A week later, the team was once again called up for a mission. This time it would be in Afghanistan. They were being sent in to rescue an American soldier that had been captured by the Taliban.
Ayush sat on the helicopter with the rest of his team as they flew towards the compound where the soldier was being kept.
"What are the rules of engagement?" Jason asked as he looked over at Lisa, who was standing next to him.
"They are minimal," she answered as she looked back at him, "we need to get in and out as quickly and quietly as we can."
Jason nodded his head in understanding before turning back and looking at his team. Ayush caught his eye and nodded his head.
The plan was to get in through a sewer tunnel under the compound and then get the soldier out the same way.
They jumped out of the helicopter and quickly got into formation behind Jason. They moved stealthy through the trees and brush towards the entrance to the sewer tunnel. Jason stopped them when they got there and looked over at Davis.
"Can you open it?" he asked softly as he nodded his head towards the heavy metal door.
Davis nodded his head before quickly picking the lock. The door swung open and they all looked in, seeing the dark sewer tunnel before them.
Jason nodded his head and began moving in first. The rest of the team followed behind him as they made their way deeper into the tunnel. They could hear rats and water flowing past them as they moved further into the tunnel.
Finally, after several minutes of walking through the tunnel, they came to a grate that would lead them into the compound. Jason quickly picked the lock and opened the grate up. They began climbing up through it and into the courtyard of the compound.
Once they were all up, they looked over towards Jason for direction. He motioned for them to follow him towards one of the buildings on the side of the courtyard. He had been told that was where they would find the soldier they were sent to rescue.
They moved quietly across the courtyard towards the building. The front door was slightly open so Jason slowly pushed it open before moving in. The rest of the team moved in behind him, moving to cover him.
They began moving down a hallway towards a staircase that would lead them up to the second floor.
They all froze when they heard voices coming from above them on the stairs. Ayush looked over at Jason with a question in his eyes about what to do.
He nodded his head and motioned for Ayush to move up the stairs. He wanted him to take out whoever was coming down the stairs.
Ayush quickly moved towards the staircase, pulling out his knife as he did so. He looked around the corner, seeing several bad guys coming down the stairs. He didn't hesitate before moving up the stairs, attacking the first bad guy. The other bad guys were shocked as Ayush took out the first guy quickly. They tried to shoot at him but he was too fast and dodged their bullets. He quickly took out the remaining bad guys on the staircase before looking back at Jason.
Jason nodded his head at him before moving past him up the stairs.
He led the rest of the team up to a room where they found the captured soldier. He was chained up to a wall and was badly beaten. Ayush immediately ran over to him and began picking his lock. After several minutes, he finally got it open and helped the soldier up from the wall.
The soldier looked at him with a mix of shock and respect in his eyes before nodding his head at him. Ayush returned the nod and began helping the soldier walk towards the door.
The team got out of the compound without any problems and made it back to their helicopter. They were all relieved to be going home without having gotten into a firefight. And even more relieved to have gotten the soldier out safely.
The flight back went by quickly and Ayush found himself sleeping part of the time. He woke up when the pilot told them they were going to start descending. He sat up and stretched out his arms before looking over at Clay, who was sitting next to him on the plane. He gave him a small smile before looking forward again.
But just as they were starting their descent, everything went black.
Ayush slowly came to, groaning as he felt pain radiating through his body. He tried to move but found that he was pinned down. He struggled against whatever was holding him down before looking up.
His eyes widened in surprise as he saw the wreckage of their helicopter on top of him. But it wasn't just a wreck, it was on fire and was burning him. He tried harder to get out from under it before he felt someone pulling on him from above.
He finally broke free and fell onto the ground next to someone. He looked over and saw that it was Davis. But he had a gash across his forehead and was bleeding badly.
"Ayush," Davis whispered as he looked at him.
"I'm here, Dav," Ayush said as he looked back at him.
He immediately began looking over Davis's wounds and trying to figure out the best way to help him. But just then they heard a loud bang from the other side of the wreckage.
