Senior Chief Petty Officer Jason Hayes was the leader of his Navy SEAL team. They had all been through hell and back together, but they had never experienced a loss like this before. They had recently lost one of their own members and it had hit them all hard. Jason felt like he had let his team down and it was all his fault. But he pushed that thought aside as he got out of his truck. He had brought Ayush along with him on their deployment, for his first time.
Jason got out of the truck, stretching his back as he looked around at their new home. It was a large compound in the middle of the desert and it would be home for the next several months. He walked around to the other side of the truck and opened up the door to reveal Ayush.
He was sitting in the seat with his eyes closed and a smile on his face. He looked like a happy child and it made Jason laugh.
"Alright kid, it's time to get out," he said softly as he reached in and patted Ayush on the head.
Ayush's eyes snapped open and he looked up at Jason with a smile, "oh, sorry chief. I was just resting my eyes."
Jason chuckled at that, shaking his head as he reached in and helped Ayush out of the truck.
As Ayush stretched his large frame, Jason couldn't help but notice how large he had gotten. He stood at an easy 6'5" and had a hulking frame that would scare any man. His black hair was messy and his brown eyes seemed to sparkle under the sunlight. And his smile was one of his most attractive features; it could charm any woman into doing what he wanted.
As they walked over to their new home, Jason couldn't help but think back to the first time he met Ayush. He was standing outside of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training, talking to one of the instructors. The instructor was telling him about the new recruits when Jason saw him. A large man was standing off to the side, looking out at the ocean with a smile on his face.
The man was easily 6 feet tall and had a large frame that would put any weightlifter to shame. His brown hair was messy, framing his handsome face perfectly. And his dark brown eyes sparkled with excitement as he stared out at the water.
"Who is he?" Jason asked as he gestured towards the man.
"That's Ayush," the instructor replied, looking back at the man, "he's a new recruit who just graduated from hell week with first honors. And he broke several records along the way."
Jason was shocked at that, "really? That's impressive. Do you think he could make it on my team?"
The instructor nodded his head in agreement, "I know he can."
And that's how Jason met Ayush for the first time. And now here he was, taking him on his first deployment as a Navy Seal.
Their mission was to capture a high-ranking ISIS leader and extract him back to the states for interrogation. They were to fly into the compound and apprehend him, and then fly back out without any casualties. It was an easy mission in theory, but in reality it was anything but easy.
As soon as they landed, they were ambushed. Several men popped up out of their hiding places and began shooting at them. The team quickly took cover and began returning fire.
Ayush stayed next to Jason as they began to make their way towards the compound. He had his assault rifle clutched tightly in his hands as he scanned the horizon for any signs of movement. He knew they wouldn't be so lucky to get past this without being ambushed again.
"Chief," he said softly, looking over at Jason.
"Yes?" Jason replied as he looked over at him.
"I think there's gonna be another ambush waiting for us," Ayush said softly, "should we come up with a plan?"
Jason looked at him with raised eyebrows, "do you have one?"
"Yes," Ayush replied.
"Then tell me."
"We could split up and flank them from the sides," Ayush explained, "that way we avoid running headfirst into another ambush."
Jason nodded his head as a smile spread across his face, "I like that. Let's do it."
And just like that, their new plan was born. They split up into two teams and began to flank the compound. They were met with more resistance as they entered the compound, but they were ready. They cut down anyone who dared to get in their way until they reached their target.
He was an older man with a long black beard. He looked up at them with anger in his eyes as Jason walked over to him.
"Come with us quietly or die," Jason said softly, as he placed his gun to the man's temple.
The man didn't hesitate as he stood up and began walking over to them. They led him back outside and threw him into the helicopter before jumping in behind him.
As they flew away, Jason patted Ayush on his shoulder.
"Good job out there today, kid," he said.
Ayush chuckled at that before smiling, "thank you, chief," he said.
"Welcome to the team," Jason said with a wink as he patted Ayush's shoulder again.
Ayush grinned at that before nodding his head. And just like that, he had become a Navy Seal. They flew back to their compound, landing in the desert to cheers from their fellow Seals. The mission was a complete success and Ayush had gotten the recognition he deserved.
As he stood in front of the cheering crowd, Ayush smiled softly. He had finally found what he had always been looking for. And nothing would ever take that away from him. Not even death.
It was several days after their last mission and the team was enjoying some downtime. Jason and his team were lounging in their common room, watching TV and relaxing.
Jason was lying down on one of the couches, snoring softly as he slept. Davis, also known as "Dav," was sitting next to him, staring at his phone with a concerned look on his face.
Raymond Perry and Sonny Quinn were playing a game of basketball in the corner of the room. They were laughing and joking around as they tried to beat each other.
And Clay Spenser was sitting at the table with a laptop in front of him. He was staring at it intently as he typed away. He was a young man with short brown hair and blue eyes. He had a strong jawline that made him look like a supermodel and it helped him get the ladies.
