Hunter did feel a lot better since that day he talked to his father about the death of RJ. Hunter knew if he could turn to anyone for comfort on the matter that it was his Dad hands down. That didn't mean Hunter couldn't talk to his friends or one of the other officers in his company, but that night Hunter just needed his Dad and was grateful that the signal held during the conversation. Though Hunter did feel bad he didn't get to talk to the rest of his family and friends because it was rare he could get a call in from his cell phone, he did it that way because he didn't want anyone to see him crying. Hunter knew Eddie and Drew were there and Hunter would not give them the satisfaction of seeing him essentially break down over losing a friend in his arms. Hunter hadn't cared about being on speakerphone, he suspected as much when Caitlyn answered the phone, but he didn't care.

Hunter took a day or two after that call to mourn and get his thoughts together; then things began to feel normal again with Hunter keeping his father's words in mind about remembering that RJ would be with him and the other members of the platoon in spirit. It was a few weeks later now, as it was a Sunday at the end of June. The 25th to be exact, exciting day because it marked officially seven months since Hunter had gotten deployed with his company to Iraq. Hunter had put in for some leave time at the start of June to go in July to see everyone before they went back to school at the end of August. So far, Hunter hadn't heard if such time was approved or not. The main thing Harry had to do was make sure that he didn't lose too many soldiers at once. After losing RJ and three more that day, Plasma Fire only had eighty-three members remaining.

It was a dull day for Hooligan, orders from Harry were to relax a little, and they'd only be doing something if the base got attacked or there was an emergency. Hunter was resting on his bed because last night from 11 pm to 11 am this morning, Hooligan was on baseline guard to watch for attacks. After that, the group of twenty-two soldiers returned to their barracks to take off the heavy gear, get some late breakfast, then take a shower and go to sleep. Today seemed like a good one to just lounge around lazily and be thankful they didn't have any work today. The rest of the platoon as far as Hunter could tell were over in the entertainment hall being it was just after lunch time, Hunter decided to return to the barracks for a nap, though, he was finding it hard to sleep during the day even if they were exhausted from the guard detail.

Hunter glanced at his watch to read the time as 3:37 pm. Hunter remembered getting an e-mail a few days ago from his father saying that everyone would be over today for a picnic and it'd be good to hear from him if he could manage it. Hunter pulled his laptop out of the drawer on his bunk then got the charger plugged in while he powered the computer on and logged in to Skype. The wifi seemed to be decent right now. Hopefully, it would last a little while so he could talk to everyone. Hunter saw his father, sister, Audrey, Fisher, and Travis online. Not that it mattered because they were all in the same place about now for the picnic being it was almost 2 pm back home. Hunter clicked on his father's name then when the instant message screen came up, Hunter moved the mouse towards the call button and waited for it to connect then start the call.

It did not take long for an answer; Hunter suspected that his father probably had his mother's laptop up with Skype signed in for the sake of Hunter calling if he could. Hunter pushed the laptop back on the bed and adjusted the camera, of course, it was very laggy and not an entirely clear picture but he was able to see his father sitting center, his mother and Caitlyn on the right, Audrey on the left and then the others trying to be in the shot somehow.

"Hunter! I'm so glad you could call!" Salvatore greeted with a smile.

Hunter waved with a smile back. "I'm glad the signal is strong enough to make a connection, which is odd because typically the worst time to use the wifi is during the day. I won't knock it working. Hi everyone,"

"It's unlike you to be able to call midday," Audrey pointed out.

"And you look beat," Caitlyn added.

"I was on baseline guard for twelve hours starting at 2300 last night. Had an early lunch and attempted to sleep but couldn't so I thought I would try and get a call in," Hunter shrugged.

"We're happy you were able to get through, Hunter. We've missed you so much and didn't get to talk last time a few weeks ago," Viola mentioned.

"Well, a few weeks ago when I called wasn't exactly a good day, and it's still not something I wanna have brought up so if we can just leave that subject alone, I'd be appreciative," Hunter stated with a sigh.

"Sorry son. So how are things there?" Viola asked.

"Quiet honestly. Today is a day off to relax for Hooligan platoon since we pulled the twelve-hour guard shift. It was only supposed to be six hours, but unforeseen circumstances changed that. Everyone else is over in the entertainment hall, and I'm just sitting in the barrack by myself," Hunter replied.

