"Wash." Lucas rushed into the Command Center. "Guess what I did for my birthday?" He sat in a chair and spun in a circle before rolling it to her desk.

"You washed the rovers for me?"

"Mom and Dad took me to the Ceylon Dome. We had a hut on the beach with clear water like it used to be and I got to surf and fish with Dad. We got to cook what we caught on an open fire, and Mom went shopping and bought clothes for all of us and I got a new plexpad for school with enrollment for all my classes."

"What kind of birthday present is school work?"

"I'm too old for toys or other things. Mom got me clothes as I outgrew everything I came here with." He tried to sound mature.

"You're probably right so I'll just keep these." She reached down and picked up a pair of jumper boots. I have a pair and they are a great workout so I can use another pair." She laughed as he ripped them out of her hands.

"Dad really let you get these for me?" The boots were a combination trampoline and rocket used in military training for acrobatics.

"Law says fourteen and older, but you do need this." She pulled a helmet out also and tossed it to him. "The helmet is from your parents, but they couldn't give it to you until I gave you the boots."

"Awesome, thanks Wash. I knew you'd come through with the cool presents." He rushed off to show his parents while she chuckled and went back to reports.


"You know Wash, I reserve the right to spoil your and Raul's kids in return." Nathaniel leaned against the door post.

Wash replied without looking up. "You mean Reilly and Raul's kids. He dumped me for her the other day."

"Reilly know about the two of you?" He stepped inside and shut the door.

"She knew and came to me first and told me Raul wanted to add her to his fun. I told her I didn't share and he was all hers. I don't know if they did anything as I've been busy running things while you took a vacation."

"I go away for four days and much changes. What else do I need to not know?" He sat in his son's vacated chair.

"I'm hearing rumors that the units are going to get recalled, starting with the northern territories that have been stable for a few months now." She tried to remember other pertinent information.

"Want to talk about Raul?" His voice was soft.

"Nothing to talk about. We had a good time, but he isn't the one-woman type and probably never was. Good to know that before a wedding. I don't want Dad to find out. He will seek revenge and Raul isn't worth it."

"He won't hear it from me. If he asks me, I'll tell him you dumped the bum."

"You're no help," she muttered.

Nathaniel smiled. "Glad you're all mine again." He saw her smile.

"Oh, I forgot, Tate rolled a vehicle and got thrown out up on the ridge. The rover clipped him and busted his shoulder up. I sent him to Nairobi. Debora went with him and Skye is staying with the Guzman's."

"When did that happen?" He hated being down his third in command.

"Yesterday."

"I'm going to walk around and see if everything is normal here." he left before any more bad news was divulged.

Meandering where his feet were want to go, he ended up watching a training session that involved hand to hand combat. Two large burly privates were mixing it up with a knife in each hand. Siding up to Sergeant Reilly, he stated. "Reilly, a word with you," and moved off.

"Sir?" She stood at attention.

"At ease. What was that flyboy pilot wanting with you?" He saw her surprised look.

"Lieutenant Washington tell you, Sir?" She looked uncomfortable.

"Just that you were next in line."

"I never did anything with him when he came on to me. I went to Wash and told her because I knew they had a thing going and didn't want to get involved. I told him I wasn't interested and never saw him again. I haven't seen Lieutenant Washington. With Sergeant Tate getting injured, she's been busy."

"You know we're a family, Reilly. Brothers and Sisters in arms. I'm glad to hear you didn't accept Raul's offer and hurt Wash. I don't often get involved with my soldiers affairs, but I would had kicked your ass out of my unit. We can't operate under that type of stress and animosity."

"I'm aware of that, Sir. I'm Wash's friend and she's my superior officer. I'd never hurt her like that. I told him no and went straight to Wash and told her. She told me, if I wanted him to go for it. Her way of saying he was history with her as well. I told her I wasn't interested, but I'm not sure she believed me. She's such a good officer; I couldn't get a read on her."

