A/N: Thank you to andsoitis2, xoElle23, Ellii51, MsKylie93, walkingthegardengnome, A Amanda A, Hayley Louise, MaximumFire, Anon, gleeothfriends90210cccjsdAMD, Shananigan (times 3!), and dee20 for your wonderful reviews!
Also, I'm not going to make any excuses as to why this has taken forever to update. It's been a long time, and I'm sorry. All I can say is this was a particularly difficult chapter for me to write and even though I knew it was going to be tough, I hoped it wouldn't take this long. But it did. I will give a better explanation in a few chapters but for right now, Sorry.
Chapter 28
September
Quinn sighed as she rubbed her temples gently, the glare from her computer screen giving her a headache as she looked over the rest of the week's schedule. She was juggling school and taking care of her son while being almost eight months pregnant, and while Judy was a huge help, she had taken off earlier the previous week for another girl trip with some friends from back home. Quinn felt bad Judy had practically uprooted her life back in Lima to come live with them for a while and help out, and while Quinn knew Judy didn't mind helping out, she was also excited for things to go back to normal once Puck came home.
She was stressed and overwhelmed as usual, not as bad as she was her first year of law school, but even then, Puck had been there for half of it. She just kept thanking God he would be home in a month or so to wrangle their little monster and help out with the new baby when she finally came so Quinn could stop feeling guilty about using her mother like a crutch all the time. Plus, it would just be nice to have him home.
She missed him terribly and he was always such a comforting and loving presence in her life. She honestly didn't know what her life would have turned out to be like if it weren't for him. He was her biggest supporter, her best friend, her gentle and attentive lover, a wonderful father, and the strongest, most compassionate and loving man she had ever met. Funny how things can change so drastically from high school, she thought as she finished typing another email to him, pressing send before shutting everything down for the night.
Quinn waddled her way up the stairs, stopping in to check on her son once more before heading toward her and Puck's room. She sighed as she pulled on one of his old t-shirts she loved to sleep in while he was gone, the soft fabric making her feel like a part of him was with her every night when she went to bed, before tucking herself under the covers.
Puck's last leave had been far too short for her liking but she knew he couldn't do anything about it. She was thrilled that she got to see him again, even if it was for two weeks. They were able to spend time together as a family, all of them, and for once their lives felt complete. It was wonderful, and even though their parting was sad like usual, he promised he would be back soon and would make it there in time for the baby's birth. She wasn't so naïve to think that he would absolutely, without a doubt make it back for the birth, seeing as how the Army had a different timetable than little baby Riley might, but she found herself hoping for a miracle that he could make it. That would be absolutely perfect.
But then again, life isn't perfect.
She said a quick prayer for her husband, his unit and their family and friends before settling into her pillows for the night. For some reason, an uneasy feeling seemed to be plaguing her lately, but she couldn't quite figure out why or what for. Maybe it was her stress over her schedule for the semester, especially given the fact that she was about to give birth mid-way through and would have to miss a chunk of class. Maybe it was the uncertainty of when Puck would finally come home and if he would be there for Riley's birth.
She hoped that it wasn't the "mom sixth sense" that was telling her something was wrong with the baby or with Jameson, and she made a quick mental note to listen to her body and to check on her son in the morning, but one could never really know. There were so many things up in the air at the moment making it difficult for Quinn to pinpoint the source of her unease, but all she knew is she didn't like it.
It was a good thing her friends were coming up from New York City for the weekend. The visit would be a welcome reprieve from her otherwise hectic life and she was excited to finally see Santana, Britney and Rachel again after what seemed like forever. They were always a nice stress-relief and it would be a great way to decompress from everything she felt like she was shouldering on her own at the moment. A little girl therapy is most certainly what she needed; a little sarcasm and wit from Santana, a touch of childish enthusiasm and fun from Brit, and a much needed ear to listen in the form of Rachel.
Hopefully, it was going to be a good weekend, she thought as she smiled into her pillow, clutching Puck's pillow into her body as she situated herself and her belly for the evening. Hopefully, it would be a good weekend…
Afghanistan, September
Puck signed his name at the bottom of the letter he just finished writing, sealing it in an envelope and addressing it correctly before stowing it in safely in his footlocker. The whole ritual seemed a bit strange and pessimistic to some other service members, condemning even, but he and his entire team had been doing the same thing every once in a while during their past several deployments. Many other Special Forces teams did the same thing, all hoping that once they returned home to the States, they could shred the letters and forget about the whole thing, instead focusing on being there with their families, but they were somewhat reassuring in their existence as well.
He took a few moments to re-compose himself before heading to the computer, logging on and smiling when he saw the new email from Quinn. He read it a few times over, grinning at the pictures of her and Jameson she attached. She was getting bigger but she still looked amazing to him, and he couldn't wait to meet the little girl growing inside of her when his tour of duty was over next month.
He laughed at a few of the pictures of Jameson, the little troublemaker obviously trying his mother's patience often but he looked so darn cute when he was caught red-handed getting into whatever mischief he possibly could. Poor Quinn and Judy, he thought as he chuckled over a picture of Jameson sitting inside one of the cabinets in the kitchen, an entire can of frosting open and smeared all over his little body.
Puck typed out a response to her, adding a few pictures of him and Finn and the rest of their team he had taken since they had been over there, before sending it off.
"You ready, dude?" Finn asked, standing near the entryway of the portable trailer Puck, Finn, and Tex shared.
