rope? Would you cut it to save yourself? You know that if you don't cut it you will both die. But if you cut it you will kill your partner."
Arjun thought for a few moments and nodded. He seemed to understand the situation. Being alone up there, with your friend's life and yours in your hands.
"Did you cut the rope?" Arjun asked.
Hannah pursed her lips and looked at her boots. She unconsciously stroked the scars on her face.
"On K2... Before the avalanche hit me and my brother. I cut the rope. If the avalanche was going to hit me, I didn't want my brother to be swept away too. I didn't think about it much. I cut the rope to sacrifice myself and save my brother. Let's say that... I was the injured companion and my brother was the one holding the rope. And I made the decision for him. I accepted my fate and decided to die alone on that mountain."
"I understand."
There was another long silence.
"Sir," Sparrow looked at her captain this time decisively, "if it’s necessary. For the good of the entire team. Don’t hesitate, and cut the rope."
Arjun didn't know what to answer. He was very capable of giving his life for the team, but… sacrificing one member of the team to save the rest? He didn't know if he was capable of giving an order like that.
Sparrow opened her eyes decisively. She knew what she had to do. She took out her sniper rifle and handed it to Aly, who was clearly very confused.
"Hannah what...?"
"Jade, I need you to do me a favor!"
Just then, the redhead took cover behind the wall while reloading.
"What is it about?!" She asked, shooting again.
"I have to get to that armored truck!" she pointed to a vehicle that had a turret attached to the roof of the truck. "I need you to cover my back. I'll use the turret to divert their attention!"
"Hannah…what are you talking about?!" Jade asked worriedly. What was she up to? Whatever it was, it was suicide.
"Aly. Have you found an escape route?"
Aly checked the maps once again "huh… yes, from the south-east we can reach the forest and lose them off among the trees." She said pointing to a road on the map, not sure if that was the most appropriate route, but there was no time to confirm it.
Arjun sat up leaning his back against the wall.
"Sergeant. What are you up to…?" Arjun didn't like what Sparrow was trying to do.
"I'm going to cause a distraction. I'll use the turret to take out most of the enemies and–"
"No." Arjun interrupted her. He had a dead serious expression. "And leave you behind? Have you gone crazy?!"
"Sir, it's the only way for you to get out of here alive."
"There has to be another one. Hannah, we can't leave you here alone. They'll kill you!" Aly grabbed Sparrow's shoulder as she shook her head repeatedly.
It broke Hannah's heart to see her friend like this. But that wasn't going to make her back down, she was willing to do whatever was necessary to move them forward.
"I can't let you die here Aly…" Sparrow put his hand on Alyssa's.
"Sparrow."
Arjun grabbed Sparrow by one of the straps of her vest and pulled it until Sparrow looked him in the eyes.
"Listen to me soldier, open those fucking ears because I'm not going to repeat it again." The tone of voice Arjun used and his piercing eyes were able to make Sparrow break out in a sweat. Oh, the captain was pissed. "Follow my fucking orders. Hold your position and don't even think about doing anything crazy of yours." Arjun couldn't believe that Sparrow would take such a drastic decision. "Can't you trust your fucking team?! Are you that selfish?!"
"Fuck the orders!" Sparrow couldn't bear to watch his captain bleeding out on that floor for another minute.
Sparrow swallowed and grabbed Arjun's wrist, which was holding her tightly by her vest. She showed determination and hid the nervousness caused by her angry superior. "It's not about selfishness or distrust. I trust this team can get out of here alive without me, I trust you can kill that bald son of a bitch."
She tightened her grip making Arjun divert his attention to Hannah's hand.
"Captain…"
Arjun looked his sergeant in the eyes again.
"You have to cut the rope."
Arjun gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, the mere thought of leaving Sparrow behind made his chest ache. "No. I'm not going to do that."
"You have to do it. We have to sacrifice something to save something even greater."
"Hannah..." Jade interjected. She had a worried and serious expression. What her friend was saying was completely crazy. Jade shook her head.
Sparrow rested his hand on the former MI6 agent's shoulder, "I need you to cover my back so I can reach that vehicle."
Jade frowned and shook her head determinedly, "I'm not going to send you to the gates of hell, Han."
"You have to do it. I'm not going to die, not today. I won't give those sons of bitches that pleasure. I'll just be a little late."
Jade sighed and looked away. She knew Sparrow was a tough nut to crack.
"Don't even think about dying halfway, Sparrow."
"With you covering my back? I doubt it."
Both women shook hands, like two Spartans ready for war. Jade nodded determinedly.
Aly took out a small locator from one of her vest pockets and placed it inside Sparrow's vest. She hit Hannah's chest with her fist and took a deep breath.
"I'm going to find you."
"I know you will, you always do."
Sparrow looked at her captain determinedly.
"I await orders sir."
Arjun looked at his team. Even though he didn't say it out loud, he was proud of that team. He looked at Sparrow, she had that determined look, ready for anything. Arjun understood, he had to cut the rope. But he no longer feared for his sergeant.
"If you die I'm going to go down to hell and drag you here. And I won't be merciful."
Sparrow chuckled and patted Arjun's shoulder.
"You'll have to get out of here alive first, sir."
"Do you think I'm that weak, Sergeant?"
Sparrow laughed and shook her head.
"Negative, sir."
Arjun sighed and nodded.
"Jade, get ready. Aly, help me up. Sparrow, on my signal."
Jade and Sparrow nodded. Aly helped Arjun up while he grabbed his rifle.
Everyone was in position. Ready and waiting for the captain's signal. Arjun threw a flashbang grenade and waited for it to detonate.
"NOW!"
Sparrow jumped over the barricade with agility, Jade hurried to take cover and shoot any enemy that had not been affected by the flashbang.
Hannah ran with all her might, shooting anyone who got in her way. Jade's bullets flew near her, but never hit her. The narcos fell on Sparrow's feet.
The sergeant reached the armored vehicle, jumped on the hood and then onto the roof of the truck. She stood behind the turret.
"In position! Come on, get out of here!"
Sparrow used the turret against the enemies. Shooting at anyone in sight, no one was able to get close to where the team was.
"Let's go!" Jade exclaimed, giving the signal to Aly to help Arjun get up and run away from there.
The plan worked. The Narcos turned their attention to Sparrow. She devastated anyone who got in her way.
The team managed to flee and move away to a safe distance, eventually entering the forest. Between Jade and Aly they managed to carry Arjun.
"I have your visual!" Mandy's voice sounded over the communicator while the noise of a helicopter was heard nearby.
"Macfie! Are you okay?! What's your status?" Aly responded worriedly.
"The helicopter has received some damage but will hold up for extraction. Sparrow may have to take a look at the engine."
A silence fell on the team. Jade and Aly looked at each other, Arjun simply closed his eyes in frustration and tried to bear the pain in his leg.
"There is a clearing about a kilometer to the east of our position." Arjun spoke over the communications, "Wait for us there."
"Roger."
Jade suddenly stopped, causing the rest of the team to do so as well. She looked back, her eyes lost as the wind swayed her red locks.
"What happened?" Aly asked.
"There aren’t more gunshots..."
____________
"Shit." Arjun exclaimed through gritted teeth as Mandy finished removing the bullet from his leg.
"You've been very lucky, sir. You're going to limp for a few days but it won't be a big problem. I'll bring the painkillers from the medicine cabinet." Mandy reported after stitching up the wound.
"It's not the first time I've been shot. I'll be fine." Arjun sat on the side of the helicopter.
The team was trying to recover in the clearing where they had agreed to meet. The helicopter had suffered serious damage but appeared to still be able to fly. Mandy knew how to pilot gracefully through all that hell.
Jade had gone out to explore the surroundings, to make sure they hadn't been followed. While Aly tried to use the computer to locate Sparrow.
"Mierda. There's no signal..." Aly cursed after trying several times. "We need to move places. I can't find Sparrow here."
"She'll be fine. She can handle herself well." Mandy commented.
Arjun was still deep in thought, debating whether they could have found a better solution.
"You guys made quite a mess back there huh?" An unknown voice appeared.
Without thinking twice the team raised their weapons in the direction of that voice.
The unknown man raised his hands.
"If I were you I wouldn't pull the trigger."
Suddenly a bunch of Bolivian guerrillas came out of the bushes. Surrounding the helicopter, aiming their rifles at them.
"If you know how to count... you will know that you are at a clear disadvantage." The man lowered his hands.
Aly frowned.
"Eres Pac Katari ¿verdad?" (You're Pac Katari, right?)
Aly recognized the man Laswell mentioned at the bar and then Bowman at the first briefing. Aly had found little information about him. He knew how to hide his tracks very well.
"Veo que has hecho tu trabajo, chica.." (I see you've done your job, kid) The man began to walk towards them. "Then you'll know we're on the same side."
Suddenly all the guerrillas turned around, upset, looking towards the tree line. Pointing in all directions, shouting orders but not really knowing where to aim.
A red dot appeared on Pac Katari's back. There was a sniper, somewhere hidden in the trees, aiming for the heart of the leader of the rebel forces.
"I decide if we are on the same side." Arjun spoke seriously.
Pac Katari turned to see the red dot that was now pointed at his chest. He laughed lightly.
"If your sniper shoots, my men will kill you all"
"If my sniper shoots. We'll cut off the head of a snake." Arjun corrected him with a stone attitude. He wasn’t going to let himself be trampled on by an amateur guerrilla fighter.
"That snake can be a very good ally if you let it live"
"What can a snake offer but bites and poison?"
"It can offer information. Valuable."
Arjun pondered for a moment. He couldn't trust that man, not even a little bit. But as much as it angered him to admit it, they needed help, the team was at a dead end.
"What is it about?"
"First order your sniper to stop aiming."
"No." Arjun responded quickly and firmly.
Pac Katari sighed in defeat.
"It’s hard for you to trust huh? And I respect that. Bowman already told me about you." He slowly put his hand in his pocket, which upset the entire team who adjusted their grip on their weapons. "It's okay. I'm just going to take out my cell phone." The man reported.
Pac Katari took out a cell phone and showed a photo. Because of the distance they couldn't see very well what it was about. Arjun looked at Aly for a second and nodded.
Aly approached slowly, lowering her gun but still holding it. When she arrived next to the guerrilla, she looked at the photo he showed her. Aly frowned, feeling a whirlwind of emotions rise from the pit of her stomach.
"What is it about Alyssa?" Arjun asked, when he saw how his partner's expression changed drastically.
"It's about Sparrow." Aly didn't look away from the photograph.
"Your Sergeant is alive." Pac Katari informed, looking at Arjun with a serious expression.
The photograph showed Sparrow kneeling, with her hands raised. Surrounded by drug traffickers who pointed their weapons at her. But that wasn’t the most worrying thing.
"She has been captured by El Cardenall and… El Sueño." Aly couldn't believe it. The man they were looking for, the man they had to put a bullet in his head... they had him so close... And now that piece of shit had Sparrow hostage, pointing at her head with a gun. El Cardenal seemed to have a victorious smile on his lips.
"Vishta..." (shit...) Arjun cursed in Marathi.
"I propose a deal, Captain." Pac Katari spoke again "We both have the same goal: End the Santa Blanca cartel. We can help each other."
The captain thought for a moment. Weighing the options, the pros and cons, the risks and benefits.
"You have the strength and the skills. I have the knowledge and the necessary men." Pac Katari continued.
"We have to go after her, sir." Mandy spoke.
"I know."
"What do we do?"
"We need a plan. And more soldiers..." Arjun's mood only worsened. He tried to handle the situation as best he could, take care of his subordinates and achieve the objective. "We have to contact 141."
Arjun sighed and with the help of Mandy got up.
"I'll tell you what we'll do." Arjun spoke in an authoritative tone. Straightening his back and lifting his chin. Showing who was in charge. "You will have our services. We will help you in your fight against the cartel. In exchange we want resources, ammunition, radios, vehicles, information and protection." Arjun approached Pac Katari, imposing his height. "If you show me even the slightest suspicion of treason. I'll have my sniper pull the trigger while you sleep." Arjun threatened in a chilling tone.
"In exchange for El Sueño’s head? I can offer you much more." Paco Katari offered his hand.
Arjun looked at the hand for a few seconds and then looked towards the tree line. But not in the direction where the sniper's red dot came from, but in the direction of one of the guerrillas' flanks.
"That's enough! You can stop aiming."
Noises were heard in the bushes, a dark figure emerged from the trees. The frightened guerrillas turned towards the silhouette.
Jade came out of the trees still carrying the sniper. And with a look that was capable of making any guerrilla who was nearby retreat.
"Do you have more than one sniper?" Pac Katari asked
Arjun looked over his shoulder at him, "no."
That's right, Jade used the laser sight of her weapon as a decoy to make them believe she was hiding behind them. But she was really aiming from one of the flanks. Waiting for Arjun's signal to open fire if the situation got complicated. The guerrillas wouldn’t know where they would be attacked.
The snake had fallen into the jaws of the lion without knowing it.
Jade approached Aly and Mandy. She nodded to both of them in greeting.
"The perimeter is secured too. How are things going around here?"
"It seems they are negotiating the terms of a deal." Aly mentioned.
"Arjun’s angry." Mandy added.
"We all are." Jade sighed.
Arjun spoke for a few more minutes, with the leader of the rebel forces. Until he decided to return to his team.
"And?" Mandy asked.
"We have a deal."
___________
"Be careful with that! Can't you see that the blades are delicate?!" Mandy was trying to keep an eye on the guerrillas who were in charge of fixing the damage to the helicopter. "Jesus Christ... Sparrow would have fixed the helo in half the time..." Mandy murmured, placing both hands on her hips.
She sighed and looked around. The place where they were was incredible. She would never think that a place like that could be the base of operations for the rebel forces.
It was like a small town inside a mountain. A huge cave that had no roof, a huge hole where there were supposed to be huge rocks. It was like a hollow mountain with a huge hole through which sunlight came in, allowing vegetation and trees to grow inside. There were small wooden houses and cabins on the stones, walkways and bridges that connected them to each other. A stream crossed the cave and came out like a waterfall that fell who knows where.
It was the perfect lair.
Mandy still remembered how bad it was to get the helicopter down there. The hole was big but if a helicopter blade hit the rock, it could be fatal. But Mandy was too good to make a mistake like that.
She heard footsteps. She turned and saw Arjun approaching.
"How's your leg?" Mandy asked as she saw him limp towards her.
"It hurts like hell. But I can walk."
"It's an unusual place isn't it?" Mandy commented as the captain reached her side.
"It is. Although it’s a very good place to hide, I have to admit. There are families here, everyone helps each other. They are better organized than I thought." Arjun sighed.
"Mhm..." Mandy nodded. "How are things going there?"
"You don't want to know... Alyssa is angry."
Mandy raised her eyebrows "then I was right to stay out here."
"You're right…"
While inside one of the largest cabins, the one that was used to organize the operations of the rebel forces. Aly walked from one side to the other, nervous, furious.
"Aly, love. I understand your situation but–" Price tried to stay calm.
"But what, John?!" Aly put both her hands on her hips looking at the screen where the video call was running.
Price pursed his lips and shook his head, pacing the briefing room. When his wife got like that it was difficult to reason with her.
"It was her decision. She assumed the consequences, she knew she was going to be alone in this." Price was beginning to lose patience. He had been arguing with his wife for a long time, he wasn’t able to make her understand his situation. Price had water up to his neck, flooded with shit. He already had enough problems, and now Aly added one more.
"Are you really telling me this?!" Aly approached the computer, placing both hands on the table, she was about to tear off a piece of the furniture with just her nails.
"I can't be in two places at once."
"Sparrow is your sergeant. She is part of the 141." Aly emphasized the last word.
Price sighed and looked away. He knew where that speech was going to go.
On the other hand, Jade was behind Aly, with her arms crossed listening to the conversation. She shared a look with Ghost who was in the same situation with Price. Listening and observing.
Jade showed a small smile of compassion towards Ghost. It was an awkward moment for both of them. Jade didn't even know when the atmosphere had gotten so heated. Simon nodded slightly without moving from his spot, also not really knowing what to do. But intervening was the last option. They both knew their difference of opinions. Ghost was in favor of Price, the 141 had too many problems currently. Hannah wasn't an idiot, she knew what she had gotten herself into and what the consequences were. But Jade thought differently, she wasn't going to abandon her friend. They were going to find her, no matter what, with or without Price's help.
"Jonathan Price! Look at me when I talk to you!" Aly caught his attention again.
Price pursed his lips and took a deep breath. Reconnecting his gaze with Aly.
"I know you didn't choose Sparrow personally. She's not as close to you as Soap, Gaz or Ghost. But she's still your sergeant, she's still one of your subordinates." Aly continued talking, trying to control her anger. She still couldn't believe that Price had refused to help. That really made her angry and disappointed. "You were able to do all that for Laswell. When you found out that Kate had been kidnapped you were able to burn the entire world to save her."
"Aly..." Price sighed.
"Don't start John. You know damn well I'm right." Aly struggled to maintain her composure, a lump beginning to form in her throat. Anger had turned into helplessness. For having to crawl like that and ask for help because she felt like she wasn't capable of protecting her team. That she couldn't protect her friend. "You were able to do all that for Laswell and now you're going to stand by while they slowly kill Sparrow in a chair?"
Price listened to Aly's voice gradually break. And that broke his soul. He knew that both women were very close, they had been through a lot of shit together. Hell, Sparrow had helped Aly with the pregnancy, and even when Price was on mission, Sparrow had stayed with Aly to help raise Lily. Even when Hannah was still recovering from injuries from her accident in the mountains and couldn't go with the 141, she was there, helping Alyssa take care of her daughter.
"My hands are tied, Aly…" Price had a tired, even helpless expression. John wanted to do something, if it were up to him they would already be on their way to Bolivia. But the situation was different from when Laswell was kidnapped, very different.
Aly could see it, she knew that what Price was going through was also hard, very hard. But Aly had to try anything to save Hannah. She wouldn't forgive him if he didn't do anything about it. She shared a look with Jade. Charlotte had a look of concern for her friend. Aly looked mentally exhausted. Jade was too, but she had to stay strong. For Aly, for the team.
"If your hands are tied then find someone who has their hands free." Aly looked back at the screen.
Price knew who she was talking about.
"They are a bit far away. It will take them a while to get to Bolivia."
"You're old friends right? He'll listen to you."
He finally sighed.
"I'll make a call." Price nodded, not very convinced. That was a big favor to ask without warning.
"Good. We'll keep in touch, over." Aly hung up the call without even saying goodbye.
The room fell silent. Price sighed. He was cornered, Makarov, Shepherd, Sparrow… Every time he felt like he had less hair on his head. He felt Ghost's silent gaze on his back. He knew Ghost would support him in this, he wasn't so sure about the rest.
"I need a fucking smoke." Price murmured, patting Ghost's shoulder and ready to leave the base.
When the fresh air from outside hit his face he felt like he could breathe again. He hated arguing with Aly, he always had. He would probably have to sleep on the couch for a while.
