Introduction

This fiction takes place from the time they land back in the US from Syria in Episode 10, Season 6. Please note there are massive spoilers if you haven't seen up to this point.

This is the first Seal Team fic I have ever published (although I have been working on another for a while) so please bear with me. This is only a two chapter fic.

Chapter 1

Bravo reluctantly neared the door of the cage room. Jason's hand hovered over the code panel, almost having to dare himself to punch in the numbers. They had tried to argue their way back stateside for days, but now they were here, they all felt a feeling of unease. It was an uncontrollable trembling within their chests, every breath seemed to be sucked from their lungs and there was an incredible urge to start screaming, shouting, crying which was being pushed back down to the depths of the bodies and mind.

Sonny's eyes glazed with tears. He knew that Clay's cage had been cleaned out a while back. That it was Omar's now, but god… he wished he would just walk in and see his best friend, swinging in his hammock with some book in his grasp. His sharp blue eyes looking up and his smile that seemed so innocent and yet gave a hint of his wicked side. He slumped back against the wall, dropping his ruck sack down beside him, leaning over with his hands on his knees, seemingly supporting the weight of the world that he could feel on his shoulders.

Ray looked over to Quinn, then his eyes danced around to the others. He could see relief in their expressions. Relief that Sonny was expressing what everyone else was feeling. That it was the permission they needed should they break too.

Trent rested his hand on Sonny's back, eager to show him some support. Jason couldn't bring himself to do the same just yet, he didn't have the strength to console anyone right now, not even a little bit. The only other alternative was to push himself to enter the code. The familiar buzz of acknowledgement sounded, and the click of the lock followed. Jason pushed the heavy door open and entered the room.

"I feel physically sick being here right now." Ray said softly as he hoisted his bag up onto the table.

Brock nodded with a pained expression.

"What are we even doing here?" Sonny snarled.

"Blackburn didn't know if the Pentagon needed some kind of debrief before we left." Jason replied. "He's working on getting us cleared."

"Good old Eric." Sonny jabbed back with disgust.

Ray glanced at Jason, concerned about how Sonny was going to react when he saw Blackburn. Ever since they'd found out they weren't being withdrawn; he'd been highly vocal with his criticisms of their XO. But beyond that, it was clear that Sonny was a ticking time bomb, and no one could know when he would explode or who would trigger him. The last thing Bravo needed right now was being another member down and Quinn clawing his way back from an insubordination write up. "You need to rein it in, brother."

"The hell I do." Sonny snapped. "He's the reason we missed Clay's funeral. And Davis… she's the reason we were there."

"No. The job was the reason we weren't at the funeral." Jason said impatiently as he pressed his closed fists down onto the surface of the table. His arms stretched. "The job was the reason we were there. You wanna blame something, blame this war."

"Is that what you've been doing, Jace?" Sonny hissed as he glared at his boss. "You been blaming the job and the war for what happened to Clay in Mali?"

Jason straightened, his expression softened as his shoulders dropped, almost in defeat.

"Cos I know it isn't. I know too fuckin' well that you are beating yourself over the what if's."

"You don't think we all are?" Ray snapped back. "It was our Vet center that introduced him to this kid. Brock and Clay had made plans to go out to the range the night he was killed. Trent feel's guilty that he wasn't there in Mali. We all feel it." He paused and shook his head. "We all choose to dwell on the actions or inactions we lay at our feet but, the truth is that if we go back to the root cause… it's this war. It's this war that injured Clay, this war that connected him to Ben and it's this war which was the reason we weren't stateside when all this went down." He stepped closer to Quinn. "Sonny, trust me brother, when I say all roads lead back to this war."

Sonny stiffened, folded his arms over his chest and glared at his 2IC. Ray was probably right but he wasn't in the mindset of accepting any of it right now.

The sound of the buzzer interrupted the stare down between the pair. Blackburn and Davis walked in.

"I've convinced the Pentagon that you don't need to provide any further information today, but they will need reports done in the next day or two." Blackburn said softly.

"They'll probably have us spun up again in a couple of hours anyway." Sonny growled.

"I've also asked for Bravo to be stood down for a couple of weeks." Eric nodded.

Sonny coughed a cynical laugh and shook his head.

Blackburn stood uncomfortably in the silent tension, as the rest of the team glared at Sonny with frustration.

"We appreciated that." Trent piped up diplomatically.

"Listen… for what it's worth… Lieutenant Davis and I would have had you on your way back as soon as your request was submitted." Eric said carefully.

"We know the decision to stay was out of your hands." Jason replied.

"It doesn't make it any easier." Blackburn shook his head.

"Have you heard anything more from VBPD about what happened with Clay?" Ray asked.

"Only that the recruitment center and strip mall is a regular target and hotspot for crime. Three months ago, the guard involved, had been beaten and suffered a GSW himself… he'd only returned to work four weeks prior to this incident." Eric continued. "Turns out there had been a report earlier in the night of a group of people taking pot shots at one another. Hence why the guard was in a heightened state." He paused. "No charges have been laid so far."

