Condolence Compensation

Downtown Little Creek, VA - Near Chuck's Creamery

A light breeze cooled down the summer evening as Clay and Stella strolled down the sidewalk arm in arm. Happy Clay returned from deployment, Stella enjoyed their simple date tonight. A stop at her favorite ice cream shop and a double scoop of mint chocolate chip. She teased Clay about him getting plain chocolate topped with orange sherbet. The combination seemed odd to her.

Clay halted at the corner, scrunched up his face and hissed.

"What's wrong?" Stella's eyes surveyed him, searching for a non-existent injury … still jumpy from the few he suffered.

"Brain freeze," Clay groused.

Stella laughed.

"Hey, not funny." Clay peeked open one eye.

"Told you not to eat so fast," Stella replied with no sympathy, still grinning.

The pain ebbing, Clay's face relaxed, and he chuckled. "Been a long time since I had ice cream. Didn't want it to melt."

Stella kissed his cheek. Something about this man made her willing to put up with the life of an elite soldier who could be called away at any moment. She was learning to take pleasure in the simple things life offered, like a lazy stroll downtown with no other plans.

Her kiss was interrupted when a tiny ball of energy plowed into Clay as it rushed around the corner.

Clay peered down at the child who ran into his legs and now sat on the ground looking up at him with surprise.

"Sorry, Cami is excited about visiting Chuck's Creamery." Cami's mother said.

Crouching down, Clay grinned at the little girl, who appeared to be no more than four years old. "I like ice cream too. Just make sure you don't eat too fast … brain freezes are no fun." He helped her up as he stood.

"I like chocolate. Mommy says I can have fudge on top too," Cami said in a cheerful voice, her brown eyes alight with delight.

"You should try orange sherbet with the chocolate … yummy," Clay suggested.

"I love orange!" Turning to her mother her bright eyes begged. "Can I try, please?"

Smiling Cami's mom reached out her hand to her daughter. "Sounds interesting. Let's do it."

For several moments, Clay stood in place with a grin on his face as he watched Cami skip, hurrying her mom along to get her frozen treat.

Stella wrapped her arms around Clay's waist as she stood behind him. "You're a softy."

Their pleasant night erupted in chaos in the next moment. A ball of fire exploded from Chuck's Creamery sending glass, debris, and people flying. They stared in horror as Cami and her mother, who has just reached the shop were flung into the air and came crashing down on the sidewalk.

Heedless of the fragments of glass, brick, metal, and plastic raining down, Clay raced forward into the hectic scene as others ran from it. He knelt next to Cami his breath caught in his throat as he shielded her tiny body.

His action would not change the result. Lifeless eyes, which had only moments ago held such promise and joy stared up at him. His face screwed up in agony, and his eyes teared up … he would claim from the acrid smoke billowing out of the now destroyed creamery.

Clay had no idea how long he covered Cami, but when multiple pairs of hands pulled him up and away, he sat back on his heels and the scene finally came into focus. Firefighters, cops, and paramedics swarmed the area. Blankets covered several bodies. A sheet was being draped over Cami as sound returned.

"Sir, are you hurt?" a paramedic yelled in his face.

"Stella?" Clay frantically turned to his left.

"I'm here," Stella's quavering voice said to his right.

Clay turned to her and pulled Stella to him, his embrace bruising as he clung to her. "She is gone. She never …" He couldn't finish. There were so many nevers for Cami. Never got to try orange sherbet with chocolate. Would never grow up. She never stood a chance being so close to the blast.

Pulling back, difficult because Clay didn't want to let go, through tears Stella peered into his eyes. "I know. You need to let them look at you. You're bleeding."

"I'm okay." Clay scanned Stella, searching for injuries. "Are you hurt?"

"I was behind you. I'm fine. But you have a myriad of cuts on your face. Let them clean you up at least."

Clay stood and shook his head. He scanned around the blast zone. "This isn't supposed to happen here. This isn't a war zone. Children don't die in explosions here."

Stella waved off the medic as she said, "I'll take him home and clean him up."

They were stopped by an officer and asked if they witnessed the explosion. Neither one could provide much detail, only that it occurred. They didn't see anything or anyone out of the ordinary.

Dazed, they wandered back to Clay's apartment, and Stella cleaned all the cuts. Luckily, the visible ones were minor, nothing requiring stitches, and most not needing even a bandage, but the one to his soul, only visible through a pair of troubled blue portals, would require a different curative. They crawled into bed, held each other close, but neither slept much.

