Alphabet Injuries – SEAL Team

Summary: So by popular request, here is an Alphabet Injuries collection for Clay. As with my FlashPoint AI for Sam Braddock, each chapter will be a stand-alone story for one letter of the alphabet. Also, like FP, this can be interactive if you would like to send me suggestions for the letters.

I do not own SEAL Team or any of the characters from that series. I do own my original characters (OC) and original storylines.

Acid and Arrows

Present
Unknown Location, Unknown Time

Stumbling, disoriented, lights and colors playing havoc with his vision making everything distorted and surreal, Clay's breaths came in short pants. Fear continued to mix with confusion and drove him forward. The sticks, rocks, and foliage underfoot tore into bare feet, but he kept going. The thick, humid air, oppressive made breathing more difficult, yet an internal desire to survive propelled him onward.

A cry of pain wrenched from him, quickly silenced, as his left ankle twisted in a hole and his arm slammed into a tree trunk as he fell. The bark hungrily ate up his unprotected skin as he slid down, he reached out in an attempt to keep his face from smacking the dirt. Only partially successful, the impact not as forceful as it could've been, Clay rolled to his back and grabbed for his throbbing ankle.

Sunlight filtered through the heavy canopy of leaves above him, creating a kaleidoscope of colors which if he hadn't been so afraid and in agony, would've been beautiful. He rocked on his bare back as he clung to his abused ankle as he rode the downward crest of pain. Wild blue eyes with blown pupils darted around, trying to find a safe place to hide.

Finding none, Clay released his foot and rolled to his already scraped and bloody knees, hissing as one landed on a pointy rock. Clawing his way up using the tree to assist him to his feet, most of his weight supported by right leg, he panted with the effort. Alone, naked, injured, and scared out of his mind, Clay continued his flight, limping off … to where, from where … he didn't know.

Rollback Previous Afternoon
Cataratas International Airport, Argentina – 1300 Hours

Sonny smirked as Clay slung a backpack over one shoulder. The kid, freshly shaven and dressed in a light blue polo shirt, khaki cargo shorts, and flip-flops appeared to be a typical rich American college student on spring break. "Well, now, Chad, don't you go getting lost on us," Sonny joked to cover his own unease over this mission.

After shooting Sonny a quick scowl, he turned his attention to Jason as the master chief approached him wearing a scowl of his own. Clay wished he didn't appear so young or there was another option for locating the missing college students.

"We'll be tracking your every move." Jason surveyed Clay. He didn't like this op, it put Clay in a risky position with no back up close at hand. Sure they would be around, but they couldn't be too near or whoever was abducting male university students would not go after Clay.

"Yeah, I know. Davis put GPS trackers in my bag, the shoes, and the waist of my boxers." Clay shifted the backpack.

"I still say we should implant one subdermally," Brock chimed in. "Like the microchips for dogs."

Lisa grinned. "I could do that."

"No way. You're all acting like I can't handle myself," Clay groused. Being the youngest member of the team and the rookie, set him up for all kinds of razzing. It bugged him to no end at times. Not like I haven't lead teams before … I'm not a green SEAL.

Mandy strolled up and handed Clay a wallet. "Your ID and credit card. Just don't go wild. Your cover is Chad Davenport, a student at Harvard, your mother is Senator Davenport and your father is a leading neurosurgeon."

Shoving them in his hip pocket, Clay nodded. As he walked out the back of their plane to the waiting taxi, he reviewed in his head what he needed to do. Act like a carefree, rich kid out to have fun with Mom and Dad footing the bill. Though he looked young enough to pass for a college student, none of the rest of his cover story even remotely mirrored his own life.

They got pulled into this op when the local law enforcement turned a blind eye to four missing young men in the past month. One of whom happened to be Dexter Clovis, the twenty-year-old son of a high-ranking CIA operative. It remained unclear what happened to the four men, no ransom demands were ever presented.

