Chapter Text
Ghost finished his scan of the decrepit Complex. No soul in sight, birds the only living things around, but even those were settling into their nests as the night grew darker.
“We go in together, search top to bottom.” The weight of the night vision goggles made his head tilt down ever so slightly as he turned towards his Sergeant, “Wherever the bottom may be.”
They had several buildings to search through, the complex split up into a few warehouses and shacks. Laswell told them to keep their eyes open for any hidden doors that may not be on the blueprints they looked over.
Having done a last check over his Gun, Soap got up from his crouched position besides Ghost.
With a fist-bump against the other’s shoulder, Ghost started walking ahead.
“Remember, keep it quiet Soap.”
----
The buildings had little to show for themselves, scrap and dust scattered about.
Nothing of note or at least nothing that would indicate any illegal supplies stored anywhere. Ghost figured that either the intel was off or that they somehow got wind of their plan and already packed and ran before they showed up.
“Hey Lt. Found some sort’a cellar. Behind that little shack on the north side,” came over Ghost’s radio.
Seems there was a lead for their investigation after all.
“On my way.” Ghost mumbled into the radio before making his way to the described location.
Walking up behind Soap, it seemed his Sergeant was too busy figuring out the padlock to notice him. Quietly, he moved as close as he could, before giving the man a light kick against his boot.
Soap startled, almost falling forwards as he cursed and whipped his head around.
Grinning behind the mask, Ghost crouched down like nothing happened while the man next to him glared menacingly.
Half hidden by the fallen leaves, were two metal doors sunken into the ground. Thick chains wrapped around the handles. Their best guess was that this was the place where they would finally find what they were looking for.
With little ceremony the lock was broken open with Ghost’s bolt cutter and together they lifted the metal panels open. Staring back at them was a long staircase down into darkness.
Giving an unimpressed hum, Ghost nodded his head at the other. “Down we go then. After you Soap.”
Soap pressed out a sigh and carefully stepped down the stairs, keeping his eyes ahead while Ghost was keeping their backs covered.
“Better not be mutated rats or ghouls down there LT.”grumbled Soap, taking extra care not to step into any of the muddy puddles on the steps.
Ghost huffed out an amused noise at the almost child like behaviour of the man. “Really Johnny?”
Drawing up his shoulders dramatically, Soap glanced backwards. “Who knows with these places. Could have radiation leaks from god knows where.”
Once they reached a room at the bottom of the stairs, Ghost stepped past Soap, head shaking lightly. “You watch too much telly. Focus up.”
Scanning the walls, they were surrounded by cold, blank concrete with no sign of anything yet again. “Remember the layouts we looked over?” Ghost turned towards Soap and the man’s head perked up at the question.
“Aye, I do.” The usually so expressive blue eyes hidden behind the night Vision goggles.
“Forget them, this wasn’t on them.” The mirth was clear in Ghost’s voice as he was answered with a groan. “Gotta split up, cover more ground. Meet back here in an hour max.”
With orders clear, Soap gave a quick nod and walked off into the opposite direction of Ghost.
“Don’t let the mutated rats bite your arse Sergeant.” Ghost mused at the other before the silhouette of the man was swallowed up by the mouth of a hallway. Stepping into the darkness ahead, Ghost could vaguely make out some curses the other threw his way and a faint smile played around his lips.
----
Ghost’s head perked up at a muffled noise. Quick scuttles reverberated across the concrete flooring not too far from where he stood.
He figured Soap was well away in some other part of the basement, unlikely he’d get turned around so much that their paths would cross, but with the labyrinthian layout of the place, Ghost couldn’t be sure about it.
Crouching down, he stared at where the noise came from, weapon at the ready in case it actually was a hostile instead of the small critters haunting his every step.
He waited with baited breath for something to happen, another noise or movement in the dark. Nothing but unmoving pale green tinted walls stared back at him.
There weren’t mutated rats or any ghouls like Soap joked, but there sure as hell were normal rats and bugs. Some dead and a few that ever so often made his ears perk up while they were running around somewhere just out of sight. Their scratching dully bouncing off of the thick walls.
With an unhappy twitch of his lip Ghost straightened. The peace and silence wasn’t bad, had his fair share of solo missions before, but his skin was starting to itch from the tension curling around him. Felt like something was tracking him just out of sight.
What irritated him more was that there was nothing to find. The boxes he stumbled upon empty aside from dust. Rooms barren as if never used. Not a hint of anything in the numerous rooms lining the hallway.
There was supposedly activity not even a week ago. The only plausible answer was that someone tipped them off way beforehand and they had already cleaned up everything.
But nothing about that explained the sheer bizarre layout of the cellar. Room after room along the seemingly endless corridors. Dirt smeared as if people used to walk around frequently, but no soul in sight. Too much space for it to be unused like this.