He took out a cigar and placed it between his lips, lit it and took a long drag. Feeling the nicotine run through his veins. He watched the place, how the world revolved around him, ignoring what was happening.
"I sense that the conversation hasn't gone very well." Laswell's voice brought him out of his thoughts.
"You sense well."
"You told her no." Kate stated.
"With the bloody mess we have here… I think it would be worse for them if we go there. We can't risk their mission anymore, we can't bring our shit to them."
"You haven't told her then."
"I didn't want to worry her anymore. She's had enough with Sparrow." Price responded by taking another drag of the cigar.
Laswell sighed, took out a cigarette, and Price offered her the lighter. She nodded in thanks, taking a drag as well.
"I got her into this." Laswell shook the cigarette lightly to knock the ash onto the floor.
"You didn't force her. It was her decision." Price justified. "Sparrow is all grown up."
"Now you defend her? A month ago you flatly refused to give up Sparrow for this operation." Laswell raised an eyebrow.
"Well..." Price smoked a little more "You know how Sparrow is, she would have gone even if I forbade him."
"That's true."
There was silence. Finally Price grunted and threw the cigar to the ground.
"What are you going to do?" Laswell asked.
"Place a call to Australia. You take care of calling Sergeant Pham."
Aly was right. Hannah was his soldier, he had known her since Task Force 141 was formed years ago, and she may not have been one of his chosen ones but they went through hell and back on more than one occasion. So he wasn't going to sit idly by and do nothing. If his hands were tied, he'd find someone with his hands free who could break that bastard of El Sueños' nose. That was personal.
"I don't think Anna is up to it John."
"It's Sparrow who's tied to a damn chair. She'll accept it."
______________
The curtains were drawn. There was almost no sunlight coming in. It was noon and she still hadn't gotten out of bed. So that? She didn't want to face the world, and the world wasn't going to care one bit about what she was going through. The world could go on fucking spinning without her. Fuck the world. She could also roll over in bed. Trying not to let her thoughts flood her with another existential crisis, she spent the day sleeping so she didn't have to think and even then, she found herself terribly tired.
The overwhelming silence of her room was interrupted by the buzzing vibration of her phone. Damn she thought she had turned it off. She lifted her face from the pillow and checked who the hell was calling her.
Her eyes tried to adjust to the brightness of the screen when she could finally read the name that appeared.
"What?" She was confused, why was she calling her? In the end she picked up the call and put the cell phone to her ear. "Yeah?"
"Anna?" Laswell's voice came over the phone's small speaker.
"That's me..." Annabelle sighed and rolled over on the bed, staying in the middle looking at the ceiling.
She didn't seem to want to talk much. Where was her endless energy? That pyromaniac gremlin attitude. Where was it? Probably under all that mountain of dirty and used tissues.
"It's urgent. I need you to get equipped and prepare. I'll send you the plane ticket and the exact coordinates." Laswell began to explain.
"Wait wait. Just a moment" Anna frowned and pinched the bridge of her nose. "What are you talking about?"
A sigh was heard from Laswell. She seemed tired, was it something very serious?
"It's about Sparrow."
"Birdie? But wasn't she on a super secret mission in Bolivia with Jade and the rest?"
There was a pause.
"She has been kidnapped. The team lost contact with her more than 24 hours ago."
"What?!" Anna sat up suddenly. "Are you sure about that?!"
Suddenly a feeling of worry washed over her. One of her closest friends was in danger, and she was there. Rolling around in bed non-stop.
"We have visual evidence. She has been seen as a hostage." Laswell explained.
"Shit, biride..." Anna rubbed her face with her free hand.
"I know. But there's no time to waste. The team needs reinforcements, and the 141 is up to their necks in shit, so you're joining the 2nd Commando Regiment, as soon as possible."
"With the Aussies?" Anna asked, "Has Price called his old friend again?"
"He's in it. You know it's hard for him to ask that man for favors. They're like brothers."
Anna nodded as if Laswell could see her. Then she sighed.
"Alright, I'll do it."
"Great. I'll send you the details and exact coordinates. I'll also keep you informed about the team and reinforcements."
The conversation lasted a little longer. Anna asked about the task force. Especially for Gaz, his brother of another blood. She really missed them but her situation was complicated.
In the end she said goodbye to Laswell and hung up the call, remaining silent in that dark room. Then she looked to the side. Towards one of the corners of the room. The luggage bag, with all her gear and clothes completely disorganized and lying around.
Anna groaned and got out of bed.
"Fuck, Hannah..."
_________
Laughter filled his ears. His two daughters were playing and prancing in the park. Enjoying that weekend with his father. Not every weekend they could spend it with him.
Ava, the eldest daughter, about thirteen years old, was chasing Mia, her eight-year-old little sister. It wasn’t cold that afternoon in Perth, the sun warmed the grass and there were no clouds in the sky.
Even the stoic Captain Lachlan Jones smiled as he watched his daughters play and laugh. Those small moments are what he treasured most, those moments of calm. It was like entering a paradise inside a bubble, to recharge his batteries and return to hell later. But Lachlan didn't want to think about that. He was sitting on a bench enjoying the sun while supervising his girls.
When they were tired of playing he would buy them each an ice cream. And maybe for him too.
"Oi! Come on dad! Come play with us!" Ava called to her father, waving her hand in the air.
Lachlan's smile widened a little more and he raised his hand, signaling that he'd better stay on the bench.
Mia complained when she saw that her father wasn’t paying attention to them.
"Don't be a grumpy old fart! Come on! Come play with us!" Ava insisted even more.
Lachlan sighed and stood up. He couldn't say no to his daughters. Both girls laughed excitedly and happily, but just as Lachlan stood up his phone started ringing.
Ava's smile faded a little as she watched her Father pick up the call and start talking to someone.
"Who's calling Dad?" Mia asked.
"Dunno..." Ava frowned trying to listen to the conversation but her father was too far away to hear.
She saw Lachlan shake his head several times, sigh, pinch the bridge of his nose, and frown. Ava didn't like where this was going.
Lachlan's expression showed discontent. But after a long conversation and arguing he ended up agreeing. He had given in to something and neither Mia nor Ava had any idea what it was. But they wouldn’t like it.
He approached his daughters with a serious expression.
"What's up, dad?" Ava asked worriedly.
Lachlan thought for a moment what to say.
"Dad’s got work." He said it in the softest tone possible.
Suddenly the expression of both girls changed to one of disappointment.
"But how come? you promised we'd spend the weekend together!" Ava complained.
Lachlan pursed his lips and nodded. He knelt in front of his daughters so he could be at their height.
"I know love... and I'm so sorry." Lachlan tucked one of her locks of hair behind Ava's ear. "I promise to make it up to you when I get back."
Both girls were insisting to their father for a long time. But Lachlan could no longer change his mind. He had accepted. He couldn't turn back anymore.
Lachlan ended up taking his two daughters to his ex-wife's house. Both girls complained non-stop about their father's work and the little time he spent with them.
Lachlan sighed as he drove. His head was starting to hurt. His daughters had a lot of perseverance and too much energy.
"If you keep quiet I'll convince your mother to buy you ice cream when you get home."
"Chocolate ice cream?" Ava asked.
"Yes…"
Mia and Ava looked at each other for a few seconds, silently discussing whether it was a good offer.
"Deal."
They ended up arriving at Lachlan's ex-wife's house.
An incredibly beautiful woman answered the door, tall, with long blonde hair. With a lioness gaze on her face.
The woman looked at the girls and then at Lachlan.
"Has something happened?" She asked, confused.
Both girls went inside the house.
"Ask dad!"
The woman looked at her daughters and then at Lachlan. She tried to understand what was happening but soon discovered it in her ex-husband's eyes. She sighed and closed her eyes.
"You’ve been called in, yeah?"
Lachlan nodded slightly.
"Sorry. It's an emergency that—"
The blonde woman raised a hand stopping the captain's excuses.
"You don't have to tell me anything. It's not my heart you’re breaking, it’s theirs." The woman had a stoic attitude like her ex-partner.
Lachlan glanced at his daughters who were already sitting on the living room couch with long faces. He snorted a little sadly, but didn't show it.
"I know…" Lachlan replied. "Breaks mine too."
They both looked at each other for a few long seconds. Without saying anything. Expressions that said nothing but that hid deeply buried feelings, and that for the good of both of them, should remain that way.
Damn, that was the most beautiful woman Lachlan had ever seen. No matter how hard he tried, that look always managed to awaken his stone heart. He still loved her, that was clear. But he didn't want to complicate things more for her.
So he put on his cap and cleared his throat a little.
"I'd better go."
"Yes. You have work to do. As always."
Lachlan pursed his lips and hid his gaze behind his cap. He turned to leave, but his ex-wife's voice stopped him.
"Just…" she hesitated for a moment whether to say it or not, "be careful. And… come back in one piece."
Lachlan didn't know what to say. He was mesmerized by her eyes.
"Our daughters need a father. I can't do all the work alone." The woman looked away.
Lachlan gave a small smile and nodded.
"Yeah, ‘course."
The woman nodded, and also smiled slightly. Almost imperceptible, but Lachlan knew it was there.
In the end Lachlan left. Leaving his family behind once again, so he could do his duty. For a few seconds his heart sank, it always hurt him to leave everything, to stop being a father and become the captain from B Company of the 2nd Commando Regiment again.
But as soon as he got into his car, his stoic personality returned. He grabbed his phone and called someone.
A phone rang on the other side of Australia.
A young man was fixing the engine of one of the farm's tractors. It seemed to make strange noises. He had his hands inside the engine when he heard his phone ringing somewhere in the garage.
"Fuuuck me, the fuck is it?" Damien growled morosely. The tractor was giving him problems.
He got out of the tractor and walked to the work table, where his cell phone was. He kicked some tools that were laying on the floor while he wiped the motor oil from his hands with a dirty rag. He slung the rag over his shoulder and answered the phone.
"Yeah? What?"
"Whitlock." His captain's voice was heard on the other end of the line.
"Boss?" Damien asked, confused. Lachlan didn't usually call unless it was extremely important.
"Listen, I know we just got back from a mission but…" Lachlan began to tell his sergeant the situation.
Damien walked out of the garage listening to what Lachlan had to say, breathing in fresh air, looking out over the farm and the fields. The sun was beginning to set on the horizon. A chicken that had probably escaped from the coop was pacing and pecking around Damien's boots.
Then Damien frowned.
"Hey? Didya just say that Hannah has been kidnapped? Sparrow? The Sparrow we know? Our bird? From 141?"
"Deadset."
"Fuck me dead…." Damien massaged his forehead. "She always ends up gettin’ into trouble like this, her and her reckless decisions."
"Well, reminds me of a certain someone, ay..?" Lachlan responded wryly. Knowing perfectly well that Damien was just like Sparrow or even worse.
Damien chuckled. "Bugger off! You're exaggeratin’, sir."
Then he sighed and his expression became serious again. He looked at the ground, at the chicken that was walking around without a care in the world. Damien and Sparrow were close friends, damn, almost like siblings. Since what happened to his best friend Daniel, Sparrow has been the closest thing to a best friend that he had, Alyssa was too, but Sparrow was the one who followed him in all his craziness. Aly was there to scold them every time.
He touched his shoulder where he had the gunshot wound. An old scar from a couple of years ago. That afternoon in Afghanistan, the ambush, the sniper. Daniel died in front of him, trying to heal Damien's wound. And he could do nothing but be dragged away from him. It was incredible how quickly your life slipped through your fingers. One second you're alive and the next you have a bullet inside your brain.
Damien remembered how much the death of his best friend hurt. Damn he still hadn't even recovered yet, despite the years. And to think that the same thing could happen with Sparrow made him sick to his stomach. Hell, maybe he wouldn't be able to get back up from a second hit.
Damien clicked his tongue. He had returned home just less than a week ago. And now he had to return to the battlefield. But for Sparrow he would go to hell and back. She would do the same for him.
"When we headin’ off?" Damien asked.
"Now. Grab your shit, we're goin’ ‘gainst the clock."
"Rog.".
_______________
"Anna." Lachlan called her. "Your turn."
The woman nodded and stood in front of the armored door. She placed the explosive charge and activated it.
"We're going to blow up this fucking building." Anna murmured with a smile on her face.
"Oi, this is gonna upset all the fucking drug dealers in the building and for miles around." Damien whispered, looking down the dark hallway they had come down.
"I didn't think you were a coward Damo." Anna raised an eyebrow and smiled as she finished preparing the explosive charge.
"I’d like to get back to the HQ in one piece." Damien counterattacked, narrowing his eyes.
"And you will! You just have to trust me. And this beauty right here." Anna finished off the explosive.
"They’re gonna catch us with our pants down and they’re gonna leave us like strainers if you lot don't shut up." Lachlan scolded them both. Damien and Anna had been arguing like siblings since they started the mission. And both the sergeants were starting to get on Lachlan's nerves.
Arjun sighed, trying to stay calm. This whole situation tenses his muscles and stresses him out too much. Arjun could swear he was starting to lose his hair because of the stress. He just wanted to get Sparrow out of there alive. Hell, he didn't even know if Sparrow was still alive. But he would soon find out.
The team had infiltrated what appeared to be a military base of operations for the Santa Blanca Cartel. A huge base located in a valley between mountains. It was literally the devil’s cave.
After the call with Price, Aly managed to find Sparrow's locator. The coordinates indicated a fixed location. It seemed like they had Sparrow held somewhere. Thanks to the help of the Bolivian rebel forces, they found the place. It looked like a damn impregnable fortress. Only someone with suicidal instincts would want to go in there. But luckily, reinforcements arrived a few days later. Lachlan, along with Damien and Anna, joined the team.
They managed to enter with the help of the guerrillas. They created a distraction by causing an explosion close enough to the base for the narcos to direct their gaze there. Giving the team the perfect opportunity to sneak inside the base. Arjun, Lachlan and Damien were in charge of eliminating the Narcos and guards inside the base in a stealthy manner. Checking all the floors, room by room, looking for Sparrow. Anna had the same job as the rest, but she was also in charge of placing explosive charges at key points in the building's structure, so that when the time came for extraction they could demolish the building and hit the Santa Blanca cartel right in the balls. Show those bastards what happens when you mess with the wrong team.
Finally they reached the underground levels. Aly reported that there was a shielded room without cameras. The team wasted no more time, suspecting that they might be holding Sparrow there.
"Alright. Everything is ready." Anna announced, proud of her work.
"Right. Sort yourselves out!" Lachlan announced, placing himself with his back to the wall next to the door. "Damien, you make first entrance."
"Bet your fucking arse I will."
The team stood on both sides, with their backs against the wall.
"On my signal, Pham." Lachlan ordered. There were a few seconds of tension. Lachlan assured that everyone was ready. He glanced at Arjun who nodded. "Now!'
Anna pressed the detonator. A strong wave of heat hit everyone but not enough to hurt them. Damien wasted no time, with his rifle raised he entered, pointing in all directions. Arjun followed him and then Anna and Lachlan.
They checked the entire room and realized that no one was there. The room looked like a dark warehouse lit by a single, sad light bulb hanging from the ceiling.
"Clear." Damien muttered.
"Where are you Han…?" Anna murmured.
"Well… She's definitely been here." Lachlan kicked a corpse, turning it over. He had severe bruises, a broken nose and a broken glass stuck in his neck.
"There are three more," Anna announced, looking around the room.
Arjun turned over another dead body of a narco. He had a broken arm and neck.
"It was Sparrow's job." Arjun recognized his sergeant's fighting pattern.
"Damn... did our bird do that?" Damien looked at the other bodies.
"We call her Sparrow but she charges like a fucking bull..." Anna muttered.
Arjun was starting to get impatient, finding those corpses was a good sign. Sparrow was alive and had the strength to fight, but it also meant that she was moving, and they had to get to her before someone more dangerous did it first.
"Arjun." Lachlan called him.
The captain approached the other captain.
"What is it?" Arjun asked.
"Have a gander at that." Lachlan pointed his chin at a work table full of torture tools, some of which were bloody. There was a battery with cables and clips and a cattle prod.
"Fuckin’ hell…" Damien approached the table.
"Mh?" Arjun turned to Damien with a raised eyebrow.
"That's a cattle prod. It's an electric wand. Some farmers use it to push cattle and make cows move forward. Not me of course. If that thing is used on a person you can cause significant damage." Damien muttered with a frown. He touched the object carefully. "It's still hot..."
"They used it recently. Sons of bitches..." Lachlan growled.
Arjun tightened his grip on the rifle. The knuckles turned pale and the veins on his arms began to stand out more than usual.
"She has been tortured here. There is no doubt about that." Arjun muttered.
"I don't see the chair." Anna asked, looking around.
"They didn't use a chair." Arjun pointed to some chains hanging from the ceiling. Blood was dripping from them. "They hung her like a fucking animal ready to be skinned."
Lachlan looked around.
"Look at the size of those chains. How did she get free of those?" Anna approached, amazed.
"Those corpses are still bleeding. She shouldn’t be far." Lachlan reported.
Arjun was still immersed in his own thoughts when suddenly something lying in a corner caught his attention. He approached and crouched in front.
"What is that?" Anna approached curiously.
Arjun was holding Sparrow's bulletproof vest, now bloody and with empty pockets. It had the locator still attached. Arjun took a deep breath trying to stay calm. He tore off the patch and stared at it. That patch with the skull of a king and a sword piercing the skull, the word "Kingslayer" was embroidered at the bottom. The patch was stained with blood of course. That sight of his sergeant's patch covered in blood only altered his calm and professionalism. At that moment Arjun was like a ticking bomb. If he found El Sueño right now...
Arjun grabbed the radio button and contacted Aly and Jade.
While the rest of the team had checked the entire building, Aly and Jade went up to the upper floors, looking for the control room. Where Aly could have full access to the cameras and electrical systems. Jade escorted Aly there, stealthily finishing off whoever crossed their path.
"Alyssa. We have news." Arjun's voice was heard over the Comms.
"Go ahead captain." Aly replied. It was difficult for her to hide her nervousness. She just wanted to find Sparrow and get out there.
"We have found the torture room but there is no sign of Sparrow. The guards are dead, and judging by the wounds Sparrow has recently escaped."
Aly sighed. Sparrow was alive, that was a huge relief.
"We will notify the rebels to establish a search perimeter."
Jade spread a map on the table. They both looked at it for a few moments. And they agreed where the perimeter should be established. Jade nodded.
Aly looked at the map, Sparrow could be anywhere. She sighed in defeat, it was like finding a needle in a haystack. Suddenly a hand landed on her shoulder. Aly looked up to see Jade giving her a comforting smile.
"We'll find Hannah. Don't worry."
Aly tried to smile and nodded.
"Thank you Jade."
The redhead nodded.
"I will inform the rebel forces." Jade announced, and quickly contacted Pac Katari.
Aly nodded, and looked back at the cameras.