After a brief investigation, they found it was a recent occurrence and no other men from any other countries had gone missing in this area in the past. Whoever was behind the abductions apparently targeted Americans only. So Clay would be bait, and the team would follow when he disappeared. Hopefully, they could locate the missing students … alive.

Ray placed his hand on Jason's back, noting the tense muscles. "He'll be okay."

Jason turned and eyed Ray. "This is the kid we're talking about. The weirdest shit happens to him. Hate letting him out of my sight."

From the back of the plane, Davis called out, "All three trackers transmitting."

Mandy turned to the rest of the team, "Cover has been set for each of you. Trent, Brock, you will be joining a singles tour group at the Iguazu Resort." She handed them their tickets.

Eyeing the photo of a bikini-clad woman on the ticket package given to Trent, Sonny groused, "Why don't I get to go with the hot, single women."

"Because you would be too distracted," Jason responded.

"Besides, they will be doing a trek into the jungle … and we know how much you loooove the jungle," Lisa teased as she kept her eyes on the monitor.

Mandy smiled as she handed documents to Jason, Ray, and Sonny. "You are businessmen taking a break from your meetings in Oberá to do some sightseeing of the Iguazu Falls."

"I don't have to wear a suit, do I?" Sonny had no desire to put on one in this hot, humid weather.

"No. What you're wearing is appropriate for your cover." Mandy shook her head. Sonny could be a handful, but secretly she liked him as much as she did all the guys. He kept things lively and lightened the mood with his unguarded comments.

Iguazu Bar, Argentina – 2100 Hours

Clay wandered up to the bar, ordered a beer, then turned and leaned on the counter as he scanned the mass of people in the only hopping night venue in the area. Most of the day he lounged at the pool and he did wander off to have a look at the Iguazu Falls, the largest waterfall system in the world. The Iguazu river delineated the border of the Argentine province of Misiones and the Brazilian state of Paraná.

So far, he chatted up anyone near him. With no idea how the abductees were targeted, he had no clue who might be friend or foe. Throughout the day, he noted each of the team at one point or another, but they gave him a wide berth and never approached him. Spying an open high-top table, he ambled over after receiving his beer. He settled on the stool and wished he was here with Stella. She would enjoy the area … the falls would be romantic like Niagara.

His mind took a small break as he allowed himself to think on Stella. When he returned home after the mission where he ended up with a kidney infection and a puncture wound, she had played nurse to him for several weeks. He wouldn't admit to any of the guys, but her attention was exactly what he needed and once well and fit for duty, he showed his appreciation by taking her to a fancy restaurant and then … well, an enjoyable night spent in bed together.

A hand on his shoulder pulled him from his reverie. He smiled at the dark-haired woman and launched into a conversation with her. A half hour later, Arcilla Ramirez tugged on his hand, wanting him to dance, and though inside he was reluctant, he only smiled and played along as if he was thoroughly enthralled by her.

Once on the dance floor, he did get into the moves, but his mind never stopped wondering if she might be involved. Being approached by a beautiful woman would be an easy way to target men. Alert for any signs of other watching, he spotted two bouncer-like men near the door. Perhaps they work here.

When Arcilla excused herself, saying she needed to go to the ladies' room, Clay returned to the table to find his beer gone. He flagged down a waitress and ordered another one since he only had three sips out of the previous one.

Upon returning at the same time as his drink arrived, Arcilla smiled and reached for the beer. "Do you mind, I'm thirsty?"

"No. You want one?" Clay asked.

After taking a long drink, she shook her head and handed the mug to her mark. "Not a big beer drinker."

Clay noted the heavy coating of lipstick on the edge and pivoted the mug to drink from the other side. Vaguely he wondered if what he was doing might be considered cheating in Stella's eyes. Nah, she would understand. Plus, it's not like I'm going to sleep with Arcilla. I'm just doing my job and trying to blend in like a tourist.

They sat talking for quite a long time while he sipped his beer. When he finished, she dragged him out on the dance floor again. Several minutes later, the ambient lighting dimmed, and bright, red, blue, green, and yellow ones pulsed at a sickening fast interval as a mirrored ball lowered.