Next Morning – Base TOC

Being paged as he and Stella ate toast and drank coffee, was not what either one of them wanted. He watched the news that morning, and the explosion was being blamed on a gas leak. Something in his gut didn't believe that, but he had no proof otherwise.

As he approached the TOC, he wondered what they were being spun up for, but he wasn't looking forward to the questions about the contusions and cuts on his face. The image of Cami was too raw, and he didn't want to talk about it.

Placing his cell phone in the holder by the door, Clay steeled himself for their questions. Unsure how he would answer … if he would answer.

"Bout time you join us, princess," Sonny said as the door opened, knowing it would be Clay since everyone else was in the room. He sneezed three times, and when he glanced at Clay, he spotted his messed-up face. "Wow! Who'd you go ten rounds with, Cassius Clay?"

Clay assumed his seat, ignoring Sonny.

"Did Stella get mad at you?" Sonny pushed.

In no mood for joking, Clay kept silent, but everyone's eyes landed on him.

Jason studied Clay, noting the cuts, contusions and most notably the dark circles under his eyes. Something happened, but he could tell the kid was not in the talking mood. Once he found out about the mission, he would speak to him and ensure he was up for the op. He trusted Spenser to be truthful with him after the kidney infection debacle.

Mandy stood. "We can get started now. I assume you all have heard the news about the explosion at Chuck's Creamery last night. Fifteen dead, including seven children." She brought up stills of the scene, displaying them on huge monitors.

Everyone at the table and standing in the back nodded. A horrific accident, but they all wondered why Mandy broached the topic. They didn't have to wait long for an explanation.

Clicking the remote, video footage of four different explosion sites started to play. "We received this video about three this morning. The one on the right is the ice cream shop in Little Creek. The other three are a daycare in London, a busy family park in Paris, and a children's dance studio in Toronto."

Mandy started to continue when Jason bolted out of his chair. "Roll it back!"

"What?" Mandy turned a confused eye on Jason.

"The video of here. Rewind it." Jason strode to the front of the room as Ellis did as he asked. When it started playing, he waited then said, "Stop."

The entire team spotted what caught Jason's eye, and most everyone turned to peer at Clay.

"Well, fuck!" Sonny exclaimed staring at an image of Clay kneeling next to a deceased little girl.

Hayes captured Clay's gaze. "Did you know her? Are you alright?"

Clay sucked in a breath and out the corner of his eyes he spied Trent moving towards him. He preempted any molly-coddling. "I'm fine. Only superficial abrasions. And no, not really. Cami bumped into me at the corner only minutes before the blast. She was excited about getting ice cream, so she was running."

His voice dropped to a whisper, not realizing he was voicing his thoughts out loud. "Wish I chatted longer with her. She would still be alive."

The mood in the room plummeted. Cerberus moved from Brock to Clay and lay his head in Spenser's lap. Unconsciously, Clay started petting the canine, drawing a bit of comfort.

Eric took a deep breath. This mission just became personal for the team … never a good thing. He considered scrubbing Bravo and calling Charlie. Hayes wouldn't like that one damned bit, but he needed to make sure cool heads prevailed. He decided to wait a moment and not kick a hornet's nest just yet.

Mandy's heart tugged for Clay. She did possess one, though she rarely displayed it to the world. She cleared her throat to gain everyone's attention again. "As you probably guess, each of these attacks is focused on—"

"Attacks? The Creamery was a gas leak," Ray stated.

"Originally that was what was assumed. But this footage comes directly from a new splinter cell, whose name roughly translates to compensation. There is little known about the leader, but combined intel from the CIA, Canadian intelligence, and MI6 confirm that this cell is responsible for all four attacks.

"The good news is that we have a lead on the location where these videos originated. Apparently, they are not computer savvy and didn't mask their IP source."

"Or it could be a trap," Sonny offered. "Wouldn't be the first time some asshole tried to draw us in."

Mandy pursed her lips when Blackburn stepped in and said, "True, but considering these images came with a message indicating the Compensation cell plans more bombing, you have been greenlighted for a recon mission."

"Where are we going?" Jason asked.

"Chambagul, in northwestern Pakistan." Mandy flashed up a map on the monitor. The Taliban control the area. We will drop you in under cover of darkness, here," she pointed to a spot on the map. "The signal came somewhere within this radius."

