A/N I am so happy for Season 2! Did anyone else notice the seal on the floor under the Life Boat. That was an Easter egg for a show producer Shawn Ryan produced called The Unit about a covert ops team and their families. The team's cover was the 303rd Logistical Unit. Anyway, on a Reddit thread someone else mentioned it and I came up with this idea, it was liked and I made it my head canon. That was last night. Today while I was trying to nap for work this story wrote itself in my head, and now here we are.
If you have never seen The Unit you should give it a watch. Colonel Ryan was played by Robert Patrick and the other characters mentioned are the single members of the team. It was mentioned in Season 1 that Wyatt was Delta Force which is what the Unit was. Apparently, there is a real life version and those guys are "the baddest of bad asses" according to military folks.
Colonel Tom Ryan was enjoying a quiet afternoon filling out paperwork to cover the latest mission. He had no knowledge of any current events that would precipitate an op and he had no meetings scheduled for another couple of hours. It was a rare to have such a lull in the action, but he would enjoy it while it lasted. He was signing off on another requisition form when his assistant knocked on his open door.
"Colonel, there is an Agent Denise Christopher from Homeland Security here to see you. She says it is urgent."
Tom sighed and dropped his pen onto the desk before scrubbing his face with both hands. "Send her in."
He stood when the middle aged, dark haired woman entered his office as his assistant closed the door behind his guest.
"Agent Christopher, Colonel Tom Ryan, he introduced himself. "What can I do for you?" He asked as he extended his hand in greeting.
She shook his hand and said, "Colonel, it's nice to finally meet you. I've read many reports coming out of your operation. I need your help."
Tom waved to the chairs in front of his desk, inviting the agent to sit, even as he did so himself.
"You've heard of Connor Mason?" He nodded and she continued. "Well, it seems he's gone and made something that has gained the attention of a terrorist who has already killed several people and kidnapped another to steal this technology. At this moment it is unclear what he intends to do with it, however, I can assure you that the ramifications will enormous. We are putting together a team in conjunction with Mason Industries to eliminate the terrorist and retrieve the tech. The team will consist of two civilians and a member from your unit, with Homeland providing operational assistance and Mason supplying all the resources needed to complete the mission.
"What I need from you is a list of your top five candidates for such a mission. Then I need you to brief your number one choice and have him report to Mason Industries. I'll be able to give you more details for him when I get your list. I will, of course, have to approve of your choice before he is briefed."
Tom sat in silence for a moment to process all of Agent Christopher's information.
"Exactly what qualifications do you require? All of my men have different skill sets in order to work together as a team."
He pulled out a blank sheet of paper and picked up his pen preparing to make a list.
"He needs to display flexibility in any situation and to make independent decisions, but still be able to take orders from a civilian if need be."
Tom interrupted her, "Why are there going to be civilians on a team going after a terrorist?"
"One is a specialist from Mason that is familiar with the technology. The other will be a cultural specialist whose job it will be to help the team blend in."
"All my people are trained in blending in."
"Not like this. The candidate will also need to be able to act as a bodyguard and protect the civilians. More than anything we need someone who can get the job done."
"So far, you've described every one of my people. I'm going to need a little more from you if I'm going to be of any help. Otherwise, you may as well go out into the hall and point at someone."
"Okay, to be frank, I need someone willing to bend the rules. I think this is going to require someone with an open mind just to even believe this op is not a joke. Speaking of which, I would say someone a little unhinged, would be ideal."
"Understood. I'll have that list for you within the hour. How long will the mission last?"
Agent Cristopher stood and gathered her bag. She looked him in the eye and answered, "Until it is complete." With that she nodded and made her exit.
Tom fully understood what she had not said, 'until it is complete, or until they are dead'. He did not want to lose a good man to the likes of Connor Mason and Homeland Security, but he had his orders.
"Sergeant," he paged his assistant, "hold all my calls and cancel everything for the rest of the day. Unless it is from the President I'm not to be disturbed."
He barely heard the reply as he pulled up a current duty roster and got to work.
