They glided quietly through the desert, keeping to the shadows as they tore up the path to the prison. The wind had slowed to a stop, leaving the heat clinging to the folds of their clothes, and Soap wiped a drop of sweat from the tip of his nose and from his eyes.

Rudy smirked at him. "You're hot already?"

He was shaking out his shirt to cool the perspiration beading across his body. "It's fuckin' hot out here."

"Hardly, this is balmy weather, mi hermano en Cristo.- my brother in Christ."

They fanned out at the sight of a guard tower roof. Soap stopped under the cover of a jagged sapling Chicle Tree, and breathed out a tense sigh; the guard tower- in fact, the prison walls- were still easily a half-klick away downhill, and none of the guards could see them. "We're clear." He looked around and saw the other two descending the hill and started after them in silence. "...Hey, Rudy," he finally said after some time. "How long have you known Alejandro?"

"Twenty years," he replied, grinning as he thought about his friend. "We joined up together, worked in the same unit, and when he rose through the ranks, he ensured we were always in the same squad. He's the toughest guy in the regiment to date."

"I wouldn't want to mess with him..."

Rudy's smile turned dark. "There was a saying that used to go around about him: 'el unico que puede matar a Alejandro es Alejandro...'"

"What's that mean?"

"The only thing that can kill Alejandro, is Alejandro."

Soap felt a shiver run down his back. "Glad he's on our side..."

"A huevo.- hell yeah."

"Heads up," Ghost interjected. "Got eyes on the prison. Patrol on the perimeter, and two guards in the tower."

Soap nodded knowingly. "Let's tackle the tower first. I'll take the one on the right, you take out the left." He balanced his crosshairs on a guard's head and sucked in a short breath to steady himself. The guard looked directly at him without even noticing, and didn't so much as flinch when a bullet shattered his jaw.

Ghost dropped his target and let out his breath. "Shadows down. Rudy, help me over the wall. Soap, watch our six."

Rodolfo hurriedly knelt beside the rock wall and knit his fingers, pushing him up and over to the inside of the base. As Ghost landed, all three men froze, hearing the low chopping of a helicopter echoing in the skies.

"Looks like a supply drop," said Ghost into the com.

"Copy." Rudy scaled the wall and crouched at its top as the helicopter passed overhead and deep into the base, his eyes turning down the hillside to see a patrol and he gripped his rifle. "Got eyes on six shadows, ten o'clock."

Ghost pursed his lips. "I see 'em. They're spread out pretty far. It'll be a challenge to take them all out at once." He looked back up the wall and jerked his head. "Soap, get eyes on target."

Soap was already perched beside Rodolfo, peering through his scope. "I see 'em, I've got the two stragglin' in the back, Rudy, take the one's walkin' together in the middle." He counted down quietly, sucking in a sharp breath before double-tapping his trigger. The soldiers' legs buckled under them and they hit the dusty ground like heavy sacks, one man struggling for a moment with thrashing arms before falling still.

"Good shots, amigos."

Ghost kept his eyes trained on where the helicopter had landed. "This place is getting busy. Looks like Graves wasn't joking when he said he had enough Shadows to take over a city. We'll need a distraction to get out of here. I'm going to plant charges as we go so we can use the detonation to draw their attention."

Rudy jumped down from the wall and gestured Ghost and Soap after him. "You'll want to skirt that wall right there," he said, pointing northwest where a pair of dim lights hovered at the side of a brick building. "Soap, you and I can get access to the CCTV in that building's office on the top floor; might give us a better vantage point so we can find Alejandro and my men."

"Solid plan, Carnal."

Ghost took point, sliding into the dark with Soap and Rudy shortly behind him. Only the skull on his face shown as they neared the light and he kept watch as the other two men mounted the stairs. As the door closed, he heard a muted scuffle, and then silence.

Silence.

Silence...

"A'ight, we're in, L.T." The camera by the light swiveled back and forth.

