Said sat at the table in the box waiting for the interviewee to arrive. It had been an interesting week so far and he was starting to realize that there were things that maybe were missed. Then again there were things that he expected when they first started talking about them and then it didn't go the way he expected. It was like she was putting things into a logical progression and adding things to the 'story' so that he would understand it.

Said looked at the transcripts that he had of what he had been told so far. He had to admit that there was a lot more than what the official reports said and he had what had been filed by Shepherd. This was turning out to be a very interesting story and he could tell that the guards assigned were curious as well.

The guard that had been escorting his interviewee in the past few days came in with her. He was youngish looking and had a military cut to his hair that was dark. His brown eyes were quick and alert and he had a stern expression. He was total military and Said did what he could not to roll his eyes. He didn't have a problem with the military. He was army himself but he did draw the line on the cowboy outlook of things.

"You're early Said. Something must have happened or they are serving crap in the canteen," Nicolette said as she sat down across from him. "Well that's a given even with the death row privacy I have."

Said wanted to laugh since he was in agreement with the day's food choices. No doubt she said something about it but would have doggedly ate a little of it. He figured it was one of the curses of being a military man. The food was always bad and that was the only thing that they all could agree on along with the shit for motor oil they called coffee.

"I see you are of the same mindset as me." Nicolette gave a slight smile as she stretched her arms before crossing them over her chest.

"I'm military myself. I know how bad the food gets," Said replied with a slight smile of agreement. "I do trust that you managed to keep up for appearances sake?"

"I have no idea what the fuck you are talking about."

Said took in the playful expression. She was amused and she looked refreshed from the night before. It was like with every story she was perking up. It was interesting to contemplate. He replied, "Just showing that you are being cooperative."

"If you haven't seen that by now then you must be fucking blind." Nicolette leaned back in her chair. She studied the interrogator and noted the files on the table. It seemed to her that he was being thorough with everything. "So what are we doing today?"

"I thought you were telling the story?"

"I am but I like playing the word games with your questions."

Said looked across the table at Nicolette. At first he was suspicious of her motives but then he changed his mind. One of his secrets to being a good interrogator was to be held as a prisoner himself. He had volunteered to be treated like a prisoner and questioned. He was amazed at the means available to a prisoner that was to be interrogated.

It placed a different perspective before him and he had a respect for those that had to endure it. He suspected that there were loose ends that would start to weave their way back into the story told so far. He replied, "Alright so MacTavish found you in Morocco…"

"Pff," Nicolette countered with a slightly rude sound. She made a gesture like it was not really an important thing and added, "He didn't actually find more. More like a meddling Russian who is too much of a good friend."

She had uttered the words with affection lacing her voice. Said could see that she was grateful for the way things had turned out. "So the asset codenamed Nikolai was the one that told MacTavish where you were."

"Of course he would know. He's my friend and it's not like I made him promise not to tell."

Said chuckled, "Okay so you and MacTavish returned to the 141 base… what next?"

"Well I gave Ghost back his Oakleys after I made him chase me around the base," Nicolette replied with a hint of pride. At the look Said was giving her she smirked, "He was still in training. Man had a broken leg."

"So it was training?"

"And a greeting. Everyone got a laugh anyway." Nicolette shrugged her shoulder like it was nothing. "Though no one would laugh in front of Ghost. That would be anyone's mistake."

"Except you."

"He'd kick my ass if he could and he did a couple of times in training." Nicolette put her hands on the table and clasped them together. She tapped the table surface. "We understood each other as comrades in arms."

"Sanderson?"

"My best mate," Nicolette replied. "Roach accepted me no matter what and I think most people don't give him the credit he deserves for being what he was." She looked at Said and added, "Roach may not have seemed much in many cases but he had a way of seeing things and had a knack for saying things at the right moment. He could surprise you."

Said made the notation as he adjusted the tape recorder that was recording. "So things went well?"

"Not perfect. It was a matter of one getting Ghost and Roach back into shape and two just learning to work with what was now out between the four of us." Nicolette looked around and at the guard. She sighed as she looked back at Said. "We were all on the same page and we were well aware that there were things that couldn't be shared for certain reasons. Yet Ghost especially was willing to work with that. Roach had my back no matter what and MacTavish… you know where that came from."

