"I'll do it," Ant declared sombrely, his brilliant eyes glittering in the shimmer of flickering ceiling lights.

"I had first dibs on that," Sonny drawled from the couch where he reclined, cap tipped forward concealing his dozy slumber so that only nostrils and the bearded lower half of his face could be seen.

"He's British, it's only honourable," the soft lines of Ant's mouth curled into a smirk, the only moment of lightness he'd felt for a long time. Realising that in itself turfed Ant's mind into the familiar whirlpool of occupational hazards; how could this bring you joy?

"As long as I get to watch," Jase scratched the back of his head sleepily, desperate for some decent rest other than the insufficient twenty minute cat naps he was having whenever he could. He hated to admit it to himself, but he was actually looking forward to the next task at hand. Yes, it took the focus off some of the more unpleasant jobs that came later, but mostly he was just excited to watch the life drain out of a fellow man.

Ant had seen Rob and the rest of his team off only twenty minutes ago, the gravity of their departure and what it said about the precariousness of Paige's situation still very much raw. Still, at least a line of communication was now open with Jase. It made him feel slightly more at ease, but learning about the CIA's involvement caused him to wonder if there was any way out of this rabbit hole now they'd been thrust down it.

"Let's get it done," Ant heaved his body upright from where he'd been leaning against the table. He felt heavy, wearied and exhausted. He had some energy reserves left for the next endeavour though, he was sure of that.

The three men walked out into the settling dusk, across the courtyard and straight to the furthest door of the cell block. Jase rapped once on the door, waiting impatiently for Ryan, the youngest member of his team, to unbolt the entrance and let them in. Jase nodded in appreciation as the metal door swung open, and dismissed his comrade.

With the door secured behind them, Ant assessed the surroundings, eyeing the now frail man perching his body weight on the upturned leg of a metal chair. He mentally gave the youngest of the Americans a nod of professional appreciation, the method of sleep deprivation was a nice touch. One wobbled movement after closing the eyes would result in a chair leg up the prisoner's rectum.

"Strip him," Ant ordered. Though Jase, and therefore Sonny by default had superiority at the site now Ant had been issued the notice to stand down, in this room al-Raheem had to see Ant as the supreme authority. Sonny stripped al-Raheem of the filth covered clothes he was wearing, leaving him a quivering pile of naked flesh on the concrete.

Al-Raheem made a rasping noise, as though he wanted to say something but he couldn't formulate the words. Jase couldn't escape the parallels between what he'd seen on the video link of Paige all that time ago. He'd been doing the same thing to another person; inflicting the same injuries, instilling the same fear. Did that make him as bad as someone like al-Raheem?

"You know the Sukhanova Swallow position?" Ant lifted his chin to Sonny. The Southerner scoffed in delight.

"You betcha."

Sonny and Jase worked together to restrain Bazish al-Raheem in a long sheet, placing the centre point between his lips like a horse's bridle, forcing his mouth open. They wound it down his back, compelling him into a half-squat position, and tied the sheet underneath his feet. The front of his torso jutted out unnaturally, his knees forced into bending whilst his head was kept upright by tension of the fabric running between his jaw and down his spine. Al-Raheem gave a heavy muffled groan, trying hard in his suspended state to keep still.

Ant paced towards al-Raheem, locking his eyes into his prisoner's. He looked a far cry from his appearance in the video calls so long ago, Ant noted. But then, so did Paige. Al-Raheem's pallid chestnut skin shone with sweat, the whites of his eyes were near yellow and framed by sockets purple with exhaustion. Ant crouched down before him so their faces were level, al-Raheem staring back with wild abandon.

"I want you to know," Ant spoke softly, raising his hand to push limp strands of sodden hairs off al-Raheem's forehead. "I'm going to kill you in a moment." Ant could hardly believe how much he enjoyed saying the words out loud. "I'm not telling you this to try to extract any information, it's not a threat. I just... wanted you to know."

Al-Raheem grunted unintelligible words through his gag, wincing as the tension tightened throughout the length of his body.

"Can we just take this out of his mouth for a moment, I want to ask him a question," Ant glanced up to Jase and Sonny from his squatted position. Sonny removed the fabric from between al-Raheem's teeth and forced the pressure of his restrained body down to his chin instead. As soon as his mouth was uncovered he spat at Ant, who didn't even bother to move and avoid the aim. Ant smiled gently.

"There's no moisture in your mouth, Bazish. Have they not been keeping you hydrated?" Ant looked up to Sonny and Jase once again. "Don't worry, I'll give you something to drink in a bit." Ant shifted his weight slightly and wiped a tiny froth of saliva from al-Raheem's beard with his thumb. "So- how would you like to die?"

Al-Raheem was silent aside from wheezing breaths, his teeth gritted together in discomfort.

"You don't have any preference? Hmm? It has to be quick, see, I don't have a lot of time to play with. It's... regrettable, you know if I had longer- pfft- god we could really come up with some great ideas. Sky's the limit," Ant waved a hand dismissively. "But... unfortunately I am bound by the restraints of time. You're a little tied up yourself, too. We'll get you out of that once you decide." Ant stepped back and sat in a chair, waiting patiently for al-Raheem to attempt to speak. The prisoner rasped in response, and Ant placed a cupped hand to his ear.

"Sorry, didn't catch that. Do you want me to shoot you?" Ant gazed at al-Raheem nurturingly. "Yes? Would that be best? Nod if that's what you want."

