Warnings for non-graphic torture, secondary character death and a story title that's an absolute lie (oops!)

This is complete in 8 parts, which I'll get up over the next several days. Originally posted at ao3.

It's a high-risk op. But Jason knows how critical it is, and he knows his team is best equipped to handle it.

They're entering a small, fairly isolated village in the foothills of a mountain range in northern Pakistan.

On the surface, the mission itself is a pretty straightforward snatch and grab – find and retrieve a highly-educated bomb maker known as the Inventor, whose network is responsible for four international attacks in as many months that have killed hundreds of people.

Mandy needs him alive – there's chatter that he's already positioned loyalists in the United States and that they're planning something significant.

They assume the house the HVT is holed up in will be booby trapped, if not the entire village. That definitely adds an extra layer of danger. The goal is to move slowly and carefully, but steadily. If they aren't gone by daylight, they won't be getting out.

That's because they aren't supposed to be here. The Pakistani government doesn't know they are, which means they have to keep the lowest of low profiles. There's no real-time ISR and no QRF. For all intents and purposes, they're on their own.

They parachuted in to maintain that low profile, and once they've secured the HVT, they'll quickly hike a few klicks away to a remote area for exfil to India by stealth helicopter.

Mandy's intel has narrowed their focus down to three houses on the far edge of town - the farthest away from their entry point, which means they have to traverse the whole village to get there. All three buildings are supposed to be occupied by the target's extended family, and the whole town is on the payroll, either voluntarily or involuntarily, so it's imperative that they get in and out quietly. There's no room for error.

As they make their way through the dark, narrow, dirt-packed streets, everything is remarkably quiet.

Eerily quiet.

Not that he wants to be shot at, but Jason's instincts are telling him they should have encountered someone by now. Sure, it's the middle of the night, but they haven't come across a single guard. Or hell, even a dog. It just doesn't feel right.

"Anyone else getting a bad feeling here?" Kairos says over the radio.

Sonny groans, "Well now that you've acknowledged it out loud, we're probably about to walk into a shit storm. Thanks a lot, man. Keep your hippy vibes to yourself."

"Gee, Quinn. I didn't peg you to be quite that superstitious," Kairos shoots back.

"Okay, enough," Jason cuts in, rolling his eyes. "Stay alert."

They brought the EOD specialist along because of the target's chosen 'profession,' assuming Summer's bomb disposal skills will likely be needed at some point. Hopefully that won't be the case, but it's good to have him along all the same, even if it does rankle Bravo 3.

If nothing else, it's entertaining to watch him get under Sonny's skin. Truth is, Jason likes the man. He's cool under pressure, level-headed and smart. While they don't need him all the time, he's a good addition to the team when it's appropriate.

They continue on in silence until the three target buildings are in sight. All are dark and quiet, just like the rest of the village.

"Yeah, really not liking the looks of this, Boss," Brock shares. And from the normally reticent canine handler, that means something.

Jason agrees. "Havoc, this is 1. We've reached the target buildings. All is quiet…too quiet. Anything changed on your end?"

"Negative, Bravo 1. Nothing to indicate the Inventor isn't where we think he should be."

"Still no chance of getting eyes in the sky?" Jason asks hopefully. He would love to know how many heat signatures are in these buildings and where they are before they make their move. Not to mention whether there's movement in the rest of the village.

"Can't be done, Bravo 1," Blackburn says with regret. "How do you want to proceed?"

Jason is torn. He knows he could scrap the op and no one would question him. Well, Mandy probably would. But there isn't any real reason to scrap it. The intel seems solid, and intuition is the only thing keeping them from moving forward. Gut feelings have saved their asses more times than he can count, but in this case, it just isn't enough on its own to keep them from pushing on. The stakes are too high, and they aren't going to have another chance.

"Copy Havoc, continuing mission."

While Jason would love to keep the full team together to enter the buildings, time is not on their side. And they can't risk the occupants communicating with each other if they only take one house at a time. He has no choice but to split them up for a simultaneous, coordinated assault.

Jason sends Ray, Brock and Cerberus to the building on the right, while Clay, Trent and Kairos take the middle. He and Sonny take the left.

"Carefully, guys," he emphasizes to his team as they separate. "I'm serious. If anything looks at all suspicious, you stop and call it in. No one is getting blown up today."

The front door is unlocked when Jason and Sonny approach what they've designated house one. Probably not unusual in a village like this, but considering who potentially lives here, it's pretty unsettling. They continue inside, spend the next few minutes doing a careful sweep of the four rooms and find…nothing and no one.

"Bravo 1, this is Bravo 6," Clay's voice comes over their comms. "House two is clear. No one is here."

"Same here," Jason replies. "Ray? Brock?"

"Same, Boss," confirms Ray. "What the hell?"

"No idea," Jason sighs on a weary exhale. "Havoc, this is 1. All three houses are empty. I repeat, all three houses are empty. No one's home."

"Copy, Bravo 1. Any sign of explosives?"

"Nothing here," reports Kairos.

"Understood," sighs Blackburn. "Gather any potential intel, and head to exfil."

"Copy, Havoc." Jason replies. "Alright guys, gather what you can. I want us out of here in five."

Sonny takes the living room while Jason takes the bedroom, looking for anything that might be useful. As he's finishing up his sweep, Jason hears a familiar rumble from outside; the first real noise they've heard all night. He moves to look out the window.

"All Bravo signs, this is 1. Three vehicles are approaching from the west. Hold your positions until we see where they go. Anyone else have activity?"

Ray and Clay both call in that everything is quiet, and Jason continues to watch the trucks.

Before the vehicles even have a chance to come to a stop next to the house, he hears Sonny's panicked yell from the other room, "Shit, Jace!"

He hurries to the living room in time to see Sonny sprawled on the floor, clawing at the top of his back like he's struggling to scratch a hard-to-reach itch. Before Jason is able to figure out what he's trying to do, his friend goes completely still, like a marionette whose strings have suddenly been cut.

Jason's heart drops to his stomach as he crouches behind a chair and scans for the threat that took Sonny out. The front door is still closed from when they entered, and he doesn't see anyone.

He keys his comms and whispers, "Bravo 3 is down, I repeat, Bravo 3 is down. Threat is unaccounted for."

Before he has a chance to give his team any instructions, he hears a pop that's immediately followed by a stinging pressure in the left side of his neck. He scrambles to stem the blood flow, but instead of finding a gunshot wound he finds and pulls out what can only be described as a rudimentary dart.

Jason fumbles for his radio, but can't drum up enough coordination to press his finger on the button, his body feeling heavier and heavier by the second.

He sees a dark figure emerge from a door that wasn't in the wall a minute ago.

And then everything goes black.