Warning, some cursing occurs in this chapter

---External POV---

Dark clouds shrouded the airplane as it made its way to its mark. The men inside were preparing themselves for the jump, knowing they had to be stealthy and above all, that they couldn't trust anyone beside their teammates. Knowing that their fellow soldiers betrayed them and countrymen hurt but infuriated hem at the same time.

Colt was one of them, making sure that his weapons were filled and cleaned before he tucked them away. He was glad for Sage's gift, as it had ruled out several of his fellow teams. They were going to need every able bodied man for the next few hours.

He felt a pinch of pain in his heart at the idea of his lover's face when he had to leave; a mix of fear, hope and love. Colt shook his head and focused back on his mission. He was placed in a squadron of fellow Seals, though they never worked with his team before.

A few steps behind him were several groups of the US Army, preparing themselves as they jested witch each other. They were going to fly through to another destination while Colt and his Seals were going to be dropping in by air as they flew over their target.

"Where's the rest of your team Colt? Figured they were with you." Killjoy stated, rubbing a hand through his beard. He was the commander of his own team and were specialized in airdrops like this. They had extracted prisoners of arms out of hostile camps without the enemy even knowing it.

"Dusty and Viper are already at insertion point, trailing the target by boogie." Colt said as he passed a few pictures around to the gathered teams. "Team Mercury is dropping in a few clicks away from friendlies, who'll provide you with Intel on the targets on ground."

The map with Intel passed hands as the commanders pulled out the information they needed and passed it along their men while Colt strapped his hunting knife to its place and stood up, facing the tail of the C-17.

"Team Phantom is going with me, we're going to smoke out some rats." Colt stated shortly, his smirk telling the teams everything they needed to know. Killjoy nodded once, a smile, playing on his own lips; he knew exactly why Colt needed his team to go after the rats.

Phantom was a well-known team, used solely for stealth missions and to save countrymen behind enemy lines but they acquired a nickname over the years. They were the Assassins, silent killers that could clean a whole camp of enemies without any of them raising the alarm.

It was why Dusty and Viper had demanded that Phantom was used to extract Sage. While Dusty and Viper were going in on land, Team Phantom would target the enemy from the back.

"Alright ladies, prepare yourselves to get wet." Killjoy remarked to his men, giving Colt a look before stepping further away from the others while his men smirked at the remark and stepped to the side.

As soon as they were out of range, Killjoy stopped Colt and looked closely in his eyes. "I've known Dusty for a while now and he's never, ever, faced the enemy head on without any further back up. Mercury dropping in to give support while one team is requested as back up for two men on their own? What the hell is going on here Colt?"

 Just as Colt started to open his mouth, the pilots announced that they were nearing their drop point. Killjoy looked up before shaking his head and went to the tail of the bird, where the rest of his team was already prepared and waiting for their Commander to jump in his chute.

"Twilight, Midnight, you guys with the boat. We're going in silent and unnoticed. Those fuckers won't even know we're there until we're on top of them." Killjoy said as he hoisted the parachute on his back and clicked it tight. The hatch slowly opened to reveal pitch-black sky and the lights of a city underneath the plane.

With a single gesture from Killjoy, the men pushed the small boat out and jumped after it, followed by their commander and Colt. "Good luck guys!" The shout of the other team was mangled through the wind rushing past their ears, freefalling through the sky until the men deployed their chutes and floated steadily towards their watery target.

While Team Phantom was set in motion, Dusty and Viper were slowly walking though the city, trying to track down their own target. They knew the general location from Sage but judging by the blueprints and coded messages he had found and unraveled, they needed a guy from the inside to help them in.

Luckily, they had spotted one of the familiar faces in the crowd and now were tracking him. They both had their earpiece in and were informed when Colt jumped out the plane with team Phantom, which released the tension on Dusty's chest, by a fraction of an inch.

He wasn't going to relax until he had his man safely in his arms.

