For a moment, time seemed to stand still. Jaz's finger hovered over the trigger of her weapon, her eyes locked on the two figures before her. Nadia Khan, the woman who had abandoned her years ago, stood by the grimy window. Beside her was Rami, a boy no older than 15, with eyes that held a coldness beyond his years.
"Well, well," Nadia's voice cut through the silence, dripping with disdain. "If it isn't Jasmine, all grown up and playing soldier."
Rami's eyes narrowed, his hand moving slowly towards his waist. "You shouldn't have come here," he sneered, his voice cracking slightly, betraying his youth. "This isn't a place for stupid girls trying to be men."
Jaz's grip on her weapon tightened, but her voice remained steady. "Hands where I can see them. Both of you."
Amir moved silently to her left, his weapon trained on Rami. Through her earpiece, Jaz could hear Top's voice, tense and urgent. "Jaz, Amir, report. What's your status?"
"We've got eyes on the targets," Amir responded, his voice low. "Upper level, northwest corner."
"Roger that," Top replied. "We're on our way. Hold position."
Nadia's laugh was harsh, grating. "Oh, Jasmine. Did you really think you could waltz in here and play the hero? You're still that same useless little girl, desperately trying to prove herself."
Jaz felt the words like a physical blow, memories of her childhood rushing back. The constant belittling, the emotional neglect, and then... the abandonment. She pushed the thoughts aside, focusing on the present. "I said hands up. Now."
Rami's smirk grew wider as he slowly raised his hands. "You hear that, Nadia? She thinks she can give us orders. How... cute."
The tension in the room was a powder keg ready to explode. Jaz could hear the rest of the team ascending the stairs, their footsteps swift and purposeful.
"Why?" The question escaped Jaz's lips before she could stop it. "Why did you leave? Why all of this? Why now?"
Nadia's eyes flashed with a mixture of anger and something else..."You wouldn't understand, Jasmine. You never did. Always so stubborn, so willful. A disgrace to your heritage, to everything I tried to teach you."
"Teach me?" Jaz spat the word out. "You mean before or after you abandoned me with him?"
The 'him' hung in the air, unspoken but understood. Jaz's father, the monster who had made her childhood a living hell.
Rami's hand moved in a blur, reaching for his weapon. "Enough talk!"
What happened next seemed to unfold in slow motion. Jaz saw Rami's movement and reacted instinctively, diving to push Amir out of the line of fire. The crack of gunshots filled the air as Rami opened fire with surprising accuracy for his age.
As the echoes of gunfire faded, Jaz pushed herself to her feet, ignoring the burning pain in her side. "I'm fine," she insisted, waving off Amir's concerned look.
Top's voice crackled over the comms. "Jaz, Amir, status report."
"We're good," Jaz responded, her voice steady despite the growing discomfort. "Rami's down, but alive. Nadia's in the wind."
"Roger that," Top replied. "Secure the area. We're on our way up."
As Amir zip-tied Rami's hands, Jaz scanned the room, fighting off a wave of dizziness. She blinked hard, trying to focus. The adrenaline was wearing off, and the pain was intensifying, but she pushed it down. There was still work to do.
"Jaz?" Amir's voice seemed to come from far away. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I said I'm fine," Jaz snapped, immediately regretting her harsh tone. "Sorry, I just... let's focus on the mission."
Amir nodded, but his eyes remained concerned. Before he could say more, the rest of the team burst into the room.
"Nice work, you two," Top said, his eyes quickly assessing the situation. "McG, check on our young friend here. Preach, start searching for any intel. Amir, give him a hand."
As the team dispersed to their tasks, Jaz leaned against the wall, trying to look casual. She could feel warm blood seeping through her shirt, but she didn't dare look down. Not yet. Not until the job was done.
"Jaz," Top's voice was low as he approached her. "You good?"
"Yes" Jaz replied, straightening up despite the pain. "What's our next move?"
Top studied her for a moment, then nodded. "We need to find Nadia. Any ideas where she might have gone?"
Jaz opened her mouth to respond, but the room suddenly tilted. She blinked, trying to clear her vision. "I... she would have... a backup plan..."
Her words slurred slightly, and Top's expression sharpened with concern. "Jaz? What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I'm just..." Jaz tried to take a step forward, but her legs buckled. Top caught her before she hit the ground.
"McG!" Top's shout echoed through the room. "Get over here, now!"