Clay blinked, trying to maintain his equilibrium as he tilted to one side. Arcilla's face swam in front of his as the realization he had been drugged dawned on him. He lifted his head, scanning in the chaotic lighting for a glimpse of one of the guys. Not finding any, he began to sink to the floor as his ability to control his muscles waned.

Relief, brief and fleeting, surged when two sets of strong hands gripped his arms and hauled him up. Turning to the right, expecting to find Jason, dread replaced the prior feeling as the face of the man he noted by the door earlier sneered at him. He barely translated the man's words … it will be fun hunting you … before his head lolled forward and he knew no more.

Ray restrained Jason as he started to move forward. "Stop. Davis will track him. She has a good signal. We need to find out where they are taking Clay so we can hopefully rescue the others."

Outside Iguazu Bar, Argentina – 2300 Hours

Sonny watched Spenser being dragged to a van and tossed in the back. One man went to the driver's seat while the other and the woman Clay danced with climbed into the rear. "They put him in a black van. The license is covered in mud. I'm following."

"Hold. Don't get to close. Give them some space," Eric commanded though he didn't like the idea, so added, "don't lose him."

Trent and Brock disengaged from the people they were talking with outside as a cover for their observation positions. Each noted Jason and Ray striding out of the bar. They converged at the rented vehicles. Jason hopped into the front passenger seat and Ray barely closed the back door as Sonny put his foot on the gas. Brock slid into the driver's seat of the second car while Trent hurried around to the other side.

Two sedans held back, though both drivers wanted to catch up with the speeding van. As they lost sight of the van on the twisting road, Jason kept an eye on the mobile GPS tracker. All three blips centered together. "They are maintaining the same speed. They most likely don't suspect they are being followed," Jason voiced his hope.

"Fuck!" Jason exclaimed. "TOC, are you seeing the same thing?"

From the plane, Lisa responded, "Yeah, one of the trackers is still. It is the one in his backpack."

Sonny spotted an object in the road. "There. Son of a bitch. They threw it out. We need to decrease the distance."

Eric told them to maintain the gap as he observed over Davis' shoulder.

Shortly after the second tracker halted, Ray spied Clay's flip-flops in the roadway along with the kid's shirt and shorts. "What the hell. Are they stripping him?"

"I knew we should've implanted the kid," Brock said as he followed behind Sonny, both increasing their speed regardless of Blackburn's order to hold back.

When the last beacon stopped, Sonny romped on the gas pedal, a fraction of a second before Jason yelled, "Floor it. I'm not losing the kid."

Speeding down the access road to the falls, they approached the intersection of the main route 101. Coming to a halt, they scanned left and right, searching for signs of taillights, finding none. "Go left," Jason ordered Sonny, then said, "Brock, you take right."

The two cars split up and sped off in opposite directions. Each man's guts roiling because despite three trackers they no longer knew where Clay was … they lost him.

Present Day
Somewhere in Iguazu National Park – 0700 Hours

His head heavy and throbbing, lifting it would be difficult so Clay remained still as he became aware of sounds around him … mostly silent, crickets, a crackling which might be a fire. He inhaled through his nose and the odor of wood burning filled him along with bacon and coffee.

As he shifted, he found his wrists bound behind him and his ankles likewise trussed up and connected to his hands by a length of rope. Most disconcerting, he was buck-assed naked, lying on his side in the dirt. He pried his eyes open and squinted when presented with daylight. Where the hell am I?

Blinking to focus, not easy, he espied five men in sleeping bags around the fire and the woman from last night squatting and turning bacon in a pan. Continuing his silent scan, he found several rifles leaning on tree trunks and two crossbows with a quiver of arrows hanging on a branch.

Arcilla peered up and her face morphed into a wicked smile. Her malevolent laugh sent a shiver of fear down Clay's spine. Gone was the amiable woman of last night and in her place a disturbing facsimile. What the hell is going on?

