This is set during the episode 4x06 "Proof of Concept" so spoilers for that, I guess.

I don't own the Tom Clancy universe, the show Jack Ryan, any of its characters.

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Chapter I: Mike November.

Mike was out of his seat the second the first sound of possible disturbances reached him. He ignored the pull on his shoulder as he rushed out of the tiny office at the back of the hangar. The base's commanding officer reacted only a few seconds later, and Mike could hear the man's footsteps as he ran behind him.

He ignored the pain and exhaustion as he pushed himself to move faster, his heart beating fast against his ribcage.

Mike was worried about Jack, of course he was. Being needed alive by bad guys seldom meant being needed in one piece, and since he was pretty much the person responsible for the shitstorm that just hit their little operation, they must hate him pretty badly over there. He didn't give much thought to the kind of sick shit they already must have put Jack through, just like he was ignoring the very real possibility Chavez's rescue mission failed. And if that wasn't enough, there was the little detail of needing to get the hell out of this shithole if they wanted to stay alive-

But, at the moment, Mike's main concern was stopping some trigger-happy local from possibly shooting Jack or Chavez when they were so damn close to getting out.

The lack of gunfire so far was certainly making him feel just a little hopeful.

A few officers were running in the direction of the checkpoint Mike and Somsak almost crashed hours ago, so he followed them. He was still too far away when he saw a flash of color among the dozens of officers as they surrounded some beat-up car outside the gate, their guns raised and ready for use. Surely they were all on high alert after his appearence.

"Fuck," Mike panted. Running around certainly hadn't gotten any easier. He resisted the urge to just drop to the ground and just fucking rest, and instead kept running. The fact whoever was in the damn car hadn't started shooting yet was another good sight, but Mike knew better than to assume anything. He ignored everything around him and focused on the car.

"They're with me!" Mike yelled as soon as he caught a glimpse of Chavez through the windshield.

A command in a foreign language was shouted behind him, and from mouth-to-mouth the order reached the officers outside the gate, who slowly lowered their weapons but remained on high alert. Mike actually sighed in relief when he saw the last gun go down.

Only once that current crisis was dealt with did Mike turn his attention back to the dark shape he spied on the passage side of the car. He assumed it must be Jack, but with the figure leaning on the dashboard with their head bowed, there was no way to be sure.

Mike slowly came to a stop when he realized the figure still wasn't moving. Surely Chavez wouldn't have brought back a body, would he? Shit, he totally would have-

Except that made no fucking sense. Why take him if they were just going to kill him? Unless Jack did what he always did, which was refusing to do what he was told him to do. He could have pissed off the wrong person; he was rather good at that too. Or maybe Chavez's rescue had gone terribly, terribly wrong. Goddammit. Mike should have gone with him. He should have ignored Chavez's perfectly reasonable plan and refuse to back down. Two men were always better than one even if one of them was injured.

Before he could fully lose his shit, Mike saw Chavez move closer to the figure, and a moment later, it finally moved. Thank fuck.

Mike's ragged breathing caught in his throat the second he met Jack's hazy gaze. There was dried blood on his face, and he frankly looked like hell, but Mike still found the corner of his lips quirking into a smile that for once went unanswered, prompting him to keep moving forward.

His gaze went to Chavez as the man exited the vehicle, and when their gazes met he received a solemn nod from the other agent.

"Glad you could make it, guys!" Mike shouted as soon as he crossed the gate, finally reaching the car and the officers still surrounding it. He was happy to notice Chavez seemed alright. He liked the guy.

"So you're still alive, huh?" Chavez called back with the flash of a tired but genuine smile.

"Yep. Somsak and I are best pals now."

"Nice."

There was none of the quips he was used to hearing from Jack. Mike's smile was wiped from his face as his attention went back to the other man.

Jack finally moved to get out of the car after a moment, so he studied him. His movements were careful and slow, his hands never letting go of the door that supported him. There was a dark cloth over his hunched shoulder, his long legs unsteady as he shuffled forward.

Mike's hands curled into firsts as he watched Jack's body keep moving out of sheer willpower. A quick look at Chavez's face assured him whoever was physically responsible had already been dealt with, but a part of him was glad that there were still other bastards who needed to pay for this whole fucking mess, and Mike was more than willing to make them.

He didn't do feelings, at least not the way normal people did. It was one of the many things his former line of work taught him; to keep his composure and never ever give them anything, but that didn't mean he felt nothing. Of course he was worried about Jack and relieved to see him back. Sure, he was a little worse for wear, but he was conscious and he was on his feet, and that was a lot more than could be said about most people who went through similar situations.

"Good to see you're still alive, man," Mike commented good-natured the moment Jack reached his side.

"Don't."

"Stop."

The double warning stopped Mike just before he made contact, his hand hovering above Jack's back for a second or two before he lowered it without a word. He didn't need to imagine the kind of damage hidden under that damn blanket and the rest of Jack's clothes. Mike knew. He fucking knew.

"Right." Mike cleared his throat awkwardly before continuing. "You ready to go home?"

Jack let out a deep and weary exhale. It felt like he was only now letting himself believe getting out of this damn country alive was a possibility.

"I am," he croaked. The barely audible words were followed by the smallest of quirks at the corner of Jack's mouth.

In that second, Mike knew Jack was going to be alright. He wasn't all there yet, and he definitely needed medical attention and a ton of fucking rest, but there was a little spark back in his eyes. It was a faltering and faint thing, nothing like the fire he was used to seeing there, but it was there all the same.

"Alright then," Mike said with a grin as he reached out to help him. "Let's go home."

...

A/N: This was posted pretty much right after I wrote it, so there will be some edits later, I just know it. And, please suspend your disbelief and let's pretend Jack and Chavez had to go to the air base too.

Now, I must admit I have mixed feelings about season 4, but I love the characters, and I love the dynamics between them, so here I am, writing about them. I didn't want to get into the medical side of things because of reasons, but I wanted the 'what happened after the big rescue' to be addressed a little. Also, am I the only one who misses the way they handled hurt!Jack in the first season? I sure hope not.

I kind of want to write something similar with Greer and Cathy, but I have no clear ideas yet and I'm terrible at staying focused on one idea for long, so we'll see how that goes. I make no promises. Also, no disrespect was meant to the countries where the action takes place, but I figured Mike and the others must be sick of them and just about ready to get the hell out of there.

This is unbetaed and I'm not a native speaker, so please feel free to point out any mistake you may find.