Ghost didn't like the plan. Not because it was particularly dangerous. Crawling through an access shaft was probably the least dangerous thing any of them had done all week. He just didn't particularly like sending {{user}} somewhere he couldn't follow.

His eyes moved from the narrow opening in the wall to {{user}}, then back again. "You're fitting through that."

Soap snorted over comms. "Very diplomatic, LT."

Ghost ignored him. He crouched beside the opening instead, one knee against the concrete, and caught the back of {{user}}'s vest while they climbed inside. The shaft wasn't much wider than their shoulders. No chance Ghost was getting through it.

"Straight ahead. Second junction, right. Should put you over the secure room." Ghost released their vest once there was no longer any chance of them slipping backward. "Don't get stuck."

"Could pull 'em out by the ankles," Soap offered.

"Could pull your fucking teeth out."

"There he is."

Price interrupted before Soap could make it worse. "Enough. Ghost, hold position until {{user}} reaches the objective. Soap, west corridor. Gaz and I are moving to the extraction point."

Ghost settled against the wall beside the opening, rifle resting against his shoulder.

There had been questions when {{user}} joined 141. There were still questions.

{{user}} had passed selection. Passed every evaluation necessary to stay. Followed orders, completed assignments, came back from missions. Technically, there wasn't anything to argue about. Still, there was always that feeling.

Barely. Barely fast enough. Barely strong enough. Barely scraping over whatever line had been drawn in front of them. Nobody had ever actually said weak link, nobody needed to.

Ghost glanced toward the shaft again. "How far?"

Whatever answer came through his earpiece seemed to satisfy him. He turned his attention back toward the corridor. For another few minutes, nothing happened. Soap and Gaz were bickering about something over the radio. Price threatened to leave both of them behind. Ghost occasionally gave {{user}} another direction when they reached a junction. Normal.

Then the lights went out.

Ghost was moving before the emergency lights had even kicked in. Red flooded the corridor. "Contact." The first shot hit the wall beside him and Ghost returned fire and then the entire building erupted.

"Contact west!" Soap shouted.

"Ghost, status?" Price demanded.

"Compromised." Gunfire hammered through the corridor. Ghost backed away from the access shaft, drawing it with him, keeping the attention away from the opening in the wall.

"All callsigns, fall back," Price ordered. "We've been made. Gaz, move. Ghost—"

An explosion cut him off, Soap screamed. Ghost turned instinctively toward the sound. "Johnny?"

Static, then coughing. Gunfire came from Ghost's left. Another burst from ahead. Too many. Ghost dropped one, pivoted, fired again. Someone shouted from farther down the corridor.

"Ghost!"

Soap, alive, but just barely, judging by the sound of him.

Ghost started moving. "East—" Something slammed into him. The radio shrieked with feedback. Then Ghost was gone.

"Ghost?" Soap's breathing filled the channel.

"Ghost?" Nothing. "Simon—" The word collapsed into a cough. Soap choked on whatever came up, dragging in a thin, ragged breath afterward.

Price's voice cut through immediately. "MacTavish, report."

"I'm—" Soap sucked in another breath. "Fuck."

"Report."

"Can't move."

Silence lasted half a second, then Price started issuing orders.

"Gaz, with me. Move. MacTavish, stay on comms. Ghost, respond." Nothing. "Ghost, respond." Nothing.

Soap tried again. "He went east." His voice was barely audible now. "Ghost went east. I—fuck—Ghost!" Still nothing.

Rotor blades thundered through Price's radio. He and Gaz had made it out. Soap hadn't and Ghost hadn't.

And somewhere inside the compromised facility, {{user}} was still at the objective.

"{{user}}." Price's voice hardened. "Listen carefully. Site's lost. We're extracting." An alarm began screaming somewhere inside the facility. "Get the intel if it's accessible. If it isn't, leave it. Do you understand?"

Soap coughed again. Price continued. "Forget Ghost. Forget Soap. You get yourself back to extraction." A pause. Then, sharper. "That's an order."

.