"Why are you by yourself? Not that I'm complaining because we get to talk to you but out of curiosity?" Caitlyn inquired.

"As I said, after the guard I came back here to try and sleep, and I guess they weren't tired, so they decided to leave me be. Or they've got the instruments and karaoke machine out, so they're having a good time," Hunter answered.

"You guys are allowed to have that kind of fun there?" questioned Eddie.

"Contrary to popular belief, we're not always fighting over here. We get quite a bit of down time, and even on patrol in the different towns, we have fun. It's usually entertaining the kids," Hunter informed.

"You hang out with them? Aren't you at war with those people?" Drew remarked now.

"Not everyone wants this war. So yes, pretty often I or others will play with the kids while keeping them safe," Hunter stated.

"Wouldn't catch me being friendly to them," Eddie huffed. "Their people attacked us first,"

"You know, it's that way of thinking why the wars exist. How can you say you won't be friendly to them? Just because they look different, live their lives differently from how we do? These wars started because some people don't like our way of life or others. Yeah, I'm out here protecting my home, but I'm also protecting the people who don't want to fight like women and children. Just because some want bloodshed does not mean they all do. Our purpose in these wars isn't to fight back because they attacked us, it's to stop the fighting once and for all so everyone can live free with peace," Hunter said calmly.

"Well said, son," Salvatore smiled proudly.

"Just doing my job," Hunter replied. "How are things back home?"

"Calm. We're on summer vacation, most of us have part time jobs now," Heather responded.

"Good for you guys," Hunter smiled.

"Any word on if you're getting leave soon?" Caitlyn asked.

"Nothing yet. Major Andersen is still trying to work it all out because most of us have put in for the same time frame to go home and obviously, we can't have too many soldiers gone at one time," Hunter shrugged.

"Of course not," Salvatore nodded in agreement. For the next twenty minutes, Hunter enjoyed talking to everyone with the connection holding steady. However, it didn't last longer than that when the horn sounded once, and Hunter paused. The horn sounding meant there might be an attack and check in with company leaders to find out orders. Hunter grabbed his radio off the shelf next to him and flipped it on to channel four.

"What's going on?" Viola asked.

[Alpha Hooligan to Plasma Fire. Over.] Hunter said with the radio closer to him.

[Plasma Fire to Alpha Hooligan, go ahead. Over.]

[The horn sounded. Orders? Over.]

[Switch to company channel. Over.]

Hunter turned the dial to three. [Alpha Hooligan checking in. Over.]

[Charlie Conqueror present. Over.]

[Delta Nightmare here. Over.]

[Bravo Berserker. Over.]

[Round up your soldiers. Charlie, Delta, Bravo, meet me at the baseline. Alpha, there is a chopper waiting for you on pad two. Friendlies are requiring backup. Over.] Harry ordered them.

[Roger that. Alpha Hooligan over and out.] Hunter got off his bed just as his platoon was returning. "Gear up boys and girls!" Hunter called to them before turning his attention to the computer. "Gotta go. Love you, talk to you next time I can," he told them while getting on his vest, gloves, and helmet.

"We love you too. Stay safe, son." Sal replied as Hunter shut the laptop and hurried out quickly while everyone else was getting ready as well. Ten minutes later, they were rushing to the helicopter pad where two were waiting for them.

"Load up!" Hunter ordered, and everyone split up and climbed in as he was last and shut the door then gave the second pilot the command to go. Soon they were in the air and heading to their location to help out some friendlies who were in trouble.

(A Town Close To Draconia Base; An Hour Later)

This was not a battle for only twenty-two people. The Hooligan platoon was severely outnumbered and to make matters worse; they were in a residential district with small shops and family homes which meant civilians were now at stake if the fight didn't stay where it was.

"Sergeant Haddock, we gotta get out of here. We can't take all of thirty-five of them!" yelled someone close to him.

Hunter knew they couldn't, and he had called for backup fifteen minutes ago, yet no help had come. "We can't just run either, or no one is here to protect them," Hunter motioned to the small group of civilians hiding in the building that they were defending. After the first bomb had gone off killing six civilians, Hunter ordered for his soldiers to evacuate the block to a safer place they could all stay together in. Hunter knew where most of the enemies were centered and a big enough attack would send them running. Hunter had a weapon that could do that, but it would cause more damage to the homes. What choice did that leave him with? Wait for backup to arrive or make a break for their choppers and get away?

