A Threat From Within

by DianneRose2016

A threat to Bravo Team is a threat to them all. But when that threat comes from within Bravo it is one they never saw coming. Vic has no interest in playing 2IC to Clay, he wants to be the one that leads Bravo. In order to do that he has to get Clay out of Bravo and he will stop at nothing to be the shining star of Bravo and get Clay far away from them.

5. Chapter 5

A/N: Ok real quick, I want to state right now that there will never be a Clay and Emma romance in this story. They refer to each other as siblings, and Jason as Dad. No romance will be had in this story. Second, a reviewer amywegner16, had mentioned she liked the friction between Ray and Jason and that gave me an idea to play around with. This will be the last tour chapter, the next chapter there will be a time skip and the guys will be back home. Only because there is only so much I can write about Clay hanging around.

Chapter 5

It had been two weeks since their tour started and Sonny had been trying to figure out how to talk to Clay about what had been happening between them. He wanted to talk with Clay and clear the air. He hated that their friendship had been strained within the past few months since Clay started to date Rebecca. Sonny couldn't let this go on any further. He had to talk it out with Clay and talk about his feelings, even if he didn't want to. That was the thing with Clay, he made Sonny want to be a better man. He made Sonny feel comfortable with talking about his feelings more instead of bottling them up or pushing them down with a bottle of whiskey. Clay was his kid brother, but also his best friend and he deserved more than this distance between them.

Sonny found Clay sitting outside at one of the tables with his laptop open. Sonny couldn't help but smile at knowing that Clay was writing a book. He had every intention of finding that first book when they got back and reading it. He wanted to know how Clay saw the world and he had a feeling that book was a window into Clay's mind. Sonny headed over with two water bottles and sat down across from Clay, placing the water down on the table next to the laptop. Clay looked up as he spoke.

"Thanks."

"You need to stay hydrated."

"Trent tell you that?" Clay asked, as he opened the water.

"He said, it was important to make sure you weren't getting dehydrated. How's the book coming?"

"Good. Anything happening with the team?"

The guys had gone out on two missions since their tour started and it was hard for Clay to watch them go knowing he wouldn't be there to watch their backs. He was stuck in HAVOC and had to be involved in any way he could from the sidelines. It was hard and he had no idea how he was going to be able to handle this for three months.

"Not right now. Though I think Trent is gonna come and find you soon to check out your wrist."

"Hopefully I can get this brace off."

"How have you been feeling?"

Sonny knew that Clay had been feeling very tired and nauseous from his medication for the TB. It was a side effect that couldn't be avoided because there were small traces of phosphate in the medication. That small amount was making Clay's allergy to it act up, but they didn't have a choice. The medication only came in that pill form. The result though was Caly sleeping a lot and not eating much. The guys could tell he had already begun to lose weight and he still had a few more months to go before he didn't have to take the medication.

"Same as always. The pain is a lot better though and Trent said my breathing was getting better. I'll be fine Son, you don't have to worry about me."

"I know you will be, because we're gonna make sure of it." Sonny promised. "Look um… I wanted to talk to you about the way I've been acting with you, ever since you started dating Rebecca."

"You mean you being an ass and trying to replace me with Vic?" Clay said lightly, but if he was honest with himself, it hurt knowing that Sonny felt like he could just replace him.

"Ya that. Look, I'm sorry. Brothers never act this way and I was in the wrong. You're my best friend Clay, you didn't deserve it."

"Why did you? I really don't understand why it was a problem." That was the thing Clay couldn't figure out. He knew there were moments here and there socially that he still didn't really get, but this was something he just couldn't figure out.

"It shouldn't have been. You know Stella, she just seemed to fit in so well with the life. She was smart enough to keep up with you, but she knew that this was your life. Stella was a great glass of whiskey. Rebecca, she was this top of the line fine wine. She was smart, but she lived in this fancy political world and you fit in it. You're so damn good at that world and I was afraid I was going to lose my best friend. That she was going to take you away from us. I know you have aspirations of being an Admiral one day and I had made peace with that. But then Rebecca came into your life and Lindell is using you for more political things, it seemed like that one day was coming quick and I did what I always do. I try and block out the feelings and move on, but that wasn't fair to you. And it was a shitty thing for a best friend and brother to do. I'm sorry Clay."

"You trying to replace me with Vic, it hurt Sonny. It hurt a lot. I didn't have many friends growing up and the ones that I did were killed. When you started to replace me with Vic, it felt like I wasn't good enough for you. Like all the time we spent together meant nothing to you, I was just some placeholder until someone better came around." Clay said honestly.

"No Clay, no. You are not a placeholder and you never will be. I screwed up. I didn't handle what happened well and I hurt you. I should never have done it and I'm sorry. But it had nothing to do with you or the fact that I didn't love you. I will always love you and I promise I will be more supportive from now on. Even if that means you want to make a career change."

"I appreciate it. And I'm not looking to make a career change. Lindell offered for me to apply for Stat Twenty-One to become an Admiral, but I turned him down. I want to get there through hard work and when it happens I'll know I'm ready for it and have the experience I need to make real changes."

"That's great Clay, but just so you know I would have been supportive if you did decide to take Lindell up on his offer." Sonny said honestly.

"Thanks brother." Clay said with a warm smile.

"How are you and Rebecca doing?"

"We broke up just over two months ago."

"Wait what? Why didn't you say anything?" Sonny asked, shocked. He thought that Clay would have told him something like that. It was just proof enough that his relationship with Clay had been damaged.

"Before the mission where I got hypothermia. An ex-boyfriend moved back to DC and he was the one that got away. We're still friends."

"Well, at least you lost to the one that got away. I'd imagine if Stella showed up on your doorstep you would have one hell of a decision on your hands. You know what this means?" Sonny said with a big smile.

"What?"

"We gotta go out drinking when we get home. Find you a nice rebound to cleanse the palette."

Clay gave a chuckle to that. "I'm not looking to be dating anyone right now. I'm sure you could take Vic."

"He is less prettier than you. Maybe I should be inviting Yoder out, once the ladies find out he's gay they'll be all over me." Sonny said with a deadly smile.

"Turnaround is fair play though, you'd have to go to gay bars with him." Clay warned.

"I got no problem with that. Though I might steal all of the attention." Sonny said with complete confidence.

Clay gave a chuckle, of course Sonny wouldn't have a problem with going into a gay bar. "Naw, you would attract a different type of man than Yoder does. Me and Yoder attract the same type so I've been banned from playing wingman for him."

"Oh there's got to be a story there."

"Back in California we would go out to the gay bars together, but the guys would be more interested in me. It didn't matter how many times we told them I was straight. Yoder even made a t-shirt for me that I had to wear that said I was straight and not the least bit bi-curious. It didn't matter, they all took it as a challenge. I would leave with fifty different numbers and he would get nothing. So he banned me from going with him." Clay chuckled at the memory.

Sonny gave a good laugh at that. He could picture a younger Clay standing around in a sea of men all trying to get into his pants. He would pay good money to see that.

"I really wanna see that." Sonny said.

"Maybe you can convince Yoder to let me tag along one night."

"Yoder seems like a good guy."

"He's a great guy. I wouldn't be where I am today if it hadn't been for him and Brian. It's good being back in the same town again."

"We'll have to grab a beer together when we get back. I'd like to get to know him better, especially if he's important to you."

"That'd be great." Clay said with a warm smile, one that Sonny easily returned.

Sonny felt better knowing that they had cleared the air. That they could finally get back onto the same page and back to where they were. Sonny was not going to let this happen again, he was going to make sure him and Clay were always good. Their friendship was too important to him to risk losing it.

"There you are."

Both Clay and Sonny looked over and saw Trent walking over to them.

"My wrist?" Clay asked.

"Ya, I need to check it out and make sure you can take that brace off." Trent said, as Clay moved over so Trent could sit down beside him.

Trent sat down, straddling the bench seat as Clay turned slightly so Trent would have proper access to his wrist. Trent removed the brace as he spoke.

"Any pain?"

"No."

Trent went through the process of feeling Clay's wrist, checking it for swelling and turning it in all directions. He was very pleased that there was no pain, no matter what direction Trent moved Clay's wrist. There was no swelling either and the bones felt good.

"It's good. I would say it's healed, but if you start to notice something off let me know right away."

"I will." Clay promised.

"How have you been feeling otherwise? Any headaches? Dizziness? Breathing tight?"

Trent was still very worried about Clay's health. After finding out he was not only sick with pneumonia and TB, but also his physical injuries he was a little paranoid about Clay's health. He was angry at himself for missing Clay's asthma and also the TB. He never even thought to have Clay checked for it and he should have. He dropped the ball and he wasn't going to be doing it again.

"Headaches still, but you and the Doc said that was normal. Everything else is fine. When my chest gets tight, I use my inhaler. I've only had to use it a couple times a day, but again everyone said that was normal until my lungs cleared up and the TB was gone."

Clay knew Trent blamed himself for not catching the asthma or the TB, but he shouldn't be blaming himself. There was no way any of them could have known something more was going on with him. It wasn't exactly like Clay had said his chest got tight when it happened. He had been so used to it he didn't think anything was wrong with it. So how was Trent supposed to know something was wrong if he never spoke up? Sometimes his brothers could be a little bit overprotective of him.

"They are normal and can be a side effect from the medication you are taking. And your lungs are healing so that is good that you haven't been having to use your inhaler too many times a day. If it gets worse let me know right away."

"I will. I promise."

"Alright, you are good. I'll go let the others know. Son, we might be getting spun up shortly. Davis is working on something."

"I'll go check in then. You alright Kid?" Sonny asked Clay.

"Guys I'm good. Don't worry about me." Clay said with a warm smile.

"Never gonna happen." Trent said, as he got up.

Clay watched as Trent and Sonny headed back towards the command center. Clay wished he was able to go with them, but this time around he was going to be benched. Clay let out a sigh and turned back to his laptop. He couldn't do anything about that right now, but he could keep working on this book and maybe get it written before the tour was up.

