Chapter 2
It was a few days later when Bravo was being spun up once again. Everyone, minus Clay and Vic were already in the war room ready and waiting for the others to arrive. It was still early, close to five in the morning, so it wasn't surprising that Clay and Vic weren't here yet. Jason figured while they were both gone, now was the perfect time to speak to the others about what he had learned about Clay.
"Real quick before Vic and Clay get here. I discovered some news about Clay on the flight home." Jason started.
"Discovered what?" Sonny asked.
"I caught him reading when he was supposed to be sleeping. That got us onto a conversation about his IQ. Turns out when he was in boot camp he was roommates with Brian, but he had a lot of social problems. He got into a lot of fights and didn't do well with the social aspect. The instructors were talking about kicking him out a month into it. Brian got them to agree to doing a psychological eval on Clay. That came back that Clay was kissing the spectrum."
"What spectrum?" Sonny asked.
"Autism spectrum. He would be on the high end half." Trent answered.
"What does kissing it mean?" Full Metal asked.
"Clay said he had enough markers to indicate that he had it, but not enough to put him that far down the line." Jason answered.
"It would be a mild case. It could explain why he didn't talk before the age of five. His social skills are good now though." Trent said.
"He said Brian helped him through it, that if it hadn't been for Brian he would have been thrown out of boot camp. He still has a few problems, but nothing socially." Jason said.
"What type of problems?" Blackburn asked.
Blackburn, Davis and Mandy had been briefed on where Clay had gone a few days ago and why. They all were shocked at what they had heard and discovered about Clay's past.
"It's nothing big or anything that will affect the way he does his job. Those moments where Clay goes off on his own to read or he doesn't come out to the bar is because his mind needs the break. His mind can get overwhelmed, so reading helps to quiet his mind and allows him to reset." Jason explained.
"That's common with people who are on the spectrum. For Clay loud noises and flashing lights can be hard at times when his mind is already tired, so a bar is not a place he could handle being in. Reading would allow his mind to focus on something else, it would be an escape to him." Trent said.
"That's basically what Clay said. Apparently when he first got to the States he got so overwhelmed at times he would have a panic attack almost. He said it felt like he couldn't breathe. He doesn't get that way now, but it's something that you all should know about. We've all joked or given him a hard time about staying at home or reading after a mission that needs to end. We can't keep doing that to him." Jason said.
"Ya that needs to stop and we will. This isn't in his file I'm guessing." Ray said.
"No, because it was mild and because he was skilled the instructors at boot camp kept it out of it. He wouldn't be allowed to be an active field operative if the Upper Brass knew. If they found out now, it probably wouldn't be a big deal with his years of service, still this stays in house. And Clay didn't want Vic to know."
"Why doesn't he want Vic to know?" Ray asked.
"It takes him a while to trust people. He's not there yet with Vic."
"He feeling less special with the new guy on the team?" Sonny asked.
"No, Clay knows his position within the team, that's not it. Clay said Vic feels like Ash and that is giving him some hesitation on his part."
"What does that mean?" Full Metal asked confused.
"He feels?" Mandy asked, confused as well.
"Some people have deep instincts. It's the same instincts you have when you walk by a dark alley and there is a man standing there. Those instincts tell you he's not safe to be around. A lot of people have the instincts that people have an energy in a sense about them. It causes those feelings that you associate that person with. Niama is a firm believer of it." Ray explained.
"So Vic feels like Ash, what does Ash feel like?" Brock asked.
"He said it's like staring into the opening of a cave that is pitch black. You have no idea what is going to come out, it's just darkness."
"Well that's not a quality you want in a parent." Davis said.
"So what Vic can't be trusted?" Sonny asked.
"He can be trusted. Vic is a good young man. Clay is probably just feeling Vic's past and the distance between them. Vic is trying to get closer to Clay and get to know him better, but Clay is still a little standoffish. They just need to get used to each other." Ray said.
"It's just going to take Clay a bit longer to build that trust with Vic. For now we'll keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't become a problem." Jason said.
The door to the room opened and Vic walked in with a coffee. He gave them all a warm smile and noticed that Clay wasn't here.
"Sorry I'm late."
"It's fine we're still waiting on the kid." Jason said.
Vic went over and sat down where he normally did as he spoke. "Is he late for a reason?"
"He lives further away than us and he could have been on his way back from D.C when he got the call. If he's not here in five minutes we'll start." Jason answered.
"He's allowed to be in D.C when we could be spun up? It's like a three hour drive." Vic said, surprised that they would let Clay go that far away all the time.
"He's there with his girlfriend doing different events. The Upper Brass likes it and the funding he has been able to secure and generate. It's a new era for the military where they are embracing soldiers that are smart with outside of the box thinking. Clay plays well within that category, but he is also able to stay within the political box. Captain Lindell has approved it." Blackburn explained.
Vic couldn't believe that Clay was allowed to basically do whatever he wanted. It also would appear that their Captain was in support of Clay, which meant he would need to find someone who hated Clay or his father to get them on his side. Before anymore could be said the door opened and Derek walked in.
"Sorry to interrupt Sir." Derek said.
"It's fine, what do you need?" Blackburn asked.
"I wanted to let you know, I brought Clay in, he's with the Doc. He's pretty sick."
"You brought him in?" Sonny asked, confused.
"Sick how?" Trent asked, already standing up to leave.
"Doc said it's pneumonia, and it's pretty bad. The Doc was talking about a chest tube and he's got an oxygen mask on. I was on my way back in when I heard him coughing at his place. It sounded bad so I let myself in. He was having a hard time breathing, I listened to his lungs, they were congested." Derek answered.
Trent headed out with a nod of thanks and the others all got up. Jason went over and placed his hand on Derek's shoulder on his way out as he spoke. "Thanks for bringing him in."
"No problem." Derek said.
"Keep me updated." Blackburn said.
"This mission relies on Clay's language skills, let me know when he can be cleared to go. This is time sensitive." Mandy said.
"We'll keep you posted, but if it's bad it'll be a week or more." Ray said, as he headed out.
