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Jäger had a nagging feeling about the whole operation. It was quiet... too quiet. He hadn't seen any enemies, nor had their drone picked up any hostile contact. He followed a good portion behind Doc and Montagne, eyes peeled for any movement above them. The building was old stone, dusty. They were currently coiling up to the ceiling where the hostage was supposedly held on the top floor, the staircase old and dusty beneath their feet. They'd already cleared three floors with Glaz watching them through his scope, alert for anything amiss.
Although it was nice having the Russian on the lookout, he would much rather the man followed the middle and aimed ahead of them. Glaz had a fast trigger finger and frightening aim that never failed to impress Jäger. "Glaz," He muttered into the microphone, "Have you seen anything?"
A moment's pause, the sound of shifting from Glaz's end before his mic crackled to life. "Nothing."
"Something is not right," Doc hissed, crouched by the next doorway, covering Montagne as he droned out their area. "Reports showed it was heavily patrolled and that the hostage was a top priority..."
Silence hung between them. Jäger wanted to suggest that they fall back, but Ash's voice filtered through their microphones.
"The hostage is a top priority, we're not leaving until we figure out if they're alive, or KIA. Am I understood?" Her voice held a tone of control and thinly restrained annoyance. She had wanted to send Pulse with them, but the upper command had instead assigned him to a new mission. Something about infiltration with the Canadians. She didn't care, she had her own ops to worry about.
Doc and Montagne exchanged looks, and the medic's voice was strained with annoyance as he responded, "Understood. We'll radio back with any new intel."
"Bullshit," Jäger muttered under his breath, looking back down the way they had come. Three stories of old, sanded stone were all that remained, a few more modern touches were being added with scaffolding. Rusted rebars and power tools littered the area and a shiver of unease crawled over his skin. He would much rather be behind a console of a chopper, thank you very much.
He moved forwards up the stairs as they reached the top, finally, Doc checking each corner before he stepped through the doorway. Immediately there was a loud, dreadful click.
"Merde," Gustave whispered, freezing in the doorway as he glanced down, handgun shifting in his hands. Sure enough, there was a faux tile, cracked under his weight as the red light of the device blinked innocently at him.
"Don't move," Montagne stressed instantly, voice cutting off as both of them looked forwards at the sound of movement. A terrorist rounded the corner, slanted in sunlight with his gun at the ready. Doc tensed up and raised his pistol, but there was a lone shot, the sound of glass breaking, and a spray of red.
The terrorist dropped dead, missing half their head.
"Sudden, multiple hostiles," Glaz noted calmly, blue eyes focused into the scope. He saw movement coming up the stairs and fired, watching the body drop.
Jäger glanced down the staircase and then back towards the duo. "We need to get out of here!" He leaned down and fired a few shots, watching as another terrorist fell, bloodied but still squirming. "Where are they all coming from?!" He hissed to himself, hunching down behind the stone stair railing as bullets sprayed by his head.
Doc crouched down to look at the detonator he'd stepped on. No wires were spilling out from it, all of them tucked neatly below the tile. "This is professionally done," He breathed out, gloved hands trembling. "Monty... I don't know -- you should get Jäger out of here, I can stay --"
"No," Gilles interrupted smoothly, voice calm despite his heart rate increasing. Jäger was shouting something behind them, the conjoined sounds of Glaz's sniper and Jäger's carbine rifle echoing in the old building. "We can defuse it."
"There are no visible wires," Doc muttered, exasperated, and growing stressed. "You should just --"
A grenade bounced into the room, both of their heads snapping towards the sound as it skittered across the floor. Montagne's shield was suddenly in front of the two of them, protecting them from the shrapnel, however, the impact of the grenade sent them both on their asses. As Doc's foot left the detonator, the first explosion rocked the lower levels.
Gilles wasted no time, handgun at the ready. The terrorist rounded the corner, expecting them to be stunned from the blast, and was instead popped in the head. They slumped to the ground, leaving a bloody splatter. "Now we get out of here, together." Montagne grabbed Doc's hand, dragging him to his feet just in time for another explosion to rock the ground below them.
Jäger's footing slipped and he scrambled up the stairs, watching as the lower steps began to explode in a flurry of stone and wood. "Scheiße!" He cursed, "We need to get out of here!"
Doc realized what had happened with an icy feeling of dread. "It's been a trap, Mont --" Another explosion triggered too early out of sequence, the doorway collapsing partially as the staircase crumbled underfoot. "Jäger!" Gustave warned, watching as the German swayed on the decaying steps before the doorway sealed up completely, debris blocking their way. Gilles' shield protected them from the worse of the raining building.
"We need to move!" He shouted, grabbing Doc and rushing away from the doorway. The steps right outside collapsed, causing the rest of the staircase to sway and decay.
There was a moment where Marius realized what was going to happen, and he knew he couldn't do a damn thing about it. Still, he pressed himself flat against the wall in hopes of the edges of the stonework staying. There was a final explosion rocked to his left, sending him tumbling forwards with the rest of the steps. The stone fell apart piece by piece in a matter of seconds, but time slowed for Jäger. He watched himself fall, reaching fruitlessly for anything stable. Doc and Montagne's voice echoed around him as the reverberations of the explosions shuddered through the air.
The ground was getting closer, dragging him down the three stories towards the littered ground below. Marius had never felt so helpless. There was no amount of skill that could prepare him for a fall like this. A strangled shout left him as he fell, fear mixed with panic. His body twisted, hands held out in front of him as if that would help, but all it served was showing his inevitable landing.
The ground rushed up to meet him, wrist crackling with the impact as he turned at the last moment, trying to minimize the damage.
His ballistics vest wasn't enough to protect him from the landing, and all the air was forced out of his lungs as he landed hard on his side. Despite being dazed, Jäger felt the intense agony of something slamming into his middle. He made a strangled sound, gasping for air and feeling desperately at his side. His shaking fingers felt at something round and thin, skewered into the side of his chest. Then came the warm, slippery feeling of blood.