XXX

Jason made his way through the base a couple of days later. They had been busy on a mission trying to locate and bring in a runner for a terrorist cell for Mandy to interrogate. They were going to be trying to shut down the main terrorist cell that was making some noise this time around. It made for a long couple of days, but they were finally able to complete the mission and while they waited for more intel from Mandy they had some down time. After a quick check in with Davis on how Clay was while they were gone. He headed towards the mess hall to grab him and Clay some food, apparently Clay's meds were making him really nauseous these past couple of days. Something Trent had assured him was normal as he would have a build up of the meds in his system. Something that wouldn't be an issue normally, but with Clay's allergies it meant he had a bunch of phosphate in his system, making him sicker the longer he goes with taking the medication.

Jason grabbed their food and headed off to find Clay. He was able to find him in their lounge area laying down on the couch reading with Yoder hanging out watching some TV. That was also something that was different this time on tour. Yoder spent a lot more time with them than his own team. Yoder preferred to be around Clay, especially with him not feeling well. Plus his own team were still treating him badly for being gay. Something Jason had a feeling he might need to step in and handle. He didn't care that Yoder was gay, he didn't care about anyone's sexuality. That didn't change how well you could do this job. All that mattered was how well you could shoot and have your brother's back.

"Hey, you guys are back." Yoder said, as Jason walked in.

"Ya about an hour ago. Can I get some time with him?" Jason said with a nod to Clay, who was so lost in his book didn't even notice he was here.

"Ya for sure. He hasn't eaten since this morning." Yoder said, as he stood up.

"Got it covered." Jason said, as he held up the container in his left hand slightly.

Yoder gave Jason a warm smile and headed out. Jason placed the containers down on the coffee table and then went over and picked up the book from Clay's hands, snapping Clay out of his mind. Clay looked up with an annoyed face thinking it was Yoder, but it changed to a warm smile when he saw that it was Jason.

"Hey, you're back. How was it?"

"It was fine. We got our guy and Mandy has him now. Hopefully we'll have some new intel soon. You need to eat." Jason said, as he sat down.

Clay got up so he could eat and give Jason some space on the couch. Clay opened his container and saw that it was chicken fingers and fries. Jason put some extra salt packages down on the table and Clay looked over at him.

"Yoder?" Clay said knowingly. There was only one person alive that knew about this.

"The first day we were here we had a chat. You didn't think I would just let you sleep in the same room as him without questioning him did you?"

"Yes, but I should know better than that. And in your questioning, which I'm assuming went his way because I'm still sleeping in his room, you discovered my chicken finger secret?"

"Yes. He mentioned that chicken fingers and fries with extra salt tends to be the only thing you'll eat when you're not feeling too great. He also pointed out that you won't go out of your way for it either. And I know from Emma and Mickey growing up that the salt helps to settle your stomach and the fries and chicken fingers are bland enough to not upset your stomach more." Jason said, as he opened his container for his burger and fries.

"I thought I would feel better the longer I was on this medication. Turns out I was wrong." Clay said, as he added some salt to his food.

"You should check with Trent, maybe there is something he can give you for the nausea."

"There isn't, we already tried. Everything has phosphate in it, the downside of it being used for most pills. He was gonna look into herbs or teas that might help. Something natural that won't affect me. I may have made a joke about him finding someone that snuck some pot onto the base." Clay said with a small smirk.

Jason gave a chuckle to that. "You and Sonny. I doubt you'll find any though. Hopefully Trent can find something that will help until you can get off the medication. Until then rest is the best thing for you."

"I have been resting. It's just so weird being here and not out there. I'm in Havoc when I can be for you guys and for Yoder. But I can't be there. I can't see everything you do and feel the environment to know if something isn't right. I don't get how Blackburn does it. He used to be in the field and now he's stuck in an office unable to jump in if you need it. How do you do that?"

Clay honestly had no idea how he was ever going to get used to being in the background like this. He knew when he became an Admiral it would be different, he wouldn't be seeing it play out. He would be in an office or meetings to better the protocols and raising funds for what operators needed. He wouldn't be watching from the sidelines hoping that nothing terrible happened.

"It's not easy, it's hard. It's very hard when you first start doing it. I know Blackburn had to adapt to it when he first started. He used to be Alpha One and when he was promoted it took him out of the field. He wasn't sure at first, but he also knew he couldn't be in the field forever. He started to work as the Commander for Bravo and at first it was hard on him. I was in Bravo at the time working my way up to the top and I remember plenty of times when Blackburn would comment when he wasn't supposed to be. He was a back seat driver you could say for a little while. Eventually he learned how to trust us and in our skills. When you are in that position you have to trust in your team fully and in the plan. It's hard and Blackburn has seen teammates die on camera and that is something he has to deal with. But I think in that position you need to have trust and faith in your team. It's something I'll have to learn myself one day."

"That's what I'm worried about."

"Why would you worry about me?" Jason asked, with concern.

"You don't really have the personality to be standing off in the sidelines. You like being in the action and making sure everyone is ok. I know eventually you won't be able to be active anymore and I pray that you are still alive to reach that point. But at the same time I worry that you will drive yourself insane and sick if you are in a command position."

It was something that worried Clay quite often. He never wanted to bury Jason, but he did worry about what would come after Bravo for him. If he would be able to handle not being in the action and making the calls.

"First, you never have to worry about me. I will always be fine and figure things out. Am I ready to not be active, no, but that doesn't mean I would choose death over working in command. I know one day I'll have to make that move and I will make it and figure out how to handle the change. I'm not going to risk the team by staying in the field too long. And I am not going to risk missing out on grandchildren and seeing my kids get married because I was too stubborn to make a change."

"Good, that's good. And different to what you felt before. I know the thought of being in command made you all twitchy."

"It did, but with Alana no longer here I need to do what I can to make sure I'm there for the future. And speaking of the future we have to have a chat about it."

"About what?" Clay asked, with worry starting to settle in.

"The future of Bravo. I'm not going to be there one day and the B1 position needs to go to someone that the team will respect, listen to and is skilled enough to keep them alive and safe as best as possible. That person is going to be you."

"Ya after Ray." Clay said, not really sure why they were talking about this now. It wasn't like it was going to happen for the next ten years or more.

"Ray won't be able to be in the B1 position with him getting the Warrant Officer rank. When my time comes to step down or I'm taken out, the position becomes yours."

"But I don't have the ranking or the experience. There's other Tier One operators that would be up for the position before me." Clay was even more confused now.

"I spoke with Lindell before we left to see about how we get you into that position. He said there are always exceptions. You are up for the Bronze Star with Valour, you already know that. He confirmed that you would be getting it and with that new medal he would be able to promote you up to Petty Officer. With that new promotion all you would need to do is get your training done as a Green Team Instructor. That's it."

"Wait that's it? I'm only nine years on though, even if you make another five years, I don't have the experience that others would have."

"You wouldn't, but you didn't have the experience either when you were in a 2IC position in Team Three. You've shown how exceptional you are and people in the Upper Brass have been watching you. Once you get that promotion and your instructor hours in, then the spot is yours when it's time."

"Ok, so then I just need to figure out in the next few years when to get my instructor hours." Clay said, as he worked on processing this information.

"Not in the next few years no. When we get back you'll be starting with the new class in two months. We'll lose you for six months, but you'll be back with us in time for our next tour."

"You want me to start right away? Why?" Clay couldn't help but wonder if Jason was trying to set him aside because of everything that had happened to him.

"Because we don't know when something could happen to me. I plan on dying from old age, but the world might have a different plan for me. We just need you to get those hours to secure the future of Bravo and our family. I'm not trying to push you aside or put you in a bubble after what you've been through. I swear it Sunshine. This is all about keeping Bravo in the right hands."

The strength and sincerity in Jason's voice told Clay that it wasn't a lie. He wasn't trying to be overprotective of him or treat him with kid gloves. He wanted this for Bravo and for Clay. This was something he would need to do for his family and make sure Bravo would be secured.

"Ok, I'll do whatever I need to do. Are you sure the guys will be ok with it?"

"They already know and all of them are giving you their full support. And depending on the situation you might have Ray still as your number two before Vic can take over."

"Ya we're gonna need to talk about that one."

There was no way he was going to have Vic as his number two. He didn't even want him in Bravo and unless that changed Clay would be trying to get him transferred when he was in charge.

"You really don't like him." Jason stated, as he gave Clay his full attention instead of his food.

"I think Ray has good intentions and if he didn't vouch for me I probably wouldn't be here and I will always be grateful for that. But I think this time around he convinced you to let a fox into your henhouse." Clay answered honestly.

"Yoder had mentioned that he didn't like or trust Vic either. Said he was a snake in the grass, and two-faced in Green Team. He tell you about any of it?"

"Ya, that first day when we were talking about the social media page. I'm used to people not liking me, hell people on Team Three didn't like me either. But it seems like it's more than that with Vic."

"You don't trust him at all?"

Jason believed in listening to your instincts and living by them. They couldn't survive if they didn't. Clay had strong instincts, his gut was solid and often what saved all of their lives. If he doesn't trust Vic even a little after everything they had been through, that was an issue, a big issue that rested on Vic's shoulders.

"No, I don't. I know he's had our backs, and I know he got me out of that car in Yemen. But I doubt it was so I would be ok. I think he wants to make an impression. I think he wants everyone to look to him for that advice or game plan. And honestly, I wouldn't walk in front of him down a back alley alone. I think he will take out anyone that stood in his way, teammate or not."

Jason couldn't believe that Clay felt this way. This was serious. This wasn't a bad feeling about someone, this was a feeling that your own teammate would kill you if he could get away with it. This went to a whole new level.

"Why didn't you say something? I know you said he felt weird and that you didn't trust him, but you never said you couldn't trust him to watch your own back. As your father, as your team leader, that's something I need to know. What makes you feel that way?"

