Chapter 34

By the time I post this we will have seen the premiere. I will say this, I have hope still. I don't want to spoil anything but listen to the dialogue of Jandy at the end. I also have read a great interview with Dave. What he said, gives me hope for a future. This is season is gonna be a huge one for Jason it seems. I do have a ton of new ideas for some new stories for these two as well. I hope to maybe start some of them soon. Find me on twitter: jaszy21 or tumblr: mcggarretts-seal-pack or Instagram: jaszyisapackersgirl if you'd like to talk or rant lol. I post on tumblr and twitter quite a bit recently too. Enjoy my next chapter in the meantime.

Mandy drove off into the night seeing everything fade in the background. In the rearview mirror, Mandy locked eyes with Basheera who was holding Asha.

"Is she okay?" Mandy asked while driving.

"Yes," Basheera said softly looking at her dozing daughter. "She's a little tired from everything."

"Good," Mandy replied feeling a little relief.

"Thank you," Basheera said.

"For what?" Mandy asked.

"Keeping your word," Basheera replied. "To be honest, I wasn't sure about you."

"Just doing my job," Mandy said.

"It's not just a job to you though. You care," Basheera responded. "That man, he loves you?"

"I don't know," Mandy sighed.

"But you love him," Basheera concluded.

"Yeah, I guess I have for a while," Mandy finally admitted. "It's complicated."

"Love always is," Basheera smiled. "He loves you too."

"You got all that in just a few minutes?" Mandy smiled back. "Are we really that obvious?"

"It's the eyes and small touches," Basheera answered.

"What about you? Anyone special in your life?" Mandy asked trying not to pry about Asha.

"No. Asha wasn't out of love," she replied with a bittersweet smile. "But I love her none the less."

"Well, now you'll have a chance at a real life," Mandy responded.

"I hope so," Basheera replied softly.

Before Jason, Sonny and Trent joined the rest of the team, they took to setting charges on the building Mandy had been in and a couple others to help sell the cover of the sister being dead. Hopefully, it worked.

As the three approached the rest of the team, they could see the guys waiting on the side of the mountain. They had a long trek to exfil. Jason looked over everyone to make sure they were okay while the guys all asked questions with their eyes about Mandy.

"All good?" Ray asked.

"We're good," Jason nodded back, letting the team know that Mandy and the sister made it out. "HAVOC, this is Bravo one, headed for exfil. Passing Cuervo."

Al-Hazred looked around at the team. He knew he could try and run but he was outnumbered. His eyes finally landed on Jason, who seemed familiar to him.

"Start moving pal," Sonny said to Al-Hazred while giving him a slight shove.

Al-Hazred started walking up the mountain, "If you took these restraints off, it'd be easier for me to move."

"Nice try, but they stay on," Sonny replied.

"You're not the one in charge," Al-Hazred said looking at Jason.

"They stay on," Jason said looking into Al-Hazred's eyes. Briefly he flashed back to the raid of taking out the father and finding Junior in hiding. The scared eyes looking up at him with so much innocence but now they were hardened and cold.

As they walked back up the mountain, Jason thought about how early on in his career he was a part of the raid in taking out the father. He had lost a friend during that op. Twenty years later and here he is taking down the son. Maybe Ray was right, everything is coming full circle. What did it all mean though? During twenty years of service, had anything actually changed. What was his place in all this? Was this what Mandy felt that night they talked around the fire pit? She said she was struggling to figure out what her job was anymore. How long could either of them keep doing this? This being taking out one bad only for another to pop up in their place.

"Have we met before?" Al-Hazred asked jarring Jason from his thoughts.

"Shut up and keep walking," Jason replied as Junior continued to think about it.

"I hope Agent Ellis is well," Al-Hazred commented.

Jason stopped and turned around about ready to charge at him before Ray jumped in and stopped him.

"She's doing just fine," Full Metal replied coolly.

"Jason, take it easy," Ray said with a hand on Jason. "Ignore him and let's keep going."

Jason huffed out a breath and turned around to continue up the trail. Al-Hazred should thank his lucky stars his brothers were with him or he would deck the guy himself for everything he had done. He knew he had to keep himself in check not only for the op or the team but for Mandy as well. Al-Hazred was the key to getting Roman.