Leaving wasn't an option right now. There were women and children in the building the Archi soldiers were defending. "Hunter, we can't keep this up. We'll run out of ammo before we push them back and hand combat is a death sentence," Danielle called to him.

"Amber! Take the girls and get back to the choppers, they got heavier weaponry to push these enemies back with. We'll stay and keep the locals safe," Hunter called. Amber nodded and signaled the girls to follow her while Hunter and the men continued firing to offer cover. It was all he could think to do for right now. Help wasn't arriving fast enough, and they would all end up dead if they stayed to fight. However, Hunter noticed something off. The firing from the enemy side was lessening, so Hunter put his arm out. "Cease fire," he ordered.

"Did they retreat?" Treyden asked, and Hunter stayed silent while looking around. Finally, he spotted something on the building across from them. This time the enemies held a variety of automatic guns. Could it get any worse?

"Take cover inside, stay away from the doors and windows!" Hunter demanded. Without an argument, the soldiers rushed inside and avoided being hit by the barrage of bullets. Hunter spotted a back door and tried to open it, but it was blocked by something. Hunter jammed his arm and shoulder into the door a few times before it finally gave way as he moved out of the way. "Get them out of here,"

That was his plan, for now, get the civilians farther away from the fighting as possible. Hunter knew these enemies had bigger weapons and his gut told him that they were just waiting to get everyone in one building. When the bullets came slower, Hunter peered out the window to see two soldiers getting RPG launchers set up. Hunter rushed out with the others panting but then he heard a concerned mother saying she couldn't find her daughter. Hunter looked back at the building and turned to head back.

"Hunter! What are you doing!" Andrew said quickly.

"Get out of ran-" Hunter started.

"RPG!" shouted Conner pointing to the soldiers on the roof. Hunter saw them, then the young three-year-old daughter in the building they had just escaped from. Hunter hurried inside and picked her up; then the RPG's fired as Hunter put the little girl down on the ground and covered her figure with his own.

"HUNTER!" Treyden, Theo, and Andrew yelled in fear as the RPG's hit the building with two massive explosions, then the sound of crumbling was heard in the thick smoke. As if on queue, the choppers flew in and took out the remaining soldiers, then sent some running for it. The speed of the blades was able to blow some of the smoke away as they saw the building had collapsed down into a large pile of rubble and cement. The helicopters set down, two of which were the ones that Hooligan platoon came in with and then a third one held Major Andersen with another ten soldiers to help out.

"Where's Haddock?" Harry asked quickly.

"H-He went back in to get...a little girl out, and two RPG's hit the building," Theo said though still in shock.

"Those pieces look they fell into a point or dome shape; Hunter could still be alive under them. The rubble isn't stable and can fall with too much movement if not removed correctly," Harry rubbed his chin after inspecting the crumbled structure. "Use the choppers and cables, we'll have to move the pieces to ensure anything under it doesn't collapse further in," he added as a few broke off and loaded into the choppers to get to work.

(Thirty Minutes Later)

With the biggest pieces moved, there was still no sign of Hunter or the little girl, but the remaining pieces were small enough to be moved by the soldiers on their own. "Let's search it!" Treyden called as the platoon, Harry, and other troops began to move about the rubble, working together to lift heavy pieces and get them out of the way.

"Hunter!" Andrew yelled along with others doing the same hoping to get some response. Another twenty minutes went by before a stroke of luck hit them as they were preparing to leave and accepting that Hunter was crushed beneath everything.

Treyden stared at the rubble with Andrew and Theo, pain rising in their chests to know they lost their friend. In the silence, something was heard shifting. "You...heard that, right?" Theo asked as the other two nodded and they looked around to find the source. Towards the right, the smaller pieces were shifting and then finally, a hand broke through.

"Major Andersen! He's alive!" Treyden exclaimed rushing to the spot and moving more of the rocks until he could see Hunter's face. "Hang on; we'll get you out! Are you okay?!"

