Disclaimer; I do not own the characters, they belong to their rightful owners and copyrights.
A/N; Had this on paper for a few months and kinda forgot about it till I found the papers by accident. Enjoy!
Lieutenant Colonel Franklin Clay was definitely not impressed. A group of Black-Ops had been sent in to do a job, but not only had they come back unsuccessful and injured, but also missing a team member; the most crucial one of this mission; their tech. And so Clay was being sent in with his own team to collect the data needed and hopefully rescue the prisoner, depending on if he was still alive that is.
Looking at his team, Clay kept quiet in his seat. His Second in Command, Captain William Roque had a tendency to maim people, if not just threaten them of horrible death by his own hands. While violent, the man still took his job as if it was an art, knowing precisely how to plant bombs to make the less damage to the surrounding environment with the most destruction to the intended target.
Next was his driver and pilot, Sergeant Linwood Porteus, better known as Pooch. You needed something to drive or fly away in, the man could do it in the least amount of time needed with the best results. And if it broke down, Pooch only needed duct tape to get it working again.
Their long range specialist, Sergeant Carlos 'Cougar' Alvarez was a miracle worker. With him at their back and them in the sniper's sight, Clay never had to worry about his men. Even if the Spaniard was almost a mute and they needed to keep a Spanish dictionary on hand, the Colonel couldn't have been happier to have him on his team. Not to mention their growing grasp on Spanish did help them out in Southern America.
What Clay had trouble with presently was their own tech. Private Andrew Spalden was a great guy…for someone who should be behind a desk and not out on the field. The man always needed a path cleared for him, he could barely shoot in a straight line and his social interaction with the rest of the team was at a minimum, bordering on almost insulting to the rest of them because of their supposed lack of technological knowledge.
And while sometimes important, the information he usually managed to find was minimal and concurred exactly with what the mission description gave them, even if the actual layout was completely different. Not to mention the time it took the man to gather the information tended to be too long for a safe extraction and it gave the enemy time to gather their backup.
It never ended well for the Losers.
Sighing, Clay looked back down at the mission information he'd been given.
"Corporal Jacob Jensen…acquainted with him, Spalden?" he asked his tech.
Spalden shook his head.
"I've heard of him, but we don't frequent the same circles. He's said to have insubordination issues and has been moved at least four times to different teams."
"Why don't they just drop him behind a desk?" Roque rolled his eyes.
"He was field trained first, then they realized he took a quittance test out of MIT after six months in his freshman year before he enrolled. Apparently he refuses to be put under the tech list, preferring the field soldier title. Thought there is a rumor he often forgets his gun," Spalden shrugged a shoulder.
Clay raised a brow, Roque sending him a glare as if he could read into his CO's thoughts. Though it wasn't too hard to guess this Jensen tech would fit better into their group than Spalden did at the moment. And Spalden's last words could be cause for worry, if Clay did decide to initiate Jensen.
"It's been three days already. What are the odds he's still alive?" asked Pooch, not needing to see his superior officers to know their silent debate.
"Slim," murmured Cougar, hat down over his eyes, shading his whole face.
"Even if he's dead, we still need to head in. Ready to extract information, Spalden?" Roque asked, his smirk less than friendly.
"Just clear me a path," grumbled the tech, going back into his 'bubble'.
The truck fell quiet once more, the pre-mission 'vibe' in full swing.
The infiltration went without a hitch, Roque at the front, Spalden in the middle with his suitcase of techno and Clay bringing up the rear and searching for the hostage. Cougar was posted outside at a vantage point to cover their exit while Pooch kept the engine running. It shouldn't take them more than ten minutes to retrieve the information, if Spalden managed to hack at a superb speed.
"Clear," said Roque after shooting a few guards and then moving on.
Spalden followed while Clay stepped into the room and looked at the person tied to a chair in the middle of it, specs of blood all over the floor from wounds on his bare chest or those he could tell were on the legs because of the blood stains and coinciding rips on the pants.
A black bag had been placed over the man's head, but Clay knew he had their man since he still had his dog tags around his neck.