Marius bit back a hiccup of agony as he rolled onto his back, looking down at himself. A rebar was glinting off the sun, shiny with his own blood, plunging right out of his side, dangerously sticking into his left lung.
He sucked in a breath, still stunned and then coughed, body shaking from the crash of brief adrenaline and pain surging through him.
Doc's frantic voice trickled through the feed and Jäger belatedly realized that his visor was cracked in half, exposing half of his face to the harsh, dusty environment. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and looked around his area, listening to the sounds of gunshots and cursing echoing around him.
"Jäger -- come in, Jäger, are you alive?" Gustave asked while reloading a new clip, normally white gloves were now stained with gun oil and dust.
Feeling dizzy and sick, Jäger shook his head for a moment before he remembered that they couldn't see him. It took him a second to get enough bearing to meekly mutter a pained, "Nein."
Doc's relieved sigh reached his ears and he focused on the sound, suddenly feeling like he was going to be sick. His stomach rolled and he grimaced, the strong scent of copper not helping the situation. His fist closed around the rebar and he tried to sit up and examine himself, but a zap of agony raced up his spine. Marius let out a moan of anguish and flopped back to the ground, his breaths coming out in short gasps.
"Doc," He rasped, "I do not feel too well."
"Obviously," Glaz's calm voice slipped through the line, "Can you move to a safer position?"
Marius tried to push himself somewhat with his legs but froze as the movement dragged at the rebar, twisting it in deeper at an angle. " Scheiße !" A sob crawled out of his throat before he could stop the embarrassing sound, desperately shaking his head. "Nein... nein," He repeated with a touch of broken pride.
"More hostiles are moving in on your pos - - aurgh - !" The marksman's mic cut out with a pop of static.
The lingering silence felt like a death sentence.
"We'll come to you," Montagne finally explained, only interrupted by Doc's worried voice.
"Jäger, try and stem the bleeding. We'll be there promptly. You'll be fine." The medic found that promises flowed out of his mouth easily, even in horrific situations such as this one. Split up, with one wounded and their outer cover apparently offline.
Somebody had to remain hopeful in the shadow of the reaper.
Marius nodded to himself and pressed his palm around the wound, carefully slotting his fingers against the sharp, broken metal. His own breathing sounded ragged to him, the stinging taste of blood dancing on his tongue. He felt dizzy, noticing weakly that his body was shaking. The pain was slowly increasing, especially along his arm. His wrist was swollen and bruised something awful, but he held it sternly to his middle.
There was a movement to his right and his head snapped towards the sound of footsteps approaching. His frightened eyes widened as he realized it was a white mask creeping closer around the far corner, a knife in hand. Glancing to his immediate area, Jäger saw his handgun lying just out of reach, half-covered by debris.
Another surge of adrenaline coursed him, spurred on by the situation. He lunged forwards, a sharp cry tumbling from his lips, but his hand triumphantly closed around the barrel. He yanked it free of the rock with a strength he didn't know how he still had before he found himself fumbling with the weapon with bloodied hands. "C'mon," He snarled to himself before he finally secured a good grip on the weapon and pointed.
The white mask reached for his own weapon, but it was too late. He paid with his life for his cocky behavior. Jäger squeezed the trigger twice and watched as both bullets tore through their chest, leaving a splatter of red against the dusty, crumbling wall. Their body hit the ground with a dull thump.
Panting heavily, he coughed up another mouthful of red, struggling to breathe. Desperately, he yanked down his face cover and sucked in a full lungful of air. With a shaking hand, he wiped the fresh blood off his lips and laid there slouched against the ground, trying to fight the exhaustion that was beginning to weigh heavily on him.
Another sound echoed to his right and he pointed his gun, firing as another terrorist peeked around the corner. They were closing in on him like a pack of wolves, the thought making a smile curl upon his lips. He now understood what Kapkan raved on about, feeling just like a helpless fawn in the face of snarling, drooling jaws.
He killed three more before his next trigger pull resulted in a dry clip. He pulled it again in disbelief before coughing, his hand falling slightly. Jäger knew he didn't have enough time to reload, so he dropped the weapon and instead fumbled for the knife strapped to his person.
Marius's hands were too weak to fiddle with the blade and he coughed up another mouthful of red, gasping like a fish out of water. The terrorist crept closer, amused with the dying dog in front of him. There was a dwindling fight left in the specialist who laid in a pool of his own blood.
Jäger watched the glint of the blade getting closer and he weakly grabbed at the terrorist's fist as the man leaned down to examine him like a trophy hunter taking pride in their kill. Wordlessly, he glared with his bloodied, pale, and sweating features, teeth pulled back into a red-rimmed grimace.
For a long moment, they stayed like that, Jäger defiantly holding onto the man's wrist and the terrorist just watching him from behind the impassive face of a faux personality. Then he finally moved, breaking free of Jäger's weak grip to raise his blade.
A single crack of a rifle sounded and before Jäger could even realize it, the man's head exploded in a loud pop and a party starter of gore.
Marius watched the body slump over before looking to the broken side of the building, exposed from the explosions. Glaz moved closer, lowering his sniper slightly. "You're still breathing? Good." His voice was a bit hoarse, but he was alive. As he crept deeper into the wreckage, Marius noted the sniper's bloodied face and throat. His microphone had the cable cut when the terrorist who snuck up on him tried to slit his throat. Apparently, they'd overestimated Glaz's level of distraction, but the Russian was still marked from throat to eyebrow, leaving a distinct and deep gash into his features.
