36 Hours
That's all the time they had to prepare for the mission General Sheperd gave them. As he put it 'some' members of SpecGru would be linking up with 'some' KorTac members for a joint task force in Mexico to take down a drug cartel. It made no sense to Soap. Why would a drug cartel require their, albeit forced, cooperation with KorTac? Frustration boiled in his blood, and it only grew hotter as he learned that Phillip fucking Graves was also going to be joining them. He was close to blowing up at Sheperd, but Price beat him to it.
"And what makes you think we will work with any of them?" Price asked, cold as ice as opposed to the steady trail of smoke drifting out of his nostrils. He sneered, "As I recall your loyal dog nearly killed one of my sergeants and commandeered Colonel Vargas' base."
"Well, Captain, your job and the pay should be reason enough. But if you need more, incentive, Ghost will be there too. I know you'd love to get your talons on him." Soap knows how important Ghost is to Price, the dead man walking, who also took down over half of Price's forces during the failed Operation Kingfish some 10 odd years ago. Price muttered a curse under his breath, the trail of smoke getting dangerously hotter, before turning to the screen that projected Shepard's face.
"Who?" The question carrying a weight that blanketed everyone in the room. Rudy squared his shoulders and tightened his 'not-so-secret' grip on Alejandro's hand.
"A fellow Colonel König, an eldritch being with mild reality warping powers but he specializes in transformation. The other members on this mission, is another sergeant for you, one Kim 'Horangi' Hong-jin and of course my 'loyal dog' as you so put it Commander Graves." Soap didn't like how smug Shepard sounds or the fact that he'd have to work with Graves, that fucker again, then a small realization hit him.
"What do you mean 'this mission'?" He asks in a low voice, his usual Scottish drawl almost indiscernible. His eyes quickly flitted around the room to see that the others had realized as well, Gaz's eyes had widened slightly, the color of his ever-changing irises paling. Roach had sat up a little straighter and Alejandro seemed to move a little closer to Rudy, the other, of course, doing the same.
Price's nostrils flared, quite literally, a miniscule plume of fire shot out as he snorted, "Yeah, General, what do you mean by 'this mission'?" Price's voice always had a small edge to his gruff voice but now it was razor sharp, border lining on threatening, if Soap hadn't heard him use that exact same tone on the General before he would have been worried about the repercussions.
Shepard sighed tiredly, annoying Soap, "Well Captain I was also hoping to hire SpecGru again in the future, you do have an impressive lineup either way. Now are you taking this mission or not?" His voice had a finality to it, Soap had always wondered to himself how someone who could hold so much power in their words be named Herchel, maybe his parents hated him. Soap turned to see Price seemingly resign, letting out two large plumes of smoke as he sighed heavily. "Fine, but if it comes down to it, I'm taking Ghost." Soap knew that Price phrased it that way so the General wouldn't know of Price's plans to recruit Ghost, technically no one did, Soap had just happened to come across Price's file on Ghost when he was definitely not snooping around in Price's office for something that he had confiscated.
"Alright then do we have a deal, Captain?"
"Yes."
"Watcher will be in contact with the details of the mission, you'll be wheels up to the Mexican desert in a few days."
"Roger Bravo 6 over and out."