"Corporal Jensen, my name is Colonel Clay. I'm here to bust you out and finish your assignment. You still with us, soldier?"
The man's head lifted and even tilted to the side as he was listening to Clay, doing a slow nod to answer the question.
"I'll be removing the bag now. Do not panic."
The tech managed to shrug a shoulder, Clay taking that as a good sign as he reached forward and pulled the bag off slowly, just in case there was a wound under there with dried blood against the tissue. Clay frowned as the man's face was revealed, and by his silence the Lieutenant Colonel expected the man to be gagged, but he didn't appear to be.
Blue eyes blinked up at him, trying to adjust to the new light before he took in Clay as Clay looked at him. No, the man wasn't gagged, but there were traces of dried blood between his lips, which the tech kept together.
Blond hair, high cheek bones and clearly only at the beginning of his twenties, Clay was actually surprised by how young the tech really was.
"You alright kid?"
Jensen gave a nod, giving a slight jerk of his arms to tell Clay to untie him. Just as he finished cutting the rope, his comm. came on.
"Alpha One, need back up at the security closet!" came Roque's voice in his ear.
Clay let out a swear, Jensen looking at him over his shoulder before he brought his sore wrists up front to rub at them, wincing as they were mostly raw from trying to undo the ropes by himself.
"Can you use a gun?" asked Clay, checking his backup gun before handing it to the blond.
Jensen blinked and picked it up, bringing it close to his face and squinting at it, taking the safety off and the side of his mouth curling up sheepishly.
"Something wrong?" growled Clay, unsure if he should have let the kid take the gun.
Jensen waved at his face, then placed his fingers into a circle and over his eye.
"Shit! How bad's your vision?"
The blond seemed to get irritated and waved for Clay to lead. Turning to it but keeping an ear out for his back, they left the room, Clay's boots not making much of an echo, Jensen's bare feet even quieter. Jensen made a noise at the back of his throat which caused Clay to startle, but he regained his cool enough to turn and see what the tech was doing.
The blond had crouched down and was trying on the glasses from one of the downed man, crunching up his nose in displeasure, but he did keep the glasses on, giving a more assured nod to Clay.
It didn't take long to reach Roque and Spalden after that, coming up behind a few guards. Clay and Jensen easily dispatched them, the tech's target taking two bullets instead of just one simply because of the man's still lacking sight.
"Still alive Captain? Private?" asked Clay once it was all silent again.
"For the moment. Got the tech with you?" called back Roque, sounding less than pleased.
Clay could easily tell it was because Spalden wasn't done yet.
"Alive and shooting, if slightly off. Status Spalden," Clay ordered as they finally entered the security office.
"Still in the process of entering their mainframe. Damn, even from their own computer it's a bitch," whined their tech.
Clay clearly saw Jensen roll his eyes as he got up from another glasses search, looking more focused this time. He came up behind Spalden, who sat in a rolling chair and pulled him away before just bending over the key board, face almost glued to the screen to be able to see clearly.
"Hey! What are you doing?" yelled the Losers' present tech.
On a secondary screen a window opened and you could read 'MY job!', but Jensen's eyes never left the main screen.
"Unless you weren't told, but you're not on this mission anymore. You're 'part' of it!"
One hand came up to give Spalden the bird while the second kept on typing without pause. On the secondary screen the message changed to ; 'Where's your external hard drive? Gimme, gimme!'
"No, I will not let-"
"Give it to him Private!" snapped Roque.
Spalden didn't dare object and handed it over. It took Jensen only seconds before he handed it back, but he kept on typing.
"What are you doing? We gotta get outta here…" Roque trailed off as the cameras came back in view to show where everyone was.
'Our route?'
"Out to the North. We've got cover," answered Clay.
Jensen nodded and suddenly the lights went out and the sprinklers came on, the blond already heading for the exit. Roque grabbed onto Spalden and they rushed out.
"Be ready to leave boys, we're arriving and fast!" Clay said into his comm. unit.
"Copy that," replied Pooch.
Not two minutes later they were in the truck, Cougar taking out anyone that came out of the building from the side window, Roque ready on the other side to pick up anyone with his pistol, but the sniper had it all under control.