Puck wiped his hands down his cleanly shaven face before standing, "Are you ever really ready for this shit?"
Finn shot him an understanding look, "No, I guess not. But we've only got a few weeks left. Almost done."
"True. I just get a bad feeling every time we get Op-Orders like this. It always seems to give me that eerie feeling like it did in Zabul," Puck explained, referring to the doomed mission two tours of duty ago.
Finn cracked a smile, trying to put his friend at ease, "You always say that before missions like this. And what happens? We go out and kick some asses and take some names. Plus, we were green back then. We're better trained than the enemy and we know what to expect. So whaddya say, champ? "
Puck finished lacing up his boots and smiled back at his best friend, "It's game time."
Tex popped his head into the trailer, grabbing his boonie hat and extra canteen, "You ladies ready? Captain America is waiting for us in the ready room."
Both Puck and Finn chuckled at Tex's private nickname for Parker before following him to the ready room.
x-x-x-x-x
Three hours after Parker's briefing concluded, the men found themselves hunkered down in the cargo hold of an aircraft, waiting for the ramp door to open and the green light for them to commence their jump into hostile territory. Puck and Finn did a quick buddy check of each other's gear, making sure they remembered everything, before they heard Parker's voice over hum of the aircraft's engines.
"You Girl Scouts ready?" he asked the men, a light smirk on his face as he received the stink eye from all the rest of his men, "We're going HALO in about 30 seconds."
Puck and Finn nodded at each other before slipping on their masks, preparing for one of their now routine high-altitude, low-opening jumps they trained for and used quite frequently to get in and subsequently extracted out of enemy territory without worrying about raising suspicion by driving a humvee right through town.
The jump bay doors opened and the green light flickered on, signaling they were over their landing zone. Parker turned to the men and gave them the countdown.
"3, 2, 1. Mountaineers Airborne," he called out over their helmet intercoms, Tex and Vargas jumping out first, followed by Puck and Finn, while Parker brought up the rear.
Hunt had gone out into the field the previous night to set up a position and observe the happenings in the village they were supposed to recon and gather intelligence, reporting back to Parker throughout the day and helping them coordinate their insertion into the village itself early that morning. The men were supposed to infiltrate the camp just before dawn, when the sky was still at its darkest to preserve their cover, and hopefully get what they wanted and get out with little to no hassle.
Like that was ever the case…
Puck and Finn linked up with the rest of the men as they fell through the sky, checking their altimeters and GPS locators as they made slight adjustments to drop down into their landing zone. As soon as they hit the appropriate altitude, the men all pulled their rip cords and drifted softly down to the earth. Once they all had landed and quickly stowed their parachutes, Parker radioed headquarters, who was overseeing the mission to let them know of their status.
"Oracle this is Mountaineer One, all boots on the ground." Parker whispered, waiting for their confirmation.
Once he received the all clear response from 'Oracle' at the base headquarters, Tex radioed Hunt, who was positioned high on a ridgeline near the village, to let him know of their status as well. He received a series of radio blips in the form of Morse code in acknowledgement, taking that as the go-ahead, and the men began the three and a half mile trek through the mountainous landscape toward their target area.
x-x-x-x-x
After about an hour of walking, the men finally reached their rendezvous point. They each hunkered down behind some low brush on an adjacent ridgeline that was about a half mile away from the small encampment, pulling out their own scopes and checking out the terrain.
Hunt had been on the lookout for them from his position and radioed into Tex.
"How was the hike? You look a little winded, I think you may be getting too old for this."
Tex snickered lightly before whispering his response, "No, that would be Parker. Old Man River is sucking wind over there," he chided, earning the finger from Parker before getting serious, "So, what are we looking at?
"So far, we've got four 'Charlies' positioned in a truck to the northwest side of building 'echo.' Otherwise, not a whole lot of movement. You all copy?" Hunt asked over their radios, their sniper gazing into his scope as he spanned the entire landscape, checking for any other signs of movement.
Tex glanced over their charts, locating building "E" (echo) on their maps before relaying his concurrence back to Hunt. The men continued to observe the movements of the men and the truck for a little while longer, waiting until it finally left town kicking up a trail of dust down the dirt road in its wake, before anyone moved from their position.
Parker verified with Hunt that the coast was clear before he signaled for the rest of the unit to move out. They began their descent of the ridge, careful to remain on the path and footholds they could find as to avoid any unnecessary rock slides or any other movement that may prematurely give away their position.
This was supposed to be a simple in and out job. Get in to suspected hideout, subdue any potential threats, gather intelligence and get back out. Easy as that. In fact, that was pretty much the story of their whole deployment.
The intelligence they had on this particular village was rather thin though. They had been told that there were several suspected top ranking terrorist officials that used this location as a drop point for sensitive material that would then be disbursed throughout the region by other lower level minions, probably much like the ones who just left in the truck. This location had been under satellite surveillance for a while and the intelligence community as well as the military deemed it as an important location to the insurgents, requiring a more thorough and up-close inspection of the operation taking place here.
That's where Puck and Finn's team came into the picture.
Their specialty was working within the small, mountainous regions, whether it be eradicating a particular cell or gathering intelligence from a suspected terrorist haunt, they were very good at getting in and getting out quickly, quietly and without incident…most of the time.
The team humped it down the ridge and quickly made their way up the main road, Hunt still giving them updates on the status of the small village on a regular basis. All was quiet, and that was optimal given the rumored hostilities in the area and the uncertainty surrounding this particular village. Quiet was good, it usually meant people were asleep and they could sneak in and sneak out, no problem.