"¿Dónde chingados estás Han?" (Where the fuck are you Han) Aly murmured worriedly.
After chatting with Pac Katari, Jade returned to Aly.
"The rebels report that the Narcos have heard the explosion and are on high alert. They are clearing the entire building."
"Understood. We will meet you as soon as possible." Arjun announced. "Alyssa, it's time to turn off the lights again. We'll take care of those bastards."
"I'm working on it" Aly was in charge of turning off all the electrical systems, thus the alarms and communication antennas of the drug traffickers were completely unusable. They couldn't call in reinforcements. "All systems disabled."
"Roger that Aly." Arjun replied. "Keep us informed of your situation at all times. Understood?"
Suddenly she heard something. It was almost imperceptible, it came from outside, on the other side of the door. It was as if…
"Alyssa?" Arjun asked Aly again after not receiving a response. Aly seemed to ignore him.
Aly frowned and looked at Jade.
"Have you heard that?"
Jade looked at her confused.
"Hear what?"
They both remained silent, listening. It was heard again, it was a sharp, fast, melodic sound.
"I think it comes from outside, from the forest." Jade tried to guess.
"No, no..." Aly paid more attention. Closing her eyes and listening as much as she could.
She waited a little and then heard it again for the third time.
"It's like…" Jade frowned.
"Like a..." then Aly's eyes widened. "a whistle."
As soon as Aly discovered it, she didn't hesitate to run to the door and throw it open.
"ah?! H-hey! Aly wait!" Jade tried to stop her.
It was too dangerous to start running through the hallways! The building was full of guards! What was happening to her now?!
Jade followed her trying to catch up.
"Aly!" Jade tried to follow her, making sure no one was following them.
Oh my God. Had she perhaps gone crazy?
A group of three drug traffickers appeared from another hallway. Jade growled and pointed her gun. She shot all three between the eyes.
Screw discretion.
Aly stopped at an intersection of hallways, listened again.
"Come on, come on..." she murmured, panting.
"Aly, my god, what's going on?!" Jade finally caught up to her.
"It has to be around here." Aly looked in all directions.
Jade heard the voices of the drug traffickers who began to get closer and closer. Judging by the sound of the boots, there were many of them.
"¡Vamos cabrones! ¡Tienen que estar por aquí cerca!"
"We have to get out of here. We can't hold them off for long. I'm low on ammunition too." Jade stood in front of Aly, with an expression of complete concern for her friend. "Aly, what are you looking for?"
"I just need a little more time, I just..."
"We have the narcos breathing down our necks. We have to get out of here and return with the rest of the team."
Another whistle was heard.
Aly turned her head towards the sound as if she was an owl. And without saying anything else she started running again.
"Aly!" Jade followed her again.
They both walked through the hallways. Shots could be heard coming from the lower floors. The team had come into contact with the enemy. Over the radio, Arjun and Lachlan could be heard shouting orders between gunshots. But shots could also be heard coming from further ahead, right where they were heading and that worried Jade.
Aly opened an emergency door that led to a narrower, darker hallway. It was illuminated by red emergency lights. Jade reached her.
"We have to lock the door, now." Jade grabbed the ax and emergency fire hose on a nearby wall and managed to bar the door. "We have an army of Narcos on the other side. And if we don't hurry they're going to—..." Jade's words were interrupted by pained moans coming from the dark hallway.
Aly and Jade stared into the complete darkness, dimly illuminated by the red emergency bulb. Listening to someone dying of pain. That situation seemed like it had become a horror movie. Jade pulled out the gun slowly, Aly did the same, loading the gun trying not to make too much noise.
Suddenly they saw something moving on the ground. Something was crawling in the distance. It didn't have a specific shape. Until he got close enough to the red light and they realized he was a drug trafficker who was crawling because his legs didn't work. He was bleeding to death, but still he was fighting with all his might to run away from something.
"Perra asquerosa, maldita zorra…¡El Sueño te encontrará y va a hacerse un abrigo de piel contigo!" (You filthy bitch, you fucking slut...El Sueño will find you and make a fur coat out of you!) The drug trafficker cursed whoever he was fleeing from.
Suddenly a whistle was heard, which sounded much darker thanks to the echo generated by the narrow hallway.
The drug dealer raised his head and looked back. That was his fatal mistake, as a deafening gunshot was heard and a bullet flew down the hallway until it pierced the man's skull. The corpse remained motionless, staining the floor.
Jade and Aly's breathing was heavy. They didn't expect something like that. Footsteps were heard, a pair of heavy boots approaching them.
"Do you think..." Jade finally understood, but she still remained alert, holding the gun.
"She's here." Aly smiled. Her hands were shaking, from the adrenaline, from the tension, from fatigue. Everything had accumulated at that moment.
She put her fingers to her lips, took a breath, and whistled too. She whistled, creating a short little melody, just two notes, but it was enough to make the footsteps stop for a second.
Aly stood expectantly, waiting, waiting for an answer.
The silence became endless until finally, from the depths of that dark hallway, the song of a sparrow was heard. Incredibly sharp and fast.
Aly covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes filling with tears. Her lower lip was trembling and her heart was pumping rapidly.
At last.
A dark silhouette appeared, tall and large. That person had one hand supported, they seemed to be limping. The silhouette whistled again, another sparrow.
Aly couldn't stand it anymore, and started running towards that silhouette. She ran and ran until her body collided with the other, she didn't care. She hugged them tightly, hiding her face in the other person's chest. Aly ended up collapsing, tears streaming down her cheeks as a pair of arms wrapped around them lovingly. A heavy hand rested on her hair and stroked it lightly.
"I told you I would find you." Aly murmured, resting her forehead on her chest.
The chest vibrated with a light laugh. Aly looked up, seeing a smiling Sparrow.
"And I never doubted you" Hannah widened her smile.
Aly smiled too and wiped away her tears.
"You are an idiot." Aly joked between sobs.
"Well someone has to be." Sparrow responded with a chuckle.
They hugged for a few more seconds until it was time to separate. Sparrow watched Jade slowly approach.
"Hannah…"
Sparrow smiled.
"I'm glad to see you well Jade."
"Oh, shut up." Jade hugged her too, tightly. "You made us very worried. We thought we had lost you."
"I'm sorry I kept you waiting." Sparrow reciprocated the hug.
"Don't say that."
They both separated.
"Jesus, Sparrow, you don't look good." Jade commented worriedly. "My God, you're bleeding."
Despite Sparrow's tired smile, her body was covered in bruises and she limped on one leg.
Aly lifted Hannah's shirt and opened her eyes in horror.
"You have been shot."
"Yeah, one of the guards managed to catch me when I tried to run away."
She had a gunshot wound to her lower abdomen, and it was spitting out dark blood, slowly but constantly. On the sides of her torso there were burns, small and surrounded by reddened skin. Surely from when the torturers used the cattle prod.
Jade took one of Sparrow's hands. The wrists were mangled, covered in bruises, marks and dried blood.
"How many nails have they pulled out?" Jade asked, looking at Sparrow's hands in terror.
"Four... It wasn't enough to make me talk." Sparrow looked exhausted, swaying from side to side, it was as if she would collapse at any moment.
"We have to get out of here. Now." Jade ordered.
Aly had Sparrow put one of her arms over her shoulders.
"Let's get you out of here Han."
"I'll inform the rest." Jade pressed the button on her radio. "Captain. We have found Sparrow. I repeat, we have found Sparrow."
"What?! Are you serious?" Lachlan replied. Although his voice sounded distorted by the gunshots. They seemed to be in quite a bind. "Take her out of the building and we will meet at the extraction point."
"And leave you alone with that army of Narcos?!" Jade exclaimed.
"It's an order. Getting Sparrow to safety is a priority. Dami—..." Interference cut off Lachlan's words.
Jade was going to answer but suddenly knocks and gunshots were heard on the other side of the door. Someone was trying to open it.
"Get ready." Jade ordered, taking out her karambit and gun. "That door isn't going to hold up much longer. Aly." Jade called to her partner.
"I know." Aly pulled out her gun with one hand and held Sparrow with the other.
"Let me help." Sparrow took a step forward but Aly stopped her.
"Are you crazy? Have you even seen yourself?! You've been tortured for days Hannah, you're bleeding to death and you can barely stand."
"I can still fight, I didn't get here by pure luck. Let me do it."
"Aly is right." Jade answered, she had returned to her serious attitude, ready to murder whoever came her way. "You're in no condition to engage in combat. Besides... We already trusted you once, now it's your turn to trust us."
Sparrow tried to reproach again but Jade's look was enough to silence her. Sparrow sighed.
"Then kick those sons of bitches' arses for me."
Jade smiled and nodded.
"Aly?"
"ready.."
Jade leaned her back against the wall of the door. She adjusted her grip on the gun and knife. Aly did the same and pointed towards the door.
They waited, the gunshots and screams continued until suddenly everything was silent. The three looked at each other. The atmosphere was tense again. A heavy silence that squeezed everyone's lungs. Suddenly there were loud, heavy knocks on the door. Someone was trying to knock the door down.
Everyone was on alert until the door finally gave way and burst open. Jade didn’t hesitate to stick the barrel of her gun into the temple of the person who had just burst in. She was about to pull the trigger when she suddenly recognized the blonde mullet.
"Whitlock?!" Jade asked, confused.
"Fuckin' hell, Jade!" Damien exclaimed.
"Damien!" Aly sighed in relief and lowered the gun. "Shouldn't you be with the rest of the team?"
"Yeah, well, the captains sent me to look for you as soon as you didn't respond to Arjun."
"Damien fucking Whitlock… What in the bloody hell are you doing here?!" Sparrow exclaimed with a frown. Then she looked at Aly. "Seriously?!"
"We couldn't rescue you alone. We needed reinforcements." Aly shrugged.
"And of all people... it had to be him?!" Sparrow pointed at Damien.
"Oi! Drop that shitty attitude and show some appreciation that I even bothered to show up!" Damien took a step forward, clearly pissed.
Sparrow removed her arm from Aly's shoulders and straightened her back so that she was level with Damien. Holding her abdomen because of the wound.
"Appreciation? I don't owe you anything! I didn't ask you to come! I could get out of here all by myself!" Sparrow took another step forward.
They were like two dogs ready to fight and tear each other's throats out.
“Guys please…” Aly sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Clearly tired of both of their attitudes.
Jade simply watched the two of them as if she were watching a tennis match. What was happening here?
"You know, I was so comfortable back home, enjoying my days off when suddenly I get a fucking call that a certain little bird needs to be rescued on the other fucking side of the world."
"And they really thought you were the best one? You're always getting in the way of people with your huge butt!"
"And you can barely even walk with those huge duck feet!"
They spent a few tense seconds looking into each other's eyes, being only a few centimeters away. But in the end they both couldn't help it and a smile escaped their lips.
"C’mon, come ‘ere..."
They hugged each other tightly and patted each other on the back. The two chuckled.
"Don't scare me like that again..." Damien murmured, patting Hannah's head.
Sparrow snorted, trying to hold back a smile. She was really happy to have Damien there, she was able to trust him with her life without even thinking about it. She just liked to annoy him, and he liked to do that too.
"Sorry Damo." She rested her forehead on her friend's shoulder.
Aly sighed in relief and smiled. They always behave like this. Like two siblings who hate and love each other at the same time.
"What has happened?" Jade asked.
"Eventually you get used to it." Aly shrugged.
Damien and Sparrow chuckled. But suddenly Hannah's expression changed completely, she had turned completely pale and seemed dizzy again.
"Oh bloody hell…"
"Hannah!" Aly tried to reach her before she collapsed but Damien was faster and reached her first.
"Sparrow, what's wrong with you?!" Damien held Sparrow as best he could.
Hannah was slowly losing consciousness.
"She's losing too much blood. We need to get her out of here and have Mandy take a look at her." Jade ordered.
Suddenly interference was heard on the radio again.
"We have a visual of El Cardenal!" Lachlan's voice came over the radio amidst the gunshots and noises of the gunfight. "He's running away! Third floor! Right next to the east windows! We can't reach him with the mess here. You're going to have to take care of it!"
"Third floor? That's two floors down, we won't reach it. Much less carrying Sparrow."
"You go... I'll stay..." Sparrow muttered barely.
"I would rather die than leave you here." Damien answered with a completely serious look.
Jade was thoughtful the whole time.
"Take care of Hannah. I'll take care of El Cardenal." She put the gun back in its holster.
"You won't have time, there are too many stairs." Damien shook his head.
"I'm not going down the stairs." Jade answered determinedly, checking the harness that surrounded her thighs and hips. She took down a rappel rope from across her chest and tied one end to the harness and the other to a pair of carabiners.
Hannah looked up and chuckled weakly as she understood.
"Sometimes I think you're crazier than me..." Sparrow replied. "Just make sure the knots are tight."
Jade smiled and rested her hand on Sparrow's shoulder.
"You worry about staying alive, Han."
"I'll try not to disappoint you." Hannah laughed weakly.
Jade snorted, trying not to laugh in a situation like that, and looked at Alyssa and Damien.
"I leave her in your charge."
"Good luck, Jade." Aly nodded.
Jade nodded back and left. She started running down the hallways they had come through before. In one hand she held the gun and in the other the rappelling rope. She encountered several enemies who didn’t even have time to raise their weapons. Jade didn’t hesitate to shoot them in the head the moment they appeared in her field of vision. A very big guy stood in her way, trying to stop her. But with a quick pirouette she managed to throw him to the ground, rested her knee on his neck and shot him point-blank in the temple. Evidently the shooting had attracted more drug traffickers, so Jade hurried and ran.
She ended up reaching the end of the hallway, which opened onto some huge windows. Jade listened to the Narcos hot on her heels. She slid nimbly along the floor until she reached one of the concrete columns that supported the ceiling. She had arrived at the right place. She wrapped the rope around the column and secured it with the carabiner. As best she could, she measured the rope and did the calculations in her head. Was it a suicide? Yes. But there was no time to think about it. If she thought twice, El Cardenal would escape from under her nose.
The drug traffickers arrived, the bullets began to fly near her, threatening to pierce her body at any moment. Jade didn't waste any more time, she got up and ran towards the windows, without stopping for a second. She covered her face with her forearms and hit the glass. It went through the window, breaking the entire glass. The small pieces flew through the air, they remained suspended in the air, like Jade, for a few milliseconds, as if everything were in slow motion. But gravity soon did its work, the weight of the world hitting the pit of her stomach as she began to fall. She descended until the rope was completely taut, and like a pendulum the rope made Jade go from falling in the air to about to hit the windows two floors below.
Jade frowned as soon as she saw El Cardeanl near the windows. With her boots first, she burst into the building again, breaking the windows and taking El Cardenal with her. The sole of her boot impacted his cheek.
They both rolled on the ground. Jade got up as best she could, shook her head trying to get rid of the dizziness. From the corner of her eye she saw Gustavo Serrano, El Cardenal himself, who had already managed to recover from the kick that Charlotte had given him in the face. Jade pulled out the gun as soon as she realized it. But El Cardenal pulled out another gun and also pointed it at Jade.
"Mr. Serrano. Drop the weapon." Jade ordered firmly. "If you don't I will be forced to pull the trigger."
The man didn't say anything, he lowered the gun but instead of letting it go, he raised it higher.
"Sir." Jade threatened again.
Now the barrel of his gun rested on his own temple.
"Santa Muerte will come for all of us sooner or later." El Cardenal spoke in a sinister tone. "We are all sinners. Responsible for our actions. Only La Santa Muerte can bring us before the Lord."
"Drop the gun. You don't want to do this." Jade shifted her weight from one leg to the other nervously. They needed El Cardinal alive. And that son of a bitch was willing to take his own life without even blinking.
Where did she have to aim? To the leg? No, even if she fired, that wouldn't stop him from pulling the trigger. To the hand? It was too close to the head.
Shit…!
"Sacrifices must be made for the common good. To preserve what is good and what is pure."
The Cardinal closed his eyes and looked at the ceiling. And he pulled the trigger.
"¡NO!"
But the bullet never went through Gustavo Serrano's head. In fact, a punch hit El Cardenal directly on the cheek, causing the bullet to deflect and hit a wall. Gustavo Serrano rolled on the ground from the impact.
Jade looked at the newcomer. Arjun shook his hand trying to relax his fingers.
"Captain…"
Jade realized that Arjun's eyes radiated anger, contempt and even madness.
Arjun had had enough of that fucking game. Could that man really take his own life after what he did to his sergeant? No, he did not deserve such a merciful fate. He deserved to suffer, just as he had made Sparrow suffer.
El Cardenal rubbed his sore jaw from the blow. He grunted and tried to get to his feet. But Arjun didn't let him. He kicked him in the mouth with his boot, causing him to fall to the ground again.
"Santa Muerte is not interested in you yet.Motherfucker." Arjun growled. "Do you think you can torture one of my soldiers for days and not suffer the consequences?"
"Sacrifices are necessary to—..."
Arjun hit him again.
"Sacrifices?! You are fucking genocidal. You bring hell to the innocent. You cheat, steal and kill for your own benefit without giving a shit. And you want to talk to me about sacrifice?!"
Arjun hit him again and again. Leaving the gloves soaked in blood. He didn't care about anything anymore. The chains, the torture tools, the cattle prod, Sparrow's Operation Kingslayer patch so stained with blood that the colors could no longer be distinguished. Just imagining that they had used all this on his sergeant made his blood boil. Arjun only saw red. Blood was splashing on his face, he didn't hear anything, his ears were ringing.
"Arjun!" Jade untied the rope still tied to her harness. "It's enough!"
Jade tried to grab Arjun by the shoulders but she didn't have enough strength to push him away.
"We need him alive!" Jade tried again. "Come on!" Jade's blood ran cold as she saw El Cardenal's disfigured face, all swollen and full of blood. He had to hurry or Arjun would beat him to death.
Suddenly another pair of larger, stronger arms appeared and between the two of them they pushed Arjun away from Gustavo Serrano.
"Arjun! Calm down, mate!" Lachlan pulled Arjun along while Jade went to inspect El Cardenal's condition.
"Let me go Jones! This bastard has to pay!" Arjun exclaimed terribly angrily.
Lachlan placed his body between Gustavo Serrano and the other captain, and put his hand on Arjun's chest.
"I understand your pain, Dhingra. But right now we need him alive. He is the right hand of El Sueño. We cannot waste this opportunity." Lachlan spoke calmly while still looking Arjun in the eyes.
"You've seen the torture room. What he's done to Sparrow…" Arjun closed his eyes and took a deep breath. No… he already lost a very close friend, and he still blamed himself for it. He had to be a better leader, he had to protect his people. It had to be better.
"I would have done the same in your situation. I am capable of burning the entire world for my own people. But you know perfectly well that this is not what Sparrow wants."
Arjun sighed and shook his head. He should have been the one to sacrifice himself for the team. Unconsciously he held his leg with that bullet wound, it hurt like hell but he could walk. He just had to ignore it. A punishment for his actions.