"Very well, carry on." He watched her return to the training area.

Eventually he returned to the Command Center. Wash was gone so he went looking for her. She wasn't in the clinic so he headed home when he heard Lucas laughing and holler, "Watch this." He diverted to the sound and in an alley behind his house he saw Lucas and Wash each wearing jumper boots and doing flips and ricocheting off the side of the house. He stopped and watched them play for a few minutes. He knew Wash liked those boots and would do rock climbing in the cliff country with them for fitness in the Rockies. Seeing him watching, Lucas did a large bounce and almost landed on him. He caught the boy, who ripped his rebreather off with a laugh. "Dad, these are awesome. Wash is showing me different moves. She's a pro." He turned to watch her do a triple flip and land by them.

"Go tell Mom, Wash is coming for supper." He watched Lucas bounce off and laughed. "Half boy and half man."

"All men are boys in those. I'm invited for better food than the mess? What'd I do to rate Ayani's cooking?"

"A reward for doing such a good job filling in for me." He put an arm around her shoulders and turned her towards his place.

"My boots, hold on." With a jump she cleared twenty feet in a single bound and grabbed her boots, pivoted and with a single bound was back.

"Show off." He was smiling behind his mask.

"Raul and Wash are history," Nathaniel informed Ayani at the table. He spoke conversationally and didn't reveal details in front of Lucas.

"I'm sorry, Wash," Ayani mollified with her soothing tone. "What happened?"

"He wasn't ready to settle down so we agreed to see other people." She didn't seem upset and that's why Nathaniel brought it up, to evaluate her mental state. This time she didn't seem distraught in the slightest, just resigned to her fate.

"There'll be someone someday, Wash, not your time yet," Nathaniel offered and caught her looking at him deeply.

"I may never find someone at the rate I'm going. I'm back to my original plan of civilians." She smiled when Nathaniel burst out laughing at her.


Within a week most of the units were back in the Houston area leaving just the coast under military control and Taylor's unit inland. His was first in and scheduled to be last out. So far no uprisings or suicide bombers and the local leaders were reporting a smooth transaction. Of Rezonaid, there had been no sighting in Somalia, Yemen or Oman. It was possible he was killed in one of the bunkers hit with aerial strikes. The populace seemed content with their new leadership.

Finally, a call came from Apollo. "We got our marching orders to go home. I argued with Philbrick. Told him I wanted to stay and leave with your unit, but he said we spent enough government money and pressure was on to cut costs. You think they'd figure that out before deploying us," he grumbled. "Alicia around?"

Taylor grinned and said, "Hold on, I'll get her." He hit his radio mic and ordered her to the Command Center on the double. He watched her trot from Medical. "Daddy." He moved back to let her sit down.

"Hi Dad."

"I wanted to say goodbye. Cayman's and my units are leaving in the morning."

"I don't think we're here for long either with everyone pulling out. You and Cayman are last next to us aren't you?"

"Whiley's group is leaving in the morning also and Meyers' unit is relocating to Nairobi until you're out. He'll be your backup. I volunteered, but they are talking about sending me someplace else and want me back to take my break. You be careful and come home in one piece," was his fatherly advice.

"I'll keep those words in mind this close to the end. Two minor bullet holes as souvenirs is enough. See you at home. Love you, Dad."

"Love you too, Alicia." He broke the connection. She felt Nathaniel's hands on her shoulders giving a soft massage.

"It's starting to feel lonely here." She stared wistfully at the blank screen. "I'm looking forward to going home."

"We'll be gone soon, hopefully in a few days."


Four days later the Sergant monitoring the radio made a call to Lieutenant Washington. It was late, near eleven that night. "Lieutenant, sorry to bother you so late, but a call just came in from Mogadishu and the local Mayor states a group of men left town heading in our direction a couple hours ago. He just found out or would have called us sooner, he informed me."

"Did he say how many?" She got out of bed and started dressing as she spoke into her radio.

