AUTHOR NOTE: Ok I'm sorry I might get some things wrong because I only know for sure the Air Force ranks and procedures so I might get them a little wrong. If I do please point it out to me. I wish Jack had been in the AF cuz this would have made my life easier and I know what, if any Army/Marines are reading this what they would say to me about that.

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The alarm clock went off and he crawled out of the bed. Waking up at the crack of dawn, before the crack of dawn he thought to himself bitterly, was hard. If the recruits had only known how hard it was on the person riding them they would probably grumble less. He was twice the age of some of these young men and women and he could still out run them and out do them every step of the way he had made sure of that. He looked at himself in the mirror looking over all the different scars he had accumulated over the years. He felt the one right under his right arm pit. The memory of how he got that coming back to him. He quickly pushed it out as he heard a knock on his door, it was master sergeant (MSgt.) Dan Richmond coming to get him as he did every morning. Jack had worked well with the enlisted man for over a year now. Dan had been use to people pushing him around, as the officers always seemed to, but Jack was different he actually listened and treated Dan with respect, and when they weren't around the recruits Jack had allowed him to call him Jack and was extremely laid back for a Major in the Army.

Jack threw on his PT (physical training) clothes on and walked to the door. "Morning." Jack had said the same thing ever morning and got the same reply.

"Sir it's a great morning for kicking some recruits asses." Dan would smile at him and most of the time he got a smile out of Jack.

"Let's go wake them." Jack had trained his recruiters harder than most special operation recruit trainers had. Most of the officers would sit in an office all day and did whatever they did. They usually had two sergeants (sgt.) out raining the recruits. Jack was a hands on type. He loved getting his hands dirty, and could not even begin to think about sitting behind a desk that was why they wanted him back and why he had come back. It was an two hours before reveille and Jack was standing in the men's barracks. He knew that the other MSgt he worked with, Zoey was already in the women's barracks ready to wake the handful of women that were going through the training. He looked at his watch and shook his head.

MSgt. Richmond began screaming at the top of his lungs for the lazy ass recruits to get out of bed. Running up and down yelling at any recruit that was to slow or just not fast enough. Most of the recruits had learned to move quickly even the quickest of them got yelled at from time to time just to set them off guard. Jack walked down the isle as the men stood at attention at the side of their made beds. He tried not to smile at how he had always found this part stupid as a recruit. He always had wondered why did it mater if he could quickly get out of bed, make it and than stand at attention at the end. If he went to war and an enemy attacked they soldiers were not going to hop out of bed make it, and than go out to fight. They would run their ars out of bed and outside to fight. But he knew it was just simple discipline and making them become alert quicker, or at least training at it. Jack finished his walk and said, "Be outside in five minutes. We are going on a run on this fine morning."

No one grumbled, but Jack knew they wanted to. He had only let them sleep about five hours ago, and he knew they had slept less before and it would all be adding up. He heard one of the guys inside complain, "He never sleeps. I heard he sits in his house and thinks of ways to torture us."

Someone else chirped in, "No that's not true. He use to work for the CIA and he was so messed up that they got rid of him and Delta took him back."

Jack smiled outside at Dan who had heard all of the rumors about Jack from inside the base. No one really knew the man even though he had lived on base for over a year now, no one knew him. He was very civil to everyone and said hello when he passed by not in uniform. Jack had rarely attended any social functions, and the ones he did attend had been mandatory attendance. He hardly ever went to the local bars to get a drink and when he did he was always alone. As far as Dan knew he had no family nor did he have any friends that ever visited. Dan didn't know what Jack did in his spare time and he had only seen the inside of Jack's house once or twice when he had been invited over to talk about work related stuff. Dan only noticed a small TV that looked like it was never used, and everything else was super clean as if no one really lived there. He had wondered about Jack for the first few months, but after working with the man he had learned that he was just a private person and not a real huge people person. It didn't stop Dan and Zoey from inviting him out to do stuff with them even if he declined every time.

Jack and Dan stood outside waiting for the recruits to come out and for the women to join them. Jack almost laughed when he heard Zoey screaming at the women, "Get your fat ars moving. We better be there before one of the male recruits are outside."

They had reached there before any male, again the women out showing the men as they had become accustom to. They had a lot to prove and there were only a few ways to prove it, and they showed it in their performance in and out of training. A weekend break was coming up for the recruits that night so Jack made sure to ride them hard today so they earned the break. When the men finally got out Msgt. Dan was screaming at them for being too slow.

