Chapter 36

Did you watch 4x04? Wow, it was a good episode. I definitely have felt Mandy's presence missing the last two episodes and call me crazy, but the dialogue everywhere seems to always tie back to Mandy. It was interesting to see Nat and Jason interacting. The pretending is breaking down in my opinion. Dave did an interview for SAG (I believe he tweeted it too) but he said he is rooting for Jandy and doesn't think that is the end of Mandy! So, I'm keeping faith that Dave won't let us down. Started a new story called, Belong, if you want to check it out. Hopefully with the hiatus I can get some writing done on this story and that one. Anyways, enjoy another chapter.

"You're eating something," Jason declared as he took Mandy's arm and led her to the food hall on base.

"But Jason, I gotta-," Mandy started before Jason interrupted her.

"Yes, you gotta interrogate Junior. I know. It's been almost a day since you ate anything so forgive me if I just don't want you passing out during your interrogation," Jason replied as Cerberus barked beside him. "See, even Cerberus agrees."

"Fine," Mandy relented. "But a quick bite."

They continued walking to the food hall. As they entered, they saw the team sitting in one section all chowing down. Mandy and Jason made their way to the food line. Mandy put a couple items on her tray as Jason loaded his up.

"That's all you're eating?" Jason asked eyeing her couple items on the tray. "You gotta have more than yogurt and some chips," Jason replied as he grabbed a couple more items for her tray. "We need to talk about your eating habits."

"I eat just fine as you know," Mandy replied with a look. "I just…. I'm nervous."

Jason took a look at Mandy and saw a little bit of nervousness. "Hey, you got this. You always do. Don't doubt yourself and if you do, then trust me when I saw you're going to tear him a part," Jason replied squeezing her hand.

Someone cleared their throat behind them breaking their intense staring trance. They grabbed their stuff and apologized to the person. Jason led them to where the rest of the team was eating lunch.

"Surprised you two even made it out of that hooch," Thirty joked with a smirk as he looked at Mandy sitting down.

"Oh, don't worry, we're saving that for tonight. Not that it's any of your concern," Mandy replied coolly as Jason glared at Thirty. The rest of the team kept their mouths shut. They respected Mandy and didn't want to get on her or Jason's bad side.

"Interrogating Junior after this?" Ray asked trying to change the subject.

"Yep," Mandy sighed thinking about it. "Hopefully, we get some answers," Mandy added as Jason's hand brushed against her thigh under the table.

"You'll crack him," Sonny said. "Now, where is the good stuff?"

"Good things come to those who wait," Mandy smiled.

"Haven't seen your Dad around? Everything go fine with the sister?" Clay asked.

"He's probably making sure it all goes smoothly himself. We did promise her safe passage and her brother is alive so if word ever got out, she betrayed him, who knows what would happen," Mandy answered. "Plus, we didn't know she had a daughter. Changes things up a little bit in covering our tracks. Sweet little girl, gave me her teddy bear before we spilt up."

"Will you get to see her again?" Clay asked.

"One day," Mandy replied wistfully thinking about Basheera asking the same question.

"You'll see them again," Jason commented watching Mandy and squeezing her hand. Mandy gave him a soft smile back and the two got lost in each other's eyes forgetting where they were.

"Is this what the future is gonna be like?" Sonny muttered jokingly looking at the two.

"Yeah, instead of stealing glances thinking they're being secret about it, it'll just be out in the open," Ray replied as the others chuckled.

"Wow, never seen y'all so jealous before," Mandy replied without looking and Jason smirked.

"Y'all? Do I hear a little country in you there Ms. Ellis?" Sonny perked up.

"Well, Nashville does have a special place in my heart," Mandy said looking at him letting out a little twang.

"So, when you say you have the good stuff," Sonny leaned in eagerly as Mandy chuckled. "Why Nashville?"

"Mom's from there and we got a home out there. While my Dad finished out his time on the SEALs we stayed out there. Once he joined the CIA, we moved out to the D.C. area. You all should come out during some time off. My mom would love a house full of people," Mandy sighed thinking about back home.

"Would you have enough room?" Clay chuckled.

"Room isn't a problem," Mandy laughed. "Mom's side is from a lot of old money, so the house is enormous. Trust me, my mom would love to have that place filled to the brim with y'all."

"You mean to tell me you're loaded and still choose to put yourself in danger doing the job that you do?" Thirty asked.