"The way I feel around him, like I'm working with the enemy. Sometimes I'll catch him looking at me and he doesn't see me looking at him out of the corner of my eye. He'll give me these looks when he thinks no one is watching that are dark, there's hatred in his eyes, but then it's gone the second anyone looks his way. Now all of a sudden since he's been on the team I'm having problems. This social media page shows up, the posts on there about things that only someone in our circle would know. The General all of a sudden changes his mind and I get attacked. Then what happened here on base and it was filmed and uploaded to that social media page. A page that was created and encrypted so heavily it is taking the Cyber Division a long time to remove it and backtrack it. All of this shit started when he came onto Bravo. And maybe I'm being paranoid and seeing things that aren't really there, but I can't ignore the timing of it all."

Jason could see where Clay was coming from. It was suspicious the timing of everything and it seemed to be getting worse. After his talk with Yoder and learning about what Vic had said about Clay in Green Team, it put Jason a bit on edge. The thing was though, he wasn't sure about Vic in the first place. His gut was telling him to go with Yoder, that Clay was right he would make a great teammate. It was Ray that had convinced him to go against his gut and follow Ray's. That Clay would need someone like Ray to keep him in check, that Vic would be perfect for it. But the more he thought about it the more he was questioning his decision. Clay wasn't his clone, he was a hell of a lot smarter than him. He didn't need someone like Ray to keep him in check. Yoder was right about that. Clay needed someone that could be whatever he needed at the time. He needed someone that knew when to push when not, when to be his backbone and when to be his sounding board. He doubted Vic could do that.

"The timing has crossed my mind. It makes me wonder if there was a new rookie that had a problem with you. Then what happened here on base, it's one hell of a coincidence to swallow. We're looking into who had access to the lights that were in the room. And I don't care how long it takes the Cyber Division, they will find who started that page and some of the posters. If you have no trust towards Vic then I'll keep you apart. I'm not going to put you in a position that you don't feel safe in because of a teammate. I'll be keeping a closer eye on him too and making sure he's not throwing you any dirty looks when he thinks no one is watching. As silly as it might sound, but how people act when they think no one is paying attention reveals who they truly are."

"Do you think I'm being paranoid? Honestly, am I seeing things that aren't really there?"

That was what bothered Clay about this the most. Because it seemed like everyone but him liked Vic. He didn't think it was because he took Yoder's place, or was the new guy, but maybe it was. Maybe subconsciously he didn't like Vic because he was the new rookie and not him or Yoder.

"I don't think you're paranoid or seeing something that isn't there. I think your gut is telling you something is wrong and I'm a firm believer in trusting your gut. Your mind works differently, and I don't mean that in a bad sense at all. You see the world differently than we do. You can break it down to the smallest detail, little things that most people don't even notice. If you are seeing something, then I believe you completely. Never doubt yourself Clay, never."

Jason was never going to let Clay ever doubt his mind. Clay was special, his mind was one of the things that made him special and Clay should never lose faith in it. Clay gave a nod and Jason could see the relief in his body. He had been carrying this around for a bit and it was just one more thing that had been weighing him down.

"When we get back and start going on missions I want to use you as my number two. I've already talked to the guys about it and they are good with it. Ray is going to work with Vic more closely to get him trained. I am going to be working very closely with you to get you ready to take over one day. There will also be missions where you will lead and I'll be your number two."

"Seriously?" Clay was shocked by that. He didn't think Jason would ever let him lead while he was still here. Jason didn't like giving up that control to anyone.

"Almost all new leaders have to figure it out for themselves and they go through a lot of hard times as they learn. I want to prevent you from some pain and tragedy. We're putting training wheels on you so you can learn in a safer environment while I am around to prevent anything tragic from happening. I will listen when you are leading, but I will speak up if something is off and we can talk it out and you can learn why or how it would be better to handle it. But you also have to listen to me when I question you and not take it personally. It's about learning."

"I won't take it personally and I will listen. I won't let you down." Clay promised.

"I know you won't, I'm not worried about that. Don't be afraid to make mistakes though, it's why I'm here. I'll catch you when you stumble." Jason said with a warm smile.

Clay smiled back and the atmosphere in the room was light again. Jason started to eat as Clay spoke.

"So how do you teach Green Team?"

"Can't tell you that. That's something you will have to figure out. Some instructors, as you know, are harder while others take a gentler approach. It's up to you on what type of teacher you'll be."

"I bet you were a hard ass. Couldn't be pleased." Clay teased.

"I may have never been asked to teach again." Jason said with a smirk.

Clay gave a laugh to that. He couldn't even imagine what it would have been like to be trained by Jason.

"Did you train anyone I would know?"

"Ya Derek was in my class. He impressed me. I would have recommended him for Bravo, but we didn't get first pick. No one else really stood out."

"Do you ever regret picking me?"

Clay knew their relationship made things a little bit complicated for Jason. Clay could understand if Jason had wished he hadn't picked him. It would have made things easier on him.

"That's not that simple to answer. I'll let you in on a secret, I regret everyone that I pick for this team."

"Why?" Clay wasn't expecting that answer.

"Because they become my family and I love them, but then I have to turn around and put them in danger every time we get spun up. I risk losing them and having to bury someone I love. At the same time though, I don't regret it because if they weren't with me, they might not still be here. I could have lost them and I wouldn't have them in my life. So I regret it and I don't at the same time. For you, as a team leader, no I don't regret picking you. You have a lot of great skills that we needed. As a father though, I regret you being put into danger, but if I hadn't picked you my family wouldn't be complete. I wouldn't have gotten the chance to know you and that is something I could never regret." Jason said warmly.

"I don't regret it for a second either." Clay agreed.

Jason gave him a wink and Clay knew that no matter what happened in the future he would be ok. He had his family and it included some very overprotective brothers, but also one hell of a father.

XXX

Ray found Vic by himself at the makeshift shooting range that they had on base. He had noticed some tension in Vic during the past couple of weeks they had been on tour and he wanted to find out what was going on with him. Ray waited until Vic was finished with his clip before he went over and tapped him on the shoulder. Vic turned around and pulled off his headphones so he could hear.

"Hey, we got something?" Vic asked.

"Not yet. I just wanted to check in with you. You've been a little tense these past couple of weeks. What's going on? You nervous with this being your first tour with us?" Ray asked, as he leaned back against one of the stakes of crates.

Vic spoke as he reloaded his gun and put it away. "No, I've been looking forward to being on tour with Bravo. It's just not what I had been expecting."

"What were you expecting?"

Vic gave a shrug. "In Green Team all you heard was about how the teams are family. That you're brothers and nothing will ever break that bond. After so long of not having a family it sounded amazing, perfect. I thought tour would be about us going on ops but getting to know each other better and hanging out, having some fun."

"That's what it is brother." Ray agreed.

"But it hasn't felt that way. Everyone is worried about Spenser, constantly checking in on him or talking about him. Honestly, I have no idea how he hasn't gone insane with the amount of times someone has been bugging him about how he was feeling. Then there's Yoder, he doesn't like me at all and everytime I try to be around the guys it seems like he is there. He's always there around Spenser, so I can't even try and get to know Spenser. It seems like everyone is doing their own thing."

"This time around is a little bit different with the kid being hurt and sick. We can be overprotective of him, but keep in mind that's our kid brother and the future leader of this team. He's used to us being overprotective of him, but it can be a lot for people who are not used to it. As for Yoder, he's a long-time friend and brother of Spenser's so he's been around the kid a lot and around the guys. But there have been plenty of times when Spenser is alone where you could go over and talk with him."

"And say what? He says maybe five words to me. I don't get why he doesn't like me. I mean I thought we were getting somewhere."

"Spenser's not easy to get to know. He's got a lot of walls up around him and it takes a bit to get him to trust you enough to let you take a peek behind them. It took us a long time too. You just gotta chip away at it."

"Is this how it normally is? Is it normal to have the team leader treating one of the other members with special treatment? I don't even understand why Spenser is here right now if he's not cleared to be in the field. Since when does the Navy have a Tier One operator on tour that can't even leave?"

"It's not normal, no, but Jason isn't a traditional leader. If it had been anyone else, yes they would have stayed behind, but Clay is special to Jason as you know. That makes things a little bit complicated at times. It's about to get more complicated and I'll have to talk with him about it."

That was something that Ray and Jason really needed to chat about. He didn't mind Clay being number two when they got back and learning how to lead them. At the same time though, he didn't want Jason letting Clay lead more and do more because he felt like he could. He didn't want Jason's actions to make Clay cocky and feel entitled.

"It just feels like everyone is going off of what Spenser is feeling. I can't get close to anyone because they are waiting for Spenser to warm up to me. Like I have to get his approval before everyone accepts me. Even Brock doesn't want to chat with me."

"Brock doesn't have much to say to begin with, unless it's with Trent or the kid. And the guys are a little unsure about you right now. Yoder had mentioned that you were talking trash about Spenser to some of the Green Team Cadets."

"What? Seriously? So what Yoder says must be true? Other cadets used to talk trash about Spenser and I would defend him. I didn't have to know him to know that he didn't deserve that. I have never said anything bad about him. And if Yoder is saying that I did, then he's lying with his own agenda." Vic said with an edge in his voice that had Ray believing him.

"Ok, I believe you. Look, this whole situation is a mess right now. I'll talk with Jason about it and get it sorted. You shouldn't feel like you can't be around your own team because of someone in or out of it. We'll get it sorted and fix it."

This was what Ray had been worried about. He liked Clay, he did, but the strong connection he had with Jason made things complicated. Vic was their brother now, he was Bravo and that meant that everyone in Bravo was supposed to put an effort into getting to know him. Clay wasn't trying to get to know Vic at all, he seemed to be going out of his way to make Vic not feel welcomed.

"I don't want to cause any problems." Vic said.

He would love to get Clay in trouble and cause some friction, but he didn't want to be the one pushed out if people thought he was the problem. He wanted Clay gone.

"You aren't. Spenser is. We'll get it worked out. And don't ever feel like you can't be around us regardless of who is there. You're not going anywhere and Spenser will just have to get over it and accept it."