They all made their way down to the infirmary, including Derek. Derek wanted to make sure Clay was ok before he headed home to get some sleep. They arrived at the infirmary to see that Trent was already there with the Doc and getting some answers.
"What's going on Doc?" Jason asked.
"As I was telling Trent, Spenser has a very severe case of pneumonia. It looks like it came on very quickly and from what I've been told he had hypothermia a few days ago. It would have caused his body to develop it rapidly." Dr. Moore explained.
"Both of his lungs have fluid build up, roughly a third in each. He's choking on it and coughing liquid up. He needs to be sedated and have his lungs drained." Trent added.
"A third in each? How did it develop that fast?" Sonny asked, shocked.
"The hypothermia compromised his immune system. It allowed his body to develop the pneumonia this fast. He is being sedated now and I will insert two chest tubes, one on each side, to drain the fluid from his lungs. He is also being given an IV for a powerful antibiotic to start getting the pneumonia under control." Dr. Moore answered.
"Will he be ok?" Ray asked.
"The next twenty-four hours will tell. If we can get control of the pneumonia and stop the fluid building up so fast then he'll be ok. We'll keep him sedated for the next twenty-four hours to ensure that we've finally gotten ahead of it. If he is improving then I will remove the sedation and let him wake up. Once the antibiotics get going through his system he should recover fairly quickly, within two weeks. He'll still have a fever throughout the two weeks and he will have the chills, a cough, and tightness and pain within his chest. All goes right he can be back to duty in a month." Dr. Moore answered.
"Can we see him?" Jason asked.
"One at a time yes, but after I get the chest tubes in."
"Thanks Doc." Trent said.
Dr. Moore walked away to tend to Clay while the others had no choice, but to stay behind and wait. Jason pulled out his phone to call Blackburn and update him. Whatever their mission was it would have to be delayed now if they couldn't get a Strap for it.
"Thanks Derek for looking out for the kid." Trent said.
"I'm just glad I was coming home and heard him. He didn't even hear his phone going off for you guys. I found him in bed trying to breathe."
"He's being looked after now. He'll be ok. Clay usually does really well with antibiotics." Ray said.
"He should bounce back pretty quick once he gets over the hump. We were lucky you found him. He could have been a lot worse by the time we went looking for him." Trent said.
"We were supposed to be going on an operation, what do we do now?" Vic asked.
"Well, that depends on what Jace is being told. We need Clay's language skills so depending on the type of mission it will either be put on hold until Clay can go or we'll go with a strap or another team will go. Just depends on the Op." Ray answered.
"Do you know what language?" Derek asked, trying to see if it would get passed on to them.
"No we didn't get into it. We were waiting on the kid." Ray answered.
Jason came over to them and he didn't look too happy.
"What's wrong Boss?" Sonny asked.
"Something is going on. Eric is on his way down here with Lindell."
"Well that can't be good." Derek said.
"Why would Lindell be coming down?" Brock asked.
"It has to have something to do with the Op we were about to go on. We'll see in a few minutes." Jason answered.
"I have a feeling this is going to be a mess." Ray said.
The others couldn't help but agree. They knew Clay was going to get sick from the hypothermia, but they had been hoping it would be a bad cold, not a bad case of pneumonia. Now they had to worry about Clay and this mission that required Clay's skills. They all hated it when Clay was being used by some Upper Brass because he spoke a language few did in the military. They knew Clay was used to it, but still it pissed them off at times because it normally put Clay in danger. Jason knew Clay loved to learn languages, but he was really hoping the kid was done with learning any other languages. The last thing they needed was getting sent into other areas because Clay could translate.
It was a few minutes later when Blackburn and Lindell walked into the infirmary. Blackburn nodded at them to follow him and they all headed into an empty room so they could speak privately without having to worry about someone overhearing them.
"Trent, what is the recovery process for Spenser?" Blackburn asked right away.
"It's not a straightforward process, it depends on how Clay heals." Trent started.
"Best case scenario." Lindell pressed.
"He's sedated for the next twenty-four hours. That is so he is asleep and not in pain from having two chest tubes inserted into his lungs. It's a simple procedure, but it is a painful one. A tube will be inserted from a cut into each side between his ribs. It will go into his lung and the fluid will drain out. If at the end of twenty-four hours there is still too much fluid they will keep him sedated until there is a minimal amount of fluid. Assuming the fluid is minimal at twenty-four hours, they will then remove the tubes and he will have to get roughly five stitches to each side to close the incisions. That's just the start though. He'll still be very sick and will have to take antibiotics to get rid of the pneumonia. He will also be in pain from the chest tubes for roughly three weeks. He will be very exhausted, not really hungry, he won't be able to do much physical activities for at least two weeks, could be up to a month afterwards while his lungs heal. He can't lift anything, he can't run or have a lot of weight on him. He'll also still be coughing up fluid until the pneumonia is gone and he will need to do breathing exercises to help repair the damage to his lungs. Realistically, even in the best case scenario he can't be in the field for at least a month until he is cleared medically."
"And that doesn't include any side effects of the antibiotics?" Ray asked.
"With Clay being allergic to phosphate he can't take a pill and antibiotics don't come in liquid gel form. He'll have to be on a liquid antibiotic like you used to get when you were a kid. It'll have to be kept cold, but it won't give him any side effects or make him sicker." Trent explained.
"So best case scenario is a month to be in active duty?" Blackburn confirmed.
"That's correct." Trent answered.
"We don't have that kind of time." Lindell said.
"What is going on Sir?" Jason asked.
"A situation has come up on the board of Afghanistan and Pakistan. A misunderstanding between the Outpost in Shakin and the Pakistani border Outpost has now placed us in a position of war. The General of the Pakistani Outpost has demanded to speak with a military personnel that speaks their language. Apparently the General at our Outpost has tried to reason with them, but he doesn't speak the language and has been using a Strap to translate. This was taken as a sign of disrespect, especially when the negotiations did not go well. Spenser is one of the few people within the military that speaks Urdu." Lindell explained.
"Ok, so we were to go in and help with negotiations?" Ray asked.
