Hector never came back the rest of the night, and even after the sunrise. Tallon was really worried now-Hector had been gone since midnight, and it was now about 7am. Seven hours he'd been gone and not a one of them knew where he went or what for. He said he had orders from the top of the military officers that he couldn't tell them about it. Tallon had to assume it was a top secret mission, and it had to be dangerous from what he gathered from the yelling Hector did at Caleb. Saying he knew what he had to do and to back off so he could get ready for it. This didn't ease any of Tallon's fears, it didn't set any of them at ease in fact. The soldiers went to breakfast at 8:30am, still no sign of Hector but when Tallon saw Caleb he went right up to him.

"Where is he?" Tallon asked firmly.

"Where is who?" Caleb asked calmly.

"Don't play stupid, all of us saw Hector yell at you yesterday night and we saw him leave on a helicopter at midnight in full gear. Where is my husband, Lieutenant Colonel Steele?" Tallon said again.

Caleb sighed and looked down, "Major Furysen is on a very important, top secret, and dangerous mission. Unfortunately...I'm not in charge of it either so I don't have updates for you and I can't tell you what the mission is. The Major is reporting directly to the General of the Archipelago Army. This one...is over my head, Lieutenant Furysen...I'm sorry,"

"My husband is on a top secret mission and you don't have anything for me on if he's even okay? He's been gone for nine hours. You know what the mission is, what was he sent to do!" Tallon said becoming angry.

"It was search and capture or destroy with a team of ten, Hector is leading it. That's all I can give you...I don't...know if he's okay. He was supposed to check in when they got to the location, and then continue to check in every hour...I haven't heard anything on the situation yet. I know they reached destination at 0400 hours...but nothing since." Caleb answered.

"He's leading a mission four hours away!" Tallon yelled, Caleb nodded. "And there hasn't been an update since they arrived?" Caleb nodded again, "I swear to God if he dies...you'll be dealing with me." Tallon sat down now-slightly angry. He figured Hector was on a mission-nothing else would have explained his sudden departure in the middle of the night. Tallon wasn't mad at Hector-but he was livid with whoever assigned this mission, right now he just hoped Hector was alright.

(The Next Morning: 7am)

Tallon hadn't said a word since breakfast the day before. He still sat with everyone, he ate, showered, and laid in bed barely being able to sleep with worry for Hector. Tallon was a mess worrying if his husband was still alive. The general rule of missions was that if there was no updates for twelve hours, it was assumed as either KIA, MIA, or POW. Those three things stood for Killed In Action, Missing In Action, or Prisoner Of War. They'd send a team to do an aerial search to confirm who on the mission was labeled as what and bring back bodies if there were any. It was 7am now-three hours left on the no update rule. They were all getting ready for breakfast now-still waiting for an update or Hector to return.

Breakfast was pretty silent as it went on 8am for them, two hours until they made the call that the mission failed and ten soldiers would be marked as something that Tallon didn't want to even consider had happened. Tallon could barely eat, he felt sick worrying if Hector was alive or not-the others were worried about him. He made a pretty steep threat yesterday if anything happened to Hector that he would right out lose it. Someone suddenly rushed in panting.

"Major Furysen is back-the jeep is driving up right now!" Tallon's head snapped up at the news. There was a sudden rush behind the soldier who had come in to inform them. Sure enough, they saw the jeep pull in with Hector sitting in the back with one leg up, his head down, and eyes closed. When the jeep stopped, Hector stood up and jumped out the back and landed on the ground. He was only wearing his boots, pants, and short sleeve shirt that clearly had blood on it. His face was cut, bruised. His eyes opened slowly as he didn't say a word.

"Hector, thank the Gods you're back and...what the hell happened to you babe?" Tallon asked first seeing the beat up state his husband appeared to be in. Hector didn't answer, his eyes were scanning the group for something.

"Major..." Caleb asked, the sound of a chopper was heard as Hector signaled to the pilot to set it down. When it did, four soldiers came out of the back and then the pilots. Four soldiers from the jeep got out too.