---Declan's POV---

Right no, the only thing stopping me from vaulting up to run after one of Sgt. Grey's lackeys was Viper's hand on my shoulder. He had noticed the tension in my muscles as we sat down at a little café, trying to maintain our cover for as long as possible and to keep a good eye on that sniveling little shit that was running around to do Grey's bidding.

Viper had thrown one of his huge arms over the back on my seat, looking casual on the outside but the weight of his arm on my shoulders reminded me what was at stake here. Surely it wasn't a good idea to grab the guy under gunpoint and threaten him until he gave us what he wanted...right?

"Relax." Viper hissed under his breath before glancing at the waitress as she placed two cups of lukewarm coffee on our table. Viper greeted her and gave her a good tip before waving her away while my eyes never strayed of the entrance of the store on the other side of the street. "You can't rush in now." Viper added softly, drawing my attention to the conversation.

"Why?"

"Check your eight, eleven and four."

I leaned forwards to grab my coffee and glanced in the directions Viper pointed out, mentally cursing when I saw several henchmen of Grey. There was no way we could get to our guy without raising the alarm, therefor compromising the mission and putting Sage's life on the line.

"Shit!" I cursed mentally before glancing over the edge of my cup towards our guy. No wonder he seemed more confident now in regards to how he acted a few minutes ago. We should've got him when we had the chance.

Taking a deep breath, I calmed down as much as I could and rethought this whole situation. We needed that guy, but we couldn't just drag him out of the store and start a shoot-out in the middle of this city.

Viper cleared his throat before scratching at his ear and unnoticeably motioned towards the men, notifying me of the fact that they too had their gear on and could contact their base when things went amiss. Even if we could snatch the guy out right from under them, they'd alert their base and start a race against the clock.

Ugh, what to do, what to do? HQ had warned us not to draw any attention to us if we wanted to save Sage but if we couldn't get in, how in the hell were we going to get my man out of there. And who knows what they were doing to him right now?

"He's late, time to go back home." I nodded and followed Viper's lead by standing up and walking away from the target we intended. That small sentence changed everything; we agreed only to use it when we had someone on our six.

On the way to our car, we made sure to act like tourists by checking the stalls, using the moment to glance at the guy following us. He too was staring at a shop a few feet away, giving me an excellent view of his profile.

No gear in his ears...Perfect.

"Seems like our mate showed up." I said softly before motioning to one of the side streets. Viper nodded before he went ahead, knowing that the guy trailing us would follow. With Viper's visible limp, he would be deemed the weaker target of us two.

Heh, think again idiot.

The guy was predictable and took one look at me before he went after my buddy. I acted like I didn't see him before I slipped out of the shop and followed him closely. The guy stopped in the deserted street, probably wondering where Viper was before a big biceps was cutting his air off. With one flick of his arm, Viper tossed the guy against the wall; his arm digging firmly against the guy's throat as I pulled my HK MK23 compressed with silencer and pressed it against the man's chest.

"Whoa whoa, wait! Hold on guys, I'm on your side!" He squeaked in impeccable English, which surprised me a bit but I remembered the countless reports of guys flipping sides. To me, those men weren't men; they were cowards, turning their backs to their own country to save their hides.

Viper pressed his arm closer against the guy with a threatening look on his face. "He's on our side, he says. Hear that Dusty? Guess the joke's on us huh?" He added sarcastically, obviously not believing a word he was saying.

"No, no, no, wait! I can explain!"

A sigh escaped my lips before I called Colt on the line. "Echo, this is Dusty, come in." A crackle resounded through my ear before I heard him jokingly respond, "Hey, thought you'd never call me. Missed me much?"

My lip twitched slightly but right now, I wasn't in the mood to laugh. If this guy was wasting our time, I'd knock him out myself. "Do me a favor and check something for me?" The guy pressed against the wall looked slightly relieved and let out a soft sigh.

"Michaels, Special forces undercover sir." He said before motioning to Viper, "I was contacted when his team was KIA and told to infiltrate the Black Sun, acting like an agent who flipped. I can get you guys in without them noticing."

