If he lives long enough to tell it.

At first there was nothing, a void to be embraced. Next came the pain ... terrifying waves of agony and consciousness began to emerge. Mark fought desperately to keep hold of the darkness.

Through the mental fog his first thought took shape. Not about himself - where he was or if any bones were broken - but hazy impressions of Tracy. Sweet, beautiful Tracy. The image forced him to focus in spite of the pain. His eyes blinked open, and light rushed through his head. he winced and quickly shut his eyes again.

Soon he heard footsteps. Mark didn't move.

There were voices now, but he couldn't make out the words. Arabic?

He wasn't sure, but the sounds combined with the pain to clear his head. He remembered where he was:Syria. And he was in trouble....