"GHOST WILL lead the ship assault team. Graves, Soap, Miller, and Alejandro will engage the oil rig and disarm the missile. All shooters will give no quarter. You are to eliminate all threats."

The task ahead felt daunting to Ellie. Going to the Gulf of Mexico to a cartel-ran dead drop that is housed in an inactive oil rig. The water wasn't going to be kind. And it was already storming badly in Las Almas, so the weather didn't keep the waves or rain at bay. They believe the cartel has a missile there in a large container, just like the one they recovered in Al-Mazrah. This will be the second one if they can recover or destroy it. 

The third one is still pending location. 

The lightning is loud and Ellie has her hands gripped on the side of the boat as it treks through unforgiving water. Her heart is racing with adrenaline. The encounter with Ghost that morning didn't help any. The water in the Gulf is biting and she feels like she's about at her limit. 

She's just praying that this mission will go better than her August one. Every time she steps out with a team she hopes for that. As their boat pulls up to the side of the rig, they hook up their propel ropes and she finds herself inside and raises her assault rifle to her shoulder.

They stealthily move throughout the rig, Ellie shooting down any Al-Qatala fighters she comes across. They clear their section quickly and she, Soap, and Phillip move to a stairwell. The metal steps are wet with the rain, hitting their faces with sharp precision. 

They make it to the top, Ghost coming over comms and saying his boat is now boarding the rig. Flares go up and it becomes clear that they might be running out of time.

"I think they're about to launch that missile," Ellie urges. After that statement, the top rises off the blue cargo container they were coming to disengage, the missile pointing up to the sky. 

Graves yells over the storm and gunfire. "It's the first stage! There's still time!

He sends Shadows in, the rest of the team forcing up and being met with more fire. If they get that missile launched, they're screwed. Ellie tosses a grenade through a window. She motions for Soap and they begin another ascent up metal stairs to get inside the center where the missile is sitting on top of. 

They stop at the entrance to a hallway and shoot down three hostiles. Soap goes in with Ellie behind him. They stop to check a doorway and are met with not-so-friendly fire. Bullets hit Ellie's vest with a stinging impact and made her lose her breath. She shoots the hostile in the head and Soap grabs her arm before she falls. 

"Gizmo's down!" he shouts over the radio, Ellie trying to stand. "Hang tight, Ellie!"

"What's your location, Soap?" Ghost demands. "Where is she?"

"It's just my vest," Ellie says, breathing heavily. "I'm fine." She groans and shuts her eyes. It hurts. 

"Ellie," Soap warns. She watches as his eyes trail down to her waist. When she looks down, there's blood on her side and on the hand he has on her. When he moves it, she sees the bullet wound. 

Her adrenaline had been pumping so hard she didn't even notice. At that moment, all she sees are blown-up trucks and dead Shadow Company members lying scattered on the road. She's taken back to one of the worst times of her life. 

"No," she breathes out, shaking her head as Soap grabs something to press on her wound. "No, I can't do this. I can't go back there again."

Soap looks up, seeing how Ellie is sitting right there but somewhere far away from him. Her eyes don't even seem like they are recognizing where she is at. 

"Ellie's hit," Soap calls over the radio again.

"Get topside, MacTavish!" Graves orders. 

"I gotta stay with Ellie," Soap calls back. 

A figure charges through the corridor and Soap raises his gun but lowers it when he sees who it is. Ghost comes in and kneels beside Ellie, pressing hard on the fabric over the wound. It's already starting to get soaked. 

"I'm good," she tells him shakily.

Ghost glares at her. "Soap, go up top. Help the team. We'll head up in a second."

He nods and races off, Ghost silent as they hear that the rig is secure but that the controls to the missile aren't in the container, but on the ship that's anchored out on the perimeter. 

"We need to move," Ellie groans, placing a shaking hand on the wall. 

Ghost hooks his arm underneath hers and helps her stand, gripped onto her tight as they start to move. He presses down the button on his radio. "All stations! Visual on the missile controls. I say again, missile controls are on the bridge."

They're moving to the ship while Alejandro and his men take overwatch, moving away from the rig. Ghost helps Ellie strap onto the rope and get into the small boat without issue. She hisses at the pain. When he lands beside her, the soldier driving lurches their boat forward and races to the cargo ship that has the controls. Each bump makes her jaw clench tighter. 

"Easy, solider!" Ghost yells at the man while Graves radios they're on their way to his position. His eyes are murderous. 

"I can't control the waves, Lieutenant!" the soldier named Grady calls back in a shaking voice.

Shots ring out as they get closer, Ellie feeling Ghost's body weight on top of her as Grady maneuvers the boat as best he can to avoid shots. 

"Solid copy! We're taking effective fire! The LZ will be hot!" Ghost shouts to Graves over the radio. He raises his gun and shoots down the fighters in seconds. He clips to the rope and looks back to Ellie. "Stay here. That's an order."

He goes up the rope and she shakes her head. "Over my dead body," she mutters, standing and making Grady's eyes go wide.

"He told you to stay!" 

She whips her head to him as she clicks her hook to the rope. "It's better to ask forgiveness than permission." 

As she raises up the cargo ship, she hears Grady shout, "He's not the guy I'd test that with!"

When she gets to the top, containers are sliding around with the rocking of the ship, the waves monstrous now. Gunfire is ringing out left and right and she is just trying to find the bridge where the controls are. She moves forward, spotting and shooting down AQ hostiles. 

She hides behind a container from gunfire, jumping out of the way when a rogue container slides her way. She moves just in time, it hitting with a thud beside her. Ellie does not want to get caught in between that. She comes into contact with quite a few fighters. 

