A/N: Thank you for the reviews and everyone who's popped by for a visit. Just also letting you know I didn't misspell the location 'Shanzai'.. I know the episode is called but 'Shanzhai' but if you google map it. You'll see where my logic in the spelling is at... So Enjoy :-)

Chapter 10

"You better be right about that ship, 'cause we're running low on fuel and in the next 10 minutes, we're gonna be in the drink." Jesse shouted to Tom over the noise of the rotor blades as they sliced through the air. They'd been travelling in silence for the past few hours, giving Tom to brood over what was happening as they barely escaped Hong Kong but since then it had been smooth sailing or flying given the MSS had given up on them. At least for now, but knew they wouldn't give up even if they were in Vietnam air space; it didn't mean they were safe.

"SOP says they'll be within a 20-mile radius of Haiphong." Tom told Jesse as he knew they had to be close. It was roughly 785 kms to Haiphong from Hong Kong and the winds hadn't been kind as it had been pretty choppy most of the way. He knew to find the ship would be close so by luck they'd hopefully find before they had to worry about trying to survive a sea landing in an aircraft not designed for it.

"We got to be within radio range by now." Sasha said from behind them.

"Don't bother. It's busted." Jesse said as Tom had been reaching for it. An alert came up on the console informing them that their low fuel was now a dire situation.

"Maybe not 10 minutes after all. Time to rethink your travel plans." Jesse said to Tom looking to him to come up with another idea. She was just the pilot and right now they had no where to land.

"Tell me your radar works, at least." Tom said to Jesse, she gave a nod and went to turn it on when Sasha grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Don't touch that." Sasha told her as Jesse gave her a 'what gives?' look.

"Sasha." Tom started but she cut him off.

"Your ship will identify us as Chinese. They'll think we're trying to attack them." Sasha told him.

"You don't think I know that?" Tom asked her, he knew they couldn't contact the ship directly but he could use the Radar system to send a brief message. One that Mejia or Granderson would pick up on. He just had to hope they were on shift.

"There has to be another way." Sasha argued.

"We're out of options." Tom told her.

Are you two sleeping together?" Jesse asked them as the two seemed to carry enough tension between them and bicker. She knew what that was like with Sasha.

"He's my brother." Sasha told Jesse, disgusted at the inference but then it wasn't like she ever talked about her family or said 'Hey, this is my brother' when she made the introductions.

"Huh. I don't see it." Jesse told them, as they didn't seem to share any similar features but then she hadn't really been paying attention given she was still sobering up.

"Turn it on." Tom told Jesse, she flicked the switch turning on the radar. The console for the system lit up and map of the area there were in showed on the screen a long with three distinct signals of boats in the area. Two of them moving fast while the other at a slower pace.

"We got the James. She's 10 miles out, due west-southwest." Tom said looking at the screen as he knew the Nathan James transponder code. He moved his hand down to the dials for the radar system adjusting their transponder signal code.

"What are you doing?" Sasha asked him.

"Saying hello." Tom told her as he continued to turn the dials to 1-2-0-9. His birthday, he used it as his ID tag, he just hoped the right people saw it as he knew the ship had new crew members on it that wouldn't pick up on it.

"I'm guessing red's not good?" Jesse asked, Tom as they saw a red flare rise up in the air from where the Nathan James was positioned.

"No." Tom said, he turned to wolf who handed him binoculars and looked for the other signals on the radar. It only took a second when he spotted a small speedboat. They were too far away to make out who was on the speed boat but he could see they were about to be intercepted by a larger vessel as they rounded a small island. "Looks like two of our boys down there on a speedboat. They're being pursued! We need to help." Tom told Jesse, she looked at him incredulously.

"We're running on fumes. We need to land." She told him in a firm tone as she wondered why this man was risking their lives for a couple people in a speedboat.