"No, he didn't see them. Some kid told him, but not how many."

"Call the unit up, we'll have to investigate. I'll tell the Commander, Wash out."

Signaling the Commanders private code, she heard his sleepy voice answer.

"Sir, we have a report of possible incoming rebels from the south."

"On my way." He was completely awake when he answered.

The unit was gathering and milling about outside the Command Center when Taylor arrived and pushed through to enter the building. Washington was looking at maps on the virtual screen. Glancing at him, she spoke first. "I redirected drones and picked up a small band heading this way. Do you want me to take a squad and intercept?"

"No, I want you here protecting the village. I'll take Guzman's and Durwin's squadrons. That'll leave you four to handle patrolling the area. Double the guards around the military families for tonight. I'll try and fly them out tomorrow. I don't like them being this close to possible action." With a slap to her shoulder, he stepped outside with her following and standing at his right shoulder. "Guzman, Durwin, you and your teams are with me. We have rebels to the south heading this way and we need to stop them." The area broke up as Washington took over issuing orders to her remaining teams. In the distance several vehicles took off and disappeared into the night.

Wash stayed close to the Command Center and radio, receiving reports from her teams and listening for communications on the away teams. Within half an hour, Taylor's radio came alive with him declaring a sighting and ordering the people to halt and not run. Listening to his open mic policy for nighttime encounters, she heard him talking to someone who said they were trying to get home after the occupation was over. Suddenly her own patrol team radioed in they were under attack by an overwhelming force. Jumping up, she asked where they were.

"North sector, hundreds of rebels."

"Fall back. All units to the north sector. Williams, take your team and rouse the families and get them to Medical and the Command Center for safety."

Taylor heard Washington's exchange and realized they'd been drawn off on purpose. Ordering the men to be stunned, he opened fire with his pistol on his hip. Soon bodies were laying everywhere and Taylor ordered his teams back to the village. Taking the lead, he flew faster then he'd ever driven before, sliding around corners all the while listening to the chaos waiting for him. Switching channels, he called for backup. "Taylor to Nairobi base, mayday, mayday. Biadoa is under attack. We have injured, send backup and we need medevacs."

"Copy Commander Taylor. Medevacs are on their way and the backup will lift off in a few minutes. ETA is half an hour, Nairobi out." Meyer's unit was scrambled to respond.

A siren Ayani had only heard in drills started blaring. She didn't go back to sleep after Nathaniel jumped up, dressed quickly and left, throwing his armor and gun on as he ran. Jumping up, she dressed while yelling at Lucas to get up and dressed. He met her at the front door. "We have to get to the Command Center, now," she grabbed his arm.

Pulling out of her grasp he headed to his bedroom. "I need my knife."

"Lucas, a knife's no good against the gun fire outside, now run." They took off and found a private carrying Jaymon, with Tasha and Skye Tate trying to keep up. Ayani reached out and took four year old Jaymon so the young soldier could get back to the battle.

"Lucas, take Tasha and Skye's hands." Ayani watched her son latch onto the smaller hands and they ran around the corner and into the Command Center that was abandoned. The radio was blaring constantly as radios were constantly updating and Washington was giving orders. Several 'I'm hit,' rang out. Washington came back on. 'J.G.'s been killed.' She didn't give the name knowing Guzman was incoming and was too late to help his wife now.

There were three JG initials in the outfit and only one was with Taylor, so he figured it was one of the other two. Guzman prayed it was James Gardner and not Jasmine Guzman. Only a few more minutes, hang on, he prayed.

Washington was ordering her units to fall back to the square and protect the families. "Stand your ground to the death," was heard issuing from her.

"Too many of them," an unknown scared private spoke back.

"Get cover vehicles into the square or we'll be sitting targets," Washington ordered.

"I'm hit another voice cried."

Taylor was losing count of the injured cries.