"The Op was to send Bravo in as security for Spenser to go into the Pakistani Outpost and negotiate an agreement with the General to prevent war from happening. As you know the United States cannot afford another war, especially with Pakistan. We have only been given a week to provide a negotiator before the lines of communication were cut off and war is declared." Blackburn explained.
"He can't go anywhere in a week. He'll still be on bed rest." Trent said.
"Why can't Bravo go in and we can use a phone App for the translations. We used to do it all the time when we didn't have a Strap." Vic offered.
"It's not that simple. The Pakistani culture has to be taken into account. They want someone that can speak their language and understand their culture. We need someone that can go in and do that, but also understands the political aspect of this situation and can manipulate the situation to work in our favor should it be going the other way. I need someone who can play chess while they are playing checkers. That is Spenser. He's the only one we have and if we can't get him to that meeting within the next seven days, we will be going to war." Lindell said.
"Trent, I know he isn't going to be cleared medically for active duty, but given the situation we don't have a choice. What can we do to get Spenser in and out with minimal risk to his health?" Blackburn asked.
Trent let out a sigh and they all could tell he was not impressed with this. He also knew that there was no way out of it. They were going to have Clay there regardless of what anyone said. They could be sympathetic, but at the end of the day this was war they were talking about and it sounded like Clay was the only option they had to prevent it.
"He couldn't be on a cot, he would need a hospital bed on the plane so he can be propped up to help with his breathing. He'll need to be on oxygen as well. If we could have the pilot fly lower than the standard procedure that will also help with the difference in air pressure. He won't be able to wear our normal tactical gear, it'll be too heavy for him. He won't be able to walk far so we'll need to be able to drive as close as possible to the meeting location. He'll also have a fever, assuming I can't get it down, so he's going to be cold and tired, he's going to feel like complete crap. Outside of that, there isn't anything we can do; he just needs time and rest."
"Can you buy any time? Explain that the negotiator is sick and will be there in two weeks?" Jason asked, the very last thing he wanted was to be sending Clay into a hostile area while he was this sick.
"I can try, but I highly doubt it. They didn't want to wait a week and we were able to get them to agree to it due to the distance and logistics it would take to bring someone in. Realistically, we have a week to get there and get these negations completed. Bravo will need to be wheels up in three days." Lindell answered.
It was a fact and no one was happy about it, including Lindell, but if they wanted to prevent another war from starting they would have no choice but to use Clay.
"Can Alpha help in any way?" Derek asked.
"No we won't need to send two teams." Lindell answered.
"Keep me updated on Spenser's condition and hopefully he recovers well from this and we can be wheels up in three days." Blackburn said.
They gave a nod and they all knew this meeting was over. None of them were happy about this, but they also knew they didn't have a choice. In three days, Clay would be on that plane, whether he was ready or not. Blackburn and Lindell headed off to handle things on their end and the others all looked at Trent to see how bad this was going to be. Trent was pissed, if you didn't know him you wouldn't see it, but the others knew him well enough to tell he was pissed by this. Everyone but Vic.
"Is he going to be able to translate with being sick? It took him hours to translate that letter, I can't imagine the Pakistani General is going to be that patient with him." Vic said.
"Clay's ability to translate is the least of my concerns right now." Trent said, with just a hint of edge to his voice.
"It should be. It took him over two hours to translate a letter with seven sentences. No general, especially a Pakistani one, is going to sit there for hours while he tries to have a conversation. We need a plan if he can't do this." Vic pointed out.
"There is no can't do this. He doesn't have a choice, which means we don't have a choice. All we can do is keep him safe and treat this like a high priority bodyguard operation. We keep him safe no matter what, we get him in and out. Trent, get with Davis and start getting what we need for the plane for him." Jason started.
"Got it Boss." Trent easily said.
"Ray, get with Mandy and everyone to gather the intel that we have. We're gonna need to know everything that has been said between our side and theirs. The kid is gonna need it. Once we have it, we all need to go over it so we can help Clay out. The fever is gonna make it harder for him to remember things, he's counting on us to help his mind out this time around." Jason finished.
"I'll grab the intel." Ray said.
"What do the rest of us do?" Vic asked.
"I don't know Vic, you have a brother with multiple tubes coming out of him. What do you think you should be doing?" Sonny asked, not impressed at all.
"I might for the mission. Should we be trying to gather more intel, finding a Strap to bring along just in case Clay can't get through it? Should we be calling his dad and letting him know that his son is in the infirmary?" Vic said. He knew that Jason considered Clay his son, but he did have an actual father with rights. Vic wanted to remind them of that.
"His dad already knows." Sonny pointed out.
"Oh, they called Ash already?" Vic asked, innocently.
"No, he don't need to know anything about the kid. He'll only cause problems and the kid has enough problems to worry about." Sonny said.
"If you want something to do, go check the gear and make sure Clay's is ready. He didn't have the chance to do it when we got back with him being sick." Jason ordered.
"Sure, I'll go do that then." Vic said with a nod and he headed out.
He was really getting sick of this. It was always about Clay, the golden child. He was sick of being treated like some grunt that was just supposed to do what he's told. Clay was younger than him, had less experience and yet Vic was supposed to do what he says. Clay was not a team guy, sure he put up a good front, but Vic knew he would be fleeing the team once the right opportunity came. He was wrong for Bravo and shouldn't be leading them. Vic deserved that spot and he was going to make sure he got it. He was going to take Clay out, not by killing him, no he was going to make it Clay's decision to leave Bravo and the military. He was going to ruin him and make everyone on Bravo turn their backs on him.
Vic headed into the supply area. Within the area they had everything outside of ammo and weapons. In this room you could find radios, electronics, batteries and a bunch of other little things that you could need for operations. What Vic was looking for, the burner phones they kept here. You never know when you might need a burner phone on an operation. Sometimes they would need to do some light undercover work when gathering intel and a burner phone was easier than having a radio on them. Vic grabbed one and placed it into his jacket pocket before heading out. That was part one of his plan, now he just needed to grab Ash's phone number so he could reach out. From what he knew about Ash Spenser, the man loved to get attention, no matter how it came about. If he was going to get Clay out of Bravo's life he was going to need someone that would be able to help him make it happen.
