The remainder of that day after Hector came out of the shower and laid down to sleep-was spent with him sleeping like a rock almost. He'd been up sixteen hours to gather information from a target who had the location of the man who started the war. The whole mission they thought was over originally-was far from it. In fact, the mission Hector went on to capture this key target was only phase one. Phase two was finding another target, capturing, and then killing. It wasn't something to be proud of but it had to be done in order to achieve the the best outcome, this was the war coming to an end and peace returning between two countries. Hector slept through lunch but he did get up for dinner, then had a meeting with the others to finalize details of the missions such as drop off, cover fire, and more. His friends and husband weren't allowed to be in there for it but Hector returned at 10pm and went back to sleep. It was just eleven hours until the mission now-tension was getting higher as the hours ticked by leading up to it. The group of friends has something big planned for him but they weren't going to do it until right before he left.

The next morning came and Hector was up at 7am. He showered, got dressed, went to breakfast with them all. When that was over at 8:30am, Hector had to go handle a lot of other things pertaining to the mission-he was gone most of the morning but they did see him for lunch at 12:30. He stayed an hour there then it was back to work. Hector returned to the barrack at 4pm, only five hours until the mission and Hector got a radio call around 5:45 though, the static managed to bring the room to silence.

{General Furysen. General Furysen, do you read me? Over?}

{Loud and clear. Go ahead, Robinson.}

{One of your contact teams just returned, information isn't what you're gonna want to hear, sir. Over.}

{Bring them to me. I'm in the chow tent. Over and out.}

It wasn't more than fifteen minutes later when they arrived, a small group of six walking in with Gary, Caleb, Keith, Harold, and Ralph. Hector swung his legs over the bench, seriousness taking over his face while his arms crossed over his chest. "What have you got for me?"

"Target will not be in location when you go, he's planning to move at 2100 and to a residential area according to the contact." replied the soldier. Hector seemed to close his eyes now, the area around him quiet and they knew he was deep in thought. The information suggested that that Hector's target wouldn't be where he was supposed to be when Hector arrived there. Moving to a residential area meant there could be a lot of casualties during a firefight which Hector wouldn't want.

"Your...orders, sir?" Caleb asked.

"Get the choppers ready. I'll meet you on the pad. Good work soldiers, go rest up." Hector said now.

"Wait, you're not gonna go now, are you?" asked another member of the group Hector had sent.

"I don't have a choice. If we miss this, who knows how long until we get this chance again. Yes, I'm going now. It takes four hours to get there-if I'm lucky...I should get there right before he moves," Hector stated.

"General, it's not that simple. They know someone is coming after him, he's heavily guarded by at least sixty soldiers! You'll never get close enough to capture him. This is suicide, you'll be killed!" said Caleb now.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take. I've been through Hell since last year to get where I am right now, I've lied to people I care about, to my friends and family. I have invested way too much time into this, I'm not backing down now. I gave you an order, soldier. Follow it," Hector commanded firmly.

"Yes, General!" they replied and broke off to follow their orders. Hector took a deep breath now as he glanced back at Tallon and the others who looked equally as worried about him. Hector closed his eyes and walked out of the chow tent without a word.

"Alright, Nightwave...we gotta do this now," Thaxter told them, they nodded and headed out of the chow tent. Hector was in the barrack getting ready for the mission, he didn't have a choice but to leave now. The location was four hours away, that would put him at 8pm when he arrived, then he'd have to get to the location do what he had to do before he got stuck in a situation he couldn't get out of. Hector grabbed his vest, made sure he had it ready to go with clips, and other things he'd need, his backpack was on, and his guns secured to his person. Handgun, M16, and a sniper rifle. Hector took a deep breath before he stepped out and saw all of the Nightwave company there, saluting him. Tallon, and Inferno at the front of the formation.

"You can do this, General Furysen!" they shouted together as Hector froze a bit.

"What...is all this?" Hector asked.

"We know we can't stop you, and we know you won't let us come. So since we can't do either of those things, we're just going to stand here, salute you, and send you off with our full support." Thaxter smiled. Hector couldn't believe they all rallied together around this, they knew he was running a mission he could very well not come back from but they were still supporting him nonetheless. Tallon approached him and cupped his cheek gently before kissing him, he pulled back with a smile.

"Now you won't forget who you're fighting for and that we're all gonna be right here waiting for you to get back," Tallon said.

"I've never forgotten who I fight for. But...you know that I...might not come back, right?" Hector reminded.

"Don't talk like that. You will because you never give up when you know the people you care about are in danger. That's how you've always been, Hector. Even wounded on missions, you don't stop until everyone is safe so we know you'll be okay and you'll come back. "You have all of us standing behind you. We believe in you, now you need to believe in yourself," Tallon lifted his chin a bit.

"Yeah! You got this, Hector! Besides, you won't die...you don't wanna die a virgin, do you, bro!?" Darius grinned as the others began laughing at the remark.

