Echoes|| König x Reader x Ghost

35: Bombs

"Wake up," my eyes shot up and I bolt up and gaze around. I see Charlie crouch down beside me. He had this urgent look in his weary gaze. "We need to go now, get your gear on meet us in 30 at the trucks." I nod and spring into action.

I hate being woken up, and Charlie only wakes me for important things. If he said to move, I moved. If he runs, I run. I got ready in 20 and rushed out to the truck. I could see the exhaustion on the faces of those who recently got back. I look over to see Gaz running out his vest in his hands.

"What?" He asks Soap.

"Makarov planted bombs in the metro system." I looked around, and they all looked worried, I turned to Charlie who gave me a grim expression. This is bad.

Price, the Colonel and Laswell speed walk out of a building in uniform. I look between them and turn to Charlie. "What's going on?"

"I think the CIA just contracted the Colonel," I nod along.

"Get ready," Price bellow as we climb into the truck. "Get your ass in here Charlie," he blinks and rushes in giving me a confused look.

"You're an explosive specialist?" Ghost asks.

"Yeah."

"We'll need you." The briefing began in the truck, we had no time to wait around a table. Makarov had set up a few bombs in the metro, waiting to set off. I feel Charlie rest his hand on my knee, gripping it calmly. I looked over he had this calm almost surreal expression.

"We called the local police and alerted the English Military," Price begins, "They located two different bombs on opposite sides of the station."

"Soap, Roach, Gaz, and Price will go to Waterloo, Charlie, Ghost, Gisele, and I to the other," König states. This plan was made on the spot, rushed, and liable to fail.

"... Aren't their abandoned stations?" I ask looking at the English members. They turn to me, and Gaz nods.

"Why?" he asks.

"If I was Makarov I hide when in the abandoned stations."

"I would too," Charlie states.

"Watcher 1 this is Bravo Six, tell the police to look into the abandoned stations." Price speaks to Laswell, "We think there might be a third bomb in one of the abandoned tunnels."

"Alright König and Gisele, you'll look at the abandoned station, call one of us and we'll walk you through it," Soap said.

"Bitch..." I mutter.

"What's wrong?" I look over to see Charlie looking at me. I look at him my eyes soften, and I lean in.

"I think we're going to fail."

"Don't fortune tell," he whispers back. I won't lie I do have cognitive distortion; I do think in black and white; I can't help it. Trauma is melding with autism and to heal my trauma is to fix my autism.

You can't fix autism.

Charlie leans his forehead against mine, his dark gaze calm and serine. How serine, how tranquil, the peace he has. I envy it. How can you follow your anxiety? How can you be so confident in yourself?

"Why are you so calm?"

"Because I'm well trained."

"Don't you feel like a fraud?"

"Always," he rubs my knees.

"Call me we will figure it out."

"Ok."

I have never once felt useful in my life. I feel like a black hole sucking in every joy and happiness from the people around me just so I can experience a sliver of their joy. I know I am not what society wants but must have to cater to... They know I'm different and they hate me for what I cannot control.

Why am I even here? Do I deserve it?

I feel like a fraud.

I looked over to the rest, they were still talking. I look at each one of them, every one of them. I linger on each face, yes, they were concerned and pressed together, but there was this confidence in them. A confidence gained from experience, a confidence I do not have.

I feel like I'm drowning in an unspoken expectation, that they would expect from a normal male soldier, and I know I am not that. I am not that. They all had this haze of confidence in them, especially the older ones, this must feel like another Tuesday for them.

I don't like this.

ᔕᔕᔕ≼∴≽ᔕᔕᔕ

Will I be the reason we fail?

I let out a sigh and tuned back into the conversation. They were simply disguising more hypotheses. I look over to find Ghost looking at me.

What a weirdo.

I stared back.

I gazed into his cold eyes. I wonder what he's thinking... I wonder if he can read me... It doesn't matter, I will win this. I don't really like making eye contact, but I do know holding it for an extended time unsettles people. He looked away.

I won.

It was hollow.

I look over to find Charlie side-eyeing me hard. I give him a slight sneer and look away a hint of a smirk on his lips.

The truck came to a stop we bid farewell to each other and parted ways. By the time we got to the metro, about 5 of the 10 stations were searched. I follow the tall man into the metro station. The police guided us through the metro, or tube as they say. They had roped off the metro, letting us do our things. But there are a few in motion, they couldn't stop those in time.

There was an eeriness to the abandoned stations. filled with memorabilia of the pass. The old leaflet little the ground, posters on the walls, the dates still etched in the paper. It was beautiful, a capsule in time. As we came to each station, I found little trinkets and old coins. I pocket those.

As we walked to the last station there was this high-pitched screech, is this my tinnitus? I think I look over to König and the police— no reaction. Must be my tinnitus. I wince it was getting louder.

"Do you hear that?" I ask. The Colonel looked back to me his eyes held... irritation.

"No." I frown... Tinnitus is a nightmare.

Pop!

The radio shrieks to life. We stop and I turn my radio up. "SOAP!"