Jason moved around in the most uncomfortable chair he had ever been in. It was one of the problems with being stuck in the infirmary, the evil plastic chairs. Jason had been here since yesterday when they were finally allowed to be in the room with Clay. It was always hard to see one of his men in the infirmary or hospital, it was even harder to see Clay laying there with a tube coming from each side of his chest. It wouldn't have been so bad if he knew that Clay would be able to have the time off that his body needed to heal, but he would have to be leaving the infirmary in two days to get on a plane and travel over twenty hours to a potential warzone.
Jason had first loved that Clay spoke so many languages, it was perfect for them to not have to have a Strap all the time. Now, he hated that he knew these languages. He had no idea if Clay was interested in learning more, but he was putting his foot down on it. There will be no more learning new languages that the Upper Brass could use Clay for. If he wanted to learn a new language it would be outside of the military and kept that way.
Jason rubbed his hands over his face and looked over at the monitors. The doctor had been happy with the amount of fluid that had been drained from Clay's lungs. The tubes had been removed and he now had five stitches to each side, but he still needed the oxygen mask on to keep his oxygen levels in a safe spot. The back of the bed was raised slightly to help relieve the pressure on his lungs and to prevent the fluid from building again. Jason wasn't sure what everything on the monitors meant, but he could see that his heart rate was good, his pulse was normal and he had a fever of a hundred and two. The doctor had removed the sedation from Clay late last night and he had been told that Clay's body will wake up sometime this morning. He was advised that he wouldn't be in good shape and probably wouldn't be awake for long. Still, Jason wanted to be here for when he did wake up. There was nothing worse than waking up sick in the infirmary and not remembering what happened.
A small groan from the bed caused Jason's attention to snap to Clay's face. Jason stood up and went over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it, being careful to not sit too close to Clay and cause him any pain. Clay slowly blinked his eyes open, but he was having a hard time keeping them open. His whole body was exhausted and he was feeling sore all over his chest and his back.
"Hey Clay, open your eyes for me kiddo." Jason said gently as he placed his hand on Clay's head.
Clay gave a groan, but he knew that voice and he knew that touch. He forced his eyes open and had to blink a few times to remove the blurriness from them. His whole body felt like crap and he had no idea what had happened, but he felt safe knowing that Jason was here. Clay could tell that he wasn't in the hospital, but the infirmary at the base. He could also tell that something was on his face. He moved his hand to the mask, but his movements were slow and sluggish. Jason could tell what Clay was trying to do and he moved his hand to the oxygen mask and pulled it down slightly so Clay could talk.
"Happened?" Clay's voice was weak and sluggish, but he was at least awake and that was good enough for Jason.
"Derek heard you coughing and went to check on you. He found you having a hard time breathing and he brought you in. That was a day ago, you have a bad case of pneumonia and the doc had to put a tube into both sides of your chest to drain the fluid. You're gonna be ok, you just need rest and you'll be sore on your sides, you have some stitches from the tubes."
Clay lightly tapped his chest as he spoke. "Hurts."
"It's ok, Trent said it would. The best thing you can do right now is just sleep."
Clay gave a small nod as his eyes were already starting to close. Jason could hear the deep wheeze to Clay's breathing and he placed the oxygen mask back over Clay's mouth and nose. He then ran his hand through Clay's hair as he fell back asleep. He looked up when he heard the door open and he saw Ray walk in.
"How is he?" Ray whispered, not wanting to wake Clay up.
"He's pretty sick and in pain." Jason whispered back.
"Trent said he would be. He's worried Jace; said it was the worst case of pneumonia he's seen. The kid's body was still recovering from hypothermia when the pneumonia hit him, and it hit him hard. His immune system was badly compromised and Trent's worried that he could catch something else."
"He's really sick Ray. I know we don't have a choice, but I don't know if he can do this. We're not asking him to sit and translate, we're asking him to go into a war zone and have a political mission that could result in war. He's not going to be able to wear the protection he needs to keep him safe. He's not going to be able to fight if he needs it. I don't even know if he'll be able to walk and stay awake at this point. We're wheels up in thirty-six hours."
"I know, I don't know if he can do this, but we don't have a choice Jace. We got orders and Lindell isn't about to change them. All we can do is help him and protect him down there. I just hope for the kid's sake that this doesn't end in war. It won't be his fault, but he will feel like it is and that will haunt him."
"He won't be able to handle that. He won't be able to handle knowing we are at war and he wasn't able to stop it. We need this mission to be successful. I just don't know if he can physically do it."
"We'll get him through it, we always do. We've divided up the intel and we're all going through it so we can let him know when we land what has been happening and what he needs to know. With any luck this General doesn't want to go to war anymore than we do."
"I hope so. I'd just feel better if he could go in there with his armor on, but Trent said it would be too heavy for his lungs to handle. He's going to be in enemy territory without a vest on and we won't know what they are saying. It could be too late before Clay can translate it back to us, there's too many variables. We don't even know how many are in that outpost."
"I don't know, I don't have intel on that." Ray said, he wasn't happy about any of this either.
"You know what, get Lisa to have an ISR do a fly by. I want a rough idea of numbers before we go in. I'm not going down there if there are too many of them without another team. I know Lindell said we don't need another team, but with Clay down, that leaves six of us and I'm not walking in there if we are going to be outnumbered."
"I agree. I'll get Lisa on it and let Blackburn know. You gonna stay here the whole time?"
"I'm fine here."
"You need to sleep Jace."
"I can sleep right here. Did last night." Jason said with a stubborn tone.
Ray could tell just by Jason's tone that he wasn't going anywhere until Clay did. There was no point in arguing with him, Ray could understand how he was feeling. Ray just gave a nod before he spoke. "I'll see if I can get you something more comfortable to sleep on."
Jason just gave a nod and Ray headed out. He was going to make sure that he got a cot for Jason to sleep on and get Lisa started on gathering more solid intel on the outpost. He agreed with Jason, they needed to know how many people were in that outpost and just what they were going up against. They only have thirty-six hours before they would be loading Clay up on a plane and heading over there.