Ayush looked up and saw several men running towards them with guns. His eyes widened as he realized they were surrounded.
"Davis," he said, shaking him slightly.
But Davis was unconscious and couldn't answer him. He looked up again as the men got closer, seeing that they were Taliban soldiers. Ayush didn't hesitate before pulling out his gun and standing up. He began firing at the soldiers before they could get closer and shot more of them.
He saw more coming from other directions and knew that there was no way that he could get them all out. He was going to have to take some of them down by hand. He pulled out his knife and prepared himself to fight off the soldiers that were coming his way.
He could feel his adrenaline pumping through him and he knew he would be able to take down anyone that got in front of him.
Several minutes later, Ayush stood panting, looking down at the dead bodies surrounding him. There had to have been over 200 soldiers in total. He looked down at Davis, who was still unconscious. He knew they needed to get out of there as quickly as possible. He looked at the wreckage behind them, seeing that it was still on fire. They needed to move before it blew up. He scooped up Davis and threw him over his shoulder before beginning to move in a direction he hoped would lead them back to the base.
As he moved away from the wreckage, he began to feel a sharp pain in his chest. He looked down and saw that he had been hit in the chest multiple times. He continued moving, knowing they needed to get far away from the wreck. But just as he thought he was getting close enough, he heard another bang. He felt a sharp pain in both of his legs and fell to the ground, dropping Davis. He rolled over onto his back, seeing several soldiers coming towards him. He began firing at them with his gun but knew that he didn't have much ammo left.
He waited until the last minute before switching to his knife and preparing to fight hand-to-hand. The soldiers were shocked when they saw Ayush stand up despite being riddled with bullet wounds. Ayush attacked them without hesitation, using his knife to take them out quickly. He managed to take out about 20 of them before he was surrounded. He knew he was going to die. He took a deep breath and prepared to meet his maker.
But then he heard gunfire from behind him. He turned around, seeing his teammates moving towards him. Jason was at the front of the group, firing at anyone who got near. The others quickly moved past Ayush and got Davis on a stretcher that they had brought with them. Ayush tried to get up and move over to help them but fell back down on the ground, pain radiating through his entire body.
Jason saw him and immediately went over to him. "Ayush," he said, kneeling down next to him.
"I'm good," Ayush muttered as he looked up at Jason.
He saw Jason nod his head before looking over towards Davis, who was being carried away by Clay and Sonny.
"You're not good," Jason said as he shook his head back at Ayush. He reached over and gently picked up Ayush's head and shoulder, helping him sit up so that he could see Davis being carried away.
"I'm okay," Ayush said again, trying to reassure Jason.
But Jason ignored him and continued helping him sit up. The two of them watched as the team got further away and then turned towards them. They stood up and began moving towards the team, using each other for support.
The helicopter came into view and Ayush felt relief wash through him. They were going home.
The helicopter landed several minutes later and they quickly loaded Davis into it. Ayush slowly climbed in after Davis as Clay and Sonny helped him. They immediately took off as Jason got in and began doing a quick assessment of their injuries. He went to Ayush first, seeing how bad the bullet wounds in his chest and legs were.
"Ayush, I need you to stay awake for me," Jason said, trying to keep him calm.
But Ayush lost consciousness.
Several minutes later they got back to the base. Ayush and Davis were immediately rushed off to the hospital on the base.
Jason ran after them, making sure that they got to the hospital okay. When they got into the emergency room, several nurses and doctors rushed over to take Davis off of the stretcher.
"Hey, we need your help," a nurse said as she motioned to Ayush.
Jason immediately ran over to Ayush and helped several nurses move him onto another stretcher. They quickly began moving him towards an operating room. Jason immediately fell in step next to them, not letting them go into the operating room alone.
The nurse at the head of the stretcher looked over at him and saw the determination on his face. "Okay," she said with a nod before turning back towards the operating room.
