Keegan took out his pistol and said casually, "Ever heard of Russian Roulette?" I remained silent because I didn't care.

Keegan continued, "Seems like you want to play the mute today." He aimed the gun at me and pulled the trigger. There was no bullet in the chamber. I didn't flinch; I just kept staring at him with those lifeless eyes left in me.

Keegan went on, "First round survived." He aimed again and pulled the trigger, "Second round survived." He aimed again, but this time, with the certainty that a bullet would hit me, he aimed at my arm and pulled the trigger.

It hit me. I flinched slightly and bit my lip to suppress a scream. I glared at him with anger in my eyes.

He looked back at me, his head slightly tilted to the side. He seemed intrigued by my lack of reaction.
Keegan pressed against my injured arm, causing excruciating pain and making more blood flow out. I lowered my head, unable to bear the sight of his ugly mask.

With an even colder tone than before, Keegan asked, "Are you a traitor?" My hands clenched into fists, and I screamed, "NO, DAMMIT!"

Keegan seemed unbothered by my outburst. He leaned in closer, his face inches away from mine, and said menacingly, "You better start talking, or the next round won't be a blank."

I simply said " Fuck you"

Keegan simply looked at me.

As someone familiar opened the door. The face was recognizable.
I said in a cheerful tone, "Laswell!"

She nodded at me with a smile and turned to Keegan, saying, "Sergeant, their innocence has been proven with the file. The detention is now lifted, and their names cleared."

I let out a deep breath of relief.
Keegan only nodded and unlocked my handcuffs. By now, my arm was covered in blood, and I couldn't move it properly.
Keegan walked out of the room and said to me, "Come to the doctor here."

I dryly replied, "I can manage on my own."

Keegan, with a more serious tone, insisted, "Immediately."

Laswell chimed in, "Yn, you should be treated. Your arm doesn't look good."

Yn, in a sarcastic tone, replied, "I wonder why."
I made my way towards the doctor's office. I knew where it was, and Keegan followed closely behind.

Yn coldly remarked, "Do you want to be my babysitter now?"

Keegan replied, "Just keep moving."

We arrived at the doctor's office. Keegan leaned against the wall, observing me. The doctor removed the bullet from my arm, and it was excruciating to feel the probing of the tweezers in my flesh. He cleaned the wound before stitching it up and applying a bandage.

I nodded and stood up.

We headed back to the interrogation room, and I saw Price: "Price!"

Price turned to me, surprised by the wound. "What happened?"
The question didn't need to be answered, as he noticed the person responsible standing behind me, and his expression turned angry. And one thing you never want in life is to face Price's anger.

He said with a stern tone, "Let's go, everyone. Back to our headquarters."
I nodded and followed him, along with Soap and Rudolfo.

And so, we made our way back to the headquarters, our spirits still heavy with the weight of the past events. As we made our way back to the headquarters, the tension in the air was palpable. Captain Price's anger was evident, and none of us dared to speak.

Once we reached the headquarters, the atmosphere shifted from one of hostility to a somber determination. We gathered in a meeting room, and Captain Price addressed us all.

"Listen up," he began, his voice commanding attention. "We've been through hell, and it's not over yet. We've been framed for crimes we didn't commit, and we need to clear our names and expose the real traitors behind all of this."

Soap, Rudolfo, and I nodded, fully aware of the gravity of the situation. The weight of the mission ahead was daunting, but we were soldiers, and we had to fight for the truth.

Captain Price continued, "We need to regroup, strategize, and gather all the evidence we can find to prove our innocence. Laswell, you have connections with the CIA. Get all the information you can, and we'll form a plan to take down General Shepherd and Makarov once and for all."

Laswell nodded firmly, "I'll do everything I can to get the evidence we need. But remember, this won't be easy. We'll be going up against powerful forces, and they won't hesitate to try and silence us."

"We've faced worse odds," Soap chimed in, a fire in his eyes. "And we've come out on top. We won't stop until we've exposed the truth and avenged our fallen comrades."

Price nodded, his expression resolute. "That's the spirit. Remember, we're a team, and we look out for each other. We'll do whatever it takes to get justice for Ghost, Alejandro, and Gaz."

I looked around the room at my comrades, united in purpose and determination. We had been through so much together, and I knew we could overcome whatever obstacles lay ahead.

