An:/
Oh man has it been a while... and for that I apologise. Did not intend to keep you all waiting for this long but I have just been so busy so I havent had a chance to update.
I know I've said this several times but the end really is in sight now, so I thank all those who have read, review, alerted etc. I appreciate it. :)
Longest chapter yet, so I hope that makes up for the delay :| if not ah well :)
Little fore warning some minor swearing in this one...
Anyway please enjoy :)
Lottie.
Disclaimer; not mine..
Previously; Picking up his freshly loaded weapons the man slammed opened his door and began running toward the tree line, stalking his prey once again.
Nell entered Ops carrying two large mugs of what smelt like a fresh batch of coffee.
"Ah no beverages or food allowed in Ops Nell" Eric reminded swirling in his chair to trail Nell with his eyes.
"Well if Hetty expects us to keep working the way we are I think she will make an exception."
Nell smiled sweetly hoping she was right because if she wasn't then she would be the one enduring Hetty's wrath which was increasing with power after the days current events. Everyone was no longer masking their concern for Kensi and Deeks.
It have been hours since anyone had contacted them or seen them, all they had was their elevated heart rates to know they were alive. It was this that was causing everyone to become on edge, particularly after the report from Sam and Callen detailing the danger that Kensi and Deeks were facing.
Hetty had been in her office for almost an hour now, trying to call in several of her favours with partner agencies and contacts she had throughout the different levels of authority to help find her agents before they became seriously injured or worse.
What was frustrating Hetty the most was that this was all occurring on an NCIS training ground, yet they were still without contact, sufficient back up was being delayed and she was especially curious as to how such death traps and obscene objects go unnoticed by those who scout the area regularly looking for squatters hiding out in the forest. She was going to do some serious investigations into the manner in which caused these things to be overlooked.
Nell and Eric slurped at the coffee Nell had supplied, embracing the caffeine rush it brought with it.
"How's that satellite coming?" Nell asked leaning closer to Eric so she could read the computer screen.
"It isn't, having trouble getting permission to use it. Not even Hetty's ninja skills are working. They say it's in crucial use and that NCIS can handle their own training ground." Eric replied sounding agitated.
"I bet that didn't go down well with Hetty…" Nell commented widening her eyes and pursing her lips together.
"You got that right. Was not a conversation I enjoyed being caught between"
"Did Callen and Sam contact us?" Nell asked drinking again from her coffee.
"No they…." Eric started being interrupted again by the whirring of the computer.
"But they are now…" Eric said activating the call.
"Callen, you have been spending too much with Hetty." Eric commented, as Nell notified Hetty of the incoming transmission.
"What Eric?" Callen asked through the transmission not sounding very impressed.
"Never mind" Eric responded picking up on the frustrated voice of Callen.
"Sam and I are back in the dodger waiting for the backup. We would have been here sooner but we had some troubles, we had to stop for a while…"
"We picked up on that, what happened?" Nell asked before Eric had the chance.
"We think we encountered the guy behind this all. It was dark but we heard the cocking of a gun, but then nothing. We waited but nothing happened. Maybe something spooked the guy or he had a better idea either way, it just disappeared." Callen recounted sharing looks with Sam throughout the conversation.
"Where do you think the person was headed Mr Callen?" Hetty asked entering Ops.
"I'm not real sure Hetty, Sam and I discussed it, but something definitely caused him to change his mind, we were prepared for a gun fight but then there was nothing. We got out of there as soon as we could so we could contact Ops." Callen continued.
"You don't think Kensi and Deeks drew his attention?" Nell whispered quietly in Eric's ear. Eric sent Nell a nervous look and shrugged his shoulders, zoning back in on the continuing conversation between Hetty and Sam. The last thing he wanted to think about was the idea that this maniac was hunting Kensi and Deeks.
"Hetty, when is this back up supposed to be arriving?" Sam questioned.
"Mr Hanna I am afraid it will be a bit longer than expected. There have been some troubles getting the back up through the roads due to the storm. We need to be patient a while longer." Hetty replied trying to cover the irritation in her voice.