A surgeon quickly came over and began talking to Jason as they got into the operating room. "How long has he been bleeding?" he asked, looking at Ayush's wounds.
"I don't know," Jason answered honestly. "We were in a fire fight for about 10 minutes but he took some bullets early on in it."
The surgeon nodded his head. "And when did you get him out of there?"
"We had to leave him for about 30 minutes until we were able to go back and get him," Jason explained.
The surgeon nodded his head again as he began looking over Ayush's body more closely. He quickly saw that Ayush had been shot multiple times in the chest and legs. The surgeon began to work quickly, trying to get as much blood into Ayush as possible before he started losing even more from his leg wounds.
After 30 minutes, they finally got all of the bullets out of Ayush's body and got him stitched up. But Ayush was still bleeding badly from his chest wounds. They gave up more blood and waited for a couple of minutes before seeing if it would be enough to help Ayush's body start clotting and healing on its own.
After another 30 minutes, Ayush's body began showing signs of clotting. They breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he was going to be okay.
He was rushed to recovery with Davis already there recovering after surgery. Both were in ICU for recovery.
Jason was pacing in front of their beds in ICU when Davis's wife came into the room, crying as she looked at her husband unconscious in bed.
"What's going on?" she asked Jason as she made her way over to Davis' bed.
"We were ambushed and the helicopter was hit," Jason explained. "He was shot in the head and we thought he was dead. But he came to when we got back to him."
He looked over at Ayush. "He took some bullets to the chest and legs."
"Is he..." she trailed off as she looked at Ayush.
"He's alive," Jason said reassuring her.
She nodded her head. "Good," she said.
Jason looked down at his watch. "I need to call his next of kin," he said.
Davis' wife looked over at Ayush in surprise. "Who is it?" she asked.
"His pastor," Jason said with a sigh.
He took out his phone and dialed the number he had written down after Ayush's BUD/S training graduation.
The line rang several times before a man picked up. "Hello," he said with a smile in his voice.
"Pastor James?" Jason asked, hoping he was the right one.
"Yes," the man answered.
"This is Jason Hayes with Team 1," Jason said.
"What happened?" Pastor James asked, hearing something in Jason's voice.
"Ayush was hurt on the mission tonight," Jason said bluntly.
"How badly?" Pastor James asked in alarm.
"He took several bullets to the chest and leg," Jason said. "But he's alive."
"That's good," Pastor James said with relief. "Where is he?"
"He's in ICU at our base in Afghanistan," Jason told him.
"Okay, I'll be there soon," Pastor James said before hanging up.
Jason looked over at Davis' wife and saw that she was watching him.
"What?" he asked her.
"Who is this guy?" she asked. "I've never heard of a pastor being someone's next of kin."
She looked over at Ayush, still unconscious in the bed.
Jason looked over as well. "I don't know," he said honestly. "But I'm going to find out when he gets here."
Twenty minutes later, Pastor James walked into the room and immediately ran over to Ayush' bed.
"Ayush?" he said as he reached out and took one of Ayush' hands in his. He looked down at all of the wires and tubes that were attached to his body and winced slightly.
"How is he?" Pastor James asked as he turned towards Jason.
"He's been shot several times in the chest and leg," Jason told him. "But he should be okay." He saw the way that Pastor James was looking at him and knew he needed to say more. "We were ambushed tonight while coming back to our base in the helicopter. Davis was shot in the head but he's alive as well. We had to leave Ayush on the ground for about 30 minutes while we regrouped and got our bearings. Then we went back and got him. He'd taken even more bullets but we got him back to here quickly."
Jason sighed heavily as he remembered the night. He couldn't believe that they had been ambushed like that. It didn't happen often.
Pastor James was quiet for a few minutes before speaking up.
"Ayush is an orphan," he said finally. "I found him on the streets in Brooklyn when he was 5 years old. He was cold and hungry and didn't have any parents around. I took him in and raised him."
Jason looked at Pastor James in surprise. He hadn't expected that.
