Hey All! Sorry I haven't uploaded in a while, life just got pretty busy. But here is Chapter 25! Reviews = Love!

By the way, have to say, this chapter has very intense moments. EXTREME LANGUAGE AND TORTURE. Just so you know...

And the language may seem very, VERY harsh, but I have to imagine if anyone is in a situation like this, being polite would not be their first course of action...

Ethan shook his head. "You really wanna know what The Index is?"

...

"It's online, first of all. The Index is nuke codes. That's why he's connected to the major military nations' operation command centers. The Pentagon, The Kremlin and all that. We're gonna nuke ourselves."

McGee stared wide eyed at Ethan, and Tony simply stared, muttering a silent "No" under his breath. Ethan continued.

"Oh yeah. I don't know how many, but it's gonna be global fireworks. All major cities are gonna go down. But that fucker's got it all figured out. As soon as the nukes launch, he's got a virus that's gonna shut down all the electricity. The entire first world is going to go dark. Without electricity, our anti-missile technology won't be able to knock the nukes down. Not to mention the civilian affect. For those who survive, they're be no more electricity, cause after the nukes, there's no way to go back online. No more refrigeration, communication, or transportation. But hey, let's say the nukes don't fire. You still got mass blackouts, and they're gonna be for good. Grocery stores can't refrigerate their food anymore, so there's gonna be a famine. People are gonna start killing each other for food. And medications. Think about the hospitals. Alot of meds need to be kept cold. You're gonna have family members of people who's meds have gone bad, with guns, demanding medical attention. They're not gonna get it, and people are gonna start shooting. It's gonna be a fucking blood bath."

Ethan remembered what Mikhailov told him a day or so ago, and it all made sense.

"Animal, Ethan? Ve are all animals. You, I, all of us. It is the animal in man, that allows us to prevail. Ve are primal beings, who live in a sedentary lethargic, and apathetic vorld. Ve sit at our televisions and take vor granted the life ve've been given. That's vhy I created The Index, Ethan. The Index vill allow us to be animals again. To be vat ve are meant to be. Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust. Ve are all ashes, Ethan."

Ethan simply shook his head, then let it drop to his chest again. Tony stared blankly at the far wall and McGee shared the same look, but only at the ceiling. We need to stop him, the two agents thought collectively. McGee, who's head was no longer swimming so bad, began looking around him frantically, trying to find any weakness or leverage point he could use to free himself. As he was doing that though, the door swung open, and Dima and Fuchs walked in, followed by Leonid Mikhailov himself.

The evil man began laughing and grinning wildly as he rubbed his hands together. He was almost salivating at this opportunity, and it turned McGee's stomach. The younger agent couldn't control it, and leaned forward, vomiting onto the floor. Mikhailov slammed the door shut behind him. Fuchs carefully placed a bundle of something on the floor, and McGee strained to see, but failed to identify what it was. He frantically threw a look to Tony, mentally asking the older agent. No backup?

Tony, as if understanding, shook his head as sweat dripped from his nose. And finally, Mikhailov spoke.

"Vell vell. Anthony DiNozzo and Timothy McGee. I've heard quite a bit about you, thanks to Ethan here." Both Tony and McGee shot Ethan a look that could kill, but Ethan was unconscious again, or at least playing dead.

"You should know-." Mikhailov began but Tony interrupted him.

"You know, you're like the scumbag serial killers I put away for a living. You sick fuck. I heard what The Index. Mickey, would your mother approve?" Tony joked, doing his best to sound confident. Mikhailov looked at him curiously.

"Mickey?"

"Yeah Mickey. Like Mickey Mouse. You're just a little fucking rodent. You ever watch Mickey mouse, or did they not have that in the orphanage insane asylum you grew up in?"

At that, Mikhailov bellowed, pulled his pistol from his holster smashed it across DiNozzo's cheek repeatedly. When he stopped, he looked at Tony's limp head with satisfaction. But that satisfaction dissipated when he heard McGee from the other side of the room. As he spoke, McGee couldn't believe his own ears.

"Hey Mickey, that make you feel big? Beating a man who's tied up? I'd be proud of myself for that." McGee even chuckled sarcastically as he glared at the man who had just pistol whipped his best friend. Mikhailov ran to McGee and inflicted the same punishment on the younger agent. When he stopped, Mickhailov couldn't believe what he heard. But this time, it was from Ethan.

"Do I get a go, Mickey?" The C.I.A. agent muttered. Mikhailov ran to him and beat him as well, as Dima and Fuchs watched in shocked amusement.