"Hi there, I'm Pooch!" the driver said once they were on their way, Roque and Cougar back safely into the truck.
The sniper sat down beside the young tech, Roque in front of him with Clay beside his Second in Command which left Pooch stuck with Spalden as his 'co-pilot'.
Jensen gave a wave, which caused the men to all frown over at him, Clay taking a closer look at Jensen's lips.
"Someone cut your tongue, boy? Let me see," Roque grouched, reaching over his seat to grab the younger man's face.
Jensen's answer was to lean away and slap Roque's hand off course. He raised a finger up to tell them to wait a second before he pulled up slightly his upper lip, showing them all that someone had done a good job of sewing his lips together.
"Damn man! Why'd they 'do' that?" exclaimed Roque.
Cougar had taken Jensen's face between his hands gently and checked the damage, lightly prodding at the area around Jensen's lips to see how deep the wire went.
Jensen's response was to make the 'bla-bla-bla' motion with his hand, rolling his eyes to say he found they'd exaggerated.
"To keep you quiet till they're ready to have you talking, eh? Don't worry soldier; we'll get you fixed soon enough," Clay assured him.
Jensen gave a tight smile, exhaustion clear on his face. Once Cougar was done doing a preliminary check-up of him, the blond leaned back and closed his eyes, body relaxing into a doze.
Clay sent a glance to Cougar and the sniper settled himself into watching over the young man's sleep.
Arriving at the camp, Clay jumped out before Pooch had fully pulled to a stop.
"We need a medic!" he yelled, watching as Spalden left them immediately to go deliver the 'goods' to the tech department.
Turning back to his team, he watched as Cougar gently awoke the younger man they'd rescued, making sure he didn't try to open his mouth either to yawn of to talk. Feeling a sense of duty, Cougar and him followed the medics once Jensen managed to slip out of the truck and into their grasp.
"Jake! What the hell have you done to yourself 'this' time!" exclaimed one petite medic, her answer being a sheepish smile and shrug.
"Got his mouth stitched shut. He can't talk or open his mouth otherwise he'll pull at them," explained Clay when it seemed as if the woman was about to scold Jensen for his silence.
The whole group froze in their advance to the infirmary tents, all looking at the blond with wide eyes.
"Stitched shut?" she asked in a little voice.
"Yes, as in very little space between his lips so I doubt he's eaten or even drank in the past three days," urged Clay.
It snapped the team back into a run, an IV with saline shoved into Jensen's arm along with antibiotics to ward off any infections. Clay had to admit the work was done almost as if it was a choreographed dance, even down to the cutting off of Jensen's pants to shoving him under a blanket to give him a semblance of being covered.
Every nick and bruise was checked over, an actual doctor coming in to check the mouth.
"Do you know what kind of string they used?" the man asked.
Jensen could only shake his head, which dislodged the doctor's hands from his face and clearly annoyed the doctor.
Cougar, silent as always, stepped forth with a pad and pen, placing them on a rolling side table by Jensen's arm. The blond gave the widest smile he could to the Spaniard. It caused the doctor to glare at them.
"Gentlemen, if you wouldn't mind leaving?" hinted the medical professional.
Jensen jumped on the pen and paper.
'THEY STAY!'
"Corporal, this is not up for debate," scolded the doctor.
Jensen simply added another exclamation mark. Giving a frustrated sigh, the doctor ordered a medic to bring him a kit to remove stitches.
'Toothbrush and toothpaste too please!' wrote Jensen.
"Now is not the time to aggravate your situation by brushing your teeth."
'Haven't washed in three. Got blood in here too. It's more dangerous for infection as is than if I brush once freed!'
Clay had to agree with that logic, but he wisely kept his mouth shut. The doctor gave an annoyed sigh, nodding to the medic.
"I will cut the strings between your lips, you will be allowed to brush your teeth, very gently, no spitting if you can help it and then we'll remove the stitches in your skin. Is that acceptable?"
Jensen actually looked at the ceiling of the medical tent pensively, causing the doctor to grind his teeth before the tech nodded.
"Can someone please come behind Corporal Jensen and hold his head in place? The less movement possible is the best option here."