"Where have you been, Major Furysen. You haven't checked in since 1900 hours yesterday. How did the mission go, did you get the target?..." came a voice breaking through the crowd. Tallon noticed the man now, he knew who he was too. Gary Robinson-General of the Archipelago Islands Military. And with him was General Douglas Hill, Lieutenant General Keith Bailey, Major General Harold Moore, Brigadier General Ralph Murphy, and Colonel Reggie Samuels.

Hector's eyes fell on the General of the Army and glared at him almost, "Your fucking information was wrong, the target location you gave me was the home of a family. Those bastards bombed it knowing we were there! You sent us right into a goddamn ambush, then a firefight we didn't get out of. That's why updates stopped after 1900 hours-we got captured and everything was taken from us. Aside from hours of torture, I managed to find a way to get us all out. To answer your question, yes. We got the target." Hector said.

"Where's your team, Major Furysen?" asked Gary slowly.

Hector snapped his fingers and the other soldiers brought forth the bodies from the fallen members of the team. "There's my team, General Robinson. I'm the only survivor of Elite Alpha because my team was executed after we got captured when the explosion took out our chopper." Hector crossed his arms over his chest. "After we escaped, we ran to the chopper-which exploded. We were rushed by enemies while trying to find another way out-got tied up and lined up on our knees for execution. They were all killed, I was last in the line and the target's happy ass came out to shoot me himself, the American's saved me." Hector remarked. Tallon couldn't believe what he was hearing. They sent Hector out with a team to do a search and capture mission!? Hector had been captured, tortured, almost killed several times. Tallon was livid but clearly, so was Hector so he wasn't going to step in right now.

"What...do you mean they were all executed? I don't understand how if you were going to be executed-you still got the target?" Harold asked.

"Where's...the target? You said you got him," Caleb asked.

Hector moved to the back of the jeep and pulled out a man by his arm and forced him to his knees in front of the GOA. "You said you wanted him alive. I hope his life being spared was worth the nine soldiers who lost their lives for your mistake." the man Hector had captured started laughing slightly.

"I'll admit how clever it was for you to fake your own death to trick my soldiers...but so rewarding that you ran right for a chopper that had been left unguarded for hours. It was the perfect trap. Elite Alpha? How could you of been the elite soldiers when you're as weak as you are. You're nothing, you couldn't even kill me when you had the chance." Hector flinched at the choice of words: weak and nothing. Hector closed his eyes now as Tallon went to step near him, "Do you still see it? All your friend's faces, full of fear before we sh-" the man said as Hector's eyes turned to a very dark glare and he pulled his gun off his hip, and put it the man's head as he shut his mouth.

"The only mother fucking reason I haven't blown your brains out the back of your skull is because they said to capture you alive if I could-but right now, I really don't think I should..." Hector stated coldly.

"Do it then. I don't fear death..." the man responded.

Hector took the safety off the gun and returned the barrel the spot between the man's eyes, he cocked back a round into the chamber and his finger moved towards the trigger. The man's eyes widened slightly and Hector smirked, something the others had never seen him do before. "What's wrong? Can't talk suddenly? Go ahead, finish that sentence about what you did to them. I dare you to give me a reason to pull the trigger because right now...I just don't care-it's no skin off my back if you live or die," the man said nothing else as Hector chuckled a bit and put his gun away, he went to walk away then whipped around and punched the guy right in the face-effectively knocking him out. Hector put his hands in his pockets and walked away from them all. Tallon faced the Americans now.

"How much did he see, do you know?" Tallon asked.

"We came in from chopper but what we saw before landing was them holding him on his knees, forcing his eyes open to watch his comrades be shot in the head. The target came out and put a gun to his head-Hector just...didn't seem to care in the slightest, but then we jumped in taking them by surprise-Hector took the gun from him in the confusion and put it to the target's head to make him surrender. Everything seemed to stop after he did it, the enemies didn't know what to do so they ran for it. Hector just...shut down for a while-we offered him a ride back since his ride was destroyed...we've...been driving since 0200. He just sat back there the whole time, didn't say a word." one of the Americans said.