"Little...hard to breathe," Hunter panted. "And I...might...have cracked a rib or two. Not sure...bleeding and a lot of pain..." he cringed afterward.

"Calm down, Haddock. It the little girl okay?" Harry asked after making it over to see him while the others worked to move the rubble to get to him.

"A little scared but just fine," Hunter coughed a few times.

"Major, these won't budge, and the chopper is too big to get in to lift it. We're gonna have to pull him out through the top, but that will put a lot of strain on his side," Andrew informed.

"It's fine, just get me outta here. Take the girl first; you can't reach her if I come out before her," Hunter cringed a bit as he lifted her up so Andrew and Theo could pull her out and hand her off to another soldier who would take her down to her mother. Trey got lower and reached his hand down to grab Hunter's tightly, and then Harry reached for the other hand as both began to pull him up. With Hunter's side stretching, his hissed in pain but soon with help from Theo and Conner, Hunter was out of the small hole and carried down to the main level.

"Lay him down, gently now," Harry instructed as the three soldiers set Hunter down on the ground and took off his gun, vest, helmet, and gloves. Harry opened up the ACU jacket and looked to Hunter's right side to see all the blood. Hunter was dizzy and trying to stay conscious, but with the blood loss and pain, the task wasn't so easily done.

"Odin almighty. Did you get scraped or something?" Theo asked.

"That's no scrape, that's a gunshot wound. We need to stop the blood flow," Harry said quickly two soldiers reacted by bringing over towels to apply pressure with. "When did you get shot and how long have you been bleeding for?"

"I-I don't...know...when did the building get hit?..." Hunter breathed heavily as he felt the wound get pressed on hard.

"Almost an hour ago," Treyden told him.

"I felt pain rip through my side just before the RPG's hit. I-I covered the kid, and when everything crashed down, it fell around and trapped us in, but nothing fell on us except a few smaller chunks of cement and rock...one of those pieces hit my ribs," Hunter tried to explain.

"Everyone load up. Hunter needs medical attention, or he isn't going to make it much longer with how long he's been bleeding for. I tried to get here sooner, we had a bigger fight close to the base, and I couldn't leave," Harry sighed. The small group of them got Hunter into Harry's chopper and climbed in after him as they soon took off back to the base.

(Draconia Base Camp)

Immediately after landing, Hunter was taken directly to the infirmary for treatment while the rest of the soldiers returned to their barracks with worry for their friend. Harry said he would give them updates as he received them and whatever they do, don't inform his family of what happened or talk to the reporter walking around looking for a story to put out on the 6 pm news. Understand their orders, the soldiers just stayed put until dinner time and even then, there was no word on how Hunter was doing. The time after dinner was 7 pm when Harry came to the barrack and summoned them outside.

"I have word on Hunter for you, Hooligans. Hunter was shot in the right side with no real damage done except the extended time that he bled and being in such a small space and couldn't apply pressure to stop it. The doctor says that it was ruled a closed wound meaning that the wound was shallow enough to avoid surgery but still lost a lot of blood. So, his side is stitched and wrapped. Hunter was given blood to make up for what he lost. In addition to that, Hunter also has a cracked rib from when the rock hit him. Right now, he's stable and resting in the Dreki Battalion infirmary. Hunter's total heal time should be three to four weeks for it all," Harry explained.

Relief washed over the platoon as it showed on their faces. "He's still in right?" asked one of the girls from Striker Two.

"Of course, this isn't the type of wound that would get him discharged. The medic said he could return to the barrack in a few days, but he has to take it easy, so the wound doesn't reopen. Hunter will be permitted to light duty for two weeks but can still participate in guard shifts but if anything should point to a fight, he will need to return to the barrack, and I will stand in his place," Harry explained.

"Oh, thank the Gods," Treyden, Theo, and Andrew.

"You will be allowed to visit him tomorrow when he wakes up but in groups of no more than four at a time. In other aspects of tonight, I believe a job well done is in order. You stayed together, protected those locals, and worked as a team to save your leader. An excellent job tonight Alpha Hooligan. You've earned yourselves a day off tomorrow, get some rest," Harry smiled.

"Yes sir," the soldiers saluted and moved back into their barrack to get ready to relax. Hunter was alive and okay, plus they got a job well done from Major Andersen on today's performance. Now they could all rest easy after a long day.