"I said keep going! Get us in closer." he ordered her, Jesse saw the conviction in his demeanour. The need in his eyes to help the people in the speedboat, something she realised she did understand as she'd spent the last year helping complete strangers.

"Fine, but listen when the fuel runs out we'll have some glide which will soften the blow but we're still going to crash. So you'll need to brace yourself for impact, hold onto your seats or the handles by the doors. Remember to remain calm and take a deep breath before the compartment is submerged. Do not jump out out the aircraft or release your seat belts until we're completely submerged-"

"We don't-"

"No, you need to know this otherwise your ass is toast or worse they'll be picking pieces of you out of the drink for days to send home." Jesse told him. "When we crash, brace for impact, feet flat on the floor and when the craft has completely submerged. Swim sideways away from helo and clear the wreckage before you swim up. Got it?" she told them as she highly doubted any of them had the training to egress from helo crash in the water.

"Got it, Wolf; grenade launcher." Tom said to the man, holding out his hand Wolf haned him the weapon and he adjusted his seating so he had a better angle to fire from. "Get us in closer." He told Jesse.

They were coming up to the boats and were now close enough to see that their guys on the speedboat were outgunned and were being fired upon but the other boat. He felt the helo rock a little and looked behind him to see Sasha and Wolf change positions so he was behind Tom with his own grenade launcher.

The men on the large vessel turned their weapons on the helo but luckily they were too far away for their bullets to hit the helo but they were just close enough for Tom and Wolf's weapons. They both fired off a couple of rounds and the top half of the vessel exploded, the fire must of hit the fuel tanks as the vessel exploded into a large ball of flames and debris.

Tom packed up the grenade launcher and handed it back to Wolf. Their guys were safe but he had to wonder at what cost. The helo's systems that had just been blaring one alarm was now sounding several alarms.

"We going to make it?" Tom asked Jesse as they could see the Nathan James sailing towards them. Jesse shot him a look of uncertainty and shrugged.

"It'll be rough landing if we do. You want me to drop the helo in drink or try it?" Jesse asked him, even with her casual tone he could see she was being serious. He looked to Wolf and Sasha wondering what call to make.

"How rough?" he asked her as he didn't like the idea of crashing but he preferred it be on the flight deck than in the ocean.

"Oh, like a 70% chance we could die and do some serious damage." She told him.

"Try for the landing worse case you can ditch her in the sea. My people can recover us either way." Tom told her.

"That's one of my favourite photos." Rachel said to Jed as she came into the living room with a restless Evie in her arms. They'd finished dinner and Ashley and Sammy were in their rooms presumably doing homework or reading. Whatever they got up to after dinner. Rachel didn't like to pry as she knew it was important for them to have some space and choose to spend time with her. So she and Jed retired to the living room for their usual ritual of coffee and tea before turning in for the night. Evie for some unknown reason was a little restless while Olivia was in her bouncy chair completely content to look around.

"Mine too." Jed said as he held the framed photo of his wife and the kids when they were young. They'd been out on a picnic after he'd come home from a rough deployment. The day had been perfect almost like a beautiful dream now when he thought about it.

"Your wife is beautiful." Rachel said to him as she looked at the picture with him. Jed smiled and nodded as he traced the frame of photo. What he wouldn't give to see his wife again. He wasn't a deeply religious person but he liked to think that there was an afterlife where'd they'd meet again.

"Sasha got all of Peggy's beauty and my bad attitude. Sometimes looking at her is like seeing a ghost at until she opens her mouth. If she's still out there and comes home. You'll see what I mean if you ever meet her." Jed said with a chuckle, Rachel liked that Jed stayed optimistic than letting his more pragmatic side win over him.

"Have you had any luck in finding her?" Rachel asked, she knew Jed had been searching for Sasha for months. He already knew what happened to Josh and Shannon. The details were sketchy at best as well but Jed found out Josh had been killed in the riots trying to get food for his children and wife. The wife and kids were still unknown but Jed didn't hold much hope. Shannon and her family died in the early weeks of the pandemic. Jed had tried to get to them but the last time he spoke to her she'd told him it was too late.