"You're awake," Arcilla said as she rose. She kicked one lump on her way over to Clay. "He's awake. Time to get up." She crouched in front of her prey. "I hope you are more fun than the last one. He was so … how do you say … soft and easy to catch."

"Untie me." Clay wrestled himself up to lean on the bark of a tree. From his new position, he caught sight of something which almost made him vomit. Hanging from a tree were the heads of four men. On another tree hung their headless bodies, riddled with arrows.

"I see you have found my trophies. You will join them soon enough." Arcilla stood and walked back to her spot, accepting a plate of food from the man she roused.

Clay breathed slow, assessing his options. He wondered where his clothes were … hopefully close, so the team will locate me before I become one of Arcilla's trophies.

As one of the men moved towards him, he tensed as the deranged woman told the man to drug him. He fought the best he could, which was basically clamping his jaw shut since he was hogtied. Two men pried it open as another shoved a pill into his mouth and poured in water.

He tried to spit it out, but one hand pinched his nose shut while another covered his mouth. They told him to swallow or suffocate. Clay swallowed and they released their holds. Gasping for breath, he asked, "What did you give me?"

Arcilla laughed. "Something I concocted to send you on a trip. A few things really but the acid should make it fun to watch you."

Clay searched the woods around him. His mind going a mile a minute. Anytime now, guys … barge right in … I found the poor souls we were searching for … I don't want to join them.

While his captors sat and ate breakfast, Clay desperately searched for a way out of this nightmare. When they weren't looking he began rubbing the rope holding his wrists on the rough bark, gouging his forearms with each stroke. Calm, stay calm. Remember SERE training. Keep it together Spenser, your team will come to save you.

Fifteen minutes later, no discernable progress on the binding, Clay's world began shifting … the effects of the acid kicking in. Colors altered and spun making him nauseous. His heartbeat and body temperature increased. The part that scared him most … an intense anxiety overwhelmed him and he feared his impending death as he stared at the lifeless bodies of those hunted before him.

Clay renewed his efforts, uncaring he was making a bloody mess of his arms. When the twine snapped apart, he barely registered he had freed his hands. As he brought them in front of him, the dangling rope took the form of an anaconda. He scuttled back, attempting to move away, but the snake came with him.

A grain of lucidity allowed him to realized the anaconda was the rope hanging from his wrist. Moving quietly he slunk back into the foliage and unwrapped the line holding his ankles together. With one last glance back, noting the six remained unaware of his escape, Clay began to run … to where, from where, he didn't know … he only knew if he stayed here he would be dead.

Campsite in Iguazu National Park – 1200 Hours

"Holy hell," sounded from Jason as Sonny said, "Fuck," as all five men gaped at the mutilated bodies hanging in the trees.

Ray turned his gaze away. He had seen terrible things in his time in the military, but this was one of the worst. "The one on the left is Dexter. Poor kid."

Cerberus sniffed at a tree and alerted Brock. Moving forward, Brock took a knee. "Fresh blood. Someone worked really hard to break free." He held up a length of rough frayed twine covered in blood."

Jason strode over to Brock as his gut churning. This mission turning out not as planned. Not only did they lose Spenser, they found Dexter … dead. And although the remaining three heads were in a more advanced state of decay he would bet they were the other missing students.

"TOC, Bravo One. We located a campsite and the body of Dexter Clovis. Signs Bravo Six might've been here." He went on to describe what they found as his men searched the camp for any details which might help them.

Lisa swallowed the bile rising in her throat as photos of the deceased were sent to her from Trent. She bit the bottom of her lip when she thought about Clay ending up like them. I should've implanted him with a tracker.

Jason signed off with TOC, after providing the coordinates so local authorities could deal with the bodies, anger roiled in him and he used it to focus on his effort … find Spenser … alive. "Brock, Cerb find his scent?"

Coming out of the brush, Brock said, "This way."

Exhausted after an entire night and half the day searching, each man's expression remained grim yet determined as they moved deeper into the forest. They kept their heads on a swivel, not knowing how many hostiles they might encounter and all took note Sonny had not made a single comment about all the ways the jungle might kill him.