He saw movement above them, a handful of terrorists aiming down at them. Glaz reached onto his vest and yanked out a smoke grenade, bouncing it towards Jäger's legs. It hissed into a puff of thick smoke, coating the area in a dark mist rapidly. Glaz slipped into the smoke like a well-trained predator, crouched by Jäger's side and aiming up at their enemies. Their thermal signatures lit up in his scope and he swiftly began to drop them, singular headshots leaving a warm splatter of gore in his line of sight briefly.
"The position is being cleared," He told Jäger with all the calm in the world even as blood dripped down into his eye and slid across his throat, staining his cut face mask.
As if on cue, Doc's voice came clearer through their connection. He was closer, having fought his way down through the complex back to the main floor with Montagne at his side. "Jäger, we're closing in on your position -- are you --"
"Fine," He sharply cut back, panting in agony as his hand shook around the rebar. It was awful, the feeling of having something so obstructive stuck inside of him, an unyielding presence piercing into his side. "Glaz... Glaz is here," He managed after coughing, staring at the red that had spread down his thigh and through his vest.
That was a lot of blood.
A lot of his blood.
He swallowed thickly and shifted slightly, hissing in a breath through his teeth. Jäger felt faint, the exhaustion starting to weigh on him. His skin was paling, sweat beading along his brow and his fingers trembling.
He could hear his own heart hammering in his ears, the rush of blood reminding him of every drop he was losing rapidly. Before he knew it, Doc's hands were upon him, the man appearing from the smoke like an angel among death. Marius flashed him a bloodied smile even as his head lolled.
"Jäger -- this is bad, you've lost substantially more blood than I was anticipating," The French medic muttered as he crouched down, swiftly pulling out his stim pistol. "That'll halt that, but we need to get you out of here." His hand hovered over the rebar and he grimaced before slowly pulling down the zipper of the vest. "I cannot remove this here, you'll bleed out before we can extract you."
"Wunderbar," Marius rasped, hazel eyes unfocused as he tensed up. The vest pulled at the rebar and he groaned, trying to squirm away. Doc was attempting to get to exposed skin near the wound so the hypodermic needle could work at top efficiency. Another pull at the wound caused the German to yelp and struggle, bloodied gloves grasping at Doc's own white ones, smearing them with red. "Stop," He begged, tears jerking in his eyes as he struggled for breath.
"Almost there, stay with me," Doc warned, eyes focused on the wound. It was worryingly close to his lungs, and considering how much blood Jäger was coughing up, he knew that the pilot was nearly drowning in his blood. "I can help," He promised, peeling open the inner shirt, realizing that his green shirt was stained black with blood. His skin was swollen, pink, bruised, and bloated.
Marius thunked his head against the ground and hiccuped a cry, reddened teeth clenched together in agony. Doc wasted no time in plunging the needle near the wound and emptying the syringe.
Glaz was standing stock still next to the group, peering through his scope at the surrounding area. "I hope you have already called for evac," He muttered, looking down at the puddle of blood beneath their feet.
"Of course," Montagne assured, pausing as their feed picked up a new voice.
"Evac is en route. Did you find the hostage?" Ash's voice was all business, not an ounce of worry in her tone.
"Negative," Doc answered, his hands adjusting Marius' clothes. "We checked the building on the way down... there was never a hostage, Ash."
Glaz's jaw clicked as he set it sternly, watching the smoke dissipate around them. Their comms went silent and he glanced at them, reaching up to wipe at the blood above his brow. "It was a trap." He muttered, "We are lucky they only got one..."
"We should've seen this coming..." Montagne crouched down, hovering over Doc as they examined Jäger. "Can we move him?"
Gustave sighed and watched as Marius was fading in and out of consciousness. They couldn't keep him awake, not considering how much blood he'd lost. "We shouldn't, it's going to worsen his condition... but we have no choice."
Marius coughed weakly, eyes fluttering closed as he focused on breathing. He was light-headed, trembling with agony, but he was clinging onto the fight for life. "You know," He slurred, a dazed grin on his face, "This ... I'll be fine... this isn't... nothing..."
"You are stronger than you look; if it is any consolation," Glaz explained, blue eyes flickering around the area. Blood splatters, broken glass, and dust now littered the once beautiful historic site. Another victim to a blood money war.
Doc crouched next to Marius worriedly, steadfast as he tried to pack the wound carefully, mindful of how much more pain the pilot could take. Jäger kept drifting in and out of awareness, falling prey to the darkness that clung to his mind like a bird of prey, sinking its claws into him and dragging him down.
As the distant sound of chopper blades grew closer, Montagne and Doc exchanged glances. They had to move him, and it was going to be messy.
-:-
Monika sat tiredly in the waiting room next to Elias, watching as Dominic paced back and forth. "Doc was hopeful," She reminded helpfully, sounding drained despite having been off duty.
Dom paused, glancing towards her before he nodded. "Yeah... yeah, he was. I'm just -- There was a fucking piece of metal sticking out of his side, Monika..."
"Gustave has plenty of help in there. Marius will make it, peachy as always." Elias tried to flash an upbeat and positive smile, but Monika just leaned forwards and nervously wrapped her arms around herself. They'd been a team long enough that it felt like they were family; living, fighting and nearly dying together had only strengthened that bond.
The thought of losing Marius now was eating them all alive, but Monika felt an added weight of guilt.
"I should've been there," She whispered, feeling her eyes grow hot and teary. "I could've seen the bombs... I -- I could've --"
Dom paused and hesitantly moved closer before he crouched down to her level, gently wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him and bit back a building cry, emotions tangled in her throat. Elias also scooted closer, wrapping them both up in a hug.
They stayed like that for a long while, listening to the clock above them tick by slowly.
-:-
"Of course it was a trap," Kapkan snarled, pacing nearby Glaz as a poor underlying nurse of Doc's was finishing patching up the sniper's face. A few stitches had to be put into his cheek and right through his eyebrow, but at least he still kept his vision.
She politely excused herself when it was clear that the bleeding had stopped, leaving Glaz to deal with the unbridled rage that was coiling from his lover.
