A/N: I wanted to do something completely different to Bravo and I haven't seen a story like this. For some reason, it is stuck in my head so I am going to write it and see how people take it. This is going to be set sometime after Alana dies and Jason has his own apartment with extra rooms for the kids. The apartment looks better than the one he has in the show, similar to what Clay has in the show.
Summary: When Bravo gets a new member ordered onto them, they never expected it would be a sixteen-year-old kid. All they want is for him to disappear and quit the military. But appearances can be deceiving and Bravo has to decide if they are going to keep him or pass him off. If they do keep him, can they really handle not only having a kid on their team, but also raising him? There is more pain behind those blue eyes than any of them ever expected.
Warnings: Past child abuse, bullying both past and present, swearing, violence, and light sexual assault (touching).
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Chapter 1
Bravo was currently sitting in their war room waiting on their next set of orders. They had all been called down here at three in the morning and none of them were happy about it. They knew it happens all the time, but they were really hoping they would have been able to sleep tonight. They had been doing a lot of missions recently, only getting a day to sit before going back out. It had been a hussle and once again they were back in here. Only this time Blackburn wasn't here yet.
"What the hell is going on?" Sonny demanded, looking at Mandy and Davis.
"I have no idea." Davis answered.
"Don't know. We have an op that we need to go over, but Blackburn isn't here." Mandy said.
"Something must have happened to call him away. Maybe the op isn't green lit anymore." Ray said, slightly hoping they could go back to bed.
"One could hope." Jason agreed.
The room to the door opened and Blackburn stormed in, slamming the door behind him. Everyone was shocked, it wasn't often that Blackburn showed just how angry he was. Yes he has yelled many times, but he's never walked into a room like that before.
"What's going on?" Jason asked.
"Bullshit, that's what." Blackburn snapped.
Everyone was now even more shocked and starting to worry. If Blackburn was this pissed off and showing it, then something serious was happening.
"Alright, what's up?" Sonny asked.
Blackburn ran his hand over his face to try and calm himself down. They didn't have long before they would need to leave and this had to be addressed before they got onto the plane. After a moment Blackburn turned his attention to his team.
"We are getting a new member, he will be here within minutes so we don't have long."
"You're this upset about a new member? Green Team is still in training so is he a transfer?" Ray asked.
"He was promoted to Tier One status without Green Team. The promotion is not the issue. He's sixteen."
"Whoa what?" Sonny demanded.
"What the hell are you talking about? He can't be sixteen, he can't even enlist until he's eighteen." Jason said, not happy about whatever game seems to be going on.
"He's sixteen and he's going to be here in a few minutes to go on this mission. So stop with the questions and listen to me." Blackburn ordered.
Everyone stayed quiet and looked at him, waiting to hear the explanation.
"His name is Clay Spenser and yes he is Ash Spenser's son. His mother died when he was one from drugs and Ash shipped him off to Africa to live with his parents. His parents were aid workers and lived in war zones. Clay grew up around war and violence. At seven rebels raided the aid camp, killing and raping women and children. Clay's grandparents were killed right in front of him. The rebel that did it captured Clay and brought him back to their base to turn into a child soldier. The rebel had beaten him and was about to rape him, when Clay at seven, grabbed the gun that the rebel left on the ground, put it to the man's head and killed him. He was then able to escape and ran until he found another aid camp. Seven years old. He spent the next four years traveling around Africa with this new aid group, still going through war zones and seeing horrific things. At eleven a military cargo plane landed to bring aid supplies, Clay snuck on and hid on the plane. The crew didn't know he was there until they were already in the air on their way back. They found out he was Ash's son and they brought him back to the States and got him back into Ash's custody. I'm assuming Ash found out what Clay had been through and he saw the perfect opportunity to make an even bigger asshole of himself. He worked with a couple of Admirals and Commanders that were more interested in power than morals. At the age of twelve Clay was enlisted into the Navy until the age of twenty-one. There was no boot camp, no training, he was just thrown into a unit and sent off on missions."
Blackburn paused to allow all of the information to sink in. He could see the anger in all of their eyes. Only Ray and Jason had kids in the room, but that didn't change that everyone loved kids. Ray's and Jason's kids were all of their kids. They were all uncles and aunts to them. They did what they did to provide a safer home for kids all over the country. To hear that the military, the government that they fight to protect has allowed a twelve year old to be in the military was a slap to the face to all of them.
"How the hell is he still alive?" Brock asked shocked.
"The units must have protected him." Trent said.
"They didn't. As you can imagine no one took it well to having a child in their unit. Clay had been placed on a strict training schedule for the first two years, but nothing since then. For the first two years he learned hand to hand combat and shooting. Upper Brass says he's a child prodigy with a gun. He's one of the best snipers the whole military has, his longest shot is four thousand yards away."
"Holy shit." Ray said impressed.
"You said two years, it's been four, what about the last two years?" Jason asked.
"Nothing. He only got two years and then it was placed on the unit to continue his training. From what I gathered from the meeting, it didn't happen. They didn't tell me anything about what past missions he's been on or what teams he was on. But he's being placed on Bravo and we have a mission we need to leave for. We have no choice but to bring him along." Blackburn said.
"Fine, we bring him along, leave his ass on the plane and when we get back ship him back off to Daddy." Sonny said.
"I hate to say it, but Sonny is right. He can't operate, he's not even old enough to vote. He doesn't belong here and he doesn't have anywhere near the level of training he needs for these ops. He needs to go home." Ray said pissed that this was getting dropped onto them.
"We don't have a choice right now, but to take him. But when we get back we refuse to take him. The Upper Brass can't make us take on a liability like this." Jason said.
"They can't. We can refuse to accept him and then he will be transferred to another team." Blackburn said.
"Perfect, we refuse. Let someone else deal with the little brat." Sonny said.
"Who gets him though?" Brock asked.
"Another team, best guess Charlie." Blackburn said.
"Perfect he can be Beau's problem. He'll leave him sitting on the plane until eventually the kid will quit." Jason said with a smile. Happy to give Beau something to be annoyed with.
