United Under Fire

Fortitude

It had been months since their capture, they had been beaten, starved, and questioned continuously. None of them had said a word despite this. Their captors tried to coerce them into telling them secrets about American forces in the country, counter-narcotics operations, and their own identities. They had Gibbs and McGee's passports and badges, but Jace had nothing that could reveal his identity. He left his military tags in his weapons cache on the plane when they arrived in-country along with his personal belongings.

This made his interrogations more brutal.

Finally, they were taken from their cells and brought to the head of the organization. He was an older man dressed in a ridiculous white suit with a matching hat. When the guard told him about their beatings the boss shot him with Gibbs' Colt 1911. Jace said nothing when he offered them leniency in exchange for information. All he could focus on was his stolen gear which the man had in full display in his office like a trophy. This prompted the cartel boss to subject them to electric shock torture. Jace and McGee were held back as they attempted to reach Gibbs while he was being tortured. When it finally stopped they were returned to their cells but Jace and Tim were held back.

"This one in particular is an especially well-trained killer," said the boss. "He will train my men to be just as efficient or die, the other will help with our computers."

None of them said anything, Jace was brought to a makeshift armory where he saw two boys cleaning a set of AKs. The oldest one couldn't have been older than fourteen and the other seemed to be around twelve. They were almost bone thin and heavily bruised. The guard set up outside, leaving them alone.

"Do you have names?" asked Jace "Nombres?"

The oldest was Hecter and the youngest was Ruiz.

Jace inspected the weapons, he took note of explosives and small arms.

"Escapar," Julian whispered to the boys.

They nodded.

Jace grabbed a bayonet from an aging M16, using it to cut through his restraints. Once free he knocked on the door, when the guard entered Julian punched him in the throat and stabbed him in the chest. He grabbed an MP5 off the rack, inspecting it for damage, and loaded it. He grabbed the boys and made his way back to the computer room.

There he met with his father and McGee who had already escaped their binds, Jace left the boys with the man McGee helped with the printer. They reached the boss's office, they restrained him; Jace got ahold of his gear, his rifle and pistol seemed to be functional and loaded, and his NODs were in good shape. Gibbs disguised himself as the boss and Jace disguised himself as a guard. Tim got hold of a phone, getting a hold of Bishop.

They made a plan for the Paraguayan military to send a helicopter to retrieve them.

Their plan was going well until the boss revealed the situation, inciting a standoff. When an alarm sounded the guards fled. The trio took the liberty of leaving the boss with McGee's new friend, Gibbs gave him his captured knife. They left the cartel chief to his fate and made their way to the roof. Jace activated the IR Strobe on his helmet, signaling the helicopter.

Once they were home, Jace cleaned himself up and made his way home. There he was greeted by his team and his family. Walt and Zoey told the kids that he had been on a mission with his father and McGee. The media never mentioned them by name, leaving the girls to assume that the trio had been rescuing the captive Americans.

 In a way this was true.

After tucking his kids in bed, he sat in his bedroom, contemplating his future. He wanted to watch his kids grow up, but he loved his old job and his team. He got to change to world for the better and help make it into one his sons and daughters deserved.

. . .

Jace had just finished his physical and was now meeting with a therapist alongside his dad and McGee. Jace went first since he hadn't been clear for duty yet.

"So this is the second time you've been a POW," started Doctor Grace Confalone.

"Yes," confirmed Jace.

"Where would you like to start? How you're feeling? What's keeping you up at night?"

"Honestly," Jace exhaled. "I feel grateful for everything I have, my family, my team."

"You've never thought of retiring?" asked the Doctor. "You've been in service since 1999, ever since you were seventeen."

"I've thought about it when my kids were born, again when my wife died, and when I found out about my sons," confessed Jace. "But I get to be part of a cause greater than almost anything. Even more, I get to show my kids what kind of family they come from."

"Which is?"

"Warriors, survivors, people who stand fast in the eye of the storm. Just like Walt and Zoey said."

"Sounds like you know what you want, what about if life decides differently for you?"

"Then I'll adapt," answered Jace. "Whatever comes my way I'll get through it, I have great people in my life and I have faith in them."

Afterwards Julian met with Kara at a diner.

"How'd your reviews go?" asked the FBI Agent.

"Good, I think."

"The FBI and DEA have scraped up what's left of the RAC. You and NCIS left a huge dent in their operations."

"They were using kids as soldiers," said Jace. "The ones I saw weren't even old enough to drive or drink coffee."

"And you saved them," Kara showed him a picture of the boys, Hector and Ruiz, and the man Tim met. "The embassy in Paraguay confirmed their wellbeing, the man Tim met, Nicolas, returned to his village and adopted the two boys as his own."

Jace smiled, grasping Kara's hand.

"Thanks for pulling through for me on this end."

"Always, thanks for coming home in one piece."

"Always."

. . .

Echo Team had just completed an Embassy evacuation drill. Jace had just been cleared for active duty and the Team had just been selected for a joint operation with the Mexican Marines. A DEA agent and his partner from the FBI had been tortured and killed. They were going to work with the DEA and FBI to capture the man responsible for the hits.

Manuel Vargas, the cartel boss got away with almost everything by laundering his illegal activities with a fake philanthropy organization and by bribing and extorting everyone. His organization was comparable to the Sinaloa Cartel, Medellin Cartel, Gulf Cartel, Los Zetas, and Juarez Cartel. He butted heads with them as well.

The FBI team consisted of Kara and her teammates Daniel Simmons and Addison Meade. The DEA sent Sharon Patterson and Special Agent Donald Chambers. NCIS was sending Torres along for the ride.

Their job was to hunt down and find Vargas.

Whether they were bringing him in cuffs or a coffin was up to him.