"Maxim..." He started, unsure about how to approach the man when he was so clearly bristled and upset. "The intel was bad -"
"Exactly!" The hunter wheeled upon him, blue eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Very clearly, it was a trap. They willingly sent you to your death. Or, they tried too."
Lifting his hands, Timur gently tried to ward off the concern. "They would not try to kill us. We are too much of an asset."
Kapkan's lips curled into a snarl, teeth exposed. He rarely lowered his neck gaiter, so Timur was one of the few people that ever got to see Maxim's face in all its scarred glory. "You do not know that. I don't trust them... if the German dies --"
"Marius?"
"Yes, he dies and Shuhrat is going to recede into himself. It's been hard enough getting him to open up more to the team... between you and -" Maxim paused, motioning his hands as if grasping at a fleeting thought.
Glaz gently reached out, his gloved hands closing around Kapkan's own. He squeezed softly while sighing deeply, understanding yet trying to curb the hunter's rising rage. "Maxim... you are letting yourself get worked up over nothing -"
"Nothing?!" Maxim's eyes flashed dangerously. "Timur, you follow their orders like a lap dog! You trust them too much. A few belly rubs and you are collared." Disgust chased after his tone and he pulled his hands away sharply.
The sniper flinched in surprise and stepped back, hurt crossing his features briefly. "Many of them are good people, Maxim. You are too crass to see that." He sighed and looked away, looking at the blood that clung to his clothes. He remembers slinging an arm around Jäger's shoulders and helping the French medic haul him to the chopper, Montagne's shield covering their left as they moved. He remembers the sound Marius had made, agony mixed with anguish - the final sounds of a dying animal, begging to be put out of its misery.
Silence hung between them for a long moment. Kapkan's blue eyes flickered across Glaz's appearance. He looked exhausted, covered in specks of debris, sweat, and blood. The new slash across his face was deep and slightly jagged, a testament to the man's quick reflexes. Had he been a few seconds slower, and that blade would have slipped into his throat, resulting in a quick bleed out.
A fleeting feeling of helplessness gripped his being and Maxim finally relented. Glancing around the area quickly to assure that they were indeed alone, the trapper moved closer and gently reached forwards, fingertips brushing Glaz's jaw before his palm tenderly cupped his features.
Timur's gaze flickered towards him, a smile quirking upon his lips.
"I am sorry," Maxim admitted gracefully, pulling his lover's face in for a quick kiss. "You are lucky. I should've been there but... you are alive. That is all I ask for."
That smile softened and Timur placed a hand upon Maxim's own, nodding in agreement. His mouth opened to return the gesture but there was movement further down the hall.
Instantly Kapkan stepped back, giving the other man a wide berth as if being near Timur would result in injury. They both looked towards the door expectantly, watching as the knob turned. Pulse entered first, followed closely by Ash.
Maxim tensed, bristling like a beast defending its territory. "What are you doing here?" He snapped, stepping forwards with a hand clenched at his side, fingers curled in a tight fist.
"Easy there," Jack commanded, standing by the door as Ash moved forwards, regarding Timur like a hostage to be interrogated.
Her eyes leveled between them before she nodded in Glaz's direction. "What the hell happened in there?"
His face twisted into a grimace, pulling at the stitches. "All hell broke loose, to put it simply. The whole place was lined with explosives on the underside of the staircase --"
"There was no hostage?" Eliza stressed, cutting in sharply. A hand rested habitually on her hip and the nonchalant movement seemed to push Kapkan over the edge.
All at once, the hunter lurched forwards. One forearm slammed against Ash's throat while his other hand secured around her arm, slamming her into the wall with their conjoined weights. "You bitch!" He barked, blue eyes narrowed in rage. "You don't even care." His voice darkened as he pressed more weight into his elbow, feeling her throat twitch under it.
Pulse was quick to move to help, but Timur pushed his way in front of him, a hand against the FBI agent's chest. They stared at each other, realization relaxing the older man's face.
Eliza flattened herself against the wall, her free hand hovering over the combat knife strapped to her thigh. Kapkan merely pressed harder, urging her to finally speak breathlessly. "You have no idea what you're talking about." She finally spat, glaring at him from behind her askew glasses.
"Do I not? A good hunter must know their prey, and you let your lust for blood blind you," Maxim snarled, "You could've gotten them all killed!"
"A sacrifice they are all willing to make -"
"Not for a poor leader like yourself," His eyes glanced towards Pulse and Glaz before he gritted his teeth and slowly hissed, "Sacrifices are made when necessary. Not for your own gain."
"My gain?" A strained laugh escaped her, nearly crazed. "What do I gain from this?"
Those fearless blue eyes flicked towards her, the rage boiling behind his gaze shocking Eliza. "Who was the hostage?" Kapkan shifted his stance, forcing more of his weight onto her, uncaring of the knife she was reaching for.
Ash gritted her teeth and clenched her fist around the knife handle, but made no move to draw it.
For a long moment, they stayed like that. Maxim pushed against her harder before shoving away from her, watching as she reached up and adjusted her glasses between a measured, deep breath.
"I knew it," He huffed, shoving his way past Pulse and out into the hallway. "Only cowards hide in the grass while others do the hunting, you should know this better than most, Eliza." He turned away from them, walking down the long, too bright hall. "Come on, Timur, we are leaving."
Ash and Pulse watched as the sniper slipped past them respectfully, following after his unit member without another word.
-:-
It was nearing four in the morning by the time Gustave tiredly opened the door that led into the deeper wing of the intensive medical bay. Monika's head snapped towards him and she hurriedly got to her feet, looking at him pleadingly.
"Is he alive?" She had to cut to the chase, deal with grief or elation instantaneously else her mind was going to run wild with a dozen different terrors.
Dominic and Elias jerked, caught between sleep and awareness, their bright eyes opening with hope.