"Got that Echo?" I asked, frowning when I heard only silence on the other side before he growled," What is his full name? Michaels what? If he says Benjamin, God help me." I frowned in confusion before asking for the kids name. He glanced worriedly at the earpiece in my phone and my reaction before stuttering, "B-Benjamin Michaels sir."

"What?" I winched and instinctively backed away from the explosion of sound in my ear, glaring slightly as Echo started muttering, "I'm gonna fucking kill his ass when he gets back home. Fucking idiot, I told him to stay fucking put but did he ever fucking listen to me?"

"Echo! What the fuck is going on down here?"

I heard his resigned sigh before he snapped, "The guy you're undoubtedly holding in a chokehold is my fucking fiancé Dusty. My lover I never told any of you guys about." My eyes caught Viper's as we both shared a look of disbelief while Benjamin managed a weak chuckle.

"Told y'all I'm on your side." He glanced at the earpiece in Viper's ear when Echo let out another deep sigh. "Hey honey..." Ben drawled awkwardly with a sheepish grin on his face. Just when Echo was about to retort, I interrupted their conversation harshly.

"Sorry lovebirds, but can we stop this till we got Sage out of there?" Both seemed a bit embarrassed before Benjamin sighed, "Look, I didn't put myself up for this but I was the best they had and they needed me. They basically told me that if I didn't do this I could wave a hand at my career."

"Anyways, you guys need a registered fingerprint to get in and judging by the way that sniveling Anton begged for guards, he's feeling you guys breathing in his neck. We need to move as quickly as possible; I know they're questioning Sage as we speak and the kid's holding on but he can't hold on forever."

My anger got the best of me as I punched the wall beside him. I knew they would probably interrogate Sage but to hear them say it was different than knowing facts and hoping for the opposite.

Viper was talking with Benjamin and Echo before he dragged the guy with him to the car. I followed, silently fuming on the spot as I jumped in the driver's seat and floored it. Benjamin shouted in the back as he fumbled with his seatbelt before he dug his fingernails in the seat.

I'm not a aggressive person but if I would step into the same room with Sage's captors now...I don't know what I'd be capable off but either way, it wouldn't be pretty.

---Sage's POV---

I grunted as another fist drove painfully hard against my jaw, sending bloody spittle flying through the air. Flicking my tongue over my teeth to make sure that the brute didn't punch any out, I tried to flex my jaw while keeping my expression neutral.

They hadn't got anything out from me and their frustration was growing but they seemed to vent some of their anger on my body. My ribs ached as I breathed through my mouth, ignoring the bloody mess underneath my nose and focused back on the guy behind the blinding lights.

Another slap of flesh on flesh resounded through the room as I was backhanded, launching myself and the chair I was tied on. "Ugh, fuck..." I hissed as I crashed painfully on the floor, my arm crushed between the cool metal of the chair and the harsh concrete slabs that formed the floor.

"Enough."

As soon as the barked command rang through the air, the beatings stopped. I panted heavily as I kept my face pressed against the cool floor, finding some reprieve against the throbbing wounds on my face. Damn, the guy packed a mean punch.

Two black dress shoes slowly stepped in my minimized line of sight before Grey crouched down and shook his head with a disappointed sigh. I huffed a breath out, creating a small dust cloud as I strained to look at Grey, trying to predict his mood swing.

Turned out the guy had a severe case of Multiple personality Syndrome. One second the guy was happy-go-lucky, taking great pride in the plans of his organization and his men, but as soon as things weren't going according to plan...that's when the monstrous side of him came out.

"Not quite broken in yet huh...no matter, we'll find a way soon. You're just as weak and pathetic as your father." Grey said venomously as he traced one of the scratches on my cheek. Anger flashed through me at the insult at my dad so I drew back and spat right in his face.