"Did you inform them that they need some heavy duty light equipment, simple torches will not be enough, it's far too dangerous." Sam asked.
"Yes, Mr Hanna all has been taken care of, I have been informed that the appropriate equipment has been provided it's just a matter of its arrival at this time."
"Hetty is there anything else we should know?" Callen asked once again sharing a look with Sam.
"Nothing that is useful no, the only sign of Kensi and Deeks is that they have increased heart rates but that could mean anything. Gentlemen be patient, the backup will be here soon and we will be able to retrieve our friends, but until then sit tight." Hetty informed.
"Will do Hetty, will contact you as soon as the backup arrives and we head back in. Let us know if you hear anything about Kensi and Deeks." And with that the conversation was over. Both sides of the communication line were now growing increasingly anxious.
Firing off a wayward shot the crazed individual ran through the flat field, faster than he should have been able to carry himself. Entering the forest in a different direction than originally intended, the man began to weave through the trees, following the internal map he had in place for himself.
He had guessed the man and woman's situation and it continued to look better for himself. They were both injured, he'd seen the way the woman had limped to the tree line and the way the man had carried his arm. They were wounded, scared and somewhat alone; much like his other victims had been, although a new variable was that they were armed. It would increase the challenge, but with the increasing fury the man was feeling, he was ready to brave anything.
"DEEKS!" Kensi called from up ahead sounding frantic and worried.
Deeks had been having an internal debate with himself since they had re-entered the forest, have Kensi behind himself, so that he could face any traps first or have Kensi in front so that there was less chance of her being gunned down by the maniac chasing him. And by the sound of the pleading in Kensi's voice he'd made the wrong decision.
"Kensi?" Deeks returned. Since hearing the second round of gun fire, Kensi and Deeks had been running hard through the forest, maintaining a pace that was only fuelled by the surge of adrenalin they were both feeling. Now exhausted from the efforts, Deeks tried to move as quickly as possible towards the sound of Kensi's voice.
Deeks cleared several bushes and found a sight that he never expected to see before, Kensi whimpering. She was sitting awkwardly on the ground, grasping at her injured leg that was now pouring out with even more blood than it had earlier. Deeks rushed to where Kensi sat, beginning to remove the medical supplies from his back pack as he did.
"Careful Deeks" Kensi warned indicating to the various shards of glass that were attached to the thick tree trunks.
"Is this what did that?" Deeks asked looking at the largest shard of glass that was now stained with blood, Kensi's blood.
Kensi nodded in reply, grinding her teeth together as Deeks began to peel back what was left of her torn and tattered jeans. Kensi whimpered again, trying to fight back the tears that were forming behind her eyes. You can't cry, Kensi thought to herself. You have been in worse situations than this,Kensi continued prompting herself, but when Deeks tentatively prodded the area, Kensi let slip how much it really hurt.
"Fuck Deeks!" There was no hiding it now, her leg fucking hurt.
"I'm sorry Kens" Deeks soothed removing the gauze from the original wound, creating a better view of the current injury.
"They are both going to need stitches; this new one is a lot deeper." Deeks informed trying to clear away the drying blood. Kensi bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes, nodding softly to Deeks.
"Now Kens, this is going to hurt a lot, but you can't be too loud okay…" Deeks started placing his hand soothingly on Kensi's shoulder, earning himself another slow nod from Kensi. Deeks looked at the vulnerable Kensi that sat before him and began to pour the anti-septic on the open wounds.
"Deeks" Kensi groaned through her teeth trying to remain as silent as possible.
"I know Kens" Deeks soothed concentrating on the wounded area, making his movements as soft as possible, to prevent himself from inflicting any more pain on Kensi.
"If we were in any other situation, hearing you say my name like that would be a real turn on..." Deeks joked, smiling brightly at Kensi, trying to lighten the mood and distract Kensi from the searing pain.
Kensi gave Deeks a knowing look, as if to say 'you didn't just say that'. Deeks noticed the look he was receiving and casually shrugged.
"Just saying..." Deeks commented, causing Kensi to roll her eyes.
