NOVA
=== ==== ==== ====
06/06/2002 - 8am
Phoenix, Arizona
Redhawk Base
==== ==== ==== ====

I've made a point of not speaking to Leo since our little sparring match a few days ago. To my devastation, he won.

And also, to my devastation, he wasn't wrong about me being distracted. Having him right on top of me with my wrists pinned above my head.
Only a blind person would be able to think that he isn't attractive, but then he opens that fucking, arrogant mouth.

Looks? Devastatingly appealing. Personality? Hideous.

We've stayed out of each others way, apart from shared angry glares on the off chance our eyes meet, push and shoves if we're walking past each other.

"I'm hoping you're all prepared." North questions us as we stand in a line. He's pacing up and down, analysing us intensely.

"We are. We've decided to push in around 1am, we've identified entry and exit points. We're going to beach from the Southeast side. Nolan, Oliver and Price are going to pass intel about insurgent whereabouts. Mulvey is going to be positioned with the sniper rifle. Me, Hendrix and Devlin are going to go straight in for the assault on Ramirez's location. On the chance he runs out back, Banksy and Lowe are going to wait in cover for him. Once he's been neutralised, the rest of us are going to rig the place with timed explosives, ready to detonate for when we're headed to evacuation." I speak up to him confidently. North nods, not seeming to find any flaws.

"I've spoken with the Colombian Officials. They're going to lend a chopper for Marcus to operate; you'll all retreat when necessary, hopefully with the target in custody. Rosa and Elijah, you'll both be waiting on there, prepared to treat any injuries as soon as possible. Going to be located in the open space of greenery to the west, I've circled it on your map. They're aware of your arrival in EOH airport. They won't intercept, you'll all be transported straight from the runway immediately. We've got a safe house in La Castellana, you'll all stay there until it's time to push in. When the mission is complete, we will aim to get you out of the country as soon as possible."

We all nod in unison, North claps his hands together. "Well, no time to waste. It's a four and a half hour flight. Marcus will transport you all to Phoenix Sky Harbour. You'll be flown out on the Hercules. Any more questions?"

We all shake our heads. The atmosphere is tense. There's always a chance of death with these type of things. With a satisfied expression on his face, North waves over to Marcus; signalling it's time for us to leave.

=================
06/06/2002 - 11am
C-130 Hercules

Nobody says a word for the first hour of the flight. Tara seems to be fiddling with the scope of her rifle. Leo hasn't looked in my direction all day. On the off chance our eyes meet, he just grimaces and looks away. I shift around on the hard, uncomfortable chair. Banksy glimpses over at me. "You alright there, Shields? You're fidgeting."

"Yeah, fine. Just going over the plan in my head for the 80th time." I chuckle slightly. He grins.

"The plan is promising. We're pretty prepared for all worst case scenarios, just 'gotta hope nobody gets killed off!" He teases jokingly. I nod my head in response, when he suddenly shifts a little closer and lowers his tone of voice, causing me to narrow my eyes.

"Look, I don't mean to invade. You don't have to answer; but what is this whole hostility between you and Hendrix? He mentioned something about you both working together in '99." He speaks with genuine intrigue.

I heave out a sigh before responding.

"It was a mission in Santa Elena that spanned over a few days. A few members from different groups got paired up. Leo and I were put in charge. It was a targeted killing, leader of a terrorist group that was petrifying a neighbourhood. They'd organised a massacre, we had to foil it before it could take place."

I look down at my twiddling fingers as I recall it. "From the get go, Me and Leo just couldn't cooperate well together. Everything he said I disagreed with, vice versus. When we where planning the raid, we even went as far as getting physically aggressive with each other a few times, getting in each others faces as though we were about to come to blows. Got separated before that, though." I chuckle slightly.

"The terrorist's base was a run down apartment complex that they'd managed to chase the locals from. Plan was, we'd all enter and push upwards until he had no escape route. Didn't think that there'd be a ladder on the roof."