"See, there's still too much that needs to be done for you to go and die on us. We know you won't. Cody, Sean, Drake, all the friends we've lost...they will be with you the whole time. And so will I," Tallon said as he kissed Hector's hand where his wedding ring was. "I'm always with you,"

"Gee, thanks for making me cry before I go do this..." Hector sniffled a bit, Tallon pulled him in and kissed him deeply and Hector returned it fully.

"I love you, Hector," Tallon whispered against his lips.

"I love you too, Tallon," Hector replied before they kissed again and broke apart. The sound of a chopper overhead was heard and Hector looked up. "Time to go then," Hector looked into Tallon's eyes.

"Be safe," Tallon told him, Hector nodded as Tallon stepped away and Hector jumped into the chopper.

"LET'S MOVE!" Hector called over the noise using his finger to signal for them to take off. The chopper lifted and headed off following behind the lead chopper. It was Hector's plan: lead chopper was going to be a distraction, then Hector's chopper would land and he'd head for the location. He also said that if he wasn't back after twenty four hours, then the mission failed and he was likely imprisoned or dead. It was worry some to think about but they knew Hector would make it back, he couldn't die.

"He'll be okay, Tallon. There's no way he can give up now after all that," Evan put his hand on Tallon's shoulder.

"I know he won't give up, but I don't know if he'll make it back okay." Tallon said as the choppers went out of sight. He was scared for his husband, Hector didn't plan on radioing anyone while he was there except the chopper to get him out if things went back or if he captured the target and was on his way to them. Radioing in a situation like this was dangerous because was by himself, and he didn't need the distractions and Tallon hated not knowing if Hector was okay or not.

"Back to the barracks. There's nothing more we can do for now." Tallon said as he went to his barrack and got on his bed, praying to Odin for Hector to return soon and not badly injured.

(Mission Location; Four Hours Later)

The distraction went perfectly, his chopper was hidden and being guarded. He told them he would be in contact soon and only radio him if there was a problem. Hector got his guns ready and he began moving to where he had to be, first he had to make contact with the Afghan friendlies. He had to make sure his target hadn't moved yet, and if he did-Hector had to move his ass. Hector met up with them and learned they were preparing to move to residential. Hector understood and began making his way towards the location-sure enough it was guarded. How the hell was he going to do this with just him? He couldn't rush in, he wouldn't make it out of that.

"Hey, are they due for a guard change before the transport?" Hector asked looking to the Afghan friendlies who were leading him to the location, offering him some cover. One of the soldiers nodded to him and Hector got an idea as he pulled one aside and talked to them about it. He just hoped it was enough. Ten minutes later they were on the move again, reaching the location it was going to be hard and Hector knew that but he still had to try.

(The Next Morning)

Tallon impatiently waited-it was all he could do. No word from Hector, the chopper hadn't returned so it was clear they were still there. Those were the orders from what Tallon had heard: the chopper would return after twenty four hours if Hector was captured or had been killed. It was just after breakfast now and Tallon was worried. They all were. In the silence, the sound of a chopper was heard coming close, their eyes shot up and they rushed outside to see it heading for the landing pad and hover it.

"That's the chopper Hector left on!" Ryan called over the noise, Tallon's eyes searched it, waiting for it to land so he could see if Hector was okay. The chopper set down and the engine powered down, blades beginning to slow down as the pilots got out, and then four Afghan soldiers. Tallon and the others reached for their guns just in case it was a trap.

"They are okay, don't worry." The pilot informed them.

"Where's the General?" Evan asked first.

"He'll be arriving soon, not to worry. He got hurt and they stopped at a closer base for treatment." The pilot told them, Tallon felt some relief that Hector was alive but he was wounded and they didn't know how bad.

"How bad?" Caleb asked now.

"Nothing life threatening. Stab wound to the upper right thigh, and bullet graze on the left arm. He's alright, just really tired and resting. He's coming in on a second chopper-bout twenty minutes out. He had orders to bring this asshole in and wait for him," the second pilot said as the Afghan soldiers pulled out a male who was tied, handcuffed, and gagged.

"Is...that the target?" Skylar asked.

"Yes he is. Gave the General a lot of trouble too-but otherwise, complete success." stated the pilot with his arms crossed over his chest.

"So he is on his way?" Tallon asked softly. The pilots nodded while the Afghans kept the prisoner in place on his knees, for twenty minutes, nothing much happened. They all just sat there waiting around for the second chopper that Hector would be returning on, finally it was heard and spotted coming overhead. It landed easily as soldiers from Berserk Island slid open the side door and got out then hanging between two of the soldiers and limping towards the rest of the group. Right away it was noticed that the soldier they were helping appeared to be an Afghan friendly because of the uniform. "Where's Hector? You said he was on this chopper,"

"I'm right...here, Tal." Hector said lifting his head slightly.

"Hector...why are you wearing an Afghan soldier uniform?" Thaxter asked blinking a bit.

"It's a long story...Thanks guys, I'm good now." Hector smiled towards the two Berserk soldiers who nodded and let him go and stepped back slow. Hector cringed without the extra support but managed to get to Tallon and hug him.