I smirked grimly as the slimy and bloody fluid slowly dripped down Grey's stunned face, his eyes soon burning with uncontrolled rage as he snapped his fingers. I cursed as a pair of hands dug into my hair and dragged me out of the room before tossing me in the prison face first.

My jaw crashed painfully against the floor and I groaned when I realized they hadn't released me from the chair. "O-Oh g-god. Sage! Y-you're n-not going to m-make it th-this way." Timothy stuttered as he dragged himself closer to push me on my side, whimpering as he moved his legs.

"I-I'm fine." I coughed, spitting the blob of blood out of my mouth before I closed my eyes and leaned against the floor. The guy really needed to get here soon because Timothy was right; I wasn't going to hang on like this.

Yesterday night was spent with a bag tied over my head, a pair of headphones blaring obnoxiously loud music in my ears to desensitize us both. At one moment, I had been brought to a closed off room where the bag had been ripped of my head, only for the headphones to be forced back on my ears while the lights in the room flickered on and off in quick succession.

I'd rather brave another beating than going back to that room.

Our small moment of peace was soon shattered as several feet made their way to our cell before the door was thrown open, light pouring in and blinding us momentarily. I let out a small cry of surprise as I was hauled out of the room but my stomach twitched uncomfortably when I heard Timothy's pained cry behind me as they dragged him along too.

We came to a sudden stop, where I was painfully pulled out of the confinements of the seat and shoved against Timothy's back. I could feel his body shivering in pain, fear and exhaustion as we were tied together, making it impossible for either of us to move or escape before we were tossed in another closed off room.

"W-what's goi-ing on?" Timothy whimpered, his legs unable to push himself up again so I was forced to stay on the floor with him. "I don't know Tim, but we'll get out of here. Calm down, everything's going to be okay." I coed, trying to relax him so he didn't strain himself and tore his wounds open.

He didn't reply for a second before he froze against my back. His breath, which had been shallow and labored, was now growing swiftly under I could recognize the whining and swift inhales as a stage of hyperventilation.

Timothy didn't react on my voice, his whole bod quivering as the distinct smell of urine slowly wafted up to my nose. As I glanced over my shoulder to try and calm the boy down before he worked himself up in a full blown panic attack, my eyes landed on the opposite wall of the room.

Or rather, the glass doors which separated us from the dog handlers as they were working their dogs up in a frenzy, lunging forwards against their chain and showing their teeth. We couldn't hear the dogs but as Timothy whimpered and pressed himself further in my back, I could see one of the handlers unclipping his dog and pointing them out of the room.

Both of us tensed up in fear before we heard the barks and the faint tapping of nails. I swallowed and heard Timothy's breathing accelerate even worse. And that's when I heard the grind of metal against stone.

I snapped my head around to see a metal cover being drawn up from a dog door...seconds before the dog himself made his entrance into the room.

---Colt's POV---

Water dripped down my painted face as I held my breath. The team had just swam up to the shore and was now slowly making its way out of the water. My eyes zipped over the coastline before they landed on Killjoy, who flicked his fingers and pointed forwards,

Following his lead, we crawled slowly out of the water, our weapons ready and compressed with silencers so we didn't blow our cover. Killjoy maneuvered his massive frame fluidly and with the grace of a predator as he signaled us to hold underneath a ledge.

"Okay, we're going in silently. Echo, I need to know if there are any friendlies inside so we don't make any mistakes. Twilight, you and Midnight kill the lights on my mark. Those bastards might be on their home field but they think so highly from themselves that they have a minimal amount of patrols."

I nodded once to agree before Echo's voice replied through the headset, "Killjoy, one friendly confirmed, several unconfirmed. Soldiers that have gone MIA might be in those cells and FBI has been trying to infiltrate the order."

Killjoy cursed under his breath before he rolled his eyes. "Things can never be easy huh. Fine. We'll leave the top dogs alive; anyone else that takes aim is dealt with. Keep us informed Echo."

With a muttered agreement, the line fell silent as we stalked through the night. "Goggles on." Killjoy whispered, referring to our Night vision goggles as he flicked his own down. I copied his movement before crawling to a halt.

