Chapter Text
Bright sunlight streamed through the window and finally forced Jay to open his eyes. He hadn't slept this well in a long time, and the thought of leaving the warmth of his bed was far from appealing. At least the headache was gone.
Almost automatically, he reached for the ring on his left hand and gently rubbed it with his thumb, remembering that he hadn't even checked his phone the night before.
It was already 10 a.m. local time, and several messages from Hailey lit up the screen. He sighed, stirring up a wave of emotions inside him, sent her a short reply, and decided he would call her in the evening.
After stretching, he finally got out of bed and, once he'd finished his morning routine, stepped outside into the fresh air.
The camp was alive with movement. Some people were jogging, others carried equipment, and a few walked by with folders and documents tucked under their arms.
"Oh, good morning, Jay. Hope you managed to rest. How's your head? I'm Ray Green — yeah, I know, the last name doesn't exactly match the fact that I'm Black, but it is what it is."
A lean African American man flashed him a bright white smile. Jay was fairly sure they had been introduced the day before, but there had been too much information for his exhausted brain to process. He remembered only the face.
"I'm good. Though I think I overslept."
"Nope. On arrival days, the briefing's always pushed to noon to give the newcomers time to recover. Altitude sickness spares no one — we've all been there."
"Got it. Should I head to headquarters?"
"Yeah. You've got about an hour and a half. Stop by Coyote and see Jack — he saved you some breakfast. And don't even think about skipping it."
Ray cut off Jay's instinctive shake of the head.
"Even if you're used to just having coffee back home, Jack won't accept that. Ever. And trust me, you don't want him as your enemy. He knows every single person in this camp and exactly how to win over your stomach. So go."
Ray disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared, and Jay obediently headed toward Coyote.
Jack seemed to be expecting him. After giving Jay a quick once-over, he pulled a plate wrapped in plastic from under the counter. It looked surprisingly appetizing and well balanced.
"Wow, Jack — this looks like something from a top restaurant. Thank you."
"Breakfast is the foundation of a good day, and an empty stomach sponsors ulcers. Coffee's coming — I'll brew it fresh. Now eat. You can sit outside under the awning; there's a beautiful view from there."
With all this attention, Jay couldn't shake the feeling that he was on vacation, being cared for like a valued guest.
At the appointed time, Jay went up to the second floor, where about twenty people had already gathered. He took a place in the corner near the window and studied the room. Blinker was fussing around by the board, creating the illusion of intense activity. Nearly all the seats at the tables were taken, and people crowded near the windows.
Eric squeezed past Jay, greeting him with a nod, and stood beside him. A little later, Catherine appeared. She looked different today — her dark wavy hair was no longer tied in a bun but fell freely over her shoulders. As she passed the two men, she gave Jay a brief smile with her eyes.
"Halstead, you look much better today."
"Thanks. You're almost unrecognizable yourself."
She didn't react to the compliment and moved on, taking a seat at one of the tables beside a red-haired woman. Jay noticed Eric watching her closely, his eyes never leaving her. Apparently, there were more secrets here than he had expected.
Blinker began a dull speech about duty and higher values, until Eric finally lost patience, stepped forward, and took over. Once again, he introduced Jay as the new commander, mentioned a few other newcomers, and then clearly outlined the basic structure of their work.
"We operate in two teams, five people in each. Team leaders rotate as needed, so everyone gets used to working with every member. After the briefing, we'll continue in the operations room, where I'll go into more detail and we'll properly get acquainted.
Each team includes a Spanish-speaking operative. We also have two translators — Paco and Enrico. They assist here or accompany us on surveillance and observation.
Then there's the supply unit. Their work determines what we fight with, what you eat, and what you wear. You already know the food crew and their boss, Jack. The maintenance staff help with cleaning and cooking. They'll tidy up your quarters periodically, but they have strict orders — your personal mess is your responsibility. They're not allowed to touch it. This isn't civilian life, and this isn't a cleaning service.
And finally, the medical unit. Two medics accompany us on every operation as a support team. Some details will be explained by the head of the medical station herself."
Eric gestured toward the doorway, and Catherine stepped forward. Jay's eyes widened in surprise.
"Well then, rookies and veterans," she began. "I repeat the same thing over and over, but apparently you've all got cotton in your ears, since you keep showing up with the same problems. As Madsen said, two medics always accompany you. First-aid classes are held once a month, every Wednesday. Sometimes we can't reach you in time, and if anyone thinks they know it all and skips the class, they'll be attending five times a week."
She scanned the room.
"Don't drink tap water. Those who did remember how that ended, right, Carter?"
One of the soldiers frowned and lowered his gaze. Catherine reminded Jay of Trudy Platt — she kept everyone in line, but they all respected her.
"And one more thing. Out in the field, always stay alert. We try to bring back the wounded whenever possible, no matter which side they're on. Cartels often use kids as runners or lookouts. We hand them over to city hospitals and to the authorities we cooperate with.
For us, it's more complicated. The nearest hospital capable of providing proper care is in the regional headquarters, and transporting a wounded person there takes time. Here we have the essentials, but there's no point in trying to build a full-scale hospital in a place like this. So be careful. Take care of yourselves."
She paused, then added dryly:
"And for dessert — the topic of sex. Sergeant Blinker. If you hide the condom dispenser again before the next inspection, I'll chain it to the wall in your office. If the inspectors have questions, send them to me. Trust me — I'll make an impression.