"No, records are spotty and we hadn't spoken in over 2 years. She was just about to go on a deep cover mission. She always called me before and after a mission as SOP is no contact with family or anyone from your real life. Who knows where she is. She could have gotten married or changed her name to keep safe. Could be anywhere right now. I'll find her." Jed said with a nod, not giving up as he knew Peggy would kick his ass if he didn't find out what happened to all their kids. He placed the framed photo back onto the mantel of the fireplace.

"Tom said he hadn't spoke to her in years. Do you know why?" Rachel asked him, she had to admit that she really wanted to know. She didn't understand sibling dynamics as she was an only child but she wanted to believe that if she had a sister. They would thick as thieves, she couldn't imagine not speaking to them.

"Tom didn't tell you?" Jed asked her, Rachel shook her head.

"I think he's deeply ashamed. I know they had a falling out but if I had a sibling I can't see how I'd go more than 7 years without speaking to them. I didn't want to push it." Rachel said casually, there were many things Rachel didn't push with Tom for many reasons. Most of the time she just didn't want to cause him pain and she could tell it ate at him that he never really mended the rift with his sister but he did speak of her fondly.

"I don't really know all the details myself. But I'm sure you know about Sammy being 5 weeks premature." Jed said as he moved to the lounge and sat down.

"Yes." Rachel said as she moved on the spot, it seemed movement was the only thing keeping Evie calm.

"Tom was running overtime at work and as always late for a family get together. He asked Sasha who was back from a tour to pick up Darien and Ashley for him and drive them to over mine. So she did as it was on the way for her. No harm or fuss, but it was snowing and Sasha hit an ice patch and lost control of the vehicle. Car careened into pole." Jed told her.

"Oh my." Rachel said.

"Sasha ended up with broken arm, ribs and a concussion, Ashley was luckily ok just whiplash but the accident sent Darien into premature labour. There was other complications during the c-section. Darien suffered a pulmonary embolism ended up in a coma in ICU, Sammy in the NICU. It was hard for everyone. Ashley didn't really understand what was going on. I helped out where I could. Tom was a wreck as the doctors weren't too optimistic." Jed said, Rachel knew he was glossing over what really happened as he only knew his side.

"I can imagine so." Rachel said as she knew how much it tore Tom up when he'd lost Darien and found his kids in Olympus.

"Tom was a wreck, as anyone would be. I don't really know what happened but I think in a raw moment he blamed Sasha for the crash and said some things to her. Sasha didn't tell me much of what he said but after that accident she told me she'd been offered a position in D.O.D., that it was probably best she take it and just go. I tried to talk her out of it as it didn't sound like she wanted to go but she's so stubborn and thickheaded when she has her mind set. She withdrew from the rest of the family. I think she was already feeling left out after Darien and Tom had Ashley. Shannon and Josh had their kids and she was the only single one left out of the kids." Jed said as even after all these years he still tried to understand what Sasha had been thinking. He did know that she had ended up loving her job and in her own was was happy.

"Nothing wrong with that." Rachel said, Jed smiled and nodded as he never worried about his kids in that respect. He wasn't such a stodgy man that he believed a woman was happiest married with kids. He'd liked that Sasha strove for the best and didn't feel she needed a man to complete her. He felt out of all the children she was the one who'd settle last because she'd stayed home the longest and seen how he and Peggy were. It was hard to not want the same kind of relationship. Even harder to find a man when her career was unforgiving on a social life and filled with so many secrets.