It was finally time to move Clay onto the plane. The past thirty-six hours had been intense for the whole team. Lisa had been able to get ISR up and over the outpost and she saw that there were an average of thirty tangos at the outpost at all times, all of them were armed. That led to a conversation with Blackburn, Jason and Lindell about sending in only one team. Lindell had considered using troops from their own Outpost close to Pakistan, but he quickly changed his mind when he saw the state that Clay was still in. He wasn't going to risk Clay's life by hoping soldiers at an Outpost would be able to handle whatever could happen. Alpha was now going with them, it would also give them two medics with Derek. Blackburn would also be going in armed as well for an extra man, and he could help Clay with negotiations of Clay was stuck. His main role though was to stay with Clay and get him out should something go wrong.
They had all read different parts of the intel so they could relay that information to Clay once he was awake when they landed. Alpha team had already gone over the intel as well so they were fully caught up. Trent had everything set for Clay on the plane, he had extra of everything just in case Clay was in need of it or something happened to someone else. They were going to transport Clay from the infirmary onto a stretcher and then onto the plane where he would be on a hospital bed they borrowed. Trent would then give him a sedative to put him to sleep and get him hooked up with an oxygen mask to ensure he was breathing properly for the flight. The pilot was also going to fly lower to help with the air pressure difference. Once on the ground they were driving to the Pakastani Outpost to speak with the General there, they were going to drive right in and get as close as possible to eliminate Clay walking.
With everyone getting their gear set on the plane, Trent and Jason headed into the infirmary to grab Clay and help him move. Walking into Clay's room they saw that he was asleep, not that they expected anything less. Clay had been sleeping most of the past few days away. He hadn't really eaten anything and the only hydration he was getting was through the IV. Trent had said it was normal for him to not be hungry, but they would need to keep an eye on his water intake while they were out there. They would need to try and keep him in the shade as much as possible and drinking plenty of water. Before they went to wake him up, Trent went over to check the monitors to see how Clay was doing. He had been suffering from a fever this whole time and it was sticking between one hundred and two and one hundred and three. No amount of medication was working to bring it down. Trent had one bottle of medication for Clay's antibiotic to bring with them and he was hoping Clay's fever would break before they got back.
Trent checked Clay's stitches on each side to make sure they were healing well, he was pleased to see that they were. Trent did a quick listen to Clay's lungs and he could hear the wheeze and congestion in them. The pneumonia still had a strong hold on him and hopefully he would be alright until they arrived back.
"How is he?" Jason asked. He was worried with Clay being asleep for so long. He was barely awake anymore.
"Sick as shit. This is gonna be rough and it will knock him back at least a week." It was clear in Trent's voice that he was not happy about any of this. But he also knew there was nothing he could do or say that would change the outcome. Clay had to go and it was on him to make sure he was able to stand.
"He can have all the time he needs when we get back."
"Me or you?" Trent asked and Jason instantly knew what Trent was asking.
Jason walked over to the bed and Trent moved back, allowing Jason the space to wake Clay up. Jason had explained to Clay yesterday about having to go on an operation today, but he doubted Clay would even remember that conversation. He would need to tell him again after they landed. Jason placed his hand in Clay's hair as he spoke.
"Clay, I need you to wake up kid."
It took a few minutes of prodding, but Clay finally let out a moan as he started to wake up. He felt like complete crap and the very last thing he wanted to do was wake up, but the sound of Jason's voice told him he had to be awake. Clay's eyes blinked open and his sight was a little blurry so he blinked, and few times to try and clear it. He did not want to be wake right now, he wanted to curl up and just sleep. He was freezing and his whole body hurt, he wanted his own bed.
"Home?" Clay asked weakly, it being slightly muffled by the mask still firmly in place.
Jason hated that he would have to be the one to tell Clay that home was not where they were going. For now, he wasn't going to worry about it, Clay would be asleep within seconds again and he wouldn't remember any of this.
"Ya kiddo. We need to move you onto a stretcher so we can get you out of here." Jason lied, it would give Clay a little bit of hope for now.
Clay gave a small nod and Trent went to work on unhooking Clay from the different machines. He left the IV in with the antibiotic and fluid, it would help to finish them before they would need to switch to non IV. With Clay free of everything Trent removed Clay's oxygen and replaced it with his own portable oxygen tank and mask. With Clay set Trent gave a nod and him and Jason very carefully picked Clay up and moved him over to the stretcher. Clay gave a groan at the movement, but he didn't fight them on it. Once he was settled they headed out and before they even arrived at the plane Clay was back asleep. They wheeled him onto the plane and put him over against the hospital bed.
"He looks terrible." Sonny said, concerned.
"He feels terrible and thinks he's going home." Trent said.
"He's in for one hell of a shock when we land." Full Metal said.
Derek went over and helped Tret move Clay off from the stretcher and onto the bed. Jason pulled the stretcher away and turned to see Jack, a support guy, taking it. Jason gave him a small smile of thanks as he turned back around to Clay. Between Derek and Trent they got Clay onto the bed, strapped in for take off and got the IV and oxygen set up properly for him. The whole time Clay didn't wake up.
"Is it normal for him to be so tired? I mean he didn't even wake up." Franklin said.
"His body is very sick and rundown. He didn't get the chance to recover from the hypothermia and now his body is trying to fight the pneumonia. Sleep is the best thing for him right now." Trent answered as he got the sedation ready.
"You sedatin' him?" Sonny asked.
"It's best to keep Clay asleep for the flight." Derek answered.
"He'll wake up right around landing time." Trent added.
"If he's going to be asleep the whole time, how are we going to update him on the mission and the information?" Vic asked.
"We'll do it once he's awake and then we'll head out. We need his mind ready for it, sleep is the best thing for him." Ray answered.
"Ok, I know I'm new and don't know Clay as well as the rest of you. But he can barely stay awake, how the hell is he going to be able to sit down in the hot desert and negotiate not going to war? Is he really going to be able to stay awake?" Vic asked, because to him it seemed impossible right now.
"He won't be, that's why I have a special drug with me that will keep him awake for thirteen hours before it wears off. He'll still feel and look like shit, but he'll be able to stay awake and talk." Trent explained.