The medic gave a small, sleepy nod. "He's stabled. We managed to save his lung."
Her knees felt weak with relief. Monika had to shakily sit down, running a hand through her frazzled blonde locks. "Thank you... I thought.... we thought he'd..."
Gustave nodded, but his features were haggard. "He's not out of the woods yet... we've put him into a medically induced coma. His lung needs time to heal. I..." Doc sighed, wiping a hand down his face. "I can't have him fighting the ventilator."
Dominic, who had seen his fair share of medical settings, though some more underground than legit, recovered with the most grace to the news. Monika sucked in a deep breath and Elias merely sat there, his smile fading. Bandit nodded, standing to put a hand on Monika's shoulder, giving her a comforting squeeze. "We know he's in good hands, Gus."
"The best," Gilles' voice came from the doorway to the waiting room. Everyone glanced towards him, and the German unit was confused as to why he had a light blue blanket folded over his arms until Doc gave a suppressed yawn, his hand smothering most of the sound. "I'm sorry for this interruption, but we should all rest. Marius will be here in the morning. The nurses can tend to him."
"We can't see him?" Monika asked, voice wavering in a whisper.
Gustave slightly shook his head. "No... we've just got him stabled... Marius needs time. I... I am sorry -"
"No worries," Dominic said, tipping his head towards Montagne. "Get on out of here, Doc. We'll see you in the morning."
Gilles moved closer as Doc nodded, wrapping Gus' shoulders into the blanket and leading the half-asleep man down the hallway with merely a nod of thanks.
Bandit managed to get his team to their feet and into the quarters, promising that they'd figure it all out in the morning. But as he laid there in his bed, he kept glancing towards Jäger's empty side of the room.
He hoped it wouldn't get replaced by somebody new.
"You better make it," The grizzled man muttered to himself, struggling to fall into a fitful sleep.
-:-
Timur was carefully perched on the edge of the table, waiting for the helicopter to land. Maxim was sitting nearby, feet on the table, and the chair tipped carefully back, his scarred hands sharpening the personal combat knife he always seemed to keep on his person.
They sat in mutual silence, watching one another work. The sniper had taken apart his marksman rifle twice, cleaning it thoroughly. He'd just finished putting it back together when the distant sound of helicopter blades was beating through the air.
Maxim and he shared a look, Glaz's features slightly lax to prevent the stress of telling Fuze what had happened. His face was still irritated from the stitches, skin red and swollen, but that was the least of his concerns.
"Who wants to say it?" Timur muttered, wishing that Tachanka was here to break the news instead. That man had a better way with words than the two of them combined.
Kapkan grimaced, shielding his face from the blowback of the wind as the helicopter began to descend. "Considering my latest exchange with Ash..."
"Now that's just cruel," Glaz groaned while getting to his feet. Grace exited first, in some sort of heated argument with Mike. Thatcher, although his voice was gruff, was gently leading the younger operator off the helicopter. Her arm was stained with red, but it seemed to be nearly a glancing wound.
They watched the duo walk off towards the sleeping quarters, where Mike was apparently going to disinfect and wrap the wound himself since it was so late. "You didn't need to do that, I had it handled!" His hissed, listening as the hacker just laughed.
The Russians tracked their movement before looking back to the landing pad when Fuze tiredly hopped off the aircraft. The ballistics shield was held low at his side, pelted with new bullet marks and even a blade scratch. Shurat paused as he noticed two of his comrades waiting for him. A trickle of unease unraveled inside of him.
As he approached them, Timur glanced quickly at Maxim before attempting to drop the proverbial bomb on their friend. "Shuhrat... something happened to Marius today."
The explosives expert paused, looking between them from behind dusty, battle scratched blue goggles. "... how bad?"
"Pretty bad," Maxim admitted, "But he's alive we've heard."
Shuhrat stood still for a long moment before nodding. Hesitantly, Timur rested a hand on his teammate's shoulder. "Let's get cleaned up... I'll explain it completely in the morning."
-:-
"Two fractured ribs, a punctured lung, broken wrist, concussion, and extensive blood loss... All things considered, it could have been much worse." Timur tried to sound rather upbeat, but Shuhrat merely sat in the waiting room, head bowed, and scarred hands clasped lightly together.
The sniper lowered the medical report Doc had given them and looked towards the French man. " How is his lung? Last I saw it had a --" Glaz paused as Gustave set a curved piece of metal on the table.
The rebar had been cleaned of blood but it was still thick and unrelenting.
"We saved it. But he's going to need to go easy on himself... we're not sure how this will affect his contract with Rainbow but... I'm willing to fight for him." Doc nodded, mainly to himself, dark eyes focused on that damned object. "We almost lost him on the table twice but... Marius is a trooper. He wasn't ready to die."
The men sat in silence for a long moment before Shuhrat quietly asked, "When can I see him?"
Gustave sucked in a deep breath and glanced back towards the double doors that locked off the medical bay, "We are hoping he'll awaken from the medicine within the next few days. Then he'll be nearly ready. I can't risk stressing him. It's going to be hard enough getting him off the ventilator with his lung in such a critical state... if it hasn't progressed well enough, we'll put him under for longer. Just as a precaution."
Fuze got to his feet and nodded. "Thank you, doctor. Will you... reach out to me when I can see him?" He turned towards the door, placing a splayed palm on the handle. "I would appreciate that."
"But of course," Gustave agreed. "You'll be among the first to know, along with the GSG nine."
Shuhrat left the room without another word, head bowed low to keep his face hidden in the casual face mask he wore around his neck and mouth. Timur sighed and leaned back, reaching up to tenderly touch at his face.
Doc quietly leaned closer, blue gloved hands examining the sniper's face. "It will scar quite deeply, especially through your cheek. Have you experienced any problems eating? And do not pick at it," He swatted at Glaz's probing fingertips.
