Like I've said before, I'm not much of a case writer, so I hope the stuff below makes sense. If it doesn't, let me know and I'll try and fix it. When you get to the end, please don't freak out on me. I promise I'll make it better. And leave me a review. I need those in my life. I hope you enjoy.
I haven't had a disclaimer: Not mine, unfortunately.
The team met in the hotel's lobby at a quarter after eight. Tony was the last to arrive, and kept his head down to avoid any eye contact, especially from Ziva. He half listened as Gibbs pointed at the printed maps in front of him; giving instructions for the op. Gibbs finished his speech and dismissed them, but stopped DiNozzo by grabbing his arm. "I don't need you if you're not going to be focused, Tony. It's too dangerous. Do I need to take you off of this case and send you home?"
Tony shook his head firmly, "No, boss. I'm fine."
"If I can't count on my senior field agent…"
"I'm fine, Gibbs." Tony had to look away from the blue eyes for a second, but then met them again, "But when we get home, I need to talk to you." He swallowed the lump in his throat, "It's important."
Gibbs gave him the stare for a few seconds before walking out of the hotel and to the back of the car, where Tim and Ziva were putting in their earwigs. Soon after, all four agents and Special Agent Villa were in the two sedans heading for the warehouses.
The six abandoned warehouses were huge metal buildings, Tony guessed they used to be some sort of factory, all in a row. They were deep in the woods, and rightfully so since this is the place where several people had died. Tony winced at the thought, but shook it off as they got out of the car.
It wasn't ten minutes after they arrived before Gibbs and Ziva were inside the first one, and Tony and McGee were clearing the one on the far end, dubbed warehouse six. As soon as McGee rounded the entire thing and said clear through the wig, the two of them started towards number five.
Tony and McGee stopped at the door to number five, both agents breathing hard with sweat pouring down their faces. "Boss, W6 is clear, moving on to W5." Tony whispered.
He was just about to have McGee open the door when the whispering el jefe came back over the wig, "Wait, DiNozzo. We've got to stay on pace. Wait for my clear."
"On standby." Tony said, and then turned to the junior agent, "Why is it so damn hot?"
McGee wiped the sweat off of his forehead, "Maybe they do it to keep people out?" He whispered back.
Tony took a deep, shaky breath and wiped off his forehead again. They heard Gibbs' clear in their wigs and Tony nodded to McGee to open the door. Another 10 minutes and W2 and W5 were clear.
After clearing the final two, the agents met by the two cars with nothing from the warehouse but a new found love for air conditioners. Tony quickly unzipped his NCIS jacket and ripped it off of his shoulders, the bullet proof vest followed it. "I'm sweating in places I didn't know could sweat."
Gibbs and McGee both unzipped their jackets, and the three men panted heavily, sweat pouring off of their face and neck. All three of them looked at her, and McGee was first to voice what they all were thinking, "How are you not sweating, David?"
She shrugged a shoulder and continued looking around, her eyes squinted as she studied the area.
McGee stopped trying to figure Ziva out and shook his head, wiping his forehead free from sweat again. "They knew we were coming, boss."
"Do ya think, McGee?"
McGee let his mouth open and close a couple of times like a fish, but Ziva's voice was heard instead, "Gibbs, there is another building." She started in a light jog towards the building and Gibbs quickly followed.
Tony watched as the two of them went inside the almost completely secluded building and leaned against the car, taking long, deep breaths, letting the cool Seattle air hit his skin. He closed his eyes and blocked the conversation between Villa and McGee.
He let out another deep sigh and stood to his full form, turning to look at the building Ziva and Gibbs went into. McGee and Villa stopped talking to each other when Tony interrupted, "Must be a pretty big building. It's taking them a while." He stuck his earwig into his ear, "Gibbs, everything okay?"
Instead of hearing a reply, several gunshots were heard and the next sound was a body hitting the ground. McGee ducked behind the car as several more shots were heard. Gibbs voice was now heard in the earwig in McGee's ear, but McGee cut him off, screaming back at the boss, "Agent down! Gunshots coming from the east! Three or four shooters!"
Gibbs and Ziva took cover behind the door and began shooting towards the east. McGee crawled over to the injured agent and dragged him back to the other side of the car, putting pressure on his wounds with both hands and pressing hard.
He ducked down low when it sounded like shots got closer to him, but continued to press down on the two gunshot wounds in his senior field agent's chest. Pulling his iPhone out of his pocket, he screamed at it to dial 911. After he hung up, he snatched his jacket off and pressed it onto the bleeding areas as well.
Tony's breaths were shallow and he was grunting with pain as the shooting went on behind them. He reached up and grabbed McGee around the neck and pulled him down so that he could hear, "Tim, I need you to do something for me."
McGee shook his head, "No Tony, do it yourself. You're not dying today."
Tony grunted again as pain shot through every inch of his body, "I need you to step up and take my place." He coughed a couple of times, "Take care of Abby and Ducky. Have Gibbs' back at all times, and you promise me that you'll watch after Ziva." McGee ducked down again from the firefight behind him and looked Tony right in the eyes, "If she gets married make sure he's good to her. She doesn't deserve anything else, you got it?"
McGee shook his head again, "Tony shut up! You're not dying, do you hear me?"
Tony swallowed, "Tell Ziva…" He had to catch his breath again, something that seemed incredibly hard at the current moment, "Tell Ziva I'm sorry." He let go of Tim's neck and patted him on the cheek, "Tell her, okay?"
McGee looked down at Tony and shook his head, "Tony, damn it you stay awake!" He shook his shoulder and returned his hand to try and stop the bleeding, "Stay awake! Keep talking to me!"
Tony let out a deep breath and couldn't stop his eyes from closing.
McGee shook him as much as he could without moving his hands.
Time was running out.