"Command, we got him," Ryan reported through the radio as Jake and Ethan lifted the pilot off the ground, one on each side.
"Copy that, return back to base when able, Command out," Adrian replied.
The pilot tried to resist for a second.
It didn't last.
His injured leg gave out the moment they shifted him, forcing him to lean into their hold. A sharp breath escaped him, but he didn't speak. His eyes moved instead, scanning fast, taking in the uniforms, the weapons, the helicopter behind them.
Cole stepped in and grabbed the pilot's harness, checking for anything else.
"Clear," he said. "No secondary weapon."
Ryan nodded once, then crouched slightly in front of the pilot.
"Listen," he said, voice even. "You're not dead. Don't make that harder for yourself."
The pilot didn't answer.
His jaw tightened, but he held Ryan's gaze.
"Move," he ordered.
