Hello again friends! Still in the set up stage for the mission, but it all starts to go down very soon. Just as a note, the times shown will be relevant to the time zone they're in; when we take a look back at VaBeach (ch4) it'll state how far away Bravo are from target so you know where everyone is at certain times :)

1245 – Overhead The Bahamas, C130 Hercules Cargo Hold – North Atlantic Ocean

No sweet talking was required to get Davis to set up a video call so he could watch Mikey's training, and by the time Alana text him to say they'd arrived at the stadium, Jason was parked in front of the screen with his brothers settling in around him.

He had to bite his lip to keep from smiling; Mikey was going to be in for one hell of a shock when he realised he had an audience larger than just his parents.

"Hey Jase, when's Mikey's next game?" Clay asked, elbowing Sonny none-too-gently when the Texan tried to sit next to him. "Buzz off, Sonny. Trent's already called this seat."

"Damn right I have!" Trent yelled, rummaging through his bags for something. Jason, Clay, and Trent were the hockey enthusiasts on the team, which meant they'd gathered the closest to the screens so they didn't miss anything. "Find your own seat!"

"But I'm the senior!" Sonny protested.

"What do you want me to do about that? Get you a Zimmer frame?" Clay asked, perplexed. "I can work miracles, Sonny, but even I'd be hard pushed to find one in here."

Sonny screeched in horror, whilst the rest of Bravo roared with laughter, Cerberus adding his own happy barks to the mix to ensure he wasn't excluded.

"He's got a game next week," Jason replied, giving Brock a friendly nudge when the canine handler dropped down next to him, the Hair Missile flopping down at their feet soon after. "This is their last major training session until then." His phone vibrated, and he slid it across the table to Lisa. "Alana's ready."

Davis worked her magic by connecting his phone to the computer screen, and positioned it so the front camera captured them all. Once it was in place and the call answered, they were greeted with his not-quite ex-wife's surprised face. "Oh, hey guys. So this is why you wanted me to bring the tablet."

"We've got another seven hours till we reach our destination," he replied when Lisa confirmed the audio was connected. "Given it's still the morning for us, we have some time to kill."

"Am I allowed to ask where you're going?"

"We're currently heading towards Brazil," Eric said, before Jason could even check if it was okay. Given the urgency surrounding their mission, he'd suspected that no one would have been permitted to say anything at all. "Our final destination is still unknown at this stage, and I'm afraid I can't tell you any more than that. I'm sure you understand."

Alana nodded. "I do, Eric. I appreciate you telling me that much, at least."

Blackburn gave her a smile, then plopped himself down onto a spare crate next to Lisa. Mandy was heading their way too, so Jason figured they'd be joining their little viewing party, given there wasn't much else for them to do.

"Okay Jason, how do you want to do this?"

"You've got the tripod, yeah?" When Alana murmured an affirmative, he nodded. "Set us up with the screen facing Mikey and the front camera filming; that way he can see us when he looks over."

As he'd hoped, Mikey's face was hilariously shocked and embarrassed when he skated over after their coach called for a twenty-minute break.

"Hi d – wait, what?"

"Hi Mikey!" All of Bravo chanted, absolutely not in sync, and all of them laughing at how terrible they sounded.

"You absolutely slayed out there, buddy!" Clay crowed, giving Mikey two thumbs up. "Your opponent best stay outta your way next week!"

"Well, they could stand in your way, but they'll look like a bunch'a idiots if they do!" Trent added.

Jason laughed at that before giving his son a grin. "How're you feeling?"

"Good," Mikey replied, smiling shyly at all the attention. "I think we're doing well so far; coach wants us to run through some of the harder drills next. Trick shots, and the like to throw them off."

"That'll be cool; I'll get your mum to move us closer so we can watch."

"Hey, Mikey! Who're you talking to?" Frowning for a second at the faintness of the voice, Jason soon placed it as Jake – Mikey's teammate and best friend. Jake knew he was in the navy, and Jason knew that he'd met Ray, but he wasn't sure if he'd met the rest of Bravo. Honestly, it was hard to keep track of which of his kids' friends had met who.

"My dad; he's video called in to watch us train." No sooner had Mikey finished talking, than there was another face filling the screen.

"For real?" Jake grinned widely when he saw them. "Hiya, Mikey's dad! Hi Mr Perry! Hi… uh, everyone else."

"Hey Jake, how you doing?" Ray asked, giving the kid a wide smile. Jake was just as shy as Mikey, but when together the pair of them were noisy and always running around. They were both also really good with Jameela on the few occasions Ray stopped by with her, and more than once Ray had found himself chasing all three kids around the yard when he got dragged into their game. "Looking good out there."