Ghost rolled his eyes shut, relieved, and peered around the corner. "What do you see?"

"There's two guards near the gate in front of you," said Rodolfo. "But they're walking away from you. Stand by... Alright, go! Rapido- quickly!"

Ghost crept silently past the gate and paused beside a small, white horse trailer, his ears sharp for movement. The wind stood still, and he heard the faintest shuffle of feet and a man clearing his throat.

"Shadow on the other side of that trailer," said Soap. "Easy kill, take him."

The Shadow felt a presence beside him like a chill in his bones, his hairs standing up as he felt it drawing closer, and when his brown eyes shifted to see who was there, he felt the blade of a knife slide under his chin. His mouth gaped wide

Ghost laid the body on the ground and carefully slid through the dark. "What do you see, Sergeant?"

"Multiple Shadows, all armoured, and a lookout on the balcony," said Soap. "Advise ye stay low, and take out that lookout before ye do anythin' else. You can use that truck for cover."

"Solid copy." Ghost spotted the lookout and then the truck. The lookout turned his head the other way and he crept quietly to the truck. By the time he was nestled into his cover, he could no longer see the other patrol of Shadows. Shit. "Soap, you got eyes on the patrol?"

"Yes, sir. You're good to take out the lookout, the patrol won't see it."

TAT!

The lookout fell and Ghost peeked around the corner of the truck. "I'm gonna plant a charge, let me know where the patrol goes." He secured the C4 to the bottom of the white truck and gave it a gentle tap with his fingers as if to silently assure it wasn't going anywhere.

"Patrol's breaking up," said Rodolfo. "There's a crate up ahead, I'd use that for cover."

From his new cover, he watched the patrol spread wide and he pursed his lips. Getting spotted by any of them would leave him outnumbered and surrounded. He looked up at the balcony where the lookout had been. "Soap, Rudy, either of you see any more lookouts?"

"No. You thinkin' about goin' on a scenic tour, L.T.?"

Ghost was already mounting the ladder. "I like the view from up here."

Below, the Shadows continued to fan out, eventually leaving only one in the clearing standing directly under the ladder. "Still no word from Team 8, Prez?" he asked into his com. No response. He furrowed his brows and turned his head as if to listen closer. "Kennedy?"

Ghost leaped from the balcony just as the Shadow was looking up and landed squarely on his shoulders. He'd been hoping to use his weight to break the soldier's neck, but instead, his armor took most of the blow and left them both struggling and flailing on the ground. The Shadow rolled over with his face pinned under Ghost's elbow, gagging hoarsely as he grasped at the Lieutenant's sidearm. Frantic, Ghost his other hand down, only to feel the Shadow's knee come up into his gut. In a split-second decision, he released both of the Shadow's arms and grasped his head, thrashing it hard against the ground before twisting his neck sharply. As his body went limp, Ghost picked him up, looking around for somewhere to place him in case someone heard the scuffle.

That dumpster to his right looked like a good place. He dragged the body and hoisted it up over the mouth of the bin, careful to lay it quietly on the bottom.

"Nice thinkin' with the dumpster, L.T.," purred Soap. "Time tae take out the trash..."

"Shut up, Soap!" Ghost growled into the com. "Fuckin' hell..."

Rudy noticed the dejected look on Soap's face and gave his shoulder a comforting pat. "Hey, amigo, I thought it was good..."

A wall of brick and razor hid his view of another clearing. "Johnny," asked Ghost, once he had shrugged off the Sergeant's pun. "You see anyone on the other side of this wall?"

"Two, sir, fannin' out around a truck."

"Could use that to plant another charge."

"Got one walkin' right toward ye, advise you take him out quiet or let him pass before you take out the other one; he'll be facin' the other direction... Damn."

The Lieutenant furrowed his brows. "What happened?"

"The bastard stopped. Both Shadows are in eye-sight of each other."