Your problems are my problems. Information about your health goes no further than me. All records are encrypted. So have your fun — but keep your heads clear. Everyone understand? I'm always here, except on volunteer days. If I'm not, Dan or Lily will cover for me. New arrivals, stop by the medical station this evening to fill out some paperwork. That's all."
"Alright," Eric said. "Operational teams, head to the operations room. The rest of you, report to your team leaders or your assignments."
The room came alive with movement, including a flushed-looking Blinker. Catherine headed for the exit.
"'A real bitch,' huh?" Jay stopped her with a faint smile.
"Yeah. Stay here long enough and you'll see for yourself. Come by this evening — before the Friday fun starts."
Jay found Eric with his eyes and followed him. What he saw in the operations room left a strong impression.
Almost all the resources he'd worked with in Chicago were there — satellite communications, radios, computers, printers, even a familiar investigation board covered with notes and connections. But unlike Chicago, the cartel schemes looked like enormous spiders. It was up to Jay and the others to figure out how everything in that web was connected.
With only a short break for lunch, Eric, Ray, and the rest of the team spent the entire afternoon explaining how things worked here and going over the details of the upcoming mission.
Jay's squad consisted of Orlando Castillo, the sapper; Michael Dobbs, the sniper; and operatives Kyle Robson and Lewis Dallas. Eric oversaw both squads, the second one including Ray Green, Henry Lee, Roy McClain, Omar Khaled, and Scott Jenkins.
By the end of the day, there was so much information that Jay stopped absorbing it and had to keep asking for things to be repeated. Noticing this, Eric clapped him on the shoulder and told everyone to call it a day. Tomorrow they had a short outing and surveillance — basically light work — so most of them headed to Coyote to relax.
Jay decided to take a walk to clear his head and call Hailey. After such a long, exhausting day, he wasn't in the mood to talk, but that didn't suit her, so the conversation turned out short and dry. He wasn't angry at her — she had every right to be upset and demand answers — but he couldn't give them.
After another quiet walk around the camp with the flashlight Eric had given him, Jay returned to Coyote. It was as noisy as Molly's on a good night — beer flowing, laughter everywhere. At a table in the back, he spotted Catherine with some paperwork and Eric.
Damn, I forgot to stop by and fill out the form, Jay thought, heading toward them.
"Well, Halstead, starting off with penalty points isn't a great habit," Catherine said.
"Kat, that's on me. I held him up," Eric cut in.
"Oh, hush. Look who's playing defense. You deal with your own fines first. Alright, here are the papers. You need to list who I should call if something happens to your ass. Ideally two or three contacts. Everything's explained here. And I really hope I never have to meet any of them. First-aid training's on Wednesday — I'll be waiting for you."
Jay tucked the forms away, realizing it wouldn't be so easy to fill them out right now. It used to be Will's name on every emergency contact line. Now he wasn't sure he wanted his brother to be the first one called. He decided to deal with it later.
Jack approached their table with a tray, setting down food for them. The guys got beers, and Catherine received a glass of passion fruit juice.
"You old fox, you always know how to win me over," she laughed. "Alright, what's the price?"
"A guitar and a song. People love you here. Otherwise Roy will scare everyone within a thirty-kilometer radius with his howling. Just a couple songs."
"Fine. A couple songs, then I'm out. Big day tomorrow."
Catherine jumped up from her chair and headed toward the improvised stage. Coyote erupted in whistles and cheers as she started singing in an unfamiliar language.
"Polish?" Jay asked curiously.
"Nope. Czech or Russian. I can't always tell," Eric shouted back over the noise.
"How many languages does she speak?"
"Like she'd ever admit it." Eric raised his bottle. "To your arrival, Halstead. Cheers."
"Cheers."
And to the sound of guitar, beer, singing, and cheerful chaos, another day came to an end.
The next morning, Jay knocked on the half-open door of Catherine's office and felt as if he had stepped into another jungle. The room was filled with houseplants and orchids, leaves and blossoms covering nearly every surface.
Noticing his surprise, she said, "Everyone's got their passion. You've got your guns. I've got my plants."
"I didn't say anything."
"Your eyebrows speak volumes. It's actually pretty funny. Did you bring them?"
Jay handed her the forms. Catherine barely glanced at them before locking them in a safe. On top of it stood a photograph — her with a man and a little boy, maybe four years old. They all looked happy. There was no ring on her finger, though.
Jay suddenly had more questions than answers and quickly looked away, but the damage was done.
"Everyone's got their own reason for shock therapy in Bolivia," she said, catching his glance. "They're gone." She nodded toward the photo. "Drunk driver. That's why I don't drink."
Jay froze at her words.
"I figure you've got your own reasons too. Married, but your wife isn't the first contact… unless you're married to Voight."
Jay blinked, caught off guard.
"No, I'm not gay. And… yeah, there is a reason." He hesitated. "I'm sorry."
"Me too. And I didn't tell you that story so you'd run around asking everyone what's wrong with me. I'm not looking for pity. That's why I clashed with Dan the other day. Honestly, I don't care much about myself anymore. But today I'm heading to the municipal hospital to treat kids and give vaccinations. That helps me find some meaning in all this. You boys just try not to get yourselves killed out there."
Catherine stood, and the two of them left the office. A few minutes later, the teams split up between the vehicles and headed out on their separate assignments.