"Thank you, sir," Jake replied, slinging an arm around Mikey's shoulders. "Coach reckons we have a good chance of winning next week!"

Jason agreed wholeheartedly with that statement. "With the way you guys are playing, I don't doubt it for a second."

"Alright boys, go get some water and freshen up before you start," Alana suggested, to which both boys nodded, and after one last wave skated over to the tunnels. When they were gone, she said; "Jason, I'm going to go talk to the coach; find out the best place to set up the tablet for you guys to watch."

"Alright Alana, sounds good."

The second half of the training went by quickly. Bravo indeed got moved closer to watch, and Jason couldn't help the pride that filled him every time he watched his son race pass. He never missed a shot, his footwork and handling of the puck were on point – all in all, he was certain Mikey had it in the bag.

He got to spend a few more minutes with his son once his match finished, Clay and Trent offering their own thoughts when Mikey asked for them, and soon the call was ending and Bravo were dispersing throughout the plane.

Jason settled into his hammock with his laptop, and lost track of time writing up a report on Bravo's training that Harrington had asked for a few days ago, when his phone pinged twice. He flicked through both messages, warmth settling into his gut as he read them.

From: Alana

Mikey hasn't stopped talking about you and the boys calling in to watch his training. I think you all made his week. Stay safe, see you when you're back xx

From: Mikey

Thanks dad. Love you. Be safe x

He fired off a reply to them both, as well as a quick message to Emma saying he'd see her in a few days, before returning to his report. Three hours down, six to go.

1845 – Overhead State of Paraná, C130 Hercules Cargo Hold – Brazil

"Alright, gather round!"

Jason jolted awake, rubbing at his eyes and sighing when he realised he'd nodded off. He kicked a leg at his 3IC as he stumbled past, grinning at the Texan's grumbling when he was forced to dance out of the way.

"C'mon, Jase," Sonny whined, scrubbing at his eyes. "Whadidya do that for?"

"Tryin' to see if you were sleep walking," he replied, hauling himself out of his hammock and following on his brother's heels. "The way you were moving, it was hard to tell if you were awake or not."

"Eh, I dunno rightly, myself."

He snorted at that. "Yeah, figured as much." They joined the rest of Bravo around the crates, and he noted that the intel on the table looked far better than it had earlier. "We got a lead on our target?"

Mandy nodded. "Better than that, we've confirmed it's Hezbollah behind the ambush, and we know exactly where they are."

Well thank Christ for that. "How did you find that out?"

The screen sprang to life with a photo of the school group – everyone bound and gagged and looking absolutely terrified. "Because their leader contacted the State Department; they're asking for a ransom – if their demands aren't met within the next seventy two hours, the adults will be killed, and the children sold into slavery. Any that fight back will be executed, and the videos posted online."

"Given the age of the teenagers, you can guarantee some of the kids have played first person shooter games and will think they can overpower their captors, free them all," Clay sighed, running a hand through his hair. "There's going to be casualties."

Mandy nodded, resignation clear in her face. "That's what we're worried about, which is why time is of the essence."

"Do the families know what's going on?" Trent asked, drumming his fingers against the crate.

"And what's the ransom they're asking?" Sonny added.

"The families are being notified and taken to Washington as we speak. There are kids from all over the country on this trip, so travel arrangements were being made for them the moment we were briefed on the situation," Mandy replied. "As I'm sure you can appreciate, the State Department doesn't want this getting out until it's over; the more media coverage on it, the higher the ransom could go and the more likely the group will start killing kids to keep the attention where they want it. As for the ransom; they're demanding $150 million be delivered to a pre-arranged location, in cash, in exchange for everyone's freedom."

He whistled lowly. "That's over two mill per."

"It could be triple that for all the State Department cares," Blackburn replied, his expression troubled. "The United States doesn't negotiate with terrorists; regardless of who the hostages are. The fact they're kids definitely won't make it easy, but we're confident that we'll get everyone out alive."

"And how exactly are we going to do that?" There were maps on the table, satellite images on the screen. Plus, Mandy had said that they knew where they were, which meant that they could finally work on a plan of attack.

Lisa pressed a button, and the screen changed from the photo of the group to a map of the Triple Frontier region. "Once the group reached Foz do Iguaçu, they headed south to what appears to be a heavily fortified encampment on the eastern side of the San Rafael National Park. There are some houses a few klicks away in any direction, but given where they are we don't think they're linked to the group. Satellite imagery shows that there's a forest between the camp and the road, so the entrance is likely hidden from prying eyes."

"They know what they're doin'," Sonny murmured around his ever-present toothpick. "What are our infil options?"