Yet, sometimes, the quiet was bad…unnervingly bad. They just had to hope and pray it stayed this quiet.
As they neared the edge of town, they all quietly regrouped behind a rock and mortar building, silently signaling each pair to fan out and prepare to cover one another as they made their way along the buildings until they reached their target destination: a suspected Taliban holdout and armory near the center of the village.
Unfortunately for them, the village was built entirely around a main area and marketplace, the houses and buildings all designed in a horseshoe shape around the central square before ending at the open dirt road that left town to the south, meaning they would have to sneak around over half of the homes and buildings in the village just to get to their target location and potentially open themselves up to discovery by one of the villagers if they weren't quiet or careful.
Parker received the all-clear from Hunt before gesturing wordlessly for the team to move forward, Puck and Finn silently stalking forward several yards before scanning the area and holding down a cover position, Puck signaling back for Vargas, Tex and Parker to proceed. Their movements resembled that of a game of "leap-frog," each group overtaking the other before taking up a protective stance and waiting for the other group to pass them as they made their way down the sides of the buildings toward the holdout.
The men continued to stalk down the streets, canvassing the area with their scopes and checking in each window as they went along to make sure they were still in the clear as they inched closer and closer to the center of the village.
Puck and Finn had just made their move onto another building, quickly checking in an open window when Puck saw a sight that made his blood run cold. Among the slumbering bodies of men, women and children, there was a sizable stockpile of weapons in a far corner ranging from everything from RPGs to black market AK-47s just waiting to be used against any unfriendly force. Just waiting to be used against the Americans in country.
Puck signaled to Parker to check it out, the men making a note of it and sneaking past the house silently as they came up on the suspected armory. Hunt, who had been monitoring their progress as they crept along, murmured that there was no sign of movement. The men circled the building quickly and checked in all the windows before Tex jimmied the lock open and all five men quickly stormed in, sweeping the expanse for threats before lowering their weapons and setting out to search for what they came for.
Vargas snapped a few quick photos of the area, taking a survey of all of the weapons and conversing quietly with Parker about what they were going to do while Puck, Tex and Finn gathered all of the loose papers, maps, zip-drives and whatever other things they could find, securing them all in their side pockets.
Vargas and Parker continued to debate the best way to handle the dangerous stockpile, deciding to rig the place to blow when the men were a safe distance away. They had Finn look over the ordinance, trying to find the best way to contain the blast to only the building to avoid collateral damage and possible civilian casualties, and once they made up their minds, four of the men went to work rigging the explosive and detonating device while Puck guarded the door and remained on the lookout.
They were almost done setting everything up when a series of Morse code beeps came over their headset radios, Hunt's voice following the tones.
"Mountaineers, you've got company. I repeat, you've got company. Over," he murmured into the radio.
The men froze in their spots, taking up firing positions at all the doors and windows while Parker radioed back.
"Location and ETA?" he asked quickly, keeping his voice hushed in case their "company" was just outside the door.
"The truck is returning from the south. Best guess, two and a half clicks away and coming in hot," Hunt said, sending Finn into overdrive to quickly finish setting the timer on the explosive before grabbing his rifle and joining the men near the door, "Get out of there, now!"
Estimating they had about two minutes to evacuate the building and get out of sight, the men scrambled out the door, sweeping the expanse of the village square with their rifles before quickly making their way back toward the direction in which they came.
They were almost in the clear too…until the truck carrying eight additional insurgents crested the hill and pulled into the square.
"They've spotted you! Take cover!" Hunt squawked over the radio, watching in his scope as several of the men in the bed of the truck raised their weapons and began to fire.
All of the men took cover as quickly as they could to remain out of sight, but they weren't fast enough, a barrage of yells followed by the crack of bullets flying over their heads as they dove behind whatever barrier was closest. Puck dove off sideways behind a low cinderblock barrier, swearing as he ducked to avoid the debris that was shot off the building next to him.
The dawn was breaking and they would be in big trouble if they didn't get out of there soon, the other villagers more likely than not waking up to the gunfire and arming themselves in the process…and it was a lot easier to target soldiers out in the daylight. He chanced a peek around the side of the barrier, noting that Tex and Vargas had made it a bit further down the street, the two men taking cover behind a barrier similar to his whereas Finn and Parker got held up behind the rest of the men, resorting to taking cover behind a rusted truck that sat out in front of the armory they had just rigged to blow, the two men pinned down by the gunfire.
Puck heard a few bullets fly past his head, quickly ducking back behind the barrier and radioing Hunt.
"How many are we looking at?"
The radio cracked a bit before he was given his answer, "Nine, but I see movement inside a lot of the buildings so I can't give you a definitive answer," Hunt paused before Puck heard the familiar crack of a 50 caliber round being fired out of Hunt's rifle, "You're up to around thirteen, well twelve now. I'll keep you posted."
Puck heard another crack before he chanced another look, this time spotting two men running out of a building across the square from his position, the men raising their rifles as they ran toward Tex and Vargas' position. Puck didn't even have time to think, quickly raising his rifle and taking aim, gently squeezing the trigger and bracing himself for the kick of the rounds leaving the barrel of his gun. Almost immediately, one of the men dropped to the ground, the other taking a few more staggering steps before also collapsing.