Every mic that clicked, in the background was gunfire. He could see the lights of the town in the distance, but his foot was all the way down and he was at the mercy of the vehicle and its eternal slowness.

Ayani pushed the children to the back and told the women to put up a human shield to protect the kids. She trusted in Medical the same was being done. Bullets broke the glass and children were crying out. Lucas was acting like a human shield and she was so proud of him. He wasn't cowering with the younger children, but wanting to go out and fight. She had a hand on his arm, fingers clutching and leaving marks. No way was he going outside unarmed to be cut down. A soldier took a hit in front of the broken window and fell through the opening. He died in front of everyone. Lucas went to grab his gun, but a soldier's wife beat him to it and started firing at shabbily dressed black men pushing the opening. Another shot and she died with a bullet through her head, leaning out the window dropping the rifle into the street. Ayani wondered where Washington was and would Nathaniel make it back in time. Lucas wasn't struggling anymore, but standing still, looking at the dead people, the first he'd ever seen in his young life.

Washington moved her remaining troops into the square and ordered them to split and protect Medical and the Command Center and don't let the rebels get to the families at all cost. Taylor heard her final order as the entrance to the town loomed close. He never heard her give another order nor anyone else. An eerie silence filled the vehicle and the lack of gunshots didn't bode well for his people.

The door to the Command Center was pushed open and a tall rebel with a rifle pointed at them drew their attention from the dead. "Outside now or we'll shoot you in here. Everyone, little ones also." Ayani moved with the group as one, after taking Jaymon's hand and telling Tasha to hold her brother's other hand. Outside she saw Washington holding her stomach trying to stem the flow of blood. She was on her knees, but fell face first, as Ayani watched, into the square and went limp. Looking around, she saw wounded and dead, but nobody was uninjured or fighting back. The town's women were coming from their homes and cheering the returning men who were yelling back to gather the children, they were leaving this occupied village. The people in the Medical building were gathered together with them into a large group and they were marched out of the square down a lit street to the edge of town. Behind every woman and child was an armed rebel insuring no escape.

Nathaniel slid to a stop trying to miss bodies. In the distance he heard choppers approaching fast. Looking at the carnage, he saw Wash lying face first in the street. He ran to her first and dropped to his knees. With shaking hands he gently turned her over expecting to see open eyes with all the life gone. She moaned, her eyes closed. He spoke in a voice rough and tense with emotion. "Hang on, Wash, hang on." He pushed his hand into her abdomen and it came away slick with blood. Seeing the first chopper land, he scooped her up and ran like she was a small child to the waiting medical team, leaving his armor and hands covered with her blood. "Take care of my Lieutenant," he ordered, and with a last look at them wasting no time in stripping her and applying pressure mash bandages, he knew his help for her was done. Running back to the area he went from person to person as did his returning units and helped get the injured to choppers and left the dead for later.

Gathering his remaining troops, he looked at the open doors and knew his family and the rest were gone, but where? Suddenly a young man holding his hands up approached. Taylor wanted to fill him full of holes, but restrained himself. "Are you Commander Taylor?" A voice thick with a foreign accent asked.

"I am."

"Rezonaid has your people and is waiting for you. Follow me and I'll take you to him, but I must warn you, any aggression and the children will be killed first." Without waiting to see if he were being followed, the young man walked away from the square. Motioning his people to follow, Taylor led the group who wanted nothing more than to kill.

Then he saw them. They were all lined up with Rezonaid standing in front of the women and children, with enough men standing behind to easily kill them fast. Taylor walked up to him. "Rezonaid, what do you want?"

"Revenge for you attacking my village and killing some of my people, including my brother. I will kill your innocent people like you did mine, and you will watch."

"I offer myself and my soldiers for the lives of the women and children. The international community will overlook acts of war, but not atrocities."

"I will not kill them all. You get to pick one to live. In fact all your soldiers get to pick one person to live. The rest die. Choose fast or I'll lose patients and order them all killed."