"Could you elaborate?"

"Considering that you are wondering if I am referring to quite possibly good sex, then hell no." Nicolette sat back in her seat with a slight smirk. She watched as Said's face went a little red. He was curious about it. "Still hung up on that? I'm surprised your trainee who is it Pope? Surprised he didn't come busting in or something."

"I think he learned his lesson," Said replied after clearing his throat.

"No because he thinks I am scum," Nicolette said in a matter of fact tone. "It's what happens when they are made to think that the only way is being physical with the prisoner. Lot of ways to get a person to break but some things…"

"I take it that you know that."

"Takes a prisoner to know a prisoner. That's why Ghost and I got along so well." Nicolette turned a stern gaze towards Said. Even after all that had happened, sometimes it was hard to talk about certain things.

"Is that part of it?"

"We'll see," she replied with a shrug.

"So what happened after recovery and…" Said gestured to prompt her to speak.

"The usual. Same shit, different day." Nicolette sighed as she relaxed. "The ultranationalists got what they were after and those that we had helped… time makes people forget."

"Anything specific?"

"First mission for the Three Musketeers was rescuing a convoy that had been attacked in Iran or Iraq, near the border there. Marines were taken prisoner and were going to be made an example of."

"You were rescue?"

Nicolette looked at Said and replied, "We chase the terrorists no matter what form. It's our job." She then sat back and added, "Of course we also help brothers in arms."

Said nodded in agreement with that. It was not really a necessary question but it did give insight to what the 141 did after their mission in Afghanistan in the poppy fields. Perhaps she already knew that and indulged. He really had been thrown for a loop getting to know her. "The Three Musketeers?"

"Because Ghost and Roach were my wingmen and for the most part we did a lot of missions together. That one though it was me and Roach." Nicolette shrugged her shoulders like it was no big deal.

The action had Said suspicious. He had been watching her movements and looking for her 'tells'. There were certain things she did when she revealed something, corrected, was being stupid on purpose… all her movements were designed for a specific purpose. Said thought he might have had them figured out but he wasn't going to presume anything. That kind of thing could get you in trouble. Still he asked, "You want to talk about that?"

"No. Because it isn't important." At the look Said was giving her, Nicolette raised her brow as she explained, "All the missions we did until the incident at Zakhaev International… it was business as usual. The moral of those stories are mostly to emphasize that we were a team."

"Surely there was something to work with," Said prodded. It was a gamble but he was willing to give it a shot. What she thought important was not necessarily the same thing to him.

"Business as usual."

"Walker, you and I both know that Makarov didn't just disappear off the grid."

"No but his life was made a living hell. The Black Fox made sure of that." Nicolette stared defiantly at Said as if daring him to tread into a territory that may prove to be risky. She would play rough if she had to.

"I highly doubt it. The Fox doesn't exist according to you," Said taunted. He was changing his game and he wondered if she would bite.

"In the course of the story but the Fox is very much real," Nicolette countered. She gave a slow and sly smile as she looked at the man. She then leaned close. She was so close that she could touch Said's nose with hers. "There are things that are allowed only because it is so."

"Sit down," the guard said and motioned that he was authorized to use deadly force.

Nicolette sat back and smirked at her escort, "I used to have a baby be my escort and he was just as straight laced as you except you have a stick up your ass."

Said held out his hand to warn off anything that would go physical. No doubt it could get physical if he allowed it or she changed her mind and decided to do that. He didn't even doubt that she could get herself out of here if she wanted to. She had plenty of opportunities and he had set up some fairly obvious ones.

"Well that was fun," Nicolette said as she stared at Said. Her gaze became impassive as she continued, "Same shit, different day; that's how it was and we wondered what had happened."

Shepherd said it himself, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Boundaries shift, new players step in but power always finds a place to rest its head. History is written by the victor. Bring down one enemy and they find someone worse to replace him. Locations change, the rationale, the objective…yesterday's enemies become today's friends. The enemy of my enemy is my friend but in the end you better pray that they don't come to hate you. The stage was set and most of us didn't see it coming. Even with the analysts running their drills day and night we weren't prepared for what was to follow so we did what we had to do…

Scars of Duty: Cry Havoc

Chapter 1

It was early in the morning. The skies were grey as the sun started to make its presence known. It was early but for MacTavish, he was in the habit of getting up early. His eyes opened slowly as his body started to wake up. He smiled slowly as he looked in the direction he was facing.

