[center][h1]Camp Hannula, Pöyrisjärvi National Park, Finland[/h1][/center]
[center][h2]2000 Local Time[/h2][/center]

[center][h1][color=8dc73f]Boomer and Duke: Post Mission[/color][/h1][/center]
[h2] On the tarmac[/h2]

Chuck had come through the fight in Marrakech in one piece. His armor had some dents and could use some TLC from Samantha. He was almost out of ammo and would need to restock before the next mission. He would need to tear apart his guns and clean them. He had a bruise on his chest where he took a high caliber round. His armor had done a good job of displacing the kinetic force to reduce the injury he had taken. His armor had prevented penetration and he had avoided broken bones.The bruise would fade away in a few days. His movement would be stiff for a day or two but he would recover quickly. He was calling that a  win. 

He had checked over Duke on the way back to base. He made sure to give him some water to rehydrate him after action in such a hot area. Duke needed a good bath and a meal. He gave Duke a few high protein jerky treats that he carried for missions to help him recover the energy he had expended. Otherwise Duke looked fine. He didn’t find any obvious signs of injury on his canine companion. Duke’s armor needed to be cleaned up as well. It was clear that Duke had joined in the fight from the amount of blood around his muzzle and splattered across his armor. He had used some special wet wipes to clean the worst of the gore off to make him more comfortable. He would have to wait till they got to base to get it all off. Duke had curled up near Chuck and slept on the plane ride home.  

Chuck was tired and ready for a hot shower and a meal. He climbed wearily to his feet and followed the rest of the team as they left the plane. He smiled as he saw the Battle Goddess greeting her siblings as they left the plane. He didn’t want to intrude on a family moment and simply smiled and nodded at Freya in greeting as their eyes met. He walked on by the group. He needed to take care of his dog. Duke had bounded over to rub along Freya’s leg in greeting, his tail wagging excitedly. Chuck whistled for Duke and he reluctantly returned to Chuck’s side after greeting Freya. Duke whined softly but followed Chuck’s command as the two left the tarmac. 

[hr] 
[h2] Later in the armory [/h2] 

Chuck had gone straight to the armory where he began to pull off his armor. He had pulled his helmet off and set it on the bench. He opened the back and stepped out. He struggled and winced as he worked to pull off the neoprene ballistic gel under suit off. The motion pulled against the bruising along his torso. The suit took a bit of strength to pull off and some bending. The suit fit snugly and stretched a little. His armor hung on a hydraulic lift stand waiting for repairs and cleaning. He had already put his weapons away where they went. He turned his attention to Duke. 

Once he was out of the suit he called Duke over to him. He sat down on the bench while he worked to take off Duke’s armor. He would check it over later for damage as he cleaned it. Right now he wanted to be sure Duke was okay. He ran his hands gently along Duke’s side and checked each of his paws. Duke yipped softly as he ran his hands down his sides. Duke had no broken skin but probably had some bruises where his armor had stopped a bullet. He frowned. He would have the vet check him for any fractures. He could tell from previous experience that his upgraded armor had done a better job  than what he had been given for Duke in the Marines. He saw a few scratches along Duke’s legs. They were minor and from shrapnel on the battlefield. None of them required more than cleaning. 

He whistled and had Duke follow him into the shower. He used the flexible shower head attachment and a special shampoo on Duke to help him get all the blood and gore off his muzzle and chest area. Once Duke was clean he quickly got himself clean. He turned off the shower and quickly toweled off and put on some clean sweatpants, t-shirt, and sneakers. He then carefully cleaned and inspected all the little cuts on Duke. Once he was satisfied Duke was dry and healthy. Chuck put down some food and water for him.

Chuck was puzzled when Duke didn’t immediately move towards the food and water. Duke’s posture went rigid and his head tilted to one side and then the other as he looked towards the door of the armory. Duke gave a happy bark and took off running towards the door. Chuck followed Duke and smiled as he saw what had drawn his attention. Duke slipped around everyone’s legs and rubbed along Skye’s leg barking demanding attention from her. His deep bark booming and echoing in the large space. He then stands on his hind legs and begins trying to lick her face. He is tall enough that way to reach her chin. Skye is being greeted by almost one hundred pounds of excited muscular dog with a rough tongue. 

Chuck just laughs and nods at Skye. [color=8dc73f]“Hello Bosslady.”[/color] Chuck is more inclined to trust Duke’s instincts over any code phrase to verify Skye’s identity. He knows Duke’s capabilities and trusts his partner.