Timur grunted and folded his hands into his lap. "It hurts, but it's not deep enough to hit my teeth if that's what you're suggesting."
The older man pulled away and glanced over his notes on the situation, Timur watching in quiet contemplation until he asked in a gruff whisper, "Do you really think they'll remove Marius from Rainbow?"
Gustave's eyes narrowed on the paper, reading over Jäger's file and pausing as he focused on the lung injury. "Unfortunately... I've heard talk... but I won't let them kick him without a fight. He's given us much more than we've realized. He's an asset to this team..."
"I agree... if you need any help, or explanation as to what occurred... I will happily comply." The Russian assured, watching as Gustave gave a snort.
"Better than Maxim?"
"You know how he is... Ash and Kapkan are not quite seeing eye to eye..." Habitually, he reached up to rub at the old scar through his right eyebrow. "It won't affect our future operations."
"I trust that it won't," Gustave stood and gently closed the medical file, motioning towards the door. "It is time for me to do my rounds... see you later, Timur. Keep your stitches clean and dry, don't pull at them," He watched as the other man got to his feet. "And... thank you. Without your help, Marius would not have made it."
Glaz merely nodded deeply, accepting that thanks humbly. "It is not a problem... he would've done the same for me. You all would have."
-:-
Three days dragged on impossibly slow. Fuze killed the time by working out, tinkering with his cluster charges, and restlessly pacing. He'd only seen the German unit a handful of times, walking by them in the mess hall, their postures were dreadfully exhausted and sorrowful.
It was lunchtime and Kapkan had been watching the GSG 9 unit for some time now as he picked out his food. His blue eyes flickered to Fuze, watching Timur and him move towards their usual table, by the door and the far window. The sniper adored natural light and having a sightline on possible movement outside. Before they could get settled, Maxim rapped his knuckles upon the tabletop.
"I think we should sit elsewhere," He muttered, voice low as if he was spilling a secret.
Timur's brow rose. "Why?"
The hunter jerked his chin towards the German table. "We should not avoid them... especially now." Intense eyes settled on Shuhrat, "Come."
He picked up his tray, followed by Timur, and moved over. Dominic looked up and flashed the duo a tired smile. "Hey there, strangers."
"We apologize for being distant," Glaz bowed his head and sat across from Maxim, looking towards Fuze, who was clearly unsure.
"C'mon!" Elias, ever the more cheerful of the group, happily slapped an empty spot next to him, across from Monika. Shuhrat nodded and carefully took a seat, fiddling with his face covering before slowly pulling it down. His features were rather unremarkable, save for a deep scar that exposed a few of his teeth along his upper lip.
Monika knew that Fuze was shy about the injury, Marius had told them that much, so she respectfully didn't ask. Instead, her eyes went to Glaz. "We heard you played a big part in getting our idiot out of that mess."
"It was nothing. Just instinct," Timur waved her off and dug into his meal, shoveling a big spoonful into his mouth.
"It still means a lot to us... so, thank you. We owe you guys one," Dominic clarified, relaxing as he watched the Russian unit chow down. They'd always been rather elusive, following Tachanka like a pack of well-trained wolves. However, the man had been out on an operation for nearly two weeks, leaving his team to their own devices.
They all ate in silence for a long while before Monika leaned back, regarding Fuze with kind, weary eyes. "Hey... if you uh... want to be in the room with us all when he wakes up... I think he'd like that, Shuhrat."
The large man paused, wiping his mouth on his sleeve and nodding in agreement. His eyes were still downcast as he added, "I too would enjoy that."
Timur sent Maxim a slight smile, understanding his lover's insistence on sitting with the Germans now.
-:-
"We hope that in a few hours Marius will be awakening. His lung is making a rather remarkable recovery -"
"Thanks to you," Shuhrat said respectfully, sitting in one of the few chairs outside Jäger's room. Doc gave a rather bashful chuckle and shook his head.
"Medicine is a team effort, but... I do appreciate the recognition... Regardless, you are all welcome to be here when he awakens. Doctor Pandey recommended it, actually. Marius is ... a family man, in a sense. He does better in groups." Gustave looked at them all, Monika and Dominic watching him like deer in the headlights. "I need you all to stay quiet. He'll still be rather sleepy. He probably won't be able to do much between his brief lapses of awareness. Do not worry, this is normal."
The thought of Marius being so helpless thanks to the drugs did not sit well with Fuze, but he reminded himself that it was for the better good. Doc nodded towards the room, "I took the liberty of putting some extra chairs in there for you guys."
Monika was on her feet first, gently opening the door when Doc nodded in agreement. Shuhrat followed behind her, unsure how he'd gotten to her side so quickly. His heart was racing along with his thoughts. He wondered what Marius would look like, his mind conjuring up horrible thoughts from all the medical horror he'd been exposed through in his line of duty.
When IQ stepped deeper into the room, they both relaxed substantially when they realized the man wasn't horribly modified. He merely looked pitiful and pale under that, disgustingly colored, baby puke green blanket. There was a tube up his nose, but it was small, taped onto his cheek and tucked over his ear. A few IVs littered each arm, but the main worry was handled. He'd been taken off the ventilator, which sat in the corner by his bed, just in case.
A deep breath of relief escaped Monika and she nearly collapsed, flopping into a chair in the far corner of the room. Dominic and Elias moved inside, each exhaling with a chuckle. "He looks like shit," Dominic finally said, taking a seat next to Monika and watching as Fuze moved tentatively closer. There was a chair pulled up right next to Marius' side and the Russian wordlessly took his place there, a silent sentinel to the injured man.
Timur leaned in the doorway next to Doc, watching as Elias curled up on Monika's left and let out another laugh. "He's one lucky bastard, I'll give him that."
Monika slapped him lightly in the chest, but she was smiling. "He's ok?" Her eyes moved towards Doc, who gave a nod.