Ray pulled a corresponding map to him and studied the area. "These mountains are known to be littered with caves used by various terror cells."

Mandy nodded. "Yes. This will not be easy. But if you can identify the source and grab a member of the new cell, I can interrogate them and hopefully prevent the death of more innocent children."

"Let's do it!" Sonny banged his fist on the table. His persona was a hard-assed SEAL, but he along with all of them had a soft spot for kids. Some asshole targeting areas specifically appealing to children pissed him off, and he needed to be found and if he had his way, hung up by his balls.

The team huddled around the maps to scope out their observation locations, and studied the little detail available on the caves in the area. Within thirty minutes they had a workable plan and moved to their cages to gear up.

Bravo Equipment Cages

Jason stopped outside Spenser's cage as the others were engaged in packing necessary weapons, scopes, and supplies. He worried about the kid after being witness to the senseless carnage. "Are you good to go?"

"Yeah," Clay didn't halt as he checked his sniper rifle.

"After watching Cami die? Remember the first rule of Bravo, don't lie to your team leader." Jason crossed his arms and waited.

After zipping up his case first, Clay pivoted to face his master chief. "Physically no issues. I want these bastards, as do the rest of you. I took Stella there last night because Ray said his daughter loves the place. If not Cami and the others it could've as easily been Ray's child, your children, … or even Stella. So yeah, this is personal but no more so than for everyone here."

Jason nodded. He noted the glint of conviction in Clay's eyes, and he made an excellent point. Alana took their kids to Chuck's more times than he could count. "You sleep at all last night?"

"No, but I will on the flight," Clay admitted.

"Okay." Jason nodded again and moved back to his cage to finish up.

Aircraft En Route to Bagram Air Base in Kabul

Clay moved toward Davis who appeared to be dozing in a seat at the back of the plane. He tried to follow through on his word to sleep but for the past three hours every time he closed his eyes, Cami's sweet face came to him.

He tapped her on the shoulder, and when her eyes cracked open, he grinned. "Sorry to wake you, but—"

"I got you covered." She reached into her front pocket and withdrew a pill. "Took longer than I expected for you to come asking for this." She handed over the sleeping aid.

Clay chuckled. "How'd you know I would?"

Lisa smirked. "If I told you I'd have to kill you. And I'm not interested in pissing off Jason … or Sonny … and most especially Cerberus."

The last name confused Clay until he felt a familiar furry head rub against his leg.

"He's quite protective of you."

Chuckling, Clay said, "We bonded over bullets."

Lisa laughed out loud, then covered her mouth at the glares from those around her she disturbed from their sleep. Although she laughed, there was truth in Clay's claim. Cerberus had protected him, taking one in the leg, and Clay returned the favor by covering Cerb with his body and taking bullets in his vest which would've ended the canine's days. "Go get some rest."

Clay popped the pill, and dry swallowed as he made his way to his hammock. He glanced back at Davis and almost offered her his swinging bed. With all she did for them she deserved someplace more comfortable to sleep on these flights too. He crawled in and stared at the ceiling waiting for the sleep-aid to kick in. Twenty minutes later he was snoozing.

Sonny stood from his seat and finally hung his bed. His concern for Clay ebbed. He would deny it with his dying breath, but taking Clay under his wing had been what he needed. Something about the kid he really liked … even if he was a cocky, little shit most the time. Spenser fit this team well, and he believed they gave Clay something he lacked … a family.

He chuckled as Cerb hopped up into Clay's hammock and settled his head on Clay's chest. The kid didn't stir, and the pup appeared as happy as a clam. He glanced back at Brock and saw him only shake his head at his dog's action.

Five Days Later
Overwatch Position of Compensation Cell House in Chambagul

Clay shifted in his position slightly. Tired, dirty, and frustrated he maintained his eye on the scope, scanning the house they determined the Compensation cell frequented. So far, in the past few days they had snagged five of members of the cell and sent them off to Ellis for interrogation, but they were no closer to finding the leader or understanding what the next targets would be.

"Hold still," Ray groused as Clay moved again. He's been real fidgety the last hour.

His voice coming out a little muffled due to his congestion and stuffy nose, Sonny joked, "He can't, he's got crabs in his pants."

"Don't you mean ants in his pants?" Brock corrected.