No matter how many times they had been in this position and needed to protect themselves, the fact that he had just killed two men was still hard to swallow. He felt like the villagers here were trying to protect their families and friends, even if they were in cahoots with a terrorist organization, but much like the villagers, Puck too would fight and even kill to protect his family and friends. It just never got any easier.
He heard more yells and rounds hitting the nearby buildings, the faint yet distinct crack of Hunt's rifle sounding out a few more times in the distance. Before he could reflect any further, the sound of two more truck engines filled the air, more yells and a distant sound of an explosion pulling him back to the present.
"Fuck, we've got two more vehicles, five charlies to a vehicle. They're heavily armed and carrying RPG's. If this party gets any bigger, we've gotta call in air support," Hunt reported, "I'll take the drivers but they're the least of our worries."
At this, Puck rolled onto his stomach at the side of the barrier, shielding himself as he pulled himself into a prone firing position, taking aim and firing at the men in the trucks. The wind picked up throwing dust and dirt everywhere, limiting the visibility and making it more difficult to accurately determine where the gunfire was coming from. He glanced to his left, noting that Tex and Vargas were both in crouched firing positions, taking cover around the corners of one of the structures as they squeezed off several of their rounds too.
"Copy," Parker replied, squeezing another few rounds off before glancing around at Finn, their voices clearly audible over the radio "How much time do we have left on those charges?"
"Three minutes, forty two seconds," Finn replied, checking his watch.
"We've got to get out of here, we're far too close for comfort," Parker stated, glancing around and firing another few rounds in the direction of enemy gunfire. He knew they needed to get away from the armory, but there was simply no place to go from where they were at. He looked at Finn once more before earning a nod of silent agreement, "We need to move, but we're kind of trapped and if we run, we'll be out in the open. Can we get some cover?"
Hunt was the first to reply, "I can barely see shit and I'm pretty sure they've figured out my position so I may need to move too. As far as I can tell and judging from the muzzle blasts, there are still ten to twelve hostiles remaining in the area. Weaponry unknown at the time."
No sooner than the words had come through the radio that a distinct "whoosh" followed by a high pitched whistle screamed through the air.
"RPG! Take cover!" Parker shouted through the radio. Puck ducked behind his wall, looking toward his left as he saw the side of a building next to Vargas and Tex's location explode sending glass, dirt and mortar flying in all directions.
Another high pitched whistle pierced the air, Puck ducking for cover yet again as the rocket propelled grenade slammed into a wall near his location sending him further behind the barrier. He was not in a good location he realized, noting that the barrier and the building were connected, essentially trapping him if he were stuck here for much longer. He didn't have much of a choice so he figured he had to make due for the time being. He looked back over toward where the RPG had exploded near Vargas and Tex, both men having resumed their original firing positions and squeezing off a few rounds.
"Sit Rep!" Parker shouted over the radio, expecting each man to radio in to let him know if they were all ok, "Mountaineer one, needing to move but ok."
"Mountaineer two, in the clear," Hunt responded.
"Mountaineer three, in the clear," Tex replied.
"Mountaineer four, besides the ringing in my ears, in the clear," Vargas attempted to joke.
"Mountaineer five, also needing to move but ok," Finn responded.
"Mountaineer six, in the clear," replied Puck, rounding out the team. He glanced to his right, noting that he was not at a good location to provide cover fire for Parker or Finn either, hastily adding, "Mountaineer one, I do not have an angle to cover you. I've got a view of the east and main square."
"We've got you covered, Mountaineer one," Tex replied, "Visibility is still shit, but we can make out the truck. You've got to move toward your left, one of the trucks has taken up a position at the end of the street to your right."
Puck attempted to readjust his scope, a few stray bullets whizzing past his head as he ducked away again, pulling himself back into position and squeezing off a few more rounds before hearing Hunt's voice over the comm.
"I can't see anything either, I'm moving now. Tex, call in air support. I don't like this shit one bit," he replied.
Puck glanced over at Tex and Vargas, both men continuing to squeeze off a few rounds before Tex ducked behind the barrier once again.
"Oracle, this is Mountaineer three. We need immediate air support and extraction. The landing zone is hot. I repeat, the LZ is hot."
A few seconds later, a voice filled all of their headsets, "Mountaineers, this is Oracle. We read you loud and clear. Air support is in route. ETA six and a half minutes."
"Shit, we've got to move now, sir," Finn shouted over the comm at Parker signaling at his watch, "Forty two seconds."
Another few high pitched whines pierced the air followed by loud explosions, the ground shaking with every mortar round and RPG strike. Puck swept the expanse of the square with his scope, zeroing in on one of the insurgents, an RPG rocket sitting on his shoulder as he prepared to fire. Puck squeezed off another few rounds, the man staggering and pulling the trigger before collapsing, the rocket flying at an awkward angle toward the top of one of the buildings near Puck.
The rocket tore through the top floor of the building, raining debris down on the men below. Puck rolled out of the way to avoid a large chunk of material that landed nearby, quickly resuming the position and scoping out the square again. Gunfire continued to ring out but the rest of the insurgents must have taken cover, none visible from his particular angle.
Once again, Finn's voice came over the radio, "Captain, we have to get the fuck out of here. Now!"
Without hesitation, Parker responded, "Ready or not, here we come. Cover us!"
Puck tried his best to angle his rifle around the side of the barrier, the angle awkward as it forced him to shoot left handed around the barrier instead of with his preferred right hand but he did the best he could. Vargas and Tex feverously continued to scan the square, firing off rounds at muzzle blasts whenever they saw them.
