Hi everyone! This is a pretty short chapter, but please bear with me - it'll be better next time. Short as it is, though, it's still pretty important, so... yeah.

Enjoy!

The weeks passed slowly for Sarah and Private. Sarah waited patiently (sort of) for Rico's leg to heal while Kowalski made a metal prosthetic for him, making a 'special' sort of metal that was lightweight enough that Rico's movement wouldn't be hindered but that would still have quite a 'kick' in combat. The downside was that it was an ugly color and quite noticeable (Kowalski's metal was made by melting together about a hundred soda cans and a small iron bar). Kowalski said he could paint it to look like a regular foot, but there was no time now and would rub off on the way back to Belize - but, as expected, Rico didn't care. In fact, keeping the same philosophy with which he regarded his scar, he was proud of his fake foot. He pointed out that if it wasn't him, it would have been Kowalski or Skipper who had taken the bullet instead - it was probably best this way, since (though everyone insisted otherwise, for his sake) no one depended on him like they did Kowalski or Skipper.

Still, the weeks did indeed pass. The day before Skipper, Kowalski, and Rico left, Sarah took aside her father and finally confided the news to him.

"What's up?" Skipper had said.

Sarah took a deep breath and spoke the words she'd been planning for days now. "Dad... you remember when Mom said she was so upset after you left?"

Skipper flinched. "Sarah, we've gone over this, I'm coming back-"

"Dad, hear me out, okay? This is important." Sarah interrupted.

Skipper stopped, then decided to play along. "All right - yes, I remember."

"Do you remember why she was so much more upset that she would normally have been?"

"Yeah, she was having you." Skipper said simply. Sarah, without even thinking, hugged herself around the middle, and Skipper understood. His eyes became wide. "Sarah - you're..."

"Yeah." she replied. She started to tear up - this was the first time she'd admitted it aloud (Katrina had figured it out herself a while ago, but hadn't made Sarah say it), and she was starting to realize just how scared she was.

"I need Private, Dad... I'm not strong like Mom was, I can't raise a kid by myself, I just can't!"

Skipper embraced her as she completely lost it. A sob escaped her throat, and another, and another, while Skipper tried his best to comfort her.

"Sarah, I'll do my best... I won't do to you what I did to Vanessa, I promise... uh..." he had to say something else, she was falling apart, but what came out of his beak wasn't exactly what he was going for. "You know, you definitely won't have to raise it alone, you've got Katrina, and Marlene, and us when we get back... you know, if-"

"Don't you DARE say it." Skipper noticed that even while crying her eyes out, Sarah managed to sound threatening.

"Alright, I won't." he said. Getting a better idea, he took Sarah by the shoulders and made her look into his eyes, like a child. "Sarah... I give you my word. I will do everything in my power to bring Private back to you. But he would want you to be strong... and so do I. Can you do that?" he said gently.

Sarah sniffed a little, then smiled weakly and nodded.

Skipper smiled and hugged her again. "That's my girl."

...

Meanwhile...

Private had finally come to accept that he was stuck here until someone came and got him out of here. Skipper had been right: the knowledge of the GPS chip gave him a certain hope no one else in the prison had - except for Tanner, whom Private knew Skipper would help bring home too.

Speaking of whom, Private quickly befriended his cellmate (not that they had much choice - they were forced to spend every waking and non-waking moment together) and was amazed at what Tanner told him one day.

"What is a kid like you doing in the army?" Private asked. "I know about the whole draft thing, because of the war, but you seem too young to be drafted."

Tanner froze. He stayed in his spot for a while, then opening his mouth, but no words came out. He quickly got up and poked his head out of the bars, checking that no one was listening in on them. Finally, he sat next to Private and whispered his secret.

"I am too young to be in the army. My older brother was the one that was drafted, but he's at the Antarctic College right now. Going to that school is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - didn't you say your friend Kowalski went there after military school? Yeah? - well, my brother worked too hard to be snatched away before he had a chance to become great...I lied to the officials and said I was my brother - we look a lot alike - and joined up for him. You're the first person to call me 'Tanner' instead of 'Jordan' for months."

Private was shocked. "You... what? Tanner, how old are you?"

Tanner smiled sheepishly. "Fifteen... but my birthday's in a few weeks."

Private's mouth gaped open. So young... too young to have witnessed the gore and terror of war, to be away from his parents and forced to a place like this...

Suddenly, Private felt a surge of respect for the boy rise up in his heart, and he smiled to himself. Tanner would see his parents again - Skipper would never allow a hero to remain here.

I really like Tanner - like I've said earlier, he's very special to me... but I'll tell you why when the time is right.

Review