"Target spotted on the roof. Check your eleven." I whispered before I heard the silent pop of Killjoy's gun. The guy dropped without a sound as we rushed to the door, using his hand to get in the building.

There was only one other door leading into the room we stepped into, so we hid the body while one of the other guys, Specter, slowly popped his head out of the door before he gently closed it, giving the all clear.

"Okay, HQ want us to get the targets alive but if any of those fuckers start shooting, you don't ask questions, you shoot back. Just try to keep 'em alive." He added with a smirk as we scanned the room for anything useful.

"Specter, rig the feeds." Midnight whispered as he pointed to a security screen. The guy swiftly went to work while Killjoy observed the screens closely. "Hmm, okay, ten targets on this floor and fifteen above. Our guy's on this floor and with another friendly." He murmured while pointing to the screens.

I glanced and fumed silently at the sight of a crumpled Sage, who was leaning against some guy who was in an even worse condition. Fuck, if Declan stepped into the room now, he'd go on a rampage.

"Killjoy, this is Dusty, over."

Killjoy's eyebrows furrowed as he frowned deeply before responding, "I read you." Silence followed for a few seconds before Declan answered, "We need to move faster; we just got an insider whom explained that our mission is getting compromised, I repeat, the mission is getting compromised."

"Might be because you caused a car crash when you heard that that Anton guy was bragging that he'd take a turn with Sage before they'd kill him." Viper drawled sarcastically while a light of understanding brightened Killjoy's eyes. The man glanced over his shoulder towards me with one raised eyebrow.

"You guys know that you're breaking the rule regarding Personal Conflicts of Interest, right?" Killjoy asked with slight amusement before Dusty growled "I'm fine and focused on the mission, no rules are broke-"

"That's bull and you know it Dusty, your mind is focused on getting your man out of here and not on the mission. Your little car crash proves my point. Keep your head on a swivel and stay Focused!" Killjoy ordered with menace before he broke the line.

"Midnight, kill the lights, use live rounds and stay silent. We need to move our asses before these idiots decide to use our guy like a hostage or worse." The Commander snapped before pulling his goggles over his face and rushed towards the door.

"Lights out motherfuckers." Midnight drawled before darkness flooded the building. We heard a few distant footsteps scrambling around while Killjoy opened the door and flicked his fingers.

Fanning out in the broad hallway, we kept close to the walls and checked every open door for targets. A man stumbled out of the door but sagged down quickly as I drove the back of my gun against his skull.

"One of the main targets is out cold." I whispered, scanning the room he came out of before throwing him back in and shutting the door. These idiots even left the keys on the doors, how overconfident can you get?

"Contacts, at your twelve!" Specter whispered sharply before taking aim. The hallway had a greenish tone through the goggles as we made our way through the lower level, keeping an eye out for Sage while eliminating all threats we encountered.

Killjoy gestured to hold back when we heard soft voices coming our way. I swallowed, feeling my heart thump in my head as the tension was slowly rising. Were we going to get caught? Was Sage alright? I knew I couldn't face Declan or Davy if I didn't bring Sage back home in one piece and breathing.

As the men rounded the corner, we all lifted our weapons ready to shoot before I cursed and shook my head. "What is wrong with you guys? Use the gear and tell us when you're in the fucking building!" I whisper-shouted angrily at Dusty and Viper as they joined our band.

"We need to move now; they found out Sage injected himself with a tracker. If they cut it out and relocate before we get to him all hope is lost." Dusty said with a tense voice, his face paled and obvious signs of stress in his expression.

"Viper, keep an eye on Dusty so he doesn't fuck things up for us; he's not thinking clearly. Target is down the hall but watch your six, bad guys are still swarming the place." Killjoy said as he passed us and made for the end of the hall.

I shot Declan a look of compassion but Killjoy was right; he wasn't thinking with his head and his rash behavior might compromise the mission. Viper pulled Dusty to the back of the group while we quickly stalked for the last door, where we heard angry shouts and pained cries coming from.