"Is that safe for him?" Jason asked, this was the first he was hearing about some drug.
"It is. It is an injection that I can give him, I have the right dosage so it won't keep him awake for forty hours like it is designed to do. It is a drug given to people who need to stay awake for testing on certain disorders. He'll be fine." Trent answered.
"Any side effects?" Sonny asked,
"No, but once the drug wears off he will be hitting a wall. Which means we only have thirteen hours from the time I give it to him to get him briefed, get him there, negotiate and back to the outpost to sleep. Once the drug wears off he won't be able to keep his eyes open or stand." Trent answered.
"It's a ten minute drive from the Pakistani outpost to the American. The airstrip is an hour from the American outpost." Blackburn said.
"Leaving us eleven hours and forty minutes to get him briefed, there and back." Full Metal said.
"Is that doable?" Jackson, Alpha's new rookie asked.
"Depends on how long the negotiations take." Derek answered.
"He good for take off?" Blackburn asked Trent.
"He's set."
"Get ready, I'll tell the pilot to take off." Blackburn said. They needed to get there so they could start preventing this war.
The others all headed off to get seated for take off.
"Cerb, stay with Clay." Brock said. The dog didn't need to be told twice. He ran over and hopped up on the bed and laid down right next to Clay, putting his head down on his chest.
Jason ran his hand through Clay's hair for a moment, to make sure that Clay was in fact asleep and ok before he moved to get ready. Jason was just hoping that everything on this mission went right and Clay would be back on his way home soon where he needed to be.
When they finally landed everyone was awake and ready to go, with the exception of Clay. They wanted to keep him sleeping for as long as possible. When they woke him up with the drug it would be when they were fully ready and Clay could just leave. Trent and Jason had already gotten him dressed and in his boots so they wouldn't have to have Clay try and do it once he was awake. With them being on a clock they needed to get Clay in and out before that time ran out.
"Ok, real quick before we get the kid up. Clay is on a political mission, the rest of us are on a protection mission. The only thing that matters is getting the kid to the meeting and back safely. He will not be able to be in any armor and he will have only a handgun with him. Anything else is too heavy on his breathing. We have eyes on him at all times, I don't care where he is or what he is doing, someone is with him. Derek and Trent have medical and one of them will be available at all times should Clay need it. Blackburn is going with us in the field, leaving Alpha's Commanding Officer Samuel in charge of HAVOC with Lisa and Mandy." Jason began.
"With this being a political based mission, rules of engagement are as follow. You do not fire your weapon unless you are fired upon. You do not pull your weapon unless one is pulled on you. We are going in to make peace and prevent a war, that is the objective. Now with that said, be vigilant and be prepared for anything. Like Jason said, our top priority is getting Clay back home safe." Blackburn added.
"I will be here to monitor everything and let you know of any changes that come up. Lindell is on standby and will be available no matter how long this takes. He's got his phone with him and will answer the call at any point should we need him. He has advised me that General White is not an easy man to deal with and he is notorious for not taking blame but rather passing it off to someone else. He also hates Ash and might not be too sympathetic to Clay's condition or position." Samuel said.
"Great, so we have to deal with an asshole of a General to go with all of this." Sonny grumbled.
"We might also have an issue with General White not being happy with having someone of Clay's ranking here to handle it. Typically this would be handled by someone with a General ranking or higher. It would normally be an Admiral with other Generals with him to handle the negotiations and a Strap would be used to translate. Clay is lower on the food chain and would normally not even be here for protection detail. But given that the Pakistani General wants someone that speaks the language and in a position to negotiate, Clay is the only person we have. We all understand that, chances are that White won't." Samuel added.
"But none of us outrank a General. Not even Lindell." Ray said.
"No, but Lindell does have Admiral Richards up in queue to use should we need someone who can outrank a General. Richards likes Clay, he's known him since boot camp. Clay even went to his son's wedding, he was a groomsman actually. He's ready to do whatever we need from him." Blackburn said.
"Damn, that's a powerful official to have in your backpocket." Jackson said, impressed.
"It works in our favor right now." Full Metal said.
"Let's hope we don't have to use him." Ray commented.
"Anyone have any questions before we wake the kid up?" Jason asked.
When no one said anything Trent went over to Clay and injected the drug into him. He had already removed the IV, but he had kept the oxygen mask on Clay as he was still going to need it. They would be bringing one with them so he could use it on the drive and just in case he needed it outside.
"How long before that kicks in?" Sonny asked.
"Within a minute. Remember he will be awake, talking and alert, but he's still going to feel like shit. He's not going to have any energy at all. This is only so he stays awake." Trent said.
"What's that drug called in case we need to know." Full Metal asked.
"Modafinil. Think of it like fancy liquid caffeine, it'll keep his brian going so it can't tell his body to go to sleep." Derek answered.
"But it won't give him the energy boost like caffeine." Ray stated with understanding.
"We got the coolers with ice packs and water ready to go?" Jason asked Lisa.
She was no longer in charge of their supplies, but it seemed to be part of her job that she still clung on to. She knew her boys the best and she knew to be prepared for everything. She was so intuned with them, she knew what they needed before they even asked for it.
"Everything is set. I even have some green jello in it just in case he wants something to eat. I put enough water in there for everyone and there is also a snack bag for you guys as well."
"I love you. When are you finally going to come to our team?" Derek said with a warm smile.
It was no secret that Bravo had lucked out on getting Lisa. She was amazing and one of the best in the navy, they all knew it. Bravo always ended up with the best in terms of people and support staff. With them being the number one team it was easy for them to get what they wanted, as long as they could rationalize it. Derek wasn't looking to steal the number one spot, but he was hoping to tie with them and hopefully be able to get his own little perks as well.
"You know I love you too, but my heart lives with Bravo. I'll give Chris some pointers though." Lisa said with a warm smile back.
A groan from Clay had everyone turning their attention back to him. Jason moved so he was closer to the bed as Clay blinked his eyes open. Trent moved back to allow Jason to handle telling Clay what was going on. Jason placed his hand gently on the left side of Clay's neck as he spoke.
