When the team arrived to the location Nell and Eric found, the sky was pitch black, providing ample cover to approach Mason's hideout. It was a small farmhouse located in the countryside far away from Moscow, completely isolated from any neighbors. The house was an old, wooden structure, complete with a wrap-around porch and two entryways. Open land surrounded it in nearly every direction.
Sam, Kensi, and Deeks pulled up in their small car and parked off the side of the road, almost a quarter mile away from the house. Sam had turned off his lights earlier to avoid alerting them of their arrival. Quietly, they grabbed their assault weapons and turned on their comms, connecting with Ops. The agents stealthily advanced closer to the house, glad for the complete absence of moonlight concealing them. They took cover a hundred feet from the structure behind a cluster of trees.
The team silently observed the house. If it wasn't for the dim light coming through the windows, they'd swear it was abandoned. The agents didn't see any sentries on the perimeter, so Sam motioned for Kensi and Deeks to cover the back. His gesture was barely seen in the shrouding darkness around them, but the junior agents understood and cautiously crept around to the other entrance.
Sam waited a few moments for them to get in position. He watched for any signs of his partner in that house, praying he was here and was still alive. Sam didn't know what he would do if that wasn't the case. This was probably their last chance to ever find him again. He didn't think he could handle the loss of his partner. If they couldn't save him, he would never be able to forgive himself. He silently took a breath and closed his eyes, clearing his mind and focusing on the impending task at hand. Never leave a man behind, he reminded himself, finding comfort and determination in the familiar phrase. He inwardly promised himself that whatever happened, he'd bring Callen home.
"In position" Kensi whispered. Sam shot his eyes open, ready to take Mason down.
"Go, go, go!" Sam encouraged. The agents rapidly advanced up to each entry to the house. In a matter of seconds, they reached the doorways and Sam counted down from three. The team breached the house.
Kensi and Deeks were instantly met with two very surprised gunmen. Deeks took the first down in a heartbeat, but the other had already grabbed their automatic rifle and started firing at the agents. The shots echoed throughout the house, shattering the windows and wildly destroying everything in their path. Kensi and Deeks quickly ducked back outside the house, momentarily pinned and waiting for their opportunity to strike.
Sam broke down the front door with ease and met no one in his path. He cleared the front room and moved to advance down a hallway off to the left, intently focused on any sign of a threat. He almost reached the hallway when a gunman came around the corner wielding an automatic weapon. Sam instantly reacted, knocking the gun out of his hand before striking the man in the stomach. The man grunted and doubled over, not even having the chance to counter before Sam shoved the man's face into his knee. One final hit in the back brought the man down, knocking him out cold. Sam quickly zip-tied the man and was up with his weapon, clearing his surroundings. He heard shots echoing from the other end of the house, recognizing that Deeks and Kensi had some company as well. Sam tried again for the hallway when a door opened to his left. He instantly turned his assault weapon, killing the gunman before he had a chance to aim.
"Kensi, Deeks, front is clear. You good?" Sam reported.
Shots echoed before Kensi lowered her weapon, just taking the other gunman out. "Good, coming in from the back." She responded. The two agents advanced through the entry to clear the house.
Sam quickly moved deeper into the house through the hallway. He cleared two rooms in his path before coming upon the room at the end of the hall. He heard movement coming from the other side of the door, and without a second thought, kicked down the door. What he saw next was something he would never be able to forget no matter how much he would want to erase it from his memory.
There Mason stood, hidden behind his partner with a knife digging into Callen's neck. Sam instantly took in the sight of his partner, shocked at the state he was in. His chest was covered in bruises and bright red slashes, his shirt literally torn to pieces. A deep gash was right next to the bullet wound Sam had patched up just earlier that day, and he recognized the same wound was in his left thigh. A large puddle of water mixed with blood surrounded Callen, and with a closer look Sam could see his clothes were soaking wet. His head hung limply while dried blood stained the whole right side of Callen's face. The sight was enough to give Sam a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, for his partner truly looked dead. Mason was still holding a knife to his throat though, and it was enough for Sam to know that Callen must still be alive.
Sam assessed the situation instantly upon entering and switched weapons, swiftly drawing his sig. Mason's murderous eyes glistened in the dismal light. Sam knew Mason was out of options and desperately trying to find a way to escape. He ducked further behind Callen, using him as a human shield. Sam intensely aimed his gun, searching for a safe shot.
"Give it up, Mason. You've got no way out." Sam warned. He took a small step closer.
Mason dug the knife deeper against Callen's neck. "One more step and I'll slit his throat," he threatened.
Sam immediately stopped, eyeing how dangerously close the knife was. "Drop it." He still had no shot. A sliver of Mason's head stuck out from behind Callen. If he was off by a tiny fraction, he could kill his partner. A small movement caught Sam's eye, and he saw Callen's eyelids groggily open.
Gunshots and a growing pressure against his neck had drawn Callen out of his unconscious state. His body still screamed in agony. Muffled speech had soon reached his foggy mind. When he'd become coherent enough, he recognized the pressure as the cold metal of the knife.
He cautiously opened his eyelids, afraid to move even the slightest inch. His defeated blue eyes slightly widened in surprise as they caught his partner in front of him with his gun outstretched. Mason was behind him and Sam was trying to find an open shot.
Sam met Callen's pained eyes, searching for a way out. Callen could tell by the distraught look that Sam couldn't take the shot; it was too close of an angle to his head. He stared up at his partner, silently communicating as he ever so slightly nodded his head. Once he was sure Sam received the message, he slowly closed his tired, downcast eyes.
His partner wanted him to take it. He trusted in him to make such an incredibly difficult shot. Even in such a tense, dangerous moment, Sam had to be amazed at his partner who'd come so far from the agent who was hesitant to trust anyone.
With the precious few seconds he had until Mason would probably lose it, he aligned his gun to about an inch over Callen's head where a small strip of Mason's head was exposed. He caught the knife move deeper, and forced himself to take the shot.