"What is the status of Serrano?" Arjun asked.
Jade checked El Cardenal’s pulse and pupils.
"He's unconscious. He's barely breathing but he's still alive."
"Okay, I'll deal with him later." Arjun came closer. "And Sparrow?"
Jade looked at Arjun with a worried expression.
"She is alive but needs immediate medical attention. She has been shot in the stomach and some of the wounds appear serious." Jade reported standing up and holstering her gun. "Damien and Aly are with her."
"Good. They have to go immediately to the extraction point."
The burden on his shoulders eased a little. Still, Arjun couldn't relax until the entire team was safe and sound at the base.
Hurried footsteps were heard and Anna appeared.
"The explosive charges are already placed and activated." Anna reported. "Fuck me! That's El Cardinal?! What the hell happened to him?!"
"Divine justice." Arjun replied seriously without looking at her.
"Alright guys. Time to go" Lachlan informed. "I’ll carry Gustavo Serrano."
Jade nodded.
"Aly. Sparrow needs to be moved to the extraction point as soon as possible. The charges are already placed and active." Jade reported over the radio.
"Understood. We're on our way. Damien is holding Sparrow. She doesn't seem very happy." Aly answered.
Anna laughed.
"Typical Sparrow."
"Come on guys, time moves on. We have to move." Lachlan ordered, carrying Gustavo Serrano's unconscious body on his shoulders.
The team made their way through the different floors of the base. Shooting all the guards and drug traffickers who stood in his way. And finally they managed to leave the building.
"To the truck! I'm driving!" Arjun ordered, after killing the drug dealer who was driving the said vehicle.
They all went up. They left El Cardenal lying in the back seats of the truck next to Lachlan. Jade took over as co-pilot and Anna jumped into the bed truck that had a turret attached.
"Oh fuck...!" Anna cursed as she saw more Santa Blanca Cartel vehicles approaching along the roads. "More reinforcements are coming!"
"Shit!" Lachlan stuck his head out of the truck window. "We have to hurry! The explosive charges will soon explode! Pham! How much time do we have left?!"
"A minute at most!" Anna responded.
El Cardenal raised his head in confusion. It seemed that he was beginning to come to his senses. Lachlan noticed and with the butt of his rifle hit him in the back of the head again.
"Sweet dreams you piece of shit." Lachlan groaned "Where the fuck is the rest?!"
"I think I see them! Shit they have a fucking army behind them..."
"Use the turret!" Arjun ordered, starting the car.
"A pleasure!" Anna grabbed the turret with both hands and began shooting at any Narco that threatened those who were just arriving.
Damien ran out of the building carrying an unconscious Sparrow fireman's lift style, Aly ran next to him, protecting Damien as best she could.
Anna motioned for them to run in that direction.
They both jumped into the bed truck. Damien left Sparrow on the floor of the truck and joined in the firefight. Aly put pressure on Sparrow's wound. Hannah complained weakly but barely had the strength to speak.
Anna made sure everyone was in the truck. She hit the rear windshield of the truck to warn Arjun.
Arjun didn’t hesitate to step on the accelerator and speed away from there. Just then there was a series of explosions inside the building, the entire area had been filled with dust and dirt. And shortly after in one last explosion the building collapsed, like a titan that had been defeated.
Mesmerized, Anna watched the building fall. That always left a strange feeling.
"Anna, help me with this!" Aly asked, breaking Anna out of her thoughts.
Anna knelt down along with Aly.
"Sparrow doesn't look very good." Anna mentioned, worried, seeing her friend's state.
"The wound must be packed. We have to reduce the bleeding as soon as possible."
Sparrow opened her eyes and realized that Anna was there.
"I've been calling you for several days…" Hannah murmured weakly. "You didn't answer."
Anna smiled sadly, and cupped Sparrow's cheek.
"I didn't want to bore you with my dramas, birdie."
"Looks like I'll have to do this more often so I can talk to you." Sparrow smiled and closed her eyes.
Anna chuckled and shook her head.
"Don't even think about doing this again, idiot."
Aly smiled listening to the conversation between both women, but then returned her gaze to the wound.
"Anna keep Sparrow awake, don't let her fall asleep for a second." Aly ordered, ripping off a sleeve of her shirt and then tore it into strips.
"Hey hey. Hannah! wake up!" Anna lightly patted Sparrow's face. But she didn't respond. "Shit she’s not opening her eyes."
"Hit her harder."
"What? Really?"
"You heard me. Slap her like some asshole grabbed your ass without permission. Hannah's a big girl. She can take it.”
Anna smirked.
"Very well. You asked for it."
Anna raised her hand and slapped Hannah's cheek with all her might.
"Fucking hell!" Hannah's eyes snapped open.
"That's my girl! Now keep your eyes open Sparrow!" Anna exclaimed, patting Hannah's chest.
Aly began to insert the pieces of cloth into the bullet wound as a plug to reduce the bleeding. Hannah complained again.
"Guys…" Damien interrupted them. He grabbed the switch on his radio. "We got visitors. Enemy vehicles approaching. There’s heaps of ‘em."
Several armed cars appeared behind the truck, chasing them at full speed.
"Roger. Let's try to throw them off." Arjun responded over the radio.
He turned the wheel and drove down a road that wound through a very narrow valley. A dangerous road that was on the edge of a cliff between two mountains that looked like giants that wanted to pounce on them.
"Okay guys. Get ready to engage!" Lachlan ordered as he pulled his body out the car window and pointed his gun.
Jade did the same.
"Pham to the turret. Now." The Australian captain indicated.
"Rog!" She looked at Aly. "Can I leave her in your care?"
"I'll keep her awake as long as I can. Go." Aly nodded at the turret.
Anna nodded and moved right behind the turret.
"Let's teach those pieces of shit when to fucking give up!"
"Fuck yeah!" Damien responded, placing one knee on the floor of the truck and aiming his rifle.
The first enemy trucks appeared on the road. Chasing the truck at full speed.
"Contact!" Jade screamed as the drug traffickers began shooting from their vehicles.
The team soon responded with fire and heavy artillery. Making sure to keep the narcos at bay and that they won't get too close. The road was already dangerous enough without now adding a shootout.
One of the trucks from the Santa Blanca cartel came too close, becoming parallel to the team's vehicle. Arjun looked towards the window realizing that a narco was pointing a gun at him.
"Back off Captain!" Jade exclaimed.
Arjun obeyed and leaned his body back giving Jade room to shoot the driver and co-driver of the truck. Arjun swerved to the side and pushed the other truck over the cliff, causing it to fall into the void.
"They're called traffic laws for a reason, idiots!" Arjun groaned as he watched the truck crash into the bottom of the valley.
Suddenly his attention shifted to his ears. The engine of a helicopter could be heard approaching from a distance.
"Is it Mandy?!" Jade asked, trying to make her voice heard over the gunshots.
A second helicopter was heard approaching and suddenly a rocket hit the road a few meters ahead. Arjun had to make an effort to prevent the truck from overturning.
"I do not think so!" Arjun replied.
"Shit...! Anna! Grab the RPG!" Jade screamed, sticking her head out of the window.
One of the armed helicopters launched another rocket that hit the mountain wall, causing huge rocks to start falling onto the road. Arjun could dodge them with difficulty.
"Hurry up Gremlin! We have to shoot down those helicopters." Jade exclaimed watching the rocks fall dangerously close to the vehicle. Some rocks crushed the drug traffickers' trucks that were still chasing them.
Anna grabbed the RPG, dug her knee into the ground.
And she placed the rocket launcher on her shoulder.
"I only have one shot!" Anna grunted in annoyance.
"Then make sure you don't miss. And take one of those helicopters to fucking hell." Damien said as he shot at one last enemy truck.
"Fuck it." Anna pulled the trigger and the rocket was launched at full speed, hitting the tail of one of the helicopters, causing it to lose control and crash into the mountain wall in a large explosion.
"Way to go Grem!" Damien shook Anna's shoulder euphorically.
"I wouldn't celebrate victory this early, Damien. There's another helicopter to shoot down." Lachlan spoke on the radio.
"We'll use the turret." Damien grabbed the weapon with both hands and pointed it at the cockpit of the remaining helicopter. "If we hit the pilot—..."
But a rocket appeared out of nowhere, flying through the sky at high speed that collided with the remaining helicopter.
"What the fuck?!"
Some interference was heard over the Comms.
"Sorry I'm late guys." Mandy's voice appeared.
A third helicopter appeared flying between the valley walls. This one had the Operation Kingslayer symbol painted on the front.
"Mandy! You don't know how happy I am to hear your voice!" Jade exclaimed in relief over the radio.
"I'm sorry for the delay, these bastards haven't left me alone for a single moment." Mandy answered.
"How's your new toy treating you?" Arjun asked.
The helicopter that Mandy previously used had received too much damage in the last few missions. And now with the new additions to the team they needed something bigger and more armed. Luckily Pac Katari got a new helicopter for Mandy.
"Wonderful, sir. I think I'm growing fond of it." Mandy joked.
For the first time in days Arjun chuckled lightly.
"Good to know Macfie" then returned to his serious demeanor. "Proceed to extraction point B. Sparrow needs immediate medical attention."
"Roger that captain."
Finally the team managed to escape from the cartel and those facilities. As soon as they reached the extraction point, Arjun and Damien took Sparrow to the helicopter while the rest boarded.
"Aly I need you here with me. We have to find a safe route to return to the base." Mandy asked as she sat back down in the pilot's seat.
"Hannah needs help." Aly informed.
"I know."
"You're the team medic Mandy." Aly responded worriedly.
"I have to pilot the helicopter too, I will give instructions so that you can treat Sparrow's injuries or at least hold on until we get to the base." Mandy justified, understanding her friend's anxiety and concern.
"Alyssa." Arjun called her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Sparrow is going to be fine. We will do everything in our power to save her."
Aly looked at Sparrow, who was lying on the floor of the helicopter while the rest of the team tried to tend to her. She then returned her gaze to Arjun.
"Take care of finding a safe route so we can all get home." Arjun spoke softly and understandingly. "Clayton will be fine."
Aly sighed and nodded. She sat next to Mandy and with the help of the maps and her laptop she began to search for routes in the satellite images.
"I have a route."
"Good. Let's take off." Mandy answered using the controls to lift the helicopter into the air again and fly in the direction Aly was pointing.
While in the back of the Helicopter they tried to make sure Sparrow was still alive.
"Jade, I need you to put pressure here." Lachlan was giving orders. "Damien, get the first aid kit."
Both attended and obeyed orders.
Arjun knelt next to Lachlan.
"Macfie. We need instructions on how to remove the bullet." Arjun said.
"The bullet is quite close to the liver. You have to be very careful. The blood is red at the moment. That's a good sign, it means it hasn't damaged the liver yet." Mandy explained. "But if the blood comes out black. Sparrow's countdown will have slowed down significantly."
"Why?" Damien asked worriedly.
Mandy was silent for a while, thinking about how to explain it.
"The liver is in a way responsible for purifying the blood, as are the kidneys. But the liver extracts toxins and residual substances from the blood. If the liver is affected, these toxins may go into the bloodstream again in high quantities and poison her own blood." Mandy explained. "We don't know how close the bullet is to the liver, but what we do know for sure is that if Sparrow keeps moving and the wound gets bigger, it will eventually hit the organ."
"We have to remove the bullet as soon as possible." Arjun summarized.
"But if we do, we run the risk of Sparrow bleeding to death." Aly added.
"That's why we need to have a blood transfusion ready in case things get complicated. Jade, Sparrow and you share a blood group. O negative is quite unusual, you're the only one who can give her blood."
"Understood." Jade nodded.
"We have to make two groups. One will be in charge of the blood transfusion and the other will be in charge of removing the bullet and cauterization."
"The sergeants and Jade will handle the transfusion. Me and Captain Jones will handle the extraction. Understood?" Arjun ordered and everyone nodded.
Without wasting any more time, following Mandy's instructions while she piloted. One group was tasked with preparing the intravenous lines and injecting serum into Sparrow's veins. While the other group was in charge of preparing the scalpel and forceps to extract the bullet.
Meanwhile, Sparrow was barely unconscious. Blood stained the floor of the helicopter. Her vision was blurry and sounds sounded like she was underwater. For a moment she locked eyes with Aly, who was unable to look away. She had a terrified and worried expression. Sparrow wanted to raise her hand, tell her that everything was okay, and that she would get through this, like she always had. But she didn't have the strength to do it.
"Starting with the incision." Lachlan reported after lifting Sparrow's shirt enough to show the gunshot wound. It didn't look good...
He brought the scalpel closer and made a cut along the wound. Sparrow grunted and shook hard in pain.
"Hold her!" Arjun exclaimed, grabbing Sparrow by the shoulders and pinning her to the ground.
Damien did the same, pinning her legs.
"I proceed to remove the bullet."
The moment Lachlan pushed the forceps into the wound, Sparrow began to thrash about in pain again, grunting, screaming, and trying to twist her body.
"Fuck Sparrow!" Damien exclaimed, trying to keep the sergeant still.
"The head! Hold her head!" Arjun exclaimed as he saw Sparrow unconsciously hitting her head on the floor of the helicopter.
Anna quickly knelt in front of Hannah and held her head with both hands preventing her from hitting the ground once again.
"Shhh everything's going to be fine Han, it's almost out. Hold on, just a little longer." Anna tried to calm Sparrow by caressing her cheeks with her thumbs even though her hands were shaking and she was having trouble hiding her fear.
Sparrow's life was slipping through her fingers and she could only tell her that everything would be okay.
"Shit, the bullet slips too much." Lachlan was having trouble removing the bullet.
"There is too much blood." Jade murmured worriedly.
"HANNAH!" Aly jumped out of the seat and tried to get closer, she was on the verge of hysteria as she heard Sparrow's screams and grunts of pain.
"Aly no!" Damien quickly stood up and stopped her by grabbing her torso.
"Damo! She—!"
"She's not going to die!" Damien looked Aly in the eyes. He was just as scared as she was. The hands holding Aly were shaking. The thought of losing another friend in front of his eyes terrified him. It made his legs fail and he didn't know how to respond. But he had to stay strong.
Sparrow screamed as Lachlan pushed the forceps deeper into the wound.
Anna closed her eyes tightly fighting not to let the tears fall and rested her forehead against Sparrow's.
"I'm sorry birdie... I'm so sorry"
Aly tried to go to Sparrow but Damien stopped her again. Alyssa could only collapse in the sergeant's arms as she watched her friend suffer.
"The bullet is out!" Lachlan reported as soon as the bullet came out.
"We have to stop the bleeding and cauterize the wound. Now!" Mandy ordered from the pilot's seat.
"Shit she's bleeding to death."
"Hannah, don't fall asleep!"
"Jade the blood transfusion!"
"We're losing her!"
________________
The intermittent but constant beep was the first thing she heard, followed by the light passing through her eyelids. A feeling of dizziness and nausea hit her like a wave. The last thing to wake up were the pain receptors, absolutely her entire body hurt.
For a moment she thought she had returned to K2.
She opened her eyes with an enormous effort. The light bothered her terribly, she had to blink and keep her eyes squinted for a while. The first thing she saw was her body covered in bandages and lying on a medical bed.
She made another effort and looked around. It looked like a field hospital, a huge tent with several medical beds. There were other wounded people, nurses and doctors walking around. People she didn't know.
Where the fuck was she?
She looked to the side. There was a small table, on the furniture there was a glass of water and a couple of pills, there was also a patch. Her patch. It had been washed, no longer completely stained with blood, the colors could now be distinguished, but there were still traces of red in certain areas.
Her ears became accustomed to the noise, she could hear more and more things. It was even starting to get overwhelming. She heard a breathing, deep, calm. She looked the other way and found Jade, she was sleeping, her arms and head resting on Sparrow's lap.
Hannah didn't know how she couldn't notice Jade's weight on her. Maybe her body, despite the pain, was still numb.
As best she could, she stretched out her arm towards Jade, her hand trembling exaggeratedly. It seemed as if Jade had stayed there, for hours, waiting.
"I wouldn't wake her up if I were you." A familiar voice was heard. "More than half a liter of her blood runs through your veins, she’s absolutely buggered."
Hannah finally looked up and realized she had a visitor.
"Damo...?" Sparrow's voice sounded dry. Her throat hurt, she even coughed a little.
"Hey hey." Damien stood up from the chair he was sitting in and carefully brought the glass to her. "Drink up, c’mon."
Hannah obeyed and drank some water as best she could. She felt that her body absorbed that water like a sponge. How long had she gone without drinking water? And without eating?
"That's it. Slowly. It has cost us a lot to keep you alive, we don't want you to die now from choking on some water." Damien joked lightly.
Hannah nodded when she had drunk enough water. Damien put the glass away and sat back down.
"What the hell happened?" Hannah asked, resting her head on the pillow again.
"Well... I asked a mutual friend to have a little chat with the devil and tell him that your time hasn't come yet." Damien smiled.
Hannah tried to smile too.
"Did you tell Daniel to kick me out of hell?"
"I reckon Dan would’ve dragged me into hell if he realized I let you die." Damien answered.
Hannah chuckled but it made her ribs hurt more.
"I have to admit, using the defibrillator was fun but scary at the same time," a female voice said.
"Gremlin." Sparrow stretched out a hand and Anna didn't hesitate to grab it.
"Hey birdie." Anna smiled sadly.
"It's nice to see you again." Hannah replied weakly, "I wish circumstances were different."
"Shut up." Anna rolled her eyes and ended up hugging Sparrow without much force.
They separated and looked each other in the eyes. They knew each other well, they had been through many missions together, Las Almas was no exception. And Hannah could still see in Anna's eyes that what happened there still affected her deeply. There were cracks in those cheerful eyes. And although Hannah couldn't quite figure out what it was, she knew something was broken.
Anna sat in a chair next to Damien.
"You look like shit." Anna joked.
"If you ask me, I reckon she even looks better than before." Damien answered.
They both laughed and bumped fists. Hannah just rolled her eyes.
"How nice it is to have you as friends..." she said ironically.
"The best you will find." Anna smiled.
Sparrow shook his head and looked back at Jade. She was still fast asleep. Sparrow took one of her red locks and tucked it behind Jade's ear. And to think that she had only been saved because she and Jade coincidentally shared a blood type...
Death really liked to play with her.
She would have to treat Jade to breakfast or something as a thank you for saving her life. She would have to ask Ghost what food she likes.
"How long has it been?"
"Since you came back to life? About ten hours." Anna checked her watch.
"You had a good nap." Damien crossed his arms and leaned his back against the back of the chair.
"I think we all need a good nap after this." Anna stretched her arms and yawned. "Or a fucking coma. Sleeping for a few days wouldn't be bad."
"I vote for an alcohol coma." Damien answered.
Anna laughed.
"Amen brother."
Hannah watched them in silence. Happy to see them there. They were able to cross half the world just for her. She had a lot to thank them for.
She noticed that they were both wearing Operation Kingslayer patches on their vests as well.