"The kid comes with a long list of regulations." Blackburn said, as he handed the file over to Davis to go over. "One of them is so many hours in the field each month or he's at risk of being in violation and then some type of punishment follows. What it is isn't disclosed just says it will be handled by Ash. Those regulations were drawn up by Ash and the kid is expected to follow them. Other teams he's been on have had someone reporting back to Ash to ensure the kid has followed the rules."
"Wow, father of the year." Davis said sarcastically.
"So he stays on the plane this mission and he becomes someone else's problem. Bravo is the best Tier One team, and we need them doing the missions that no one else is capable of doing. That does not include having to babysit some brat. The kid isn't our problem." Mandy said, not happy about the added annoyance to this mission.
"We can deal with it when we get back." Blackburn said.
The room to the door opened and everyone turned to look at who they knew would be the new kid walking in. Clay was not a very big kid. He was average height, but he was thin, roughly a hundred pounds and at five foot seven, that wasn't good. He had dirty blonde hair that was slightly wavy and his eyes were blue. He looked exhausted and very small in his combat uniform. They could all tell he was unsure of himself and he knew that he didn't belong. He didn't move to sit down, he stayed just on the other side of the doorway waiting for orders.
"I'm sorry to interrupt Sir." Clay said politely.
"It's alright we were just about to get started." Blackburn said warmly.
Mandy didn't even wait for anyone else to say something. She immediately started the debriefing. The whole time she spoke Clay stayed where he was, behind everyone else by the door. He didn't say anything, didn't ask any questions. He stayed silent and still the whole time, almost as if he didn't move or make a sound they would forget he was there. When it was over everyone stood and Jason turned to face Clay. He could see the kid was nervous and very unsure about all of this. He didn't seem like the type to have much attitude or confidence in himself. It made sense though considering his past, his age and what he would have been through since being in the military.
"You got your gear?" Jason asked.
"Yes Sir."
"Hanger nine, we'll meet you out on the tarmac. Make sure you have your stuff."
"Yes Sir."
Jason headed out and Clay made sure he followed behind him. Jason headed off for the cages where he knew his team would be freaking out in. He himself was pissed off and not happy about any of this. He walked in and saw that everyone was already standing around arguing.
"I say we leave him behind." Sonny said.
"Kinda hard to leave him behind when he's gonna be on the plane with us." Ray argued.
"He shouldn't be going. We're heading into a hostile area kissing Iran. It's too dangerous." Brock said.
"Look, we can't change that he's coming. He'll be on the plane and when we get back he'll be shipped off to someone else for them to deal with. For now, we tolerate him. Try to be nice, it's not his fault he got stuck with a shitty father." Jason said, heading over to his cage to grab his things.
"He seemed really nervous and shy." Brock said.
"He seemed thin. And exhausted." Trent said.
"He's probably not getting enough sleep or to eat with being on ops." Ray said.
"Just another reason why kids don't belong in this life." Sonny grumbled.
"There's nothing we can do about it. Jay's right, he doesn't need us giving him shit or being an ass to him. He didn't look like he wanted to be here any more than we want him here, but he's stuck. The least we can do is not be assholes to him." Ray said grabbing his gear.
"Ya alright, suppose you're right." Sonny agreed.
They all grabbed their gear and headed out to the hanger. They saw that Davis had taken Clay onto the plane and was helping him get his gear put away properly. They all walked in and got themselves organized and hung their hammocks. They had a good fourteen hours before they would land, so they could get some sleep. They noticed that Clay didn't hang a hammock and Jason headed over to Davis to see if the kid even had one.
"Kid got a hammock?"
"He does." Davis said back, but kept her voice softer.
She looked over and saw that Clay was standing alone waiting for when the plane would take off.
"Why doesn't he have it up?" Jason pressed.
Davis picked up the file that Blackburn gave her for the regulations and handed it to him and she spoke. "Because according to this, he is only allowed to sleep four hours on each op."
"What?" Jason asked confused as he opened the file.
"Ya, his regulations that Ash has laid out for him are insane. He can only sleep a total of four hours on each operation from take off to return. I asked some of the other support staff in the level two teams real quick. Ash always has someone on a team monitor and record whenever Clay does something against the regulations." Davis said pissed.
"This is insane." Jason said, as he read some of the regulations. "No one here would report back to Ash." Jason said with full confidence.
"Nope, he's got no one in this unit or support staff that would go against you. But the kid doesn't know that."
"Get his hammock. I'll talk to the kid." Jason headed over with the file. He wanted to go through it more after take off.
He saw that Brock was over there with the kid, who was petting Cerberus. Leave it to Cerberus to calm the kid down.
"What's his name Sir?" Clay asked.
"Cerberus. He's my best friend." Brock said warmly.
"He's a nice dog Sir."
"It's Brock, not sir." Brock said with a small smile.
"Hey kid. You gotta set up your hammock." Jason said, as he joined them.
"Oh, yes Sir." Clay said, but Jason knew he was only doing it because he was told to.
"Brock, give us a second."
"Come on Cerb." Brock headed off to his own spot to finish getting it set up.
Jason went and stood closer to Clay, who tensed at the closeness.
"Relax kid, I'm not gonna hurt ya. No one on this plane will hurt you. You don't have to worry about that. Each and every single one of these people I've picked myself to be on this team. They are loyal to me, to our family. Not a single one of them would ever report back to Ash. You don't need to worry about this." Jason said as he held the file up.
"Yes Sir." Clay said, but Jason knew he was just saying what he wanted to hear. The kid had that trained into him. Jason had a sinking feeling he had that beaten into him.
"You need sleep. We got fourteen hours before we land, you got plenty of time to sleep, kid. Get your hammock set up wherever you want and then crash." Jason said with an order tone, hoping that maybe that would be enough for Clay to actually sleep.
"Yes Sir." Clay said once again.
Jason had never hated those words more than he did right now. He got up and headed off to his section, only looking back to make sure the kid followed his orders. He was pleased to see that Clay got up and began to get his hammock set up. Once they were in the air Jason sat down and started to go through the file. He looked over and saw that Clay was in his hammock, but he couldn't tell if he was asleep or not. He was hoping he would fall asleep with laying down and the motion of the plane. The kid was clearly exhausted and needed sleep. Ray came over and sat down next to Jason to see what he was looking at.