"Yep," Mandy said simply as she continued to eat. "Just wanted to be like my Dad, I guess."

"Parents must be proud of you," Ray commented.

"Yeah, took Mom a while to warm up to me joining the CIA. She thought the days of worrying were over once my Dad was out of the teams and later became Director. We didn't talk for a year after I told her I was joining the CIA. Roman was there for me a lot during that time," Mandy opened up thinking about the past. "Between me, my Dad, grandfather, and even great grandfather, there's a lot of years of service."

"I know how that goes," Clay muttered thinking about living in shadows of past family service members. Mandy smiled over at him in understanding.

They all continued to eat and talk about random topics that came to mind. They knew that even if Mandy didn't show it, this interrogation would be an important one. They watched as Jason subtly reassured her with looks or touches. It would be a roller coaster ride for her, and the team wanted to be there for Mandy in any way possible. She always had their backs, and it was time for them to have hers.

Director Thomson's assistant approached the table and Mandy looked up. "They're ready whenever you are," the assistant said.

Mandy took a deep breath and stood up, "Guess it's time."

The rest of the team got up as well and started following and Mandy gave them a curious look.

"You didn't think we were letting you go into this alone, did you?" Ray said tilting his head.

Jason smiled as he pulled Mandy a little closer as they left the food hall. "I'm pretty sure my team just became yours. I think they like you better than me."

"Well can't say I blame them," Mandy smirked. "I'm prettier."

"Won't argue with that," Jason smiled back.

Everyone was in the observation room. Mandy looked into the empty interrogation room trying to gear up for what was to come. Interrogations weren't supposed to be personal but this one would be. She had decided that she would start off by being in the room already as they brought Junior in. She wanted to watch every move of his. She figured he thought he had the upper hand, but she was going to show him he didn't.

"You good," Jason asked softly putting a hand on her lower back.

Mandy turned to look at him and then glanced around the room and replied back confidently, "Yeah. I got this."

The assistant entered the room and handed Mandy a file, "Everything is in there, like you asked for. Just heard back from the Director, he should be back within the hour. Sounds like everything went smoothly."

"Thanks Troy," Mandy replied.

"Any time Agent Ellis," Troy answered with a knowing look.

"I'm never gonna get you to call me Mandy, am I?" Mandy sighed exasperated. Ever since Troy had become her Dad's assistant, he insisted on calling her Agent Ellis and at this point she thought he did it to annoy her in that little brother way.

"No ma'am," Troy smirked back knowing she hated being called ma'am.

"One of these days I'm going to get you fired," Mandy sighed as she made her way to leave the room and heard the guys chuckle.

"Nail the son of a bitch to the wall," Troy said seriously before she left the room and Mandy nodded back. The guys all looked at him surprised at his change of tone. "I was on the team that rescued her after Roman betrayed her. I'll never get that image out of my head. Never forget the ride in the chopper keeping her alive. It's a fucking miracle she's alive," Troy replied watching Mandy in the next room. "This is the closet we've gotten to him in years."

"That must have been rough. How'd you become assistant to the Director?" Clay asked as the team looked at him in a new light. They hadn't realized he was military.

"I knew Director Thomson. Worked with him a few times during his time in the Navy. Mad respect for that guy. He's a legend no one talks about," Troy chuckled. "Guess Mandy gets her anonymity from him. Anyways, after we rescue Mandy, my team and I tried to hunt down Roman with no success of course. The Director was impressed and offered a job. Something about that rescue op just changed inside me. Breaking the news to Mandy's parents when they got to the hospital was rough. In hunting down Roman, we had to break the news to Roman's fiancé, and Mandy's best friend, about what happened also. Man, watching Jessica break was heart wrenching. She didn't want to believe any of it. She screamed at me and said I was wrong and all I could do was hold her tight in my arms as she tried to process all the news, we'd just unloaded on her."

"That is a lot to process," Ray commented sadly shaking his head. "Sounds like a lot of lives shattered that day."

"Comes with the job," Troy commented. "Once Mandy was stable enough to be transported back to the states, Jessica wouldn't go see Mandy. Some of it was probably denial and some of it guilt as reality began to sink in. Once Mandy was awake, we had to make her relive it all over again and watch her fall apart. I think a part of her was in denial over what happened too. After it all, Jessica and Mandy finally saw each other a couple weeks after Mandy was released home. Mandy walks right up to Jessica and comforts her," Troy said shaking his head. "Here's a woman that just got shot and nearly died and she's taking care of someone else. That's just who Mandy is."

