As I woke up, my eyes felt heavy, and my throat was dry, but I could hear the monitor beeping. My head throbbed, and a nurse hurried to my side, checking my pupils and relaying something to the doctor before I lost consciousness again.

When I woke up once more, I felt better, likely due to the pain medication they had administered. I saw Price next to me, his head lowered, a bandage wrapped around his forehead. He looked exhausted. Suddenly, the memories of the events flooded back, and I became fully alert, trying to sit up.

Price looked at me with a mix of relief and surprise, exclaiming, "Yn!"

Tears streamed down my face, and I said, "Price, Soap and Rudolfo are dead, only us remaining."

He clenched his fists, looking down once more. I cried and cried, grief and sorrow overwhelming me.

Price stood up with a sad expression, gently touching my shoulder, and said, "You need to rest."

I held onto his arm, tears still streaming down my face, and asked with a trembling voice, "How long was I out?"

He replied, "Three days."

In shock, I continued, "And Zion?!"

His expression turned serious, and he said, "He's out there in the military yard, tied up, and everyone's throwing things at him. I saved him for you."

I nodded and let my head sink back against the pillow, saying, "Thank you."

Price nodded in return and walked away.

I was now alone with my thoughts. Why was my destiny so harsh and tragic? Only Price and I were left, and whether we'd survive long enough to capture Makarov and Shepherd was uncertain. I called for a nurse.

She came to me and asked, "Yes?"

I inquired, "How long do I have to stay here?"

She checked my medical records and replied with a serious tone, "At least one week."

Feeling impatient, I said, "I can't stay here that long!"

She looked at me, then down at my condition, and skeptically said, "You can leave earlier, but whether it's a good idea is another matter."

I attempted to stand up. It was painful, the sniper shot and the stab had taken their toll, but I could walk and move my arms.

She looked shocked and asked, "You want to leave now?"

I nodded and said, "Thank you for your service." I removed the IV from my arm and took some morphine and painkillers with me.

She screamed after me, "This is insane!"

With a sad voice, I replied, "I am insane." And then I left the infirmary, still wearing my black T-shirt and pants. As I walked towards the base, the soldiers looked at me as if I had returned from the dead.

I saw Zion tied up in the base, looking miserable. He had been pelted with feces, urine, expired food, and whatever else they could find. I knelt down next to him and said, "A well-deserved place, and don't think this is the only punishment I'll give you. Once I have Makarov, I'll torture you all to death, I promise."

He just let out a bitter laugh.

I moved away from him and headed to the base's meeting room, where Price and Laswell were sitting with grim expressions. They looked shocked when they saw me.

Price said, "You need to rest."

I replied coldly, "No time for that. I want his head." I looked at Laswell and asked, "Do you know where Valeria is?"

She looked puzzled and then said, "Yes, according to our informants, she's still in the same location."

I was stunned and said, "Las Almas." The city where I lost my great love and my comrades. I'm supposed to return there, damn it. I nodded and walked out, heading to my room. As I passed Ghost, Gaz, and Soap's rooms, I suppressed the urge to cry. I couldn't even cry anymore. The grief was so overwhelming that I couldn't even shed tears.

I quickly showered, and as the water ran over my body, the dried blood washed away, causing some pain. After drying myself off, I put on some of Ghost's clothes, slipped into my military boots, grabbed my bag with equipment, two pistols, and knives, and rushed outside.

Price looked at me, puzzled, and asked, "Where are you going?"

I replied, "Valeria."

Price's voice turned angry as he grabbed my arms, "Do you want to die?"

I looked at him with sad eyes and said, "I won't die until I have Makarov and Shepherd."

He released his grip, and I continued on my way, gradually becoming smaller in his sight as I approached the exit.

I found a chopper with a pilot and asked, "Can you handle a mission in Las Almas to El Sin Nombre?"

He looked briefly skeptical but quickly nodded. I hopped in and took some painkillers as I felt the pain in my stab wound and arm starting to trouble me. I retrieved my bulletproof vest from the bag, put it on, and secured the pistols on my hips and the knives on my legs. The flight didn't take long, and we landed in a safe spot.

I made my way to the building where Valeria should be, the place where once Task Force 141 stormed in, and where Ghost used to annoy me. I smiled briefly at the memory before returning to a serious demeanor. The guards aimed their weapons at me, and I raised my arms, shouting, "From Alejandro here, it's important. Relay it to Valeria."

The guards exchanged glances and communicated with her. It seemed to be a yes, and they approached, blindfolding me before leading me to an elevator. We went upstairs and into a room. I heard a knock, and then Valeria's voice, "¡Sí!"

They removed the blindfold and left the room, leaving me seated there.

She sat there with her legs crossed, giving me a hostile look. Leaning closer, she spoke in a dangerous tone, "What does that bastard want from me, to capture me again?"

I looked at her lifelessly and replied in a cold tone, "Alejandro is dead, just like the rest of the team. Only the captain and I are left."

She flinched at the news, asking in surprise, "Alejandro is dead?"

I nodded. She asked, puzzled, "How?"

I replied with anger in my voice, "With a bomb."

She needed a moment to gather her thoughts, and then she composed herself, appearing serious again. "And why do you think Alejandro's death would matter to me?"

I responded coldly, "You had something in common in the military. It was evident during the interrogation, the way you looked at each other. Even an idiot would notice."

She looked at me seriously and asked, "What do you want?"

I then said, "Makarov."

She chuckled briefly, saying, "I don't betray my clients."

I smiled bitterly for a moment, saying, "No one else needs to know that the betrayal came from you."

She looked at me and then said, "That's not how business works, my dear."

I took a deep breath and exhaled, "Valeria, we are both women who have had a hard time in the military, or at least you did. My friends were betrayed, and my love was killed. I want Makarov's head. Your old love was also killed."

She furrowed her brow briefly and then said, "I can't help you, amiga."

I stood up and walked to the door. Before leaving, I turned around and said, "I had hoped that you would at least avenge Alejandro's dishonorable death. You seemed like a woman of principles to me."

and just as I was about to open it, she said, "Wait!"

Surprised, I turned around. She took a deep breath and said, "There will be a meeting at a casino. You could come as my bodyguard and kidnap him."

She wrote something on a card and threw it to me. I caught it and said, "Thank you," before leaving the room.

I kept the card well hidden on my body as the men once again blindfolded me and escorted me out. I felt a sense of triumph and looked at the card: July 25th at 8 PM, Casino: Money. Only two days left. I returned to the pilot and said, "Let's fly back." We flew back triumphantly. I held the card in my hand and showed it to Price, who asked in surprise, "What is that?"

I said, "A meeting where Makarov and Valeria will meet. I will go there as her bodyguard, and you can storm the casino."

He looked at me with astonishment for a moment, then hugged me and said, "You better not die on me."

I smiled at his words.