"He's at the treeline of the metaphorical woods. Now comes the hard part."
"What's that?" Fuze asked gently, his hands tenderly slipping around one of Marius', cradling it like a broken bird wing. Fragile. Delicate.
"Recovery." The medic's word hung in the air.
Timur and Gustave exchanged a brief look but Shuhrat merely snorted, a smile twisting upon his face. "That is simple. He has us to help."
-:-
Throughout the night, Marius had managed to open his eyes twice. Both times he merely grunted and looked around the room with confusion and exhaustion before slipping quickly back into the sweet embrace of deep sleep.
Monika had fallen asleep herself, curled into the chair. Dominic had covered her with a spare medical blanket, tucking it around her carefully. Elias had retired to his own room, leaving Dominic to pace the hallway. Fuze didn't move, seemingly at peace with sitting near Marius' side. Dominic wished he had that man's unwavering patience.
As it was nearing three in the morning, Bandit finally relented and decided to head to bed. He shook Monika awake and gently helped escort her out of the room, the woman yawning and pausing to look at Shuhrat.
"Will you watch him?"
"Unblinkingly," The man replied softly.
-:-
When Marius finally was able to open his eyes clearly for the first time in what felt like forever, the first thing he saw was Shuhrat bent over his bed fast asleep. The younger man's face was pillowed on his own forearm, his features tense as if struggling with the nightmare.
Swallowing the dryness from his mouth, Jäger slightly moved and carefully lifted his other hand. The IVs dug in at an odd angle, but he was rather numb to the pain, so elated to see his lover. "Shu?" He muttered, voice stiff and weak, sounding like he'd been gargling gravel for fun.
The Spetsnaz member only moved when Marius' hand landed on his short, messy blond locks. Shuhrat stiffened and jerked up, eyes snapping open only to land on the German's amused features. "You're awake?" Fuze asked, voice low and groggy.
"Mhm... kind of," Marius let his hand fall back at his side in favor of wriggling the fingers on the arm closest to Shuhrat. "Sorry.... didn't mean to... startle you."
"It is okay," Shuhrat smiled, happily wrapping his hand around Jäger's own, mindful of the brace that kept the older man's wrist in place. "How are you feeling?"
There was a moment of contemplation where Marius tried to catalog his body. He was rather numb, probably the pain medication, and he felt remarkably heavy. Tired. But one thing stood out above all else.
"I'm thirsty," Jäger admitted, but his hand squeezed tighter around Fuze's hand when he man automatically tried to get up. "Stay. I've missed you."
Shuhrat chuckled. "How do you know? You've been asleep, Marius."
A weak smile traced Marius' features, "I just do..." He squeezed his hand around Shuhrat's own, lifting his chin up while flashing his best puppy dog eyes from behind his messy, brownish bangs.
Fuze snorted, knowing instantly what the German wanted. He tugged the face mask down below his chin and leaned down, pressing his scarred lips upon Marius' own. His were chapped and he still tasted like old, stale copper, but he relished every moment. As he drew back, Jäger gently cupped a hand around the nape of his neck and pulled him into another chaste kiss.
There was the distinct sound of somebody clearing their throat and they broke apart with a gasp, a laugh spilling from Marius' lips brightly. Doc stood there with arms crossed, a brow raised in amusement.
"Am I interrupting something, gentlemen?" Gustave asked, looking between them as Fuze tugged up his face mask.
"Kind of," Jäger flashed him a smile, looking more lively than Doc had expected.
Moving closer, he leaned over Marius and checked a few of his vitals under Shuhrat's watchful gaze. "You are looking rather well for being on death's door a few days ago."
"It wasn't so bad," Marius said before blinking between them, catching Doc's stern look. "... right? I don't remember much."
"You are a lucky man, Marius," Gustave grabbed at the clipboard and wrote down the results from the morning examination. "How are you feeling?"
"Thirsty," Jäger repeated, watching as Doc smirked. "Tired... side hurts a bit."
"We're lowering your pain meds, slightly. I need you to get used to breathing fully despite the discomfort. I'll fetch you some water, just relax, and be careful," He glanced at Fuze with a meaningful leer and slipped out of the room.
Shuhrat's features were pink beneath his face mask, but he settled back down into the chair and scooted closer. "I am glad to see you so lively, Marius."
As he looked towards the older man, he could see the pilot starting to nod off again. With a slow, owlish blink, Jäger softly spoke, "'m sorry..."
"Don't be, you need your rest. We'll all be here, yeah?"
Marius nodded, their fingers interlocking as he relaxed back into the pillow. By the time Doc was back with the chilled cup in hand, the specialist was fast asleep.
-:-
Monika and Elias were laughing, watching some video with Marius while Dominic leaned against the wall. They'd been here with the pilot nearly every day, watching the life return to him with every smile and strained chuckle.
They ate in his room with Fuze, the man becoming more comfortable showing his face around them. Often Kapkan and Timur shoved in as well, sharing laughs and good stories. It was rare to see Maxim so friendly, and the sniper was happy to recognize that social improvement -- even if only temporary.
The first week of recovery was strictly bed rest and plenty of fluids. Jäger practiced deep breathing and suffered through multiple examinations, boredom, and restlessness.
Doc was pleased with his progress. Despite his age, Marius was springing back in leaps and bounds.
Slowly, Marius was allowed to leave the bed. Walking breathlessly around the hall, hurting but prideful to still be alive. Shuhrat helped without question, being the pilot's rock whenever he needed a brief respite or a quick pick me up.
Doc was politely pushing for more extensive rehab, fast-tracking Jäger for a quicker bounce back. Six, in all her secretive glory, had requested positive results within a week. Marius was up for the challenge, and his team was more than willing to suffer with him through training exercises and physical training drills.
It was an awful week of constant running, healthy meals, weight training, extra rappeling work, obstacle courses, and hostage scenarios.