Vic gave a slightly unsure nod, but on the inside he was jumping up and down. Things were starting to look up for Vic. The social media page was blowing up, that video of Clay was just what he needed to push it to the next level. According to some of the posts some Upper Brass officials were not happy with Clay's reaction. It was getting easier and easier to get Clay off of Bravo, even if it was for the next two months when they returned from tour before he went into teaching Green Team. That was something else Vic was hoping he could put a stop to. Clay couldn't take over if he didn't have his instructor hours. So if he could find a way to delay that, it might be the time he needed to get Clay off of Bravo for good.

Ray headed off to find Jason, something needed to be done about the relationship between Clay and Vic. It had gone on long enough and it was time to get this situation sorted and buried. Ray found Jason in his tomato garden and headed over to him.

"Hey Jace, we gotta talk."

"Ya, about what?" Jason said, as he continued to water the plants.

"About what's going on between Vic and Spenser. It's starting to trickle down to the other guys and that's not right nor fair."

Jason looked up and gave Ray his full attention now. "What's trickling down?"

"The guys are picking up on Spenser's attitude towards Vic. They are starting to distance themselves from him and that's not right. He's on Bravo, he's our brother now and he doesn't deserve to be treated like the black sheep in the family."

"Why are you assuming that's on the kid? They might have their own issues with Vic after what Yoder had to say about him."

"Something that we don't even know if it's true. I asked Vic about it, he said he never talked shit towards Clay. Said he would defend him. He thinks Yoder is lying because he doesn't like him, probably because he got picked over him. And honestly Jace, I'm kinda agreeing with him. Vic hasn't shown us anything that would lead us to believe he has a problem with Clay. He risked his life to save him back in Yemen when he was stuck in the car."

"Clay has noticed dirty looks that Vic sends his way when he thinks no one is looking. He didn't trust Vic before he got here and talked with Yoder. And Yoder, I believe him. He was sincere and you can't fake that level of honesty and love he has for Clay. He wouldn't be lying to Clay about anything, especially a teammate. And he didn't seem bitter to me at all. He's pretty damn confident that one day he'll be on the same team as Clay and he seems pretty happy to wait for that chance."

"So you want to believe someone that isn't even our brother?" Ray challenged.

"You want to believe someone that has been on this team for a couple of months? Why are you so sure Vic isn't lying? We barely know him. And I'll believe Yoder, because Clay has known him since he was nineteen years old and not once has there been an issue. Not once has that trust been broken, when there were plenty of opportunities for it to be. And above all, I will trust Clay's gut when he tells me that he can't trust Vic not to shoot him in the back." Jason said with an edge to his voice as he placed his hands on his hips. He was ready to do battle if he had to.

"Shoot him in the back? Come on Jace, even you have to admit how insane that is. Vic has a great record, an impressive one. I think this is about Spenser not feeling special anymore. This new guy shows up, becomes close with Sonny, close with me, has a lot to offer and could surpass Spenser and he can't deal with it." Ray challenged.

"Surpass Clay? In what? Vic would have to learn ten languages and be able to hit a target four thousand yards away in a thunderstorm to surpass Clay's skills. Vic is a middle of the road guy. The only reason he was picked is because you were convinced he would make a perfect number two to Clay. I went along with it, because I trust your gut, but it wasn't my gut's choice. I would have gone with Yoder and seeing how Clay and the guys interact with him, he would have been the better choice."

"So what you want to get rid of Vic and pick up Yoder now?" Ray asked, pissed.

"I didn't say that. But you don't get to make assumptions about why Clay doesn't trust him. And you damn well know that Vic will never be even close to Clay in skills. He doesn't trust him based on what he has seen. It has nothing to do with him being the new guy or him feeling threatened that his position will be taken away. You know that."

"I know he's still cocky. I know he gets away with things that would never have been allowed before." Ray challenged.

"We're all cocky in our skills. You don't get to hold that against him. And you know his cockiness in the beginning was his shield. And gets away with what Ray?" Jason challenged.

This was not what he wanted to be doing right now. He had enough going on in his head, he didn't need problems with Ray to go with it. It was bad enough he couldn't trust Vic to be alone with Clay, now he had this to go with it. It seemed like Ray was more interested in taking Vic's side over Clay's, when it should have been the other way around. Vic was the new guy, yes he was a brother, but he hadn't earned that spot in their lives or hearts yet.

"Oh come on Jace, you let him get away with everything. All the times he's questioned orders. All the times he's speaking up when he shouldn't be. The stunts he pulls. Even him not sleeping in our quarters. You would never allow anyone else to do it, but you do him. Now you want to train him? How the hell can we be sure you won't let him do whatever he wants just because he's your kid?"

"Are you questioning my loyalty to this family Ray?" Jason said, pissed as he moved closer.

"I'm questioning if you should be the one teaching Clay. Maybe it would be better for him and the team for him to go onto another team to learn from them. Then he can come back and lead when it's time. At least then he would have started to earn it."

"Earn it? You think he hasn't earned it?" This was only pissing Jason off more.

"You know he hasn't. Come on Jace, he's barely nine years on the job. Of course he hasn't earned it. He's only been a Tier One operator for three freaking years. There's easily ten guys that have earned it more than him. Guys with the experience, the training, and skills to lead a team. Clay is being handed it to him without any of the real work. Shit, he doesn't even have to have all of the requirements. The only reason he is even being considered is because you went in and asked and Lindell wants to reshape the way politicians view the Navy. How long do you think it will be before one of those politicians comes knocking at our door looking for a favor because they helped Clay get into the B1 position? He's too young, too inexperienced and too entitled. And you're letting it happen. You're encouraging it despite what should be happening with him. He shouldn't even be here now Jace. He's getting paid to sit around base all day when he should be on medical leave at home."

"He's here because I want him here. Because he can help in HAVOC and learn more about strategy and how operations can be while he is still healing. And I don't care about who might have more experience then him. Clay's earned it from everything he has accomplished in those nine years he's been in the Navy. He's earned it over the others because he is Bravo, he's skilled, and a genius. You know what I think? I think it's you that has the problem."

"With what?" Ray asked, outraged that Jason would even say that to him.

"I think you are the one feeling less special. Ya, I think you have a problem with me using the kid as a number two and not you. That it'll be him taking over and not you, but you don't get to put that on him. You decided to go the Warrant Officer route, if you are having regrets about it now then get it sorted. You don't get to take your shit out on him."

"I don't have regrets. I made the decision to be a Warrant Officer because it is what was best for my family. That doesn't change that your judgment with him has been compromised, it was a long time ago. You know the second he became a son to you that you should have transferred him to another team. It would have been what was best for him and for the team. Now you want to leave the team in the hands of someone who won't be ready. Even if it's a decade from now."

"You got a problem with how I run my team then you are welcome to transfer out. I am getting the team ready for the future and that future is being led by Clay. If you can't handle that then I am sure there are plenty of other teams that would be happy to have you. End of discussion." Jason snapped.

He was done. He shouldn't have to justify his decisions to anyone, least of all Ray. He knew that Clay was going to be taking over Bravo when his time came. This wasn't something that was a surprise to him. Yet he had a problem with it now all of a sudden. Jason was not going to put up with it. He never wanted to have to decide between Clay and Ray. He never wanted to have to make that decision, but he would if he had to and it would not end well for Ray.

"You're compromised Jace and one of our brothers will end up paying the price for it." Was all Ray said before he headed off.

Ray couldn't believe how this conversation went. He knew it wasn't going to be all warm and fuzzy, but he didn't expect Jason to get that defensive over the situation. Ray stood by what he said, Clay wasn't ready and he shouldn't even be entertaining the idea of it. Clay had a lot more to learn, he had a lot more humility he needed to learn before he would become a good leader. Ray had no idea what was going to happen with Bravo now as tensions were certainly going to be rising. Something that could ultimately end up deadly for one of them.

XXX

It was a month into their tour and the tension hadn't gotten any better within the team. Ray and Jason were at odds outside of the field, and in the field Ray did as he was told, but they kept the talking down to the bare minimum. The guys had all picked up on it, but neither wanted to discuss it. Things between Vic and the guys had slowly been improving, but he still wasn't able to get any time with Clay, not that Vic wanted it. Still, he needed to find a way to get to Clay so he would have more access to him for whatever might come up in the future. The social media page was still going strong. Vic knew that the program would constantly change the location of the page in terms of the backside of things so it would be impossible to trace back to its origins. Vic had paid good money for it, but it was a small price to pay to ensure he would never be discovered. Vic had also been communicating with Ash and General White on his burner phone to get Clay removed from Bravo by the time they went back on operations after tour.

Clay was exhausted and was one huge stress ball at this point. He had been watching Team Seven and Bravo going out on operations for the past three weeks now. He wanted to make sure they were ok, that all of his brothers were ok. The result was though that he was sleeping odd hours and not enough of them. He had been up for the past forty-eight hours as Team Seven and Bravo had both been sent out on an operation at the same time. Two different things, but Clay had spent his time going back and forth between the two command centers. Everything had been going fine on both teams' end, but that all went up in smoke around twenty-four hours ago when the compound that Team Seven was invading started to explode. They had lost contact with everyone in Team Seven and so far their Commander was not looking to send in reinforcements. Apparently after twenty-four hours of no contact that wasn't good enough to send anyone in. They needed proof of life before risking more lives. He was just accepting that everyone was dead, but there were parts of the compound that weren't on fire or hit in the explosions. Not to mention those compounds often had an underground system. They all could be trapped down there without radio contact or a way out.

"Sir please you need to send someone in. We don't know they are dead." Clay tried again.

"We have no proof of life. It's been twenty-four hours, I'm sorry but without hearing from them after this long, they're gone." Commander Halls said.

The radio started to come to life, but there was nothing but static coming back over it. It sounded like nothing, but Clay instantly recognized the pattern.

"That's Yoder." Clay said, and he couldn't help the joy that flooded through him.

"It's just static." Commander Hall said, not impressed at all.