"That the kid's file?" Ray asked.
"Ya, one of his regulations is that he can only sleep four hours on each op and only four hours a day on tour."
"What? Ash actually dictates how much sleep he can have." Ray said, not impressed at all.
"That's not all. He can't eat any sugar, sweets, carbs or red meat. Only lean meat, low fat dairy, vegetables and certain low sugar fruits. He can only drink water or white milk. Basically everything that will prevent him from gaining weight that can be turned into muscle."
"He gains muscle, he stops being a small kid that people ignore. Unbelievable. It never stops to amaze me how some parents in this world will treat their children."
"All of this is insane. How much sleep he is allowed, what he is allowed to eat, what he is allowed to do during down time. He's supposed to be in the field two hundred hours in the month."
"Doable, that's only fifty hours a week. We do that easily, especially on tour. Beau isn't gonna like it. What's the punishment if he doesn't follow the rules?"
"Doesn't say. I have a feeling only the kid knows that. It even goes into sick time. He's allowed zero vacation days, four sick days and ten injury days out of the year. If he's still injured and not cleared for active duty he has to still be on base helping and on mission helping regardless of how injured he is. The only exception is if he is in the hospital and then any additional days over ten days, he loses those additional days from next year's amount."
"That's bullshit. We can't control being injured and how long recovery takes. And being sick, he's not getting enough food and sleep to prevent him from being sick." Ray was getting even more pissed off. Clay was only a kid and he needed someone to support him and make sure he was being properly taken care of.
"He should be at home in bed right now and going to school in the morning. Not on a plane heading to Iran for a deadly op with a bunch of adults."
"We don't pick our parents. He got stuck with the wrong ones. He's had a hard life even before the navy. I mean come on, seven years old he watches his grandparents being murdered, gets captured and then forced to kill his soon to be rapist. I keep thinking about Jameelah and how close she is to that age and what she would have done. To take a life at seven, even in self-defense is too much for any child to ever have to go through."
"That's what pisses me off the most. Thinking about Em and Mickey back home, what they were like at that age. I couldn't imagine leaving them in some war zone to live. What they would be like if they had to grow up surrounded by gunfire and death. I mean the kid is terrified of saying the wrong thing. He's barely said anything and the one thing he keeps saying is yes sir."
"He's had a hard life and it's not about to get easier. But Jace, all we can do is what is in our power to do. He doesn't belong in this world. He doesn't belong being in a Tier One team, you know that. Even if his sharpshooting skills are impressive. It's too dangerous for him in this line of work. He's gotta get sent back down."
"No I know. Tier Two teams aren't safe, but they aren't what we do. He'll stand a chance down there. We'll figure it out with Blackburn once we get back. For now we need to focus on this op."
"Get some sleep. He's not going anywhere." Ray said, as he patted Jason's knee as he stood.
Jason gave a nod and let out a sigh before he got up and headed over to his hammock to get some sleep himself. They would worry about this after their mission. For now he needed sleep so he would have the energy to do this mission. Jason woke up ten hours later. He had desperately needed the sleep from the last few days of going non-stop practically. He got up and stretched out his sore muscles, feeling some of them crack in the process. He looked around and saw that everyone was still asleep, but the kid. He was standing at one of the tables they had working on something. From where he was Jason could tell that Clay didn't sleep very long, if he had to guess it was four hours. Either the kid had set an alarm to ensure he wouldn't break the rules or his body was so naturally used to waking up after four hours. Jason honestly wasn't sure which was worse. Jason went over to their snacks and picked up the pack of chocolate chip cookies they had and two water bottles. He then made his way over to the table and placed the waters and cookies down on the table before he sat down. Clay's attention snapped up once he heard someone sitting down.
Clay immediately started to pack things away, but Jason spoke.
"You don't have to put it away. What are you working on?"
Jason was hoping he could get this kid to open up slightly. He was so closed off and guarded, like he was waiting for them to start beating him at any moment.
"A.P Physics Sir."
"You don't have to call me Sir. Jason is fine. We don't call each other Sir or Ma'am here, just our names. Even Blackburn. Things in this unit are a little different. Why don't you sit down?"
"Pardon Sir?" Clay asked confused.
"You stood at the briefing, you've been standing on the plane and now you are standing again when you are doing homework. You are allowed to sit down Clay."
"Thank you Sir."
Clay pulled a chair over and sat down. He brought his leg up and bent it as he kept his eyes on his homework. Jason was getting a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"Clay, can we talk for a minute?"
"Yes Sir." Clay gave him his full attention and Jason knew it was going to be a process for this kid to stop calling any of them Sir. He figured it would be a good thing for Beau, he liked that type of thing from those under him.
"I just want to talk about your past teams. Did they have any rules that you had to follow?" Jason kept his voice calm. Utilizing his fatherly voice in hopes that Clay would be more open with him.
"They all tended to follow the rules that the first team started Sir."
"And what were they?"
"Only sitting when being offered. Only speaking when addressed. No questions, no names, always walk behind them, always say Yes Sir no matter what is asked of me. Keep their weapons clean, do the inventory every month, do their paperwork, and clean up after them Sir."
The dead tone to Clay's voice was not easing the rock in the pit of Jason's stomach. He had a feeling there was a lot of bullying that had happened to him. So much so that Clay naturally was following the rules, even though he didn't have to. It was beaten into him and it would take a very long time to correct. Jason opened the cookies and took one out.
"Help yourself. Clay, you don't have to follow those rules here. We're not the same as the past teams you've been on. I run my team like a family. We're always there for each other and we always have each other's backs. You don't need permission to sit down or to talk. And I have no problems with questions. Questions are how people learn and I want all of my guys to learn. And seriously, eat a cookie." Jason said with a smirk, trying to warm this kid up.
"I'm not allowed Sir. I appreciate it though."
"Because of this?" Jason asked placing the folder down on the table. "You know what I think of this?"
"No Sir."
"I think it's a load of shit. I think your father is an asshole who just wants to control you and make your life miserable. As a father myself, it makes me sick and I would love nothing more than to beat the living hell out of him. No one on this plane is going to be telling him or anyone anything you do here. You can sleep as much as you want and you can eat what you want. Take a little bit of your freedom back, and let yourself enjoy a treat Clay."
