Four hours.

Four hours since Allison Shaw made that call.

Four hours since she played her final hand. Tom's kids.

If Sasha was honest with herself, she'd never been more scared for him in her life. He would sacrifice himself without blinking an eye for his children—any parent would. They'd stood there for 3 hours and 23 minutes at that airstrip, trying to come up with options while Tom was in the air. At an impasse. Unable to move forward without jeopardizing the safety of his children. It was a stalemate—match point. She wanted to tear Allison Shaw apart with her bare hands.

Sasha saw it pouring from him in waves, in the way he responded. He wasn't in the mood for options—that much was clear. He was getting on that plane, he was surrendering to Shaw, and he was going to die doing it, and he didn't care. She felt like she couldn't breathe.

"I'll go in with him, provide back up while Kara—" Tex made a noise that was somewhere between a scoff and a snort, Sasha frowned, her head turning sharply toward him… what the hell?

He shook his head staring right at her. "Ain't no way in hell he's lettin' you get on that plane with him." He dropped his head to peer at her above the rim of his sunglasses, driving his point home. She fell silent. The words stuck in her throat. Looked around at them all. Green, Kara, Mike, Meylan, Burk… she could see it in their faces.

Mike glanced at her briefly and spoke up. "Agreed."

She squeezed her eyes shut, chewed on her lip before bowing her head. She couldn't argue because she knew they were right but none of them understood exactly what she was about to lose. What he meant to her… Her hands started shaking, heart beating double time. Fuck. Breathing heavy as she looked anywhere but at them. Trying to come up with a solution rapid-fire, trying to ignore what she knew to be true. He'd lose his mind if she put herself in harm's way like that on-top of his kids being compromised. Probably order them to sequester her over letting her anywhere near it.

"I'll go," Tex volunteered. "She don't know me from joe dirt on the street—can use that to our advantage." She peered up at him then, she was fidgety and restless, jaw working overtime. He felt for her, he really did. "I'll keep him safe. You have my word," Tex told her directly, sincerely. Her nostrils flared as she breathed, her lips pressed firmly together so hard they were white. Finally, after a few seconds of desperate eye contact, she nodded her head. One sharp motion—she'd concede.

Tom looked sharply at Green when Kara stepped forward—he couldn't ask this of him. Couldn't ask him to risk is wife and mother of his newborn child to save his kids, but a prolonged look let him know that this wasn't up for debate. They weren't asking for permission here—he was being told.

His eyes shifted to Sasha then. She looked pained, she looked tired… beautiful and sad, and everything he loved about her. Hoped that she understood. He had to do this; this wasn't a choice to leave her. Hoped that she'd be okay without him, she was strong—she'd live, Sasha always landed on her feet. He on the other hand… She inclined her head in a subtle jerk—a signal to move forward.

Go.

Go before I can't let you.

He blinked and turned away. That might be the last time he saw her. "Let's go."

As soon as Tom turned her eyes started filling with tears. Blinked the emotion away as best she could and quickly moved to her position. She couldn't breathe. Her entire body was trembling. "If that plane takes off, we're never gonna see him again." She hated the way her voice wavered. How panicky she sounded. Stop, she told herself.

"We have options" —Mike reassured her quickly—"we get the kids off, do what we gotta do."

Fuck! She screamed at herself, adjusting the gun and counting slowly in her head. A tactic that he'd taught her years ago in training, something to help her regain focus. Panic for the specific amount of allotted time before she shut it all down for the mission. Five seconds.

Five. Four. Three. Two. One…

She breathed deeply and settled her gun; she was ready.

By the time Sasha made it back down to the tarmac from her perch, Mike was already in the plane. He was crouched in the hallway, solemnly observing the scene before him. Her eyes settled on the bodies in the room, Tex one of them, and then Tom—her heart fell. They had a term for how he looked during war—the thousand-yard stare. Skin clammy and pale. Looked like he was about to throw up as he stared brokenly at the dead body of Tex.

Sasha swallowed, nudging Slattery lightly to let her through. Handed him her rifle. Mike stood and looked up at her, silently communicating that he didn't know what to do. "Give us a minute," she whispered. He nodded sadly, taking a moment to look at Tom again before taking himself and her gun off the plane.

The moment he stepped off, Burk and Green were at his side, urgently awaiting an update. "Tex is gone," he informed them solemnly. They both hung their heads. Green let out a frustrated and despondent noise. One full of anguish—was it ever going to stop?

"And the Captain?" Burk urged.

Mike's face was set in a grim line. "He's gonna need a minute."

Judge, jury, and executioner. That's what he was. A hypocrite. A murderer. He hadn't even been able to honor his dying friend's last words. 'You're a good man.' Good men didn't do this. Good men didn't get people killed. Good men didn't persecute someone for murdering the scum of life on the Earth to save the human race and then turn around a kill someone because they were having a bad day.

"Tom…" Her voice was like honey and fire at once. Simultaneously soothing yet burning him. She knelt down beside him and gently took his face between her hands. "It's okay. Your kids are safe, they're with Kara, they're waiting for you."

He made no indication that he'd even heard her. She dragged her thumb across his cheek. Commanding softly. "Look at me." Tom lethargically turned his head and eyes towards her, finally focusing on her face. She always looked so perfect, not a single hair out of place. The corners of her lips formed a soft and encouraging smile at him. "It's over."

His eyes fluttered, scanning her form and the position they were in as he made sense of what was going on; they got stuck on her tac vest.

His heart skipped a beat.

His stomach rolled.

Yet another wave of nausea came.

There was a fucking bullet hole the size of a slug to the right of her midsection. Straight through her Sat phone. He groaned, an anguished noise between disgust, frustration, pain… He'd fired that last bullet, he realized, it had barely missed her and had hit Tex instead.

He was done.

He wasn't going to play Russian Roulette anymore.

Sasha gripped his face tighter, running a hand through his short hair, trying to calm him. "Shhh, it's done." Drew him closer as she soothed the pain. "It's done." Felt his weight lean into her, nearly sending her off balance from her crouching position. She sank down awkwardly, legs tangled with his, and held him. His head resting against her cheek as he slumped into her. Felt his arms wrap around her torso.

Tom closed his eyes, allowing himself the moment of weakness. Allowing himself to cling to her. His father was gone. He let out a shuddering breath and felt her hold him tighter still. Giving him every piece of strength that she had. Could feel her shaking or was that him? Sasha couldn't help the tears that had started falling silently from her eyes because she felt it. Knew it. Gut screaming at her.

She was losing him.