"It's our signal. Three clicks, pause then three more. We created it when we were in Team Three together if one of us were ever in trouble and couldn't talk. His radio might not be able to transmit strongly enough to get words to come through but the clicking would." Clay explained.

The radio stopped, but then a moment later it picked back up and continued the pattern of clicks and pauses.

"You got anything?" Commander Hall asked one of their techs.

"No Sir. It's just static, most likely from the radio dying." The tech answered.

"It's not. You need to listen to me. At least one of them is alive. They could be trapped underground in the tunnels." Clay said again.

Clay could not believe this. They finally had proof that someone was alive on that compound and now no one was going to do anything about it. He couldn't leave Yoder trapped there all alone.

"My order is final. I am not sending any men in there to get killed on a pointless mission." Commander Hall said.

Clay didn't even bother with trying to point out that even if it was a recovery mission, that still meant the world to families. Clay wasn't going to be doing this. He wasn't going to be standing around waiting for someone to do something. Clay left the room and headed towards where Bravo's Commander Center was. If Commander Hall wasn't going to send someone in, he knew Blackburn would. Clay made his way through the base at a run. He didn't care that his lungs wouldn't be able to handle it, he just had to get there and hope that either Bravo was back or they were finished their operation and could head over to where Team Seven was. Clay was running down the halls when he ran into Bravo. Literally, as he turned the corner he slammed right into Jason's chest. Jason was quick to grab Clay to keep him upright.

"Where's the fire kid?" Full Metal said, jokingly.

"You're not supposed to be running." Trent immediately said, as they could all hear the slight wheeze to Clay's breathing still.

Jason moved Clay back a bit as Trent went over to start looking him over, but Clay shook him off.

"It's Team Seven. They were raiding a compound and the majority of it exploded and the whole team went dark. That was twenty-four hours ago, no contact. But there's a signal that Yoder and I have and he's doing the radio signal but Commander Hall still won't send anyone in. He's not listening to me." Clay said in a hurry.

"Ok, slow down and take a breath first. Then explain." Jason said calmly.

Clay took in as deep of a breath as he could before he spoke again. "Twenty-four hours ago the compound that Team Seven went in to raid started to explode. Roughly twenty-five percent of it is intact. There's been no communication or radio contact within the past twenty-four hours. However, a few moments ago a radio signal came through. It was a series of clicks, three then pause then three more. It was a signal that myself, Yoder and Brian invented so that we would have a way of contacting each other should we be unable to speak and be in trouble. I informed Commander Hall of this, but he is refusing to send a team in. Even for a recovery mission, said it wasn't worth it."

"There's probably other factors that he has to take into account to not send anyone in." Vic said.

"To not go in and retrieve their bodies at the very least? There's no excuse not to send someone in." Full Metal instantly said.

"Clay, I know Yoder is your friend, but that doesn't mean the radio sounds are anything special. Radios have static all the time, even after they have been damaged." Ray said, not really seeing how Clay could be making that jump.

"I know the code. It's Yoder, he's reaching out." Clay said with complete confidence.

"Alright." Jason said, as he started to head off.

The guys all followed behind him, Ray speaking as they walked.

"Jace, we need more than some radio sounds, you know that."

"What I know is that it's been twenty-four hours since anyone has heard from a Seal Team. Whether they are alive or not they deserve for someone to bring them home to their family."

"No man left behind." Sonny agreed.

"We also have to think about this team right here. We're exhausted, starving and dehydrated. We've been going for forty-eight hours almost." Ray pointed out.

"So you're saying we should leave them behind?" Sonny asked, pissed off that Ray would ever suggest that.

"I didn't say that." Ray snapped back.

"Then what are you saying?" Sonny challenged.

"Alright enough!" Jason snapped.

He understood they were all exhausted and hungry, but this was the lives of six Seals on the line. They could be dead, but they could also be alive. They owed it to them to find out. They owed it to Clay to see if his brother was alive. They walked into their Command Center to see that everyone was still there.

"Nice work everyone." Blackburn said as they walked in.

"We got a problem. Team Seven went dark twenty-four hours ago after an explosion on the compound they were raiding. Commander Hall is refusing to send anyone in after them, even though Clay just heard Yoder's signal over the radio via clicks." Jason explained.

"Everyone with me." Blackburn said, as he headed for the door.

Everyone followed behind him as they headed into Team Seven's commander center. You could tell that Commander Hall was not impressed by the invasion of Bravo, but they didn't care. Not when there were American Seals' lives on the line.

"What is the meaning of this Blackburn?" Commander Hall demanded.

"It's been brought to my attention that your team has been out of contact for twenty-four hours now. Bravo is willing to go in and bring them home."

Blackburn knew that this was going to take a bit of finesse. Commander Hall didn't like being told what to do or for someone to step on his toes. If he didn't want to send someone in it was going to take a bit to convenience him.

"Oh really? Did Lindell's little puppet come and tell you about my operation?" Commander Hall said, as he crossed his arms.

The radio continued with the clicking sound again and once it stopped Davis spoke.

"That's not normal for radio static."

"It's Yoder's signal." Clay said, happy that someone else was finally hearing it.

"Radios have static all the time." Team Seven's tech guy said.

"Yes, but they don't have a pattern to them. Someone is keying the radio to make the clicking sound." Davis argued.

"Look, we don't mind going in." Jason said.

"After twenty-four hours and no one has seen or heard from them. It is most likely that they are dead. Sending anyone else in could only result in more casualties on our end." Commander Hall said, not budging.

"Even if they are, they still deserve a proper burial. My guys will take the risk." Blackburn said.

"And this is my operation. It has been closed." Commander Hall stubbornly said.

"Ok ya, screw this." Clay said, as he pulled out his phone.

"And who are you going to call? Your Captain? I can call mine and he will only back up my decision. But if you feel the need to go running to your Captain be my guest. I'm sure he'll give you a nice treat later." Commander Hall said condescendingly.

"Commander Hall, you better not be implying what it sounds like. I would hate to have to disclose your assumption in my report." Blackburn said.

"And I'm not calling Captain Lindell. I know Captain Samson would just call him and try to stall the green light." Clay said, as his phone rang. When someone picked up he spoke. "Good evening Admiral Anderson, I'm sorry to be calling you so late."

Some of the guys couldn't help but smile at knowing who Clay had called. It also didn't go unnoticed by Commander Hall that Clay had his number in his phone.

"Yes Sir a situation has come up. Seal Team Seven has been out of contact for twenty-four hours after an explosion went off at a compound they were raiding. We just received a signal through radio clicks that Yoder and I used back in Team Three. Commander Hall is not allowing anyone to go and provide aid. Commander Blackburn and Bravo have agreed to go in; we just need the green light to do so." Clay was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. "Yes Sir. I appreciate it. I would be happy to come by for dinner when I get back, it's been a while since I've seen the grandchildren. I will. Thank-you Sir." Clay finished before he handed the phone over to Blackburn.

"Admiral Anderson." Blackburn said, as he started to listen.

"We're green lit." Clay said to the others.

"You just made an enemy little boy." Commander Hall said in a deadly tone.

"I have a lot of them. But I also have Admirals, Generals, Sedators, Congressmen, the Secretary of State and more in my back pocket to watch my ass. And they all know that I don't call in favors unless it's of dire circumstances. I expect when you get back that you'll be having a lengthy discussion about unbecoming behavior. I would be careful though the Admiral is already hot after the conversation we had about how you are allowing your team to treat Yoder because he's gay. He found it very dishonourable and offensive, especially because his happily marriage gay son was on the video call for it." Clay said with complete confidence and a smirk.

"I could have you court martialed for insubordination." Commander Hall threatened.

"Good luck with that." Clay said with a slight chuckle.

"You think you're invincible because you play politics?" Commander Hall said with disgust.

"Not at all. You could have me court martialed, but it'll never make it to trial. It might take me a couple of days, but it'll disappear. I can do anything I set my mind to and I have enough connections to get me through to the end. You might win for a couple of days, but in the end I'll be the one coming out on top." Clay simply said.

Clay knew he wasn't invincible. He knew he could be hurt or any number of things. But he also knew that he had enough connections to help get him out of it. It might take an hour or it might take months, either way he'll get there. Blackburn ended the call and turned his attention to his team. He knew Commander Hall was not happy, but he didn't have time for damage control right now. They were twenty-four hours behind the explosion. If anyone had been injured in the explosion, they could have easily bled out by now. They were on the clock and they were never going to catch up. All they could do was get out there and hope they could save some of them.

"We're clear. Grab what you might need and head out to the compound site. We'll get you what you need for when you get there." Blackburn said.

"I'll need everything you have on the compound and the operation." Mandy said, as the others started to head out and grab what they would need for this new operation. They would need to restock their ammo and medical supplies as they had no idea what they were going to find.

Jason was over where his gear was to grab some extra things when Clay went over to him and spoke softly.

"You won't let go will you?"

Clay knew he was still on medical and his lungs weren't that great, but he could fight through it. He could push through the tightness, headache and exhaustion if it meant he could help get Yoder.

Jason turned to give Clay his full attention. "You know I can't let you. It's not even about you being on medical leave still, I can see you don't feel well. You've barely been sleeping, your squinting which means you have another headache and you have barely been eating anything because of the medication. I know he's your brother and I promise you we will bring him home. The best thing you can do to help is stay in HAVOC and do whatever they need you to do. Something went wrong on this op, help them figure out what that is."

Clay gave a nod and Jason knew he was not happy about being stuck here. Jason understood fully though, if he was in Clay's position he would want to be going out there too. If Clay had been a little bit healthier than Jason might have entertained the idea, but the bottom line was, Clay's body wasn't there yet. Jason placed his hand on the side of Clay's face as he spoke. "I promise, we'll bring him home son."

"I know, it just really sucks."

Jason pulled Clay in for a hug, one he easily returned and after a moment they pulled apart. They had Seals to go and rescue. With everyone all set they made their way into HAVOC to see what the plan was.