Jason could see Clay debating it. He was fighting inside of himself to do what he is supposed to do and what he wanted to do. It was breaking Jason's heart to see. No child should be this torn up inside over eating a cookie. After a moment Clay reached over and picked up one of the cookies.
"Good boy." Jason said with a warm smile as Clay took a bite.
"My grandma used to bake cookies every other day for the school kids. The hut used to always smell like a home." Clay softly admitted.
"What were your grandparents like?"
Jason could see Clay was shocked that he had asked. No one ever had asked him anything about himself.
"Um… they were different. Ash didn't like em. They were good people, always helping people. They spent the majority of their time at the aid camp or at the school teaching. But when they were home, they were amazing. My Grandpa was a language teacher, he taught me my first five languages. My grandma was an artist. We used to spend hours getting covered in paint just creating whatever we thought of. We always played instruments and sang at night before bed. Living in Africa was hard, but I always felt safe when they were around. I was always happy." Clay said with a sad smile. It was clear to Jason that he missed them very much. Not that he could blame him. Clay had the only family he had known taken from him violently when he was nowhere near the age of being ready for it.
"It sounds like they were great parents for a child to have. I'm sorry you lost them. You said he taught you your first five languages? You know five languages?" Jason asked surprised.
"I actually know eight. The military makes me learn a new one each year. But I actually like that part. I've always been really interested in languages Sir."
"And you learnt them by seven?"
"When you are young your mind absorbs languages easier. My mind has always been really good with languages. I was speaking full sentences by eighteen months. Some people, their mind takes in languages easier." Clay said with a slight shrug.
"It's a good thing. I know you ended up back with Ash and then in the military at twelve. How many teams have you been on?"
"Twenty-two Sir."
"Twenty-two in four years?" Jason knew it would be more than one, but he wasn't expecting it to be that high.
"Yes Sir. That's why I was placed into a Tier One status. The Upper Brass ran out of teams for me in Tier Two."
"But you don't have the training that you need to be in Tier One. These missions are more dangerous, it requires a skill set. That's why soldiers have to go through Green Team to ensure they are capable of surviving and handling these missions. You are nowhere near ready for this. I can't have you operating on my team." Jason explained hoping that Clay wouldn't take any offense to it. It was just the truth. He wasn't ready for something like this. Hell he wasn't ready to be a normal Seal.
"It's ok, I understand. Honestly, I didn't expect to stay. You all are in your thirties and forties, I'm the sixteen year old kid. I don't belong I get it. I'm a liability, an obligation, a huge responsibility and a slap to morals. I wouldn't keep me around either if I was in your position. You guys all seem really nice and I appreciate it. It's been a long time since someone's been nice. And I'll still get to watch on the cameras how you guys operate and I'm sure I'll learn a lot Sir."
The fact that Clay had fully accepted that he was only going to be past over cut Jason deep. It was just the way he talked, he knew before he even got on this plane that he wouldn't be staying. Not only that he was appreciative of them not being assholes to him.
"Look, all of the teams here are good and you'll learn something from all of us. If you were twenty-one it would be different. You should be in high school worrying about passing exams and going to dances. Not being shot at. There's nowhere to go after Tier One teams, eventually the Upper Brass will take you out of active duty and place you at base until you are older. It's the best thing for you."
"It would be. They won't though. They're using the Tier One teams as an excuse. They've wanted me to go solo for a couple of years now. That's why they stopped training me. No one would expect a kid to be the assassin. Some of the Upper Brass is against it so they placed me here. Now with only seven teams left, when I burn through them the Upper Brass will have enough ammunition to convince the others that I would be better off solo. They even have a CIA Agent that has been pushing for it for the past two years Sir."
"What do you mean a CIA Agent? How do you know they want you solo?" The very last thing this kid should be is working solo. He wouldn't last six months on his own.
"I overheard them talking a couple of years ago. I could only hear the Commander's voice, but he was on the phone with the CIA Agent. He called him Andy Ellis, I think Andy or maybe Randy. I know it was Ellis. They were talking about how the CIA was ready to take me, but they needed the Navy's permission. The Commander said he and six others were working on it, they just needed an Admiral's approval. The Commander thought once I ran through the other teams the Admiral would sign off on it. But I was sent here. The Commander was pissed that the Admiral ordered me to be placed on Bravo first Sir."
Jason's mind was going a mile a minute. Not only did the Upper Brass want Clay as a solo player, but there was a CIA Agent involved by the name of Ellis. Jason was doing his best to stay calm, he had a feeling that Andy Ellis was really Mandy Ellis and she was right here on this plane. He would have to wait until after this mission to talk to her about it. He was also interested in who this Commander and Admiral were.
"Do you know who the Commander and Admiral are?"
"Commander Welsh and Admiral Anderson Sir."
"Both were in the same unit as Ash. Anderson left first and took the officer route. He wanted to make changes from the inside. He's a good man. One of the few that have the experience of being in the field and the intelligence to be in his position. Do you know why the Admiral said it had to be Bravo first?"
Clay shook his head. "No Sir. I just overheard part of the conversation. But he said I had to be on Bravo. The Commander wanted me on Charlie. He wasn't happy that I was being here. I guess I go to Charlie next."
"That would be the logical place to put you. It will probably be only for one mission and then you'll move onto the next. With only seven teams it'll be less then a month before you are out of options." Jason said with a sigh.
"I'll be ok Sir." Clay said trying to make Jason feel better, which only made him feel worse.
"So you take A.P Physics, what else are you taking?" Jason was looking to change the topic. He was going to be seeing what he could do for Clay. He didn't know what though and he didn't want to make any promises that he couldn't keep.
"A.P Chemistry, A.P Biology, A.P English Literature, A.P Calculus, A.P History, A.P Psychology and A.P Spanish Literature Sir."
"You are taking all A.P classes?" Jason had never taken an A.P class before in his life. But he knew people who had back in school. He knew the workload was similar to a College or University course. It was massive. That's why most people only take one or two a semester. To take eight was insane.
"I had to Sir."
"Why? How does it even work with you being in school and having to leave for ops or tour?"