One of those cries sounded familiar, making my stomach twitch as I shot a look at Dusty. Killjoy noticed my look and glanced once at Dusty before rolling his eyes and pushing off the wall, kicking the door in as we all flooded the room.

Time seemed to freeze as I hurled myself after Killjoy, raising my gun to take out all the hostiles in the room. Sage was tied up in a chair, bleeding heavily from his arm as Grey held him tightly by his hair, the bloody knife still in his hands.

At the sound of the door breaking open, the twelve guys in the room reached for their guns or darted for cover, only to get shot expertly by the Team. Grey's position behind Sage stopped us from attempting a shot but when he yanked Sage's head back and plummeted the knife down, I felt fear clench painfully tight around my heart.

That was, until Grey's head flew backwards and shattered as he released Sage's head, the knife dropping from his limp fingers before he slumped dead on the floor. My heart was racing in my chest as I glanced to the side, where Viper lowered his gun with a shuddering breath.

"Great shot man." Killjoy patted Viper on the back as the team inspected the rest of the room before calling out in the earpiece, "Echo, this is Midnight, we found a young male heavily wounded. Non-responsive and signs of mauling and malnutrition, we need CASEVAC, over."

"Copy that Midnight. Might be one of the missing men. Estimated arrival in 4 mikes." Echo replied while we scanned the rooms and secured the premises. Killjoy strutted through the room and checked the screens as he called out, "Base neutralized and contact found. Our guy is in bad shape but not as bad as our John Doe. Only two of our main guys were present, over."

I glanced at the dead form of Sgt. Grey before shaking my head once, then glanced at Sage, who as in the loving embrace of Declan as he pried his man out of that chair and checked all of his injuries.

Walking over, I smiled at my future brother-in-law and tried to alleviate the tension by joking, "Well, you're a sight for sore eyes. OW, Damn you Declan, I was kidding!" I snapped and rubbed over my arm where there would be a purple fist-shaped bruise. Sighing deeply, I motioned towards the fainted kid in the corner.

"You know the guy?" Sage nodded tiredly, his swollen features lighting up in the lights overhead as Midnight had put the power back on. "He's innocent, kidnapped. Said his name was Timothy but he's in bad shape." Sage replied softly before grunting as Declan stood up, carrying Sage bridal style.

"Sorry love, but we need to get you out of here. You're wounded too and your arm needs to get stitched. But I'm so fucking proud of you!" Declan said with a chocked voice, holding Sage tightly against his chest and his man replied the gesture by clinging on Declan's shoulders as tight as he could.

Killjoy cleared hos throat, green eyes dancing with amusement before he motioned his head. "Sorry to intrude but we need to get moving. The backup will round our targets up but CASEVEC is nearing the LZ guys."

Declan snorted and shook his head before he was escorted towards the plane, Midnight carrying Timothy in his arms as I stayed back for a second to inform the troops that arrived on the spot.

"Grey is dead but we caught a few of our main targets. One is locked up in the hallway to the right and Grey's body is in the center area." The soldier nodded as he replied, "We found several as well, and a very chatty guy too. Says he knows the Leader of the Black Sun but if he's right, this is going way over our heads."

I blinked in surprise, remembering that Sage's research was forcibly stopped before he found the true leader but if this guy squawked, we'd be able to stop this organization and put it six feet under.

"Come on ladies, move it. Operation Clean Sweep is starting and I wanna see the looks on their faces when they're brought in for high treason." Killjoy bellowed over the roar of the plane engines. I shook my head at the slightly immature man before grinning as I realized we were going home.

I couldn't wait to have Davy in my arms again.

So, this is twelve pages in word, double of what I usually post. I wanted to reveal the leaders of the Black Sun but decided to end the chapter here ;) things will be revealed in the next chapter along with some surprising men in the Black Sun ranking.

let me know what you think ;)