"Alright, Team Seven were going after a subgroup of the same terrorist cell we have been chasing. This subgroup is supposedly being used to house and transport weapons and explosives. Intel had it that there were only two dozen hostiles within the compound, that is still unknown if it was correct." Blackburn started.

"Best we can figure, when Team Seven entered the compound they hit something that caused the large explosion. Most likely they hit a failsafe that they weren't aware of and it triggered the set of explosions to eliminate any connection to our terrorist cell. Now, based on satellite images and the blueprints to the compound, it was built over underground tunnels that were used as an escape route but also to snuggle the guns and explosives in unnoticed. It's possible when the explosions happened that the ground opened up and they fell into the tunnels." Davis continued.

"So they could be trapped underground with no way of getting a radio signal out." Sonny commented.

"It's possible, and based on the radio signal we do know, at least Yoder is trapped without a signa strong enough to talk onl. We have no way of knowing if everyone is there, who is injured or alive." Mandy said.

"How did we not know about them?" Ray asked.

"We've been chasing down this terrorist cell, not anyone that could be connected to them. We've been going after the head of the snake. Team Seven has been focusing on small groups that could be supplying or working for any number of terrorist cells within the area. We had no idea they were even connected." Mandy explained.

"We do now though and we will be working on ensuring their organization is shut down. We can't have a group supplying weapons and explosives to any terrorist cell. You will make your way to Team Seven, bring infrared just in case. We'll keep working from here to see if we can give you a starting point for the search." Blackburn said.

"Let's go." Jason said.

They all started to head out and Trent went over to Clay and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. You focus on them." Clay didn't want Trent to worry about him. He could also rest when they got back and he knew that Yoder would be ok.

"I got him, I promise."

"I know. I don't know if this matters, but he had a really bad skull fracture five years ago to the back of his head."

"That helps, I'll make sure he's ok. Is there anything else?" A past skull fracture meant that the area could be weaker from having to heal.

"He's got hepatitis B. He's on the treatment for it still, he's had it for about eighteen months. I don't know if that makes him contagious or not."

"How did he get it?"

It wouldn't normally matter, but in this case he had to make sure it wasn't from drug use or something else that could be an underlying condition.

"About a year and a half ago he found out his fiance cheated on him. They had been together for five years and stopped wearing protection. His fiance cheated with some guy he picked up in a bar and contracted it." Clay was still pissed about it and if he ever saw the guy again he would be knocking his ass out.

Trent gave a nod. It wasn't ideal, but it was curable after the treatment, though treatment could take years depending on the strain. "I'll be careful. Thank-you."

Clay gave a nod and Trent squeezed his shoulder gently before heading out, leaving Clay with Davis, Blackburn, Mandy and support.

"It'll be alright, they'll get them." Blackburn said, trying to offer some comfort.

"I know they will. I just wish I knew what their condition will be when they do."

"Try and stay positive." Blackburn said with a supportive hand on his shoulder.

Clay gave a nod and went over to see what he could do to help. He couldn't be there in the field, but he could help them here and Clay wasn't going to go and rest until everyone came back.

The guys were on the chopper and Jason could pick up the tension within it. It had been a tense few weeks, ever since him and Ray had that argument. The guys didn't know what they had fought about, but they knew they weren't vibing together right now. That tension was starting to trickle down as Vic and Ray spent more time together. The guys noticed that Clay was still avoiding Vic and spending more time with Sonny and Yoder. The three of them spent a lot of time together and Jason could tell that Sonny was trying to repair his relationship with Clay after the past few months. Sonny was also putting in the effort to get to know Yoder and Jason was proud of him for that. It showed that Sonny had changed over the past five years and was opening himself up more. Clay was an amazing influence on him.

Now they were going right back out after a long and hard mission to rescue Yoder and Team Seven. Jason was really hoping he was not about to bring his son's brother back dead. He really hoped that Yoder had held on and would be ok.

"Look, I know we are all tired and starving. I know things have been tense recently, but this mission isn't just another mission. We are going after six Seals that could be dead or dying. We're going to bring six brothers home. One of which we've all gotten to know. Yoder means a lot to Clay, so I am asking all of us to put whatever difference or problems we are having aside and do this for them, do this for Clay." Jason said, as he looked at each of his men.

"Despite whatever is going on between any of us Jace, Clay is our kid brother and none of us want to see that pain in his eyes. We'll bring them home." Ray said with a strength to his voice.

"And make these sons of bitches pay." Sonny added.

Sonny had noticed some tension within the group these past few weeks. He knew when Jason and Ray were on the outs and he had a feeling it had to do with the tension between Clay and Vic. Sonny knew that something needed to be done about the distance between Clay and Vic, but he had no idea what that was. Clay didn't trust Vic and that mistrust was starting to trickle down. It didn't help that Jason seemed to be not trusting him either. The whole situation was a mess and Sonny had no idea what any of this meant. What he did know was that Clay loved Yoder, that was his brother, one of his first brothers, Sonny didn't want to put that level of pain in Clay's eyes.

The second the chopper landed the guys were out and making their way through the compound. The place was smoking, but the fire seemed to have simmered down at least. They worked clearing the buildings, going one at a time scanning them with the infrared and having Cerberus sniff around for anyone. They had come across a few bodies that were hostiles. It seemed like the compound blew up without the hostiles knowing it would. It was looking more and more likely that Team Seven had tripped one of the wires. They reached the eighth building when Cerberus finally stopped and whined at a pile of rubble.

"Got something." Brock said.

The guys came over to him and Trent used the infrared to see if they could see anything through the rubble.

"Nothing is coming up, but it might be too thick."

"He's indicating someone is down there." Brock said.

"Could be a combatant." Vic commented.

"No he would only indicate if it was someone he knew. There's a good chance he picked up Yoder's scent. Cerb's been around Yoder with him being around Clay." Brock said.

There had been plenty of times in the past month where Brock had to leave Cerb behind while on a mission. He would come back to see Clay and Yoder playing with Cerb. It was one of the reasons why Brock liked Yoder and knew he was a good man. Cerb never played with someone that didn't smell right or he didn't trust. Brock trusted Cerb's instincts and he never let him down. It's how he knew Clay was a good man. Cerb all but ran over to him on the plane that first time and now Cerb spent just as much time with Clay out on tour as he did with Brock. When Clay was sick or injured, Cerb was right there beside him, sleeping in the bed with him. Brock was good about it. Cerb had been his third k9 partner, his other two dying on the job. Brock knew there would come a day where Cerb was too old for this life or had been through too much for it. Eventually Brock would have to retire Cerb and let him have a normal dog life, Brock was good with that. But, if Brock were to die in the field he could do so knowing that Cerb would be happy with Clay. Brock had changed his will to include Clay getting Cerb should something happen to him. Clay would be able to keep up with his training or he would make sure Cerb got to have a great life during retirement.

"Let's get this rubble removed. We could have guys down there." Jason said.

He trusted Cerb and if he was indicating that someone was down there, then someone was down there. They guys went through the painstaking task of removing large rubble, after large rubble. It seemed like everytime they removed a piece of rubble three more would take its place.

"It must have collapsed down into the tunnel." Ray said.

They continued to remove the rubble until they were finally able to see down into the tunnel. The problem was, it was pitch black, they couldn't see anything. They all pulled out their lights and pulled their guns. Brock went down first with Cerberus leading the way. Cerberus pulled Brock down the tunnel a few feet before their lights were able to pick up a body. There sitting up against the wall, unconscious was Yoder. He was covered in dirt from the explosion and being in the tunnel. It was hard to tell if he was banged up or not because of the dirt. They could see blood on his face though and his radio in his limp hand. Cerberus started to nudge at Yoder's face with his nose and barked to try and wake up Yoder. Yoder let out a groan as he opened his eyes and got a face full of Cerberus.

"Hey boy." Yoder said with a rough voice.

Trent and Jason both bent down as Brock pulled Cerberus back.

"You alright brother?" Jason said, as he tried to get a better look at Yoder with what little light they had.

"Took you long enough." Yoder said with a small smirk.

"What hurts?" Trent asked.

"Head and ribs." Yoder answered as Trent got his gloves on.

"Do you know where the others are?" Jason asked.

"They were ahead of me. They went down first, I tried to find em, but there's rubble blocking the path up there."

"Everyone move forward, try and find where the others are. I'll be right there." Jason ordered.

The guys headed off to try and locate the other members of Team Seven. They were relieved that Yoder seemed to be in decent shape, exhausted and banged up but nothing was bleeding or crushed.

"Clay?" Yoder asked.

"He's alright, back in HAVOC. Your radio signal finally got through. You need to focus on yourself right now. Do you know what happened?" Jason asked, as Trent checked Yoder over.

"No. One minute we're clearing the next explosions and they were gone then the floor gave away." Yoder said with a shaky voice.

"Alright, you're gonna be ok. You good here Trent?" Jason didn't want to leave Trent here alone, but he also had to make sure the others had all the help they needed as well.

"We're good. We'll wait here until you guys come back this way. Let me know if you need me."

Jason patted Trent on the shoulder before he headed down the tunnel to join the others. Trent started to look over Yoder's head as gently as he could.

"Did you hit the front or the back of your head when you went down?" Trent asked.

"Front. You have gloves?" Yoder asked, his words starting to slur a bit.

"I'm wearing them. Don't worry."

Yoder was bleeding pretty heavily from his forehead on his left side. He would need stitches, but Trent would need to clean the wound first before he could stitch him up. In order to do that, he needed to actually see with more than a flashlight.

"Clay told you?"

"He did, but only me. He also told me about the previous skull fracture to the back of your head."

"Didn't hit the back. Rubble hit my ribs and legs, legs are bruised but nothing is broken. Ribs hurt the most."

"You definitely have some broken." Trent said, as he gently pulled up the side of Yoder's shirt and could see the bruising.