Ghost shrugged to himself and tossed a stone around the corner, holding his breath as the patrolman closest to him swore out loud. "What the fuck was that?"

"What was what?" asked the other patrolman.

"I thought I heard something over here..."

"Well, do you see anything?"

"Negative. But I'm telling you, I heard something. It sounded like it came from behind the wall."

Perfect.

The other Shadow smirked uneasily. "Then go check it out."

"By myself?? We still haven't heard from Team 8, what if there's somethin' out there?!"

"Like what? A Chupacabra?"

"I don't fucking know, I just know I don't want to go looking by myself!"

"It's all good, I'll keep an eye on you."

The first Shadow swallowed the knot forming in his chest and stepped into the dark. As he rounded the corner, he saw the ominous shape of a skull too late to react and his cry for help was smothered by a gloved hand. A knife left a deep slit in his throat and he gagged on the blood washing down into his lungs and stomach.

The second Shadow went rigid hearing nothing from his teammate. "... Mark?" No response. Fuck. He hurried to the wall, feeling his pulse in his ears. "C'mon, bro, that's not funny..."

"You're right," growled Ghost, leveling his pistol with the man's temple. "It's not."

TAT!

The second Shadow fell and Ghost came to the truck around the corner, hurrying to plant a charge on it. "Soap, Rudy, see anything else?"

"Looks like smooth sailing ahead," said Rodolfo. "You should be coming up on the cell block."

He halted, seeing the vast prison ahead and took in a deep breath. "All right, let's break these sods out and hope Graves happens to get caught in the crossfire. Regroup on me."

Getting inside the cellblock was easy. Wading through the sea of Shadows, however, was not. When they finally made it to solitary confinement, Soap could still feel his skin itching with adrenaline as he and Ghost gunned down two guards standing outside one cell. "Looks like this is our stop."

Rodolfo stacked by the door. "Ghost, watch our six?"

"On it."

Soap met eyes with Rudy and silently counted down on his fingers from three, and at one, he drew back the bolt on the door. Inside the room was dark aside from a narrow window near the ceiling barely large enough for a mouse to crawl through, and it was humid from perspiration and the venomous insults that had been spat at the guards. But strangely, it was silent. Soap widened his eyes to take in every trace of light, and peered around the door.

A breath feathered his ear and before he could glance over his shoulder, his face collided with the brick wall, and Alejandro spun him around to hold him by his throat. His feet scrambled against the rough concrete floor and he pried against the Colonel's hands. "Al... Alejandro, it's us!"

Rudy firmly grabbed his friend's shoulder. "Al, relax, it's us; we're here to save you, hermano."

Alejandro's snarl faded to recognition and his grip on Soap's neck softened. "Soap? Rudy... Where's Ghost and the others?"

"Out here, mate," called Ghost through the door. "The rest of Los Vaqueros are still in their cells, we need to get them out."

"Well, then, what are we waiting for? You got a gun for me?" Ghost picked up a rifle from one of the dead guards and tossed it to him and he pulled back the breech to look down the chamber. "I'll take point. On me."

As they mounted the stairs, a clatter of bullets rained down over their heads. "Stay low!" Ghost commanded, his voice all but drowned out by the chirping and yowling of the shots chipping away at the metal stairs. "Use the stairwell as cover!"

Alejandro was undaunted and he clenched a grenade pin between his teeth, hurling it upwards so it just rolled at the top of the stairs. "Hijos de putas!!- Motherfuckers!" He laid into the trigger and turned those who hadn't run from the grenade into tattered heaps of flesh. Teeth bared with a wrathful howl, he grabbed one Shadow still on his feet and clubbed him with the butt of his rifle; the man fell to the floor and he didn't relent.

"Alright, Al, alright. He's dead," said Rudy, pushing the Colonel back with his hand. "We've got to get Los Vaqueros out of here, we're wasting time."