"I'm sorry…" Sonny barked. "Is this supposed to be a justification for what happened?"

"No." Blackburn shook his head and thinned his eyes. "Just some context to the situation."

"The only context I care about is that Clay is six feet under, after being shot in the street like a dog by a rent-a-cop. That mother fucker has blood on his hands, and he'll probably get off." He snarled, grabbing his bag and turning for the door. "Ain't nothing more than that."

Lisa closed her eyes. Her heart was telling her to go after him, but her head and instincts said otherwise.

Brock was willing to take the risk as he started to follow Sonny.

"Brock…" Jason called out. "Leave him. He needs to work this one through himself right now."

Reluctantly Brock followed his team leader's advice and returned to his cage.

"I'm sorry again… for everything." Blackburn whispered softly before he headed out.

Jason exhaled and leant against the table once more. "I wasn't naive enough to think that getting justice in Syria would have vented all his anger, but I did think it would have helped."

"We gotta watch him." Ray shrugged. "Losing Clay from the team was enough, but this… this is whole new level of bat shit Sonny crazy about to go off."

"I'll call him when I've finished here… see if he wants to meet me at the Bulk Head."

"You need me to come with… I'll be there."

Jason smiled slightly before turning to Lisa. "You go to the funeral?"

"Yeah…" she nodded, allowing herself to step up to the table as if his question was an invite. "It was…" she shook her head and shrugged. What kind of words could she describe one of the hardest days she'd experienced in her career. "It was exactly what you would have expected."

"And Stella?" Trent asked.

"She's hanging in there." Davis nodded. "I don't know how she would have been if not for Brian… he gives her the purpose to keep going at this point."

"This is so foreign to me…" Ray shook his head. "Losing Nate, Metal… Adam on the battlefield was one thing… but to lose someone stateside like this, after everything that's happened in the last 6 months… it's some bullshit."

"Do you believe what you said? That all roads lead to this war?" Jason asked softly.

Ray's expression softened as he looked his boss in his eyes. "I'm really trying to Jace… I know it's the only way that will allow me to move forward… beating myself up over things that were, and are, out of my control… it isn't going to get me anywhere."

Jason nodded gently. "Yeah…" he whispered.

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It had been a number of hours since they had landed back in Virginia Beach. Ironically the room, in which they had struggled to enter, had now become a haven of sorts. Every little job that needed attention, be it their kit, weapons or even sweeping down the floors, had been completed. It was their shell, their armor, something that could protect them from the realities on the outside.

Jason mindlessly fumbled with his night vision goggles as he sat in his cage. His phone had vibrated several times in the past ten minutes but had gone unanswered. Again, it happened.

"You owe someone money?" Trent asked.

Jason sighed. "It's Troy Mason from Charlie. You know I don't do well with condolence calls."

"That sounds more urgent than a condolence call to me." Ray stepped over with a frown before he was distracted by the sound of his own phone chiming on the table. He picked it up and showed Jason the screen. TROY MASON. "What's up brother?" He answered softly. "Right, he's in meeting with the brass." He continued as he scowled at Jason for long enough to make a point.

Brock walked over to Jason's cage. "Were you going to see Stella today?"

Jason shook his head. "No… my mind's all over the place. I wanna be clear when I see her. I, at least, owe her that."

Brock nodded.

"How long ago was this?" Ray's voice became louder.

Jason, Trent and Brock could tell with the inflection change in Ray's voice that something was happening. They all approached the table once more.

"Can you text me the details?" Ray asked. "And Troy… I really appreciate you coming direct to us on this. Thanks." He concluded before ending the call.

"What?" Jason asked.

Ray looked around to each of them before sighing. "Sonny was at the Bulk Head. No surprises that Clay was the hot topic… Sonny heard one of the guys make a stupid comment about how Clay had been up against the worst of the worst and all it took was a mall cop to take him down. Fists were thrown, possible cheek bones were broken…"

Jason closed his eyes.

"Yeah, well it gets worse." Ray pushed. "Ramirez managed to pull Sonny away, and in a stupid attempt to calm the situation down, said that they'd found out who the security guard was and where he lived. Apparently in a drunken night out, the guys from Charlie had decided to take matters into their own hands, but then backed out in the sober light of day."

"Fuck!" Jason slammed his fists down on the table. His lips thinning into a furious grimace. "What the fuck was Ramirez thinking?"

"If Sonny get's hold of this guy, there's no telling what he'll do." Trent shook his head with concern.

"He'll kill him… that's what he'll do." Brock answered.

"You got the address?" Jason asked.

"Troy was going to get back to me with the details." Ray said as he checked his phone.

"We need to go…" Hayes snapped urgently. "Brock… try calling Sonny."

"Already on it." Brock replied as they filtered out of the room urgently.