"Oh I know, I don't care about that. I just wanted them all happy but the others didn't really include her in their lives as much when they all became adults. I know life gets in the way, relationships change but she made the effort and they didn't really return it in kind. A good example was when they all had their kids. No one asked her to be a god parent to one of the kids. I know Josh and Shannon felt she was too young. Tom wanted her to be Ashley's godmother but Darien wasn't having a bar of it cause she was single and always working. Like Sasha didn't understand responsibility and commitment. All malarkey, as she sacrificed more than the three of them combined and carried responsibility from a younger age than the three of them." Jed said.

"Tom told me when your wife was diagnosed with cancer that she didn't go to college like she planned but stayed." Rachel said softly as she didn't know everything but she remembered Tom saying as much when they talked about his mother. Jed nodded.

"Yeah, Peggy and I told her to go but she wasn't having a bar of it. Did all her studies long distance. The other kids pitched in but they had careers and their own kids to look after. I'll be honest her staying helped a lot but I'm sure you know as a doctor what cancer does and what it's like in the end." Jed said.

"Yes." Rachel said with empathy as she knew how hard it was to watch a loved one waste away from disease.

"Yeah, well the point being is that words were exchanged and we were all in a haze for weeks until Darien woke up and Sammy was in the clear. By then Sasha was gone, I wished I'd done more to get the two to patch things up." Jed said feeling somewhat responsible for not helping his kids even if they were adults.

"I know Tom, sometimes his anger and pain can get the better of him. That he can say things to be hurtful because he's lashing out than clearly thinking about the situation and being rational. We all do, it just makes us human." Rachel said.

"Oh yeah, we've all been there." Jed said with a sad smile at her.

"The good think about life is that we all get second chances." Rachel told him.

"You should know I'm broke and I have no insurance." Jesse told Tom as they were coming in for the landing. Tom was already holding onto the 'fuck me' handle on the door frame as he'd never experienced and auto-rotation landing. It was a lot sharper and faster than a normal landing as most helos slowly hovered and descended onto the flight deck. This one however felt like Jesse was flying a plane in for a landing. He felt the urge to remind her that the flight deck wasn't a runway but kept it to himself. Jesse seemed rather calm about it, he was uncomfortable as yet another alarm blared on the console screen.

"What's that?" he asked inwardly cringing as he realised he didn't want to know.

"Oh it's nothing. Just telling me the rotors are on a low spin. Brace yourselves kids." she shouted over the noise, she landed the helo onto the flight deck with a thud and Tom closed his eyes as he heard the sound of metal skidding across the flight deck for three horrible seconds before the helo stopped.

"Well, that went a lot better than I expected." Jesse commented as she started turning off the helo. Tom opened his eyes and gave her an incredulous look as he could see the rotor blades just skimming the outer doors of the helo bays. A millimetre more and it would've been different kind of landing, he didn't want to know about the condition of the flight deck.

"Everyone ok?" he asked them, looking to Sasha and Wolf to see that they were feeling about as shaken as he was. He had to admit, there was a reason he joined the Navy and that landing reminded him of it.

"Yeah, all good." Wolf replied with a nod. Sasha gave him a nod letting him know she was ok before she reached over grasped Jesse's shoulder.

"Thank you." Sasha told her, Jesse threw a look over her shoulder at her.

"Well, I think you all owe me at least a beer and some smokes." she told them in a matter of fact tone, Tom shook his head and jumped out of the Helo, letting the flight crew take over as they rushed out with the DC crew to take over the care of the Helo. He needed an update on the situation and to know who the hell he and Wolf just killed.

He walked towards the open helo bay watching as crewmen and woman filtered out of the bay area. Lt Alisha Granderson among them, she walked up to him and stopped in front of his and saluted.

"Sir, Welcome aboard the Nathan James." she told him after Tom returned the salute.

"What's your status?" Tom said, he nearly said 'our' but held back as the Nathan James was technically not his ship anymore even though he was CNO and had the power to command it. He listened as Alisha informed them of their current course and the condition of the ship but he couldn't help but be slightly distracted as he saw Lt Burk being carried past them on a stretcher with Danny holding up one end. The two looking worse for wear. He nodded at Danny which the young man returned as he continued on.