Wiping the specks of blood from his cheek, he blew away a stray strand of hair that had fallen forward onto his forehead and growled like an animal. "Espero que ese cabrón Graves siga aquí. Quiero convertir su cráneo en una pasta.- I hope that fucker Graves is still here. I want to turn his skull into a paste."

Rodolfo scoffed uneasily. "¿Acabas de hacerle esto a este pobre bastardo? Estoy seguro de que tendrás la oportunidad, carnal.- Like you did to this poor bastard? I'm sure you'll get the chance, brother."

As Alejandro led the way, Ghost felt a chill crawl up his back at the sight of the bashed-in face on the floor, the man's teeth splintered everywhere and his eyes bludging from their sockets. He looked back up at the Colonel and the slightest grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. "What a wild bastard..."

"I'll say..." muttered Soap. "That's probably the scariest motherfucker I've seen."

"Hey, now, I'm standing right here." Soap punched his shoulder and Ghost shook his head, stepping ahead of him. "C'mon, let's divide and conquer."

"¡Aqui estamos, Vaqueros!- Here we are, Vaqueros," bellowed Rodolfo down the hall. "Ora di ir a casa!- Time to go home!"

Al nudged Soap. "Controls for the door are in that room across the hall. Open the doors for us!"

With the flips of a few switches, the cell doors rolled open and one by one, los Vaqueros amassed around Rudy and Alejandro. Each man was handed a rifle and the hall fell quiet as they awaited their orders.

"All of you," Alejandro called. "Go with Sergeant Parra and push back the Shadows. Ghost and Soap, with me! We'll create an exit for everyone."

The groups separated and Ghost came to Al's side. His eyes were keen for movement, but his mind was beginning to cloud. He hadn't seen Novaleen since Graves had turned on them. She wasn't sacking the city or guarding the prison. And now she wasn't among los Vaqueros. Had she escaped altogether?

Or... what if she hasn't gotten away at all..?

He was vaguely aware when Alejandro called out a group of Shadows in the mess hall. They had to find Graves. If for no other reason, he needed some answers. Why the betrayal? What was he hiding? Who was he protecting?

Where was Novaleen?

"Ghost?"

He snapped his attention on Soap, just then becoming aware he was holding a Shadow by the throat, choking the life out of him. "Yes..?"

"The charges. We need to clear a way for los Vaqueros, and for all of us to get out." 

Ghost nodded slowly, tightening his grip on the Shadow's throat as he reached for the detonator clipped to his plate carrier. "'Ight. On it."

"Chhh....hhaaahhh... Channn...." Ghost glared down at the Shadow. Begging wasn't about to save his pitiful life, why was he even trying? "Chann...el... thrrrr....Thrrrrrrtttt...."

He furrowed his brows. "Is this bastard trying to say something?" he muttered barely loud enough for the others to hear. He released the man's throat just enough to let him gulp the smallest breath. 

"Chanel.... Thirteen..."

"What about channel 13?"

"It's what you're looking for..."

"And what is it you think I'm looking for?"

The Shadow spat a fat glob of blood to the floor. "Graves...."

Alejandro yanked the Shadow up by his scalp and he let out a yowl. "Where is he?!"

"He's been moving all night. Find his channel and you'll find him. Last I heard he's using channel 13."

Soap narrowed his blue eyes as they clouded furiously. "I'll start searchin' channels. Think we'll need this bastard anymore, sir?"

Ghost motioned for Alejandro to drop the man and stepped over him. "Let him go, he's given us something to work with." He glanced over his shoulder, his brown eyes glinting from the orbits of his mask. "Don't make me regret sparing your life; I have no issue finishing what I started with you."

The Shadow shrunk into the floor, nodding solemnly as he watched the three men walk away.

Outside, a distant rumble thundered through the walls as Ghost detonated the charges. Bullets were chirping off the bricks and chopping up the sandy earth, and los Vaqueros were pouring into the courtyard to tangle with the Shadow patrols awaiting them. Over the com, a familiar voice, gravelly voice broke through the turmoil. "Ghost, this is Bravo Six, clearing out the courtyard. How copy?"

