"So, tell me about em'.", you asked while sneaking through a wall of branches and green.

Behind you, Price hummed.

"Who?", he asked in a dry manner.

It was obvious that he tried to dodge any kind of conversation with you. But even he had to admit that at some point the captain of a team, no matter what team, needed to know their own people. At least to some extend.

Swallowing a teasing comment, you took a deep breath and tried again.

"What is your opinion on the two?", you asked, forcing yourself to be calm and civil for once. "Tell me about the sergeant. You've worked with him before, no?"

"I did. He's one of my own men."

"Because he's British?"

"Because I made him join my task force."

You frowned.

"Laswell never told me you're a captain in own action."

"The task force is for loose ends. If there aren't any, then we don't exist."

Understanding, you hummed.

"A man for demand.", you said to yourself before facing him with a boyish grin. "Also a man in demand?"

He stopped, eyes filled with annoyance and tilted his head to look at you.

Snorting, you shrugged it off and turned away to move on.

Now that you had tested the waters it was good to know that he was easy to tease. It made you feel like you had some sort of power over him.

With a satisfied smirk on your face you kept on walking until a wall of branches blocked the way. You pushed some aside to peak through while still staying hidden.

Without any order or comment, Price settled behind you and raised his gun for defence. That way he was aiming straight over your shoulder and could react in a quick, flawless manner even if you missed to notice a threat.

You pulled out some binoculars to check the situation.

The sounds of the fight were louder now, almost in reach. But judging by the many pauses, long and entirely calm, it wasn't a full on battle.

At least not yet.

"Echo 3-1 you copy?", you asked over the radio.

For a moment, silence answered. Then something clicked.

"Echo 3-1 is listening.", Alex replied, breathing heavily.

Alarmed by the sound of this uneven breath, you threw a quick glance over your shoulder to meet Price's eyes for reassurance.

With raised eyebrows he nodded, indicating that your thoughts were indeed a possibility.

"What's your status, Echo?", you asked.

Alex took a deep breath.

"Encountered enemy forces, captain.", he said. "Gaz took out a man. We identified him as a low ranked officer. Affiliation unknown."

"Captain.", Gaz joined in. "It is safe to say that the forces are part of a terrorist organisation."

Price started listening.

"Al-Qatala?", he asked and looked at you to gain some insider information.

With your lips pressed into a thin line you shook your head.

"Keep pushing forward, sergeant.", you ordered. "Captain out."

Immediately after sending them their further instructions, you turned off your radio, turned around and did the same to the one that Price had strapped to his chest.

Confused, he demanded an answer.

But you turned to the side to push on through the forest.

"I'll say this once and only once, beanie, so listen to me closely.", you said as you slid down to a lower level of the area. "Laswell didn't give me shit on intel. Nothing. Empty hands."

He hummed.

"Sounds like Laswell."

"Fuck it does. But I think I know why I'm on this team. Don't get me wrong, I'm a good solider, but running around and saving some minor base in the middle of nowhere usually isn't part of my job."

"Go on."

"For the past few months I've been investigating about a new terror organisation."

"Middle Eastern?"

"No."

He stopped, eyes narrowed.

"Russians?", he asked, as if those were the only two possible answers. "Or do we have some Chinese on our hands?"

You shook your head.

"I'm not sure yet, intel is classified so you're not even allowed to know. But I'll tell you now, you might need to shoot some of your own people."

Shock lit up inside his eyes.

"Brits?"

"Europeans. Americans. We don't know yet. Either way, not your typical type of terrorist.", you stopped at the edge of the forest, staying hidden inside the shadows, and checked your gun. "Get ready. We might need to defend camp."

He took position to your right, back pressed against the trunk of a tree.

The way his body reacted showed that he was ready to jump into combat. But the shimmer inside his icy blue eyes gave away that he was driven by curiosity now.

"At least tell me what we're doing here, eh?", he said in a surprisingly calm manner.

There was no mockery nor the will to start a fight in those words. He just wanted to know for his own safety.

With a sigh, you stepped back to gain more security before meeting his eyes again.

"Truth be told, that camp is useless in every way.", you admitted with a bitter grin. "But there's a guy, some high ranked asshole who has good information about American guns and European forces. He's a diplomat or some sort of thing, working for NATO."

"Means he's neutral to both sides.", Price mentioned.

You nodded, satisfied.

"I love a man who's got the guts and the brains, pretty Price.", you purred. "That guy is worth double. We need to get him out of here, maybe make some hostages. Anything that gives us intel is worth something."

Understanding, he nodded and turned his radio on.
But before his fingers could press the buttons to send a signal, you grabbed them.

With a serious look on your face you stared into his eyes.

"Just so we're on the same page...", you said. "Neither of them has to know. Not yet. Maybe never. Those were sensitive information that aren't confirmed yet."

Calmly, he examined your face.

"Guess we've got a little secret then.", he said and gifted you his lipless smile with the crunched nose. "Just the two of us."

A snort escaped you.

"You charming bastard.", you huffed.