Unknown Location, Unknown Time

His swollen ankle impeding his efforts to walk, Clay went from tree to tree for support. Still unsure where he was or what time it was, his world became a chaotic mess of hallucinations, of which he wasn't sure what was real or not. Anacondas slithered from every tree. Ants covered his legs. Arrows flew past his head.

Moving to the next tree, Clay misjudged the distance and instead of clasping the trunk he grabbed air and crashed to the floor of the forest. He lay there to catch his breath as pain washed through him. Part of him wanted to curl up and give up.

"Hey, none of that … get your ass up."

Clay opened his eyes. "Brian?"

"Yeah. Now you heard me. Up."

"I can't."

"I'm not gonna let you give up."

"You told me before to let go … I'm letting go."

"The hell you are. That was different. You needed to let go of your past, let go of the grip your father had on you. Now you need to hang on. Your brothers are coming, but you have to save yourself until they get here. So haul your ass up."

Clay reached for a tree, moved to his knees and pulled himself up. "Which way?" When Brian didn't answer him, Clay turned his head, and sadly Brian was gone again. "Quit fucking leaving me."

"Oh, I didn't leave you … you left me. Not nice."

Clay's blood froze in his veins upon hearing Arcilla's voice. He wondered if she was a hallucination like Brian, but the searing stab of pain as an arrow lodged in his ass and sent him to his knees told him she was real. I'm a dead man.

Gunfire erupted around Clay as he clung to the rough bark, not wanting to fall backward and drive the arrow in deeper.

Iguazu National Park – 1300 Hours

Jason took aim and dispatched the woman who just shot Spenser with a crossbow arrow. She fell to the ground and he moved to eliminate the other five but found his men took out four and Cerberus had leapt on the fifth, sinking his teeth into the man's throat as the dog took his quarry down to the ground.

Brock called off Cerb and put a bullet between the gurgling's man's eyes to put him out of his misery, though part of him believed the asshole deserved a long painful death.

Jason rushed forward to Spenser. "Got you." The unfocused eyes and the way Clay pulled back worried Jason. "Hey, hey, it's me, Jason."

Clay tried to pull away. His fucking hallucinations wouldn't leave him alone.

Trent dropped to a knee. "His pupils are blown wide. He's drugged. Easy, Clay."

"Trent?"

"Yeah. Hold still. You have an arrow in your ass."

Clay twisted his head to peer at his backside. "Oh. It's real?"

As Brock and Cerb stood guard, unsure if any other sadistic hunters were present, Ray contacted TOC and informed them they located Spenser and needed medevac. Jason sat and with Sonny's help, positioned Clay's head in his lap. Sonny then stripped off his shirt and covered the kid when his body started shivering due most likely to shock.

Trent stabilized the metal bolt sticking out of Clay's glut, unwilling to extract it here, unsure if the bleeding would worsen. The object worked as a plug for the wound at the moment. "Any idea what you were given?" Trent asked.

"You came." Clay stared up at Jason.

"Always will. You are one of us. No brother left behind."

"Clay, I need to know. What did they give you?" Trent insisted.

Shifting his gaze to Trent, Clay racked his disorganized mind for the information required. "Acid … and don't know."

"When?"

Clay shook his head. "No clue." His fingers dug into Jason's arm. "Don't leave. Be real. Don't go. I'm scared."

Jason put a hand on Clay's forehead. "I'm real. Not leaving. You're safe now." His gaze met Trent's. "Drugs talking?"

"Yeah. Hallucinations, extreme anxiety, panic, disorientation, and paranoia are all associated with a bad acid trip. Not sure how long this will last." Trent began wrapping protective gauze around Clay's arms … they were torn up quite badly. Next, he splinted the swollen and bruised ankle, hoping it wasn't busted.

Next Day
Hospital de Puerto Iguazu, Argentina – 1100 Hours

Ray nudged Jason. "He's waking."