"Moving up!" Ellie calls over the radio. She hopes Ghost won't even realize it's her.

"Ellison, I gave you orders!"  

So much for that.

"Get to the bridge if you can, Ellie!" Graves says with urgency in his words. 

"You don't listen to Graves anymore, Miller, you listen to your Lieutenant! Get back to Grady!"

Phillip argues back over the gunfire. "She listens to Actual, Ghost! His orders are clear. Stop. The. Launch!"

"She'll bleed out before she gets there, Graves!"

"I'm pushing toward the entry now," Ellie calls over the radio. 

She stumbles back and forth, pushing through gunfire and the rocking ship. She's soaked head to toe but she finally makes it to the door. A hostile comes in, Ellie not hesitating once as she pulls her trigger. Feeling a presence behind her, she whirls around with the gun pointed, gasping when Ghost stands behind her. 

"Don't think we won't be discussing this later," he growls at her, pushing forward with her behind him. They make it to the entrance. It's barricaded. Ghost curses over the radio. "They've closed off bridge entry!"

"Secure the deck and we'll blow the door!" Graves replies.

Ghost groans and starts shooting when the hostiles come near. His eyes are unkind as he says, "Clear," over the radio. Soon Soap and Phillip make their way to them. 

Phillip runs his eyes over Ellie's body and stops when he sees the bloody fabric over her gunshot wound. Shaking his head, he hands C4 to Soap who then sticks it to the door of the bridge entrance. Soap presses the trigger for the bomb.

"Stand back!" Phillip says to them. Over the radio, he informs the team, "This is Shadow 0-1. Going explosive on bridge entry."

Ghost backs up, gripping Ellie's arm in his hand and taking her back with him. After it detonates, Phillip pulls the door open and they move in. Ellie starts feeling lightheaded but pushes in any way. They clear the area and finally make it to the controls. They had to secure two floors to get up there. Ellie's side is burning. 

"Alright, eyes on the controls, tapping in," Phillip says as they gather around the control board. He messes with the tablet, urging it to work. He curses. "We can't disarm it," he grumbles, brows furrowed in anger. 

Ellie's mouth slacks, Ghost demanding, "Why?"

"It's too late!" Graves shouts. 

"There's no abort code?" Soap asks.

Phillip sighs, sounding beside himself as he replies, "Yeah, well, the windows closed on that, boys."

"We'll have to launch it," Ellie says, handing gripping her side. "Call Shepherd."

Phillip radios in, Shepherd echoing Ellie's sentiments. He gets Soap to help him get ready to launch. It's a two-man job. Ellie loses almost all strength as she limps to a chair and plops down in it.

"Miller," Ghost urges. She knows he's gonna chew her out later. "Don't get up from that seat until I tell you to."

She nods at him, blinking slowly. "Yes, sir."

He goes back to Soap and Phillip who are about to do a DAL code — Detonate-After-Launch. Ghost orders Alejandro and the rest of the shadows to clear the rig. They don't want to be on that when it goes. 

They get the code in and Ellie squints when the missile burns bright in the air before turning back and landing on the rig. The blast rocks the cargo ship and she groans, covering her ears. She can hear Phillip's loud excitement at the explosion. 

After they check if Alejandro is okay, Phillip goes over the radio. "Gold Eagle Actual, Shadow 0-1. Good hit. Good hit. Missle and rig destroyed."

"Copy that, Shadow 0-1. Good work. Get off that X and go home. Soap, Miller, Ghost — Thanks for a job well done."

"We're RTB, men," Ghost announces to the rest of the team on comms. "We need medics ready and available for Miller's GSW upon arrival."

At his words, Phillip turns, going to Ellie and kneeling in front of her in the chair. "Ellison, you good?"

She glares at him. "I feel as good as I look."

He laughs and replies, "Still making jokes, huh? I'll take the heat — means you're conscious and alive."

When they arrive back, they all pile into the cars to head back to Alejandro's base. Ghost patched Ellie up as best he could till they got back to the base. His stitch work isn't perfect, but at least the bullet went clean through. She'd kill for a shot of whiskey right about now. It is still pouring rain. She sits in between Soap and Ghost with Alejandro in the passenger seat, just like when they arrived. Graves is in the car in front of them. A Shadow drives each vehicle. 

"Alejandro," she croaks, throat dry. "You got any tequila or anything back at the base?"

He laughs. "Probably not, but I think I can make sure you get some." He turns and gives her a proud nod. "You did well today. Hang in there, Ellie. We're almost there."

She smiles weakly, resting her head back, trying to stay awake and comfortable. "I'm just glad Ghost ain't driving this thing."

That causes Soap and Alejandro to laugh, Ghost peering down at her. He retorts, "You wouldn't be in this position if you would have followed orders." It's obvious he's still taking her disobedience personally.

She winces. "Ouch. You're not gonna hold back, are you? Not even while I'm wounded?"

"Negative."

The gates of the base finally come into view, but at the check-in, Phillip steps out of the car as it stops, armed Shadows already standing at the gate. Their driver gets out and holds up his weapon. Alejandro snarles while stepping out of the vehicle immediately.

Ellie tries to sit up, and Soap and Ghost get out. She follows them, Ghost holding out a hand for her to stay put. "Please," she whispers, groaning as she pulls herself out. She stands beside Ghost, armed Shadow behind them. Alejandro is looking at Phillip so angrily, that Ellie shuffles on her feet. 

"What's this?" Alejandro demands, throwing his hand up in the air towards the men at the gate. 

Phillip sighs, a light smile on his face as he answers. "This is the immediate future."