A/N—It's been far too long since I've last written a piece. So what better way to celebrate The Hiatus than to write my longest story yet? This is, more-or-less, a reflection on Season 9 and the developments that it brought. This piece is inspired by and laid-out around the idea of a caterpillar's transformation into a butterfly, so I hope you guys like the concept. As I said in the description, this is a planned three-parter, so expect the entire story to be posted over the next few days. Enjoy :)
The sky above was a vibrant blue, no clouds obscuring it. A blank canvas. To the families in the park, it promised a day of uninterrupted play. To Tony, the crowds just made him nervous. The more people present, the higher the possibility of collateral damage.
His eyes and the eyes of his teammates raked from person to person, searching for the one they came here for.
"Got 'im!" Tony announced. He spotted their suspect walking through a grassy area on the perimeter of the park, close, but still safely away from civilians. Fortunately, he didn't see them and continued his circuit, his eyes focused on the park.
"I don't wanna cause a panic and spook him. Let's circle around, try and come up behind him," Gibbs dictated, noting the trees that stood near the suspect. Tony discretely drew his weapon and followed his team in a circuitous route around to the trees, all-the-while keeping his eyes on both the suspect and the people moving about.
As they entered the small wooded area, they slowed their walking to quiet their steps, the snapping twigs and rustling leaves announcing their presence. Through the trees, Tony saw the suspect's back toward them, walking at a slow, almost leisurely pace.
Drawing almost parallel with him, the team stepped out, guns leveled on his back.
"NCIS! Lie down on the ground!" Gibbs ordered. The man stopped his walk and simply stood there, his eyes focused on some point in the distance. "I said lie down! Hands on your head!" he repeated.
At that point, Tony heard someone scream, his attention diverting back to the people in the park. A number of them were looking in their direction, some pointing, others running from the area.
Suddenly, the deafening sound of guns going off reverberated through him. His head whipping around, he stood for a second, confused as to what just happened. The suspect fell to the ground, a gun by his side. Tony looked numbly at his own weapon, now hanging by his side.
His gun dropped from his hand, his fingers feebly moving up his torso to probe at the ragged hole that wasn't there just a moment before.
Surprised, he thought, Huh. That's a lot of red.
The world upended itself, the trees flew past, the shock of the blue sky filled his field of vision.
He vaguely remembered someone screaming his name as he fell into darkness.
A/N—Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment, criticize, or review. As I noted, this is a three-parter, so expect to see the next chapter tomorrow. Until then, happy reading!