Cougar moved before any of the medics could, giving Jensen an assured nod before kneeling on the bed behind Jensen, placing his warm hands on both sides of the blond's head. Jensen took in a deep breath by his nose, closed his eyes and let it out in a controlled manner, nodding to the doctor with his eyes still closed.
He flinched slightly when the doctor's gloved thumb touched his bottom lip, but he didn't pull away, feeling the cold scissors touch his lips. He did his best to not pull at the stitches but still move apart his lips, hoping it would help.
Hearing a 'snip' , feeling a bit of give to his tender skin and no pain, he almost let out a sob at finally being freed, even if it was only the first string. The second, the third 'snips' came, Jensen getting a bit of courage to actually open his eyes. He almost let out a laugh as he noticed the doctor had put on a medical mask.
Clearly it would be worse than a case of bad breath, if his taste buds were anything to go by, but how could the doctor have thought to leave him without a bit of oral hygiene if he himself dared to protect his sense of smell? Once fully free, Jensen would give this medical expert a piece of his mind for sure!
Five 'snips' later and Jensen was up, easily tying the sheet around his waist as he went to a corner of the tent where a basin was placed in front of a mirror. Armed with a toothbrush, toothpaste and two bottles of water, he started on the job of cleaning his mouth by taking water in, tilting his head back and gurgling it to put the least pressure on his lips as possible. To empty his mouth of soiled water, he just leaned his face over the basin, letting it all drip out.
He put a considerable amount of toothpaste on the toothbrush and started the process of vigorously cleaning his back teeth, stopping to add a bit of water to gurgle every now and then to help dilute the foam to expulse. He put toothpaste once more and cleaned his front teeth slowly and gently, making sure to actually pull his lip away from the danger zone he was working on.
Once fully done, he gurgled a little longer than previously and did spit the last mouthful out, the doctor looking quite displeased.
"Ah, fresh!" rasped out Jensen as he turned back to them, big smile on his lips showing his white teeth. "A good long shower and it'll feel like nothing ever happened!"
"Stop talking and get over here Corporal!" snapped the doctor. "I'm far from being done as I have to get those strings out of your lips as soon as possible before the swelling makes it impossible!"
Giving a minor pout, Jensen came back to the cot and sat down with his back facing the doctor before he let himself fall back, head right at the doctor's knees.
"Just like at the dentist, while getting your wisdom teeth pulled out, right? Did you know that only-"
"Get me a local anesthetic. You'll need to be quiet during the procedure son."
The blond rolled his eyes but didn't say anything, knee bouncing as he waited for a nurse to bring the necessary numbing agent and the syringe with the anesthetic. Cougar, who'd stood by the bed when Jensen had gotten up to go brush his teeth, sat down by his knees and placed a hand on the bouncing appendage.
"Calmate, amigo. Este bien."
Jensen looked down towards the sniper, let out a deep breath and clearly relaxed some more. It always amazed Clay how Cougar knew how to calm or cause anxiety, in anyone he met, with only a word or a simple glance. And Jensen seemed to be needing a constant source to keep him grounded at the moment, especially after just being rescued.
Once started, the procedure took a good hour to get all the pieces of string from the lips, making sure not to lose any bits in the new bleeding puncture wounds as the skin had started to heal against it. At the end, the young tech had a bloody mouth once more but he seemed content that the whole ordeal was over with after gurgling some water again to get most of the blood out.
"Keep that compress between your lips for the next hour and change it when it gets too blood soaked. Get some rest, you need it after your dehydration," ordered the doctor.
Jensen gave a half hearted salute, eyes already dropping closed as he laid down on the cot properly. Clay motioned for Cougar to stay sitting in a chair by the kid while he went out, spotting the medic that had called the Corporal by his given name.
"Can you get Jensen's glasses prescription? We were unable to find his old ones while leaving the compound."
"Sure! I'll get right on it. Thanks for bringing that kid back. He may not be liked by most commanding officers and superiors, but he's got a big heart and helps anyone out who asks him nicely. Even if it's something as dumb as checking your computer for any updates," she laughed gently, leaving to put in the lens order.