"And we can't say what happened when they were captured-we weren't there for that...Hector's the only one who knows. I'd...keep an eye on him for awhile...seeing what he had too-that's gonna bother him." another added. Tallon needed nothing else, if they thought Hector needed to be watched and they didn't even know him, then Tallon knew Hector wasn't in a good state of mind.

"Nightwave! Return the barracks. Inferno...keep an eye on him. Don't crowd or ask questions...just watch him and let me know if there's a problem," Tallon commanded.

"Yes, Lieutenant Furysen," Thaxter nodded as he and the others walked off. Tallon faced the GOA now with firm eyes.

"I want answers and I want them now. You endangered my husband's life and put him in a position to watch something horrific." Tallon ordered. "Why did you put him with another team? We could have gone with him and this shit wouldn't have happened because we know how to run missions together. Hector hates working with other people because they don't know him like myself and the rest of our unit does. Answers. Now." he demanded.

"Because you weren't trained for something of this magnitude, Lieutenant Furysen. Please settle down," the GOA asked calmly.

"I'm not mad. Yet." Tallon crossed his arms over his chest, "We all trained for the same things. Basic, AIT, and drill when we're not deployed..." he added.

"I'm afraid that is very much untrue. Major Furysen has had a great deal more training outside of what you know and since he passed top of his group-we sent him as leader of the team. It's part of the reason he was made Major before this deployment. Do you happen to recall for one week in the month of preparation for deploying he had to stay on the Fort Striker base for a series of meetings?" the GOA asked. "And then the five drill weekends leading up to when you received deployment orders?"

"Yes, he said it was just loose ends to tie up," Tallon replied.

"That's what we told him to tell you so you wouldn't question it," said Keith Bailey. "Major Furysen as you'll remember-didn't take part in Friday or Saturday drill training because he was needed elsewhere for other things? He's been extending his military training for recon, search, capture, and destroy. In truth, the Major has been aware of this deployment since drill weekend in October 2020. He was selected with twenty nine others to partake in it, and he graduated top of the program with scores that we haven't seen in years. The week he was gone was because he was with us, going over this very mission to gather information, search, destroy. We've been giving him updates on the situation the entire time he's been here, all the meetings he attends every two weeks."

"So he's...known about this deployment since October, and this mission since March, right before we came here?" Tallon asked to confirm.

"Yes. But he had orders to act like he didn't know and play along normal. Every meeting he attended since coming here was with us and the team he went with last night. Going over locations, plans, strategies...all on Hector's call. He was highly recommended by Major Holgerson for the program we put him in and he wasn't permitted to tell anyone about it or it would blow the entire mission. Last night's meeting was to inform him that we had a stable location that had been unchanged for two months and it was time to carry out what they had trained for." said Gary.

Tallon couldn't believe this-not that he was mad at Hector, it wasn't his fault. Hector could have been seriously hurt or killed and Tallon or the others wouldn't of had a fucking clue because they were kept in the dark by these people but Tallon didn't blame Hector, he was only following orders. "Why would you only send ten soldiers to handle something like this!" Tallon yelled now. "Who the hell was in charge of this!"

"Your husband was in charge of the mission." Caleb stated quietly as Tallon's eyes widened. "They only sent ten because less of a chance of being seen-but Hector has been in charge of this entire operation. The only orders were for him not to tell anyone but this whole thing has been his call. We've just been updating him on the target's location and how heavily guarded. That's what all the meetings were for,"

"I don't even have words for this right now. We never should have been kept in the dark about this. I've been worrying about him since he yelled at Caleb the night he left. And to hear you fucked up somewhere and almost got him killed twice and on the second one-nine people were executed and almost him too if it weren't for the Americans getting there when they did, Gods it pisses me right off. Leave him alone and stay away from me if you know what's good for you," Tallon walked away and headed for the barrack, he was worried about Hector and what he'd seen. It very well could of started up his depression again-either that or it would be haunting him in the form of PTSD, neither was something Tallon wanted.

