Brothers in Arms

A few days later...

"Excuse me, Ma'am. Could you tell me where Room 505 is?" Boston asked.

"Just take the elevator to the fifth floor. The odd-numbered rooms are on the left hallway, while the even-numbered rooms are on the right," the nurse replied.

"Thank you."

A few moments later, Boston arrived on the fifth floor and stopped right in front of Room 505.

Creak...

He slowly opened the door.

Boston looked around the room until he finally found David and William lying on their hospital beds.

"Boston. Is that really you?" William called out.

Boston immediately walked over to them.

"Hey, David, William. How are you two doing?"

"We got beaten up pretty badly by him," William replied.

"So, how does it feel to take a punch from Targyan?" Boston teased.

David gave a faint smile.

"It still hurts. It feels exactly like it did fifteen years ago."

"Even though his punches are still just as powerful, I think he's a little slower than before."

"Really? But you're still beaten up just like you were fifteen years ago, William."

Boston laughed.

"At least I managed to land a few hard kicks on him," William said.

David turned toward William.

"You're right. You kicked him pretty hard, William. Hard enough to wreck my car."

Boston laughed loudly.

"Hahaha... That's tragic, David."

William gave an awkward smile.

"I'm sorry, David. I didn't see your car there."

David looked at William.

"I know. Relax, William. I'm just joking. Even so, Targyan's strength is still above ours."

"Yeah. That man seems to have a much higher pain tolerance than an ordinary human."

Boston walked toward the window and looked at the view outside.

"It's been fifteen years since the last time we stood together to capture Targyan. And now... we've captured him for the second time."

Suddenly, the room fell silent.

William and Boston slowly lowered their heads.

Memories of Darius came back to their minds.

"Hey... Shouldn't we be celebrating the fact that we managed to capture Targyan?" David said, trying to lighten the mood.

William let out a long sigh.

"Darius would be angry if he saw us looking so gloomy like this."

Boston gave a faint smile.

"You're right. He always said that being too serious would only make a person grow old faster."

David chuckled.

"I still remember that operation in Nevada. He made everyone panic because he kept screaming for help."

William laughed softly.

"And all of it happened because his boot got caught on a barbed-wire fence."

Boston shook his head while laughing.

"An entire squad came running to him. And when we finally got there, he said, 'Don't worry. The only thing that's hurt is my pride.'"

The three of them burst into laughter.

Slowly, their laughter chased away the silence that had filled the room.

David looked up at the ceiling.

"I'm sure... if Darius were still alive, he'd be laughing at us right now."

William nodded.

"Yeah. And he would tell us to enjoy life... instead of spending our lives mourning his death."

Boston clenched his fist.

"Then... for Darius, we have to keep moving forward."

David and William looked at each other before finally nodding.

Suddenly, a voice came from the doorway.

"Hey! You guys fought Targyan again?"

Torino waved his hand as he walked into the room.

"Yeah, we did," William replied.

"Why didn't you tell me? I could have helped!"

William and David exchanged glances.

"You can't even fight. Your specialty is tracking people. If you came with us, we'd have to protect you instead," William teased.

"Damn... That's true. But at least I could support you with my prayers," Torino replied.

David smiled.

Boston also laughed.

"You're not exactly the most religious person. Are you sure your prayers would even be answered?" William teased again.

The room immediately filled with laughter.

Without realizing it, Targyan had brought them together again in the same room, giving them a chance to share the laughter they had forgotten for so long.

"How about this? Once you two recover, I'll treat everyone to dinner and drinks. How does that sound?" Boston offered.

"I'm in. You're paying, right?" William asked.

"Of course."

"I don't mind," David said.

"I heard you were the one who led the air support during Targyan's capture yesterday," Torino said.

"That's right. How did you know?" Boston asked.

"I told you. When it comes to finding information, Torino is the best," William interrupted.

Boston simply laughed.

"Haha..."

"Then your rank must be pretty high if you can deploy two AH-64D Apaches and one Black Hawk," Torino continued.

"The official report hasn't even been released yet. There's really nothing that can be hidden from you," Boston said in amazement.

"Then you should treat us to somewhere a little more luxurious," Torino said.

William immediately interrupted.

"Did you even take part in capturing Targyan?"

"No. But I'm the one who told you that Boston now has a high-ranking position. That means the food we're going to eat will be much better thanks to me," Torino replied proudly.

"That's not how it works," William said.

"Come on. You guys are all my friends. Don't worry. I'll take all of you to a really good restaurant, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it," Boston said.

A few minutes later, Boston's phone rang.

Beep... Beep...

He glanced at the screen.

"Excuse me for a moment."

He stepped outside the room and answered the call.

"This is Boston."

"Colonel, the prisoner has been safely transferred to a maximum-security military facility," a man said.

"How secure is it?"

"The entire facility is protected by three layers of security. We've also stationed a special unit outside his cell."

Boston was silent for a moment.

"Never underestimate Targyan."

"Yes, Colonel."

"Make sure all guards change shifts according to procedure. Don't give him even the slightest chance."

"Understood, Colonel."

The call ended.

Boston let out a long breath.

"I hope... this really is the end."

He returned to the room.

William immediately looked at him.

"Is there a problem?"

"No. Just a report from headquarters."

"Targyan has been transferred?" David asked.

Boston nodded.

"Yes. The security is much tighter than before."

"That's how it should be. We can't afford to lose anyone else because of him," William said.

The room fell silent again.

"You two really deserve to be called old heroes," Boston teased.

"Who are you calling old?" William protested.

David laughed.

"I won't deny it. We're all getting older."

"You're clearly the oldest one here," William replied.

"Haha! I'm still more handsome than all three of you."

They laughed...

"When it comes to battered faces, you two are definitely the champions," Boston teased.

Several nurses passing by couldn't help but smile when they saw them.

No matter how many years had passed, and no matter how much they had lost...

...their friendship had never changed.