[center][h1][color=b0021d]Xander Clarke[/color][/h1]
[H3][I][color=b0021d]"Glitch"[/color][/I][/H3][/center]
[hr]

[H2][center]Aral Sea, Kazakhstan[/center][/h2]

With the final IFV down, Xan tossed the empty Javelin tube to the side and grabbed his LMG. He was prepared to hold that position until his dying breath, but the chatter on comms indicated that their evac had finally arrived. Queen immediately ordered everyone to regroup on her. Chaos had confirmed she heard and was enroute, so Xander simply followed behind without a word. The two moved parallel to each other, one taking right the other left, while Mateo and Stafford sniped any stragglers. Empty casings poured out of his gun as he held the trigger down, not letting up for a second to give the enemy any breathing room. Once they reached the V22, his gun ran dry. No time to reload, he threw the LMG to be swallowed by the sands as he he hurried inside the aircraft and dropped into the first open seat. The doors closed behind Queen and the craft took off almost simultaneously. He quickly buckled up, then unlatched and removed his helmet. It practically slipped from his hands and onto the ground as he slumped in his seat. The cool air of the V22 combined with the sweat dripping from his head was a godsend from the overwhelming heat.

[color=b0021d]“Holy Dooley… We fucking did it…"[/color] Xander tiredly exclaimed before he too was overcome with exhaustion and proceeded to fall unconscious. 

[H2][center] Home Sweet Home[/center][/h2]

The first thing he remembered was the repeated beep of the heart monitor waking him like an alarm clock. His eyes slowly peeled open as his senses returned to him; including pain. He winced loudly as all the bruises, cuts, and various injuries all came back in full force. And his arm. Oh God his arm hurt. Maybe Skye was on to something with that cybernetic arm, at least then he wouldn't have to deal with this pain. 

Pushing through it, he tilted his neck around to get a better look at his surroundings. He was definitely in the infirmary, hooked up to who knows how many machines. He was covered in bandages, while his arm was sealed in a cast. 

“Finally awake, I see." Dr Sophie Keller said as she approached his bed. She pulled up the clipboard at the foot of his bed and began to review it. "You are a very lucky man, Mr. Clarke. You lost a fair amount of blood and you have a few fractures in your legs, but all in all most of your injuries were minor. The biggest issue was of course your arm. That debris we pulled out of you did some serious tissue and bone damage, but your nerves were mostly unaffected. All in all you’ll have to wear that cast for about 6-8 weeks, but as long as you don’t do anything insane, you should be fully healed and fit for duty by then.”

[color=b0021d]“Define insane?”[/color] Xan asked with a painful chuckle.

Sophie momentarily glanced up from the clipboard completely unamused at Xander's reply before going back to his chart and answering nonchalantly. 

“For the duration of your recovery, I’m medically requiring you to run any idea you have passed Ms. Lyons for approval before you do anything. If she doesn’t give the okay; then it’s insane. And in case you think you can disobey these orders, may I remind you that I am the one who has to clear you before you can return to active duty?”

Xander scoffed and rolled his eyes. [color=b0021d]“Ugh. Fine fine. You have me word. I’ll be a good boy. Thanks, doc.”[/color]

He was discharged the next day after a final examination. Despite getting a full night's rest and being in bed for most of the day, he still felt exhausted and achy as he staggered through the base up to his room. However, he did his best to hide his discomfort. Smiling and nodding at everyone he passed, acting like he was just fine aside from the cast. Once he got to his quarters, he stared at his bed contemplating if he would get more rest, or try to salvage what remained of the day. He decided that he had already spent too much time laying down. He wanted to see how the others were holding up. He could sleep when he was dead. After a quick shower and many many attempts to get dressed with one arm, Xan emerged from his room a few hours later sporting an old khaki army shirt and black jeans. He hobbled through the halls making his way to the rec room, but along the way he ran into his equally injured American teammate Sam.

[color=b0021d]"Oi, Sammy!"[/color] He said, raising his good hand for a quick wave. [color=b0021d]"How you holding up? Personally, I could go for a cold one. Maybe something stronger. And as I recall I owe you a drink as well. Care to join me?"[/color]