MacTavish looked at the tablet on the table and then at the compass beside it. West. He cocked a brow and looked up at the General. "Seems we're headin' the wrong direction, sir. Shouldn't we be comin' back to the fight?" he asked.

Shepherd smiled, tapping a location on the tablet map. "Plenty of fight to go around, MacTavish." He looked around at the rest of the team gathering around, and noticed a firm expression on Jessica's face. "Glad you all made it out of South America," he said a little louder. "Now you're going to meet up with 6th Fleet leading the counter strike." He opened a file and turned to tablet to MacTavish. "Got in touch with an informant within Rojas' militia, and he mentioned a certain Prisoner 627. We believe that's who Makarov has the mad-on for, but we can't get to him."

"Just tell Lone Wolf where you think he is, she'll get to him; might even find Makarov while she's at it," he teased, elbowing Jess in the side. She shot a stern expression at him and he chuckled.

The General made a still sound like he was trying to laugh, but it came out almost robotic. "We have a better solution..."

MacTavish tilted his head at a graphic on the screen. "Oil rigs, sir?"

"The Russians are using them as SAM sites," said Shepherd. "Oil workers are human shields, so we can't blow up the rigs wholesale. I know I'm sending you into the meatgrinder on this one..."

"They're defendin' it, so that means we want it," replied the Captain, giving an affirmative nod to each of his teammates. "Especially if it'll get us to 627."

It was the most bizarre thing, leaving the submarine to launch out into the Bearing Sea. Jessica felt small looking up at the massive ice flows over her head. She saw a a member of Team Two give a signal to ascend and slowly, they rose toward the surface, the haunting, dark silhouette of the oil rig fading into view. 

Jess quietly tread the water under the feet of an Ultranaitonalist sentry. She kept low, waiting for the moment Team One was in position. Ghost broke the surface across from her under the feet of the opposing soldier and gave her a sign. She shot out of the water, grasping the man by the hips and dragging him under. In the icy water, he screamed for air and she put a speedy end to it with the slice of her knife. "Ach," she thought. "Wish they wouldn't bleat like that; makes me almost feel bad."

Sasha snickered. "That's rich coming from you who has no problem breaking knee caps or severing heads."

Jessica pushed the body toward the bottom, inky ribbons of green blood floating up with her as she swam away for the surface again. She dolphin-kicked onto the rig, her muscular arms straining to pull her all the way onto the deck. Ghost hoisted her up and gave her back a slap. "Get going, mate," he said.

"I'm going," she rumbled back with a playful smile. 

Silently, the teams stalked up to the second level of the rig. They fanned out at the top of the stairs, gliding through the shadows around a sentry having a smoke over the water. Jess shifted and slunk closer to him. "The rest of you move to breach the door; I've got this guy," she said into the com. She raised up on her back legs, sinking her teeth into the back of his neck. Gal pressed her weight forward and dropped him over the railing, but in a moment of panic lost her balance and was soon dangling dangerously over the edge, about to hit the water after her victim.

A hand grasped her by the scruff and pulled her back to the deck. "Damn you," growled Ghost. "Can't you go a mission without dying?"

"Shut your trap," she whispered back. "I've gone tons of missions without dying."

MacTavish signaled them to stack up, shooting an exasperated glare at the two of them. "Get ready to breach, and remember: watch for oil workers." He nodded to Roach, and a charge was placed on the door.

The door exploded open and before anyone else could take aim, Roach fired four shots, downing all four soldiers in the room. The dust cleared, and everyone looked at the Sergeant.

"What?" he asked, stepping into the room to scout. "Didn't they teach the rest of your how to shoot in boot camp?"

Gal chuckled to herself. "Damn... I'm starting to question every time I came to help you..."

Roach smiled devilishly. "To be fair, I don't think I ever asked."

"We're all clear," said Ghost.

MacTavish tapped into the com. "Hostages secure in section Two-Echo, over."

"Copy that, Hotel Six," came a response from the USS Dallas sub commander. "Team Two will secure and evac. Continue your search topside."

Gal nodded and turned out of the room heading to the stairs. She could hear the whirring of helicopter blades and shrunk back into the shadows. "Enemy helo," she said into the com. "Keep a low profile."

"Roger, Lone," said MacTavish. "Thanks for the heads-up."

It passed by and they made it to the next deck. In a room ahead of them, she could hear quiet conversation. "Sounds like more hostages," she said as the Captain came up beside her. He nodded, passing his hand over her ears and stacked up at the door. Roach placed another charge and they breached the room. It seemed so easy. Was this all they had to do to secure the rig and get to 627? 

Just then, she heard Russian chatter over one of the soldiers' radios.

"Group 5, respond to base. Vanya, are you there? Respond to base!" said the voice. "We're sending a group down, you'd better not be fucking with us..."

"Hey, Captain?" she asked. "Sounds like we're about to have company, they're sending a patrol down to check on these guys..."

MacTavish dipped his head. "Alright, switch to plan B, get some C4 on those bodies," he said. "Be quick, we haven't got a lotta time."

They planted the C4 and swiftly fled the room. "What next, sir?" asked Ghost, checking over his shoulder.

"Get to an elevated position, we'll ambush them when they discover the bodies."

Galaxy squatted low and leaped up onto a make-shift platform, bunching her muscles to keep the plywood from shifting under her. She shifted and pulled her rifle to her shoulder, gazing down the scope. As she saw the first soldier approach, she gingerly stroked the trigger.

"Wait until they're closer," said the Captain. "Stand by... Stand by..."