"So you've joined the crew." Hannah pointed to the patches.
"Well considering the fucking disaster we've encountered we couldn't let you do it yourselves." Anna shrugged.
"Lachlan has spoken to Arjun. The Regiment will stay in Bolivia for a while." Damien rested both hands on the straps of his vest.
"Just you two?"
"That's all ya need." Damien smiled confidently.
"And Arjun?" Hannah asked, looking around. Wondering where her captain was.
"Taking care of El Cardenal." Damien answered. "He hasn't woken up yet."
"Woken up?"
"Oh yes. When Arjun finally saw Gustavo Serrano, he gave him the beating of his life in your honor." Damien explained.
"He looked so hot." Anna bit her lower lip.
"Annabelle Katherine Delgado Pham what in the actual fuck is wrong with you?" Damien raised an eyebrow.
"What? It's true. And you can't deny it." Anna crossed her arms.
Hannah laughed but said nothing. She just watched them talk and argue. She had really missed them.
Footsteps were heard approaching. The three looked up. Mandy and Aly walked over.
"It seems that sleeping beauty has woken up." Mandy joked.
Sparrow smiled.
"How many beers do I owe you for saving my ass again Mandy?" Sparrow asked.
"Well, enough already." Mandy walked over and quickly hugged Sparrow. "I'm glad you woke up. How are you feeling?"
"Like hammered shit."
"You look like one too." Mandy laughed.
"Ha! told ya." Damien added and earned a furtive glance from Sparrow.
Mandy rolled her eyes and returned her attention to Sparrow. "You're going to stay in bed for a few days. You're out of danger but you're still pretty weak. It'll take you a few weeks to recover. But you'll get out of it."
"Under your care I have no doubt that I will recover Doc." Hannah smiled.
Mandy did the same and patted Sparrow's shoulder.
"Rest for now. I'll inform the captains and the 141 that you've woken up."
Hannah nodded and Mandy walked out of the tent.
Sparrow turned his head and saw Aly.
"Hey…o-oh–! Wow! Haha! ouch!" Sparrow was surprised when Aly rushed into her arms. "Aly, you're going to wake Jade up. Hahaha."
Aly ignored her and hugged her tighter. Sparrow sighed smiling and returned the hug as well. Not caring about the pain that the hug caused her.
"If you scare me like this again, I'm going to tie you to a chair." Aly muttered.
Sparrow chuckled.
"Sorry."
Aly pulled away from Hannah, she had a sad smile on her face. Dark circles rested under her red, puffy eyes. Hannah felt bad for scaring her so much.
"It would have been too hard to tell Lily that she would never see her favorite aunt again."
"Hang on!" Damien intervened. "I thought I was her favorite uncle!"
"Know your place Damo." Sparrow gave him the middle finger.
Damien did the same.
Anna just laughed and shook her head. Knowing perfectly well that she was the favorite. Or maybe they all were? Lily would never confess.
Aly laughed. Their expressions seemed more relaxed than before. At least everyone had returned safely, and that eased her heart.
"Can I have a moment alone with Sparrow?"
Everyone turned their heads towards where that deep, masculine voice came from.
Arjun came closer with his hands inside his pockets. He seemed serious and not in a very good mood.
Everyone looked at each other debating what to do. In the end they got up and left except Jade, who was still sleeping peacefully, she had donated more blood to Sparrow than was allowed and that had left her completely exhausted, not to mention everything she had gone through during the mission.
"I'll come back to check on you later." Aly said goodbye, kissing Sparrow's head. "Now I have to go talk to John."
"Is Price in trouble?" Hannah raised an eyebrow.
Aly sighed, she didn't seem very happy with her husband.
"I'll tell you later."
Aly left with the rest, leaving Arjun, Jade and Sparrow alone.
"Hasn't she woken up yet?" Arjun asked, looking at Jade.
"No."
Arjun took a jacket from a chair and placed it on Jade's shoulders.
"She's been up all night with you. She wanted to make sure you were okay and the rest of the team was rested. So she stood guard." Arjun sighed and grabbed a chair and sat next to the medical bed. "She cares too much about the team and not about herself."
Sparrow nodded.
"They told me that you beat up El Cardenal for me." Sparrow tried to joke, trying to relax the atmosphere between the two of them.
"I did what had to be done Sergeant." Arjun replied, "I wasn't going to let someone else die for me. At least… not again."
Sparrow tried to decipher Arjun's eyes, there was something hidden, a story that had never been told. A deep pain that had not yet been released. But Sparrow didn't ask, it wasn't her place, at least not for now.
"I wasn't able..." Arjun had his eyes fixed on some point. "I wasn't able to cut the rope. I couldn't leave you there, pretend everything was fine and continue with the mission."
Sparrow thought for a bit about what to say.
"It was crazy, maybe one of the craziest things that I ever did." Sparrow nodded a few times. "That's why I'm glad you didn't cut the rope."
Arjun looked into her eyes for a few seconds.
"It took us too long to rescue you."
"You did what you had to do sir."
"As captain it is my duty to protect my team."
"And you have done it. We are all here, we are all alive and we have achieved our objective. We have El Cardenal and valuable information."
"I doubt Gustavo Serrano wants to talk." Arjun shook his head.
"No, El Cardenal won’t speak."
"We're still going to try. My way this time." Arjun leaned forward, resting both his elbows on his legs. "You mentioned that we have obtained valuable information. Do you have anything?"
Sparrow was slow to respond but nodded.
"Did you see him? El Sueño?" Arjun raised his head.
Sparrow nodded again.
"He spoke to you?"
"Yes but he didn't say anything important. Just threats and attempts to buy my loyalty."
"He didn't get it."
"Of course not. He can shove his money up his ass. But I learned to listen, to pretend I was unconscious at the right time."
"Did you get another name?"
"That's right."
Arjun thought a little. They hadn’t yet lost track ofEl Sueño. They still had a chance to hunt him down, and now that they had the Bolivian rebel forces they could hit harder. But for now, they had to rest and keep a low profile. At least until things calmed down a bit.
"This war isn’t over yet." Arjun stood up and patted Sparrow's shoulder. "But for now rest. We'll take care of the rest."
Arjun left, he left the tent, once again finding the base of the Bolivian rebel forces. In the distance he saw Lachlan talking to Pac Katari. Lachlan realized that Arjun had left the tent, and raised a hand indicating Paco Katari to wait a moment and walked until he reached Arjun.
"How's your sergeant?"
"She's awake, she'll be fine." Arjun replied. "Do we have any news?
"Gustavo Serrano has woken up."
Arjun sighed and cracked his neck.
"Good. There's work to do."
___________
EXTRA!
drawing made by the beautiful @alypink. I'm crying so much!! I'm in love with this drawing!! T^T <333
#op kingslayer#Operarion Kingslayer#call of duty#call of duty modern warfare#call of duty modern warfare 2#call of duty fanart#call of duty oc#friend's art#friend's ocs#my fic#hannah sparrow clayton#alyssa martinez#charlotte jade le jardin#captain arjun#mandy macfie#annabelle pham#damien whitlock#lachlan jones#captain john price#simon ghost riley#kate laswell#my oc#codmw2#codmw#codmw3#john soap mactavish#kyle gaz garrick
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leons-little-slut requested
“Can I request a Luis Serra x reader? We need more of him with how amazing his character is in the remake, maybe just some fluff if that’s okay to ask for 😭💖💖(Idon’t really use Tumblr too much and don’t know if I’m requesting right, so sorry if I am 🥲)”
a/n: ofc bbg i gotchu 😽😽 spanish is in italics (“lo siento” means “im sorry”)
luis sera x reader
genre: fluff
cw: none
señorita
you were discovered in a sleeping bag by leon kennedy, a government agent looking for the president’s daughter. he let you out along with another man. “wow, at least i get to see a pretty señorita after being stuffed in that sleeping bag for so long,” the man grins and kisses the back of your hand. “name’s luis sera.” you smirk back at him. “y/n l/n.” you had to admit, he was pretty attractive.
the two of you became fast friends, always making jokes and laughing even in the most dire situations (much to leon’s annoyance). you and luis accompanied leon on his mission to find “baby eagle” and when you found her in the church, you bonded with her as well.
“nice shot, señorita!” luis smirks at you when you hit multiple bullseyes at the shooting range. you jokingly pretend to blow smoke off the tip of your gun and wink at him. ashley observes the sight.
“i swear, luis, be more careful! geez, it’s almost like you want to get hurt!” you scold the man. “maybe i do, i mean, when else do i get the privilege to be taken care of by such a pretty señorita?” he winks. “if that’s your motivation, then you’re tending to your own wounds from now on.” you groan. “lo siento, señorita!” he pleads, grabbing both your hands as you laugh at him. ashley smiles at the sight.
as ashley and leon walk behind you and luis, ashley observes the two of you. you’re laughing with luis about some inside joke that makes no sense whatsoever to leon or ashley. you put your hand on his shoulder to stabilize yourself from falling over and end up resting your forehead on that same shoulder. ashley giggles at your laughter.
while leon and luis are out trying to find an exit to the village, you stay behind in the safe room with ashley. as you clean your gun, you feel her gaze upon you. “yes?” you look at her in anticipation. “soooooooo,” she grins. “you and luis, huh?” you give her your full attention now. “what? nooo! we’re just friends.” you scoffs unconvincingly. “yeah and i’m the president of the united states.” she rolls her eyes. “you’re his daughter.” you deadpan. “shut up,” she giggles. “anyway, it’s so obvious!” you stay silent for a minute before responding. “sure, let’s say i do like him, hypothetically. it doesn’t matter cuz he doesn’t like me.” you groan. “uh, are you blind?” ashley asks. “not to my knowledge. i just know that he flirts with every girl. it’s not like i’m special.” you reply. “the inside jokes! the compliments! the looks! the little touches! he SO likes you!” ashley exclaims. “ya think so?” you whisper. “oh, i know so. just tell him!” she encourages you.
once the two get back, ashley makes some excuse to get her and leon away from you and luis. “luis,” you inhale. “i wanna tell you something.” he looks at you with concern. “what’s wrong?” he asks. “nothing, i just…” “you can tell me.” he reassures you, grabbing your hands. you take a deep breath. “i really like being around you. i like laughing with you and talking with you and just all of it.” you tiptoe around the words “i love you”. “if i didn’t know any better, señorita, i’d think you’re confessing your love to me.” he chuckles. “i am.” you blurt. he looks at you in shock for a moment before smilingly softly at you. he takes your cheeks in his hands and presses a soft kiss to your lips. “i love you too, señorita.”
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Simon gets a much needed massage <3
When Simon Riley had finally exposed his face in order to switch masks and assemble ‘Ghost Team’, Johnny had gotten a glimpse into what he had most been curious about since his mission to reach the church under Ghost’s guidance.
“The mask… take it off.” He had said.
“Show my face? Negative.”
“Are you ugly?”
“Quite the opposite.”
He was right. When he had taken off his skull mask, Johnny had been able to see Simon’s entire face. The greasepaint around his eyes could no longer hide his brown eyes, or those bright eyelashes. He seemed to have rough skin, and a lot of scars. Even a ripped lip that showed some of his teeth. Bright white teeth. He obviously kept those very clean.
Along with that, Johnny noticed that without the mask, Simon’s expression was remarkably readable. A tight lip, a clenched jaw. And when he put the second, thinner mask on, Johnny saw pain behind his eyes. Perhaps he had a sore neck? He always did seem stiff.
After their final missions together to stop the three missiles from destroying more than Johnny could even imagine, they had some time to rest. During training, during meals and even in bed, all Johnny could seem to think about was Simon’s face and how he wanted to help his stiff muscles. Was it maybe an urge to touch that rough, scarred skin? 100%. But it was also a desire to help someone in need. Johnny had been known to give the best massages. Maybe Simon would allow him to do so…
Johnny took a deep breath, then knocked on his Lieutenant’s door.
“Come in.”
Johnny opened the door, stepped in, and closed it. Simon was wearing his thinner balaclava, and seemed to have cleaned the greasepaint off his eyes. For a few seconds they looked at each other, Johnny standing at the door and Simon sitting on his bed.
“What could you possibly want, Johnny?”
He spoke in a joking tone. His eyes were kind. He was clearly happy to have the visit.
“Are you always so social, sir?”
“Just with you, Johnny.”
Johnny smiled slightly and looked away to regain his confidence.
“I came here because something’s been on my mind.”
Simon shuffled to the side and invited him to join him on the bed. Johnny accepted. He sat beside Simon, but didn’t look at him. He was afraid of rejection, even though this was something small and insignificant.
“I noticed… when you took your mask off-“
“The scars?”
“Huh?” Johnny looked up at him. “Why would I care about scars?”
Simon looked down at him. “Because that’s what people always notice.”
“No-… I- sir I noticed that your neck seems stiff. That’s what I noticed. So I came here… to ask if you’d accept a massage… from me?”
Simon blinked a few times. Clearly this was the last thing he had expected Johnny to come in for.
“Let me get this right. You came in here to offer me a massage?”
“Yes sir.”
“And how would it work?”
“Well-“ Johnny started to get his hopes up. “You’d face away, and I’d massage your neck and shoulders. You don’t have to take the mask off.”
Simon shrugged and turned away from him. “I’m not an idiot. I wouldn’t reject that.”
Johnny smiled excitedly and got up on his knees. The only touches that him and Simon had exchanged were taps of encouragement. Now, Johnny would get to really feel his muscles and maybe help relax him. He started gently, rubbing the base of Simon’s neck with his thumbs. Simon let out a sigh. He was tense, but seemed to enjoy this already.
As he got further into the massage, Johnny got more comfortable. He moved closer so his knees were touching Simon. Simon seemed to be getting more comfortable too. He reached up and took off his mask, breathing a sigh of relief.
“The rumours were right. You’re good at this, MacTavish.”
Johnny smiled. “Looks like we’re solving each others problems again.”
“Ha. Now I know what mine is, but what’s yours?”
Johnny shrugged. “I get lonely.”
Simon turned his head to the side and looked up at him. He had a small smile and such kind eyes… Johnny’s heart skipped a beat. “You can come and see me whenever you’d like, Johnny. I enjoy your company. And your massages.”
“Roger that, Simon.”
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PRECIOUS LOVE: CHAPTER 12 (FINALE) - JAMIE TARTT x YOU
summary: you get Jamie’s help to find some closure.
word count: 1.2k
warnings: language, mention of pregnancy loss
-
chapter 12: from heaven above
Jamie found himself waiting at the address you texted him in a dull black hoodie and jeans. The audacity to try to restrict his fashion choices, he thought albeit through a smile. He could not believe he had a chance to make it right with you but also, what could it be that you two would be doing together?
“Hey, thanks for coming,” you greeted as you approached him, speeding up when you spotted him in the distance.
You were dressed pretty lowkey too and holding a little posy. You gestured for him to follow you as you stepped onto church grounds and went through a side gate. Intrigued, Jamie followed silently only to find himself in a little church garden, sitting on a bench next to you after you set the posy by a plaque in the middle.
“We’re at a church,” Jamie announced, stating the obvious.
“Yeh, yeh, we are,” you said, squinting up into the spring sun.
“I didn’t know you’re religious.”
“I’m not,” you inhaled sharply before turning to him, trying to keep a steady voice as you spoke, “it’s the anniversary of my due date.”
“Oh, fuck,” Jamie said softly.
“I’ve always spent it at home grieving in bed but, I feel like it’s time for some change and to move on. I figured it was right to say goodbye to Lemy here and with you.”
“Lemy?”
“Yea, I called it Lemy when it was in my belly,” you reminisced fondly.
“What the fuck kind of name is Lemy?”
“It was short for Lemon because I like lemon tarts,” you defended.
“Because you like lemon tarts? Why didn’t you call it chocolate cake or custard pudding?”
“God, Jamie, you can be so dense. What is your last name?”
“Oh… fuck…” Jamie swore before curiously asking, “you would’ve used my last name?”
“Eh, I hadn’t decided but maybe. Depending on how you had reacted when I told you. Maybe both our last names or just one. I don’t know.”
You cleared your throat, shifting the conversation back to the present, “so, yes, I wanted to say goodbye to Lemy and I thought it might nice for you to know about Lemy and Lemy to know you.”
“Right, so, what do we do?” Jamie asked, not having done anything remotely close to this before, “do we just talk and shit?”
“Yea, I’ll start,” you offered, “hey Lemy, it’s me, your mum.”
You paused, feeling your emotions choke up in your throat and the tears forming. Jamie reached over to hold your hand, giving it a little squeeze to serve as a reminder that he was there and you had his support.
You composed yourself and continued, “It’s been four years, hey. I think about you all the time. But, Lemy, Mum thinks she needs to start looking forward and Dr Sharon helped me understand that you would want me to too. I might not dedicate the day to you going forward, but I still love and remember you. Forever and always. Thank you for bringing me joy even if only for a little while and you’ll always be family even if we never met physically. Be healthy and happy wherever you are.”
Jamie felt his own emotions overwhelm him. This was the first time he was learning of Lemy or even really spending time thinking about Lemy. He could not even begin to imagine what it would have been like for you thinking about it so much throughout the years.
“I brought someone special to see you today, Lemy… this is Jamie, I told you about him before…”
“Uh, yeh, hi,” Jamie started, hesitating for a second before he continued, “hey Lemy. It’s me, your dad, Jamie.”
The words felt weird coming from his mouth but when he looked over at you, he knew they were right. The sad smile on your face encouraged him to continue, “sorry we haven’t spoken before but now that I know about you, I, uh, I might drop in every now and then. I appreciate you being with your mum when you did. It sounds like you made her really happy when you were with her. She really loves you and she misses you.”
“I wish we could’ve all met, yeh. Would’ve loved to see who you’d have been more like,” Jamie smiled sadly to himself, pausing as he tried to gather himself before he finished with, “uh, right, yeh. Go well.”
The air was sombre and you both sat quietly, each taking in the heaviness of the moment and what had been said.
You were first to speak, “I genuinely meant to tell you. Then, they said it was a bit small so I waited. Then, it wasn’t going to happen so I didn’t. You didn’t need to know about something that wasn’t happening.”
“But other stuff was happening, I should’ve known. You were pregnant, I should’ve known.”
“Right, imagine that call, Jamie. “Hey, I know you’re a premier league star and I’m living across the world but I was pregnant with your kid. I say was because I’ve now lost the baby. Thought you should know, bye”,” you paused for effect and Jamie sighed.
“You had so much going for you, I didn’t want to be a distraction,” you explained.
“You wouldn’t have though. You’d have made me better.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do. I was a proper fucking prick at Man City and you still got in me head, you did.”
You laughed, “well, it’s all in the past now.”
“I was a bit fucked up after you stopped replying,” Jamie admitted.
“I’m sorry,” you apologised, meaning every bit of the apology.
“I fucked things up with Keeley too because a part of me was like, “what’s the fucking point if even you couldn’t see good in me? You’re a fucking Saint and you thought I was shit”.”