Out of the corner of his eye, Puck saw Parker and Finn signal to one another before making a break for it, raising their rifles as they ran in the instance that an insurgent may take advantage of the poor visibility and take a shot.
Parker and Finn broke out into a sprint, making it a few steps before two more high pitched whines made Puck's blood run cold.
"RPG!" Vargas shouted.
Puck vigorously swept the expanse again, looking for the noise when the two rocket propelled grenades slammed into the side of the truck Parker and Finn had just been taking cover behind, the shrapnel ripping through the vehicle and turning it into a giant fireball, pieces of flaming debris shooting into the air in all directions.
The explosion out front must have prematurely triggered the explosives inside the armory, the entire building and all of its contents exploding from within. Puck shielded his eyes as best as he could, the explosion violently shaking the ground as the shockwave from the blast blew outwards, sending the fleeing Parker and Finn flying off of their feet and throwing them several yards away, their bodies tumbling to the dirt like ragdolls.
Puck felt his entire body go numb as he watched them sail through the air and hit the ground, his heart in his throat as he waited for them to move or do something to suggest that they were still alive. He sent up a quick prayer as he stared at their bodies lying in the middle of the square, out in the open and exposed.
There were still the occasional gunshots from where Puck assumed the insurgents were located, but otherwise the square had gone eerily quiet, like someone was almost waiting and daring somebody else to make a move before unleashing hell again.
"What the fuck was that? Parker?" Hunt asked, sounding out of breath. When he received no response, he radioed again, "Sit rep?"
"Mountaineer four took a hit and is rendering his own aid," Tex replied, referring to Vargas before giving his own situation report, "Mountaineer three, all clear."
Puck glanced out across the square, swallowing hard before giving his report, "Mountaineers one and five are down. I repeat, Mountaineers one and five are down and in the open."
He heard Hunt's voice hitch and become heavy as it was apparent he had began to continue his descent off of the mountain down into town as fast as he could, "What's their status?"
Puck continued to scrutinize the bodies, his pulse racing as he hoped and prayed he saw some type of movement, "Unknown, but I see no movement."
"Continue to cover them," Hunt ordered, "Regardless, we take everyone home."
"Roger that," all three of the men replied in unison, each assuming their firing positions once again as they looked out over the square at the bodies of their fallen friends.
Puck heard several commands shouted in Arabic before another few high pitched whines pierced the air, this time the blasts ricocheting off of buildings near Tex and Vargas, the two men recoiling behind their barrier as debris rained down on top of them.
"Where the fuck is our air support, Oracle?" Tex shouted into the radio as he and Vargas tried to kick away some of the flaming debris from the area.
"Mountaineer, Eagle Eye is approximately four minutes out with your extraction following," the voice on the other end of the radio said.
Puck glanced back out at the square, his eyes widening in surprise as he saw Finn's arm move slightly. He heard his friend groan as Finn raised his head slightly, looking around for his gun. Puck could tell he was still a little groggy, his movements slow and shaky but he was alive and moving and that was all that mattered to Puck.
"Finn, you copy?" he asked into the radio, "Finn?"
When he was met with straight static, Puck assumed the blast took out Finn's radio transmitter in the process, making it difficult to assess his and Parker's injuries and what they could do to keep them safe until air support arrived.
Before he had time to process what to do any longer, the silence was shattered by a barrage of gunfire, the rounds ricocheting off of the surrounding buildings lining the streets. Puck tried to cover his head and face, doing his best to keep an eye on Finn and Parker while still remaining vigilant and on the lookout for insurgents as the dust was finally starting to clear. It was like they were trying to lay down a suppressive fire, hoping to hit anything as the insurgents sprayed the area with their automatic rounds.
"We are under heavy fire, Eagle Eye. If you could step on it, that would be great," Puck faintly heard Tex say over the blasts and rounds exploding all around them.
Puck tried to get off a few rounds in the direction of the blasts, the automatic spurts coming from the muzzles of old Soviet grade rifles distracting him from his task of keeping an eye on Finn and Parker. He squeezed the trigger several more times, hoping to hit something to stop the barrage.
But it was a loud yelp and a string of profanities in English that caught his attention once again and forced him to refocus on covering Finn and Parker.
"Fuck!" Finn yelped as one of the insurgents roughly grasped his arm and began dragging him away from the center of the village square. He twisted and fought back, trying his best with what little strength he had in him to get away, "Let go of me!"
Puck turned his attention back to his friend just in time to see the bearded insurgent's boot make contact with Finn's face, a splatter of blood escaping Finn's mouth as his head recoiled. The insurgent spit on Finn before grabbing his arm and tugging again, this time keeping his rifle trained on the soldier he was dragging.
Puck didn't hesitate in bringing his rifle back up and training it on the insurgent. There was no way he was going to let them take his friends as prisoners. There was no way he would allow these terrorists to turn his fellow brothers in arms into another one of their sick and twisted videos they liked to stream online after capturing, torturing and ultimately executing his fellow countrymen and soldiers. He took aim and gently squeezed the trigger, releasing exactly one bullet, the insurgent toppling over backwards as the round arrived at its intended target.
"They're trying to grab Hudson and Parker! We've got to get them out of there!" Puck shouted into his radio, hoping someone would have a better idea as to where all of this firepower was coming from.
