Battleship

OAHU

The sun was beginning to set on what was easily the best day of Alex Hopper’s life.

After handling with aplomb all of the congratulations, Hopper and Sam had slipped off to spend the afternoon enjoying each other’s company. They’d hung out at the beach, gotten some surfing in, and were overall celebrating that they were both alive.

Having packed the surfboards onto the back of his truck, Hopper was now driving along a seaside road, with Sam resting her head contentedly on his upper arm. Seagulls were cawing in the distance. He was at total peace and couldn’t remember the last time he felt that way.

He wished Stone could see him like this.

Trying to shake off sad thoughts, Hopper glanced down at Sam. “You look hungry,” he said.

“Oh, no.” She started to laugh. She knew where this was going.

“No, seriously. Tell me you can’t go for a chicken burrito right now. ’Cause I’m starving…”

“Hopper,” she began, but before she could continue, her cell phone rang. She answered it, listened, and then said, “Okay, okay, Dad, slow down. He’s right here.”

“He come to his senses about my new boat?” Hopper asked, only half joking. Then he took the phone from her and put it to his ear. “Yes, Admiral?”

“Hopper, good news, son,” came Shane’s voice. “They found one. They found one alive.”

Hopper slammed on the brakes, the sudden stop thrusting Sam forward with such force that, had it not been for the seat belt, she’d have cracked her skull open. “Hopper, what the hell—”

“Hopper?” The admiral heard that something was going on, but didn’t understand. “Hopper, is there a problem—?”

“Sir…” Hopper licked his suddenly parched lips. “Did you read the debriefing reports…?”

“There’s a lot to wade through, son. I’m about halfway—”

“You’re going to want to jump to the other half.”

“Why don’t you summarize it for me, Commander?”

“No man left behind.”

“What? What does that have to—?” He paused and then, because he was an extremely bright man, Shane started to understand. “Are you saying—?”

Hopper nodded even though Shane couldn’t see him. “When one of their… ‘people’… fall… if they’re still alive, then they’ll come back for him.”

“They’ll come back.”