The world spun as Jaz felt herself being lowered to the floor. She could hear the team's voices, urgent and worried, but they seemed to be coming from underwater.
"Jaz, stay with me," McG's face swam into view, his hands pressing against her side. The pain flared, and she couldn't hold back a groan. "Damn it, Jaz, why didn't you say something?"
"Had to... finish the mission," Jaz mumbled, fighting to stay conscious.
"The bullet nicked an artery," McG reported, his voice tense. "She's losing a lot of blood. We need to get her out of here, now."
As the team scrambled to prepare for emergency evac, Preach's voice cut through the chaos. "Top, you need to see this."
"Not now, Preach," Top growled, his hand firmly gripping Jaz's.
"It's about Jaz," Preach insisted. "And Nadia's plan."
Despite the pain and encroaching darkness, Jaz forced her eyes open. "What... what plan?"
Preach approached, a tablet in his hand. "I decrypted some of their communications. Nadia's endgame... it wasn't just about the attacks. She was planning to take Jaz."
"What?" The word came out as a chorus from the team.
"Take her where?" Amir demanded.
Preach's face was grim. "To sell her. Apparently, Nadia owes a debt to some very dangerous people. And a female special ops soldier of Arab descent... that's a valuable commodity in certain circles."
The revelation hung in the air, a sickening weight settling over the team. Jaz felt a wave of nausea that had nothing to do with her injury.
"That bitch," McG snarled, his hands never stopping their work on Jaz's wound. "I'll kill her myself."
"Get in line," Amir's voice was cold with fury.
Top's grip on Jaz's hand tightened. "That's not going to happen. Not now, not ever. You hear me, Jaz? We've got you."
Jaz tried to nod, but the movement sent a fresh wave of pain through her body. She could feel herself slipping away, the voices of her team becoming more distant.
"Stay with us, Jaz," Top's voice was urgent. "That's an order, soldier."
As darkness closed in, Jaz clung to the sound of her team's voices, to the feeling of their hands holding her, keeping her tethered to the world. Her last conscious thought was a mixture of gratitude for her team and a fierce determination. Nadia might have given birth to her, but these people - they were her real family. And she wasn't going to let them down.
The world faded to black, but even in unconsciousness, Jaz could feel the presence of her team surrounding her, protecting her.
Jaz drifted in and out of consciousness, fragments of conversations floating around her:
"Blood pressure's dropping..."
"Hang another unit..."
"Damn it, Jaz, don't you dare give up on us..."
She wanted to respond, to tell them she was fighting, but her body felt heavy, unresponsive. Time lost all meaning as she floated in a haze of pain and disjointed memories.
When Jaz finally clawed her way back to full consciousness, the first thing she became aware of was the steady beep of a heart monitor. She blinked, her eyes adjusting to the dim light of what appeared to be a hospital room. As her vision cleared, she realized she wasn't alone.
McG was slumped in a chair next to her bed, his head tilted at an angle that would surely lead to a stiff neck. On her other side, Amir was curled up in another chair, a book fallen open on his lap. At the foot of her bed, Top stood staring out the window, his posture tense.
Jaz tried to speak, but her throat was dry, and all that came out was a weak croak. It was enough, though. Top spun around, relief flooding his face as he saw her awake.
"Hey there, sleepyhead," he said softly, moving to her side. "Welcome back."
The commotion roused McG and Amir, both jerking awake with startled expressions that quickly turned to joy.
"Jaz!" McG was on his feet in an instant, checking her vitals. "How are you feeling?"
Jaz managed a small smile. "Like I got shot," she rasped.
Amir chuckled, the sound slightly watery. "Your sense of humor is intact, I see."
"Here," Top held a cup of water to her lips, helping her take small sips. "Better?"
Jaz nodded, feeling more human with each moment. As the initial excitement of her waking faded, she could see the worry lines etched on her teammates' faces, the dark circles under their eyes.
"How long?" she asked.
"Two days," McG answered, his voice gruff with emotion. "You gave us quite a scare, Jaz."
The memories came flooding back - the shootout, her injury, the revelation about Nadia's plan. Jaz's heart rate spiked, the monitor betraying her sudden anxiety.
"Hey, hey," Top's hand was on her shoulder, grounding her. "You're safe. We've got you."
"Nadia?" Jaz managed to ask.