"In ninety minutes, you'll be HALOing into the southern end of the National Park; into this U-shaped clearing here," Blackburn replied, indicating the area on the map. "It appears to be part of a nearby farm, but the building is a good two klicks to the east. It'll be after dark when you jump, so that, combined with the low opening means you should easily avoid detection. From there, you'll have a twenty-two kilometre hike to the camp."

"I thought we were HAHOing," Sonny muttered. "Ain't nobody said anything about a HALO. This is bullshit."

Blackburn rolled his eyes. "The plan was originally for a high opening jump, yes, but after reviewing the intel again we decided a low opening significantly reduces the chances of you being spotted."

"Is free falling another of your phobias?" Clay asked, confused. "It's getting really hard to keep up with what's on there. Does someone have a list for me to keep track?"

Brock and Trent snickered none too quietly.

"I've got a better question for you. We're hiking in the jungle at night, correct?" Jason grinned at Bravo 3's growing horror. "Aren't there, like, venomous snakes in Paraguay, or somethin'?"

"Yeah, but I'd be more concerned about the jaguars in the forest," Lisa said nonchalantly, a sly look on her face as she read her folder.

"There are jaguars in there?!"

Lisa looked up and nodded. "The National Park is one of the few locations in Paraguay that is home to the jaguars. They're definitely in there."

They all cackled when Sonny whimpered.

Blackburn snorted and shook his head. "We did foresee Sonny's issue with the local wildlife when we picked the location, so luckily for you, your landing site is on a farm on the edge of the forest. As long as you stick close to the trees for cover, you can walk across the farmland until you reach the camp."

"Blackburn, I could kiss you!"

"I'll take the sentiment, but not the action if it's all the same to you," Blackburn retorted drily. Jason snorted quietly at that. "Once you're in, gather the group and get them out on the bus. Your exfil point is Guarani International Airport, just outside of Foz do Iguaçu. We'll be there to pick you up."

"That where you're basing yourself?" Brock asked quietly, looking at the map closest to him. "It's a bit risky, isn't it?"

Lisa pointed at the handler in acknowledgement. "The Paraguayan Government is tetchy enough as it is, so to avoid asking even more of them we're going to operate out of São Paulo. It's a three hour drive from the camp to your exfil point, so once we know you're on route we'll get airborne and meet you there."

"Sounds good," Jason said, looking at his brothers. "Any objections? If so, now's the time to speak up." Sonny went to raise his hand, but Ray slapped it down. "Anyone other than Sonny about anything other than the local wildlife? No? Alright then; let's jock up."

Their gear up went quickly, and their jump, despite Sonny's continued objections, went smoothly.

It went smoothly right up until they came into land, a sudden wind shift forced them all a lot closer to the trees than they'd been aiming for. To avoid crashing, Trent and Sonny executed some impressively fast evasive manoeuvres which sent them hurtling off to the east of their landing spot, and the pair disappeared from sight.

"Fuck!" Jason whisper-shouted as he touched down, shaking his head in disbelief as he activated his radio. "Trent! Sonny! You guys okay?"

There was no reply, and he shared a look with Ray. Just what they didn't need; two of their team separated from them, and unresponsive. "Bravo 3, this is 1. Where did you land?"

Still nothing.

"This isn't good, Jase," Ray muttered, packing up his parachute. "What do we do?"

He stared at the forest helplessly. Even if his brothers had cleared the trees, they were in a field with nothing between them and the farmhouse, which meant there was every chance they'd been detected before their mission had even started. "Fuck."

HALO – High Altitude Low Opening Jump

HAHO - High Altitude High Opening Jump

Reserva Nacional Parque San Rafael = San Rafael National Park

If anyone feels the need to google map the specific landing point, search for Libertad Del Sur, Paraguay ( The actual 'camp' is in the big field between Com Indig Tapysavy and the Itapua/Caazapa Department border (-26.43105, -55.61353 on google maps) (which has something to do with government department responsibilities – I guess it's similar to region borders in smaller countries…).

Don't include: 30km hike based on the google measuring tool between their landing site and their target, based on googles estimates – it's 6-8hrs to hike, so 8 to account for the weight of their gear.

HALO – High Altitude Low Opening Jump

HAHO - High Altitude High Opening Jump

Reserva Nacional Parque San Rafael = San Rafael National Park

If anyone feels the need to google map the specific landing point, search for Libertad Del Sur, Paraguay ( The actual 'camp' is in the big field between Com Indig Tapysavy and the Itapua/Caazapa Department border (-26.43105, -55.61353 on google maps) (which has something to do with government department responsibilities – I guess it's similar to region borders in smaller countries…).