I hope you all enjoy this next chapter. Thanks goes to my loyal readers and reviewers. Also, thank you to the two guests that reviewed. I appreciate it! Stay tuned! Here we go...
Disclaimer: Don't own it.
"Precious Cargo"
1972
The Society Club
Leon Vance walks swiftly on the wet asphalt ground. Night has settled for its shift an hour ago, sending all partygoers and night shift workers out in the ever developing town of Washington, DC. The cold air chills most people to the bones but not him. Being a vampire and all helps in extreme weather. Thankfully, he can barely feel the cold air, but he and others like him keep up appearances by wearing appropriate clothing. In times like this rainfall, he's happy for the appropriate clothing.
There's a long line of awaiting customers eager to go enjoy the club's offerings. People are chattering and laughing as most of them huddle closer to exchange warmth. The two burly bouncers – both Asian men – give him a courteous nod as the second-in-command of The Society stands before the guarded door. Everyone can hear the muffled vibrating music inside.
"May I go in?" Leon requests in an authoritative voice.
"Yes, sir." The one on the right says as he opens the door. As the thunderous noise grows, there are a lot of groans from people unable to gain access.
He could care less. "Thanks." He merely says as he enters the large building. Inside the vibrant colors of the dance floor and strangely lit place is perfect for those considered as outcasts and merging all races together. He walks through the thick crowd to the back room where The Society members have gathered.
Leon opens the door to reveal the members sitting at the oval tables and some of the rectangular tables. Some members are standing, conversing with others. It appears to be freestyle talking. This room looks more like a banquet hall than anything else, but the original members of The Society had designated it to be their meeting place.
"Leon!" Noah greets in a happy tone, complete with a smile. "You made it. Hope the ride was not too bad."
"It was okay, Noah." Leon pulls off his coat and hat, heading to the small area of individual lockers, and put those items away. He grabs a handkerchief and wipes what water is left on his face. "All right. I'm ready, Noah." Leon says as he heads to the table where he and Noah usually sit. "What's the reason for the meeting?"
"We need to come up with a plan to protect all our immediate family members in case Gora decides to strike." Noah suggests. His worried blue eyes tells Leon the undertone reason behind his suggestion.
"What happened, Noah?" One of the male members asks.
Noah rakes a hand through his brown hair, displaying every bit of the worried parent. He rests his hands on the end of the table. "Leroy has been abducted." His desperate blue eyes slides up to meet the members' own eyes. "Michael attempted to do his job, but he was outnumbered. I do not blame him. There is only so much a lone vampire can accomplish. He informed me that two unrecognized vampires approached my daughter-in-law and grandson. While one took care of her, the other snatched Leroy. Ann was hospitalized with various broken bones and a bite mark to her left wrist. Unfortunately, the transformation has already started. Leroy is nowhere to be seen."
All members are immediately on alert, ready to fight to get an innocent back. All members – men and women alike – stand; the vampires' fangs have come out to play. You just don't do that to one of their own children. That is unacceptable in The Society's rules. Each of them knows it had something to do with Gora. He's been trying everything to mess up The Society's project. So far, he has been succeeding.
"Where's Michael?" Leon wondered.
"Sick bay." Noah answered.
Leon just nods. "All right. Let's get a team ready for dispatch." Leon takes the reins, giving his boss the chance to see Jack and Ann. "Noah, go see the family. I can handle this." He can tell Noah is so distraught by the mere nod he receives.
With that, the meeting is adjourned. Noah does go back to Stillwater where he tends to his family and visits Ann in the hospital.
"Ann," Noah says in a low tone, uncertain whether to enter. His daughter-in-law is quite relieved when he enters. Noah discovers his son is nowhere to be seen in the room. "Where is my son?"
"He's...out...searching...for...Jethro." She manages to tell him. He can see the pain in her brown eyes as her attack plays out. Soon, she'll complete her transformation. "One...of...them...bit...me."
"I know, Ann." Noah looks away from her, knowing her fate. It pains him to know this time next year she'll be gone, leaving her family to mourn and become estranged. "Your fate has already revealed itself to me."
"It's...not...good." She says. "LJ...already...knows...what...I'm...planning."