Marius was laying on the bed, rubbing a new bruise on his arm when Fuze finally came out of the shower. He too was covered in new training bruises, mainly from Caveira's hand-to-hand session, but he still smiled upon seeing the German sprawled out lazily on his bed. "Hmm... it is good to see you back," He spoke softly, crawling over the bed to plant a kiss on the pilot's messy hair.
Jäger's hands settled lazily on Shuhrat's shoulders, fingertips toying with the baby hairs at the nape of the larger man's neck. "It's good to be back, Liebling ." His lips quirked up into an honest grin when he saw the other's features flush into a pretty shade of pink. "Miss me saying that?"
"More than you know," Shuhrat sighed, feeling much more at ease than he had in weeks. The horrible fear of losing Jäger was fading into the back of his mind and he was more than ready to glide back into their usual routine.
Marius' right hand slipped onto Shuhrat's face, thumb tracing gently over the scar before he coaxed the man into a kiss, their lips melding together softly. Fuze's weight was warm and comforting on top of Jäger and he only let out a slight gasp when the man's larger hands settled upon his hips. Fingertips carefully slipped under the light green shirt, rumpling the material as he roamed. A big hand ran over the scar from the injury and they both froze when Jäger sucked in a quick breath through his teeth.
"Does it hurt?" Fuze ventured nervously while moving his hand away. Before he could get too far, Marius secured a grip around his wrist, keeping him in place.
"Not when you touch it, it feels... sensitive, but I know you won't hurt me," The pilot whispered, hazel eyes focused on Shuhrat's own bright ones. " Küss mich , Shuhrat."
And who was he to deny a request like that?
-:-
"So anyways, ants are the longest living insects. Which is problematic, because fire ants -- they can cause three billion euros worth of damage in a singular year!" Marius happily rambled on and on about the documentary Shuhrat and he had watched last night. He took big mouthfuls of his sandwich between sentences, wolfing down the meal before their training exercises.
Glaz carefully blew on the hot, steaming pulled pork before taking a big bite. A drop of sauce landed on his shirt and he cursed, wiping at it while Kapkan snorted out a laugh.
Dominic looked between their table, Shuhrat hunched over his fries while Elias was attempting to mix mayo and ketchup together, followed closely by Monika's face of disgust. Maxim was now helping Timur buff out the barbecue stain from his gear, the sniper huffing grumpily while licking the rest of the meal from the fingertips.
Shuhrat leaned closer, bumping his shoulder softly into Marius' and asking if he was going to finish his pickles. The pilot offered them over without a fuss, glad to get rid of them, he never did like them anyways. "And, in relation to their size, ants are one of the strongest creatures on the globe," Jäger concluded with a nod, smiling big and wide.
Shuhrat watched him with a pleased hum, munching away at the pickles with a softened expression.
As they finished up their meal, Montagne walked by the mess hall and rapped his knuckles loudly on the metallic door. "Gear up! We start in twenty."
As they got to their feet quickly, stealing a few last bites, Marius fell into step right beside Shuhrat. Their hands brushed past each other, fingertips briefly linking together. "Good luck out there, yeah?" Jäger whispered, sending Fuze a knowing grin.
"Of course. Same to you." Shuhrat reluctantly let the pilot slip away into the German unit's supply room, his gaze focusing on Glaz as the sniper clapped a hand on his shoulder.
"We'll beat the defenders without any trouble. I heard they're taking us to that stupid little arcade center, lots of windows for me." Timur snickered, grabbing at his ammo belt - filled with rubber bullets, and finally securing his prized rifle in his hands.
Kapkan grabbed his trap bag, a grin viciously spreading across his lips as he added, "And plenty of doorways for you to walk into, Timur... watch your ankles, hm?"
"Hey, we still don't know how the teams will be split up," Timur raised a hand in mock surrender, only to sling his arm around Maxim's shoulders and pull him into a sloppy kiss on the cheek. "It's no hard feelings if I hit your pretty face."
"Fuck off," Maxim laughed, wiping at the wet spot on his face.
Shuhrat gathered his gear carefully and pulled his goggles down. "Do you think Marius would like to ... go out?"
"You mean on a date? Off base?" Timur asked, looking towards the man with surprise.
Fuze nodded silently.
Kapkan toyed with a laser light, pointing it at Timur's scarred face and smirking, "Mmm, you know, I was thinking the same thing." His voice dipped into a salacious territory, blue eyes highlighted in the shadow of his hat. "I think we've earned it."
Timur rolled his eyes, snorting before nudging Fuze. "Marius would enjoy that. You two earned some time away from this place. Maxim is just teasing."
Shuhrat nodded and finished suiting up, stepping out into the hall where he saw Jäger waiting for him. His helmet has been repaired, complete with sturdier goggles that were apparently shatter resistant. Fuze didn't want to test that theory out, though.
"Are you ready, Liebling?" Jäger lightly bumped against him, his voice low to keep the pet name between the two of them.
There was a soft chuckle before he responded, "I am always ready to watch you in action," Shuhrat assured, wondering where he should take Marius. He was thinking of dinner... perhaps he could even make them something, they could go shopping...
Either way, they'd be fine. He could feel it.
They walked down to the landing pad, hurrying into the chopper to avoid the vicious wind ripping at them. Each seat was filled before take-off but Jäger happily sat next to his side, a Magpie in his lap, offline and waiting. "It is good to be back," Marius said, voice nearly drowned out by the helicopter.
Fuze affectionately bumped their helmets together softly. "You're going to do great. Just watch where you place this thing... you never know where I'll release my cluster charge."
"Sounds kinky!" Elias shouted at them, grinning big and wide before he pulled up his baklava. Marius kicked at him with a laugh before flopping back in the seat, comfortably leaning against Fuze.
Shuhrat was at ease... he knew they'd be ok.