“I-I… I…”
“They set me back on the right path, Richmond did. Coach, Keeley, even fucking Roy. They made me better so you know, I can be here for you now without being a fucking arsehole”
“Jamie, I’m sorry you ever thought it was your fault. I’m sorry I didn’t communicate better with you then. I couldn’t catch my breath to even say the words. When it happened I was barely surviving and maybe it would’ve helped having people but, I couldn’t do that to anyone else.”
“Yeh, look, the me now wants to say I’d have been there for you then too but, I was a fucking prick so I might not have been. I’m just glad I can be here for you now. And, you know, if you need, in the future.”
You smiled. You had spent the better part of five years avoiding Jamie because of how much it reminded you of what had happened before. He was a painful memory. But, here and now, with Lemy on this pretty significant day, you almost felt like it was right.
“Yea, maybe. In the future,” you said, meaning it as you looked at how Jamie was still holding onto your hand.
Jamie smiled a little before joking, “I get final say on names, yeh?”
“What?” You snapped.
“No more naming kids after fruits, yeh? We aren’t in fucking America.”
“Deal.”
-
< chapter 11 | master list
#jamie tartt#jamie tartt fanfiction#jamie tartt x ofc#jamie tartt x reader#jamie tartt x y/n#jamie tartt x you#jamie tartt fic#jamie tartt imagine
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More Jole x blackfem!reader please!!
OH BABY I GOT YOU! <3
This is based on the end of TLOU 1 and start of 2 ! (Will not be 100% accurate) sorry it’s so late 😭
Talk It Out — Joel Miller
Ever since what happened with the fireflies and Joel deciding to save Ellie instead of getting a cure, the two were never the same again.
Hell, Ellie was mad at you too, but you patched it up as best as you could. Ellie understood you were just following Joel, but she still knew you were a big part in it too.
Now, you were sitting in your shared bed with Joel between your legs and his head on your stomach. He’s been asking you for advice on how to get her to talk to him lately and he feels like shit.
“She.. she’s being fuckin’ difficult. ‘M Trying my best to talk to her or do anything and she either ignores, gives me a look or walks away.”
You hummed in acknowledgement. You’ve noticed it as well but Joel.. doesn’t have the best approach for this type of stuff. He says he “doesn’t know how to handle like this”.
“Well.. Joel, are you sure you’re being nice? What exactly are you saying to her? You know you’re kinda..” you trailed off, looking down at the man laying on your stomach.
He raised his eyebrows at you, giving you a silent go ahead.
“Scary, gruff..you know. Look baby, it’s been years but we all know Ellie can hold a grudge..” you furrowed your brows as you continued to think.
“But How do you want me to work with that? How does she expect me to talk to her again and be there for her? You saw what happened in the bar.”
Oh you definitely saw what happened in the bar. Who didn’t? You talked to Ellie about that after those events. She told you to fuck off so you left her alone. Albeit you were a little hurt but there’s nothing you can do about it. Ellie is a tough woman. She doesn’t need anyone there for her if she doesn’t want it, but being alone all the time isn’t good.
You sighed and let your head fall back against the headboard. You were drained. This whole situation was complicated. Everyone was at fault here. Maybe not Ellie completely but she could’ve just talked to the man to better understand him.
Then an idea rang through your head like the church bells you used to hear when you were younger.
“Joel, why not let her come to you? Or, better yet start to ignore her. She hates it.” You laughed at that, Joel just gave you a non amused face.
“You really think that’ll work? How’d you get her to start talking to you again?” His eyes connected with yours and you thought for a moment.
It was very very very fucking hard to speak to that girl.
“Well, I made her sit down with me and talk. I explained why we did what we did and that yes, maybe she should’ve decided that she either lived or made the cure herself but in my eyes.. she’s like a daughter to me— to us.” The way your eyes softened was a tell tale sign of how you felt for her, “She understood but she was still mad. I’m sure she still has a bit of a grudge against me but.. no way were we gonna let that precious girl die for a cure that they couldn’t even fucking promise would work.. what if we let her.. what if we let her go through with it and it didn’t work Joel? What if she did die for nothing?”
The words started to come choked out and you couldn’t help but feel distraught at the mere thought of that.
Joel’s hands caressed your sides and he leaned up to press a kiss on your jaw.
“That’s why we were not letting them Fireflies touch her. I’ll.. try to go along with what you said. Maybe she will approach me.” Joel nodded to his words and you gave him an encouraging smile.
The two of you sat in bed for a while longer as you talked Joel’s ear off about your day and how you almost cursed out his brother for trying to make you do his work for the day.
Listening to your voice was something he loved. It helped him concentrate, ground him. You always had good advice for him too.
So like you said earlier, he thought about how he was gonna go about Ellie, and decided once she came to him, they’d simply talk it out.
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Lasombra concepts
I got your ask @iamthegodof but for some reason Tumblr won’t let me answer it normally so here we are lol. So, I know I say this about all the clans, but the Lasombra are just *chef's kiss.* Their vibes, their disciplines, their history are just top tier. Complete side note: the song/spoken-word poem "Want" by Recoil just SCREAMS Lasombra and I highly encourage you to check it out if you want to get into the headspace of one before a roleplay sesh or just want to jam out. But you didn't want song recs or opinions, you wanted ideas, so here they are!
1. We all know the Ventrue and Lasombra are antagonistic towards each other, to say the least. Imagine a pair of feuding vamps, one of each clan, who decide to truly test which clan is superior. As such, they target a pair of identical twins, the Lasombra siring one and the Ventrue siring the other. The twins are then encouraged to rise in vampire society, gain power, and generally become better and stronger than their sibling. By any means they see fit. I feel like playing the Lasombra twin in this scenario could be incredibly interesting, as they could either genuinely love their sibling and not want to participate in this charade, or resent and hate their sibling and fully give in to the ruthlessness of their bloodline at their sire's urging. Plus, the dynamics with their sire are just a breeding ground for interesting (and pretty unhealthy) interactions.
2. A famous classical musician whose performances have a strict "no photographs or recordings allowed" policy. They refuse to release albums or recordings, stating that performance art is best live, and that mechanical reproductions suck the soul out of art. This, of course, is a complete crock of bullshit and the musician is actually a Lasombra trying to make sure their bane doesn't get them caught by the Second Inquisition. Thanks to their retinue of security ghouls who diligently keep an eye on crowds and venues, they haven't run into too many issues, but the stress this causes them is doing nothing for their mental health and is making them begin to hate that which once gave them joy.
3. A Lasombra who specializes in corporate espionage. Need a competitor's newest prototype to glitch right before an important press event? They've got you covered. Need trade secrets or information on an upcoming acquisition or deal? They'll seduce the right employee and get the information out of them one way or another. The paycheck and the vitae are great, but the enjoyment they get out of it? Priceless.
4. A Lasombra who practices the Japanese art of Kintsugi, both to make a living and because they find it therapeutic. After all, much like the broken pottery, they've mended and come back stronger and, in their opinion, more beautiful. For a darker spin on this otherwise wholesome concept, have them really enjoy sabotaging others' lives and unlives to see "how much more beauty and strength can be achieved through adversity."
5. A Lasombra fledgling abandoned after the embrace, who, after a turbulent adjustment period, seems to be finding their way and who enjoys learning more about their bloodline from sympathetic clanmates and older vampires willing to educate them. What this fledgling doesn't know is that their sire is a VERY old vampire who abandoned them to truly test the "survival of the fittest," sink-or-swim mentality of the clan. This vampire has been watching them from the shadows, and will only reveal themselves if they think their childe worthy of their presence.
6. A Lasombra who leads a religious congregation at a college's local church/temple/mosque/[INSERT PLACEOF WORSHIP HERE]. Holding prayer meetings and other extracurriculars complete with vitae-spiked refreshments , the Lasombra has slowly been ghouling a sizeable section of the congregation, providing them with an ample herd to drink from and young, impressionable minds to mold as they see fit.
7. A Lasombra neonate who presented their staked sire to the Camarilla in order to join the sect. Initially happy to have a modicum of safety, they've become tired of their treatment from the Ivory Tower and plagued by guilt. Recently they have begun to consort with the Hecata in order to learn the secrets of Necromancy so they may see their sire once more.
8. A Lasombra grief counselor who actually engineered the deaths of their patient's loved ones and who is slowly indoctrinating them into the nihilistic views of the Cult of Shalim.
Thanks again for engaging with my ideas and interacting with me! If you'd like to tip me (though you are under no obligation to do so) you can do so with this ko-fi link:
https://ko-fi.com/melonbear51
Hope you enjoy these!
#Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines#vampires#Clan Lasombra#Lasombra#Hecata#cult of shalim#VTMB#VTM#vtm v5#vtmb2#vtm ocs#fang formulas#ttrpg#ttrpgs#oc character#character concept#character ideas#ny by night#la by night#world of darkness#vampire the masquerade#vampire the masquerade bloodlines 2#vampire: the masquerade#vampire chronicles#ventrue
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Chrissy Cunningham is a Brat - Fic - Oneshot
Munson suddenly gripped hold of her ass so tightly she hissed.
“If you’re going to behave like a brat, I’m going to have to punish you.”
Jason sees Chrissy and Eddie in the woods. Jason POV.
Hellcheer Oneshot.
Word Count: 1,904
No plot. Just smut.
Also on Archive of Our Own.
---
Well, your love is worse
Worse than cigarettes
Even if I had twenty in my hands
**
Jason Carver thought he knew his girlfriend.
Thought Chrissy Cunningham was just like him. They were from the same backgrounds - nice homes, rich parents, good traditional morals and ethics. They’d been boyfriend and girlfriend since junior year when he tied his letterman jacket around her shoulders and told her thought it was time they made it official. Over the course of that year they moved through the ranks and became really popular - he the hotshot athlete, she the pretty cheerleader - and when Chrissy made cheer captain in senior year he knew they were a cinch to be the King and Queen of Hawkins High. It was a cliche for a reason. His parents had met in a similar way.
And yeah that popularity came with side-benefits. And yeah he often abused those benefits because some kids needed a healthy dose of ass-whooping, you know? Needed to know which rung of the social ladder they belonged on. It stopped them from getting too big for their boots. He never did anything illegal but he sure bent some rules.
Chrissy didn’t know about any of that though and his team mates were sworn to secrecy. It was the same bro-code for their girlfriends. None of the teachers would dare make trouble either. His father was good friends with the school governors and would see they were fired if they dared try.
Chrissy was a good girl. She had the right attitude and ideals as him. She went to church and played at cheerleading and looked good and neat in her little uniform.
He would marry her after graduation. His parents would buy them a house nearby and she would give him a couple of kids and no talkback. She’d keep the house real nice while he went to college and in a few years he’d be fucking govenor. The wheels were already in motion. This has all been arranged before middle school.
So when Patrick told him he’d seen Chrissy talking to Eddie Munson of all people Jason told him he was tripping. Why would anyone want to speak to him?
Eddie Munson was a piece of shit trouble maker. Third generation trailer trash. A juvenile delinquent.
“I know what I saw, man. They were whispering together in the library just before first period. Chrissy near jumped into the air when she saw me.”
“Chrissy wouldn’t talk to that freak.”
“Want help finding him, Jase? Give him a reminder of what a creep he is?”
“Nah man. I need to talk to Chrissy first. Maybe he was just bugging her.”
What the hell?
But when he reached the cafeteria at lunch Chrissy wasn’t sitting at their usual table. She didn’t have one of her private tutoring sessions either. He glanced over at the freak table and his eyes narrowed when he saw Eddie wasn’t there either.
He stormed over and clapped one of the freshmen on the shoulder. Hard.
“Where’s your asshole leader?” he asked through gritted teeth. “Shouldn’t he be here making a jackass out of himself like usual?”
The kid with floppy black hair said, “Look man, he’s not here. I don’t know where he is. We don’t want any trouble.”
He asked around his table some more and eventually got wind of a clue. People wanted to help Jason (even if they needed a little encouragement sometimes). A passing cheerleader overheard (Stacey something) and said they thought they saw Chrissy out by the football fields just a few minutes ago. She’d been heading out towards the forest. There was a meeting spot down that way, she added, and Eddie Munson sold weed there.
Jason waved away Patrick’s offer of help and stormed over. He didn’t need back up to take on Eddie Munson.
He’d beat the shit out of that creep if he was selling weed to Chrissy. Or even if he wasn’t. What if he’d lured Chrissy out here on some made up pretence and was now bothering her? Chrissy was sometimes way too trusting for her own good.
I’ll save you, Chrissy.
He followed Stacey’s directions and crept through the woods. He’d never been out here before. He couldn’t see any damn bench.
But then he heard voices. He heard Chrissy’s voice! She sounded weird. Breathless almost.
He drew closer and peered through the trees. The scene before him made him pause. His insides turned to raging fire.
Jason had told her once that “ Good girls like you don’t go near creeps like Eddie Munson .” She hadn’t asked him why.
Chrissy was with Munson, alright.
**
Oh, this body high
Gives me sleepless nights
It's a million times what any drug could give
And my red eyes
They go twice as wide
It might look like pain but to me it's bliss
They were sitting at the old picnic bench. Or rather, Chrissy was sitting on the top of the picnic bench with her bare knees splayed wide. Her short green and white cheerleading skirt was hiked up so high that he could just about see the creamy skin of her ass.
And Eddie the Freak was standing right in between her legs.
Chrissy had her back to Jason so he could make out Munson’s arms wrapped around her waist. He was holding her so tightly the line of his leather jacket was pressed against Chrissy’s cheer sweater. At least she wasn’t wearing Jason’s God-damn letterman jacket today. He stared at the entwined couple in horror.
Jason didn’t know why he remained hidden. Maybe he just wanted to hear for himself what the hell was going on.
“Eddie…” she sighed in a voice he had never heard before. She never said his name like that. “We have to be more careful. Patrick almost saw us this morning.”
“Fuck Patrick. Fuck your boyfriend.” Munson’s voice was unrecognisable too. Low and raspy.
“If they find out what we’re doing, they’ll hurt you. You know they will. We have to keep this a secret.”
“It’s hard, Chriss. You know how riled up I get when I see you. Especially when you’re in that cheerleading uniform. How’s a man supposed to focus in class when those lips of yours look so fucking delictable. Makes me just want to taste them.”
Jason watched as they began to kiss but it wasn’t anything like how he kissed Chrissy. Chrissy usually held still when they made out, but this Chrissy was kissing Munson like she couldn’t get enough of him. He could see the way she opened her mouth wide for him so he could slip in his tongue.
Munson nipped at her neck and she giggled. “Eddie! You’re not listening to me.”
Munson’s hands were roaming across her back and down to her hips. Chrissy reached down and took his hand, stilling it.
“I’m listening, baby. We have to be more careful. No more little looks. No more notes. No way the school can find out that goodie two-shoes Chrissy Cunningham likes being fucked by the freak Eddie Munson.”
He rocked his hips up against her and she gasped at the impact.
“Like that, baby?”
“Mmm. You know I do.”
“Say it then. Tell me how much you like it.”
Jason couldn’t see but he could guess from the look on Munson’s face she was pulling one of her cute little pouts. She raised her chin defiantly. “Or what? You’ll walk away? I know you like this too. I can feel how much you like it. You’re fucking rock hard for me.”
Munson suddenly gripped hold of her ass so tightly she hissed.
“If you’re going to behave like a brat, I’m going to have to punish you.”
“What are you going to do? Spank me? Pull my hair?”
Munson ceased his movements and though he kept hold of her, he drew his hips back a little to put some distance between them.
Jason hated how Chrissy seemed to groan at that.
“You love it when I spank you, Chriss. You always get so fucking wet from it. Remember a month ago at Reefer Rick’s where you came so beautifully on my cock? I couldn’t believe how wet you were. You made the most pretty noises, baby.”
“I remember Eddie.”
“Then what did we do?”
“I put your cock in my mouth and you went down on me at the same time.”
“You tasted so good, Chriss. Like strawberries and cream. You were gagging ‘round my cock, babe. You got it so far down that little throat.”
Munson began tracing circles down her thighs. Chrissy was leaning into him brazenly, reaching again for contact with his body.
Jason didn’t recognise this Chrissy at all. It was like she was one of those girls on porn tapes. He heard the gentle clink of metal as Chrissy began undoing the heavy belt. The noise of a zip being dragged down was almost obscene.
“Oh Eddie, please. I want you now.”
“What? One look at my cock and you fall in line? Tell me what I want to hear.”
They kissed again and it was passionate and needy. Chrissy was almost shaking from want.
“I love being fucked by Eddie Munson.”
“You missed this cock didn’t you, princess? Tell me how much you missed it,” Eddie said, his voice low and quiet. He traced her face with his fingers and tipped her chin up
“I missed it so much. I couldn’t even pay attention in class. All I could think about is how much I want you.”
“Good girl.”
Munson dragged down Chrissy’s underwear and shoved it in his back pocket. He once again wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her close to him. His other arm snaked under her knee, pushing it back so he could get as deep as possible.
Jason heard Chrissy hiss as Munson’s cock slid inside her.
“Fuck, Eddie. You’re so big. You feel so big inside me.”
“That’s it, baby. Take every inch in.”
“It feels so good.”
Munson began rutting up into her and Chrissy dug her nails into his shoulders. She then twisted a hand up into his long curls which made Munson groan.
“I know. It’s why you keep coming back. Fucking Carver won’t do this, will he? Wants to wait until he’s got that ring on your finger.”
“ Eddie …”
“But Carver won’t be able to do this, Chriss. It won’t feel like this.”
“No,” she moaned. “You’re so fucking perfect, Eddie. You fit inside me so good.”
“That’s it, Chriss.”
“Make me come Eddie. Make me scream.”
“Hold onto me, baby…I’ve got you.”
**
Jason couldn’t watch anymore.
Fuck this.
A big part of him wanted to charge over there and knock that disgusting smug look off Munson’s face. Wanted to wipe away that look of utter need from Chrissy’s. But he didn’t. He turned away and stormed off back towards the school.
Fuck that freak. Fuck that slut. They were welcome to each other.
He didn’t see Eddie’s gaze on his back. Or the winning smirk that played on his lips.
Well, if it's unhealthy then I don't give a damn
'Cause even if it kills me, I'll always take your hand
--------------
A/N: A/N: You know, writing for Jason ain't fun. He's an asshole but the actor who plays him is so nice in interviews. Ah well.
Enjoy some Hellcheer fucking.
Lyrics are from Unhealthy by Anne-Marie and Shania.
#chrissy x eddie#edssy#hellcheer#eddie munson#eddie x chrissy#hellcheer fanfic#hellcheer headcanons#chrissy cunningham#eddissy#pure smut#no plot#Jason Carver POV#brat kink
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|Three| Not What You Think
Xavier didn’t give up.
