The next day was the second to last day at FOB Whiskey, and Pheasant was sprawled across a deck chair, using another one to prop up his legs as he sat eyes closed and topless, exposing a very slight six pack, across which his dog tags dangled, and a black treasure trail.

A shadow fell across him and a baby blue eye of his peeked open.

"What are you doing?" Smith snapped at him, ever the bossy wannabe be Rupert, the words rolling off his tongue with domineering disgust.

"Sunbathing," Pheasant retorted, shooting the man a sly smirk, "gotta look good for R&R," Pheasant continued, poking his tongue out at the Lieutenant.

The commando only huffed, thinly veiled repugnance burning bright in his pale colours of his arrogant eyes, and Pheasant went back to sunbathing.

Then another shadow fell across him.

"Hey Pheasant, right?" a female voice said in a softly spoken voice, it was one he recognised faintly but not knowing where from. He peeked open an eye, his eyes landing on her-he studied her features for a moment, an olive complex of soft, radiant skin that told him she was into skincare, bright eyes the colour of sapphire that twinkled like diamonds, and curly black hair scraped into a tight bun.

Major Baldwin, a commanding officer for the royal artillery, someone who had over fifty confirmed kills.

Immediately the commando scrambled to his feet, kicking over the deck chairs, straightening his back in her presence, "yes I am Pheasant ma'am."

"I have a proposition for you," Baldwin said, she spoke slowly as she deliberated on every word-concise and precise.

Pheasant merely nodded, still quite tongue tied to have met a military celebrity.

"I'm throwing a boogie night and I want to pay you, with an rat pack (ration pack) snack, to dance topless with the infantry sniper spotted on base so I can have one for the wank bank," she said, Pheasant's lips spread open wide into an ecstatic grin, the corners of his eyes crinkling in delight-he knew who Baldwin was talking about, he had bumped into the spotter a few times on base.

"I've been eyeing him for ages, that's the perfect excuse to dance with him-I think he's called Ashley," he exclaimed, the manic grin still not leaving his lips, if anything it only grew larger in almost comically exaggerated happiness.

"You like guys too?" she asked with surprise.

"Yeah, and this point I'll shag anything that moves," Pheasant confessed with an embarrassed laugh.

"Long tour?".

"You know it," he sighed, rubbing at an itch on the back of his neck, "six bloody months in this sandbox. I'll even dry hump him for you, one for both of our wank banks."

"Great, as long as it's all consensual," she smiled before dismissing him and walking away.

Once the commandos finished their morning patrol Pheasant went off in search for Ashley, the commando finding the spotter having a lunch of beef stew that he was hungrily wolfing down.

"Hey," Pheasant said, wearing his confident smile as he sat opposite the spotter, eyeing his handsome features with charmed eyes-ever the Casanova.

"You're looking good today," Pheasant spoke up.

Ashley nodded and smiled, "cheers."

"You'd look even better in my quarters," Pheasant smirked, earning an amused chuckle from the spotter who cocked a brow at the commando.

"Oh really?" he said, his voice dropping to a husky whisper, "I knew you had a thing for me."

"Do you have a thing for me?" Pheasant asked.

"Take a wild guess," Ashley under his breath as he seductively stared into Pheasant's eyes.

"I could see you undressing me with your eyes whenever we met," Pheasant said, his voice lowering as well as he leaned in slightly, listening and watching with intensity.

"How could I not? You're the sexiest guy in this hellhole," Ashley said as a smile played across his lips, making Pheasant's heart skip a beat.

"You're not bad looking yourself," Pheasant remarked, "you'd look even better sucking my dick."

"And how big is it?" Ashley inquired, wagging his brows at Pheasant, "you're half black so I'm guessing it's a big boy," he smirked deviously, eyes igniting with a rabid, animalistic lust.

"A big boy for a bad boy," Pheasant announced, the elated grin returning to his lips.

"Oh so you like to be naughty?" Ashley pried.

"When I've found the right person, they're usually a top," Pheasant winked.

"How convenient-you're in luck," Ashley said before he gestured for Pheasant to lean in, when the commando leant across the table Ashley whispered in his ear, "let me take you back to my quarters so I can fuck you like an animal."

They rushed back to Ashley's quarters, giggling like school girls, as soon as the door closed behind them their lips were all over one another, sucking and nibbling on sweet spots as heated moans filled the air.

"Tell me if I'm being too rough or fast," Ashley said.

"Aww that's adorable," Pheasant laughed, "don't worry I can handle it-I love being dominated."

"I wouldn't be a good dom if I didn't check in with my sub now would I?" Ashley said.

"Fair point," Pheasant nodded in agreement.

Soon they were tearing off one another's uniforms and pressing naked skin together as Ashley flung him down on the bed after Pheasant teased his cock with his tongue. Ashley flipped the young man onto his stomach and held Pheasant's hands above his head, preparing to penetrate his commando lover.