"He grew up with God as his best friend," Pastor James continued. "I sent him to school every day and worked several jobs so that I could provide for him. When he was 15, he started working odd jobs around the neighborhood to earn a little money on the side. But when he turned 18, he told me he wanted to join the military. He said he wanted to protect other people from suffering what he suffered as a child."
Pastor James smiled as he thought of Ayush at that age.
"He was so determined to join the military that I couldn't say no," Pastor James added with a sigh. "I helped him get a passport and ID card and he joined the navy. A year later, he was accepted into BUD/S training. He told me that he was going to become a SEAL."
Jason looked at him, still in shock. He had never met anyone that was an orphan and joined the military.
"A year later, I saw him again after he graduated from BUD/S," Pastor James continued.
"He was so different," Pastor James said sadly. "He had turned into a man overnight. His entire demeanor had changed. He wasn't the same innocent boy who I had known for 13 years."
Pastor James looked down at Ayush with tears in his eyes.
"I never heard from him again," Pastor James said. "Until he told me to call him if I ever needed anything. He gave me his number and that was the last time we spoke."
Jason saw Davis's wife get up off of her chair and walk out of the room, probably to give Pastor James privacy.
"He's still that same boy I found on the streets," Pastor James said softly. "I can see it in his eyes. He's still trying to prove himself."
He looked up at Jason. "Why do you think he's trying so hard to prove himself?" he asked.
Jason sighed as he thought about the question. He didn't know if he could answer that.
"I think he feels like he has something to prove," Jason said slowly. "To you, to his fellow SEALs, and to himself."
Pastor James nodded his head, agreeing. "You're right," he said. "He has to prove that he can take care of himself and others. He has to prove to you all that he's worthy of being a SEAL." He paused before continuing. "And to me, he has to prove that I'm not wasting my time with him."
Jason nodded his head, understanding now.
Several minutes later, the nurse came into the room and told them that Ayush was awake. Pastor James quickly let go of Ayush's hand and stepped back so that Jason could move forward.
Jason smiled as Ayush opened his eyes and blinked as his eyes focused. He saw Pastor James standing behind Jason and smiled weakly.
"Hey," Ayush croaked weakly.
"I thought I lost you," Jason said, smiling as he took one of Ayush's hands in his.
Ayush smiled back before looking at Pastor James.
"Why are you here?" Ayush asked weakly.
"We were ambushed," Jason explained. "I called you because they thought you were dead."
Ayush nodded his head, remembering everything clearly now. "Yeah," he said before closing his eyes again.
"Are you okay?" Pastor James asked, worried.
"I'm fine," Ayush said weakly. "Just tired."
Jason nodded his head at Pastor James before letting go of Ayush's hands and stepping back so Pastor James could be close to him.
"I'll go get something to eat," Jason said before walking out of the room.
When he got back with food for everyone in the room, including Davis's wife who had come back, Pastor James was sitting in a chair by Ayush's bed with his head leaned back and eyes closed.
Davis's wife went over to her husband's bed and sat down. She took his hand in hers and leaned forward, gently kissing him on the lips.
Jason sat down in one of the chairs against the wall and began eating.
A few hours later, they were all shocked awake by someone coming into the room. It was the president of the United States and several members of Congress. Jason felt his mouth drop open in shock at who they were.
The president walked over to the bed where Ayush was and looked at him sadly.
"I heard you took several bullets for your fellow SEALs," the president said with pride. "That you fought off 500 men with only a handgun and several grenades."
Ayush blinked in surprise and looked away. He hadn't realized that many people had been there.
"Ayush, you are one of our nations bravest sons," the president continued. "You've done something that most people can't do. And you're still alive."
The president looked at Jason and the other people in the room before continuing.
"For your bravery and selfless actions, you are hereby awarded the Medal of Honor," the president announced with a smile.
The president nodded his head before looking at Pastor James and raising an eyebrow. "And you are?" the president asked.