Ayush was standing off to the side of the room, looking through the window and out into the desert. He loved to watch the sunsets and so he was out there every day to see it.
His short black hair was messy from not brushing it that morning. And his dark brown eyes seemed to sparkle with excitement as he watched the sunset.
They were all enjoying their downtime when one of the officers burst into the room.
"Team Bravo, report to the briefing room," he said quickly before walking back out.
The team quickly got to their feet and began following the officer out of the room. They made their way down to the briefing room and took their seats at the table. They knew the drill and so they waited for the officer to start explaining their mission.
But instead of the officer starting, Jason stood up and took his place at the front of the room.
"Our mission is a nighttime insertion, in Afghanistan," he said, "our target is one of the leaders of ISIS and we have been given intel that he will be in this compound."
He pointed to a picture of the compound on the wall, "we will fly in via helicopter and extract the target. But there��s a twist."
He paused for a moment, making sure everyone was paying attention, "there's only one entrance in and out of the compound. So we will be flying in blind."
The men looked at each other nervously, knowing what that meant.
Jason continued on, ignoring their worries. He began explaining their roles and who would go where once they landed.
And as he did that, Ayush began thinking about his role in their mission. He was still the newest member of their team, but he was determined to prove himself.
He was assigned to be one of the first ones off the helicopter and so he made sure to get ready. They all piled into their helicopters and began flying over to the compound. The ride was bumpy and Ayush felt his stomach drop as the helicopter took off.
But as soon as they reached their destination, they were thrown out of the helicopter without warning. Ayush fell to the ground hard and rolled over onto his hands and knees. He looked around quickly before standing up and drawing his rifle. He looked at his watch before moving off towards the compound.
It didn't take long before they were ambushed by several men. Ayush took cover behind a wall as he began shooting back at them. He took down several men before moving off towards another wall for cover. He kept shooting at them until he was hit in his side. He fell to the ground as pain shot through his side and he began coughing up blood.
He looked around frantically as he began searching for the rest of the team. He quickly realized that he had been separated from them in the chaos. But he knew he had to keep going. They needed him.
And so he began crawling across the ground, using his arms to drag himself towards the compound. He could feel the pain in his side growing stronger and so he gritted his teeth as he kept going.
He reached the entrance of the compound and quickly took cover behind the wall. He peeked around the corner before popping back out behind the wall. He sighed as he realized there was a lot more men than he had anticipated. He was in trouble.
But that didn't stop him from pushing forward. He had to prove to himself that he was worthy of being on the team.
And so he quickly made a plan. He popped around the corner and began shooting. He took out several men before running out of ammo. He threw his rifle to the ground before pulling out his sidearm and continued shooting. He took out a few more men before running out of bullets. He threw his sidearm to the ground and looked around for something to use. He spotted a pipe on the ground and grabbed it quickly.
He charged at the remaining men, swinging the pipe at them. One man tried to swing at him with an axe, but Ayush dodged and swung the pipe at his legs. The man went down with a scream as Ayush continued moving forward. It only took a few seconds for him to take down the rest of the men, but it felt like forever.
As the last man fell to the ground, Ayush dropped the pipe and took cover behind the nearest wall. He looked back at the entrance of the compound, waiting for someone to come find him. But nobody came.
So instead, he began making his way inside of the compound. It wasn't long before he found their target, cowering in the corner of a room. He smiled softly as he walked up to him.
"Come quietly or die," he said softly before grabbing him and dragging him out of the building.
As they reached the entrance, Sonny suddenly popped up beside him and grabbed their target from him.
"I got him," Sonny said quickly as he began dragging their target towards the helicopter.
Ayush watched as several men began running out from inside of the building, shooting at Sonny. He quickly pulled out his knife and threw it at one of them. The knife lodged itself in his throat as he fell to the ground. Ayush quickly turned his attention towards the other men and threw his hands up in the air.
He used his hands as a shield, catching all of the bullets that were being shot at him. The pain was excruciating, but he pushed through it. He knew that if he died, then Sonny would too.
And so he continued standing there, shielding Sonny from the hail of bullets. Sonny quickly reached the helicopter and threw their target inside before turning back towards Ayush. He opened his mouth to yell at Ayush to run, but before he could, Ayush had already dropped his hands and began running towards the helicopter. He jumped inside and quickly shut the door behind him.
As the helicopter took off into the sky, Ayush collapsed onto the floor. He felt weak and tired, and the pain was getting worse. He looked over at Sonny and smiled softly before closing his eyes.
"Thanks," he heard Sonny say before he lost consciousness.
And as he flew away from the compound, Ayush knew that he had proven himself. He was officially a member of the team.
The helicopter landed safely back at their compound and the men piled out. Ayush was carried off the helicopter by Sonny and Dav, who had met them at the helipad. They carried him to their infirmary before laying him down on the table. Ayush opened his eyes and looked up at Sonny.
"You saved my life out there," Sonny said softly as he looked down at Ayush.