"Ash didn't want me to go to high school, but I love learning and school is really the only time I get to be normal. But I needed his signature and to talk to the Principal to make the exceptions for me. He agreed that I could go, but I have to take all A.P classes and if I get anything less than an A on every assignment or test then I lose fifty dollars off my monthly allowance. I agreed, just so I could go. I knew it would be a lot of work, but just having the chance to be normal, it makes it worth it. And I really do love to learn. I'll learn anything. I read the dictionary for fun when I was ten. So I go to school when I can, normally twice a week and then I do my work and hand it in when I get back and write the tests Sir."
"He takes money off your allowance, what is the allowance for?"
"Until I'm twenty-one I don't have access to the money I make. He has full control over it. He gives me so much a month to pay my rent and bills Sir."
"Wait, you don't live together?"
"No Sir. Not since I was twelve. Ash said I was working now so that meant I was an adult and adults live alone."
"Did he find you a place? How much does he give you?"
"No I found it Sir. It took a while, but I was able to find a studio apartment. And he allows me to have six hundred a month Sir."
"And that is to cover everything?" Jason asked, trying to figure out what the kid's bills could possibly be.
"Yes Sir."
"What do you pay in rent?"
"Four hundred Sir."
"So that means you have two hundred left over each month to pay your utilities and food?"
"And my cell phone. Yes Sir."
"The military will cover cell phone bills."
"Ash has to sign for it and he refuses. He said it was my responsibility and I needed to learn what that means Sir."
"Because he would know." Jason said more to himself sarcastically. "Two hundred would barely cover the rest of your costs. Plus you have to worry about your grades or you lose money that you can't afford to lose. That's too much pressure on you."
"It's fine. I'm used to it Sir."
"Being used to something doesn't mean it's right Clay."
"There's a lot of things in this world that aren't right Sir." Clay said with a small shrug.
"Ya there are, but you shouldn't know about them yet. I'm sorry you do." Jason said regretfully.
"It's not your fault. I'll be fine. I have some homework I really need to finish, if that's ok Sir."
"Ya, no of course. We're gonna be landing soon so everyone will start to wake up. When we go out you can watch the cameras and when we get back if you have any questions about the mission or strategy you can ask me then and I will be happy to explain."
"Yes Sir."
Jason got up and headed off to get his things in order and his mind. He needed to talk to the team and Mandy, but it would have to wait until the mission was over. When they finally landed they all geared up and got ready to head out to meet with their translator to gather the information from the informant that he was able to find for them. Clay stood there watching the others getting ready, not really sure what he was supposed to be doing. He knew he wasn't going, but he didn't know what to do right now to help or if his help was even wanted. He could watch the screens once they were off the plane, so for now he was going to stand here out of the way and wait. The guys all headed past him on their way off the plane. Jason was last and he placed a hand on Clay's shoulder as he spoke.
"Help Davis with keeping overwatch, if you have any questions about the op or strategy I'll answer them when we get back. And make sure you eat something."
"Yes Sir." Clay said with a nod.
Jason headed out to join the others and Clay made his way over to join the others at the computers. He stayed back and watched the screens and followed along with what the translator was telling them. He spoke Persian, not that anyone here knew, so he made sure to confirm everything the translator was telling them. Everything was adding up and the team headed off to meet with the informant. It was five minutes into the meeting when Clay noticed that something was wrong. The translator wasn't being honest with his translation.
"He's lying." Clay said, speaking up for the first time.
"What?" Davis asked.
"The translator, he's lying Ma'am." Clay said again.
"You speak Persian?" Davis asked.
"Yes Ma'am."
"What's he saying?" Blackburn asked.
"They're talking about stupid Americans and how they will all burn Sir." Clay answered.
"To all Bravo elements. We have a situation here with your translator. Act normal, but be prepared for anything." Blackburn said.
"Copy HAVOC." Jason said.
"We need you to keep translating." Blackburn said. "Bravo One, the kid speaks Persain, he's going to give you the real translation."
"Copy."
Clay gave a nod and when the translator spoke he translated it properly over the mics. "The informant said, they were coming from the east, it won't be long now. The translator said, good, these American pigs need to learn to not interfere where they are not wanted."
"I got a group of thirty armed combatants coming in from the east. Bravo One, they are fifteen mikes out." Davis said.
"You need to get out of there." Blackburn ordered.
"Copy HAVOC." Jason said.
Jason raised his gun, the others doing the same. Sonny and Trent made quick work of tying up the informant and the translator and dragging them back to the vehicle. They didn't have long so they quickly got out of there and headed back to the plane. All of them were thankful for the kid and his ability to speak Persian. If they didn't have him, they very well could have been seriously injured or killed on a simple operation.
The team made their way back to the plane. They were all relieved to have made it back. They were almost taken out, set up by their own translator, the only reason they made it out was because the kid spoke the language and warned them. They all headed over to the table where a very exhausted looking Clay sat working on more homework.
"There's the little hero." Sonny said proudly.
"You saved our asses today kid." Jason said proudly.
"I'm glad I could help Sir."
"You did really good today." Ray said. "We owe you."
"Have you eaten anything?" Jason asked.
"I had my salad Sir."
Jason gave a nod and they all headed off to put their gear away. Jason made his way over to where Blackburn and Mandy were speaking.
"I'm looking into Fascide. I'll get everything I can from his history and find out what the hell happened. I've used him before and never had a problem with his allegiance." Mandy instantly said, pissed that she had missed this.
"Thankfully we had the kid here. I spoke to the kid before we landed, he made an interesting comment. He overheard Commander Welsh talking on the phone to a CIA Agent with the last name Ellis. He thought it was a man, because he only caught part of the first name, Andy Ellis. But that was you, wasn't it." Jason started, not looking to play around right now. The translator was an issue, but not the main one they were facing.
"I've spoken to Commander Welsh before, so what?" Mandy said not sure what the big deal is.
"So, he overheard how you were pushing two years ago to have the kid going solo for the CIA as an assassin. Which means you knew two years ago about a kid in the Navy and instead of helping him, you have been pushing to have him out there on his own killing targets."
"Is this true?" Blackburn asked, getting upset himself.