"Nah, crabs." Sonny chuckled then sneezed and wiped his runny nose on his sleeve since he didn't carry tissues. Stupid common cold … not gonna let this stop me from taking these assholes down. I've worked through worse.

Clay retorted, "Not crabs. Only to someone like you who chases every skirt he sees needs to worry about crabs."

"Cut the chatter," Jason admonished. "TOC, Bravo One. Are we greenlighted for an assault on the house?"

From the plane, which remained at Bagram Air Base, as close as they could be to the team, Eric responded, "No go yet."

"Cake eaters are fighting whose AO this is and who's decision it falls under," Davis groused, as frustrated as her boys waiting for permission to round up all ten men who had been seen entering the abode this morning.

Clay sat up. "I'll be back in a moment."

"Don't get lost … or we'll leave you here," Sonny teased.

Ray took over scanning as Clay went to relieve himself. Spenser had held his position for eight hours. The motions now made sense … the kid had to pee.

Moving down the slope and out of sight of the guys, Clay leaned on a tree and took a few deep breaths. He coughed as his chest tightened. I'm gonna be pissed if I caught Sonny's damned cold. After relieving himself, Clay slogged back up the hill. He knelt to resume his overwatch position, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Take a break. Eat. Rack out for a few hours," Trent said having overheard a cough. Bad enough Sonny is sneezing and hacking, now it appeared as if Clay caught the bug.

"I'm good."

"Do as Trent says," Jason ordered as he crawled up next to Ray. "My turn anyway."

Without further comment, Clay changed his location, making sure he was as far away from Sonny as possible, he stretched out on his back and put his arm behind his head. As Cerb laid next to him, he softly chuckled and spoke to the canine. "Brock's gonna be mad you're cheating on him."

Brock grinned. Cerberus liked all the team but took a special shine to the kid. It didn't bother him one bit his dog cuddled up to Spenser … at least he was aware of the kid's location.

When Spenser got separated from them in the caves the third day, they searched the catacombs for several hours. The twists and turns and false tunnels which ended in dead ends confused all of them. He hoped they didn't have to go into that fucking maze again.

Jason became so angry the kid got lost, Brock thought his boss would go into cardiac arrest. Luckily, Cerb led them to Spenser. Unluckily for Clay, Jason let loose a cannon barrage of words about paying attention to his surroundings.

In Clay's defense, Jason had ordered them to be silent, not knowing if they would encounter hostiles in those pitch black caves. The last man in the line, Clay's NOD's battery failed right before they reached a junction of five tunnels and the kid chose the wrong one because of the way sounds echoed off the rocks.

Jason had just settled into place when Blackburn's voice came over their comms. "Bravo One, TOC. Go for assault. Happy hunting."

The team all rose. They had planned their tactics already and each knew they part. They only hoped this would net the person they sought and they could prevent the loss of more innocent lives.

Compensation Cell House

The dark of night concealed their approach. Clay set the charge on the door as Jason, Ray, Sonny, Brock, and Trent waited. They all turned as they exploded C-4, then rushed in prepared to kill if necessary but preferring to take them alive for information.

They found six men sitting cross-legged around a hookah pipe. Heavy smoke clouded the room and the odor of cannabis hung in the air … all six stoned, peering up at them calmly. As Ray and Brock zip-tied hands behind each man, Sonny stood guard and the remainder moved to clear the rest of the house.

"Bravo One, TOC. You have four squirters running out the back," Davis informed them as she watched the feed from the drone overhead.

"Copy." Jason motioned to Clay and Trent to follow him. They ran after their targets towards the mountain.

"Bravo One, sending Bravo Three, we'll hold the rest here," Ray said and Sonny took off like a rocket, huffing a little harder than normal due to his chest congestion.

"TOC, Bravo Two. Six targets secured. Send in support They are all high as kites and calm."

"Three mics out," Davis replied.

Mountain Range

"Well, shit. They're fast and headed for the damned caves," Sonny breathed out as he caught up to the others as they moved up the mountain. "Are they fucking mountain climbers or track runners?"

"They know the area and are accustomed to the altitude," Clay said as he almost stepped in a crevice. He was not looking forward to going into the caverns again. Not claustrophobic, but he didn't like the cramped space and all the interconnecting channels which would allow someone who knew the layout to evade them.

A few minutes later, Jason halted them at a cave entrance. Davis had informed them their targets disappeared off the monitor at these coordinates. Jason debated with himself to go in after them.