Ayush smiled softly before shrugging his shoulders, "you're my brother," he said softly.
Sonny nodded his head in agreement before turning to Dav. Dav began working on Ayush, fixing up his wounds. Ayush knew he had been hit in several places, but the worst wound was the one in his side.
Dav worked for hours on his wounds until finally, he was done. He covered up his wounds before looking over at him.
"You should be fine, but if you start bleeding again, tell me right away," Dav said softly before standing up.
Ayush nodded his head before closing his eyes. The pain was still there, but it had lessened some.
He heard the door open as someone walked in. He opened his eyes to see who it was and was surprised to see Jason walking over to him. Jason looked down at him with a soft expression on his face.
"Your bravery today earned you the respect of your fellow Seals," Jason said softly as he stood next to the bed, "and you saved Sonny's life."
He nodded his head before reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a set of dog tags and handed them over to Ayush.
"These are yours now," he said softly, "welcome to the team."
Ayush looked down at them in surprise before looking back up at Jason. He nodded his head in respect before looking back down at the tags in his hand.
"I won't let you down, chief," Ayush said softly as he clutched the tags in his fist.
Jason smiled softly before turning around and walking out of the room.
As Jason closed the door behind him, Ayush smiled softly to himself. He finally felt like he belonged somewhere. And no matter what happened, he would always be a Navy Seal.
They flew back to Virginia Beach, where they lived and trained. And as they walked back towards their quarters, Ayush was surprised when they were met by a crowd of people.
"Brother!" Clay yelled before running up to Ayush. Clay quickly hugged him before looking him over, making sure he wasn't hurt worse than he was.
But before they could say anything more, another person ran up to them.
"Ayush!" Lisa yelled as she ran up to him, "I heard about the mission!"
She looked over at Clay before smiling at him, "Clay."
Clay nodded his head before turning back to Ayush. Ayush nodded his head at her before looking at Clay.
"We need to talk," Clay said softly before looking at Lisa, "can you give us a minute?"
Lisa nodded her head before walking away from them.
Ayush looked over at him curiously, wondering what he wanted.
"We've been through hell and back," Clay began as he looked at Ayush, "and through it all, you have been there for me."
He paused for a second, making sure Ayush was listening.
"I don't know what I would do without you," he said softly as he looked at him, "you saved my life today. And I will never forget that."
He reached into his pocket before pulling out a dog tag. He handed it over to Ayush before looking down at him.
"Swim buddies for life," he said softly with a smile on his face.
Ayush nodded his head as he took the tag. He looked down at it for a second before looking up at Clay again.
"Always," he said softly, smiling back at him.
And as they hugged each other tightly, Ayush knew no matter what, he and Clay would always be brothers.
After they got done hugging each other, Clay turned around and walked off towards his room. Ayush watched him go before turning around and heading off towards his own room. He walked in and shut the door behind him before sitting down on his bed. He looked over towards his mirror before standing up and walking over to it.
He looked at the reflection staring back at him before reaching up and touching the bruise that was on his cheek.
"You're alive," he whispered to himself as he continued looking in the mirror.
He knew that he would never be able to leave his past behind him completely. But he also knew that he could use his experiences to help him in the present and future. He would use them to become stronger and smarter than ever before.
He smiled softly to himself before turning around and walking back over to his bed. He sat down on the edge of it and closed his eyes, remembering the past 24 hours.
He could remember the mission clearly. Every single second of it was ingrained into his memory.
He could remember feeling the pain of being stabbed and shot. He could remember crawling across the floor, trying to reach the compound. And he could remember fighting off all of the bad guys until he reached their target.
But what he remembered the most was Sonny coming up behind him and helping him. He remembered Sonny grabbing their target and beginning to drag him towards the helicopter. He remembered throwing his hands up as a shield to block the bullets from hitting Sonny. And he remembered falling to the ground after their helicopter took off.
He smiled softly as he opened his eyes. He knew that he owed his life to Sonny.
He stood up from the bed before walking over to the wall that was covered in pictures. He smiled softly as he began flipping through them. He stopped when he saw a picture of him and Sonny together.
"Brother," he whispered softly as he continued looking at the picture.
He was lost in thought when his phone began ringing. He looked down and saw that it was his pastor calling.
He quickly answered it, "hello, Pastor," he said softly.
He listened for several minutes while his pastor talked to him. They talked about everything that had happened to him over the past few weeks.
Finally, his pastor finished talking before asking, "are you alright?"
Ayush smiled softly before nodding his head, even though he knew his pastor couldn't see him.
"Yes," he answered softly, "I'm doing good."
He listened as his pastor asked a few more questions before finally saying goodbye. He hung up the phone before sitting back down on the bed.
He closed his eyes as he laid back onto the bed. He was exhausted, but he was also happy. He had finally found a place where he fit in and people who cared about him. And as he drifted off to sleep, he knew he would do anything to protect them all. He would stand between them and the enemy no matter what.