He then saw the medics rush to Sasha and remembered how she'd been ill at the site where the Helo had been kept. He knew the medics saw the blood covering her shirt and face assuming it was hers. But he was more worried about how much exposure they all had but his sister seemed to sense him watching and gave him a closed lip smile before she turned to the medics waving them off.

"What are your orders?" Alisha asked him, snapping his attention back to her and what she'd told him.

"Have you broken EMCON?" he asked.

"Not yet." Alisha told him, a little confused as she already told him so. She looked over her shoulder and saw a tall brunette woman smiling at the CNO and wondered what it was about but now wasn't the time.

"Get Lt. Commander Burk, Green, yourself in the wardroom now. I want to know what the hell happened just a few minutes ago out on the sea." Tom told her.

"Yes, Sir." Alisha replied as she left him to do as he asked. Tom moved over to where Sasha was and caught her by the elbow.

"Are you ok?" he asked her in a low tone. Sasha gave him a droll look.

"Fine, are you calling home?" Sasha asked him changing the topic. Tom shook his head.

"Not yet. We have nothing to report." Tom told her.

"Tom, your family probably has been informed of your plane crashing and are assuming the worst." Sasha told him.

"They know me better than that. Anyway why the sudden concern?" Tom asked her, looking to her as he couldn't help but be annoyed at her telling him what the right thing to do. That she was showing concern for his family when for years she never once called or wrote. He knew it was hypocritical of him to feel slighted as he was no better but he couldn't help it.

"I always cared. I was just honouring your wishes by staying away." she told him, throwing back words said over seven years ago that he'd said in a stressful situation.

"Sasha, what happened-" he started but Sasha cut him off.

"What happened was unforgivable remember? It was why you told me to just go away. So don't feel the need to pretend like you have to be kind to me while we're on the ship or show me preferential treatment. I know the score and I can be a professional." Sasha said to him, she still felt the pain of what he said and all the emotions of that night and everything after wash through fresh as if it happened yesterday than years ago.

"I was a mess that night, what I said. I regret those words everyday." He told her, he needed her to know at least that much.

"You had the past 7 years to try and not even a phone call or a letter." Sasha said in a matter of fact tone. She wanted to let him off the hook, but in doing so would open herself to the pain she'd been carrying for years. It would make her yearn for something she knew she couldn't have and frankly she needed to focus on just moving forward.

"It's a little hard when you're Army Intelligence." Tom argued and selfishly making excuses for himself as there were other extenuating circumstances that played into why he hadn't tried to repair the damage he'd done to their relationship.

"There are ways. Anyway, you had Shannon and Josh. I was superfluous to the family." Sasha said with a shrug, Tom gave frustrated sigh as he was in the wrong. He knew that he was the one who had to make the effort but it was so hard to do so as Sasha was always had walls up. Something she only started doing when she joined D.O.D., she compartmentalised her life and work. It was hard for Tom to talk to her as he never really knew what she was thinking or feeling unlike Shannon and Josh who were civilians. Their lives were less cloak and dagger and they were more upfront while Sasha held things back.

"You're not nor ever superfluous to us. We just- I didn't know what to say to take back what I said and repair the damage." Tom confessed as he honestly didn't know where to start. He did know her feelings of inadequacy and being superfluous to the Chandler family stemmed from what he and Darien had done.

"I could think of a few things." Sasha told him as she had apologised profusely for him, she'd taken his words, the blame that not only he laid at her feet but Darien's too for that night and everything that happened as a result of it. She even blamed herself and second guessed her actions that night but she knew she couldn't change what happened or what was said.

"I'm sorry," Tom said sincerely, Sasha tried to pull away not ready to do this here and now given they were both running on empty and a mess from the last 8 hours of escaping death. But Tom held onto her, forcing her to look at him. "I mean it, what I said all those years ago, that was said in the heat of the moment. It wasn't what I wanted or meant. I messed up and I need you to that if I could. I'd take it all back." he told her.