"You're protective of her," Al-Hazred observed.

"We don't appreciate one of our own being attacked," Clay replied sternly.

"One of your own?" Al-Hazred questioned.

"Yes, one of our own," Sonny replied while grabbing him by the collar. "For the last time, shut up and keep walking."

"This guy is getting on my nerves," Trent muttered.

Once they got to the top the team stopped to scope out the area for any enemy activity.

"HAVOC is this Bravo one, passing Malibu. Anything we need to know about?" Jason checked in.

"Bravo this is HAVOC, copy. Hold for sit rep," Blackburn responded.

"Looks like it's all clear," Lisa said to Eric. "Wait, what's that?" Lisa asked as Thomson came over to take a look as well.

"It looks like someone is already at the exfil point," Thomson observed. "They're setting up an ambush where the choppers are supposed to land."

"Bravo one this is HAVOC, be advised exfil looks like it's a hot zone," Blackburn forwarded to Jason.

"Copy HAVOC," Jason replied. "Sounds like an ambush is being set up at exfil. We continue on track and figure it out as we get closer."

Back at HAVOC Thomson came up with an idea, "Commander Blackburn, I have an idea."

"What'd you have in mind?" Blackburn asked curiously.

Mandy's drive to their exfil had been quiet so far. Then again, in this line of work you never mention it being quiet because then you're just asking for trouble.

"Flyer one, this is HAVOC, be aware you have one vehicle headed your with. Not sure how many combatants on board," Lisa transmitted suddenly and the guys walking up the mountain briefly paused to look at each other.

"Stay low, car coming towards us. Hopefully, we can just pass buy. Do you have an extra scarf?" Mandy asked thinking she could disguise herself like a man. Basheera gave her one from Asha who had started to stir.

Mandy pulled over the car and to put the scarf around her head. Once she was done, she got the car back on the road and kept heading in the direction of exfil.

"Flyer one, this is HAVOC, vehicle is one click out from you," Lisa updated.

"Here we go," Mandy muttered praying the vehicle would just pass.

They could see the headlights coming up ahead. Mandy didn't want to speed up and cause suspicion, so she kept her speed at a minimum.

"HAVOC this is Bravo one, status?" Jason asked over the comms.

"Bravo one this is HAVOC, vehicle's approaching. Standby," Lisa replied.

The car wasn't too far now and fast approaching. Next thing they knew the cars were passing and Mandy tried to keep as little eye contact with the other vehicle, so she wasn't blown.

"They're passing," Lisa updated.

The guys on the hill continued their trek but were all sending up a prayer that everything work out.

The cars passed and it seemed they were in the clear. Mandy looked in the rearview mirror to make sure the car kept going. Suddenly, the car stopped and started turning around.

"Flyer one, this is HAVOC, beware unknown vehicle is turning back towards you," Lisa quickly said.

"Damn it," Jason muttered as the team continued up the mountain. His heart beating even faster hearing Mandy in danger once again. He should have sent someone with her, he thought.

Mandy quickly grabbed a gun and started to speed up to create some distance. Next thing she knew bullets started flying.

"Get down!" Mandy shouted. She saw some boulders and parked the car behind them and grabbed the guns and grenades Jason had thrown in the car. "Stay here and stay down," Mandy said to Basheera and a crying Asha.

"HAVOC, this is Bravo one, status," Jason asked since the comms had suddenly gone quiet.

Back at HAVOC, Lisa paused in responding. She could see that Mandy was in contact with enemies and there wasn't much she could do about it. She was checking to see what they had in the area but didn't think it would come in time.

"HAVOC, this is Bravo one, do you have a status?" Jason paused his walking.

"Bravo one this is HAVOC," Lisa started. "Flyer one is taking fire."

The entire team paused to look at each other and then at Jason. Jason looked up towards the sky and top of the mountain. He needed to hold it together for his brothers. There wasn't anything any of them could do and it was in fate's hands now.

Mandy got out of the car and positioned herself behind a boulder. She waited until the vehicle came closer before she started firing back. It looked like the vehicle had at lease four age fighting males. The vehicle stopped and the men got out to continue firing their guns. Luckily, the vehicle didn't have an automatic attached to it.

Lisa watched ISR as Mandy fought back. "Flyer one this is HAVOC, looks like you're down to three fighting age males. No other enemy activity in the area at the moment."