He then started to remove Yoder from his vest and plate so he would be able to better see his torso to ensure he wasn't bleeding internally. Trent was very pleased to see that the bruising was focused around his ribs and not his stomach. He didn't appear to be bleeding internally, but he had a few broken ribs, four from what Trent could tell. He couldn't do anything for his ribs right now so Trent continued to check the rest of Yoder over. Twenty minutes later Brock was back with Cerberus.

"We found the others. They are banged up and injured. Jace wants you to check them over before we can move them."

"Alright, I'll head over now. He's ok just banged up and has a concussion, so keep him awake." Trent said, as he packed up his medical kit.

"Got it."

Trent headed off to find the others and check out the rest of Team Seven. Brock bent down and Cerberus went over and laid next to Yoder with his head on his leg.

"Did Trent give you some pain medication?" Brock asked.

"Ya, he gave me a shot. Is Clay ok?"

"He's alright. Worried about you, but he's ok. He's going to be very happy to see you."

"Keep him safe."

"Clay? You don't have to worry about him, we always do." Brock promised.

Brock wasn't sure why Yoder felt the need to tell him to keep Clay safe, but he wanted to make sure Yoder knew that they would. Brock wasn't blind, he knew some tension had come up within the team, but he was hoping it would resolve itself. Him, Trent and Sonny were kinda in the middle while Jason and Clay were against Ray and Vic it would seem. Brock had no idea what direction Trent would go in if there was a full split. Sonny would always stick with Clay no matter what. As for him, he loved Ray and Vic seemed like an ok guy, but he couldn't see himself going against Jason and Clay. Not when Clay meant so much to Cerberus. Brock was hoping that things would be resolved soon and there would be an all out war within Bravo.

It was a good hour later when the guys all started to make their way out of the tunnel. Trent and Sonny were carrying a litter with one guy, Brock was helping Yoder walk, Ray, Vic, Full Metal and Jason all were helping other guys as well. They all had injuries, some worse than others and they knew that all of Team Seven would be on a plane going back home tonight for medical leave. It was a mess, but they were all lucky to still be alive. Though according to Trent, some of them wouldn't have made it till the morning. They got everyone loaded up on the chopper and headed back to base.

XXX

Clay was standing outside where the choppers were kept. He couldn't help the relief that had flooded him when Jason had radioed in that they had everyone and they were all alive, banged up but alive. It was a huge weight off his shoulders to hear that Yoder was in fact going to be ok. He knew he had done the right thing by pushing to have Bravo go after them. He didn't care that Commander Hall was pissed off at him, that meant nothing to him because Yoder, his brother, was coming back home and not in a box. The second the chopper touched down Clay was walking towards them. Brock helped to get Yoder off and started to help him walk over to the building. The second Clay met up with them he gently pulled Yoder in for a hug, one he easily welcomed and returned. Brock moved back to help the others get off the chopper.

"I thought I lost you." Clay said.

"Me too for a second there." Yoder admitted.

"How bad?" Clay asked, as he pulled back to look at Yoder, but he kept his hands on him to help support him.

"Concussion and some broken ribs."

"You need to get checked out, come on."

Yoder put his arm around Clay's shoulders and Clay helped him walk towards the building. Jason, Sonny and Ray had been standing outside of the chopper watching the whole scene in front of them. Support teams had come over to help get the injured off the chopper and off for the infirmary.

"He never hugs me like that." Sonny commented.

"Yoder must be more huggable than you." Ray teased.

Jason just shook his head and Sonny could tell he was not happy right now.

"What's wrong Boss? Everyone survived and Yoder will make a full recovery." Sonny said.

"I screwed up. That's our Bravo Two. That's a B1 and B2 relationship."

That was all Jason said before he headed off towards the building to get his gear off before he would check in on everyone. Sonny looked over at Ray and he could see that Ray was upset now.

"What does that mean?" Sonny asked.

"I don't know Son. But it just might be the end of the Bravo we know."

Ray headed off, leaving Sonny to stand there all alone. He knew shit was going down between a few of them on the team, he just had no idea that everyone had felt so strongly over it all. They were still two months away from returning to the States and at this point it didn't look good for any of them.

XXX

It was the next day when Clay found himself sitting on the floor in the bathroom next to the toilet. He had been sick all night and hadn't been able to stop throwing up long enough to even get out of the bathroom. He was shaking, freezing, dizzy, his whole body hurt and a rash on his arm had started to appear. After Yoder had been checked out by the base Doc he was then put onto a plane with the others in Team Seven to head back to the States to recover at home. Yoder had a concussion and four broken ribs just like Trent had figured. He was also covered in bruises from the fall and the rubble hitting him. Clay was very thankful that he was going to be ok and that he hit the front of his head and not the back, otherwise it could have been a lot worse.

The bathroom door opened and Clay heard Sonny's voice.

"I need another eight hours of sleep."

"I told you to go to bed instead of watching that movie." Trent said.

"Trent." Clay called out as best as he could.

"Clay?" Trent asked, as he looked around.

"Third stall." Clay simply said before his stomach flipped and he moved over to the toilet to throw up once again.

At the sound both Sonny and Trent went into action and headed over to the stall that Clay was in. Trent went in to see Clay throwing up just a clear liquid. He quickly took notice of how shitty he looked.

"Go tell Jason, I'll bring him to the infirmary." Trent said.

He had no idea what was going on with Clay, but he did know this was not good. Sonny immediately headed out to find Jason, leaving Trent to handle Clay. After a moment Clay stopped throwing up and sat back.

"Talk to me Clay, how long have you been sick?"

"After Yoder left. I went to the mess to grab some water and some soup, then ten minutes later I was sick."

"What are you feeling?" Trent immediately figured it must be food poisoning.

"Dizzy, cold, my whole body hurts and this rash started not too long ago." Clay said, turning his arm so Trent could see.

Trent looked at the rash and instantly knew this wasn't food poisoning, that wouldn't cause a rash. He had to get Clay to the infirmary so his blood could be tested for whatever this could be.

"We gotta get you to the infirmary for some testing and you are dehydrated, you need an IV in. I'm gonna help you up."

Clay gave a nod, knowing there was no point in arguing with him. Trent went and helped to get Clay standing and was there to catch him when his legs gave out and the room spun. Trent went slow, but he moved as quickly as he could to get Clay to the infirmary. Once there he placed Clay down on an available bed as a doctor came over.

"Spenser, you are not looking so good. What's going on?"

"He's been sick all night. Throwing up, shaking, chills, dizziness, sore and he's got a rash on his left forearm." Trent answered.

Dr. Roth started to look Clay over, and took his temperature. "No fever so not an infection. Flu doesn't give you a rash so it's something else. Trent, get an IV going, I'm going to take some blood."

Trent put on some gloves and got to work on getting an IV into Clay while Dr. Roth worked on getting a blood sample to run. He wasn't sure what was going on with Clay right now, but something wasn't responding well within him.

"What happened?" Jason asked, as he walked into the area with the guys behind him, including Blackburn.

"He's been sick all night. No fever so no infection and the rash on his arm makes this not the flu. I'm going to run his blood and see what is going on, hopefully that will give us a place to start." Dr. Roth answered.

"Couldn't it be food poisoning?" Ray asked.

"Not with a rash. Spenser, what did you eat?" Dr. Roth asked.

"Water and soup from the mess. It's still in my room. Trent." Clay said with a shaky voice and Trent knew what that meant. He quickly grabbed the plastic tub by the bed and held it while Clay threw up more clear liquid.

"Clay have you been drinking water all night?" Dr. Roth asked.

Clay very gently shook his head as he fought to get his stomach back under control.

"What is it?" Trent asked, as he could see Dr. Roth was thinking something.

"It shouldn't be clear. His stomach should be empty, he shouldn't be throwing anything up. A clear liquid would make sense if he's drinking water all night, but he's not drinking anything." Dr. Roth looked at the others before he continued. "I need the water bottle and soup he was eating. And pull the soup out of the mess hall and bring it here."

Sonny and Brock headed out without a word to get it done.

"Why?" Jason asked.

"I'd rather not say until I have confirmation. I'll run his blood right now and that should hopefully give us the answer we are looking for. Clay when you need to throw up, throw up. Don't fight it and try to let it pass."

"You think?" Trent asked, knowing what Dr. Roth was hinting at.

"I'd like to confirm first. I could be wrong." Dr. Roth said, before he headed out and Jason moved over to his side of the bed.

"What is he thinking?" Blackburn asked Trent, as Jason got a cloth wet to place against Clay's forehead to help him feel a little bit better.

"He thinks someone put something in the water or the soup."

"So food poisoning?" Vic stated, he wasn't really sure what the big deal was. Clay was sick, so what?

"Not that type of poisoning." Trent said with an edge to his voice.

"He thinks someone spiked the soup? But with what?" Blackburn asked.

"It couldn't be in the whole soup though, we would have this place overflowing with sick personnel." Jason said.

"Which would mean someone spiked only Clay's." Ray stated.

"This tour sucks." Clay said with a shaky voice.

"We'll figure it out Sunshine, just try and sleep." Jason said, as he placed the cool cloth over Clay's forehead.

"Is there anything we can do?" Ray asked.

"All we can do is wait until the results come back." Trent answered.

Clay closed his eyes to try and will sleep to come. He felt like complete shit and all he wanted to do was just wake up and feel better. He was really sick of feeling so tired and rundown all the time anymore. The guys all stayed quiet so Clay could try and get some sleep. When Sonny and Brock came back they softly had asked what was going on and when they discovered that the doctor thought Clay could have been poisoned, words couldn't describe how pissed off Sonny was. He was able to keep it under control though as Clay seemed to have fallen into a soft sleep.

An hour later Dr. Roth was back and he walked over to them. He gave a nod to get them to follow him so they could speak without waking Clay up. The guys all left, Jason giving Clay one last quick look before he joined the others.

"Blood work came back with high levels of phosphate."

"So this is connected to his medication for the TB?" Jason asked.

"That didn't help, but no it's not. The soup he ate tested positive for phosphate, however the soup in the mess hall where it came from didn't have any levels of phosphate." Dr. Roth said.

"So what does that mean?" Vic asked.