He was lying on his left side and it gave him a good view of the sleeping figure in front of him. Her back was towards him and she was held in place by his arm draped over the slope of her hip and waist with the covers bunched as if to support his arm and exposing the smooth skin of her shoulder broken only by the strap of the tank top she wore.

MacTavish continued to smile as he adjusted his position to get a better look at the sleeping figure of Nicolette. He liked watching her sleep since she looked more like the 'delicate fairy' that she looked like even though she was auburn haired rather than blonde. She looked more vulnerable but he knew that she was anything but that. Still it was nice to see her looking relaxed from worries of the world even if she was sleeping.

They had been together for a little over a year now and he was as happy as he was then when she told him she loved him. She made it possible to see that the world was not so bad and he liked to think that he did the same for her. It certainly showed when she stopped having nightmares and the circles under her eyes disappeared. In fact she was like when he first met her; she charged into the fray with a determined air and it certainly showed on their last few missions.

They had been careful about their relationship. It was lousy in that it felt like they were sneaking around but she was still under her military cover and a spy and he was a soldier and not just any soldier but the CO of the 141. He was not going to blow her cover and possibly compromise her safety; he would rather die than do that to her. It wasn't too bad since she acted like she normally would with the rest of the team and Ghost and Roach kept their mouths shut about knowing her true occupation and what was going on… more because they liked her.

Looking around, MacTavish noticed the clock on the stand and what time it was. It was a busy day today since she was leaving for another one of her recon assignments as she coded them. He was busy too; more training. He thought about the best way to wake her up even though she could wake up on her own. He got a mischievous grin on his face and leaned forward.

Gently he nuzzled her neck in the sensitive spot and kissed her letting her feel the scruffiness of his stubble. He grinned when she twitched slightly and continued to do it. He kissed the slope of her neck and started to hum a tune when he noticed she was going to move and possibly punch him. He hummed the tune in her ear and started to sing softly.

It was an old Scottish song that his mother used to sing when he was a boy. It came to mind since Nikolai always teased her about being a little bird learning to fly. Plus it sounded pretty when his mother sang it. He was surprised that he remembered the words. He sang, "I heard a wee bird singing in my chamber as I lay."

He couldn't resist kissing her and he continued the song as his kisses traveled down the slope of her neck towards her shoulder. The kisses were interspersed between pairs of lines, "The casement open swinging as morning woke the day. And the boughs around were twining, the bright sun through them shining and I had long been pining…"

At that moment Nicolette started to stir more. MacTavish grinned and moved back to nuzzling the sensitive spot in the nape of her neck and kissing it. He knew it tickled when he brushed his stubble and never hesitated to do it. He then moved to the square of her jaw and waited until she moved so she was facing him. She was blinking sleepily when he finished, "For my Nico far away when I heard the wee bird singing."

Nicolette smiled sleepily and said, "That was a nice wake up call. You saved yourself from getting a punch in the face."

MacTavish made a slight pout, "And I thought you liked me." He grinned as he leaned forward to kiss her on the lips.

"You're cute Third World ugly," she replied as she accepted the kiss and gave one of her own.

"And I never win with you, can I?"

"Maybe," Nicolette teased as she arched her back slightly. "If you know how."

MacTavish peered at her and gave a slightly cocky grin, "Oh I know a few ways, lass. And some I learned from playing dirty."

Nicolette grinned back with a dare in her eyes. "Do you really want to risk it at five thirty in the morning?"

MacTavish held her gaze. His arm was still draped around her waist and it was in perfect position. He was about to make his move when he felt a tug. Looking down he found her finger wound around his dog tags. He leaned forward when she tugged on them to bring him closer. "Are you gonna play hard ball, sweetheart? Cause I can meet your match." He proved it by moving his hand towards her abdomen.

Nicolette held fast to his dog tags and peered at him with a coy look and replied, "I'll play hardball MacTavish but the question is whether or not you are prepared for the consequences."

It was a stare off as they gazed into each other's eyes daring the other to proceed with their attack. MacTavish grinned and chuckled, "Alright you win… again." He started laughing in his throat as he leaned forward and kissed her with a deep kiss.