While he did not bother to text me back last week, he also did not bother to accept defeat. I could tell he was going to approach me again when I was signing in earlier but the headphones covering my ears deterred him. However, now that we were in this park working, I couldn’t have those headphones on, making it the perfect time for him to strike up another pointless conversation.
“Here comes Mr. Clipboard, he looks like he has a purpose too,” Jazz muses from my right. We were on our hands and knees tending to a garden while the men picked up trash. No one else wanted to get in the dirt and I wasn’t in the mood to traverse this whole park.
“Oh joy,” I said, causing her to snicker.
“You could smile, you know,” she said, bumping her hip with mine.
“You could stop encouraging this,” I said, bumping her back.
That was the last of our conversation before a shadow briefly stands over us. Xavier doesn’t stand long, dropping to his knees so that we are all eye level and no one has to look up at him.
“Ladies,” he greets. “How are things coming along?”
“Beat it,” I mutter, not bothering to look up.
“Some words of advice young man? Don’t mince words with this one here. I’d get to your point quickly if I were you,” Jazz says, before scooting down a few feet to give us some semblance of privacy though I note she remains in hearing distance. Nosey bat.
Xavier chuckles softly causing me to meet the biggest doe eyes I had ever seen on a man. His russet orbs take some of the chill off of my next words. “You don’t have anything better to do?” I ask, dropping my mini shovel into the dirt.
“At this very moment? Probably. Alex thinks I don’t see him inching closer and closer to the exit where the 2 is at but I’m not really in the mood for a battle,” he said with a small shrug.
“Can’t you like, get in trouble for that?” I asked.
“Me? No. I am supposed to keep an eye on tools and you while you are here. Anything you do while not being here is an issue to take up with the judge. We all have choices and a part of being an adult is taking accountability for the choices we make. I’m choosing peace while he’s choosing to go back to Rikers,” Xavier says with a shrug.
“Makes sense,” I said, nodding my head. I imagine his job already was a lot to deal with. He couldn’t hunt everyone down. Couldn’t make them do right. All he could do was show up. Same as us. “Even so, why are you in my face?”
He nodded as another chuckle slipped past his lips, “To ask if you would reconsider my proposal of friendship. I host a group for people our age to just shoot the shit or vent. Dealers choice. I’d like for you to come hang if you can. We’re meeting tomorrow at the Lutheran church around the corner from my office at seven.”
“I don’t need to be talking to a bunch of strangers. No thanks,” I said.
“Then come listen. I think you’d like it if you would give it a chance,” he said. I could see the sincerity in his gaze clear as day. The problem was that I did not trust it.
“What do you want from me? I’m not going to get with you, so you don’t have to pretend and act like you want to be my friend,” I sighed, exasperated at this whole ordeal.
His face scrunched up at the accusation. “I don’t want anything more than what I proposed Jamila but I see that you aren’t interested so I’ll back off,” he said with a small smile, holding up both hands in surrender.
“Please because I don’t think you want a friend, you want a project, and you can get one of them for your little group,” I added, pointing out where the rest of our orange rag-tag team was over by the basketball court and not doing their assignment.
Nodding his head, he rose to his feet. “I asked everyone already and pretty much got the same response,” he said, his words deflating any of the annoyance I thought I felt.
“Maybe you need a better pitch,” I said.
“Maybe. Guess, I’ll leave you to it. I have to call in about Alex anyway,” he said, retreating without another word.
I watched as he walked away from the garden and back onto one of the paved walkways. His shoulders with a droop I placed in them from our conversation. Jazz is back at my side before I have time to process why I care about his dejection.
“You are going to that group heffa,” Jazz said.
Turning my head towards her I fixed my lips to speak but she held up a soil stained glove.
“You are a hard somebody, too young to be as hard as you is, and that one there,” Jazz said, swinging her finger to where Xavier stood, “Can soften you. It’s okay to be soft some of the time. It’s quite nice actually. So yes, miss girl, you are going to that meeting and so am I. If you even think about standing me up, you won’t have to worry about catching the train back to East New York because I’ll kick ya’ narrow little ass there. Got it?”
“Yes ma’am,” I said, knowing she’s serious. I had seen her fight for less and win, and we had only been in each other’s lives for a month and a half.
“Good. Now, let’s finish getting these weeds up because my knees are starting to hurt and that is saying something seeing how I’ve spent most of my life on them,” she cracks, playfully nudging me again with her hip.
I don’t have many friends but I’d be lying if I said I was not warming up to the idea of adding Jazz to that very short list. We clicked without having to speak and when we did talk, it was often in moments like this. She reminded me of my mom before things got bad. Maybe that’s why when she talked, I listened.
While we finished up, I thought over her words and the look on Xavier’s face when I implied he had nefarious motives. He actually looked bothered and he had been dealing with my shit for weeks. When we head over to the van to put away the tools, I linger. He eyes me patiently, waiting for me to say whatever that it is that’s on my mind, shoulders squaring as he braces for the worst. I don’t blame him.
“Uh, Jazz and I, we’ll come. One time deal though,” I said, causing him to smile. He was like a puppy with those eyes, so expressive, all of the time. It was nice not having to guess what was on a man’s mind for once. Xavier’s eyes left no secrets untold.
“One time is cool, that’s great,” he beams, every tooth showing with this smile. It’s childish yet the sight of it gives me relief. There has been no true harm done. “ What made you reconsider though?”
“Technically a threat,” I deadpanned, which caused him to laugh fully.
“Okay, I see I owe Jazz my gratitude,” he replies.
“Yes, you do!” Jazz voices from around the corner. Of course she hasn’t entered the van yet. She has to hear how every part of this after school special plays out.
“Thank you Jazz,” he says before training his eyes back on me. “And thanks for reconsidering even under duress. You remind me of one of my cousins so if I seem to be coming on strong that’s why. I miss her and see the same spirit she had in you.”
“You're speaking in the past tense. What happened to her?” I asked, stepping aside as more of the crew came to deposit tools to the back. He follows my lead, moving a few feet away so no one else can hear him speak.
“Boyfriend killed her and their three month old in my senior year of college. I didn’t like him from the jump but you couldn’t tell Sabrina shit. I loved and hated that about her,” he says, clearing his throat after. His gaze doesn’t shy away from mine and I can see a pain so fresh, it cools my skin on this eighty seven degree day. In a blink it’s gone, he knows I saw it but doesn’t seem to care. A smile returns, making his usual facial expression. “I can tell nobody can tell you shit either.”
“Nope. I’ve raised myself, I don't really need anyone else’s opinions on how I live my life,” I said, leveling my gaze in warning.
“Aye I’m not in the business of raising adults as I’ve already demonstrated so you don’t have to worry about that,” he said.
“So what do I have to worry about?” I asked, unable to help myself.
“In regards to me? Nothing. I’m an open book that you can read whenever you are ready. You can check out a few pages tomorrow and then decide if a friendship with me is the worst thing that can happen to you,” he said, walking up to close the back doors to the van now that everything had been put away.
“That was so corny,” I said with a shake of my head.
“It got you to smile so it’s a win,” he said, causing me to immediately frown.
“I don’t smile,” I replied, rolling my eyes.
“No you didn’t, as in the past tense but you definitely just did,” he said.
“I’m going to get in the van now before this conversation makes me seriously consider getting beat up,” I replied, turning on my heels causing him to snort.
Jazz is waiting by the door with a grin on her face but before she says anything I said, “One word and you can beat me to Timbuktu for all I care but I won’t go any damn where if you gloat.”
Jazz pantomimes zipping her lips but does a little shuffle in celebration as we slide into the two seats in the front that haven’t been taken. Xavier boards last and takes his customary seat beside the driver not before shooting me a quick glance, smiling when my eyes meet his. I hear Jazz’s lips part before I remind her of my previous declaration. “One word. I mean it. One, singular word.”
I can’t shove my headphones into my ears fast enough to drown out the sound of her boisterous laughter.
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A Good Man is Easy to Make
I’ve always been the optimistic type. I believe that even society’s worst troublemakers have the potential for goodness buried somewhere within them. It’s a matter of understanding where someone has come from, and where they need to get to for their betterment.
…And of course if I’m able to help them along that path, I always do!
Last week I was walking home after work. As I passed by Miss Minnie’s Pie Shop, a beloved local bakery, I noticed some shadowy figures down the alley to the side. They didn’t notice me as I approached them, but as I got closer I could tell there was 3 men, all roughly college age. Eventually I could see what they were doing: vandalizing the building with obscene graffiti.
Well this was simply shameful! And a prime example of the vagrancy that’s so rampant in our world today. I saw a problem, and by god was I going to fix it.
I cleared my throat, letting the delinquents know I was there. They stopped spraying for long enough to turn and look at me, with confusion followed by pity for the idiot who thought he could win a 1 on 3 fight. Of course, I had no intentions of physically stopping them. Instead I just asked them one simple question:
“Is this really the best you can be?”
In an instant countenance on their faces changed from anger to shock. I knew a pit of worry was now forming in their stomachs, as if their bodies felt something was deeply wrong. Humans have a second nature for detecting threats, but rather than an immediate threat, these boys were feeling a historical threat: a realization of every single poor path they had previously been led down, every wrong decision they had made that had led them to the point where they were vandalizing an old woman’s bakery. And as soon as their bodies realized what was wrong, they lurched to correct the errors. I saw them writhe and contort; they were undergoing the overwhelming but not painful experience of their pasts changing, course correcting every wrong decision into a right one, leading them down the one perfect path that would make them the best possible versions of themselves.
By the time they finished, the three men who stood before me were unrecognizable compared to the wastes they had been before. They now appeared to be far more agreeable fellows.
First was Charlie, the former ringleader of the group. He had grown up in a religious household, with parents who went to church every Sunday. But at the point at the point in time where he had previously refused to go to church and eventually joined a group of rebels in his neighborhood, Charlie instead eagerly embraced the weekly tradition. He loved his Church’s local community and all the good people he met just as much as he loved the sermons & scriptures. He took every opportunity to give back to those in need through service groups & events. Charlie believed in the inherent goodness of people, and used his church community as a personal touchstone to the community at large.
Outside of church, he was one of the most sociable and outgoing people on his college campus. He made a point to know as many people as he could on a first name basis, and people left conversations with Charlie feeling a lot better about themselves. He continued to stay active through several extracurriculars: campus ministry, track & field, choir, and Beta Rho Omega, a fraternity for the most upstanding men on campus. He was the guy everyone got along with… as long as you didn’t mind that he was also the kind of guy who brought his guitar along to every event and retreat.
Charlie was the perfect friend, always encouraging and friendly, though he cared especially for his two best friends. The three were essentially joined at the hip, always volunteering together and supporting each other’s events.
Next was Eddie, now known as Eckworth. Whereas Eddie had always had a taste for music with vulgar lyrics, at a young age Eckworth had discovered a love of reading, which ignited a curiosity for knowledge in him ever since. He had always been the brightest student in his classes, which had (along with his participation in crew) taken him to Princeton on a full ride scholarship. He was studying neurology and one day hoped to go to medical school to become a brain surgeon; his 4.0 and multiple medical internships certainly helped with that. He shared his gift of knowledge with other students when they needed it, helpful but not cocky, and was effectively a tutor for his brothers in Beta Rho Omega.
Raised in Cape Cod, Eckworth was unwaveringly polite and well-mannered, with an old money charm about him. He may be the only college student with a mahogany bookcase in his dorm room, filled to the brim with classic literature, physics texts, science periodicals, and all sorts of other intellectually stimulating reads. He took care to look & dress sharp every time he left the house, allowing his body be another outlet for the intelligence and class he felt inside. There’s no doubt Eckworth was one of the finest young men you’d ever meet.
And finally Thompson, the definition of “Mr. All American”. He had grown up in a small town in Vermont, and in a past life had even run away from that town in favor of living on the streets with a shady group. But Thompson would never do that. He always helped his ma & pa on their orchard growing up, while also trying hard in his local high school and serving as captain of his football team. By the time Thompson moved to the big city for college, he was a hometown hero, doubly so when he was named MVP of Princeton’s football team in his junior year. Outside of this he studied business management and agricultural science, hoping to take the family orchard to new heights one day, and maybe even eventually start a loving family of his own.
He had a small town charm laced with a kind humility, the kind of man who just wanted to make his ma proud. He was a natural charmer to women (and a few fellas too), and always offered a helping hand to his fraternity brothers, especially his two best buds. When he wasn’t at the gym keeping himself in peak physical shape, he was out immersing himself in nature. Whether it was a hike through the forest or a trip to the oceanside, Thompson loved to feel as one with the earth. One time he had even convinced the boys to come out camping with him. For as much as he kept his appearance clean, he had a strong rugged spirit.
Together the trio brought out the best in each other: Charlie offering charisma and leadership, Eckworth providing a voice of reason, and Thompson boosting their confidence and work ethic. They embodied the refined charm of New England, and were model gentlemen. A complete 180 from- well that doesn’t matter now. Let’s let bygones be bygones and pretend those old fellows never existed at all. I like these ones much better, don’t you agree?
As I faced the new upstanding men, they once again stared at me , though this time with much more warmth in their gazes. They helped Miss Minnie out around her shop every Thursday, keeping the premises tidy and organized. They were taking out the garbage when I had run into them.
Charlie offered a pleasant greeting in my direction “Hello there sir! Hope your day is going well.”
“Indeed” Eckworth chimed in with his hands clasped behind his back, “it’s such a pleasant day today.”
I concurred, “complete agreement, good sirs. I hope Miss Minnie is treating you well.”
“Oh, it’s always a pleasure working for her.” Thompson offered with a hearty laugh. “She always offers us goods at the end of the day. She’s really as sweet as apple pie!”
I smiled “She sure is”
I wished them a great day, and headed out on my way after receiving a near-simultaneous chorus of “you too, sir!” from them. I walked away from the scene happy that the world was now a slightly better place. As I said, everyone has the potential for greatness in them, and it is an honor of mine to help them achieve that greatness. I silently hoped another troublesome situation would arise on my way home, so I could continue to keep my community upstanding. After all, a good man may be hard to find, but he sure is easy to make.
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I’m gonna be honest, conforming myself to modesty has been really hard. For so long I was used to showing off my skin and my stomach or cleavage because I thought that’s what society wanted to see, or what a man wanted to see. But being in the Church has taught me new levels of humility and now my focus is on what God wants to see. Wearing modest clothing and covering my hair is about bringing forth my inner dignity and holiness, and realizing my body is not for everyone’s consumption.
There is a dignity we have within our bodies as women and a natural beauty that isn’t for everyone to see. Yet, this world encourages us to act, be, and dress immodestly. It applauds us when we do so and ignores us when we don’t; it says we’re only beautiful or “serving” when our breasts, butts, or stomachs are exposed, but when we cover up, we’re called boring or unlikeable. All this does is reduce our humanity and inner dignity. We become objects for the world’s consumption and not signs of God’s glory. It reduces our femininity down to our sexuality, which is not meant to be consumed but shared with one person in the union of marriage. Not the whole world.
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
– Romans 12:1-2
There have been plenty of times I’ve wanted to rebel. Times where I didn’t want to cover my hair, times I wanted to wear my old shorter clothes, times I ask “why do I have to cover up, this is unfair”. But this is the flesh speaking. The devil wants us to separate our spirits from our bodies because ultimately, this denies that Christ came down to redeem both spirit and flesh. On the flip side, there are times where I don’t want to put on my veil, but do so anyway, and I feel grace wash over me. I feel humbled and yet hugged by the Holy Spirit. Like He’s comforting me and ensuring me this is the right thing to do. I remind myself that I’m striving for something greater and higher than what’s in this world. Conforming yourself to the Spirit really takes docility, humility, and openness. But the more you do it, the more He enlightens your mind with reason and gives you courage and strength to do the right things. When we pray to God for spiritual help we need, He will bestow His grace upon us and answer us.
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These Puritan asks and replies are killing me. So hot. So...
What if one day Terry has to pick Daniel up from a Omega Wives gathering or church aligned gathering because Daniel's been in a cat fight?!
Imagine some of the omegas are discussing their Alphas and Daniel, bless the little kitty, shares that his Alpha uses his mouth to pleasure him. He thinks they're all friends but of course the other omegas are jealous of him because he's so young and beautiful and has such a handsome, rich Alpha. One omega makes a comment, insulting Terry.
Daniel, very uncharacteristically, lashes out. He's horrified by his actions and of course he didn't really harm the other omega, maybe a scratch, but it all ends in lots of tears and shame.
Terry's quiet and stony faced as he picks Daniel up and takes him home, Daniel trying hard not to cry until they get inside. He's about to burst into tears when he sees Terry's smirk which turns into full blown laughter.
"My baby," Terry chuckles, kissing his boy, "you got into a kitten fight defending me, huh? I didn't know you had it in you, sweetheart."
Daniel's flushed and enjoying the praise, starting to smile back.
"You're the best Alpha ever, the best husband," Daniel insists, "they said... Sir, they - "
"Ssh," Terry smiles, "who cares? They're jealous of us. Look at you. They've got crusty old Alphas who can't even get it up. You're the most beautiful, the sweetest," and he gently puts his hand between Daniel's legs, feeling the never-ending heat there, "with the most fertile, tightest, juiciest cunt. Fuck them."
Daniel blushes at his husband's filthy words before enjoying Terry's talented hands and tongue ;)
And to think - he didn’t even tell them that while they were waiting for the Doctor’s go ahead after Sam was born, Terry takes his other hole 😏
I mentioned in another ask that I answered earlier today:
Some omegas whisper about how much they don’t like the actual act of conception. That is is something to be endured and Daniel worries if this means he’s wrong; that he loves it so much.
Terry though, reassures him. That he should love it - that it means Terry is going his job as his alpha - and how his reaction please Terry greatly. It feeds the alpha’s ego.
Daniel has also found a group of omegas like him - and they gossip and exchange bawdry stories. Daniel is the youngest in the group so they give him pointers and advice. Terry is fine with it, encourages these friendships, as it benefits him in the end.
So, your scenario - or a take on it:
The omegas of well off alphas spend most of their time doing charity work and fundraisers so they’re all at the church sorting through donations etc.
Some are doing that while others are in the kitchen setting up lunch.
Daniel is with his usual group of Omegas. They’re younger - all in their 20’s and 30’s - the older group are usually the ones that hold onto these ideals.
Sometimes Daniel wonders if they even like their Alphas - Terry tells him not to listen. All that matters is that he is a good omega in Terry’s eyes - and, he reminds him, even the priest says listening to your alpha and allowing him to take his pleasure how he sees fit is one of the most important qualities in being a good mate and omega for your alpha.
But one of the female omegas - a few years older than Daniel with a couple kids and pregnant with another herself - is whispering about how insatiable her alpha is for her like this - about how he likes to have her in front of a mirror when she’s like this.
She looks to Daniel’s growing belly - their second - conspiratorially asking if Terry is the same way.
It’s a moot point - they all have witnessed Terry dragging Daniel off to have his way with him when an event goes on too long, and Sam was barely two months old before Daniel announced he was expecting again.