"Boss, we can't let them go. They won't return to that house and if we don't go after them now, we might lose them altogether. If the leader is one of them, well, they can carry out their plans and more children will die. I can't live with that if I had an opportunity to stop it," Clay said, his eyes glinting with conviction.

The kid spoke Jason's thoughts out loud. "TOC, we're going in. Bravo Two after you hand off the targets, join us."

"Copy," sounded from Ray and Eric.

Caves

Clay took point as they entered. With fresh batteries in his NODs he wouldn't encounter the same issue again. The four moved deeper into the catacomb. Coming to a fork, Jason split up the group, he kept Clay with him as Trent and Sonny headed down the other path.

After five minutes of slow, silent searching, Clay halted and tapped his ear, indicating he heard voices. He pointed off to the left.

Jason nodded. They both crept forward, carefully placing their feet, hoping surprise would be on their side.

Coming to a bend in the tunnel, Clay peeked around the corner, before pulling back and nodding to Jason as he held up four fingers. He crouched to draw in the dirt indicating this appeared to be one of the dead ends which opened up into a larger area. He marked where he spotted each of the four.

In synch, they moved into the area as Clay spoke orders in Urdu which is the national language of Pakistan and understood by the majority of the population even if it isn't their first language. Both he and Jason were surprised when they complied, and more astonished when the men turned out to be women dressed as men.

Chameh Mamund said in English, "Don't shoot. We go peacefully," as she knelt and put her hands on her head.

Clay moved in to confine their hands as Jason covered him. He reached one of the women and as he grasped one hand, she whipped around and clawed at his face. Nails raked down his cheek and he wrestled the hellcat to the ground, zip-tying her hands behind her.

"You alright?" Jason asked.

Avoiding putting a hand up to check for damage, Clay answered, "Yeah." He bound the remaining three with no further incidents.

Sonny and Trent arrived a moment later, their path through the twisting caves bringing them to the same destination. Trent stepped forward and peered at Clay's face. In the green glow of night vision, he could only tell something was off.

"Just scratches," Clay answered the unasked question.

"Are we sure they are the four we are after?" Sonny peered at four women in men's clothing.

"Uncertain. We take them in any way and if they are not, they will be released," Jason said. "Let's find our way out of here."

They began to backtrack, but it became apparent they lost their direction when they ended up in a dead end. Jason focused on the woman who spoke. "Do you know the way out?"

"I wouldn't tell you even if I did. People can be lost in here for months only to be found dead. Usually eaten by a common leopard. The cats like these caves," Chameh sneered, her contempt for them showing.

Jason got in her face. "Well, you'll be the first one we feed to the cat if that happens."

"You are all so violent. You come into my country. You kill our children indiscriminately. You think condolence compensation is enough to right your wrongs. Five thousand U.S. dollars for the life of my girl. That is all my child was worth to you. Causalities of war I'm told. Cold cash is not fitting compensation for my little Cassandan," Chameh spit out with burning hatred in her eyes.

Clay pushed her up against the wall. "You! You are the one responsible for the bombings."

"Yes. And though you may have me. Others will carry out my plans. You will suffer commiserate losses. I will avenge Cassandan's murder by the coalition forces."

Clay clenched his hands making tight fists. He never thought he could strike a woman unless she was attempting to kill him, but he wanted to smash his fist into cheekbone … shatter and bloody it as Cami's had been by the explosion.

"Whoa, little buddy, we need to take her for interrogation. Need her alive." Sonny pulled Clay back. Not that he didn't feel the same way, but beating a restrained prisoner was a surefire way to be disciplined and possibly ending a career. A little roughing up could be explained, but the cold fury he perceived in Clay would result in way more than that.

"Take point," Jason ordered Clay, his thoughts running along the same lines as Sonny's.

Moving out, trying to figure a way out of the fucking caves, Clay fought the cyclone in his head as images of little Cami's face mixed with dollar signs. Condolence Compensation … ah hell! A mother enraged is a dangerous beast.

His mind a bit too preoccupied with the cause, the reason behind this woman's vendetta, he failed to pick up movement to the right and slightly above him. The demon hiss and snarl his only warning before one hundred and fifty pounds of solid muscle slammed into him, knocking him to the ground.

Sharp claws ripped into his upper back near his neck, a place not protected by body armor, and the front of his vest. Luckily, his armor prevented those claws from penetrating to his chest but shredded the material. The hind claws dug into his legs pinning Clay in the dirt.