I turned to Laswell and asked, "Any news on Makarov's location?"

Laswell nodded and replied, "According to our informants, he is in Chicago, in a devastated area where former mafia leaders destroyed the city through their war."

I nodded and looked at Price, "What's our next move?"

Price thought for a moment and said, "A new operation could be launched against Makarov."

Laswell chimed in, "I'll immediately get the operation approved by our superiors." She hurriedly left the room and closed the door behind her.

I stared at the pictures of Makarov and Shepherd on the table. My thirst for revenge was burning inside me.

Soap tapped me on the shoulder and said, "We should take a little break before Laswell returns."

Price nodded and added, "Until Laswell gets back, you're all free."

I left the room and walked towards my quarters. As I walked, I passed by Ghost's room. My heart felt heavy. I stopped and contemplated going inside. Finally, I decided to enter.

I opened the door with a heavy heart and saw the dark room. I turned on the light. No soul in sight.

I had a faint hope that he would be there, sitting at his desk with a glass of bourbon, smiling at me, inviting me in.

I closed the door and looked at his medals and his comrades' photos. My eyes locked onto a picture he must have taken of me while I was sleeping next to him. A tear rolled down my cheek, and I clutched the photo tightly as I fell into a sitting position and wept. He was gone, and no one could replace him in my heart.

♤♤♤

I took a deep breath and wiped away my tears. I grabbed a few of Ghost's clothes from the closet, along with some of his masks, and walked out of his room into mine. My room felt cold and empty after being away for weeks.

I placed the items on the chair and headed straight to the bathroom to shower. The hot water flowed down, washing away the dirt and grime. I scrubbed everything off me. I shaved and brushed my teeth, looking at my reflection in the mirror.

I had changed, both physically and emotionally, but I didn't care.

I combed and tied my hair up in a ponytail, braiding the rest. I put on one of Ghost's hoodies. It was bigger than I expected, and his scent still lingered.

I wore my jeans and prepared a Ghost mask for myself. I felt like a new person, barely recognizing myself in the mirror. I took my photos out of the old bulletproof vest and placed them on the top of my dresser. Ghost's photo was placed next to my bed.

I walked out of the room and saw Soap, who looked fresh as well. We both noticed each other's transformation and a smile formed on my lips.

Soap said, "Let's go to the cafeteria."
I nodded and followed him.

He looked at me and then sadly said, "Is that Ghost's hoodie?"

I nodded.

He looked ahead as he walked and continued in a sad l
tone, "I lost my best friend."

I replied, "And I lost my best friend and my lover."

He rubbed his face briefly, seemingly holding back his tears.

We entered the cafeteria. By now, everyone in the military knew us as the "traitors." They gave us sideways glances as we grabbed our food and sat at a table.

One of the soldiers had to make a stupid comment, saying, "Well, look who it is, the traitors eating here."

Even though our names were cleared, there were still fools who believed we were the real traitors.

Soap stood up, and it was the first time I saw such anger in him. He said in a dangerously low tone, "What did you say?" His hands slowly clenched into fists.

The other soldier behind the first one chimed in, "Yeah, you heard right. Or is your ear filled with traitorous dirt?"
And then it happened. Soap walked towards them and landed a punch. The soldier fell to the ground but quickly got up, wiping the blood from his mouth, and said, "You scum."

I stood up, too, and watched as the soldier behind them tried to dishonorably attack Soap. Two against one? How despicable. I blocked the soldier's punch aimed at Soap and twisted his arm, glaring at him with cold eyes.

I said, "So, you like unfair games, huh? Well, I must inform you that I'm not a fan of such things. And to top it off, attacking two sergeants? You will be reported for this." I twisted his arm even more, and he let out a scream.

I kicked him in the back before releasing him, placing my hands in my pockets and speaking in a deadly tone to both of them, "Either you leave now and never come near us again, or we'll beat you to death."

Fear was evident on both soldiers' faces. One of them stood up and signaled his friend to leave, and they ran out of the cafeteria.

Everyone in the cafeteria stared at us in silence. I looked around, my eyes filled with anger, and said, "Anyone else who sees us as traitors?"

No one answered.

I nodded and sat back down at the table, and Soap joined me.