"There is a lot that the CIA knows about. I found out about him roughly two years ago and my bosses were all for having the kid work exclusively with us. He didn't belong in the Navy and no team wanted him. It made sense for him to work solo with a CIA handler. He's got sniper skills, plus no one would ever suspect a kid being an assassin, it was a great opportunity to take out deadly high value targets. It still is."
"He believes that he's been placed in Tier One status as a last step to him being forced into solo work. That the Upper Brass aligned with the CIA is using this as proof that he can't be on a team, because no team will have him. He's right isn't he?" Jason asked.
"Jason you said it yourself, he doesn't belong here. He's not trained for it and no one wants him in their team. Once the other teams kick him loose the Upper Brass will have what they need to make the successful argument that he would be better utilized as a solo operative."
"So you've been pushing for it to happen? He's sixteen, you should be trying to help him to be put somewhere safe. He should be working on base, for at least two years when he's eighteen. He'll die being solo." Jason said, pissed off now.
"He's never going to be placed in a position at a base Jason. He's too valuable to what he could do. He's an amazing sniper, plus he speaks eight languages and he's sixteen. He is perfect for the CIA and they are going to continue to push to have him. Once the Tier One teams toss him to the side, the CIA is the only option the Upper Brass will have. He's going to be solo, realistically within the next three months."
"You should have said something about him the second you found out. Something could have been done to get him out of his enlistment." Blackburn said pissed that Mandy would ignore this.
"His enlistment is legally solid. There isn't anything that can be done. As long as he is not in a team, he's going to be going solo. And you know just as well as I do, that no one is going to take on that level of risk and obligation for some sixteen year old kid. The sooner he accepts his fate the better off he is." Mandy said, as she turned and left.
Blackburn turned to face Jason. "I'll see what I can do, but she's not wrong. The kid not belonging to a team will only seal his fate."
"You ever heard of an Admiral Anderson? He used to be in the same unit as Ash and Welsh."
"Ya he was in the meeting when I found out about the kid. Why?"
"Clay overheard a conversation where the Admiral said he had to be placed in Bravo first. Welsh wanted him in Charlie, but the Admiral pulled rank. Said it had to be us."
"You think he had an ulterior motive." Blackburn stated.
"I do, just don't know what it is. I do know, I gotta talk to the team. We have a decision to make."
"Let's go make it then."
They both headed over to where the others were along with Davis. Jason picked up Clay's file as he headed over. He made sure to keep his voice down so Clay wouldn't overhear them talking about him.
"We need to talk about the kid."
"What about him?" Ray asked.
"Ya, I thought we were shipping him off to be Charlie's problem." Sonny said.
"That's what we need to talk about. Before we landed I spoke to the kid and learnt some things. We as a team, as a family, have a decision to make and we have to be in agreement with it. This isn't something I can pull rank on or order. It has to be all of our decision."
"You want to keep him." Trent stated.
"Why the hell would we keep him? Would we take him on?" Sonny asked shocked.
"What did you learn from the kid?" Ray asked.
"Since he was enlisted, he's been on twenty-two teams. That's why he's now in Tier One, he's gone through every other team. They gave him rules he had to follow, only told me some, but he couldn't speak unless addressed first. He couldn't sit down unless they granted him permission to, he had to walk behind them, not even next to them. He had to address everyone as Sir, every time he spoke. He had to clean their weapons every time they were used and he had to do their paperwork. Most disturbing though, he had to say yes to every order given to him regardless of what it was."
"Ok that's creepy." Brock said.
"This file, the regulations he has to follow. States he can only sleep four hours on every op and every day on tour. Only four hours. He gets only four sick days a year and ten injury days. If he's still too injured for the field, he is to be travelling and helping regardless of how injured he is. It even goes into what he's cleared to eat. No red meat, no carbs, no sugar, no sweets, nothing but vegetables, chicken, fish, low fat diary and low sugar fruit. That's all he's allowed to eat." Jason explained.
"Ash is trying to keep him small, appear less intimidating." Trent said.
"No red meat? So no burgers, no ribs, no bacon?" Sonny said disgusted.
"Nope." Jason said.
"It also means he wouldn't be allowed to eat anything deep fried, potatoes, rice, pizza even." Ray said.
"No pizza? Ash should be shot." Brock said completely serious.
"It's not even being denied food that most teenagers eat. He's being denied nutrients that his body needs. That's why he's so pale, he's not getting enough iron. Low iron would make him tire easily, bruise easier, dizziness, headaches, heart palpitations and more. It's a serious issue." Trent said.
"Look I feel for the kid, but Jace, he's just a kid." Ray said.
"I know he is. He's been living on his own, has been since he was twelve. Ash gives him six hundred a month out of his salary. Ash controls all of his money, only giving him six hundred a month to pay his rent, utilities, food and cell phone. His rent is four hundred a month. Ash won't even let him have his phone being paid for through the Navy, says he needs to learn responsibility. He's taking eight AP classes right now that was the only way Ash would agree to allowing him to be in high school. Plus he has to get all A's on everything otherwise Ash takes fifty bucks off his monthly allowance for every mark he got under an A." Jason started.
"How is he taking eight, shouldn't it be four?" Brock asked.
"Some high schools have it set up that AP classes go for both semesters. So they have four classes one day and the next four classes the following day. They just keep switching for the whole school year. It's actually harder, because you have to complete all eight courses at the same time instead of just four. The workload is insane." Trent said.
"He's going through high school, plus working full time in the Navy all while he is living alone in some studio apartment that I have to assume is not in the best area or in that great of shape for four hundred a month. Is he our problem? No. When I spoke to him, I told him he couldn't be here, that he wasn't ready. And you know what he said to me? That it was ok, that he understood. He was trying to absolve me of any guilt in the situation. He thanked me for all of us being nice to him, said it hasn't happened yet."
"Clay overheard a conversation that Commander Welsh had with who we now know to be Mandy over the phone two years ago. The CIA wants Clay to work solo as an assassin. Mandy has been working towards making that happen. Some members within the Upper Brass, one of which is Admiral Anderson who was on the same team as Ash in Tier One, is against it. Commander Welsh and the CIA are using the Tier One teams as a means of showing how Clay doesn't belong on a team and going solo is his only option. At this rate he's going to be solo within three months easily." Blackburn said.