Clay brought up his arms to shield his face as the aggressive wild cat attempted to bite him. He screamed as both three-inch-long, dagger teeth sank into his left forearm and powerfully clamped down.

Three shots rang out in unison as Trent, Sonny, and Jason all hit the leopard. The big cat dropped dead onto the kid's body with Clay's arm still lodged in its jaw.

Panting, in pain, Clay ground out, "Get it off."

As Trent and Jason rushed to help, Chameh's laughter filled the cramped tunnel. Sonny's fist flew, striking the crazy woman, knocking her out with one blow. Her body collapsed to the ground and he glared at the others daring them to do the same thing. He would claim he was detaining them as while his teammates dealt with a life or death situation. The other women all shrank back not willing to suffer the same consequence.

Jason pried the jaw open as Trent shrugged off his pack and unzipped it to grab a pressure bandage. With his uninjured hand, Clay pushed ineffectually trying to get the cat off him. The weight on his chest made it difficult to breathe.

Once he released Clay's arm from the dead cat's mouth, Jason dragged it off. He inhaled raggedly as he crouched next Clay. He hadn't believed the conniving woman about cats lurking in the caves, but when the damned thing attacked the kid, he nearly choked on his own spit. "What can I do?"

"Grab another bandage. His neck is bleeding like a stuck pig. The claw marks are damned close to the carotid artery. Don't know if it nicked it." Trent worked fast to wrap Clay's forearm, worried about which veins, arteries, and muscles might be damaged.

Taking in a shaky breath Clay's focus landed on the cat's bloody canines. He came damned close to being a meal. Though a little smaller than him, the carnivore easily overpowered him. He groaned and clenched his teeth as Trent and Jason applied pressure.

"We need to evac him. I also need a sample of the cat's brain tissue," Trent said.

"I'll do it, but why?" Sonny pulled out his knife and flipped his rifle around to use the butt to crack open the cranium.

"Rule out rabies. Not that I see any outward signs, but if we can test for it, he won't require the full series of shots." After tying off the gauze on the arm, Trent moved to Clay's legs.

Deep cuts in one thigh and his calf needed tending. The kid was a bloody mess and the attack only lasted seconds, though it took years off Trent's life when the massive cat leapt on Clay.

"Damn, with my luck, it will be rabid." He sneezed several times then coughed.

"You allergic to cats?" Sonny asked as he cut into the crushed skull to dig out brain matter.

"No. Caught your damned chest cold," Clay wheezed and coughed a couple more times, which resulted in Jason holding him down.

"Don't move," Jason commanded, before addressing Trent. "Don't think the carotid is hit. The bleeding is slowing."

"Good." Trent continued to apply a field dressing to Clay's calf.

"I need something to put this in." Sonny held up his blade with a chunk of the brain on the end.

A bark alerted them to Cerberus who was followed by Brock and Ray. Cerberus approached the dead leopard and let out a guttural growl not liking the odor.

"What the hell?" Brock's eyes widened in disbelief at the scene before him. They tried to raise the others via comms, but in the caves, they evidently didn't work. So, he let Cerb do the work for them and his pup led them right to the others.

Sonny glanced up at Brock. "Give me a bag or something. Clay decided to play with the kitty and said cat wanted to eat him instead."

Pulling out a baggie of candy, dried fruits, and nuts, Brock picked out the last two cinnamon lozenges and put them in his pocket. Then he dumped remnants of the cashews, cranberries, currants, and cherries in the dirt and handed the plastic to Sonny. "What's that?"

"A souvenir," Sonny quipped and slipped the brain matter in and sealed the bag.

After wrapping the leg wounds, Trent asked, "Think you can walk?"

Clay nodded. "Yeah, just need a hand up."

Ray moved forward to help Jason and Trent stand the kid up. Once he was on his feet, Jason maintained pressure on Clay's neck and upper back wounds while Trent ensured Spenser wouldn't face plant when he wobbled a bit.

A little woozy, Clay managed to remain upright. Though he hurt like hell, he wanted to walk out under his own power. He clenched his jaw and suppressed another groan when Trent and Jason swapped places and Trent applied more compression to his neck.

"What happened to the woman?" Ray asked peering down at the unconscious female.

"She fainted," Jason stated as he eyed Sonny, then said, "You carry her."