"You realise the display you're putting on for the crew. They're going to assume you're cheating on your girlfriend." Sasha told him a matter of fact tone. He realised her arm realising she was right, not that he cared about what the crew thought personally but professionally was another matter and right now was not the time or place for this.

"I need your help, you know this region and the players. Will you help me?" he asked her.

"Of course, like I wouldn't? our history doesn't affect my work." she said incredulously, but inwardly she had to admit she appreciated his apology. The old Tom she'd known years ago would have choked on the words as if apologising was a sign of weakness than strength.

"Ok, we need to head to the wardroom." Tom told her, Sasha gave a nod.

"Lead the way." She told him.

"Hey! take it easy!" Mike growled at the guards as they practically threw Diaz back into the cage. The kid fell the floor but they helped him up to his feet just as another guard came to the open door and threw in a full laundry bag. They hadn't missed that Diaz was wearing faded khaki pyjama style clothing that had seen better days as the collar and cuffs on the pants and shirt looked ragged in places.

"What's this?" Rios asked them.

"Clothes, get changed." The guard said in broken English that was heavily accented that made it a little difficult to understand what he was saying. He stepped out the room and locked the door.

"You alright?" Mike asked Diaz as the others moved to the bag and pulled it open passing out the clothes grateful for the extra layer of clothing as it was no fun sitting around in one's underclothes. Diaz gave a nod, he looked better as the colour had returned from wherever the guards had taken him.

"Yeah, they let me sit up on deck and eat. Gave me some water to drink. It helped." Diaz told Mike.

"You see anything?" Miller asked as he was pulling on the pants from the clothing. Jeter passed Mike a shirt and pants for him.

"Open ocean, no landmarks or anything to know where we're going." Diaz answered looking a little upset at not being able to tell them anything useful.

"Did you see Mason?" Rios asked, a question that was burning in Mike's mind as he pulled on his clothes. He looked to Garnett who was thinking the same. He would never say it out loud but out of all them in the group she was the one he worried about the most. Sure she could take care of herself but female prisoners were notoriously mistreated and punished more than men. It was sexist but he could handle watching the other men be beaten, it would pain him but he could handle it but not Garnett. It was a weakness that Mike knew their captors would exploit at some point. At least now they all looked like khaki blobs together which would detract from any attractive qualities these men might see.

"No, I asked about him but they didn't tell me anything." Diaz said

"It's ok. We have to assume they are taking care of him and we're close to wherever they are taking us. Given the wardrobe change." Mike speculated, but in his gut he had a feeling Mason was already dead given they hadn't been given any information about how he was and Rios had been called to help in his care.

"They come from all over. Pocket knife from the Philippines, Vietnamese penlight, matchbook and condoms from China. Even pirates play it safe sometimes." Sasha said humorlessly as she picked her way through all the personal effects Danny had collected from Haiphong. "But this is the key." she said picking up a coin out of everything on the wardroom table. "When the pandemic hit, pirates looted the Singaporean reserve bank for gold coins, and this became their currency. They're the only ones in the region who use it." she informed them.

"Where do they spend it?" Tom asked her, Danny had debriefed them on what had happened at the nightclub and how many he assumed to be dead over missing as he'd see the men be shot. They learned the ship's helo was destroyed along with it's crew which added to the death toll.

Lt Commander Burk and Alisha had gone over the events from their side. But Tom was still going to go over the logs afterwards as right now the personal effects and Sasha's knowledge were the only real lead they had at the moment in finding the missing crew.

"Shanzai. It's an ungoverned Dodge City off of China's south coast." Sasha said to them all as she moved to the map of the region Alisha had laid out on the table earlier when they first came in. She looked at the map for a moment before she found Shanzai and tapped her finger at it's location.

