A/N: Once again, thank you for all the kind reviews and I hope you enjoy this next chapter... I had meant to put it out earlier, but I got distracted playing Modern Warfare 2 xD
Pushing himself up and out of the chair, Gibbs turned to Sheriff Boyd and helped him do the same. Covertly, Tony stood within reaching distance of both men, ready to catch one of them should their injuries cause problems. "You need to get to the clearing now," Gibbs was looking Boyd in the eye as the man steadied himself on one leg, but he was speaking to Risi as well. The artist nodded in agreement, her dark brown hair shimmering slightly in the sunlight, and then slid under Boyd's right arm, glad that it had not been one of the taller NCIS agents that needed urgent medical attention.
After making sure they were following his orders, Gibbs turned back to DiNozzo – who he had sensed hovering next to him while he stood – only to find the younger agent already hunkering down in the middle of a group of boulders about fifteen metres from the cabin. Gibbs felt a swell of pride as he realised Tony – his agent and the closest thing he had to a son – had chosen the ideal spot to launch a counter-offensive. Thoughtfully, Tony had unfurled Gibbs' bedroll and laid it on the ground as protection for his knees – but mostly for Gibbs'. As Tony turned to watch Gibbs crouch awkwardly, Gibbs asked, "Getting old, DiNozzo?"
"Nah. Just don't want to ruin these pants," Tony replied, grinning as if this were the best experience he had ever had. Gibbs rolled his eyes in mock exasperation before clamping down on his emotions and returning to his usual, unreadable expression. He unzipped and then reached into the deep right pocket of his navy waistcoat, producing (much to Tony's relief and amazement) his service pistol and handed it to his senior field agent. "And here I was, thinking I was going to have to throw rocks at them," Tony muttered, his playful grin making Gibbs' fingers itch to slap the back of Tony's head.
They knew the men employed by the mining company to take out any and all opposition to their mine were searching through the scrub and getting closer to the small wooden hut by the minute – soon they would be able to see the chimney – but getting the civilians out of the way was the first priority for the agents. Gibbs knelt calmly on the thin bedroll, the adrenaline coursing through his veins veiling the pain in his legs, repeatedly and systematically checking the rifle. As he did so, Tony nervously kept watch, Gibbs' pistol loaded and ready to fire. As DiNozzo swept the area again, Gibbs chuckled. "We'll hear them long before they're within range, DiNozzo," reasoned Gibbs as he cast a cursory glance over the SIG P229 gripped loosely in Tony's right hand. Although Gibbs knew it was in perfect working order and fully loaded, he felt the compulsive need to check and double check it.
Meanwhile, Risi and the sheriff shuffled away – as ordered by Gibbs – arms wrapped round each other's shoulders toward the clearing where their rescue would land. The bandage Tony had wound tight around the bleeding injury was doing its job, if not a little too well: his leg was starting to go numb because of cut off circulation. At least it meant that the pain was lessened slightly, although each step was still agonizing. It did not matter: in twenty excruciating steps, they would be at the landing zone for the helicopter and when it arrived he could take the weight off his leg for as long as he wanted. He would not have to wait long.
As Gibbs began what seemed to Tony to be his hundredth weapons check, raised voices nearby caught his attention and he dropped to his knees like a stone. The men Sunset MiningCorporation had sent after them were obviously expecting Gibbs and the others to be dead: they certainly were not being quiet as they approached the cabin in plain sight. There were only six of them, each armed to the teeth and with enough technology between the six of them to last McGee a lifetime. The man in front – a tall, thick-set man with a couple of days' stubble peppering his face – was obviously the leader of their little gang as he was quick to delegate tasks. Tony rolled his eyes.
These guys are really stupid! There's no way Head Honcho is going to let these guys live once the job is done: that would mean splitting the payment.
So confident were they of not being overheard that they almost shouted to one another. "Joey brought grenades, just blow the whole lot, idiot! Then let it burn!" Shaking his head at Tony's slightly incredulous, boyish grin, the Marine sniper was tempted to take out each of them from where he crouched behind a rock, one by one, but he knew that would be suicide – there was no way he and Tony could easily out-shoot a team of six, not with a single-shot rifle and a pistol (Risi's shotgun would be pretty much useless at this range, and they really did not have time to spend reloading and ejecting spent shotgun shells).
"Stay out of sight, DiNozzo," Gibbs whispered, deciding to play it safe. "There's enough distance between us and the cabin that we won't get caught in the blast if we lie down." Tony nodded, willing to let Gibbs take charge of a situation he had probably experienced before. As Gibbs peered round the edge of his rock, he watched the men level M4 Carbines at the cabin. The two agents were stuck between them, unwilling to reveal their position just yet, as an explosion of noise erupted from the muzzles of the weapons, spraying Dina's small wooden hut with scorching metal and ripping holes in the wood panels. Several shots went way off target, though, smashing into the NCIS agents' shelter, scattering shards of rock and covering them in a fine dust. As one particularly wayward bullet tore into the ground mere inches from his feet, Tony cast a worried glance at Gibbs, their silent communication working overtime.