"Whoa what? He can't be solo, he won't survive." Ray instantly said.
"And that is why we need to talk. We have to decide what we are going to do." Jason said.
"I get that what lies ahead for him is rough, but how could he stay? It's not exactly safe for him." Davis said sympathetically.
"He's not trained for this. He can't be in the field without putting himself and the rest of us at risk." Sonny said.
"I agree. But we let him go to Charlie and Charlie passes him off to the next team until there is no one left and that kid goes solo. What has happened to him before he got to us, that's on everyone before us. But what happens to him after us, that's on us. He dies in three months, that's on us too because we did nothing to stop that." Ray said.
"We make this decision as a team. We all have to agree. If we keep him then we take everything that comes with it. The responsibility of not only in the field and training, but the responsibility of raising him to be a good man and everything that comes with it. Illness, injuries, girl problems, homework that none of us will understand, and Ash. He will be our kid brother and we will have to raise him." Jason said.
"We do this, there would need to be rules set out for him." Ray said.
"And there would be. Nothing like this." Jason said as he shook the file. "But he will be limited in what ops he goes on. But he will be with HAVOC and helping on missions. We will be doing daily training exercises with him and teaching him everything we know. Until he's eighteen he will be going on less missions and he won't be a sniper. I won't have a kid pulling that trigger on a target." Jason said.
"We have to get him healthy. He's getting four hours of sleep a night, maybe not even every night. He's sleep deprived which comes with it's own health risks. He's stressed from balancing work and his insane school load. Plus he's underweight and malnourished. I don't need to examine him to know it. He's not getting enough calories in the day. An active sixteen year old male needs three thousand calories a day, he's not getting anywhere near it. He needs red meat for iron, he needs carbs for energy and calories, plus he needs sugar for his body to function properly. It wouldn't surprise me if he had low blood sugar and low blood pressure just from his diet." Trent said.
"So he needs a few burgers and pizza." Sonny said.
"Except it's not that easy. We have no idea when he's eaten red meat or carbs last. He wouldn't have had it in Africa outside of rice. He lived in Africa until he was eleven, it's possible his body has never had it. He would have to build up a tolerance for it like a toddler. Same as sugar and carbs, he eats too much in one day it will shock his system and he'll get really sick. His body has to get used to breaking the sugar down and the protein." Trent explained.
"So he's a walking health risk." Davis said.
"I would need to see his medical file to know what injuries he's had, what vaccines he's had. We'd need to keep a very close eye on his health and mental health. Which isn't a problem, I can do that. I can get him on an eating plan that will give him what he needs gradually." Trent said.
"So what do we do?" Brock asked.
"I don't know. I mean I hate thinking of him being in the unit. He's too young, but then I think about what could happen to him out there solo and I really hate that. If you guys want, then I'm on board with keeping the kid. He saved our asses, only seems fair we save his." Sonny said.
"He needs someone to look out for him. That can help him get healthy and stay that way. We would be no better than everyone before us that tossed him aside if we did the same. We can make it work." Trent said.
"If this is what you guys want, then I'm down." Davis said.
"I will support any decision you all make." Blackburn added.
Ray and Jason looked at each other. Jason could see the struggle in Ray's eyes. He had children, he wouldn't want this life for either of them.
"You sure?" Ray asked.
"I'm not sure about any of this. But I look at him and all I see is Mickey and Emma. This would have never have happened to them, but anything could have happened to me and Alana before Bravo. They could have ended up in foster care, raising themselves. I would hope that there would be at least one good person that would step up and protect them. Help them when they desperately need it. Ray, how can we go home tomorrow and look at our kids, our loved and safe kids, knowing that we sent a kid off to keep fighting a war with no back up. I'm not sure keeping him around is the best solution. But I know I can't live with myself if he dies and I had a chance to stop it. I know you can't either."
Ray let out a sigh. He knew Jason was right, He knew that the father in him could not let Clay be sent off to another team only to be forced to be solo one day. He wouldn't be able to go home and see his kids without seeing Clay's face. Good men don't walk away because something would be hard. He couldn't live with himself if he turned his back on a child in need, even a sixteen year old one.
"Ok, we have a kid." Ray said.
"That kid needs sleep." Trent instantly said.
"When we land, Trent, get his medical file so we can see what the hell is going on with him. Then work on getting a plan together for us all to follow to get him back to being healthy. Davis, let's check his gear and make sure he has everything he's supposed to have." Jason said.
"Got it." Davis said.
Trent gave a nod.
"I'll deal with Mandy and the CIA." Blackburn said.
"Let's go talk to the kid and then get his ass in a hammock." Sonny said.
They all made their way over to Clay, who was still sitting down at the table, with one knee bent up. He had his biology book out with his assignment in front of him. He looked beyond exhausted. Clay looked up when he saw the others were sitting down. Jason sat down to his right and Trent sat on his left, while the others sat around the table.
"How you feeling kid?" Jason asked.
"Fine Sir." Clay said, sounding utterly exhausted. Even his eyes were red and there was a slight tremble to his hands.
"What did I say about that Sir thing?" Jason asked with a friendly smile.
"Sorry." Clay said, looking down.
"Hey, eyes up. You're not in trouble. I was only teasing. We need to talk to you about something."
"Ok." Clay said slightly unsure.
"We need to talk about what will happen once we return to base and what will happen moving forward."
"I'm not sure I understand Sir. I'll be going to the next team." Clay said confused why it would matter to them.
"You aren't going to a new team, you are going to be staying here with Bravo."
"I don't, I don't understand." It was clear to them that Clay did not suspect that he would be staying at all.
"You are a member of this team, of this family. We're not passing you off to another team, we're keeping you Clay."
"But why? Me being in the field would put you all at risk. Why would you put your team at risk for someone like me? I'm no one, I'm not worth it."
It wasn't the words that Clay said, but how he said it that pulled on everyone's heart strings. He truly believed that his life was not worth anything, certainly not worth the risk it would put the others in. Clay's life had done a serious number on his mental health and self-esteem, something they would need to start to repair right away.