Giving a large sigh and passing one hand over his face, Clay went to find the rest of his team. He knew Spalden would be holed up with the rest of the techs in the 'geek squad tent'; Pooch was probably off into the communication tent talking with his girlfriend-soon-to-be-fiancée; and Roque tended to be anywhere there was a bit of action.
Heading for the mess, he thought about killing two birds with one stone. Food and most possibly Roque under the same canvas.
Just as he was about to enter the large tent, Clay heard his name being called.
"Lieutenant Colonel Clay!"
Turning around, he took in the man approaching him purposely, a Colonel Erikson with a bruised cheekbone, by the identification on his uniform and the discoloration on his face.
"Yes?"
"I'm Corporal Jensen's CO. I gotta say I'm surprised you managed to get him out alive."
Clay noticed a little apprehension when the other Colonel said the tech's name, and while Clay could understand it in most situations, it wasn't a good sign when a team mate was injured, especially not coming from the team leader.
"He's resting in the Infirmary tent if you wish to see him," said Clay instead, not wanting to get in the middle of this, even if he was interested by Jensen's skills.
Erikson was shaking his head.
"He's probably told those terrorists everything he knows. That boy can't shut up for a minute, not even when he's asleep! I just hope the camp won't be ambushed," he said with a sneer.
Clay's eyebrows shot up in surprise, looking at this commanding officer in disbelief.
"Do you know the state in which Corporal Jensen came back, Colonel?"
Erikson looked annoyed.
"Someone mentioned he was malnourished, dehydrated and battered. That's never stopped him from being insolent before."
"They cut off his tongue," replied Clay in a dead pan voice, just to see the other man's reaction.
Colonel Erikson suddenly lost all colors, eyes going wide.
"Wha-what do you mean they cut off his tongue! Does that mean they got all of the information out of him? Why would they keep him alive?"
Annoyed at what he was hearing, Clay's already somber mood deepened. It was clear this man was a bad CO, considering he didn't even care about the health and safety of his own men.
"They didn't, they just sewed his mouth shut. They were most likely waiting for the arrival of an expert torturer before they allowed him to talk about anything. I believe it would be in your best interest to put in you're looking for a new tech, Colonel Erikson," snapped Clay before he entered the mess, now too angered to eat so he headed directly to his second in command.
Roque only needed to take one look at his face before he excused himself from the card game he'd entered and followed Clay out by the other exit.
"Do you believe Spalden is up to par with our team and ops?"
"No, that mouse is more trouble than he's worth. Barely gets us any extra information and takes too long at it to boot," complained Roque.
"I'll send in a request for a new tech then. Go pack up your gear, we're still leaving tomorrow at eleven hundred."
Roque nodded and broke off to go to their tent. They'd been issued at another camp when they'd gotten the order to rescue Jensen. At least they'd managed to complete their task in time so they wouldn't have to push back their transport time.
Clay arrived at the communication tent and took a piece of paper and a pen, simply writing to Pooch to pack up once he was done talking with Jolene. Clay knew better than to cut off their conversation short unless it was an emergency; Jolene would give them all Hell the next time she saw them.
Pooch accepted the paper and read it fast, giving a nod to Clay before the Colonel left to go find Spalden. The tech was indeed in the tent filled from one corner to the other with computers and other equipment, most of the techs chatting about one computer program or another.
"Spalden," he called calmly behind his tech.
"Yes sir?" the man snapped to attention. The way the man's eye twitched a clear sign to Clay that the tech was annoyed at his CO's invasion of his 'territory'.
"We all leave at eleven hundred tomorrow. Be ready to leave by then," he ordered.
"Yes sir!"
Clay got out of there as fast as he could, without running of course. He just wanted to go tell Cougar, who was no doubt still by Jensen's side, about their time of departure before turning in to his tent for a glass of scotch.
He couldn't have been gone for more than an hour, but when he arrived he found Jensen awake, laying on his back with a cell phone laid on his chest, the man singing in a soft voice the creepiest version of the Itsy Bitsy Spider he's ever heard.