Returning his concentration to the task, Deeks wrapped both wounds in the last of the fresh gauze, whilst taking in the injured Kensi. Cuts and grazes lined her body, each being built upon throughout the day becoming, worse and far deeper. Deeks knew Kensi was tough, for she hadn't once complained about the other injuries she had accumulated throughout the day, which was something he continued to admire, for any other woman would have given up hours ago.
Unknowingly Kensi was making the same inferences about Deeks. It seemed as though there wasn't a part of Deeks flesh that hadn't been penetrated by some afflicting object. There were several cuts on his arms that were particularly troubling, each deeper than the next, oozing slowly with coagulated blood, dry and sticky. These injuries looked painful, but here Deeks was worrying about her safety first, always putting the safety of his partner before his own.
"You okay Kens?" Deeks asked hurriedly noticing Kensi's scrutinizing stare.
"Your arms…" Kensi started pointing to the injured area, forgetting about her own pain in the instance. Deeks looked casually down at his arms and shrugged.
"They'll be fine, c'mon let's get moving" Deeks deadpanned, his joking demeanour from before now gone. It was becoming harder to ignore the searing and burning pain of his arms but he had to push through it for Kensi's sake.
"Deeks" Kensi objected.
"Kens, we don't have time, we need to move and there is not decent medical supplies left anyway." Deeks informed rising to his feet, outstretching a hand to Kensi. Kensi looked at Deeks sparingly before taking the hand, pulling herself up with the assistance of Deeks, putting all her weight on the not so injured leg.
Deeks took one of Kensi's arms and put it around his shoulders pulling her exceedingly close. "Here let me" Deeks commented carrying most of Kensi's weight so she didn't have to.
Kensi willingly obliged, no longer able to object as she usually would, for she was fatigued, drained and now more severely injured than before.
"Thank you Marty" Kensi whispered honestly, causing Deeks to smile.
"Anytime partner" Deeks whispered in her ear.
Bracing themselves, the pair began trudging along in a wayward direction up the small incline, continuing to put distance between themselves and the 'camp ground' they had exited not so long ago. Deeks was begining to have difficulties avoiding the shards of glass and what now seemed like metal too that stuck haphazardly out of the looming trees, for the path they had taken appeared to have narrowed.
"Who has the time to do this?" Deeks wondered aloud, helping Kensi over another fallen branch that had been blown down by the ferocious wind.
"Apparently this guy" Kensi commented placing her arm back over Deeks shoulder. Due to the newest injury in Kensi's leg, they were now making up less ground and becoming more vulnerable to another attack from the mysterious hunter. Deeks was continually glancing over his shoulder, whilst Kensi took in the surroundings, trying to gain a glimpse of safety or the not so favoured option, the man who was hunting them.
"We need to get away from these trees…" Kensi decided, becoming more anxious by the seemingly increasing proximity of the glass shards.
Deeks nodded and began to look for a clear direction, one that was without the presence of any noticeable traps.
"This way" Deeks indicated pointing to a small opening that had no obvious signs of danger. Walking through the opening, Deeks and Kensi had to leave each other's side for the space was too small for the agents to move through together. Allowing Kensi to move through first, so that he could support her from behind, Deeks became distracted by this task and suddenly slipped.
"Fuck" Deeks cried, groaning as he removed a sizeable piece of glass from just below his left shoulder.
"Why this day just keeps getting better and better" Deeks complained tearing off a portion of his shirt. Kensi stopped and tried to turn in the small space but was unable to.
"Deeks, are you okay?" Kensi asked sounding concerned.
"I'm fine Kensi, but man I can't wait to shoot this guy" Deeks commented tying the piece of fabric around the gaping wound, flowing with blood.
Kensi continued to look at Deeks over her shoulder, concerned written all over her face. Between herself and Deeks they were in desperate need for a trip to the emergency room.
Deeks began to prompt Kensi to continue moving, when an individual snigger of a person and the audible cocking of a gun was heard.
Both Kensi and Deeks eyes widened. "Move!"
It hadn't taken him long to close the ground between himself and his victims, knowing the intended path better than he knew what he was going to do when he actually found them. Breathing heavily the man began to slightly shake with anticipation. He had found sodden and sloppy tracks in the ground, that were clearly human footprints. He now had himself an extra trail to follow.