"Always putting others first," Sonny said. "Saved our asses quite a few times over the years."

"I went back to special ops but stayed in touch. One good thing came out of it all," Troy smiled.

"Yeah? What's that?" Jason asked.

"Met the love of my life," Troy replied. "Kept in touch with Jessica quite a bit and about a year later finally asked her out. Cut to a couple years later and I asked her to marry me."

"One of the good things to come out it all," Director Thomson said entering the observation room. "They start yet?"

"About to. He should be in any second now," Troy replied.

Mandy sat in interrogation room facing the entry door. She had the file Troy gave her sitting on the table. As she sat there, she rolled her right shoulder where the vest caught the bullet. She could feel a dull ache where the bruising was. She had a million thoughts running through her head. This could be her biggest break in catching Roman. Almost ten years she had been fighting this battle with him. She would get a lead, chase it down only for nothing to really come out of it. She hoped their cover for Basheera would work.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Junior was being lead in. Mandy's face changed to her cool exterior cover. Junior looked up to see her already sitting in the room. Mandy sat back on her chair with one leg crossed over the other. Her eyes locked with Al-Hazred's and the two entered a staring match. Both looking to intimidate the other. The solider handling him took his cuffs and chained them to the table along with his feet.

Inside the observation room, Jason noticed Mandy rolling her injured shoulder. He made a mental note to have her ice it afterwards. He and the team watched as a switch flipped as soon as Al-Hazred walked into the room. It was always a wonder to Jason to watch Mandy do what she did. Everyone in the room felt a chill go up their spine as the Mandy and Al-Hazred locked eyes and continued to stare each other down.

"This guy gives me the creeps," Sonny muttered.

"You can say that again," Trent agreed.

"She's been in the room with some truly evil and horrible people of this world," Director Thomson commented. "I don't know if it's good or bad she handles it so well."

"Mandy," Al-Hazred said with a smug smile. "So, we meet again."

"Agent Ellis is just fine," Mandy replied back coldly.

"And here I thought we were friends," Junior chuckled mockingly. "I've been thinking."

"Oh? I'm sure where you're going, you'll have plenty of time to think," Mandy interrupted.

"That man," Junior continued. "He was there."

"What man?" Mandy asked confused.

"The leader of the team of men who brought me here," Junior replied. "It was him wasn't it?"

Jason was leaning against the wall but stood up straighter listening to Al-Hazred. He knew as they trekked to exfil that Junior was questioning the familiarity of Jason. He had hoped Junior wouldn't connect the dots, but it seemed like he was about to.

Mandy thought about how to answer Junior. She could answer with the truth or go the round about way and avoid answering. She knew Jason was on the other side of the mirror watching. She needed to protect him as well as herself.

"Does it matter?" Mandy asked. "Thirteen years ago, your Dad was one of the ones in charge of the violence happening here. Looks like you failed in following Daddy's footsteps."

Al-Hazred took a good look at Mandy sizing her up but Mandy could see his eyes flash at the mention of his father.

"Tell me Agent Ellis," Al-Hazred leaned forward in his seat. "How long have you been doing this and yet here we are. What has changed in this twenty-year war? So, you caught me but there'll be another after me as well."

"So, you're saying there's another runner up for taking over Tahara?" Mandy asked. "Or maybe someone wanted you out so they could take control. After all, you associated with an outsider like Roman and look how that worked out. You got caught twice."

"Roman understands," Al-Hazred said.

"Understands what exactly," Mandy scoffed as she leaned in towards Junior. "Understands how to use you and turn around and betray you?"

"He would never betray me," Al-Hazred insisted.

Mandy let out a bitter laugh, "You sure about that?" Mandy then proceeded to grab the folder she had brought in. "You know, when we went to grab your mother and sister we ran into some friends of his, or should I say yours," Mandy continued as she brought out pictures of the dead mercenaries who tried to kill the mother and sister.

"You're lying," Al-Hazred replied confidently. "This won't work Mandy. I know better than to turn on family."

"Family?" Mandy repeated before taking her foot and pulling the chain underneath the table which caused Al-Hazred's head to come down on the table and Mandy put her hands on the pressure point of his neck. Meanwhile, everyone in the observation room stood up a little straighter, ready to run into the room if they needed to.