He blushes, and they all ohhhhh - knowing there is a juicy story they need to coax out of the little omega - and he bats at them all playfully.
It’s been a little over a year since he’s called himself Terry’s husband, and his lessons in physical love between an alpha and omega began, but Daniel is still quite naive and has keep the shyness and innocence about him, even though he’s given Terry a child and is growing a second inside him.
They gather closer as he stammers through Terry making him ride his alpha’s face in their dojo - mirrors everywhere so that no matter where he looked he could see what he looked like as his alpha ate him out - how desperate and wanton he was acting for it.
How Terry had made him come from that - soaking the alpha’s face - before he was laid flat on the mat, his legs roughly opened - Terry having him spread himself - so he could see that pretty pink hole hidden within - fisting himself to completion on his belly and cunt.
“Sitting on my alpha’s face is one of my favourites,” one of them sighs dreamily, and Daniel agrees, although he says that lately, since he’s started showing with their second, Terry likes to watch him touch himself. Last night he was laid on on their bed in new pretty lingerie, designed for pregnant omegas, as Terry sat on the chair opposite the bed, drink in hand watching as Daniel pleasured himself to Terry’s instructions, his alpha doing much of the same, stroking himself to the sight.
“Absolutely disgraceful behaviour from an omega,” he hears from an older omega, deliberately eavesdropping as she passes the group.
He puts his head down, fiddling with his fingers, as the omegas in his group lay their hands on his shoulder in comfort.
“Don’t listen to her - she’s just pissed that her alpha has probably never made her wet,” and he covers his mouth to styme the laughter, even if the others openly giggle.
“Probably only ever does it missionary under the covers with the lights off,” another one cackles.
“Oh Helen - shove it up your dried up musty cunt.”
Helen ignores it, knowing Daniel is still able to be easily cowed.
“You’re too young to know better,” she says, and Daniel looks up, confused, before she continues. “It’s that alpha of yours who should be ashamed of himself and his depraved ways ….”
The slap reverberates from around the room to shocked gasps, although no one is more shocked than Daniel, his hand stinging as the woman grabs her face.
He doesn’t remember much after that - only sitting in the rectory with the priest - an older priest and not Father O’Brien, who Daniel normally confides in - while being lectured on proper Omega behaviour and how this reflects poorly on his alpha. How his alpha had to be called and is on his way down and how disappointed he will surely be at such an ill behaved mate.
“While some allowances can be made for your behaviour due to your delicate condition, this is not acceptable.”
Said alpha walks in, and he catches that last bit, frowning.
Terry was already concerned when he got the call saying Daniel attacked an older omega - one of the more pious women in the group - high up in the church - which is not like him - but when Daniel doesn’t even look up - his worry boils over.
“Ah, Alpha Silver. Truly sorry to have to call you down here due to ….”
Terry waves a hand, and the priest, a beta, although affronted, falls silent.
“Leave us.”
He kneels down to be eye level and still, his little omega refuses to look at him.
“What happened little one?”
He starts to sob then, at the gentle tone; full body shudders and Terry gathers him in his arms, soothing him, worried for both his boy and their baby.
Through heaving sobs he gathers enough info, that and the fact that on his way in the unofficial ring leader of Daniel’s little group of omega friends had quickly given him a rundown of the events.
“I know he’ll tell you but I know he’s also quite upset, sir,” she says, perfect omega manners and he thanked her for her help and for looking out for his mate.
“Any time. We’re all quite fond of him.”
Terry knows the feeling.
He focuses back on his upset and emotional mate, shushing him, rubbing his back up and down. When he finally calms Terry kisses him softly, placing his jacket around him. Being surrounded by his scent should help.
Terry really wants to laugh at the situation - outdated puritan church sex politics in omega cliches, really - but his boy is so upset and then big brown eyes, red rimmed and blotchy from crying look at him and all humour Terry found in the situation quickly evaporates, and pure rage takes it place.
Still, for the sake of his mate, and his state, he forces himself to calm - knowing Daniel will misunderstand and think it’s him Terry is angry at.
“I’m sorry. I just want to be a good mate. That’s all I want,” he says beseechingly.
Terry sighs. He knows this - it’s why the boy is like putty in his hands. It’s a good thing it was Terry who mated him.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” he says.
“I didn’t mean to make you look bad.” It’s said so pitifully.
“Sweetheart, you never could. I’m so proud of you.”
That just sets him off again.
“None of that now. Come on, sweetheart. I need you to be calm for me now, okay. For the baby too,” he says, laying a hand on his stomach, Daniel placing his on top.
“You did nothing wrong.”
“He said …”
“Daniel,” and his mate looks at him. “What he says is inconsequential - what I say is all that matters - isn’t it?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“There’s a good boy.”
Daniel beams, burying his face into the coat’s collar, inhaling the alpha’s scent.
“Always trust what I say to you is true.”
“I do,” he says, fiercely, and Terry’s alpha knows his little omega is back to normal now.
Terry calls for the priest, who enters, already saying,
“So this behaviour must be dealt with.”
“Yes it should be, and it will be,” Terry agrees.
He watches Daniel wipe his eyes and nose on the sleeve of Terry’s jacket, fondness overtaking him.
“Well, I’m glad we are on the same page on this horrid display of disobedience. I suggest more classes on proper etiquette for a mated omega and how their behaviour reflects on their alpha. I know he’s passed them all, with flying colours according to Father O’Brien, but he tends to be more modern and the stricter, more traditional ways are really what we should be …”
“Oh you misunderstand - I have no problem with MY omega’s behaviour.”
The priest looks confused.
“What I am worried about is how an older omega thinks it’s acceptable to work a younger omega - currently with child - an alpha’s child - MY child - into such an emotional state.”
The priest realizes too late his mistake.
“And you, lecturing MY omega on his behaviour is both highly unacceptable and wildly inappropriate. The audacity to think you know what I approve and disapprove of.”
The priest looks alarmed.
“His behaviour is my responsibility and what we do on or in our marital bed - or anywhere else, for that matter,” Terry smirks - “is based wholly on my discretion and what I see fit and is not up for anyone else’s judgement - especially not yours.”
“I do apologize ….”
“I expect your resignation to Father O’Brien, or else, I will no longer be donating to this establishment,” Terry cuts him off.
“Terry,” Daniel says and his attention instantly switches to his mate.
“I don’t want anyone to lose their job because of me.”
“It’s not because of you, sweetheart. It’s because of his actions and his actions have consequences.”
“Still …” his little mate says.
Terry sighs - he knows Daniel will feel guilty even though he has no reason to be. As it were, best to avoid it for now.
“Fine.”
The priest looks relieved.
“I thank you, Alpha Silver.”
“Don’t thank me. Thank him.”
The priest stammers out a thank you before excusing himself.
“My hero,” Terry says. “Defending my honour.” He helps the little pregnant omega up from his seat.
“It’s not funny,” Daniel mumbles, although he’s fighting off a smile himself.
It kind of is, and in few weeks they’ll both look back on this with laughter, but for now, to drive home his point.
“I think you deserve a reward.”
Daniel lights up.
“Can we get ice cream? I’m kind of hungry,” he admits. He never got to eat lunch, although he thinks he’ll keep that from Terry.
“Anything you want, baby. You know that.”
“Well, I want extra fudge and peanuts. Oh and those sprinkles and lots of cherries. You think they’ll have pickles?”
Terry wrinkles his nose. “If not, I’ll make sure you get some. I always make sure you have what you need.”
And he does.
Not that Terry doesn’t also get what he needs.
Because later on, Terry gets his own sweet treat - his head buried between the little omega’s creamy smooth thighs, which shake with pleasure against his head as he sucks at his omega’s pretty pink rosebud and laps at his wet cunt - his favourite thing to eat - all to the sounds of his omega’s sweet little whimpers, moans, and begging.
#ask#I got an ask 🤩#I need a puritan verse#cobra kai#daniel larusso#karate kid#terry silver#silverusso#silverrusso#ABO
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Sunday Six 9.24.23
Happy Sunday evening, Tumblrs! I know I have been MIA for the absolute longest, and wanting to give a huge THANK YOU to those who know the dirty deets about what’s been going on this summer, and being the shoulders, ears, support, and encouragement, I need to carry on and carry through one day at a time.
Despite posting two dribbles over the past day or so, not saying I am on the comeback trail, but I have been putting fingers to keyboard, and sharing story ideas. While they are not part of today’s Sunday Six, I am working on Sins of the Father; a part two to Dead in the Water (the How to Get Away with Murder AU), tentatively titled Tell Me When I’m Telling Lies; and a Riam one-shot that may become a casual series titled Happy Family.
What I offer to you tonight dear readers are two new ideas (well one isn’t that new):
Church Folk (the MegaChurch AU) based on Wonder’s worst ever version of Riam; she looks like a cross between Wendy Williams and Dionne Warwick, and has six fingers (five whole ass fingers and a thumb); Asian Liam is a dead ringer for Joel Osteen. They are co-pastors of the First, Last, & Only Cordonian Church of God in Christ where the mottos are:
We’re Alphabet Friendly!
God LOVES a Sinner, and so do we
Jesus Ain’t No Joke!
Think of every megachurch scandal, and give Riley Tammy Faye Baker’s hair …
A Summer Place—The Graduate which is an age-gap romance between Liam and Diana, who is Drake & Riley’s daughter. Except Liam doesn’t know, and Diana knows nothing about Cordonia except it is where her parents’ once-great love story originated.
There will be two versions to this story; Version B is titled A Summer Place—Mrs. Robinson, where Riley has an age-gap romance with Andreas, Liam’s son who visits NYC for the summer before starting University. Again, they have no idea of the other.
I realize others are writing age-gap/forbidden romances, but I am hopeful that my ideas and execution will make mine different from what's out there. And it’s me; by the time I finish writing the stories, it isn’t as if I’ll be glutting the market with the trope.
Okay, enough rambling; sneak peeks are below the cut, and as usual everything is in a state of rough draft and published product may vary.
Church Folk (song inspo: Church Clap, KB/Lecrae):
Their courtship had lasted two years; at Liam’s insistence, it had been chaste as well. At least for one of them.
The couple attended church together: Monday night Praise and Devotionals, Wednesday evening Bible study, couples therapy on Saturday mornings, 11am Sunday Sermon.
Between work and church activities, Liam and Riley dated; meals, museums, hikes, volunteering at soup kitchens. No matter the time or venue, all tended to end with them getting hot and heavy in the back seat of his car: Moans, groans, fogged windows; deep French kisses, groping of breasts and fondling of balls, arching and thrusting of hips. All the while keeping their clothes on.
The son of a preacher man never allowed himself to finger Riley nor for her to stroke his manhood.
Penetration was completely out of the question.
Riley often thought it was because of her 6th finger, and that despite his protests, Liam really could not deal with it. But he assured his bride-to-be between desperate kisses that it didn’t matter. Saving themselves for marriage did.
Liam Osteen Rhys firmly believed Riley had been sent to him; her polydactyl was a sign from God Himself that this woman was to be his wife. In the biblical sense, her extra finger was a sign of both wealth and that she was a messenger of God. Liam needed the former, FLOCC needed the latter. In the scientific sense, persons with polydactyl were proven to be stronger and more dexterous than those without.
Yes, Riley B. Williams was his good thing, and he wasn’t letting lust interfere. So, after every date while Riley sat alone in her bedroom with her battery-operated boyfriend and Pornhub pulled up on her phone, Liam visited Maybelle Nussbaum, his high school sweetheart.
If all had gone according to Liam’s plan, he would be wedded to Maybelle already, but his father absolutely forbade an inter-faith marriage. Only one version of God would be worshipped in the Rhys family, and THEIR God believed in ham, bacon, shrimp, and one day to celebrate the birth of Christ.
With Maybelle, Liam could go all the way, and he did. Every time. Sometimes protection was used, but most times not. The future preacher was convinced God wouldn’t allow anything bad to happen to him because he always sought forgiveness afterwards.
On their wedding day, all of Cordonia’s press outlets were present, as well as most of the town; the Rhys family was practically royalty in the small suburb, and everyone wanted to be in attendance for the wedding of a lifetime. Liam stood at the altar with his father, best man and groomsmen, occasionally looking over the crowd still being seated.
His eyes widened when the doors to the ceremony room opened and Maybelle Nussbaum strode through, wearing baggy sweatpants, a vomit-stained tee shirt, and her hair in a messy blonde bun. A swaddled infant rested in the crook of one arm; her free hand pulled a rolling suitcase behind her.
Liam had broken it off with his lover exactly 13 months earlier; he needed to focus on being a husband and ensure no hint of scandal touched his betrothment. He did it via text message and promptly blocked Maybelle’s number and deleted their chat history. And that was the end of that.
Or so he thought.
“Here ya go, Liam! You left this in my uterus right before you blocked me,” the new mother said loudly and cheerily as she placed the baby in a non-plussed Liam’s arms.
The murmurs and whispers amongst the guests began immediately. Constantine’s complexion turned a vague shade of purple. The groomsmen’s eyes went between Maybelle and Liam, who was sputtering and stammering as he protested.
“YOU CANNOT LEAVE ME WITH THIS CHILD, MAYBELLE!” Liam thundered.
“Why not? You did it to me,” Maybelle retorted as she rolled the suitcase up to the altar. “Everything you need is in there. I’m gonna skedaddle now. Take good care of her.”
The scorned lover slipped out a side door just as the Wedding March began to play.
A Summer Place—The Graduate (Version A, Liam)
Song Inspo: Parallel, Emlie Kahn
The server and the sovereign stood at the balcony’s railing as they awaited their food. The dock surrounding the sea harbor was gaily decorated with colorful streamers and balloons. The intricately painted dragon boats sat in their slips, bobbing against the gently cresting aquamarine sea while crew members worked on last minute inspections and details before the race.
Diana’s chocolate brown eyes were wide with excitement as they took in the scene before her.
“This is amazing! I’ve never seen anything like this. Montana is basically bull riding, which is literally flags and cowboy hats. And the ocean … it’s so blue and clear, like something out of a painting!”
Liam studied her profile, wondering why he had the nagging feeling he had seen her before. Her olive complexion, high cheekbones, the curvature of her full lips. It was as if he had seen her features on another face, but not in this particular order.
“It’s the Aegan Sea,” he gently corrected her, “and yes, it’s a beautiful sight.”
Diana felt her cheeks flush crimson, as embarrassment flooded her body. She stared up at Liam contritely. “I’m sorry, you must think I’m a goof!”
Liam’s arm reached out and his palm gently patted the back of her hand. “Why would I think that? You simply didn’t know. It’s your first time here.”
Diana’s eyes went between Liam’s hand on hers and his eyes, which were filled with a gentle emotion.
“You’re fine,” he assured her as his other hand ran fingers through her hair, tucking strands behind her ear.
She felt a pleasant shiver at his touch, which she quickly dismissed as her imagination. Yes, Liam was manly perfection with his trim physique, head full of hair untouched by gray, and the face of a Greek god. But he was her father’s age and had women across the country and continent ready to do his bidding.
She was a tourist that would be leaving in a couple of months. A nobody, 24 years his junior who didn’t know an ocean from a sea. Diana slowly pulled her hand away from his.
“So, what’s for lunch? I’m starving!” she said a little more loudly than intended.
“Oh, you are in for a treat!” Liam grinned. “Mediterranean seafood pie, scallops in a lemon garlic cream sauce, lobster tails stuffed with crabmeat, crab imperial …"
“Oh my God! It’s like Red Lobster!” Diana exclaimed as she clapped her hands together.
Liam looked puzzled. “Red Lobster?”
“It’s an American surf and turf chain restaurant. It’s delicious!”
“I can only hope Portavira lives up to such a lofty ideal.”
Tagging: @jared2612 @ao719 @marietrinmimi @indiacater @kingliam2019 @bebepac @liamxs-world @mom2000aggie @liamrhysstalker2020 @twinkleallnight @umccall71 @superharriet @busywoman @gabesmommie1130 @tessa-liam @beezm @gardeningourmet @lovingchoices14 @mainstreetreader @angelasscribbles @lady-calypso @emkay512 @princessleac1 @charlotteg234 @alj4890 @motorcitymademadame @queenmiarys @choicesficwriterscreations
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Okay I have not been able to get over @lurking-latinist and @lovesodeepandwideandwell calling me the “little guy mutual”, so here’s some... *drum roll*... gender thoughts!
I was in a really conservative church growing up. And by really conservative, I mean really patriarchal. Women, according to the church, can only be fulfilled by being super feminine and submissive and raising a family with as many children as possible. That was literally what was preached. And as a girl who didn’t want a family, I felt like something was deeply wrong with either me or the church or probably both.
I wanted to be feminine, but not in the way the church defined femininity. Not if it meant giving up what I really was passionate about and good at and just having babies forever. I don’t want babies. I don’t think that’s wrong of me.
Simultaneously, I was really into stories. And what characters did I identify with? Not the girls. Never the girls. It was always the young boys. The dark boys. The young teenagers. The lithe, almost feminine creatures. Robin Hood, the fox from the animated Disney film. Sasuke from Naruto. (full disclosure, okay?? shut up.) Frodo Baggins. Sam Gamgee. Nightcrawler of the X-Men. Ariel from the Tempest. Tim Drake from Batman comics/fanon. Bart Allen. Thad Thawne.
It’s this kind of lithe boy that I almost always dream I am, too. I’m rarely myself in my dreams. Usually I’m a teen-boy-deuteragonist type.
Consuming media was my outlet for things that the church didn’t think were feminine. Like not wanting a husband. Not liking babies and small children. (I don’t dislike them, to be clear.) Like being mentally ill. Like wanting to be a scholar, a writer, and an artist full-time. Like wanting to have a supporting role in life—like those boy characters did in their stories—but NOT one that required me to mother a family. Things that are important parts of me, but which I could not express out loud in that place. Not as a girl. Not as a woman.
I was lucky that my family didn’t hold with the strict gender roles and storytelling rules that the church I grew up in held. I had a family who encouraged me to explore things that were not typically feminine. But I still needed that outlet of identifying with boy characters! I needed it to survive in that church, as a placeholder for my own passionate desires. I wanted the role they had, not their gender/body. But if I hadn’t been given the freedom to recognize that I could want that role and identify with those characters while still being a God-honoring woman, I might have decided I was actually a boy. Or that something was deeply, fundamentally wrong with me. One of the two.
I used to love “little guys” in a desperate way. Now I love them in a freer way. I don’t know if I’d be able to identify with a female character in a similar role, but I’m happy with being one.
Anyway. Little guy mutual. Yes.
#EDIT: I FORGOT MY BOYS FRODO AND SAM!!#Oh man. Identify with them so hard.#long post#hm. to clarify: I am a woman.#I do not think that gender roles are a good idea apart from what is VERY SPECIFICALLY STATED in the Bible#and even that has to be very carefully examined with the context of the cultures the books' authors and God were writing to.#drum roll... GENDER THOUGHTS
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