"Thank you sir, may I have *cough* another?" Ethan quipped, then spat on Mikhailov's face, blood getting in his mouth. Mikhailov spat it out, wiping his mouth. The Russian's eyes bulged when he heard Tony again.

"Seriously, I thought my childhood was bad Mickey. What about Fucks over there, does he get a turn?" At that Ethan's eyes bulged, catching the attention of Tony. Tony gulped.

"Ummm, not the right thing to say Ethan? Well shit." The German glared at Tony.

"Es not Fucks! Es Fuchs. Foooocks!"

"Ok Fucks." Tony chuckled.

"Fuchs!"

"Fucks!" The doctor whipped his head around and saw McGee grinning through a mouthful of blood.

"Must have been a terrible last name to grow up with," McGee chuckled. His chuckle died down when he saw a certain gleam in the German's eyes. McGee fearfully looked to Tony and met reassuring eyes. Mikhailov nodded to Fuchs, and the German turned to the bundle, and pulled from it a large leather belt. He folded it in half as he approached McGee.

McGee's face went white as Mikhailov laughed.

"I found out about you, McGee. Your daddy didn't like you so much, did he? Was it because you were failure? Was it because you are not strong? Maybe it's because he never loved you."

Tears immediately fell from McGee's eyes as he stared at his feet, shaking his head.

"No." he muttered.

"Oh yes! Daddy didn't love you!" Mikhailov snarled as Fuchs began beating McGee with the belt. When McGee had been tortured by Sharif, ages and ages ago, he hadn't cried out for the longest time during it. But as soon as the leather made contact with McGee, the young man began groaning, crying, whining even. It churned Tony's blood.

It was something Tony had never seen nor heard before. He had experienced McGee at low points before, specifically at Gibbs' when the whole Sharif ordeal had surfaced, but this was something else. And in that moment, Tony knew what his role was to McGee. Tony was McGee's older, protective brother. This went beyond best friends, and while Tony had called McGee brother, to see him like this grew a rage within him that he didn't know existed.

Tony, in every sense of the word, roared as he flexed every muscle in his body. His hands were clenched so hard that blood began dripping from his palms from his fingernails. His eyes shot to Fuchs, who had stopped whipping McGee at the sheer shock of the sound Tony made.

"You fucker! Get the fuck away from him! You're a fucking coward Fucks! A FUCKING COWARD! Scumbag piece of shit! Get over here. I'm going to fuck you up so bad I'm gonna send you back to the stone age you weaselly piece of shit! AAAAAHHHH!"

Tony was pushing so hard that the front legs of his chair, that had been nailed to the floor, pulled loose. Tony toppled over backwards and immediately slid his ankles down the legs of the chair, freeing his legs. He kicked himself over as Mikhailov rushed over to him and grabbed his shoulders. Tony headbutted the Russian with all his might and Mikhailov stumbled backwards.

"Dima! Dima, hold him you dog!" Mikhailov hissed as he held his now bleeding forehead.

Dima hesitated, then moved swiftly to his masters side and grabbed hold of Tony. He picked the man up, chair and all, and placed him upright again. Mikhailov sprinted over to McGee, drew his pistol again, and jammed the barrel against McGee's skull.

"You vant him to die? Eh Tony? You vant your friend to die?" Tony panted as he glared at Mikhailov.

"He's not my friend. He's my brother." Tony snarled as he spat at Mikhailov. The Russian cocked the trigger back and laughed.

"You see Tony, Ethan, and Tim. The Index is almost connected. A mere minutes an-."

Just then a soldier opened the door. Mikhailov gave him a death glare for interrupting.

"Apologies sir, but it's connected. The Index, sir, is online. We've patched into The Pentagon." Mikhailov nodded, smiling as the soldier disappeared. The Russian laughed and bludgeoned McGee once more on the cheek with his pistol.

"You- *cough* leave him alone." Ethan all but vomited the words.

"You- *cough* a fucking animal. And after all this is *cough* is over… no… no one will *cough* remember your name. You will be *cough* dust. I *cough* curse your name, Leonid Mikhailov. I *cough* curse your name."

With a roar, Mikhailov snatched the belt from Fuchs, and began beating the already beaten Ethan. He let go of the buckle, letting it sail, the steel at the end of the belt slicing across Ethan's face. Mikhailov stopped for a moment, gripped his pistol, aimed it at Ethan's chest, and pulled the trigger.