(Barrack A)

Tallon entered the barrack and looked around for Hector-he didn't see him but heard the shower going and assumed that's where he was. "He talk to anyone?" Tallon asked. The other shook their heads as Tallon entered the bathroom now, "Hector?" he asked calmly. "Which one are you in, babe?"

"Not right now, Tal..." Hector said slowly. "Please, not right now...I just...want to be alone..." he added.

"Alright. If you need anything...I'm right outside, okay? I love you," Tallon told him as he exited the bathroom and the others were looking at him.

"How is he?" Caleb asked softly.

"He asked to be alone so let's leave him be a while-he's gonna need some time to get past this," Tallon said gently as he moved to his bed and sat there-the others did too waiting for him to come out.

Hector stayed in there about thirty minutes, shut off the shower, dried off, and got himself dressed. Hector walked out with his eyes closed and reached his bed, he sat down slowly and kept his knees up-arms draped over them with his head down and finally a sigh before reaching for his guitar under the bed and looking over it slowly. The guys knew why he pulled it out-he told them when he felt upset or down, he'd play as his outlet to the pain. It helped keep his depression controlled but what made them worry is when Hector just put it away again. "It's just not enough this time..." he pulled off his shirt and then closed his eyes lying down on his bed, he rolled over with his back to everyone. Tallon could see now that Hector had bandages around his midsection, shoulders, back even. What the hell had happened to him? They mostly just stayed quiet for about twenty minutes before Tallon could tell he was asleep by his breathing alone.

"What did the others say, what was all this about?" Thaxter asked now looking to Tallon.

"It's a long story and apparently it's been something going on for a while right under us. Bottom line, Hector has known about this deployment way before he got the letter in March and told us," Tallon informed with his eyes closed, he took a breath and began to tell them everything he'd been told by the higher up officers and Caleb about Hector's secret training, awareness of the mission that had been being planned since October 2020. That Hector had orders not to tell anyone, and that he was in charge of the entire mission. The higher ups weren't giving him the orders, it was all Hector's call. The others in the barrack were shocked to find out and while they weren't mad at Hector, they were pissed at the the higher ups.

"So the whole thing has been a long planned secret mission. No wonder Hector was so stressed out...all that extra training, not being able to tell us about it. And now this...something that could of relapsed his depressed-I mean, it's always there, we know that..." Viktor sighed.

"But it can come back all the same and hit worse when he's down like this. He's wounded physically, scarred mentally and emotionally from what he had to see...this one ain't gonna be easy to recover from. And I'm scared, normally the guitar or singing is his outlet and tonight...he said it just wasn't enough." Tallon looked to his husband.

"Something else we don't know too, is the fact he was captured with the others and used the specific words: Aside from hours of torture. The others from that team are dead, and the Americans weren't there for that. Hector...is the only one who knows what that torture was." Evan pointed out.

"I know, that worries me as well and I doubt he's willing to talk about it right now or anytime soon." Tallon let out another sigh.

"I wanna know about this target," Skylar said.

"What do you mean?" Drew asked now.

"Think about it. A mission plan, kept top secret for...almost a full year? He learned about this in October-when he got out of the hospital and attended that drill weekend after being cleared to return to duty. It's now...September of the following year and the mission the whole time was to train Hector and a group of others in order to search and capture this one guy," Skylar went on.

"I see your point. They had to of wanted him for a reason for it to be kept such a big secret from everyone except those involved directly. So why did they want him so bad?" Jessie nodded agreeing as well.

"Another thing we likely won't be told by them, or by Hector who probably knows too. But let's leave it be for now-I'm just glad he's back and now I can be here for him. I know he's tired right now so I'm going to let him sleep and check on him when he wakes up again," Tallon said as he leaned over and kissed Hector's temple then backed up so he could rest. Tallon was a little more at ease now but there was still a lot of unknown factors to all this-Hector was the one with all the answers, and the biggest to worry about was Hector himself and if he was going to be okay after everything that happened on that mission.