"You are a person Clay. That makes you someone. I know you've had a hard life, I'm sure that is very understated, but you are a person, you do matter. There are always risks when you go out into the field, risks we've all accepted. We're not tossing you away like a piece of trash. You're staying with us and that's final."
"There are some rules though." Ray said.
"Yes Sir." Clay said.
"Nothing like you have been told by the other teams. I want you to forget about those rules. You don't need permission to sit or to talk. You walk beside us and not behind us. And if we ask you to do something that you are not comfortable doing, then you say no. We're not going to make you do something you are not ready for." Jason said.
"And that whole sir thing needs to go." Sonny added.
"We call each other by our names and Blackburn is Blackburn. We call Jason Jace or Boss when he gives an order. There's no sir or ma'am here." Trent added.
"We know it'll take you some time to get used to the changes, but we need you to try really hard to get used to them. You are not less than us. Your life isn't worth less than ours. We're all equal regardless of rank. Got it?" Jason asked.
"Ya Boss."
Jason gave a warm smile before he continued. "For ops there will be times when you can be out there with us and same as on tour. But it will be up to me to determine which ones are safe enough to bring you out on. But you will be in HAVOC helping like you did today. You'll still be learning a lot and we all are going to teach you what we know. There will be a shit load of training exercises that we do on base and on tour. As you get more training you'll be able to be out on more ops. When you are out on an op you will be stuck to one of us, always. You do not go anywhere alone, understood?"
"Yes." Clay easily agreed.
"I know you are skilled with a rifle, but you are sixteen and I refuse to allow a kid to be a sniper. That doesn't mean you can't still practice with Ray on the range. He'll teach you everything he knows and I have a feeling you are going to be teaching him some things. But until you are eighteen he will continue to be the sniper in the unit. If you need to pull the trigger because someone is shooting at you, understandable. I just don't want you to kill someone when one of us could have done it and saved you from the pain of it." Jason continued.
"I'm good with that. No one's ever really taught me how to shoot either, it'd be nice to learn some tricks."
"You hit a four thousand yard mark without anyone teaching you?" Ray asked shocked.
"I taught myself from watching others shoot. No one has ever walked me through it."
"That's impressive kid. I'd be happy to teach you what I know and we'll see how much better you get." Ray said warmly.
"What about how many hours I'm supposed to do in the field?" Clay asked Jason, clearly worried about what it would mean for him and the punishment that would follow.
"I don't want you to worry about that. I'll handle it. Those regulations are gone, starting right now. From now on you sleep as much as you need and you eat a proper diet. Trent is our medic, he's going to go over that with you and get you on a plan so you are not malnourished anymore. We need you healthy, just like we all need each other healthy, so proper sleep and proper food. We will worry about injuries and being sick when we come across it."
"I look after the team, so if you are feeling off in any way you need to let me know and I'll check you over. I'm also gonna come up with an eating plan like Jace said for you. You should be eating around three thousand calories a day. Do you know roughly how much you are eating?" Trent asked.
"Less than half of that. I normally only eat once a day, sometimes twice when…" Clay drifted off, not really sure he wanted to admit that he was struggling.
"When you can afford it." Ray finished for him.
"You don't eat on base?" Brock asked.
"Teams wouldn't allow me to." Clay said with a shrug.
"Well you're allowed. We'll talk more tomorrow about an eating plan and what you have been feeling. Right now, you need some serious sleep." Trent said.
"I need to get this assignment done first. It's due tomorrow."
"You're going to school tomorrow?" Davis asked surprised.
"When I'm back in town I go. We'll be landing around sixty-thirty so I'll have time to get to school. I have six tests tomorrow and I need to hand in five assignments. This biology one is my last one."
"What is it?" Trent asked.
"I have to label all of the scientific names for each bone, muscle and ligament in the human body."
"Damn, ain't there a diagram you could just copy?" Sonny asked.
"No. They're all talked about in the book in different chapters. I remember half of them, but I haven't really had the time to learn Latin between the other languages I've had to learn. I just need to find the answers in the book somewhere." Clay said, sounding more exhausted as the minutes ticked by.
"That book is over twelve hundred pages long. It'll take you hours." Sonny pointed out.
"I'll be fine. It's not the first time it's taken me awhile. A.P classes aren't really meant to be learnt outside of the classroom, but I make it work." Clay saud with a small shrug.
"Well lucky for you, Jace and me are medics, so between us we should be able to remember most of the proper names for it all." Trent said.
"And I am a wicked good Googler." Davis said as she shook her phone.
"You guys don't have to help. It's my homework. I'm sure you have some ritual that you normally do after an op. I'll be fine, I'll figure it out. You all past grade ten, it's my problem."
"See that is where you are wrong little buddy, it's not your problem. It's all of our problem. See your problems are our problems, just like my problem is everyone's problem. That is what family is, what it does. You're family now and family helps each other, even if it's fancy homework." Sonny said.
"Sonny's right. It's what we do. The other teams may have had a problem with it, but we don't. Where are you stuck, between all of us you'll get done a lot faster." Jason said warmly.
"Are you sure?" Clay said still unsure about this.
"We never offer unless we mean it." Blackburn said.
"Ok." Clay said with a very faint smile.
They spent the next hour going through the very detailed diagram and were able to get all of the answers down between them and Davis with her magical Google wand. Once it was finished Clay looked ready to drop. He put his assignment into his book and packed his bag back up.
"Thank-you, I really appreciate it."
"It's no problem kid, besides Sonny just learned something." Brock said with a smile.
"That I did. Latin is stupid, but I already knew that." Sonny said with a big smile.
"Now it is time for bed for you. I don't want you up in four hours either. You got a solid ten hours before we have to land, you need to be sleeping for it." Jason said.
"I will."
"You need all the rest you can get with six tests tomorrow. Not getting proper sleep will limit the information you can retain. Once you are getting some proper sleep you'll be surprised how much easier your school work is." Trent said.
"As easy as A.P Physics and Biology can be." Ray teased.
"Rack out, we're not too far behind you." Jason said.
Clay gave a nod and he got up.
"Goodnight little buddy." Sonny said.
"Night."
Clay made his way over to his hammock and the second he closed his eyes he was out.