The team exchanged glances before Amir spoke up. "Still in the wind. But we've got every agency on high alert. She won't get far."
Jaz nodded, trying to process everything. "The plan... was it real? Was she really going to...?"
"Yes," Top's voice was tight with barely contained anger. "But it doesn't matter now. It's not going to happen. Not ever."
"We won't let it," McG added fiercely.
Jaz felt a lump form in her throat at the protectiveness in their voices. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I should have told you I was hit. I just... I didn't want to let you down."
"Let us down?" Amir repeated incredulously. "I see you got jokes today, but you need to trust your team."
"He's right," Top said, squeezing her hand. "Your pain is our pain. Your fight is our fight. Don't ever forget that."
Top ran a hand through his hair, his voice low and tight. "I've seen some messed up things in my time, but this... to do that to your own child?"
McG shook his head, his jaw clenched. "It's sick, man. I mean, I knew Jaz had a rough childhood, but this? Selling her own daughter?"
"Even in the worst parts of Philly, I never saw anything like this," Amir added, his usual calm demeanor cracking slightly.
Preach, who had been silent until now, spoke up. "Evil comes in many forms. Sometimes, the ones closest to us can hurt us the most."
Top nodded, his eyes never leaving Jaz's sleeping form. "We need more intel. Let's head back to that hut. There might be something we missed."
The team filed out quietly, with McG lingering for a moment to check Jaz's vitals one last time before following.
Hours passed. In the depths of her drug-induced sleep, Jaz's mind conjured nightmares. Fragmented images of her childhood, of Nadia's cold eyes, of Rami's sneering face, all swirled together in a terrifying kaleidoscope. With a gasp, she jerked awake, her heart racing.
It took her a moment to orient herself. The room was dim, lit only by the soft glow of medical equipment. Her team was nowhere to be seen, but she spotted a duffel bag in the corner - they had brought her clothes and toiletries.
A sense of urgency gripped her. She couldn't just lie here while Nadia was out there, planning God knows what. And Rami... there was something about that kid. Something familiar in his eyes that tugged at her.
Gritting her teeth against the pain, Jaz slowly pushed herself up. Every movement sent shockwaves of agony through her body, but she forced herself to continue. Carefully, she unhooked the various monitors and IVs, wincing as she pulled out the needles.
She made her way to the duffel bag, changing into her own clothes as quickly as her injured body would allow, biting her lip to keep from crying out at the pain.
The hallway outside was mercifully empty. Jaz made her way to the elevator, her mind racing. She knew where Rami would be held - the base's holding cells weren't far from the hospital wing. If she could just talk to him, maybe she could get some answers.
Meanwhile, back at the hut, the team was combing through every inch of the place, looking for anything they might have missed in the initial sweep.
"Top," Amir called out, holding up a small notebook. "I think I found something."
As they pored over the coded notes, Preach's sat phone rang. "It's DC," he said, putting it on speaker.
Back at the hospital, a nurse doing rounds noticed Jaz's empty room and immediately alerted security. Within minutes, Top's phone was ringing.
"Dalton," he answered, his voice tense.
"Captain, this is base security. We have a situation. Sergeant Khan is missing from her room."
Top's face paled. "What? How long?"
"Unknown, sir. The nurse just discovered her absence."
"Lock down the base. We're on our way," Top ordered, already moving. "Guys, Jaz is gone."
In the holding cell area, Jaz leaned heavily against the wall, catching her breath. The guard had been surprisingly easy to convince - apparently, her reputation preceded her. She could see Rami now, sitting on the cot in his cell, his young face a mask of defiance.
"Come to gloat?" he sneered as she approached.
Jaz shook her head, lowering herself carefully onto the chair outside his cell. "No, Rami. I came to talk."
"I've got nothing to say to you," he spat.
"Then just listen," Jaz replied, her voice steady despite the pain coursing through her body. "I know what Nadia told you about me. About my life. But it's all lies, Rami. She abandoned me when I was younger than you are now."
Rami's eyes flickered with something - doubt, perhaps? - before hardening again. "You're the liar. Nadia said you turned your back on your heritage, on your family."
Jaz laughed, a harsh, bitter sound. "Family? Is that what she told you we were? Let me tell you about family, Rami. Family doesn't abandon you. Family doesn't belittle you, make you feel worthless. And family sure as hell doesn't try to sell you to the highest bidder."