"It means someone added the phosphate to Spenser's soup bowl. They would have done it with liquid phosphate, which is a clear liquid." Dr. Roth answered.

"That's what he's throwing up?" Full Metal asked.

"It is. Now phosphate is absorbed through your digestive tract, but if there is too much to absorb and if you are allergic to it, it can cause you to be sick. Your body is trying to get rid of it. Our body needs phosphate to help with teeth and bone strength, but we get it through the foods we eat. Now, phosphate is in plenty of things and not just medication. It will be in the food you eat, some with lower levels than others. Spenser would get trace amounts of phosphate in the foods he eats, enough to help with his bone health but not enough to bother his allergy. However, there is food with higher levels of phosphate such as seafood, whole wheat, as an additive for frozen food and processed food."

"Clay doesn't eat any of that stuff." Sonny said.

There had been a few times when the guys had wanted to grab some sushi or fish and chips, but Clay never went with them. He had no interest in it.

"With the higher levels of phosphate he wouldn't. It would have made him sick every time he ate it, and naturally you avoid food that doesn't agree with you. Now, normally if you got hit with a higher level of phosphate in your food it would normally make you not feel too great. The problem is Spenser's allergy is very serious and he already had higher levels of phosphate then he was used to because of his TB medication. The added phosphate from the soup pushed his body over the edge. His body can't process the phosphate and it is causing him to be this sick."

"How do you correct the issue?" Blackburn asked.

"We need to give him dialysis to flush out the phosphate from his system and blood."

"Seriously?" Sonny asked, that wasn't some simple no big deal treatment.

"Your kidneys work as your body's filter, getting rid of everything that could harm you. His kidneys are not able to process and filter out the phosphate from his system because there's too much of it and his body isn't used to it. The quickest and safest way to help Spenser would be dialysis where we filter the phosphate from his blood and it goes back into his body clean. He'll be tired afterwards and need to rest for a couple of days. I would also recommend he stops taking his TB medication for those couple of days to give his body a complete rest before starting up again."

"But he'll be ok afterwards?" Jason asked.

"He will be yes. Like I said he'll need rest, but he'll bounce back from it. I will also give him a mild sedative to put him to sleep so he'll sleep through most of it. His body is still rundown from being injured and sick. I just need your permission to start treatment." Dr. Roth said to Jason, as he was next of kin.

"Do what you need to do." Jason easily agreed.

"I'll start right away." Dr. Roth said, before he headed off.

"Someone poisoned him." Sonny said, pissed.

"We need to find out who." Jason said, just as pissed.

"I'll have Davis pull up the security camera footage and see if we can see who the person was that added the phosphate." Blackburn said.

"Check the social media page too. Clay's allergy isn't known outside of us, our support staff, medical or someone that has access to personnel files. The leak had to come from somewhere." Trent said.

"I'll go and talk with the kitchen staff." Vic offered.

"Full Metal, go with him." Jason said with a look that Full Metal easily read. He wasn't going because Jason didn't think Vic could handle it, he was going because there was a trust issue.

"Let's go rookie." Full Metal said, as he headed off not even bothering to wait for Vic.

Brock waited until they were gone before he spoke. "Yoder said something when we were in the tunnel alone. He asked about Clay then said keep him safe."

"You think he knew something was going to go down?" Ray asked.

"Don't know. But his only concern was Clay and not himself or the team."

"People talk more when they feel comfortable that no one dangerous could overhear. It's possible someone talked more openly with Yoder in listening range without thinking much of it." Trent said.

"We should be sending Clay home." Ray said.

"You want to send him home so he could be alone and even more vulnerable to whatever is going on right now?" Sonny asked, shocked that Ray would even be suggesting leaving their brother unprotected.

"He wouldn't be vulnerable at home. He's now been attacked twice being on base, obviously someone here has it out for him. The best thing for him would be to stay at home." Ray argued.

"Except here I can keep an eye on his health and reaction to the medication. He shouldn't be alone with having to take his TB medication. Him coming on tour was so he was monitored without having to be in a hospital. His allergy is serious." Trent explained.

"He's not going home. He's staying here where we can keep an eye on him. Blackburn will find out who poisoned his food and we will handle it. With Yoder gone, Clay is now alone in that room. Sonny, why don't you move your stuff in there so Clay won't be alone. Clay already spends his time in HAVOC when we are on an op, so he won't be alone then. Hopefully soon the Cyber Division will be able to backtrack the page and we'll know who started it so we can shut it down and make them pay." Jason said.

"I'll move my things." Sonny easily agreed.

"Jace." Ray started, but Jason cut him off.

"This conversation is over."

Jason headed off and went back over to Clay. Ray shook his head, he couldn't believe all of this was happening. He had no idea how they were ever going to work things out. Trent went over to join Jason so he would be able to keep track of the dialysis and be there in case something else happened while Clay's body was being cleansed of the phosphate. Sonny, Brock and Ray all headed off to go their own separate ways. Sonny wanted to move his things, Brock had to feed Cerberus and Ray needed to call Naima to try and make some sense of all of this.

It was six hours later when Blackburn arrived back at the infirmary to check in on Clay and inform Jason what they had discovered. Blackburn saw that it was just Jason and Trent in the room and Clay was hooked up still to the dialysis machine.

"How is he?" Blackburn asked softly. He knew Clay was sedated, but it was only a mild one.

"No negative reaction so far. A few more hours and he'll be off the machine and awake. Once he's awake he should be able to get moved back to his room." Trent answered.

"Good."

"What did you find?" Jason asked.

"Cameras in the mess are not that great. We don't tend to have many cameras on base. The only shot we have is the back of the worker, who is a civilian. We asked around and was able to discover it was, Matthew Markle, he has been working for the military as a civilian worker for three years now. I questioned him and all he would say is that someone paid him to put the liquid into Clay's soup as a prank. He swore he had no idea anything bad would happen. Turns out this isn't the first time he's taken money to do something against the rules for a sailor or soldier. He is being shipped out and fired for it."

"For fucksakes. Did he give up a name?" Jason asked, pissed off about all of this.

"Nope, refused to get anyone into trouble. We looked at the social media page and people were commenting about the so-called prank. There was an anonymous post about Clay's allergy before the prank was done and the same commenter put up a post a few hours ago about how he told them it would work. Another commented that they'll run Clay down until he gives up and quits." Blackburn said, he was not impressed at all about any of this.

"Something has to be done about this shit. We can't just keep waiting around for someone to try something else." Jason said.

He couldn't believe all of this shit was going on. You would expect it from middle schoolers, but not a bunch of grown adults. It was bullshit, complete bullshit and someone in the Upper Brass needed to do something about this and soon. This time around Clay was just very sick, but if they had put more in it then they did, it could have been deadly for him.

"I've informed Lindell and he was going to inform Admiral Anderson about all of this. They are going to handle it. They have some of the names from commenters that haven't hidden their name, they are going to make examples out of them. We will get a handle on this." Blackburn promised.

No one was happy about this, but that was the only thing they could do. They would be keeping a very close eye on Clay and anyone that was around him. They weren't going to leave him unprotected again, even when he was on base. No one was going to be getting to their brother again.

XXX

It was a couple of days later when Clay was in his room laying down in bed. He had been resting for the past couple of days after getting out of the infirmary. Once he was woken up he felt a lot better, his stomach wasn't upset anymore so Clay was thankful for that much. Jason and Trent had explained what had happened and what would be happening. Clay still couldn't believe all of this, but at least he was able to start to feel better. He was also going to have to be careful with getting his food at the mess. The guys said they would be picking it up to avoid a repeat of this situation. Sonny also moved into his room so Clay wouldn't be alone at night when he was asleep. It would also allow them to have some time together and work on their relationship again.

Clay closed his laptop as the door opened. Sonny walked in with a water bottle for Clay and himself. He handed it to Clay as he spoke.

"How you feeling?"

"A lot better. I'll have to start my TB meds again tomorrow, which sucks, but I have to get rid of the TB." Clay said with a shrug.

"A necessary evil. Were you writing?" Sonny asked, as he collapsed down onto his bed.

"No, I was video chatting with Yoder. He got released from the hospital this morning. I just wanted to check in."

"How is he?"

"Sore and exhausted, but he'll make a full recovery. All of the guys will. Team Seven is going to be a mess for the next six months until everyone is able to come back. Yoder said the guys would all be floating around between the Seal Teams until at least five of them are ready to return. Yoder has the least amount of injuries so he's only out for eight weeks."

"So he can be active once we return from tour. That's not too bad. Broken ribs are terrible, but could have been a lot worse. I'm glad he'll be ok, that everyone will be. How are you doing with all of this?"

Clay hadn't really talked much about what had been happening in the past couple of days. It seemed like he was in this foggy state about all of it.

"I don't know. I'm glad Yoder is ok, that it wasn't worse. Terrified the hell out of me, but it's not the first time and unfortunately it won't be the last. As for the soup issue, I don't know what to think or feel about it right now. It's gonna take some time." Clay answered honestly.

Sonny could understand where Clay was coming from. He hadn't really had much of a chance to process everything from the past few days. It was a lot to take in for anyone, but everything was piling on Clay recently and Sonny was really hoping he would catch a break soon. If anyone needed a break, it was Clay.

"We're waiting for more information before we can do anything, you wanna go and watch a movie with the guys?" Sonny offered.

"Ah… ya sure."

Clay didn't want to do much right now, but hanging out with the guys watching a movie sounded pretty good. It would also let him get up and move around a bit before he could catch some sleep without having to listen to a lecture from Trent about needing to move around. Clay and Sonny got up and headed down to the team lounge where they could relax and hang out with their brothers. Clay was really hoping the rest of tour was going to go smoothly and they could all go home healthy, safe and in one piece.

A/N: There we go, another chapter is completed. Review please, it is good for my soul! Also if you do not follow my other Seal Team Stories, make sure to check them out. I had recently added a new story called Broken Down Brother, it is the second book in my Brother Series that features Clay and lots of whumpage.