Siren Call
Written for the Live Journal NCIS Big Bang 2016 (under demons_lie)
Pairings: None. Tony & McGee friendship, Gibbs & McGee friendship.
Characters: McGee, Tony, Gibbs, OCs, and a special guest.
Genre: Gen. Supernatural/Mystery/Angst/Horror
Rating: Teen/FR15/PG-13 for violence and supernatural themes
Approximate word count: 22,700
Any warnings or spoilers: Temporary character death, sorta. No spoilers. AR/AU, Season 9-ish.
Summary: A series of mysterious disappearances aboard a Navy research ship sends three members of the MCRT into the heart of the Bermuda Triangle. While the team struggles to solve the case, McGee reunites with some old friends and finds an unlikely ally. Sequel to Whirlwind, but not necessary to read that first (unless you want to ;) ).
Special thanks to thecookiemomma (sunsaralyn) for both the art and beta-ing, and to PhoenixRising (phoenixrising01) for beta-ing as well.
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters are the property of their respective copyright holders. No infringement intended. The original characters and places mentioned are the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to those living, dead, or undead is completely coincidental.
Prologue
The setting sun slipped below the horizon as a lone figure made his way out onto the deck of the gently swaying vessel. One hand steadied him against the railing and he navigated the path from the bridge to the stern, pausing to tighten his grip when the ship hit a sizable wave. Thankfully they were few and far between and finally he reached the end the deck that overlooked the ship's wake.
Lt. Commander Caleb Seegar took a deep breath and let it out slowly, enjoying the taste of the salt air and feeling of freedom after spending far too much time below deck over the past few days. Not that he was unused to being below deck: he had spent a good portion of his life on ships and at sea. First as a child, accompanying his father and grandfather on day trips about the family sailboat, then as a teenager at the helm of his own small vessel, and finally as a member of the Navy, where he spent months at a time working on every type of ship, from massive aircraft carriers and destroyers to small auxiliary and support vessels.
His current position, second in command of a small blue-water research ship, was a pleasant change of pace, despite some problems he had encountered for the first time on this particular voyage. The Atlantic Basin was never a pleasant place to be during hurricane season, and thankfully the storms this year had been few, but when they did hit…
Another wave jolted the ship, causing him to tighten his grip on the railing. His stomach twinged uncomfortably and he winced, imagining the hell he'd catch from his grandfather if he could see him now, a fifth generation Navy officer clinging to the side of a ship like some green-gilled nub. He relaxed his grip and stood up straighter, using the view of the eastern horizon to regain his equilibrium. He waited in silence as the first stars of the evening began to make their appearance, something he had always looked forward to after a storm.
Noticing a strange sort of fog starting to roll out over the water from the south he frowned. Were they headed for more rough weather? He hadn't seen any notices before leaving the bridge but if they were then he'd better prepare. He didn't think he's survive another bout of nausea such as he'd experienced with the last storm. He scanned the skies but saw no sign of storm clouds on the horizon. As he returned his attention to the thin fog he noticed something very odd - the curls of mist were giving off a faint, greenish glow. He decided it has to be some trick of the light and he shook his head to clear his vision. The illusion persisted.
Weird…
He continued to watch the slowly swirling mist spread over the eastern horizon, pondering the sometimes inexplicable things he had seen on his voyages. This was probably just another one of those quirks of nature one often experienced while at sea, particularly in this particular stretch of ocean...if one believed the legends.
Lt. Commander Seegar was not, by nature, a superstitious man. He scoffed at the idea of unnatural occurrences, no matter where his ship might be. He decided it must be a lack of sleep affecting his vision and started to head back to midships and down to his quarters below deck. He was turning away from the stern when something caught his eye and he turned back. His eyes widened as he took in the image, barely discernible in the distance, its edges blurred by the fog.
He blinked and shook his head, but it was still there - the ghostly silhouette of a sailing vessel, its tall masts and square sails reminiscent of the ships that had traveled these waters hundreds of years ago. As he watched the ship slipped into a thicker area of the fog and seemed to vanish before his eyes.
Seegar blinked and shook his head again before he tried to find where the ship-if it was even really there-could have gone but there was no sign of its presence. Deciding that he really must need sleep, he once again started towards his rack but something else drew his attention, something almost as incomprehensible as the seemingly vanished ship.
Is that...singing?
He stopped to listen as the soft, lilting melody-so oddly out of place on a Navy ship-drifted across the expanse of the deck. He tried to determine its source, to determine who could be playing such an uncharacteristic tune as he was drawn back towards the stern. It almost sounded as if it was coming from the ocean itself.
Impossible…
He scanned the expanse of ocean surrounding the ship. Was another ship close by, hidden by the fog? Could it be from the ship he had glimpsed, perhaps some sort of fancy excursion on a historic replica?
He reached the rail, gripping it tightly as he leaned forward in his attempt to follow the sounds. He strained against the metal bar, listening intently as the music washed over him. He started to relax and his grip loosened around the railing. A warning bell started to sound in his brain just as the ship hit another wave, jarring him loose from his precarious perch. Too surprised to act, he tumbled over the railing, slamming his head against the side of the ship before the force of gravity pulled him down into the inky depths below.
He hadn't even had a chance to scream.
TBC...