"We're taking fire from three different angles. If you can cover it to the south, we may be able to cover your six from here. Or we can wait for air support," Vargas replied, continuing his duck and cover before firing off a few more rounds and seeking cover again routine.
"Nah, we've got to move now. We don't have time to wait for air support! They're out in the open and at least Hudson is still alive. We need to get them out of there now before those bastards figure out they're still alive and make another play for them!"
"I am almost there," Hunt replied, his breathing labored as he continued to run, "If they are out in the open in the middle of the square, we have to get them out before the air support comes in and starts spraying the area. I need about another minute to get to a better spot to scope out the area and see what we're dealing with."
Puck shook his head as he watched Finn roll slightly on the ground, an audible groan escaping his bloodied friend's mouth. He scoped out the area once more before clenching his jaw. That was his best friend in the entire world, the boy he had known since they were in preschool and the guy who had been his best man at his wedding, lying there in the open and who knows what else the insurgents would do if they knew he was still alive. He'd be damned if he left his friend there to die at the hands of some religious fanatic halfway around the world.
He clenched his jaw tightly before glancing around once more.
"Cover me. I'm going in," he shouted over the radio.
He heard Vargas and Tex both radio in that they had the east and the west covered, Hunt saying he would be able to cover the south in a few more seconds before pushing himself to his feet and crouching in a ready position. He checked the area one last time, waiting for a slight lull in the gunfire before deciding it was time.
He raised his gun and ran, sweeping the expanse as he sprinted out toward Finn's position, swerving slightly to avoid running straight thus making it more difficult for their marksmen to get a clean shot off. He heard the whizzing of bullets fly past him in both directions, his teammates making good on their promises to cover him as he continued to run toward his friend. His heart was pounding and he heard the rush of blood in his system as he continued to sprint toward Finn.
He faintly registered a blow to his flak jacket but the adrenalin took over, Puck sprinting the last few feet toward Finn before dropping and sliding next to his friend on his knees.
"Finn, can you hear me man?" Puck asked, quickly glancing over Finn's body and assessing his injuries.
"Yeah, you're shouting in my face," Finn tried to joke, his usually white teeth rimmed with blood from where he was kicked in the mouth a few moments earlier.
"Where are you hit?" Puck asked, noticing a stain of red on his left shoulder and an ankle that was twisted in a manner in which was not natural.
"A piece of shrapnel hit me here," he replied, signaling toward his left shoulder, "And I'm pretty sure my right leg is broken. Hell, my left leg feels like shit too. Walking out of here is going to suck."
"What about Parker?" Puck asked, still crouching over his friend and covering him with his body as their other teammates continued to cover them from afar.
"Dunno, but I think I saw his chest moving, so I think he's still breathing. Other than that, no idea."
"We have to get you out of here. Air support is coming in hot. We need to get out the line of fire."
"How the fuck are we going to do that when I can't fucking walk, Puck?" Finn replied before glancing a few yards away at their Captain, "Just, go get Parker. Don't worry about me."
"Like hell I won't," Puck replied, shifting around until he was crouching over Finn's head, "And this is probably going to suck but it's the only way I can think of this working."
Puck latched onto the right shoulder strap of Finn's flak jacket, readjusting his hand to get a better grip before raising himself to a low position, bearing his weight in his legs as he began to tug, dragging Finn toward where Parker lay.
He made a quick check of Parker, sticking his hand under the man's nose and ascertaining that his battered and bloodied CO was still breathing before slinging his gun around his front and latching onto Parker's flak jacket the same way he did with Finn's. Taking a deep breath and steadying himself, he waited for another lull in the gunfire before bearing his weight backwards and beginning to drag the men back toward the relative safety of the buildings.
Bullets continued to whiz by but Puck was in the zone, his adrenalin pumping as all he could think of was getting his friends to safety. He was so in the zone that he barely registered another blow to his body, this time a brutal heat searing past the Kevlar of his flak jacket just under the shoulder strap near his right collarbone. But he could barely feel it, his body coursing with adrenalin and raw power as he continued to drag his friends to safety.
He heard another high pitched whine come from the east. Realizing it was yet another RPG, he crouched down and attempted to cover Finn and Parker as best as he could, the rocket propelled grenade slamming into the ground just feet in front of the barricade Tex and Vargas were crouching behind.
The two men took cover, the gunfire from their end ceasing while the barrage of rounds from the insurgents seeming to pick up in intensity as Puck continued to provide some cover for him, Finn and Parker. Puck felt like he was shooting at ghosts, aiming in the direction of the muzzle blasts, but the wind had picked up and the dust whipped around them as debris continued to rain down on the square, the lack of visibility proving difficult to overcome.
He knew they were still out in the open and with visibility as low as it was, they were risking getting caught in the crossfire when the Air Force air support arrived. He squeezed off a few more rounds, waiting for yet another lull before pulling himself back up and grasping their flak jackets again, tugging them along with him.
"Seriously man, just leave me. This is a bad idea," Finn yelled as Puck continued to drag him and Parker across the clearing.
"I am not leaving you!" Puck shouted back, grunting with exertion with every step he took, "Just watch my six."
As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt two more blows against his body, one striking the back of his leg, the blow causing him to trip and lose his balance. The other blow hit him right below his right shoulder, the white hot heat searing through his body as the round tore through his skin under near his arm-pit. The second hit to his right side caused him to lose his grip on Parker, his arm feeling dead and his hand refusing to cooperate as he frantically tried to grab the flak jacket again.