She saw the shock in Rami's eyes before he could hide it. "You're lying," he insisted, but his voice lacked conviction.
"Am I?" Jaz leaned forward, ignoring the stabbing pain in her side. "Think about it, Rami. Really think. Has Nadia ever shown any real care for you? Or has she just used you, molded you into what she needed?"
Rami's facade began to crack, uncertainty creeping into his expression. "But... she said..."
"I know," Jaz said softly. "Believe me, I know. But there's another way, Rami. People who can help you, give you a real chance at life. All you have to do is cooperate. Tell us what you know about Nadia's plans, who she's working with."
Rami's eyes met hers, and for a moment, Jaz saw the scared, vulnerable kid beneath the tough exterior. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, the door burst open.
"Jaz!" Top's voice was a mixture of relief and exasperation. Behind him, McG rushed in, medical bag in hand.
"What the hell were you thinking?" McG demanded, immediately moving to check her vitals. "You could have torn your stitches, or worse!"
Jaz winced as McG prodded at her wound. "I had to, McG. I needed answers."
Top knelt beside her, his eyes searching her face. "And did you get them?"
Before Jaz could respond, Rami spoke up. "I'll talk," he said quietly. "But only to her."
Top hesitated, clearly torn between the need for information and his concern for Jaz's wellbeing. Finally, he nodded. "Alright, but McG stays to monitor her condition. And we're not doing this here. We'll move to a more comfortable room."
As they helped Jaz to her feet, she caught Top's eye. "I know you're probably furious with me," she began.
Top shook his head, a hint of a smile on his lips. "Furious? No. Worried sick? Absolutely. But I'd expect nothing less from you, Jaz."
McG snorted. "Yeah, well, it's also what's going to give me a heart attack one of these days. I swear, Jaz, if you pull a stunt like this again..."
"You'll what?" Jaz teased weakly. "Bench me?"
"Don't tempt me," McG grumbled, but there was no real heat in his words.
As they made their way to the interrogation room, Preach and Amir joined them, bringing them up to speed on what they'd learned.
"Nadia's in deep with some very dangerous people," Preach explained. "Arms dealers, human traffickers, you name it."
"And it looks like she's been planning this for years," Amir added. "The notebook we found had coded entries dating back to before Jaz even joined the team."
Jaz felt a chill run down her spine. "So all this time..."
"She's been watching you," Top finished, his voice grim. "Waiting for the right moment."
As they settled into the interrogation room, Rami looked around nervously. Jaz, despite McG's protests, insisted on sitting across from him.
"Alright, Rami," she said softly. "Start from the beginning."
Over the next hour, Rami spilled everything he knew. The depth of Nadia's betrayal, the extent of her network, the chilling details of her plans - it was almost too much to bear. Throughout it all, Jaz remained outwardly calm, but her team could see the toll it was taking on her.
As Rami's story wound down, he looked at Jaz with tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't know... I thought..."
Jaz reached out, grasping his hand through the gap in the table. "I know, Rami. It's not your fault. We're going to help you, okay? I promise."
As Rami was led back to his cell, now under increased security, the team gathered around Jaz. The adrenaline was wearing off, and she was visibly wilting.
"Alright, that's it," McG declared. "You're going back to bed, and this time, you're staying there if I have to tie you down myself."
Too exhausted to argue, Jaz simply nodded. As McG and Top helped her to her feet, she stumbled slightly. Without hesitation, Top scooped her up into his arms.
"I can walk," Jaz protested weakly.
"I know you can," Top replied. "But you don't have to. Not right now. Let us take care of you for once, okay?"
As they made their way back to her hospital room, Amir voiced what they were all thinking. "I just don't understand. Why would she risk herself like this? She could have seriously injured herself."
Preach sighed, his voice heavy with understanding. "It's because she doesn't realize her own worth. Jaz was raised with no value, so it's ingrained in her to protect others, no matter the cost to herself. She'll always put the mission, put us, before her own well-being."
The team fell silent, the weight of Preach's words settling over them. Once Jaz was settled back in bed, they gathered around her. There was still so much to do - Nadia to catch, her network to dismantle, Rami's future to secure - but for now, they allowed themselves this moment of peace.
"You know," Preach said thoughtfully, "there's an old saying: 'The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.' It means the family we choose is often stronger than the one we're born into."
Jaz looked around at her team - her real family - and smiled. "I couldn't agree more," she said softly.
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