"Hey kiddo, you with me?"
Clay gave a small nod and his eyes blinked close, but they opened almost instantly. The drug was officially in his system and the clock was starting. Trent and Derek hit the timer on their watch so they would have an accurate timeline. The others all took quick notice of what time it was so they could keep track roughly as well.
"I know you are tired and confused and don't feel well. You have double pneumonia and had to have two chest tubes inserted into your sides to drain the fluid. Your chest and sides will hurt from it. You still have a fever and you are going to feel really rundown. I need you to nod if you understand me." Jasn said in a calm and gentle voice.
Clay gave a small nod and Jason continued. "We are on the plane right now, in Afghanistan. A situation has come up between a general on our side and a general on the Pakistani side. The Pakistani general is looking to declare war against the US for what the American general had to say to him. The Pakistani general has demanded to speak with an American that can negotiate but also speak his language. That person is you. Nod if you understand."
Clay gave a nod, but Jason could see he had questions in his eyes. "You can ask all the questions you want, I just want to explain what is going to happen first. We are going to brief you on the situation and then head for the Pakistani Outpost for you to speak with the general there. Afterwards we will go to the US Outpost and speak to our general and come to a peace agreement. You are awake right now, but you are very sick. Trent had to give you a drug that will keep you awake and your mind alert, but you are going to still feel like shit. You also can't have any armor on as it would hinder your breathing. Your job is to get the peace agreement sorted. Our job is to protect you, so I need you to not fight us on anything. You need to do as we say so you are safe, especially in your state and without your vest and plate. Understand?"
Again Clay gave a nod and Jason continued. "Alpha is with us and Eric will be going in as well. We have everything that you need to do this and once this mission is over you are on medical leave until you are healthy again. Are you up for us briefing you?"
Clay gave another nod, not in any hurry to try and speak around the oxygen mask on his face. He had more questions, but he would wait until he heard what the guys had to tell him.
"Jase." Trent said, holding out a medicine cup with yellow liquid inside of it. Jason took it and spoke.
"This is your antibiotic, I need you to take this."
Jason removed the oxygen mask and handed Clay the small cup. Jason kept his hand on it though as Clay's grip was not that good just yet. Clay downed the medicine in one go and Trent took the cup back as Jason put the mask back on him. Lisa took the cup from Trent so she could rinse it out and store it for them. Jason half sat down on the side of the bed as everyone moved closer. Blackburn started.
"General White of the Afghani Outpost was trying to resolve a small issue that was had between a soldier on our side with a soldier on their side. Both soldiers are claiming the other crossed into their territory when they did not have clearance. We don't know which one is telling the truth. The point is, it should have been something small and simple to resolve, but apparently a comment from General White angered the Pakistani general, General Ahkim. Now Ahkim is looking to declare war against the US unless a peace treaty can be made."
Clay moved his hand up and everyone noticed how sluggish his movements were, to his oxygen mask. Jason beat him to it though and pulled it down for him.
"First time?" Clay asked, his voice weak and hoarse from now being used for the past few days.
"Not even close brother. According to what I read there have been multiple reports of problems between the two outposts. Both have their own side to the story, but basically it is like middle school bullshit. The one claims that people are on their side of the line, the other claims the same thing. The US Outpost says that the Pakistani Outpost will do mortar drills at all hours of the night to keep them awake. They then retaliate and do something back at them." Ray answered.
Trent handed Clay a water bottle as he spoke. "Small sips, it'll help with your throat."
Clay took it and with slow movements was able to get the bottle to his mouth and take a few sips. He had to admit the cold water on his throat felt amazing.
"It's like the Hatfields and Macoys. Only all the little shit is now exploding." Sonny commented.
"How long?" Clay asked, his voice sounding a little bit better.
"Till war is declared, roughly three days. For the problems between them, decades. It started off with the bad blood between the Afghani people and the Pakistani people. Now that has grown to the Americans since the Outpost was built." Blackburn answered.
"There's been a lot of little problems for the past couple of decades. It's all small time stuff, little annoyances just to piss the other off. Like a bad neighbor that you can't get rid of. It's been worse though since General White took over command of the Outpost, five years ago. According to the Pakistani reports of the incidents, General White has encouraged his men to provoke them on purpose with the hopes that they would attack and they could eliminate that Outpost. There has never been a physical attack though from either side." Trent added.
"How many men?" Clay asked.
"Our side, forty-five roughly, their side thirty or so." Jason answered.
"General Ahkim?" Clay asked, but was cut short by a coughing fit.
Trent moved and helped to get Clay sitting up straight as he spoke. "It'll be easier to breathe with him sitting up."
Jason removed the oxygen mask from around Clay's head so it wasn't in the way as Trent rubbed Clay's back to try and help get the coughing fit under control. Unfortunately there wasn't anything they could do about it, but let it pass. Vic was standing off in the back doing everything he could to keep his face neutral. He couldn't believe how the team or teams really, were acting around Clay. They were treating him like he was a terminally ill patient. He was just a little sick and was getting way too much attention for it. Vic had had pneumonia in the past, he wasn't acting like this. Clay was just weak and couldn't handle something like a little pneumonia, it was pathetic. Yet, everyone seemed to be more than happy to baby him. Vic swore he had no idea what anyone saw in Clay.
Clay had managed to get the coughing to stop, but his whole chest and sides hurt from it. Jason held the water bottle for Clay and helped him to take a few sips before he handed it over to Trent. They could all hear the deep wheezing that came every time Clay took a breath. Jason helped to get Clay back to laying down and he held the oxygen mask against Clay's mouth so he could get the oxygen his body desperately needed.
"General Ahkim was mine." Sonny said, stepping forward as Ray moved back to make room for him so Clay could see him. "He was at the Pakistani Outpost since long before he was promoted to General. He's been there close to twenty years. Found his wife working there and married her, they have three kids. Two older boys that are in the military at another location and a five year old daughter who lives nearby with the wife. From what I've read from both sides, he's a fair and decent man. He doesn't demand too much from his men, he is respected and rational. Whenever problems have come up he has worked on resolving them. He wasn't a man that was looking for war until recently."