"My name is James," Pastor James said, standing up and shaking the president's hand. "I'm Ayush' pastor."
The president smiled. "What does that mean?" he asked curiously.
"I found him on the street in Brooklyn when he was a child," Pastor James said proudly. "I raised him."
The president blinked in surprise, hearing that. "I see," he said slowly before turning to leave.
The other members of Congress nodded their heads before leaving as well.
"Mr. President, thank you for calling me," the anchor of the news station said quickly as he adjusted his headphones and papers on his desk.
The president laughed. "You can call me Barack," he said with a chuckle.
The news anchor smiled. "Okay, Barack."
Barack Obama smiled as well. "So, what would you like to talk about?"
"Recently you awarded Ayush the Medal of Honor," The news anchor said. "Can you tell us a little about him?"
Barack nodded his head. "Yes, I can," he said.
"Thank you," the news anchor said.
"So, Ayush," the president started. "I hear he was an orphan that was raised by a pastor in Brooklyn."
The news anchor nodded his head.
"That's right," Barack said with a nod. "I heard the story from Pastor James, who is the one who found Ayush on the streets and raised him. He told me how Ayush came into BUD/S and became a SEAL. Then he was assigned to Bravo team and completed a mission where he was shot several times."
The news anchor looked over at one of the camera operators and saw that they were recording all of it. The camera operator gave him a thumbs up and the news anchor continued.
"I hear he's recovering well," the news anchor added.
The president nodded his head. "He is," he said. He knew that Ayush had been released from the hospital that morning and was resting in his room in the barracks with the other members of Bravo team.
"Do you know why he joined the military?" the news anchor asked curiously. He'd heard so much about Ayush already but had never heard why he had joined the military in the first place.
Barack nodded his head again. "I was told that he wanted to protect people from suffering through things that he suffered through as a child," Barack said. "That he wanted to help others."
The news anchor sighed, hearing that. He hated that there were children living on the streets around the world. There was so much poverty around the world and it was a shame.
"Is there anything else you can tell me about him?" the news anchor asked.
The president thought about it for a minute before shaking his head. "No, I don't think so," he said finally.
The news anchor nodded before leaning forward and pressing a button on his desk. "Thank you for your time," he said as the camera light went off.
The news was spread all around the world and people were amazed at the story of how Ayush had survived the impossible. They were also shocked at the fact that he had been raised by a pastor. The pastor had done an amazing job, they all thought.
Two days later, a bounty was put up by the Taliban for Ayush to be killed or captured. They knew his name but didn't know what he looked like.
They gave him the nickname of Ghost due to him killing so many people.
Ayush looked at the news as he was watching it in his quarters with the other members of his team. They had just gotten back from a mission and were unwinding after a long day.
Jason was sitting next to him, smoking a cigar and drinking a beer. Clay was across from him, sipping a beer as well. Sonny was sitting on the couch and drinking a beer too. The other members of the team were either sitting on their beds or in chairs around the room, sipping beers as well.
"It's so surreal," Ayush finally said, looking at the other members of the team.
They all knew what he was referring to. It had been crazy since everything had happened. They were still getting over it all.
"Yeah," Clay said finally, agreeing with him. "It is."
Jason nodded his head as well. "I never would've thought that you'd do that," Jason said slowly, looking at Ayush.
"Yeah, I never would've either," Ayush said, laughing. "I just did what I knew I had to do to save you guys."
The other members of the team nodded their heads as well. They knew that they owed their lives to Ayush. They'd all seen that Ayush had fought off so many men with only a gun and grenades. They couldn't believe that he'd done it.
"Will you continue going on missions?" Jason asked curiously as he looked at Ayush.
"I will," Ayush said without hesitating. "That's what I was trained to do."
Jason nodded his head again.
"So," Clay said suddenly, breaking the silence. "What's our next mission?"
Jason chuckled and reached into his pocket for his phone. He scrolled through some texts before stopping on one and reading it.
"We have a mission coming up soon," Jason said.