The plane was loaded and ready to go when we arrived. Kris stood in the hanger tapping her foot nervously, she had waited for me. I waved at her as we approached and she smiled. Happy to see I was unharmed no doubt.

"Looking good," Kris teased. It had been a long time since I had worn plain army greens, but I didn't have any options.

Zero stuck close to my side as his eyes scanned the area. "You remember Kris don't you?" I said and his attention turned to me. "You ran past her when she brought the food in."

He nodded and stared at Kris. Her smile waivered for a moment. "We should get moving. The plane is waiting on us."

Following Kris onto the plane we took seats next to each other and strapped in. I helped Zero with his buckle while Kris pulled two pills out of her pocket. "You've been up for over 24 hours. This should help you rest. There's one for him too."

"Thanks," I replied and took the pills from her.

"Here, take this," I said as I handed a pill to Zero. He watched as I put the other pill in my mouth and chased it with a bottle of water. There was a whole bag of them sitting in the open seat beside Kris.

Zero followed my lead and took the pill without hesitation. Exhaustion hit me like a brick wall. My eyelids became heavy and I gave in to the pull of sleep.

***

I didn't wake until the plane landed. Zero's head rested on my shoulder, he was out cold. As the door to the plane open, a horde of soldiers boarded. They had Zero lifted from his seat before I could even think straight.

"What's going on? Where are you taking him?" I asked as I followed them off the plane.

"You'll have to take it up with the Major," one of the men replied.

Kris grabbed my arm to keep me from following them. "He only speaks German!" I shouted as Zero and the soldiers disappeared through the hangers entrance.

"Why did you stop me?" I asked, turning my gaze to Kris.

"You should rest before talking with the Major. It was a long and stressful mission for everyone."

I hated to admit it, but Kris was right. The sleep I had gotten during the flight did little to improve my mood. My exhaustion had me irritable. Not exactly the kind of mood I want to be in when addressing my superiors. They would be questioning the calls I made during the mission. Breaker would back me up, but it'd be better if he was able to pull information from their system. Maybe it would tell us what they were doing with Zero.

"Fine, I'll head back to the barracks," I said.

"Good. I'll come get you if anything happens."

Kris's words were reassuring. She had always had my back, no matter what, and I had to believe that the Major would take good care of Zero. My mission was over. It was time to leave the decisions up to someone else. I just needed to get some rest. Everything would be better in the morning.

***

I jolted upright in bed, breathing heavily. It was a dream. Just a dream. Taking a deep breath I calmed my racing heart. Zero had plagued my dreams. His twisted face and hopeless screams were the root of my nightmare, but he was safe. Even knowing he was safe in the Major's custody worry crept over me.

Grabbing my phone off the nightstand, I turned it on. I always turned it off when I left for missions and I had forgotten to turn it back on before falling asleep. It vibrated in my hands. A swarm of missed calls and texts all came through at once. Five missed calls and twenty missed messages, all from Fuck Boy 19.

"Shit," I mumbled to myself. I forgot to tell Riley I was going offline. Not that it should've mattered since we weren't exactly dating, but Riley was an overly sensitive boy.

"Captain Harvey!" a man shouted as he pounded on my door. Riley would have to wait.

Pulling a shirt on quickly, I answered the door. An out of breath soldier stood in front of me and I grabbed my coat from the hook by the door. "What is it?"

"The Major... needs to...see you," he said between gasps for air.

"Lead the way," I said, slipping into my boots and closing the door behind me.

The soldier walked at a fast pace as he lead me across the base. When we approached the hospital my heart raced. Was someone hurt? My thoughts spiraled as we entered the building and took the elevator to the lower level. It was the quarantine zone, specifically designed for solitary confinement. Soldiers only ended up down there if they were a risk to themselves.

Stepping out of the elevator there were isolation rooms lining the hall. Muffled shots sounded in the distance, growing louder as we approached. My stomach clenched as I recognized the voice that was screaming my name. It was Zero. He was shouting nonstop in German. He was scared.

We went into the observation room that was attached to Zero's. Major Daniels was standing unruffled in the middle of the two way glass with Kris beside him. He watched as Zero threw himself about the room, screaming.

"He's been screaming your name all day," the Major said and then eyed my escort. The soldier gave a salute as he left.

"He's scared. They were torturing him at that facility. I witnessed the horror first hand."

"We won't be able to get any information out of him in this state. I hate to ask since you've just returned from your mission, but he refuses to cooperate with anyone. He just keeps asking for you. Do you think you can calm him down?" The Major stared at me, analyzing my facial expressions.

I swallowed hard before I replied. "I'm up for the task sir. I won't let you down."

"Good. Lieutenant Montgomery will cover you in case the boy gets violent."

With a nod I left the viewing area. Reaching for the handle to Zero's room I took a deep breath. He was a scared, tortured, and lonely boy. I wanted to protect him.