Clay just gave a nod and it was clear he was out of questions for right now. It was pretty straight forward and even though there were a lot more details they could have given, it was all the details Clay needed.
"You ready to get moving?" Jason asked.
Clay just gave a tired nod and Jason moved the oxygen mask away and between him and Trent they got Clay up on his feet. He swayed slightly, but Jason had his arms around him and was able to hold him to get him stabilized. They started to make their way towards the entrance of the plane when Clay spoke.
"Shit wait, what was said?"
"About what?" Blackburn asked.
"General White, you said he said something to piss off General Ahkim, what did he say?"
"Who had that part?" Jason asked.
"I did." Vic said, stepping up. "The document said that General White simply said "I hope your daughter has a good life."
"That's what the General said he said or what his words translated into?" Clay asked, because that didn't seem right to him.
"The document was General White's written report. He was using a translating app on his phone, but it didn't speak. He just read what was said." Vic answered.
"But his report, did he write what was in Urdu or just the english words?" Clay pressed.
"It was in both." Vic answered, getting slightly annoyed by the questions.
"And was it ever professionally translated? What did the report say?" Clay tried again.
"I don't know and I told you what it said. What's the big deal? The General wrote what was said in his report." Vic asked, not sure why they were still talking about this.
"The big deal is General Ahkim is looking to declare war on America. A General, who both sides have said is not the type of man to do something like this. Something after twenty years pushed him over the edge. Whatever General White said was that thing and I can't negotiate a peace treaty without knowing without a doubt what was said to him." Clay said, but the more he spoke the weaker he was getting and his voice was getting more hoarse.
"I don't make a habit of questioning a General's report. Nor do I see the need to dive into the psychological thinking of an enemy's mind. It was probably just the last straw for him or he took offense to the General talking about his daughter. It doesn't matter why he's upset, your job is to manipulate him into peace." Vic said.
"I'm too sick to explain how wrong everything you just said is." Clay simply said. Clay looked over at Jason and he could see how pissed he was getting. "I need that report."
"What page was the report?" Jason asked Vic and it was clear by the tone in his voice that he was not impressed right now. They only had so long before the medication would wear off of Clay and he would be crashing. They needed him in a safe place for that to happen.
"I don't know. The files I had to go through were over three hundred pages. I didn't memorize the page numbers."
"Shit." Sonny said; he knew what was coming next.
Jason didn't even say anything he just turned Clay and got him back over to the bed. Full Metal went over to the files that Vic had to go through and brought them over to the table for them all to go through. Jason picked up the oxygen mask and held it against Clay's face as he spoke.
"You don't have to put it fully on, but you need to keep it over your nose and mouth."
Clay gave a nod and took it from Jason before he headed over to the table as did the others.
"Are we really looking for the report?" Vic asked. He really didn't understand the big deal in this. The General wouldn't have lied about what was said. This seemed like it was a waste of time. He was glad that it put less time on Clay to be out in the field before getting sicker, but still he didn't want to waste his own time.
"Ya we are and we wouldn't have to be if you had read the report properly." Full Metal said as everyone grabbed parts of the folder to go through.
"I did read it. It's not like the General is going to lie about what was said. I don't understand." Vic said, hoping that someone would just explain it to him.
"It's not that we are questioning what the General said. But he could have said it wrong and he believes what he said was right. We need the report so Clay and read it and see what truly was said." Ray explained.
"Clay is right, General Ahkim's behavior changed. Whatever was said to him had to cause that behavior change. I highly doubt he got that upset with someone wishing his daughter well." Mandy added.
"Being in Seal Teams is different then Tier One. We need you to not just read what is in front of you, but also think about it and what it could mean. You need to be able to analyze and process the information you obtain. You gotta be able to think outside of protocols and regulations. This is the first time you are making this mistake, there can't be another one." Jason said.
He understood that rookies made mistakes, Clay did plenty of times, same as him. They all have, but what Jason wouldn't tolerate was the same mistakes being made after you have been told.
"Copy Boss. I'm sorry I didn't see how it was important, but now I get it. It won't happen again." Vic said, apologetically. The very last thing he needed was to get on Jason's bad side. He wanted Jason to use him more and forget about Clay.
It took everyone on both teams and the support staff to go through all of the pieces of paper ten minutes before Brock finally found it.
"Here." He said, handing it over to Jason.
Jason took it over to Clay and Clay read it. They all knew it was bad when Clay simply said.
"Shit."
"What's it say?" Blackburn asked.
"Can you take a photo of the Urdu words and what the General said it meant please?" Clay said to Jason.
Jason pulled out his phone and took a quick picture of it as Clay looked over to Blackburn and spoke.
"Commanders and above have taken a course that helps you to say something in another language in extenuating White would have taken it as well. Can you read it out loud?"
"Alright." Blackburn said, taking the paper from Jason. Blackburn wasn't sure what Clay was getting at, but he knew he had a point. Blackburn read it as best as he could figure it said.
"Ok, what did he say?" Sonny asked.
"The words when spoken properly translate to what the General said. The only problem is, when you type it into a phone it translates properly. However, when you then try and say it, you never get it right. Some languages are more picky than others. Urdu is one of those languages that should never be spoken outside of a translator. It would have been better if he just let his phone speak. What Blackburn just said was, "I'm going to make your daughter my sex slave.""
"Fuck." Full Metal said.
"And we can assume that is how General White said it." Derek said; he knew this was going to be bad.
"And that is what turns a calm man into a man ready to declare war. His men probably heard it too. He's not going to just let that level of disrespect go." Ray said. This was becoming impossible.
"Nope, I have to convince him to. How long before this drug wears off?" Clay asked.
"About eleven hours. We gotta get moving." Trent answered.
Clay placed the oxygen mask down on the bed and Jason helped him to get up and they all headed out. None of them knew how well this was going to go over, but one thing they all knew, they were going to ensure Clay made it back to the plane alive and safe by the end of it. They all got into their vehicles and headed off to prevent a war, all being mindful of the ticking clock hanging over their heads.
Urdu-Pakistan
Shakin
Angoor Ada Boarding Crossing