"Family doesn't put bullets in you and leave you to die," Mandy said into his ear vehemently as her hand pressed down on his neck. "Family doesn't go after your family like they're loose ends. You know we talked to the one guy who survived the ambush before you got here. You wanna know who sent him?"

Al-Hazred let out a groan as Mandy applied pressure to his neck. "You won't kill me."

Mandy let him go immediately and then brought his head to look him dead in the eyes, "You're right, I won't. That's not my style." She let him go and then stood up from her chair to look at herself in the mirror. "I've taken out and put away a lot of guys like you. Some of them want me dead and some don't cuz I showed mercy on them. Sometimes we catch some of the worst people to exist and they ask for me. I've built quite the reputation out there. Some would call me their savior."

"You still believe you're the good guy," Al-Hazred chuckled.

"Unlike you, I value life," Mandy said turning around and opening the file again. "See this here? This is your sister." The picture was of a burnt corpse barely recognizable but enough to pass as his sister. "This is what your friend did," Mandy lied partially.

It wasn't his sister, but it was a victim from another attack tied to Roman. Junior looked down at the picture and back at Mandy. He pulled the picture closer. "No," Junior muttered while shoving the picture away. "You're lying!"

"I think this speaks for itself," Mandy said picking up the picture and shoving it in his face. "Is this how you take care of your family? Let them pay the price for your sins."

In the observation room, everyone was watching intently. Watching Mandy at work was quite the show. It made the team realize all that went into everything they did. This was another side to Mandy they had never seen. The team didn't normally see what happened after they brought a target in.

"Here we go," Director Thomson and Troy both muttered.

"Here goes what?" Clay asked looking at the two.

"The moment of truth," Troy answered as he watched intently.

"When he breaks," Thomson answered as he watched on proudly.

"Why do you want to believe so badly he's on your side?" Mandy pushed. "He shot me twice like it was nothing. All he had to say was he was sorry," Mandy said sitting on the corner of the table. "Is it because you know now that Tahara failed? Your plan for revenge failed and all your followers left out there know it too. The great Asim al-Hazred a failure compared to his father," Mandy mocked. "You couldn't even protect your sister or niece in this war you insisted on continuing. Their deaths are on you," Mandy said pointing at the pictures.

"I did not fail!" Junior yelled back.

"Yes, you did," Mandy insisted. "Are you so heartless you feel nothing over the death of your sister and niece. By the way, who was the father?"

Junior swiped the picture off the table and tried to go after Mandy, but the chains stopped him. Mandy had gotten off the table just before his explosion of emotions and sat calmly in the chair across from him.

"You know, almost twenty years," Mandy sighed looking around the room. "Almost twenty years I've put my country and others before myself. Even the world at this point. This room and what I do though, it has been my home all these years. Constant stream of guys like you coming through and every single one of you are exactly the same. You're all cold-blooded killers who don't give a damn about who pays the price for your twisted agendas."

"You're no different," Junior said coldly. "He's going to finish you."

"So, he's coming for me," Mandy smirked as Junior realized he'd slipped. "He's planning something for within the United States?" Mandy asked as she watched his eyes twitch.

"The blood will be on your hands, Agent Ellis," Al-Hazred answered.

"Tell me about the money," Mandy continued.

"Why should I talk to you? There's nothing you can offer me," Junior replied.

"Because I'm the one that determines what kind of life you get to enjoy for the rest of your life," Mandy answered. "Talk now and you can live a decent life where you're going. Don't and I'm sure some friends of mine there can make your life hell. Especially when they find out you took a shot at me here."

Junior looked at her intently and realized she wasn't bluffing, "What do you want to know?"

"That's my girl," Thomson said smiling in the observation room.

"She sure is something else," Sonny commented as everyone watched Mandy take notes on information Junior was giving up. "Someone should by her a drink tonight."

"Or the whole damn bar," Trent added.

Jason stood looking into the room with a proud smile. Why Mandy ever had any doubts was beyond him, but he knew she'd break him. That was his girl and Jason still couldn't figure out how lucky he'd gotten to be able to call her his. Almost as if she heard his thoughts, she looked over to the mirror towards where Jason was and let out a small smile.

"She definitely is something else," Jason smiled.

"Time to break out the good stuff!" Sonny called out as the everyone chuckled. "Tonight, calls for a celebration of another successful deployment."