Mandy looked over the boulder and saw the men had stopped firing but were advancing. She un-pinned a grenade and threw it towards them. A loud explosion went off and one more guy fell to the ground. Mandy took her gun to fire but ran out of bullets on the automatic. She pulled her side arm and started firing. She hit another one and then got down behind the boulder to reload. Before she could finish reloading the last guy came around pointing his rifle at her. Mandy stopped what she was doing and raised her hands. Suddenly a gun went off and the man fell to the ground. Mandy looked up to see Basheera holding a gun through the broken back window. Mandy took a breath and grabbed her other weapons. The car looked to still be intact as they weren't too far away from exfil now.

"Thanks," Mandy said as Basheera nodded back. Mandy looked at the tear stained face of Asha, "See it's all okay. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. We should get moving again to make sure we don't run into anything else."

"Bravo one this is HAVOC, Flyer one is on the move again," Lisa transmitted causing everyone to let out a breath.

"Well I'll be damned," Sonny muttered. "Maybe we should trade Bravo one for Flyer one," Sonny joked as the rest of the team chuckled under their breaths.

Bravo team finally got to the top of the mountain without much trouble.

"HAVOC, this is Bravo one, passing Grey Goose," Jason checked in.

"Bravo one, this is HAVOC, copy," Lisa replied.

"HAVOC, status on exfil," Jason asked.

"Continue to set coordinates," Lisa answered.

"Copy HAVOC, is it still a hot zone?" Jason asked as the team continued their trek.

"Exfil will be a hot zone but support will be in to cool it down," Lisa replied.

"Copy HAVOC," Jason answered. "Exfil hasn't changed so we keep heading towards it. Heads on a swivel."

"And you listen to us when we tell you to duck," Sonny said pushing Al-Hazred. "Something tells me the chaos we're about to encounter won't be welcoming for you."

"My followers are loyal," Junior replied.

"You sure it's your followers that'll greet us? Seems like your pal Roman is cleaning house," Jason stated.

"He wouldn't betray me," Al-Hazred said confidently.

"He tell you he tried to kill his partner years ago?" Jason said hotly.

"You're lying," Al-Hazred said.

"You can ask Agent Ellis when we get back," Jason replied hating to bring up Mandy's name to this monster.

The guys were just on a ridge when gunfire started. Everyone dove for cover. They weren't far from where the choppers were to meet them.

"HAVOC, this is Bravo one, we're taking enemy fire," Jason said over the comms.

"Copy Bravo one, help is in bound one click away. Enemy looks to be covering the landing zone," Lisa replied.

Just as Mandy reached exfil she could see not just one but two choppers in bound. She was a little confused as to why there were two. As she parked the cars, the choppers landed, and Mandy got Basheera and Asha out. As she turned around, Mandy saw her Dad get off one chopper and Blackburn from another.

"What's going on?" Mandy asked as they approached.

"Gear up," Thomson said tossing her team gear. "Bravo's under attack and exfil is a hot zone. They're gonna need some help cooling it down," Thomson smirked watching Mandy put the gear on like a pro. "I'll take Basheera and …." Thomson questioned looking at the little girl.

"Asha," Mandy supplied.

"Wait, wait, I thought you were taking us?" Basheera questioned. "I'm only going with you."

"Basheera, you can trust him," Mandy said.

"How can I trust him?" Basheera asked.

"Because he's my Dad and he will do whatever it takes to get you out of here safe," Mandy said looking into Basheera's eyes. Basheera looked at Thomson and nodded her head.

"How can I thank you? Will I ever see you again?" Basheera asked picking up Asha.

"One day maybe," Mandy replied with a soft smile. "And you, take care of your mom, okay," Mandy smiled to Asha who reached out to hug her.

"You have," Asha said giving Mandy her teddy bear and Mandy teared up a little.

"I promise to give this back to you one day," Mandy said.

"I hope you bring him home safely," Basheera said referring to Jason and Mandy nodded back.

Basheera and Asha walked off with Thomson while Mandy got on the second chopper with Blackburn and some other soldiers.

"Let's go bring our boys home," Blackburn said handing Mandy her gun.

"Home sounds good," Mandy smirked back as she cocked her gun.