Wyatt and Dave were winding down after some med training. It had been a long day and the married men on their team had gone home to their families. They had been in the lounge area for about twenty minutes nursing their beers when Williams and Grey walked into the room.
"Blue Eyes and Bam Bam sitting in a tree," Charles sang.
Wyatt smiled. "Where have y'all been all day? Don't tell me. Braiding each other's hair on the playground?"
They laughed and grabbed their own beverages before joining them on the couches.
"You know it," Hector replied.
Before he could continue Colonel Ryan walked to the door and barked, "Logan, my office in ten."
He was gone before Wyatt could respond. The four men were stunned into silence for a moment before Charles reached out and grabbed Wyatt's beer bottle.
"Looks like you don't need to finish this, so..."
Dave looked at him with a worried expression to which he could only shrug. Wyatt shook his head and said, "I guess I better not keep the Colonel waiting."
He nodded to the other men as he walked out the door. He wracked his brain trying to figure out why he had been singled out from the team. He still had no idea what the issue was by the time he reached the Colonel's office. The sergeant at the front desk waved him to the Colonel's open door immediately. He knocked on the door frame.
"You wanted to see me, sir?"
"Yeah, Logan. Come in and close the door."
With a foreboding feeling Wyatt shut the door.
"This may take a while, Master Sergeant. Take a seat." He did not wait for his order to be followed before continuing. "Homeland Security needs someone for an op. Reading between the lines, it sounds like it could turn into a suicide mission real quick, but that was never said. Therefore, this is not an order. You can refuse right now and I'll got to the next man on the list.
"What's the job, sir?"
"Going after a terrorist that has stolen some tech from Mason Industries, to put it simply. I was given very few details, but I will tell you what I know. First, apparently this terrorist has already killed several people and has a hostage. Second, you'll be on a team with two civilians with no military experience. If you say yes, you will be reassigned to this team until further notice, meaning until the job is done."
"And what is the job, sir, protecting the civilians?"
"That and eliminating the threat."
"Understood sir. I'll do whatever you need me to do."
Tom nodded and handed Wyatt a piece of paper. "Here is your Homeland contact and her information. She will be calling you when everything is ready. She will brief you and the other members of the team when you report to Mason Industries. It sounded time sensitive."
"Mason Industries, not Homeland?"
"That's correct. God's speed and good luck Logan. I think you're going to need it."
"Thank you, sir."
Wyatt stood and saluted Colonel Ryan before making his way to a little bar near base. The words suicide mission were bouncing around in his head and he was missing Jessica. He needed a drink. The bartender had just delivered his second drink when his phone rang. It was his Homeland contact.
"Master Sergeant Logan, be ready soon. I'm sending a car to pick you up. Where are you?"
The woman's brisk tone startled Wyatt into giving the name of the bar. He was told to remain there and wait for his ride before she hung up. Within half an hour he was ushered into a waiting room at Mason Industries.
Nine Months Later
Colonel Tom Ryan hung up the phone and hung his head. He sighed deeply before yelling through his closed door. "Sergeant! Gather Teams One through Three now!"
He knew it would take several minutes for his order to be completed so he took another few minutes to gather his thoughts and collect himself before making his way to the large briefing room at the far end of the building. There was quiet chatter coming from the men and women in the room. He stepped to the front of the room and cleared his throat. The chatter died off quickly.
"By now you have all heard about the explosion at Mason Industries last night. It is my duty to inform you that Master Sergeant Wyatt Logan has been listed among the twenty-two fatalities from that explosion. I thought you all would like to know. Due to the classified nature of his assignment I doubt I will be able to answer any questions, so that will be all."
Tom left the room in stunned silence and retreated to his office. Knowing the men would make their way to a bar to toast their fallen friend, he felt he should do the same. He made sure his door was locked and took the Scotch and a glass out of the bottom drawer of his filing cabinet. He sat at his desk before pouring a drink. He had had a bad feeling about the Mason assignment from the beginning, and he was sorry to lose a man like Logan. However, there was nothing he could do about it when the orders came in and there, for sure, was nothing he could do about it now, except say his goodbye.
"To Master Sergeant Logan, may you rest in peace."