Catalina Valdez {is no rookie} (fightingfire) wrote in olympianthreads, @ 2014-11-17 13:25:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | ! completed, character: catalina valdez, character: santiago valdez, player: andy, player: erin |
WHO: Catalina & Diego Valdez
WHAT: Moar nightmares
WHEN: 11/15; late morning
WHERE: Inside Cat's head; outside Diego's house
SUMMARY: Here.
RATING|STATUS: High | COMPLETE
Catalina didn't totally have her trip with Max planned out, but she had thought through which stops they'd make and where they'd stay; she'd done the research into attractions and local hotspots, booked a couple hotels and flights, and had a very general idea of what they were going to do, but she hadn't wanted to make a schedule or plan every detail in case they wanted to stay longer in one place or leave a city early because it didn't appeal to them. What she did know was that she really needed out, and she was pretty sure her kid brother could use the fresh air, so to speak. Whatever they were going to do, she needed to confirm their transportation off the island, so she dropped by the Admin building on her morning off. It only took a few minutes, but it was just long enough for her to hit the bathroom on her way out, where she decided to also wash her face. That would prove to be her undoing. On her way back, she decided to drop by her parents' house --her other childhood home-- to have a chat with her father about the trip, maybe even get his advice since he'd actually been an adult the last time they lived there. She was walking up the path when she got lightheaded, and before she knew what was happening, she was passed out on the ground. She found herself sitting in a chair on a raised platform, a sea of men and women in front of her wearing their dress blues. The speaker at the podium finished and everyone started clapping. She stood and walked across the stage, greeted her superior officer with a salute, and shook his hand as he presented her with a medal. As she looked into the crowd, she could see her parents and Max, all beaming up at her, causing her to smile brightly as well. When the ceremony was over, Cat shook hands with and spoke to a couple dozen people who congratulated her before she got to her baby brother, also in uniform; she hugged him long and hard, but her eyes were already on her parents when they pulled back. Her mother hugged her, but Diego stuck his hand out to her; she took it, but drew him closer to she could wrap her other arm around him anyway. "We're proud of you, Catalina," he told her. "Stop dad, you're making me blush." "Hush mija, let us tell you how proud we are," he mother chided her. "Seriously, they won't shut up about it," from Max. "It really wasn't that big a deal." "Cat...It's perfectly acceptable to be proud of a job well done." "You saved lives, mi dulce." "I know, I just...it wasn't a choice, it was an automatic response and I just followed my gut and it wasn't a big deal." Truthfully, she'd just never really liked being the center of attention like that, although it felt really good to have her father praise her like he was. To have Diego say he was proud of her was the underlying motivation for a lot of the things she did. "I gotta run, there's somewhere I have to be, I'm sorry." She made the excuse, and the regret was real, but she started backing away before her mother could try and guilt her into staying with her family. "Dinner tomorrow night then?" "Yes ma'am, I'll be there. See you guys later." She walked away then, and the scene darkened as the sun began to set. She was standing in her desert fatigues surrounded by the other members of not only her team, but the other two teams in her squad. Their SO was giving them the rundown of a mission --taking out a known terrorist cell and rescuing an American hostage-- and barking out orders to each person and team. Cat's team would go in first; as the team leader, she would enter the last of her team and let the others know when it was clear to enter. With everyone on the same page, they began to make their move. Cat and her three men crouched down and ran toward the building as quickly as they could. Ducking behind a wall, she came even with one of them. "Alright there Maxy?" she whispered; it was her brother's first real mission, and she wanted to make sure he felt ready for it. "I'll let you know in half an hour." She almost chuckled, but knew she needed to keep quiet as they watched for signs of movement in the windows. Something moved the blinds in the window closest them, letting them know that someone was indeed inside. Cat raised her hand, preparing to give the go-ahead signal, when they heard a small child crying from inside. She froze, then buzzed into her comm. "This is Valdez requesting permission to abort mission. Sir there are children inside the structure. Repeat, children inside the structure." "Negative, Valdez, do not abort. The mission is a-go." Now she was presented with a dilemma. Did she follow orders and go in hot, possibly getting a child or children killed in the process? Or did she follow her gut and figure something else out? The rest of her team looked at her for direction, but she didn’t know the right answer. The last time she’d disobeyed a direct order and tried to improvise, she’d gotten herself shot up, so she made the quick decision to do the opposite here, and gave the signal for the guys to go in. Max jumped in first, kicking down the door with his gun poised to defend himself and take out the targets. But he didn’t make it far into the house. Several members of the terrorist cell were waiting for them, and opened fire. Unable to hide, Max went down and Catalina screamed. |