"I'll hunt you down for this." Taylor felt his training taking over, emotions shutting down.

"Kill a woman to show them we are serious about their need for speed." Rezonaid ordered, still standing close to Taylor. A shot rang out and Doug Williams' wife fell dead, a bullet through her head.

Shocked recoil moved through Taylor's unit and several snarled in rage. Taylor raised a hand for silence. "You heard him, choose a child." He walked to Ayani and they stood facing each other.

"Take care of Lucas, Nathaniel. I love you." She remained strong even though tears were streaming down her husband's face. Other than that, he showed no emotion.

"I love you and will forever." His moment over, he spoke loud and clear. "I choose my son, Lucas."

Lucas came out of his surreal shock and with a scream of "NO," the boy ran at Rezonaid to tear him apart. The crack of a rifle but against his skull sent him to the ground. It hurt like hell, but he didn't pass out. He felt his father haul him to his feet and drag him to the side where the soldiers were making selections.

"Take a child, one per family, especially one's whose parents were killed," Taylor yelled again as he held Lucas to keep him from doing something else stupid and maybe getting killed this time. Every parent chose one of their own leaving the single soldiers to take an orphan.

Guzman, with tears realized JG was his wife and her and James Gardner were both dead had to make the worse choice of his life. Looking at his two precious children. "Please forgive me Jaymon. I choose Tasha," and he held his arms out for his daughter. "Tasha, come to Daddy." She ran into his arms, not sure what was happening.

Boylan looked at the children and saw Skye Tate. "Skye Tate. Come to me, Bucket, now, run fast." He was relieved when the girl rushed into his arms.

The thirty-five soldiers chose children, mostly girls. As soon as the last child got rescued, Rezonaid ordered the rest killed in a tone that he could have been buying a sack of flour, all business and no emotion. Mostly it was fast until they reached Ayani. Rezonaid grinned a broken toothed smile at Taylor. "This one is yours. I'll make her mine before she dies so she's known a real man." With too many guns pointed at Lucas and Nathaniel, Rezonaid proceeded to rape Ayani and beat her and then he pulled a knife and only then did Ayani cry out as he slowly opened her up, slitting her from collar bone to pelvis spilling her guts into the dirt. Finally, with his hand, he thrust under her rib cage and pulled her heart still beating out, a trail of veins and arteries attaching it in a final effort to hold onto her life. In a slicing motion he cut the attaching strings and threw it in the dirt near Taylor's feet.

Nathaniel never moved or loosed his hold on Lucas, who went from screaming curses to whimpering and begging his father to help her. Then he felt his son go quiet and cease his struggle. Neither took their eyes from the gruesome scene of their wife and mother, now a mutilated corpse in a pool of blood that completely surrounded her body. The rebels disappeared into the night leaving Taylor alone with his horror. Someone was screaming into a radio and the attack helicopters circled and fired shots in all directions. Taylor turned himself and Lucas to look into the night. Burning bodies were seen running around and lit up the countryside. In the light of the continuous firing from choppers, they saw them falling into the dirt, writhing as they burned to death. The men were no match for Meyers' unit who hunted them down like rabid animals using night vision so not to miss anyone. What Commander Meyers didn't know, was Rezoniad had gathered his own women and children and in the ensuing moments, Baidoa lost its entire population, sparing none. Mother's realizing by going with their men, they sealed their fate and the fates of their children, tried in vain to return to the village.

Nathaniel finally turned and looked at remaining soldiers of his unit. Everyone was waiting for his orders and each held a child, aging from two to six. Lucas was the only older minor to survive. "You're now my special children. Take them to Medical until help arrives." He pushed Lucas with the others and saw a soldier put a free arm around Lucas' shoulders, giving emotional support as the boy was led away from the massacre. Nathaniel watched the soldier escort his son away, while holding a whimpering little girl in the other arm. Going to his wife, he sank to his knees and cried, sobs racking his body. Finally, nothing more than dry heaves with each breath left him kneeling and looking at his shattered life.