He heard Finn yell something, but the ringing in his ears muffled the sound, Puck determined to drag them to safety if it killed him. He felt a bit light headed but he needed to keep moving, refusing to leave his friends exposed and out in the open. He hooked his uncooperative, numb hand under the shoulder strap on Parker's flak jacket and continued to awkwardly stagger toward the cinderblock barrier.
Puck glanced up and saw Vargas and Tex crouched in their firing positions, squeezing off rounds into the dust behind him. He could have sworn he saw them yelling, Finn also trying to get his attention too by slapping his leg, but he was almost there. They were so close to safety. He could only hope and pray their air support arrived soon.
He took a few more steps, each stride taking more effort and exertion as he went. His whole body was revolting against him, chills running through his body and both of his arms numb, but they were almost there.
He felt the ground explode near him, knocking him off balance slightly before he felt three or four more blows in the back, the force sending him keeling over forward. He stumbled a few steps before collapsing partially on top of Parker, his labored breathing blowing the dust into his face.
The ringing in his ears was deafening and his vision was spotty, but they were so close! He glanced over at Tex and Vargas, both of the men yelling in his direction while continuing to fire off rounds in their direction. He watched as the two men ducked back behind the cinderblock, another explosion nearby shaking the earth under them.
His body began to tremble and his legs and arms were going numb as he tried to push himself back up again. It was like his world was moving in slow motion as he twisted himself around to look for Finn and Parker again. He saw his rifle lying near him, picking it up as best he could with his good arm, cradling it under his left shoulder as he crawled back to Finn and Parker.
He saw Finn's mouth move and faintly registered him yelling something at Puck, the taller boy's eyes widening as he crawled closer to their location. When he finally made it back to his friend's side, a movement to his right caught his eye.
Like spirits emerging out of the dust, Puck watched as three insurgents raced toward their location, their eyes betraying their intent as the jogged toward the fallen men.
He heard their shouts in Arabic as one of the men crouched down and grabbed Parker's ankle, Finn doing his best to grab onto his teammate's hand and hold him before they could drag him off and turn him into a POW, or worse, another internet video.
Puck's reactions may have been delayed by the rounds lodged in his body, but he sure as hell wasn't going to give up now. Gently, maneuvering slightly, he knew he needed to make this count. He took a deep breath and flung his body over Finn's, his back to Finn's chest as he raised his rifle as best he could with his rapidly numbing arms and squeezed off a few more rounds, two of the men dropping instantly.
The third man, however, was quicker than Puck was.
He dropped Parker's leg and reached for his gun, firing another four rounds directly in Puck's direction. Puck felt the first blow against his flak jacket, thanking his lucky stars that the Kevlar lining protected him.
The other three rounds, however, missed the Kevlar completely.
Two rounds seared through his lower abdomen and the other lodged itself in the left side of his chest as he raised the gun and fired at the third man. The man staggered a bit, Puck's rounds errantly flying through the air as he tried to hold his rifle steady with his rapidly decreasing coordination. The man looked back up at Puck before raising his gun again, Puck using the last bit of his strength to fire off another few rounds until the man lay lifeless on the ground.
All at once, Puck felt extremely drained, the rifle falling away from his body to the left as he collapsed back against Finn, partially rolling onto Parker in the process.
"Puck? Puckerman?" Finn shouted, trying to push Puck off of him and survey the damage.
"Mountaineers, stand clear. Air support ETA fifteen seconds," their radio's squawked, signaling the Air Force had just arrived.
Finn turned his attention to the sky as he heard the incoming thunder of the F-16 Falcon fighter jets screaming into the area, the high pitched whine of the rounds they just dropped toward the south end of the village increasing until one by one they littered the earth, blowing numerous vehicles sky high and effectively silencing the gunfire and muzzle blasts coming from the insurgents' locations.
Considering his bum legs and his position under Puck, Finn did his best to drape his torso over his friend's, making sure to cover up his face as the rounds hit the earth, wanting to protect him and Parker from the remaining fall-out and debris. As soon as it felt like the dust had somewhat settled, Finn chanced a glance up, feeling relief that the gunfire had ceased for the time being. But as he looked around a knot formed in his stomach as he finally took in the whole scene and realized what had just happened.
Puck had saved his and Parker's lives.
Not just when he protected them from the insurgents who tried to drag him and Parker off, but by coming out there and getting them in the first place. Puck had maybe only dragged them about 15-20 yards from where Finn remembered landing after the explosion that broke his leg, but the area where they had been, where their rifles that had been thrown from their bodies lay, was now a small crater in the earth, an errant round dropped by the air support landing directly where they had once lain.
Finn swallowed hard and licked his cracked, chapped lips before looking over at his best friend, still draped across his legs. He took in Puck's appearance, the blood-soaked uniform, trembling limbs, shallow breathing and glassy eyes, his heart plunging into his stomach making him feel like he wanted to vomit as he watched his friend struggle to stay conscious.
He reached out and put pressure on Puck's abdomen, noting that was where it looked like he was losing the most blood. He placed his second hand over the wound under Puck's left arm, putting as much pressure on the two points as he could, praying the extraction helicopters were going to get here soon.
"Puck? Hey, Puck?" Finn asked again, gently shaking Puck's body, praying to get some sort of response out of him, "Puck-a-saurus? Goddammit, Puckerman!"