Nicolette chuckled low as she accepted the kiss, releasing his dog tags. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed in contentment. "This is why I love you."

MacTavish hummed and started tickling her with his kisses on her neck. "Cause I'm ruggedly handsome."

"No you're cute ugly."

MacTavish started in on a tickle attack and it was funny as Nicolette squirmed while trying not to laugh out loud and wake someone up. She ended up squirming out of his reach and flipped him over onto his back and pinned him and gave a friendly punch for good measure. He was laughing silently and managed to say, "And that is why I love you."

Nicolette laughed quietly with him letting him sit up. Both were now fully awake and it was with great reluctance that they got up to get ready for another day. MacTavish received a pillow in the face when he offered to go with her into the shower and give a hand and ended up laughing as she walked to go to the showers she and Jolly used.

It was roughly an hour later when she was going over intel in the space designated as her office and going over last minute details of her mission when the call came through. The nice thing about having computers hooked to the phone was that you didn't need a handset if the computer had a good mic. She saw the blinking light and touched the tabletop computer, "This is Lt. Price."

Lieutenant, I thought you'd be off earlier.

Nicolette studied the image of Shepherd that went with the call. It wasn't live feed but served as a caller ID. His image was kind of… She looked at her data and replied, "Just looking at last minute intel, sir. I like being prepared. If this one works, then it will stir up the fish."

That's what we want Lieutenant. You've done good work driving Makarov out but it seems he's still not making a mistake.

"His service in Russian armed forces gives a pretty good picture." Nicolette moved some windows aside and brought up the files of the other project that Shepherd asked her to put together. She had apprehensions about this one since he was going to use someone not within the intelligence community. "Sir I managed to finish the particulars for the special project."

Good. If we can get someone close enough, it will help catch this bastard.

"Sir, I am concerned about putting someone without training in this," Nicolette voiced as she prepared to send the files through the secure line.

We have no choice Lieutenant. With the Fox stirring up the hornet's nest, it is better to have someone with a new face and you've already set up the necessary connections.

"At great cost sir. It isn't easy to get contacts that have contacts to spread the word of the reputation of someone that would fit in with Makarov's grand design. He will do a thorough check and if something doesn't smell right either in the file or the operative doesn't stay in character…"

I am well aware of the risks Lieutenant. Like I said, we have no choice. History belongs to the victor and here I am thinking that we have won… We need this Lieutenant. I have confidence that you have put together the best package possible.

"Yes sir. All I need is the personnel and I can make him exist," Nicolette replied.

Good. I have one right here. Sending it now.

Nicolette looked at the ID. "Private Joseph Allen, 75th Battalion Army Rangers."

Best from his squad, Lieutenant.

Nicolette felt like she was signing the kid's death warrant. Yet it was an idea that Shepherd had come up with to go after Makarov. Inside men usually helped big time in an op. She studied the face and decided that he looked good enough to be a Russian. She nodded, "Alright sir. I'll have his identity created and my contact at CIA will have everything operational. All that's left is to make him look convincing."

I'll take care of that. You've got enough to worry about. There's a downed ACS module held by the Russians. I am sending MacTavish and Sanderson in. You may have to take a slight detour.

"That won't be a problem, sir," Nicolette replied wondering why Shepherd was telling her this. If she was to know, she would have been summoned to the briefing room and they would see Shepherd looking like a diva on the big screen, as the joke went. He was off in Afghan with the Rangers at the Phoenix base.

Good luck Lieutenant.

"Thank you sir."

Lieutenant… this mission, like the others… We wouldn't have gotten this far without you. When the time comes be prepared to receive the rewards.

"That would be an honor sir."

Shepherd signed off leaving Nicolette to take a breath. She had become increasingly nervous at what was going on. There was nothing criminal to detect but something just didn't sit right with her. It made her feel all the more better that her Operation Contingency was going to plan. She sighed as she pulled all the required information and got to work. She also took the time to rearrange her transport and look into the intel about the ACS module. "Some days it just feels like shit," she murmured as she finished up what she was doing.

A/N: And here we are folks at a new tale and starting right at the events of MW. It seems like Nico is wondering about Shepherd and hints of the start of the missions to come. Stay tuned for more Cry Havoc...