Sonny groused as he roughly lifted and tossed her over his shoulder, wishing he could drag her by her hair. The coldhearted bitch killed innocent children for some screwed up revenge plan. He would've shown compassion and possibly sympathized if she went after who killed her child, but she chose to go after blameless kids.

Brock took point with Cerb leading the way out, his eyes now scanning up as well as in front as the group started to move out. Ray assumed guarding their captives, so Trent could manage Clay, Sonny carried the one who collapsed, and Jason brought up the rear.

Kabul – Craig Joint Theater Hospital - Clay's Room

Clay lay in a comfy bed staring at the ceiling tiles his mind roaming over the last six hours. Currently, in no pain, the doctor insisting on giving him a strong dose of pain meds, he could finally relax his aching muscles.

The flight in the helo had been hell. Clay's calf cramped so bad he wanted Trent to cut off his leg. The throbbing and stringing of his wounds were relentless, but he didn't want to take morphine so Trent gave him a couple of capsules of some painkiller. They didn't touch his pain, but he kept that to himself.

He became nauseous mid-way back, and tossed his cookies, barely making it to the edge of the copter's cabin to puke outside. If he hadn't, it would've added to everyone's misery if they had to deal with the odor the remainder of the trip.

But that didn't stop Sonny from harassing him and complaining 'don't want to travel with the kid … he gets carsick.' He understood where the good-natured razzing came from now, but he almost wished he had upchucked on Sonny to shut him up.

Nah, that would've made it ten times worse. But he did retort that his ralphing was due to the cold Sonny gave him and not his wounds. Not sure if that was true or not he had gone with it anyway and the guys began giving Sonny crap for coming on a mission while contagious since both Ray and Brock started sneezing during their flight.

Once they landed at Bagram Air Base, he was whisked off to the hospital. Poked, prodded, cleaned, stitched up, and scanned the doctor pronounced he would be fine given a few weeks to rest. No permanent damage.

The location of the bite had been one concern. The cephalic vein had been punctured and with it near the radial nerve they believed it might be damaged. Luckily, that was not the case. Although they had to repair his extensor carpi radialis brevis muscle in his forearm. They braced his wrist to prevent movement while the muscle healed.

Clay glanced at the IV providing fluids and intravenous antibiotics. He would be here until the course finished, then he could fly home with the rest of them … if the congestion in his chest cleared. Damned cold Sonny gave me. He was mid-cough when his door pushed open.

Jason entered and pulled a chair to the bedside. "How are you doing?"

"Alright. Wish I could leave with you guys today."

"Well, we won't be going anywhere. Sonny's cold developed into a full-fledged chest infection and Brock and Ray are heading in that direction. The doc put them all on antibiotics. So we will be here until you are released. And even if that had not happened, I told you I have your back. We are a team and we stick together."

"Get sick together too," Clay chuckled, causing another round of coughing.

Jason leaned back and grinned. "Yeah, that too … though I'm hoping that bypasses me."

"It will. Cold germs wouldn't dare attack Master Chief Hayes." Clay smiled.

"Damn right."

"Any news from Mandy? Did anyone give up the locations?"

Nodding Jason said, "The cuckoo one who scratched your face ended up confessing everything. Names, places … all we needed to know to send teams out to round them up before they strike again."

"What about the woman who started all of this? Who is she?"

"Her name is Chameh Mamund. Her daughter was killed in cross-fire about three years ago. Who caused the little girl's death, the soldiers or the jihadists, was inconclusive but Chameh was given a standard condolence compensation anyway.

"She joined a terrorist cell to learn how they operate and then gathered like-minded people to her cause. They found her in her prison cell dead about an hour ago. Apparently, she concealed a cyanide capsule sewn in the hem of her pants."

Jason stood when his noted Clay's eyes beginning to droop. "I'll let you get some rest. I need to check in with Blackburn. I'll check on you later. Davis and Trent are on their way."

"Why is Davis coming?" Clay pulled the covers over the stupid hospital gown wishing he had sweatpants on.

Holding back on his chuckle, Jason walked to the door. "She worked some magic to get the rabies test run and wants to share the results with you."

"Do you know?"

Jason shook his head. "I'll be back soon. Rest."

Clay shut his eyes after Jason exited. He had one hell of a week and all he wanted to do was go home to Stella and tell her he helped get the callous psycho responsible for Cami's death and the woman would never hurt another child.