Puck blinked a few times as he looked up at the sky, a faint whoosh of helicopter rotors distinguishable as two Blackhawk helos crested the ridge and made their way toward the village. His vision was going spotty and his whole damn body was wracked with chills and he wasn't quite sure exactly what was going on, but he knew it wasn't good.
He heard Finn yelling at him and faintly registered his body being shaken by his friend, but everything felt so strange, so out-of-body and he felt exhausted, cold and drained.
He looked back up at Finn and allowed his eyes to refocus, registering the taller man pushing on his stomach and his chest as he stared at Puck wide-eyed. His head was swimming and he felt dizzy, the ringing in his ears getting worse as he looked up at his friend.
"Finn," he replied weakly, trying to draw a deep breath that seemed to be evading him with every breath he drew in, "You're my best friend and you know I love you like a brother, right?"
"Yeah man, I do," Finn replied, intently focusing on Puck.
"I need you to do me a big favor."
"Anything. You name it."
Puck tried to lick his lips, his tongue completely dry and his mouth parched as he tried to finish what he knew he needed to say.
"There's a letter in my footlocker… for Quinn," he explained, his voice shaky as he drew shallow breaths in between every three words, "I need you… to make sure…she gets it."
"Why can't you give it to her, champ?" Finn asked, trying to keep him alert and talking.
Puck tried to give his oldest friend a soft smile, before ignoring the question completely and continuing.
"I need you to give her the letter… and tell her I will always love her, no matter what."
Finn felt his insides freeze as he realized what Puck was saying.
"Nah man, you'll be able to tell her yourself. We're going home, buddy. You can tell her then."
Puck tried to smile again, but a cough came out instead. Finn tried to mask his surprise at the sight of blood around the corners of his mouth and in between his teeth, but Puck noticed. He simply continued.
"And I want you tell my kids that I love them. That they were my whole world," he paused, drawing another labored breath, "Teach Jameson how to throw a football like you used to. Being a quarterback is way better than a receiver anyway," he tried to joke.
"No, you're going to teach him that," Finn started, but Puck cut him off again.
"And tell him to be good to his mom and sisters, be the man of the house and all," he continued, "And don't let either Beth or Riley date until they're 30. They'll be knockouts just like their mom, so they're going to need Uncle Finn to scare all the boys off."
Finn tried to smile for his friend's sake, faking a small chuckle, "I can see you chasing all of the high school boys like you off with a shotgun now."
Puck looked up at the sky again, prompting Finn to look up as well, watching as the helicopters rapidly approached the village, beginning their initial descent.
Puck coughed again, bringing Finn's attention back to his friend. His gut twisted and a lump formed in his throat as he watched two tears escape the corners of Puck's eyes, slowly sliding down his cheeks as he swallowed hard again.
"Please Finn," he pleaded, "Promise me you'll give Quinn the letter and tell her I love her with all my heart. Please make sure my daughter will know who I am, and that my kids will remember me and know that I loved them too."
Finn shook his head vehemently, feeling the hot tears prick at his own eyes as he cradled Puck's head in his lap, one hand still applying pressure to Puck's abdomen.
"No man, you're going to tell her that! You'll get to know your daughter and hold her when she's born! You'll be there," he stated, watching as Puck's breathing became erratic, his eyes drooping as he fought to stay awake, "Just stay with me, man! Stay with me, Puck!"
Puck's eyelids felt heavy as they started to slide closed, jerking back open a few times as Finn continued to yell. He felt another person slide on the ground next to him and recognized Vargas trying to speak to him but the ringing had become all-consuming, drowning out all other outside sound. He felt Vargas cutting off the straps on his flak jacket and pushing down on his chest, but he couldn't really feel much else besides a strange sensation of pressure against his body.
He looked back up over at Finn, noticing Hunt checking out Parker while Tex signaled the helicopters to land, the helos hitting the dirt as men dashed out the doors toward their location.
He caught Finn's eye once again, his words barely above a whisper as he spoke.
"Promise me, Finn."
Finn nodded gently before watching Puck's eyelids slide closed. He could still see the rise and fall of Puck's chest and felt some hope.
"Puck! Puckerman, stay with me! Wake up!" he shouted before he felt a hand clasp his shoulder.
"Sergeant, we'll take it from here. Another medic is here to assist you with your wounds," one of the med-evac medics assured him.
Finn shrugged the medic off, continuing to hold his friend, "Come on, Puck! Come on, open your eyes!"
"Sergeant, you need to move so we can help him! Now!"
Finn felt his body being pulled away from Puck's, feeling completely helpless as he tried to stand, his own legs collapsing in the process. Tex and another medic helped carry him to the chopper, Finn watching as Vargas and Hunt assisted two other medics in getting the unconscious Parker into the other helicopter, all of his other teammates looking bloodied and battered but still determined to help their fellow teammates out.
He focused his attention back on Puck, watching intently as a few more medics quickly loaded Puck into the helicopter, and went to work, cutting off his flak jacket and his uniform, their hands a flurry of movement as they worked together to save his best friend's life.
Just like he had saved Finn's.
Finn felt the helicopter jerk as it took off and rose toward the sky, his eyes never leaving Puck's form as he watched the medic's work, his own wounds throbbing but his mind refusing to focus on himself at the moment. He looked over his friend's form, his eyes feeling hot as he noticed the tattoo of Quinn's and their kids names over Puck's heart as his chest continued to slowly rise and fall.
All he could do was hope and pray.
Hope and pray.