"Anyway, when we managed to push to the top floor, we'd had no sight of our target. 'Headed out to a balcony and saw him making his escape down a ladder at the side. When I was aiming my rifle to shoot him off, Leo knocked into it; accident or not, I don't know. I dropped it and it got jammed. I couldn't get it fixed in time. Target got to the bottom of the ladder, Leo reloaded his rifle and finished him off in the nick of time. We had a heated argument after that. He put the blame on me, I put it on him. Swore we despised each other. Promised to make sure we never have to work together again."

"And, here we are now. Stuck as partners." I finish, breathing out a long sigh.

Banksy was just listening intently, looking at his feet. "Christ, sounds intense..." He mumbles before looking back up at me. "Hopefully a similar thing doesn't happen this time." He chuckles, earning a nod from me.

"Yeah, I fucking hope not."

==============
06/06/2002 - 4pm
La Castellana Safe House
Colombia
==============

I feel like a fucking senior with my back ache right now. Sitting upright on a metal chair for 4 and a half hours wasn't exactly luxurious.

Everyone's mainly going through their rounds of ammo, the medics are going through their supplies. I've got a map splayed in front of me, working through the best route to get to the chopper. I feel somebody lingering over me, and looking up, I'm unfortunately met by Leo's hardened gaze.

"Remember what I said." He mumbles in a warning tone of voice, crouching down to my seated position.

"Oh just fuck off, Leo. Stop trying to throw me off track just because you want an excuse to be a prick to me." I hiss. He rolls his dark eyes.

"If it goes wrong, I know what your plan is. You'll put the blame on me, just like in Santa Elena." He mutters.

"Are you being serious right now? I put the blame on you because it was your fucking fault. You knocked your fat ass into my rifle, making me drop it. Looking back, I'm pretty sure it was on purpose, wasn't it? You wanted the satisfaction of getting the final shot. You scheming piece of shit." My voice comes out in a low growl. He chuckles in disbelief and shakes his head.

"You really are a delusional waste of space here, Nova." He utters.

I roll my eyes in frustration. "Say all you want, but believe me. If this mission goes to plan, I will make sure to take success as my own." I warn him.

He glares at me with a hardened expression before standing back upright and walking away to talk to Jed. Tara Mulvey takes his space next to me once he's out of earshot.

"Arrogant, isn't he?" She mumbles, looking over and to where he walked off.

"Tell me about it. He's such a damn bastard." I sigh under my breath, she gives my arm a light, friendly slap.

"Well, if you want to know the truth; I prefer you to him." She chuckles, earning one out of me as well.

"Has he seriously acted like this for the whole 4 years he co-captained you guys? How has nobody shot him by now." I utter.

I don't think I could stand being beneath him in the ranks, I can't even stand being his co-captain.

Mulvey thinks for a second before she shakes her head. "Honestly? No. He's usually tolerable. Arrogant, but not the complete asshole he's been since you touched down." She remarks, in complete honesty by the looks of things. "Banksy explained the situation to me after you spoke to him about it. If it was on purpose; the whole 'knocking the rifle out of your hands', that's a damn shitty thing to do. Especially on an important mission." She sounds annoyed on my behalf.

"On purpose or not, he'd never admit to it. He's way too stubborn for that." I murmur, looking back down at the map in front of me. Mulvey follows my gaze and points to a location on it.

"That's where I'm headed, the roof of that car park we spoke about. Did some more research, seems like it hasn't been used for a few years because of issues with the ground. I shouldn't face any problems getting up there." She stated, earning a satisfied expression from me.

"Yeah, that sounds promising. Will you be able to make it to the location of the chopper when necessary, d'ya think?"

"Mhm, the car park isn't far from the greenery itself anyway. I'll radio you any updates if I get held back for some reason."

Breathing out a small sigh of contentment with the plan, I glanced around the room. Some of the group where now laying down on their tactical gear. Trying to get some sleep before this didn't seem like an awful idea, so, I followed suit.

It's going to be a hell of a long night, after all.