"Is that Price?" beamed Soap.

"Copy, sir," Ghost replied, nodding to Soap. "We're on our way. Assist our boys until we can get there, over."

"Copy, over and out."

As they went, Soap clicked through the channels until he found 13, hearing nothing but static. Damn. Graves must have moved channels. He continued clicking through. More static. More static... C'mon, Graves couldn't have just gone radio silent...

S C R E A-

Woah. He stopped firm in his tracks. What the hell was that? He turned back and listened, mouth slowly falling agape. "Ghost?"

Simon's head reared and he hurried back to his Sergeant. "What'd you find?" Soap showed him the channel and he tuned in, slowing his breaths so he could hear the chatter.

"Go on, sweetheart, keep sreamin', you're just gonna lure your boyfriend and his buddies right here to me." The voice was faint but distinctly Graves'. A hit landed and the victim wailed again, sobbing when he broke to shake out his bruised fists.

Novaleen.

"C'mon, louder!" WHAM! He hit her again, this time it sounded like with his boot.

Ghost felt his heart drop into his stomach. "Fuck. He's got her..."

Alejandro had returned, cocking a brow at the conversation. "Got who? NAG?" 

Another blow but this time, he could hear Novaleen scrambling her feet against the floor, choking as she fought to pry herself free from Graves' grip. He was strangling her. The acrid taste of bile rose in Ghost's throat and he snarled.

"DROP HER!"

Soap and Al nearly jumped out of their skin hearing the Lieutenant's voice cut through the com. What the fuck was he doing??

Graves was panting when he pushed his mouth against the mic. "So you finally found my channel..." His voice was barely more than a sinister purr, and from his parched throat came a ragged chuckle. "Well, now that you're listening, Lieutenant, you listen carefully. Either you and your Sergeant come to me and surrender yourselves, or I cut this squealing traitor's throat and come hunting for you myself."

Soap's blue eyes were wide and he vigorously shook his head. Ghost was normally so composed and reserved, this was entirely out of character for him; he wasn't about to make a false move now...

Was he?

Ghost didn't respond, his mouth screwed up tight with a grimace. There was no way in hell any of them were about to surrender, but he didn't want to risk Novaleen's life. Then again, one woman wasn't worth the entire team...

Graves licked his chapped lips irritably, chuckling to let off some tension. "C'mon, brother, I really don't want to make this any uglier than it has to be. Y'all talk to me, I'll let NAG go."

Soap shook his head more drastically this time. "Ghost, no, he's bluffin' you, don't let him get in your head."

A soft, weak voice broke the intermission. "Ghost..." Novaleen whimpered. "Please, don't sacrifice your team for me..." Her breaths came in more rapid gasps and her voice sounded strained. "Philip, no... Ghost... Please...!" The scream forming in her mouth grew muffled, followed by a sickening crunch.

"Graves, where the fuck are you?!"

Graves' smile was unmistakable over the line. "You know where I am. Come get me, Pan-day-ho." He didn't close the link before he silenced Novaleen's cries with the loud retort of a pistol.

Ghost threw the earpiece across the floor, dashing it into a dozen pieces.

Alejandro had frozen in place with his eyes glued to the Lieutenant. Beside him, Soap held a bated breath before quietly clearing his throat. "... L.T.?"

"Fuck..." Ghost laced his fingers behind his head and tried to lock his knees so he wouldn't collapse, but instead, he doubled over, nearly gagging as he did. "FUCK..."

"It's okay, Simon, we'll get her." Soap stood in front of him, urging him back onto his feet. 

"C'mon," said Alejandro. "We don't have a moment to lose. Let's get out of here, and then we can find NAG."

"That bastard... That fucking bastard, I'll hang him with his own entrails!" Ghost could barely breathe and the world around him was spinning, and yet...

Somehow...

His mind never felt so clear.