-Thanks Jake, she's asleep now,- said a female voice as soon as he finished the last note.
"Why don't you use the recordings I left you to put her to sleep? They should work Jen," sighed Jensen.
-I try, but it's as if she realizes it's not really you. And you know she barely sleeps if you don't sing to her.-
"Next time make as if you're talking on the phone with me and put the phone besides the stereo. That should fool her for a bit," yawned Jensen.
Stepping closer, Clay was surprised to see the cell phone was Cougar's rarely used one. The only reason he had it was so Clay could contact him away from jobs when they weren't wearing their comm.
-I'll try…How bad is it?-
"How bad is what?"
-You can't fool me, Jacob! I can hear the monitors! How bad are you hurt? And don't lie to me! I'm a nurse!-
"I know you are," chuckled Jensen, a fond smile on his lips.
Clay hadn't seen any mention of the tech being married in his file, much less with a child from the sounds of it.
-Are you still whole?-
"Yep, got all my pieces! And the biggest problem is dehydration Jen, nothing an IV can't fix. They've only got me monitored to make sure I don't escape before my full cocktail. So stop worrying your pretty little head and tell me how it's going on your side."
The line was silent for a few seconds, but Jensen didn't seem to be worried.
-We've decided on getting divorced. I can't deal with him anymore and I won't let him destroy Becky's life!-
"Good, that's great. Didn't I tell you the only two good things that guy ever did was get you through nursing school and get you pregnant with Becky? What's he asking for?"
The silence came again. It lasted slightly longer than the last one.
-He wants us to sell the house and split the money.-
Jensen clearly looked annoyed.
"No Jen, you will not. Uncle Murdock gave us the house, you and me. Our names are on the deed and he'll get no penny from it! Counter with sole custody of Rebecca and no child support on his part. He can just leave and never look back."
-Be reasonable Jake! My salary only covers half of what I need to raise a child on my own! What is she falls sick? I would never be able to take the day off to keep an eye on her! There's daycare to consider and then to start saving for college or university. How do you expect me to do all that?-
Jensen rolled his eyes.
"I don't expect you to do that. I expect you to live without worry. How many times do I have to tell you I've already got her studies fund covered and you know you can use the money in our shared account; it's why I made us get one!"
-Stop being an idiot! You've been sacrificing everything ever since I told you I was pregnant! She is your niece, not your daughter! And I'm your big sister; I'm supposed to look out for you, not the other way around!- she snapped.
Jensen let out a quiet sigh, the man seeming to fall deep in thoughts.
"You have Jennifer; you've been taking care of me since I was in diapers. Now it's my turn to take care of you and my niece. As an uncle, it is my duty to spoil her, be it with toys or money so her mommy will be able to take care of her properly. Take the money Jen, it's for you and Becky. I rarely got any use for it. And tell that soon-to-be-ex of yours if he doesn't leave with our conditions, I'll be paying him a little visit!"
Jensen's smirk was anything but friendly. It actually sent a shiver down Clay's back. And from the smile Clay spotted under Cougar's hat, he had a feeling the sniper liked Jensen's attitude.
-Fine, I'll do it! But you better come home soon. We miss you terribly.-
"Aw, that's so cute of you to say! As soon as I got any leave time, I'll be back home before you get the notice."
With that said, Jensen closed the phone and gave it back to Cougar.
"Told you I could get a connection in any blocked area. Easy as pie, really. Actually, pie's really complicated to-"
"Shouldn't you be resting soldier?" Clay interrupted, amused by how Jensen was trying to drag the silent sniper into conversation.
The blond looked over at him and gave a sheepish smile.
"Sorry sir, just had to make a quick phone call. I'll be resting now."
"See that you do. Cougar, time to go," chuckled Clay.
Cougar nodded, gave a pat to Jensen's shoulder and followed Clay out. The Lieutenant Colonel could only hope Colonel Erikson and his own report ended being close together. How much effort could it be to simply switch techs from one team to another?
A/N; And that's a wrap! Hope you all had a couple of giggles! And the version of the Itsy Bitsy Spider is the one from Eight Legged Freaks, the one at the end. (Which I do not own XD)