Lisa peeked in and noted Clay's closed eyelids. She knocked softly not wanting to wake him, but her efforts were moot when Trent pushed open the door and spoke loudly, "Time to celebrate … got fantastic news, kid."

His eyes popping open, Clay noted both Trent and Lisa. "Yeah, what?"

Lisa smiled. "Negative for rabies. No additional shots."

"Thanks, Davis."

Instead of responding to the appreciation, Lisa lifted a bag and set it on Clay's lap. "Brought you these too."

Clay chuckled as he peered at a pair of leopard-spotted pajama pants. "No way in hell I'm wearing those. Rather stay in this gown."

"Told you he wouldn't want those," Sonny said as he entered. He tossed a pair of gray sweatpants and a t-shirt from Clay's go bag on the bed. "Least I can do is bring you something to wear so your ass don't hang out the back of that gown." He started coughing and Trent told him to sit down before he fell down.

Soon Ray and Brock joined everyone in his room along with Cerberus who had been snuck in on the bottom of a gurney hidden by a sheet. Leaving the unneeded gurney outside the room, they all found places to relax and began shooting the breeze.

Jason returned fifteen minutes later with news the team would all fly home tomorrow on a commercial flight. Their first-class tickets arranged courtesy of thankful coalition forces for putting an end to Chameh's reign of terror on children.

As Mandy approached Clay's room, she heard familiar laughter and it warmed her heart. These men wheedled their way in and although she wanted to keep a professional distance, they continually drew her in. Their efforts in shutting down the Compensation cell, and stopping twenty planned attacks, saved an untold number of innocents.

Standing at the entry Mandy said, "Is this a private celebration or can anyone join?"

Jason waved her in and spied a huge bag in her hand. "What do you have there?"

Mandy smiled. "Chicken soup. They say it is good for the soul and for preventing and curing colds too. Brought enough for everyone."

Several minutes later, everyone enjoying the soup, Clay glanced around as he lifted his spoon. Yeah, chicken noodle soup will help with my cold, but Bravo team, Ellis, Davis, and Blackburn are the curative I needed to put sweet little Cami's soul to rest.

.

AN: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Always happy to hear what you think of the story and appreciate the few moments you take to post a review.

Time to send me suggestions for letters D and E. Thanks for all the awesome input for C. Word suggestions used in this one are ...

- cabin from kenyancougar
- cage from Shellymae88, NetMyne01, Poolie
- calm from Victoria-Annxx
- camera from Elise Deschat
- Canada from Elise Deschat
- candy from Jessiness5134
- canine from kenyancougar
- cannabis from kenyancougar
- canons from Jessiness5134
- capsule from Elise Deschat
- captive/capture/captivity from AeroWright, IndyElora, NetMyne01, Poolie, Lunary
- cardiac arrest from badgerbabe, Juniper
- carotid from Elise Deschat
- carsick from Crazykids121
- cat from Megan Rachel, Victoria-Annxx, Elise Deschat
- caves from NetMyne01
- cell (phone/prison/terrorist) from kenyancougar, Guest
- Cerberus from kenyancougar, Elise Deschat
- cheek from Victoria-Annxx
- chest cold/infection from Guest
- chest from Juniper
- child/children from Elise Deschat
- choked/choking from Guest, NetMyne01, Poolie
- claws from Megan Rachel
- climbing from Poolie
- cold from Jessiness5134, Shellymae88, Poolie
- collapse/collapsed from Princess Of The Kingdom, NetMyne01, Poolie
- comfort from Guest
- common cold from NetMyne01
- compassion from Guest
- confusion from badgerbabe, Crazykids121
- congestion from Jessiness5134
- contagious from NetMyne01
- contusions from kenyancougar, Elise Deschat, Crazykids121
- conviction from Jessiness5134
- cough from NetMyne01, Poolie
- cramp from Shellymae88
- cranberries from Elise Deschat
- cranium from Victoria-Annxx, kenyancougar
- crap from NetMyne01
- crazy from Shellymae88
- crying from badgerbabe, Princess Of The Kingdom, Elise Deschat
- cuckoo from kenyancougar
- cuddles from Victoria-Annxx
- curative from Elise Deschat
- current (fruit) from Elise Deschat
- cuts from badgerbabe, IndyElora, Jessiness5134, NetMyne01, Elise Deschat, Lunary
- cyclone from Elise Deschat