If we stay here much longer, there won't be much for us to hide behind.
Another shot crashed into the rock Gibbs hid behind, tearing away a large chunk and almost revealing the Marine to the other men – a quick glance at Tony showed that the younger agent was in a similar position. They nodded to each other, knowing instantly what was going to happen next. The lull in the lead onslaught came to a sudden halt sooner than they had expected but both agents sprang to their feet, subconsciously taking in the fact that their assailants were not reloading but instead pulling the pins from several grenades, not just one. "Shit! Run, DiNozzo!" Gibbs yelled, already pushing DiNozzo forward, propelling him away from the cabin. They both ran as fast as they could away from the six men, praying they would not be spotted but knowing it was an unlikely scenario.
Tony was quicker than Gibbs and as soon as he reached the next boulder he provided covering fire for his boss, only breaking off to allow Gibbs time to drop painfully to his knees beside him. However, the unnerving silence that followed had both Gibbs and DiNozzo peeking over the rock, revealing to them the reason why there had been no return of fire. Ten feet ahead of them, three grenades rolled gently to a halt. Impulsively, Gibbs reached for the back of Tony's jacket and pulled him down, covering Tony with his own body. He pressed a hand against the back of his head even as he shouted, "Down!" and a wave of dry heat whooshed over the two agents.
When the dust had settled, Gibbs sat back against the rock – ears ringing – while Tony popped his head cautiously up from behind their shelter, immediately dropping back down as bullets whizzed past his ear, pinging off other rocks and burrowing into the ground. As the ringing faded away, both agents became aware of the deafening thud-thud of helicopter rotor blades overhead.
The hail of bullets stopped again and Gibbs peeked warily over the top, ducking back instantly as yet another round tore into the rock they hid behind. It was starting to look like they were pinned down. Gibbs glanced towards the landing zone, watching as Boyd and Risi were buffeted by the powerful downwash even though they stood out from under it. Looking over at Tony, Gibbs yelled, "DiNozzo, as soon as they're on the bird, you join them, got it?" Before answering, Tony pushed up and squeezed a couple of shots off into the bushes then bobbed back down as more hot metal slammed into the rock inches from his face. "No, boss! We'll both go at the same time, that way you'll have enough cover to get out." Angrily, Gibbs shook his head, his fierce blue eyes drilling holes into DiNozzo, before popping up as well (not wanting to be outdone by one of his agents), steadying his aim and loosing a single round. There was a shrill yelp as his target flopped back into the dust, blood spurting from his chest.
Crouching behind the boulder once more, Gibbs looked back towards the pair making a slow shuffle to the waiting bird and watched with relief as they both clambered into it. The two agents ducked as automatic weapons fire bounced off the body of the helicopter. Waving frantically at the pilot, Gibbs motioned for them to take off. "This is not a debate, DiNozzo! Move your ass before I do it for you!" Suddenly, the Marine swung round and faced Tony, raising the rifle. With Gibbs levelling the rifle in his direction, Tony was fleetingly afraid the Marine would shoot him then, as the round thudded into another target's chest, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Two down, four to go.
Gibbs, however, was still glaring sharply at him. "Go!"
"Boss, with your injuries you'll never—"
Gibbs thrust the rifle at Tony, loudly clearing the weapon he had just relinquished from the fallen man's grip. Gibbs' face was set – in determination, anger or pain, Tony could not tell – and DiNozzo knew there would be no further discussion. "Now, DiNozzo, or that early retirement won't be an option!" The Marine growled between bursts of automatic gunfire. Tony nodded, slinging the less-accurate and slow-loading rifle over his shoulder before reaching for Gibbs' service pistol again.
Hesitantly, searching Gibbs' face for any clue as to what the man was thinking, Tony jumped up and fired six more shots, his random shooting rewarding him with only one cry of pain and then angry shouts from the other attackers. Without looking to see whether there was anyone nearby, Tony started sprinting to the place where the chopper had previously been. It was now hovering seventy feet above them with a ladder dangled from its side. He heard Gibbs fire another couple of well-aimed shots but could not tell if they found their target as he was now in the helicopter's downwash. Sweating, adrenaline coursing through his veins, brain working in overdrive, Tony reached for the rope ladder and automatically began climbing. About half way, he glanced down at where Gibbs had been. A few errant shots slammed into the fuselage above his head, and showered Tony with sparks. He could not tell if they were aiming for him or the agents' ride out of there.
Just as well Gibbs didn't take Probie with him...
A/N: As always, reviews are appreciated, especially those with constructive criticism! Although 'I love this' kind of reviews are pretty encouraging too.