Tony and McGee (who had been sitting silently sniffling) sat bolt upright at the sound. Everything moved in slow motion. The force of the round going through Ethan's chest, and his involuntary reaction forced his torso back through the chair. It splintered into pieces as Ethan fell to the ground. Everyone's ears rang from the gunshot as Mikhailov laughed in satisfaction.

Then from the corner, came a noise louder than the gunshot. Dima made all the screams and cries within the room previously seem like whispers as he launched himself at Mikhailov. The larger man wrapped his enormous arms around Mikhailov as they slammed into the floor and began rolling around snarling. Fuchs was unsure what to do, and panicked. Before he could open the door though, Tony stood and ran, still with the chair attached to his wrists, and all but tackled Fuchs. Ethan lay coughing blood onto the floor as he writhed in pain.

Dima quickly overpowered his master, took the belt and wrapped it around his wrists so tight the circulation left his hands. Dima then wrenched the pistol from Leo's grasp and placed it against his skull.

Mikhailov immediately stopped struggling.

"Both of you, in the corner, now!" Dima screamed. Fuchs and Mikhailov consented, both in awe of what was happening.

"Diiiiima…" Mikhailov warned.

"Shut up! Shut! Up!" Dima yelled as he pulled a knife from his belt. While keeping the pistol trained on Fuchs and Michailov, he quickly cut Ethan, Tony, and McGee's restraints. He then went to the bundle, and pulled from it Tony's and McGee's weapons.

"They were going to shoot you with your own weapons." He whispered to them as he handed them the guns.

As soon as McGee had the weapon though, he looked at it. He felt the cuts that the belt buckle made, and the all too familiar sting of the leather against his skin. And then, McGee felt something writhe within him. It was like some terrifying beast was disturbed of slumber in his gut. McGee looked at Fuchs, the man who'd assailed him with the belt, and his vision faded to savage blood red. He aimed the gun at Fuchs.

"In the chair." he whispered, his eyes ablaze.

"McGee." Tony called to him, but McGee ignored him.

"In the FUCKING CHAIR FUCHS!" McGee snarled as the voice inside his head whispered. Good, McGee. Get out the anger. That's it. Show them all that you're strong.

Fuchs hesitated, but when he heard McGee rack the bolt on his submachine gun, he hurried and sat in the chair.

"McGee we have to-." Tony pleaded, but was cut off as McGee turned to him.

"Shut up!" McGee ordered Tony. The older agent was in disbelief as Tim pushed the suppressor of his submachine gun into Fuchs' mouth. Tony held his gun in the direction of Mikhailov as Dima ran to Ethan's side. McGee spoke, in a hissing whisper to the doctor.

"You think you're strong? You think you're fucking strong?" McGee yelled as he ran over to Mikhailov, drove the weapon into his gut, and pulled the belt from his wrists. He then turned, and with everything in him, McGee started whipping Fuchs. Blood began gushing from Fuchs face and head as the belt buckle sank into his skull. He held up his hands in surrender, but McGee kept whipping him. Tony didn't know whether to watch Mikhailov or McGee, frantically looking from the Russian leader, to his partner, to Ethan writhing on the floor with Dima at his side.

"You!"

*whip*

"Fucking!"

*whip*

"Monster!" McGee screamed as sweat and tears rolled down his face like a torrent, mixing with the blood. Dima saw Fuchs slump, and stood, ran to McGee, and wrapped his enormous arms around him, restraining him. Fuchs fell from the chair in a bloody heap, gasping for breath. McGee, also collapsed, sobbing as he clutched the belt. Tony and Dima looked to each other, not sure what to do. Dima finally spoke.

"Ve need to stop The Index!" Tony nodded and turned just in time to see McGee cradle his weapon and squeeze the trigger. The gun hissed as a bullet tore through Fuchs' head. The German stopped convulsing as blood poured from the open wound.

"Jesus Christ Tim!" Tony called as Dima picked up McGee.

"Tim! Ve need to go! Ve need to go now!" The big Russian yelled in his face. McGee nodded as the fire in his eyes died down. Tony looked at Tim, finally seeing something that resembled the old McGee. As they prepared to leave, Dima walked slowly to the cowering Mikhailov.

"I am not your fucking puppy dog." the big man seethed as he raised the pistol, and pulled the trigger, sending a bullet through Mikhailov's skull.

Dima turned to Ethan and stooped down as Ethan writhed on the ground.

"You vill make it, my friend. You vill make it!" Dima said as he hoisted Ethan onto his shoulders. And with that, he pulled the door open and headed into the hallway, with McGee and DiNozzo taking up the rear.

"Ve need to stop The Index!"