An eruption of fearful chatter broke out of the room and MacTavish gave the signal. Ghost pressed the detonator and a bright orange blast engulfed the patrol. An alarm sounded and they all rose from their positions, firing down on the enemy.

"Control," said MacTavish. "This is Bravo Six, our cover is blown, over."

"Copy, Bravo Six," came the reply. "Intel still indicates more hostages and explosives on the top deck. You need to secure them before we can send in reinforcements to handle the SAM sites."

"Copy that." He looked at Ghost and Roach. "We need to get to the top deck ASAP so Command can send in the Marines. Move!"

Jess nodded and hopped down from the platform to the deck, rolling when she landed to save her ankles. A couple of bullets yowled on the metal deck and she took cover behind a couple of oil barrels. She reloaded her rifle and peeked over the top of her cover and fired at a few soldiers across from her. 

Roach stopped beside her and caught his breath. "Lone," he said over the noise. "Stay right next to me, I think if we make on big push we can get through these guys and up those stairs!"

"Right!" She watched him and on his go, they dashed out into the open, firing in ever direction, and they got to the stairs. "MacTavish, Ghost," she said into the com. "We'll lay down cover fire, get your asses over here!"

"Copy that, Lone Wolf," replied Ghost. "We're on our way!"

As soon as the Captain and Lieutenant had joined them, they ran up the stairs, ducking under fire from up top. They fanned out and Jessica took cover behind a crate, quickly regretting her decision when splinters of wood went flying by her face and her cover disintegrated in the gunfire. "Shit..." She looked around and not far from her, Ghost was taking cover behind a concrete pillar. With a deep breath she darted out beside him, sliding in behind him and taking a moment to collect herself.

"Enemy helo, get down!" cried Ghost, pushing her toward a room near them. They got inside just as the guns began blazing the deck. Jessica's eyes widened and she watched the door. "Are MacTavish and Roach still out there?" she asked.

Ghost gripped her shoulder. "I think so... Stay."

She grasped his wrist. "Don't go out there and get yourself killed, you idiot!"

He shot her a mischievous look. "Aw, why not? You love me or something?"

"In the most platonic way, yeah. Don't die!"

Ghost was about to walk out when Roach backed into the room, a stinger on his shoulder. "MacTavish," called the Sergeant. "Get down!" And in a flash of light, he fired a missile out the door and into the helicopter. 

Ghost slapped Roach on the back. "Nice shot, mate," he said. 

MacTavish interrupted. "Nicely done, Roach; team, the clock's tickin', we've gotta get topside before we call in the Marines."

"Copy that, sir," replied Jessica. She ran out ahead of Ghost and Roach, rounding the rig and going into a room with a stairwell. MacTavish, Ghost and Roach arrived behind her and the Captain turned to the Lieutenant. 

"Split up, we can flank through these hallways," he said.

Ghost nodded and grabbed Jess' shoulder. "C'mon, we're going down."

They raced through the halls within the rig, eliminating foot mobiles as they went. It was oddly uneventful until they came up another set of stairs. Ghost pressed back to shield her as a magazine-worth of bullets bit into the metal frame of the door. She shifted and growled, slipping between his feet to charge outside. "You're in my way, Lieutenant," she barked just as she snagged a tango by the knee and wrenched it so he collapsed to the deck. 

He shot over her shoulder at another pair of soldiers. "I was stopping both of us from getting hurt, shut up!" he retorted.

Gal ripped out the soldier's throat and ran for the next one, laying back on her heels when he disappeared in a cloud of thick, white smoke. "Ah, shit," she grumbled into the com. "They're using smoke screens; you're gonna want to switch to thermal optics, over!" She shifted back and switched the sight on her rifle to see through the smoke. She backed up, hoping to find something to cover her from behind, and flinched when she backed into Ghost, who brushed past her and vanished into the wall of white fog. "... The hell is he doing?" 

There were cries from the enemy and the smoke began to let up. Ghost was spattered with blood and he sheathed a knife on his belt. "Come on, Lone Wolf," came Ghost's call over the com link. "Help me clear a path to that room up ahead. Do you see it?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I gotcha. You look left, I'm gonna stay right." She slapped his back and shot into the smoke, downing a couple of enemy soldiers. They pressed further and further until finally the smoke and cleared and they were at the room, MacTavish and Roach stacking up on the other side of the door. Behind them, Team Two caught up and stacked up at another door around the corner.

"Bravo Six," said Command. "Be advised, hostages have been confirmed at your location, along with possible explosives, over."

"Copy that," said MacTavish. "All teams, check your fire, we don't know what's behind those doors." 

Roach planted the breaching charge and he gave Ghost and Lone a thumbs-up. They braced, and the door blew open. Just as Command had warned, the room was full of C4. Six shots were fired- one for each guard in the room- and not a single bullet went astray. 

"Clear!" Ghost called out. 

MacTavish walked around the room, and checked each hostage. One had a bloody nose from being punched, but otherwise, they were all fine. "Command, this is Bravo Six, all hostages have been secured, I repeat, all hostages have been secured. Movin' to LZ Bravo."

Jessica stared down at one of the guards intently, nudging his limp arm with her boot. For a half-moment, she thought he looked like Yuri. But at the sight of his wrist between his glove and his sleeve, she could see no tattoos. She sighed and Roach tapped her side with his elbow. 

"You coming, Lone?" he asked.

She breathed out a misty breath. "Yeah, I'm coming. Just thought the guy was alive for some reason..."

They exited the room and the Marines landed at the LZ to extract the hostages. MacTavish loaded onto the chopper and waited for the others. "Alright, this is it; we're almost ready to start phase 2." He looked into the horizon. "Ready or not, Prisoner 627, we're comin' for you."