That's where Meyers found him.

Meyers own chopper landed first and worked to where Taylor was located, through streets littered with dead bodies, more than half belonging to the rebels. He encountered a shell-shocked unit slowly walking through the carnage towards him. One soldier stopped and asked one of Meyers' soldiers to take his child.

Going up to Commander Meyers he spoke. "Sir." Meyers focused his shocked gaze on the man not from his unit. "I'm Sergant Thomas Boylan. I'll take you to Taylor. Most of the other soldiers aren't in any shape as they lost wives, children or both. Anything you need or questions, ask me." He led them back the way he came.

Trying not to vomit at the sight no training could ever have prepared him for, Meyers' gaze took in a kneeling Taylor last. He watched as the man called Boylan walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Sir, it's time to leave so they can gather the bodies." He helped Nathaniel to his feet.

With a raspy breath, Taylor asked. "Tommy, how many did we lose, soldiers that is?"

"Don't know exact numbers, maybe three quarters, but hopefully the ones we medevac'd out will make it."

Meyers figured it was safe to talk to Taylor as he was able to talk with his own soldier, and approached. "Nathaniel, we need to get your unit and the children to Nairobi. I'll take over here, you go home now." He watched for cognition in Nathaniel's eyes to see if his words pierced the void. When Nathaniel finally focused on him, he repeated. "Time to go home now." He was relieved when the Commander nodded and he helped Boylan lead him away, keeping a hand on Nathaniel's shoulder and noticed the Sergant kept his on the other shoulder. Reaching for his radio, he instructed, "I want two units here now guarding the bodies and put a blanket over the eviscerated body ASAP."

The choppers were all powered down so not to scare the traumatized children, still being held securely in familiar arms. Taylor only stopped long enough to make sure Lucas was with him. The boy was in shock and had a bloody lump on the side of his head that needed treatment when they got out of this hellhole. As soon as the six choppers were airborne, Meyers got down to business.

Switching channels, he called the hospital in Nairobi to warn them what was inbound. The hospital's director hurried to Sergeant Tate's room, where he knew the officer was from Taylor's unit. Bursting through the door of the private room, he looked around. "Sergant Tate." The doctor noticed the wife was still present and said, "Thank God, you're still here, Mrs. Tate. Please sit down before I begin." He watched her sit on the edge of her husband's bed and take his hand. He filled them in on the sketchy details he got and saw the woman burst into tears and cry, "Bucket," before collapsing on her husband.

Tate looked over her body at the doctor. "That's our daughter." He had tears in his eyes also.

"Half of what's coming are children. No civilian adults I was told. They'll be here soon." He saw Tate move his wife and get out of bed favoring his injured left shoulder and side.

"They'll need all the friends they can get." Alex asked his wife to help him dress.

The administrator told them where the incoming were going to be held and remembered there were injured flown in the hour before.

"You should have told me." Tate hurried out with his wife, Debora, struggling to keep up in her grief.

Alex saw the operating theater was full with every available medic and doctor working on someone. He went from bed to bed and identified everyone audibly. He was going to the last operating bed with the most people around it when a hand stopped him. "That one's too far gone. They don't expect her to make it, but have to try."

"I need to tell you who's going to die then." He shrugged the hand off and moved to get a look at her face. To his shock it was Wash. What the hell happened that took her out like this?

"Who is she?" The orderly holding a plexpad was waiting.

"Lieutenant Alicia Washington." A lot of fire drained from him at the sight of them working to stabilize her. He went pale at the screams for more blood as a pool was expanding around the table on the floor and being stepped in, and holes they hadn't plugged yet caused a steady drip of the thick red fluid. The smell of blood and feel of death was in the air. Alex backed away and stepped into the arms of his wife.

Looking at his stunned face, Debora asked, "Who?"

"Wash," was all he got out.

"Oh no," he heard his wife exclaim.