"It will drive a wedge between Jack and me." He slips his hand into her shaky one. "But I know this is what you want."
"I'm...not...going...to...let...some...disease...take...control." Tears start to fall. "You...should...be...out...there...searching...for...my...son." She winces as a wave of intense pain strikes her. "Say...nothing...to...Jack. He...won't...blame...you."
"Shhh, Ann. You need to rest your ribs." He soothes in a fatherly tone. "I will make sure they will be taken care of." Noah half turns as the door opens, revealing his son.
"Dad, you're here." Jack states, relief evident on his face. "I take it Leon's got a team out searching."
"Yes. He sent me here to be with you guys." Noah informs him, standing as his son walks into his open arms. He holds his son protectively. "We will get him back, son."
"With you guys out there, I know." Jack says, pulling out his father's embrace and lowering until he's facing his wife. "She's changing, isn't she?" He points out, never averting his eyes from his wife.
Noah's shoulders slump. "Yes, son, she is." He responds in a resigned tone.
"I take it you know her fate. Do you know Leroy's?" Jack's broken voice suggests he's on the verge of having a complete breakdown.
Again, he confirms his answer. "There is nothing I can do, son. It has to play out as it does."
Jack finally looks up at his father. "I understand. Just wish you were able to do something."
"Me too, Jack." Noah whispers.
"You...have...precious...cargo...to...find." She sucks in deep breath before continuing. "Please...find...him...Noah."
Precious Cargo? That sounds like something we should call the plan. Noah nods. "I will be back to check on you and have Leroy with me."
"Thanks, Dad."
Noah just nods as he turns to search. If Gora is involve, he is a dead vampire.
~NCIS~
It takes a total of three days to find the youngest Gibbs. Michael finds him in a barn not far from his home, tied to a chair with a bandana wrapped around his mouth and neck. He is terrified and begging to go home. There are no apparent bite marks on him, but he is left with a mirroring cigarette-size burn mark on the left side of his torso. It is very obvious the boy is delirious from lack of food and water. His own blood is smeared upon his clothes and there are various cuts and bruises all over his body.
It is obvious the boy had been tortured. For what, they would not know. As soon as Michael unties him, the boy passes out and will not wake for another three days.
To protect the future men, women, and children, The Society votes to use the code word Precious Cargo for these exact reasons. The members inform their families of the phrase, and it's been in effect since that incident.
~NCIS~
Noah fixed him with a look of concern. "Son, are you okay?" He asked, softly.
Jack was now sitting in the chair his father had occupied, surrounded by his son and father. Tony walked into the room carrying a glass of water and Ziva moved to sit next to the older man, who she came to see as another father. She eased down on the couch, rubbing a circular motion on his back. "I'm fine, Dad. What happened?"
"Three vampires attacked Tony and attempted to abduct him." Noah explained, crouching down in front of his son. "We put Precious Cargo into action."
"So in other words, you decided now would be a good time to bring us all here." It was more of a statement than a question, but Noah nodded regardless. "We would've been fine, Dad." Jack looked at the three (well, two) federal agents. "They're more than capable of killing a vampire. You just need to train them." His eyes landed back on his father's own eyes. "Perhaps, we could come up with a luring plan. You know, to break up their army so to speak."
Noah lit up, smiling. "That's a great idea, son." He turned to Bic who had now materialized from the kitchen. "Round up the members. We have some planning to do."
A dip of the vampire's head was all Noah needed to be assured the task would be done.
~NCIS~
Draped in a dim room, Ducky lay on his hospital bed, watching The History Channel. Abby sat comfortably in the nearby chair, curled up with a blanket. She may not be cold, but it didn't stop her from old habits. She preferred sleeping with a blanket. The old Scotsman rolled his head to his left, where she was sleeping, and a smile broke out on his face. She must have pushed herself to severe exhaustion to get to this state.
"So you're awake." A very familiar voice stated in a low straight forward voice. Ducky whirled his head to the door to find Leon in the doorway. The air around him suggested there was an ulterior motive to his visit.
