[h2][center][color=39b54a]On Board the A400M[/color][/center][/h2]

Chuck was too tall and big in his suit to take one of the drop down flight chairs in the cargo area. He worked to get out of his suit for now. He wanted to conserve what little charge it had left. He shut it down into sleep mode. The suit had about 25% charge left. He left the suit along the wall of the plane out of the way and strapped down in the cargo area.  He sighed knowing the plane didn’t have the right outlets to charge his suit. He kept on the skin tight light weight ballistics suit that was the under armor of his heavy armor. It looked similar to a wetsuit and was black. It stretched over his large frame. He sighed as he realized he would need some clothes. All he had with him was the black boxer briefs he had on under his armor. He settled onto the floor with his long legs stretched out in front of him. Duke came and snuggled into his side and laid his head in his lap. He petted the canine and checked him over well.

They had been in the air for about 30 minutes before his adrenaline finally crashed leaving him feeling exhausted. He had watched as Sophie moved from Skye to Freya working to stabilize and help other members of the squad. Chuck did his best to keep the panic and rage he was feeling under control. He felt like there should have been more he could have done. [i][color=39b54a]What was wrong with him? How he had almost lost two teams now?[/color][/i] He was comforted by the knowledge that even though they had injured, the team had made it out. Guilt overwhelmed him as he thought about all the support personnel who didn’t make it out. The ones who had given everything so that they could escape. He raised his knees and bowed his head wrapping his arms around his legs. He hid his face in his knees as tried to honor those that had fallen. [i][color=39b54a]Was their sacrifice worth it? Was he worth it?[/color][/i] He didn’t think he was but he knew they did. All he could do was move forward and honor their sacrifice. It was never easy though. 

Duke whined and nudged his face. Duke began to lick his face. Chuck put his arm around his dog and buried his face in his fur. He didn’t want anyone from the team to know he was struggling so much. Men were not supposed to show emotions. They were used as a sign of weakness. He knew from experience though, that if he didn’t deal with what they had just been through it would come out as nightmares. The emotions would cripple his ability to function as a member of the team. He clung to his dog as silent tears were soaked up by his fur. He hugged Duke tight. It was some time later that the tears had stopped. He slowly managed to relax. He curled up on the floor around his dog and fell asleep. He relived events of the past few days in his dreams. He was grateful that when he woke up he felt better. He didn’t remember the dreams. He was grateful when someone handed him some warm bottled water and an MRE. He pulled Duke’s pack out and offered his dog some water and food. Once he was done he took care of the trash and cleaned up after Duke. 

He stood and made his way towards the part of the plane with chairs. He sat down across from Boraro. He held his hand out to the man, giving him a firm warm shake. [color=39b54a]“Hello, I don’t think we have met. I am Chuck Simmons, callsign Boomer. And this is my partner, Duke.” [/color]He laid a hand comfortingly on Duke’s head. [color=39b54a]“Nice to meet you. Thank you for your help in getting everyone out. We couldn’t have done it without you.”[/color] He nodded his head in the general direction of where Skye was. He knew that Skye might not have made it out without his help.