Jack led them all on a long run through the base up and down the hills and started up the small foot hills before they turned around as it was almost chow time. When they reached the chow hall the recruits were all exhausted, Jack was to but he would never show it. He would always out run the recruits no matter how much it took out of him. He heard a few mumbling about him, but said nothing. He knew they hated him, most officers let the drill sergeant take over, but Jack had always taken an active role and he was the one that pushed them the hardest. Jack joined Zoe and Dan at a breakfast table they were talking about something that abruptly stopped once Jack sat down. "What?" Jack asked feeling paranoid.

"Nothing Sir." Zoe answered.

Jack looked at them wearily and began to eat. He was starving for some reason. He let the recruits enjoy a nice half hour meal and than got them up and out side again for rifle training. He continued to push them the rest of the day and finally at seven that night he dismissed them for the weekend leave. Jack walked back to his house which was not to far from Dan's. Dan and Zoe where with him, Dan asked, "You want to go out with us tonight? Grab a beer."

"Not thank you." Jack said. "See you guys Monday." Jack walked into his house and closed the door. He walked to the fridge and grabbed a beer. He opened it and sat on the couch. He was exhausted from the day, he knew his age was slowly catching up with him and he smiled at the thought. He closed his eyes and opened them he had nothing to think about at the moment. He got off the couch when he heard someone knocking on the door. He opened it and saw Zoe and Dan standing outside with a case of beer and Zoe was holding a big bottle of Tequila.

Jack smiled at the two who just walked in, it was not proper protocol for them to, but they both knew him well enough to know he wasn't going to get uptight about it.

"So what do you got to watch Jack?" Zoe said walking into the living room. Finding the beer on the table. "See you got started without us." She said looking through the few movies he had. She didn't see anything she liked and said, "Well the movies out of the question unless you want to watch another one of that Kiefer Sutherlands movies, which don't even get me started on that man. He was so robbed at the Emmy's this year." She smiled at Jack as he collapsed onto the couch.

"What's wrong old man tired?" She joked knowing he had to be, she was she had seen half the recruits debating going into town. "You worked those poor kids hard today. I was ready to complain myself Major Pain in the ars. I think is your new name."

"Just like Major Payne." Dan joked remembering the stupid movie.

Jack just smiled at them. He felt bad because he felt like he was holding them back from going out and having real fun. He wasn't fun.

"Where are your cups?" Dan said pulling the top of the tequila.

"I'll get some." Jack said walking to the kitchen. He returned with two.

Zoe joked, "What you can't count sir?"

"Count me out on that stuff." Jack said taking a gulp of his beer.

"What's wrong don't like your hard liquor?" She teased him.

"I love my hard liquior I had enough of tequila after an undercover mission in Mexico." Jack said suddenly not smiling anymore at the memory.

Zoe noticed this and changed the subject quickly, "Fine than what type of hard liquor do you have around this place? I know you officers stash them all over especially in your offices."

Jack scratched his head and joked, "I have an office. Why didn't you tell me I could have been sitting in there while you all were working your ars off."

Everyone laughed knowing Jack could never sit behind a desk. Zoe looked around quickly as she always had done he still had not put anything personal up anywhere. "So we just going to sit here and drink boss?" She finally asked.

"That was my plan for the night." Jack said sitting on the couch next to her.

"Should I leave you two alone?" Dan joked, he knew in reality Zoe was attracted to Jack, but not willing to act on it.

Zoe glared at him and said, "Funny. Should we leave you alone for awhile?"

"Ouch Zoe that was harsh." Dan said smiling at her.

They both noticed Jack was looking out the front window of the house turning a pale color.

"What is it boss?" Zoe asked when she heard the knock on the door.

Jack stood up, she saw that his legs shook slightly. "Give me a second." He said walking to the door and than stepping outside to address the young man outside. Zoe and Dan both looked at each other putting back the urge to run to the door and listen. They watched though and saw Jack's face turn from white to red.

The man said something that got to their boss because they saw him look down to the ground in shame, and lift his head back up. Zoe would have sword his blue eyes were glistening from tears. The man walked away from Jack back to his car than back up to the house with someone else.

Jack entered the house with the man and woman. He introduced them, "This is Chase Edmunds and Alberta Green." He said pointing at them than introduced, "This is Zoe and Dan." Dan and Zoe both stood to shake the other people's hands and felt the uncomfortable tension in the air.

"Zoe and I are going to make a run to the store for some hard liquor you will drink." Dan said grabbing Zoe knowing Jack needed time alone to talk to these people, who were clearly from a government agency he could tell by the way that they carried themselves.

"Thanks guys." Jack said as they walked out. Jack sat down and asked, "What do you want now?"