Then they were interrupted by someone walking in.

"Hey Ashley we've got a shout on-".

Pheasant and Ashley immediately turned to see a man donned in a desert camouflage ghillie suit, "what the fuck?" they exclaimed as they eyes moved from the naked Pheasant to the naked Ashley, "I'll be waiting outside."

"Knock first next time shithead," Ashley snapped at the man before he stood up, looking down to Pheasant who was glistened with sweat from the intense make out session, "sorry mate, looks like we'll have to have our fun later."

"Fair enough, there's a boogie night we can go to tonight," he suggested as he got up and started to get dressed, as was Ashley.

"Sounds good," Ashley smiled, soon enough both soldiers were dressed and Ashley grabbed at Pheasant's crotch and kissed him in one fluid moment, "till then lover boy," he winked before jogging off.

Later on that day, in the late evening, Pheasant was sweating under the spotlight as he was grinding against Ashley, to the sound of Hot Cop by The Village People blasting out from the speakers as a disco ball spun and sparkled above their heads. From across the dance floor, formerly the cookhouse, Major Baldwin looked on with approval as Pheasant shot her a crafty wink.

After the dance Baldwin handed Pheasant his rat pack snack, a pound cake, and retired to his quarters to eat it when he was interrupted mid munch by a knock on his door.

"Come in," he announced, spraying crumbs across his bed before he swallowed the mouthful down.

Ashley pushed upon the door and steeped inside, lingering in the doorway in the lowlight as he ran a hand down Pheasant's wall.

"I just wondered if you wanted to pick up where we left off," he suggested, lust burning in his dark eyes.

"I," he paused for a thoughtful moment, "I can't, sorry," Pheasant apologised, sincerity ringing in his words.

"You're the one who came onto me first remember," Ashley spoke with pure offence, shocked at being shot down, "you know you want me."

Pheasant was starting to freeze. The forcefulness of Ashley's upset and his entitlement to Pheasant's own body was making him remember his rape. The cold green plastic of the bin digging into his waist as he was bent over it, the cold hitting his exposed skin extra bitter, the sound of flesh slapping together.

"I'll get you in the mood, don't you worry," Ashley said with a pleasant sigh, as if he was helping Pheasant carry in shopping bags. It made Pheasant wonder if maybe he had been asking for it as he had came onto him first, they had flirted and almost had sex just hours ago-it was too late to back go on his word now. He didn't want to be thought of as a tease so he decided to simply let it happen.

However as Ashley undressed him and touched him intimately he couldn't help but cry. He felt just as powerless as he did during his gang rape, and soon Ashley was clamping his hand over Pheasant's mouth as he began to sob.

"Quit crying, just try to enjoy yourself. Very few people get the chance to be with someone like me, so count yourself lucky," Ashley breathed on Pheasant's neck, the heat erecting the hair on his neck and sending a chill down his spine that usually he found pleasurable but this time it only inspired feelings of shame. Was this all in his head?

"Hey Pheasant you decent? I just realised that pound cake I gave you went off today so sorry if it made you sick," Major Baldwin said, upon hearing her voice Pheasant's ears perked up and Ashley froze, she slowly pushed open his door to take away the cake and as her eyes adjusted to the darkness of his room they widened upon seeing Ashley trying to subdue a shaking Pheasant who had urinated all over the floor, the smell of it thick in her nostrils.

"What the fuck?" she screamed as she saw Pheasant's cheeks were wet and his eyes were puffy from crying.

Before he could even open his mouth to explain the Major propelled her right hook into Ashley's face, knocking him out cold as he dropped to the floor like a tonne of bricks.

"Pheasant, are you okay?" she asked as she eyed the naked, trembling, cowering boy. She handed him his boxers and trousers which he slid on with shaking hands, vision blurred by tears.

"G-get a medic for Ashley," he stuttered.

"I will. We're gonna report that bastard for what he done to you," Baldwin said.

Pheasant's eyes were fixated on Ashley, who was bleeding from the head, "he really needs a medic," was all he could think to say.

"I really need you to help me not just kick him from the army but send him to prison, the sick fuck."

Pheasant's eyes finally met Baldwin's, "where I come from we don't go to the police, ever, period."

"Where I come from the police protect the innocence and punish the guilty. That's what needs to happen."

Pheasant numbly agreed, staying up all night with Major Baldwin writing up a report of what happened, having to relive every painful detail-like pouring salt in the still fresh, and very much deep, wounds.

Once they finished the report there was only one place he wanted to go.

Knocking on the door he got a groggy answer.

"One second, jeez what time is it?".

"Roach, it happened again," Pheasant said as he swallowed a hardening lump in his throat, the numbness was wearing off as tears started to fall once again.