Smiling so that his grimy teeth were shown, the man began creeping in the direction that the feet travelled. It wasn't long before the man could hear the sound of hushed and hurried silently then man circled the individuals he could hear but could not see. They were in the small field in which he had entrapped with various sharp shards of glass and rusted blades of metal. It was this area which he seemed to encounter most of his victims, particularly those who tried to escape. He had been expecting the chase of the man and the woman to be a lot harder than usual for they seemed much more trained than those before them, but it appeared that they too had fallen victim to his maliciously planned traps.
Sitting in the small space the man was bent over the woman, working at her leg tentatively and with forced concentration. The woman appeared to be in quite some pain. Trying to get a clear shot that would harm but not kill the man began to creep around the surrounding area. Due to the thickly branched trees and not wanting to give away his position the man sat and waited, hoping to get the opportunity for a better shot.
The man and woman began to move, struggling off in the direction of a small clearing that the individual knew would leave them as sitting ducks. Silently following, whilst edging closer the man began to prepare for an open shot.
"Deeks are you okay?" whispered the female from a small distance away. Deeks, thought the hunter, he now knew of what they called the man.
"Fine Kensi, but man I can't wait to shoot this guy" The man called Deeks responded. Kensi and Deeks, he always enjoyed knowing the victims' names, it added some extra exhilaration to the moment.
Sniggering to himself the man began to whisper to himself. "I'll be the one doing the shooting" And with that the man cocked his gun and took aim.
Several loud gunshots rang out in the woods, each seemingly louder than the next. Sam who had been outside the car, checking and securing the perimeter whilst Callen continued to make calls inquiring as to where the supposed back up was, turned to Callen wondering if he had just heard the terrifying sounds he had. By the way Callen exited the car it was safe to assume he had.
"We need this back up now!" Callen barked down the cell, no longer maintaining any polite manner in his tone. Before anyone had a chance to reply Callen hung up the cell and dialled Hetty's cell directly.
Sam and Callen continued to share concerned looks whilst they waited for Hetty to answer the call. The phone continued to ring but no answer was available. Cursing to himself, Callen dialled Ops instead hoping that he could contact Hetty there.
"Callen?" Nell asked through the cell.
"Nell where's Hetty?" Callen barked.
"She is in her office talking to the director…" Nell started ignoring the tone Callen had used.
"We need this back up now; shots were just fired in the forest. Kensi and Deeks could be seriously injured… we need someone out here or Sam and I are going to go in." Callen informed hurriedly.
Nell and Eric shared a look before answering Callen, both sneaking a quick glance at the heart rate monitors of Kensi and Deeks, both were still rather high, but they were happy they were at least there.
"We will pass this message on to Hetty right away, but she said that you had to remain put until back up arrives, they shouldn't be any more than ten minutes away." Eric tried knowing no matter what he said would stop Sam and Callen from entering the forest once again as soon as the conversation ended.
"Have Hetty call me as soon as she is off the phone to the director" Callen demanded cutting the connection to Ops.
Sam crossed his arms over his burley chest. "We can't just wait and leave them out there alone" Callen commented becoming frustrated.
"I know G, but it's not safe to enter either. We don't have the appropriate equipment to make it through the area safely. We just need to be prepared, so that as soon as the backup arrives we can enter straight away." Sam reassured.
Callen looked away from Sam and cursed loudly. If Kensi or Deeks were hurt or even killed, it was on him, he had been the one that had planted the idea of 'boot camp' in Hetty's mind. Sam noticed the look on Callen's face.
"G, don't blame yourself. You didn't know this would happen." Sam prompted knowing that was exactly what his partner was doing.
Callen nodded slightly at Sam, looking directly past him and at the tormenting tree line, as several more shots rang out in the distance.
An:/
And there we have it another chapter complete.
I really hope that people are still enjoying this story and that they are not getting bored with it and that its not to repeditive.
Sorry if any of the characters are OOC, I try my best to keep them true to who they are, but sometimes it slips.
Enough from me, I hope you enjoyed and let me know what you think :)