Shifting and sitting up, Jason rubbed his eyes. The evac took them to a small Argentinian hospital in Puerto Iguazu where the team doctor met them and performed the necessary surgery to remove the arrow. Jason did a quick scan of his men, who all except him, sat on the floor of the bare-bones, red-bricked hospital room.

Once Clay woke, and they were certain the acid was out of his system, they planned to transport him via a rented mobile home Davis arranged so he could travel back to the plane lying down in a bit of comfort.

Jason stood and moved to the bed where Clay lay propped on his side. He grinned as blue eyes flickered open and the pupils were normal-sized. "Welcome back."

Taking a moment to orient himself, Clay peered up at Jason. "Real?"

"Yeah. What do you recall?" Jason asked.

The words stirred the rest to life and each rose, circling the bed, waiting for Clay to speak.

His mind hazy, Clay lifted an arm to rub his face and noticed the white gauze which covered it from wrist to elbow. He glanced at his other arm, finding it adorned in the same manner. Eyes moving back to Jason he said, "Should've let Davis implant the GPS device."

Sonny chuckled. "That can still be arranged."

"Arcilla is a psychopath. She hunted and killed Dexter and three others," Clay reported as images of the dead men invaded his thoughts. Visions he wouldn't soon forget. A fate he might've suffered if his brothers had not found him in time.

"We know. We located the camp with their bodies. Local authorities don't have any information on her specifically, but they suspect she may have been the perpetrator of a series of heinous crimes across Argentina over the past five years," Ray shared.

Clay shifted in his bed and he wondered how much he imagined and how much was real. "Did she shoot my …" He blushed as he noticed the smirks.

"Yeah. You had an arrow in your ass," Sonny supplied and chuckled as he tossed a blow up donut ring on the bed. "Think you'll be needing this."

Groaning, Clay realized he would be quite literally the butt of many jokes for a long time.

Misinterpreting the reason for the groan, four sets of eyes turned to Trent as Jason said, "Give him something for the pain, we have a long ride to the plane. I want to get the hell out of here as soon as possible."

Clay ventured to ask, "How'd you find me?"

Brock grinned. "Cerberus. Once he got your scent off your boxers nothing would stop him."

Another embarrassing thought returned. He was found buck-assed naked. "You bring me clothes?"

"Nah, you look too pretty in a gown," Sonny teased.

It took a lot of effort, but Clay flung the pillow under his head at Sonny and hit his target's face, causing the rest to chuckle.

Jason lifted a bag off the floor. "We got ya covered. Sweats and a t-shirt." He turned to the guys. "Clear out. I'll help him dress."

Once they were alone, Clay started to pull himself up, planning on standing since sitting was out of the question.

"Whoa, no standing. You have a sprained ankle too." Jason gently pushed the kid back down, then bent and retrieved the pillow from the floor, placing it behind Clay's head.

Staring down he found his left ankle in a brace. "Well, shit. Abducted by Arcilla, bad acid trip, abraded arms, arrow in my ass, and a sprained ankle. Think I'm done with As."

Jason chuckled. "I agree."

.

AN: An thus is the first of 26 installments. Next up B. Send me any suggestions for the letters b, c, d ... I'm going alphabetically so my muse will only concentrate on about 3 letters at a time. If I use your suggestion, I will give you a shout-out at the end of the chapter.

In other news ... SECRETS Passion, Deceit, and Revenge is now available on Amazon. It is the 8th in the Beauty of Life series which chronicles Dan Broderick's complex and danger-filled life. Dan is the son of the Special Forces General, and he is an ex-Special Forces sniper who leaves the military after killing his best friend in a friendly fire incident. Dan joins Toronto's elite SWAT team, the Tactical Response Force as a sniper. The novels all build on one another, so starting with Book 1, FORSAKEN, is recommended.

To find them ... search for LAURA ACTON in Kindle books on Amazon. Oh, and if you subscribe to their Kindle Unlimited all 8 books are part of that service and can be read for free.