"China? You want to go back to Peng's backyard?" Lt Commander Burk asked incredulously as he knew that Tom and the others barely got out of China the first time and were lucky to get out unscathed.

"Well, essentially, it's an open city. If the pirates had a capital, this would be it." Sasha explained to him, she didn't want to have a deep discussion about the political minefield that Shanzai was in regards to Peng and the pirates.

The pirates had no allegiances to any country but they held a Chinese city at their own which ruffled Peng's ego to say the least but he 'allowed' it because he didn't have the forces to take it back and it also meant he could use the city to smuggle in contraband, weapons and whatever the hell he liked without America or any of China's allies knowing. Something Sasha kept to herself because she had no proof to show for it only whispers and rumours.

"Before the attack in Vietnam, we tracked three boats in formation. By last night, there was only the one. This could be where the other two went." Alisha speculated.

"Seems like our best shot, sir." Danny said referring to them going to Shanzai. Tom looked to Sasha and the map, he could tell there was more to what she was telling them but now wasn't time to push that subject as they needed to find the missing crew.

"Get St. Louis on the line. Set a course for Shanzai." Tom ordered Alisha.

Mike was trudged through shallow creeks and dense jungle foliage in flimsy flip flops that did nothing to soften the sharp rocks and god knew was swimming through the water. He tried to figure out where he was but the two large men at his side made it difficult as they gripped his arms hard and one hand was at the back of his neck painfully pinching the nerves at the base of his neck. All he knew was that wherever they were going it was far cry from civilisation.

They'd been forced to put on head covers and their hands cuffed behind their backs before they were put into small motor boats. Mike hadn't been able to see much through the cloth but judging by the sunlight and the hunger that started gnawing his gut, he'd say it was close to lunch time. When they'd reached their destination, the guy who seemed to be in charge pulled Mike's hood off. The light had been blinding for a moment but when his vision adjusted he saw they were at a small riverside dock that looked like it was owned by a fisherman given the paraphernalia spotting the area but Mike didn't know any fisherman who came armed assault rifles.

Either way the boats docked and they were forced off, not like they had a choice either way, Mike was quickly separated from the others and taken down a different path. He'd spent the track taking in the scenery and anything that could him later as he mentally counted the steps back to the dock for future reference. If he had to guess in distance from Haiphong, he'd say about 400 miles which meant they could be in one of hundreds of small islands that dotted the South China sea.

They walked up a creek, water sloshing with every step until the foliage opened up to a clearing. Mike took in the area as there were small wooden huts, he could hear the sounds of people, dogs in the distance and the smell of fires. The men at his side pushed him up to the closest hut. Mike looked up to see a 5ft 7 Japanese man walk out of the hut, he was pale and sweating as he leaned heavily on the railing for support.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Mike demanded, angry at their treatment. Angry someone had the nerve to attack them when they didn't do anything but help spread the cure and help people. Angry that he had no clue what was going. "You speak English? You know what you did? You know who we are? You can't do this." he told the man. all the while the man looked at him calm and entirely unruffled by his anger.

"You're wrong, Captain Slattery. I know exactly who you are." The man told him, with that he walked into the hut. The men behind Mike pushed him forward. His flip flop snapped as it got caught in the dirt and rocks making him trip forward but the man as his back pulled on his shirt and pushed him forward.

Mike was pushed into the hut and the anger he felt evaporated within seconds as the first thing he saw was makeshift hospital bed that was waist height made from canvas with restraints on them. He looked around the room seeing medical equipment, half empty IV bags of blood; his mind racing wondering what the hell it was for but equally wanting to escape the room. one of the men went to unlock the handcuffs on his wrists.

As soon as one wrist was free, he punched the closest one and then shoved the other against the wall and was about to punch him out when the first guy he hit pulled him off wrangling him into an arm lock immobilising him. The other man came at Mike and sucker punched him in the stomach hard incapacitating him.