"Oh, why, hello Director Vance. It's great to see you." Ducky greeted in a scratchy voice. He reached for the cup of water on the standard lunch stand. After taking a few sips, he regarded his boss. "Not to sound rude or anything, but just what are you doing here?"
Leon walked in without permission and saw Abby's current state. "She needs to sleep. It's been crazy lately." After commenting, he turned his attention to his ME. "I've been sent to keep you company. May I?" Leon pointed to the other plastic chair in the room. After a nod from Ducky, he eased into the chair.
Ducky furrowed his eyebrows in suspicion. This was not something Leon would do. "What happened?" He inquired.
Uncharacteristically, Leon rocked back and forth while nervously rubbing his clammy palms on his jeans-clad knees. "That obvious?"
"Your current actions are not being very subtle. Again, what happened?" Ducky fixed him with his own version of a Gibbs glare.
"A few months ago, Anthony DiNozzo was attacked and given something to help him to recover. However, it had a downside. He would one day have to leave this life behind in order to protect an entire world. For nearly a month–" Leon started to explain.
Ducky interrupted. "Director, Anthony has been dead for a couple of months."
"Yes. I'm well aware of that." Leon said. "What I'm trying to say is that he's very much alive and he's a very important person. More so than you think." At this, Ducky's eyebrows shot up and his face slipped into utter shock. "I take full responsibility for leading you and everyone else on the idea that he had died. It was necessary, so that the family could be protected." As Leon continued to talk, he didn't missed the slip of anger that replaced the shocked expression. Leon hung his head as his hands went up to rub his temples. "My team was keeping him protected from the very man who wants him dead, but apparently that protection didn't go very far. Now, we're forced to move the entire family to the base. One thing about Tony is, he could never just cut all ties. It was only a matter of time before our safety net broke." Now, he was rambling on full steam, leaving Ducky in a mist of confusion.
"Director!" His raised voice effectively ended his boss' rambling and woke Abby. Both men turned to see a startled Abby blinking. "Sorry for waking you, Abigail." Ducky apologized. "Director Vance was just telling me that our dear Anthony is indeed alive, among other things." Ducky was expecting Abby's usual very emotional response. What he didn't expect was the reaction they received.
Practically ignoring Ducky, Abby stood, molding her hands into fists. "Is everyone else there?" Her voice barely held anything that would remotely be considered Abby. Once Leon nodded and stood as well, his fists mirrored hers. Ducky felt a little out of sorts, watching wide eyed as they seemed to hold a silent conversation. "I can stay with him."
"I know. Noah wanted extra protection just in case he tried again." Leon responded.
"Hello? Are either of you going to finish explaining?" Ducky exclaimed, looking pointedly at Abby first then Leon.
Both of them looked at Ducky. Abby dragged her eyes away from the old Scotsman to their boss. "Do you think he will strike?"
"Tony's his arch-nemesis. What do you think?" Leon questioned. "He also has not only the perts of being head honcho but rule over us all in both worlds."
"Tony's put him in his place before; this will be no different." Abby sounded confident in whatever they were talking about.
Ducky watched as Leon argued. "That was before the attack happened. Now that the game has shifted, he won't be so nice as before." Leon glanced at Ducky. "Although, with Noah's efficient training, he does have a chance." Leon cracked a smile.
"Let's hope that'll be enough. Tony's charisma won't have any effect in the matter." Abby mused, averting her eyes to the doctor. "Sorry, Ducky. You were saying?"
Ducky had both of their attention now, and the rapid speed his two coworkers seem to take made him temporarily dizzy. He blinked and shook the whirlwind away. "This is all very overwhelming. I'm still coming to terms with coming out of a coma for God's sake! Where's Jethro? I want to speak with him, Abigail." Ducky eyed her, giving his best Gibbs glare, despite knowing it never has any affect on her.
Abby looked over at Leon, who spoke. "I'll call Noah." He said, pulling out his cell phone as he walked out of the room.
"Don't worry, Ducky. Everything will be further explained when we get you at The Society." She assured, placing a hand on his chest and motioning him to lay back. She eased into the same chair she'd just occupied.
"You better. I deserve an explanation, and I want to hear it from Jethro." He demanded.
Abby inclined her head. "You will, Duckman."
TBC...