Al-Raheem nodded laboriously, the motion seizing every muscle from his neck to his feet.

"Mmm," Ant nodded slowly with a thoughtful mouth. "Oh!" He cried suddenly, patting his hands down his thighs. "I didn't bring a gun! Do either of you have one? No? Well fuck! What are we going to do now Bazish?" Ant crouched in front of his prisoner again, pouring deep false regret into his eyes. "What are we going to do?" He murmured. "I know! You needed a drink of water, didn't you? You guys should really take better care of your prisoners," Ant admonished, focusing on Sonny as he pulled a hose across the ground. It was attached to the large water tank at the very far corner of the room, only a vague shape in the dim lighting.

"Do we have a cup? No?" Ant pretended to look around for the non existent cup, and picked up the end of the hose slung to the concrete in front of him. "Are you thirsty?"

Al-Raheem shook his head as much as he dared to in his current restraints. Ant took his chin and prized his mouth apart, al-Raheem not bothering to fight back with a bite. He swiped his index finger to the inside of his prisoner's cheek and tongue, feeling the sandpaper texture.

"Dry as a bone, Bazish. You need some water."

"N-" al-Raheem began, shaking his head more vehemently and frowning deeply at the pain it caused. "No-"

"You do. Funnel please," Ant glanced up to Sonny, who threw a plastic funnel over and retreated to the water tank to control the flow. Ant flipped al-Raheem to his back, still trussed up in the violently awkward position. He rammed the long stemmed funnel down al-Raheem's throat, the prisoner gargling and rocking in protest.

"Shh, shh," Ant hushed. "Water please," he commanded; Sonny turned the tap on the water tank, striding back eagerly as the liquid snaked it's way through the hose. It began to pour out of the end, and as it did Ant aimed the stream at the funnel, watching it fill as al-Raheem spluttered. "Drink it now, you're thirsty. Besides, the only way to get rid of it is to drink it, it won't go anywhere else. This is how you will die, Bazish. Keep drinking it down, that's it," al-Raheem's Adam's apple worked furiously as he glugged down gulp after gulp of the endless onslaught of water. "You can't physically drink it all, it's impossible. You know in France they called this 'The Question'? As a form of torture you were put to 'The Question'- an ordinary question being one gallon of water, an extraordinary one being two gallons. See, you're starting to swell now." Al-Raheem's distended body puffed up alarmingly, his eyes bulging from their sockets, cheeks red and inflated with tumescence.

Ant enjoyed watching him suffer, there were no two ways about it. As grotesque as it was; the sight of his swelling body as he choked and struggled within his restraints, funnel stuck in his mouth like a giant beak, brought Ant a tremendous amount of satisfaction. Ant knew that probably meant he was far beyond redemption, even when he did give up this life. How did you give up the thirst for blood and pain?

Whatever al-Raheem gargled back up he was forced to immediately swallow until his yellowing eyes became pink and then red with burst blood vessels, his limbs growing in size as they bloated, abdomen swelling profusely until his naked flesh was mottled purple. Water streamed from every orifice of his body. Ant counted each second as it passed wordlessly, glancing up to the Americans. They were watching intently, Sonny held his chin in his hand, one finger pressed against his smirking mouth as he enjoyed the display. Jase stared vacantly with his arms crossed; not flinching, near unblinking, but devoid of emotion. His eyes were glassy yet focused on the dying man, who was now violently jerking as he reached his gruesome end.

Al-Raheem gave one final heave of his chest, his fingers twitching slightly as the nervous system caught up. It never ceased to amaze Ant that a man could become twice, nearly three times his own size in a matter of minutes. If they were water curing for torture, he'd have pumped the stomach by stamping on the belly to force liquid out. But he didn't feel invested enough to prolong al-Raheem's death, he'd rather it was done and out of the way.

Jase nudged the dead prisoner with his boot, rolling him to his side. He looked like a turkey, all plumped, basted and bound.

"Get someone in here to pump him, then take the photos yourself. Put him in tarp but don't bury him, they may want his body. Store it in the shack. Give me the photos as soon as they're done," Jase ordered Sonny in a low levelled voice, still gazing at the lifeless corpse. Sonny nodded and made his way out, clapping Ant on his shoulder the shoulder as he passed by way of congratulations. Congratulations on the grizzly murder. Well done for making him suffer.

"And Sonny-" Jase called as Sonny reached the door. "Get Matty to verify it ASAP; accidental drowning." Sonny gave another nod and exited the building, leaving the two leaders alone. "You need to go before my men get here. You could tell her he's dead," Jase tipped his chin towards the wall Paige lay behind.

"Do you want her to know that?" Ant asked, hating himself for wondering if it was better that Paige thought al-Raheem was spilling secrets.

"You know I don't actually care if she knows anything else? I don't care about this. If there's something my government want to cover up, that's their problem. I did my job, established what she knew, and I don't believe she's any harm to anybody. I will do what needs to be done to prevent her from being in a worse situation, that's all I can do for her now," Jase crossed his arms again and stared blankly at the wall separating Paige from them.

"I know," Ant nodded slowly.

"You need to mentally prepare her for what's coming," Jase recommended. He knew it was likely Paige would never be the same after this. Torture at the hands of a bad guy was one thing, but torture at the hands of people who were meant to protect and keep her safe, that was another thing entirely. Jase knew she would never look him in the eyes after what he had to do. He replayed the persona he'd have to assume again and again in his mind, knowing he would make himself sick to his core. But, if this was what it took to save her, he would do it.