"You need to rest, you shouldn't be on that leg..." Tallon sighed but hugged his husband back, he was just glad he was alive, that's all that mattered to him right now.

"I'll...rest after I finish the mission..." Hector panted a bit.

"You did finish it, the guy is right there..." Skylar pointed out. Hector shook his head slightly and put his hand out to Gary who nodded and handed over his radio. Hector stood on his own after a few deep breaths then lifted the radio to his mouth pressing the button on the side.

{General Furysen to Commander in Chief. Do you read me? Over?}

{Loud and clear, General Furysen. I'm thrilled to hear you've returned. Situation update?}

{Got him. In custody at Camp Lightning Strike. Phase two completed.}

{Well done, General.}

{Permission to carry out phase three?}

{Permission granted, General Furysen.}

Hector lowered the radio and handed it to Gary as Hector moved away from Tallon now, the Afghans pulled the prisoner with them and forced him to his knees in front of Hector, "Nightwave, return to barracks." he ordered. The group didn't fight him, they slowly dispersed and returned to their barracks. Tallon, Thaxter, Evan, Ryan, Viktor, Skylar, Jessie, Drew, Darius, and Trent stayed put. "That goes for all of you as well," he added known his friends had stayed.

"But-" Trent started.

"This isn't something you need to see me do. Return to barracks, that's an order." Hector said firmly as he pulled his gun off his hip and cocked it back to load a bullet into the chamber. Tallon understood now, he'd forgotten before but now he remembered. Hector's mission was search, capture, and kill. He'd found him, and captured him and now he had to kill him. Hector raised the gun and aimed for the prisoner's head-the range wasn't far, only four feet between the barrel of the gun and the prisoners forehead. Tallon led them away towards the barrack-which weren't far away and when they got there, from the windows they could still see what was going on. Not more than two minutes after they got there, a single gunshot rang out.

Hector reached the barrack fifteen minutes following that and he didn't say a word, he had a very distant and cold look in his green hues. "General...you still need to radio back to the president," came Caleb's voice from behind him holding out the radio. Hector closed his eyes and took the radio.

{General Furysen to President Morgan.}

{President Morgan here. Go ahead, General.}

{Operation Afghan Freedom is completed.}

{These islands are indebted to you, General. Thank you for taking this mission and seeing it all the way through even with your life at great risk. You're a soldier through and through, and you are a hero to many for what you did.}

Hector didn't answer right away, and Tallon noticed that Hector seemed to flinch when the president mentioned that Hector was a hero for what he did. Hector lifted pressed the button again.

{I might be a soldier, President Morgan...but I am no hero. I kindly ask that you don't refer to me as one after what I just had to do. If you don't mind, I'm going to take a shower and go to sleep.}

Hector gave the radio back to Caleb and dismissed him with, "Out." Hector grabbed a new uniform from his closet, then a towel, as well his shower bag. Silently he moved there and entered it, five minutes later they heard the water turn on.

"I'm getting the distinct feeling that he isn't happy about what happened," Evan stated.

"Hector hates killing. More so when he's fully aware that he's doing it. This wasn't just a soldier he shot down in a firefight, and it wasn't a soldier attacking him and he had no choice but to kill him to save his life. This was a man who was restrained, and defenseless that Hector had to execute. That position he took was a point blank execution one, he didn't want to do that but it was part of the mission so he carried it out. I just hope it's not going to haunt him," Darius sighed.

"Even if it does, he knows we're here for him like always but we need to let him come to us," Tallon replied. After ten minutes, Hector returned to the room and sat on the bed quietly. Fang flew out of the closet and against his chest squeaking, Hector smiled a bit and scratched the sides of his necks lightly, the bat was a lot bigger now and still adorable and close to Hector-he did save it's life months ago when they arrived to Afghanistan.

"How do you feel?" Tallon asked him softly moving beside him.

"I'm alright. Sore, tired but won't sleep yet. I feel like getting back on sleeping normally again," Hector replied calmly.

"So...is the mission over now? You don't have to go back there by yourself? No more captures, contacts, or recons?" Drew asked.

"Well, it's still gonna be on the wire for a while but my mission, yes, is complete. The rest is up to the president and other officers to settle peace negotiations. I'm supposed to take part but given how much I've already done...I guess I have an excused leave of absence from that work. On the bright side: Nightwave goes home next week." Hector stated.

"Wait, I thought the deployment was until November?" Skylar asked.

"And you can thank me for getting it shortened. We all go home next week and you are not allowed to speak of the missions I did. It's still a security thing, understand. Anything that happened here, stays here when we go back home. Is that understood?" Hector told them.

"Yes, sir." they nodded.

"Good," Hector sighed out laying down. "It's over...it's finally fucking over," he stated then smiled. Tallon was never happier to see it. It wasn't a fake smile, it was real and that's all he'd been wanting to see since this mission nonsense started a few weeks ago. He knew Hector likely wasn't okay and would need to talk again but for now: Hector was alive, and back where he belonged, and in a week-they were going to get to go home! It was finally over! Everyone was happy.