All Roach did was hold him as he cried, in Roach's arms was the only place Pheasant felt safe as the shock wore off and the full weight of realisations hit him-he felt broken beyond repair, FUBAR (fucked up beyond all recognition).

And it was in Roach's arms where, once he had no tears left to cry, he fell asleep.

The next morning Pheasant was awoken by the shine of dawn break filtering through the window, Pheasant sat up whilst Roach groaned and rolled over in his sleep, turning away from the sun.

Knowing what people would assume Pheasant had spent the night having sex with Roach he decided to leave, no matter how much he didn't want to be alone.

As he laid in bed staring at the ceiling he realised sleep wasn't going to happen, so deciding to take his mind off of things he left his quarters, heading for the workout area. He started to do pull ups on the bars and push ups on the ground, as he began to sweat he felt powerful, invincible, unbreakable. He was a soldier, an unstoppable force. Ashley could never take away his sense of pride, honour and strength as a soldier.

Soon enough the base began to wake up as Pheasant headed for the shower, washing off the dust and the sweat and massaging shampoo into his dreadlocks, Pheasant walked out with a towel around his waist and began to dry off his body and get dressed just in time for breakfast. He desperately wanted to forget Ashley and pretend he was normal for a little longer.

"Saw you crushing it on the bars mate," Wilson said as he wiped sauce from his acne scarred cheeks, "not like you to be up so early," he continued.

"Gotta get a six pack to flash during R&R (rest and rehabilitation)," Pheasant flashed a warm smile.

"Oh yeah, don't get fit so you can be a better soldier, just do it to get laid," Riley remarked, earning a laugh from a few of the soldiers.

"Why do anything if it doesn't get you laid?" Pheasant forced an awkward grin, feeling deeply uncomfortable at the sex talk but pushing it all down.

"Did any of you guys see Ashley be taken away by MP's (military police)?" Heaven asked, immediately Roach's eyes shot over to Pheasant, "wait, what do you know about that?" she pressed.

"He...he's-" Roach struggled to invent a lie.

"He assaulted me. Major Baldwin stopped it," Pheasant said with a grave tone, behind his eyes he looked well and truly dead and defeated.

"Oh my God," Heaven whispered in shock as she reached out to his hand, he allowed her to hold it tightly, "I'm so sorry."

"These things happen," Pheasant shrugged, feeling the numbness begin to return.

"See the padre after our patrol Pheasant, I mean it," Riley commanded.

"I talked about it all night with Major Baldwin, I think I'm good," Pheasant said, Roach and Riley wore the same expression: concern.

"If you say so," Riley said before the attention went back to scoffing down breakfast before their patrol, due to a recent ambush on an infantry unit an artillery observer had been attached to Alpha Two Zero for their last patrol, who was sat with them. 

"That's quite the rank," Briggs remarked as they eyed the artillery observer's rank slide that displayed Captain, "how many tours you been on?".

"Enough, this is actually gonna be my last tour. Kids are growing up so fast, I can't miss anymore of their childhood than I already have being deployed here, there and everywhere," Captain Baker, the artillery observer, explained as she tightened the hairband keeping her hair, the colour of every autumn leaf imaginable, in a tight bun.

"You got kiddies?" Smith asked as an excitement lit up his eyes and forced a smile, a rare look for him, "how old are yours?" he questioned.

"Got a girl who's four and a boy who's ten," Baker smiled warmly.

Riley stood up from the table, handing his plate back over to the cook, before returning to his team, "ten minutes, be ready by the base doors."

And by ten minutes they were all stood by the base doors, sentries gave the all clear and the doors were opened, the unit stepped outside into a still sleeping scenery, save for a lizard skittering around as the heat warmed its cold blood.

The patrol went be fine and uneventful as they pushed into the village, that is until it didn't.

A shot rang out from the rooftop, the team dashed to cover in the gaps between the buildings, just as Hu was a step away from cover a bullet pierced her jugular.

Her body hit the dirt hard, Riley dragged her to cover and she spat up blood on his face. Seeing the bright red blood pump all over the ground to the rhythm of her heartbeat, he knew there was nothing he could do but comfort her in her final moments.

Then, a grenade was thrown into the alleyway.

And without thinking Hu rolled on top of it as those in the alleyway, Riley, Pheasant and Heaven, hit the ground upon seeing the grenade.

Shrapnel flew everywhere, lacerating Riley's shoulder, Heaven's thighs and Pheasant's face. As the dust settled Heaven struggled to her feet, ringing in her ears before she collapsed once again, falling into unconsciousness like her teammates.

Smith rushed over to them whilst Wilson and Ghoul laid down covering fire and immediately requested QRF (quick reaction force) to assist them.

As the QRF arrived they fought off the ambush, loading up the three casualties into helicopters to medevac (medical evacuation) back to Camp Winston, none were critical but anything can happen in the wild dangers of a heated war zone.