That unshakable feeling that he was being watched despite him checking several times that there was no one else around, not even security cameras.
Everything about this rubbed Ghost the wrong way, but he didn’t survive years in the service just to get spooked by some shadows in the corner of his eye or a weird creaking. Figured he just didn’t sleep well, tired mind playing a few tricks on him.
Continuing down the hallway, he was stopped in his tracks by a voice coming through his headset.
“-ot company here Ghost!” the noise of running accompanying the words, Soap had found trouble.
Ghost barked out, “Moving,” but before he could even start running back to where Soap should be, that scuttle was behind him again.
This time louder, something bigger.
Whipping around, Ghost aimed down the corridor.
Staring into the darkness, it wasn’t just the blank walls looking back at him this time.
He could vaguely make out a dark shape, curled around the corner at the end of the hallway.
Two eyes reflecting in the sea of black. Too high up to be an animal.
A *click* and *hiss* echoed out. Something came flying towards him.
Ghost pulled the trigger. Concrete dust bloomed where the Figure just barely managed to duck behind cover.
A metal canister landed in front of him.
Ignoring the rising smoke from it, Ghost moved swiftly through the white cloud to follow the shadowy apparition. “Contact. Hold tight Soap!” he grunted into his radio.
Reaching the corner where the Enemy came from, he pressed his back against the damp wall. His breathing came out heavier than he liked.
Wetting his lips, it felt like the smoke was clinging to his mask and skin, the unusual smell of it something he couldn’t place. Inhaling any sure isn’t good for his lungs, but it shouldn’t affect him much after minimal exposure.
Glancing back at the rising plume, he wondered what they were trying to achieve by smoking off an empty hallway. If they were just coaxing him to chase deeper into the depths of the complex or had something else up their sleeve.
More concerning though, was that even while Ghost strained his ears, there was no noise other than the hiss of the gas canister, no footsteps, no movement. The enemy either already found a good position to shoot from or managed to get away in mere seconds.
Inching around the corner, he scanned the hallway with his scope.
Nothing.
There were, surprisingly, no doors to run into down the hallway and the next bend was too far away to not cause noise while running there. There was no way they could have gotten away so quickly and quietly.
The thoughts of something supernatural came to Ghost’s mind, but just as quickly it was shooed away. The smoke was there, the odd smell of it stuck to his mask, so that person had to have been real.
A frustrated grumble left Ghost as he pushes off the wall, foot tripping up on a piece of debris.
Glaring at the foggy hallway behind him, he got the nagging feeling that something bad was going on.
‘Focus, the enemy had to have gone somewhere.’ Ghost tried steeling his nerves.
His heartbeat did an unhappy spike as he slowly moved his scope along the walls, keeping his eyes open for any sort of hidden cover.
Removing one hand from his weapon, he pressed down the button of his radio to whisper into it, “Hostile MIA. Smoked off a hallway. Soap, how copy?”
He waited several second for an answer, but the line stayed quiet.
Something bitter churned in his Stomach. He had to find Soap.
Moving along the wall as swiftly and quietly as he could, he breathed out a curse as he almost walked down a corridor without checking around the corners. His brain was being slow, distracted, as if he had a glass too many in the local pub.
Shaking his head, he tried to get his bearings. All it did was make him stagger and Ghost had to steady himself with a hand against the wall.
He stifled an unhappy groan, jaw clenched tight. Looking around too quick has his vision blur around the edges and the sickly green tint made him want to rip the helmet off altogether.
Blinking heavily, dread was slowly settling into Ghost as he felt that something was not right. “Soap, how c-“ He tried again, but was cut off instead.
“Ghost?”
He breathed a sigh of relieve, Soap was still alive, good. He didn’t sound like his usual self though.
Forcing his body to move he felt strained by the sheer effort. “Soap, you broken?”
Every step felt like a chore as he dragged himself along the wall.
“Sergeant, how copy?” He tried sternly, hoping his gruff tone would get through to the other.
“LT…’m...dizzy.”
Cursing under his breath, Ghost tried to move faster. Even his weapon was only half-heartedly raised towards the infinite stretch of concrete surrounding him.
“Johnny, sit tight, I’ll get you,” he tried, voice softer to try and reassure his Sergeant.
The gas…
It couldn’t be toxic or he should already feel his skin burn and lungs fill with blood. Ghost had never heard of any sedative aerosol, but it would be the only logical explanation for why his brain felt so foggy without any obvious wound.
Who knew what some chemists could come up with while being sponsored by some of the most vile people. The thought of this complex not just being used as a stash, but production and testing facility made his skin crawl.
Not that it matter who or how once his legs were starting to fail him.
Stars danced in his vision.
Skin prickling with heat and numbness at the same time.
Ghost tried, he did, but as the world spun around him, his effort meant little.
He didn’t even feel his knees make contact with the floor once his vision went black.