Hello, guys! I know - another chapter so soon after the previous one! I've been inspired to write more and get this story done alongside my studying, so hopefully you'll get at least one more chapter before the new year! The story has at least another 10 chapter to go, I think, comparing it to the original. So It definitely won't be done by the new year, but I'm still writing!
As usual, just gonna say thank you very much to my reviewers from the previous chapter: Dobby and Padfoot and DS2010!
Anyway, I hope you've been enjoying so far, guys! Enjoy this upcoming chapter!
"You know what, Harrison, you're right. I don't like this. I hate it."
Andrew sat alone in Gibbs' car, a laptop on his lap and a headset providing him with earphones to hear the others and a microphone to speak. Basically like one of his gaming headsets, which was kind of cool.
Except for the fact that, you know, Andrew was alone in the car whilst all of the agents were making their way up to the warehouse, preparing to get Alex out. Which is where he really wanted to be, instead of stuck in that vehicle.
Still, to be fair, at least he wasn't doing nothing – he was still able to help them out. Each of the agents had what was most probably a button camera on their vests, along with an earphone and a cuff-mic so that they could keep in contact with Andrew as they made their way down. So he could at least keep guiding them down to where he hoped Alex would be.
In response to Andrew's complaint, there was a huff of what the teen assumed to be laughter.
"I told you he wouldn't," Agent Harrison's voice came through Andrew's headphones, and he could even hear the smirk in her voice.
"It doesn't matter whether he likes it or not," Gibbs responded sharply, stopping any possible retort that Tony could've come out with (because Andrew knew the man well enough to know he would've said something if given the chance). "What matters is he's being kept safe. That's it."
"It still sucks," Andrew muttered, a scowl on his face.
"Deal with it," Tony bit back.
"Piss off."
"Watch your mouth," Ziva reprimanded.
Andrew scoffed. "Please. You guys say worse things when you think Jessie and I aren't listening."
"Are we going to get back to the reason why we're actually here, or…?" McGee quietly asked, though it seemed as if no one heard him, if the fact that Tony and Andrew continued to bicker was any indication.
"Worse things?!"
"Yeah, worse things!"
"Give me one example of something worse that I've said!"
"I would, but I don't exactly want to talk about yours and Ziva's—"
"Hey!" Gibbs' voice was sharp, cutting the argument short with a piercing silence. "Thank you!"
"You guys bicker like children," Harrison teased lightly. It didn't take a genius to realise that that comment would've most definitely set Tony and Andrew off again.
"Agent Harrison, may I remind you that this case is currently within NCIS jurisdiction, and so there is no requirement for your presence?" Gibbs asked coldly, causing Andrew to shudder at the tone. The lack of response from the CIA agent was enough to indicate that she'd understood the threat loud and clear.
The CIA Agent's plan seemed fairly simple – the agents entering the building would be in two groups, both of them in contact with each other and Andrew. They would all head into the warehouse together before splitting up underground to find Alex, Andrew leading them in the directions he could remember from his stay. And the teen would be relaying instructions to them from his place in the car, a laptop on his lap so he could watch the agents' progress through small cameras attached to their Kevlar vests.
Theoretically, the plan was sound. Enough agents to go in and recover Alex, and Andrew was going to be kept out of danger.
In practice, Andrew was wary of it, but considering the position he'd put himself in at that point in time, he didn't trust his voiced opinions to be taken well. So he kept silent as the plans were spoken over again.
"McGee, you'll be with Tony and Ziva. I'll be with Harrison."
"You sure that's okay, boss? She's tried to best us before."
There was a moment of hesitation, where Andrew just knew that Gibbs was sending the woman a warning glare about any misbehaviours she would pull down there.
"I can handle her. You know what to do when you've got Alex?"
"Get him out first. That's the priority."
"If you aren't one of the people to find Alex, I'd suggest making some arrests and taking some data."
"You say that like they're too stupid to think of that themselves," Andrew quipped, not caring whether he'd just insulted Agent Harrison with his statement. The snort he heard from Tony only confirmed that there was an irritated expression on the woman's face right then.
"Andrew," Gibbs warned, "focus. We need you keeping an eye on those feeds."
"Yes, sir," Andrew responded as his eyes began to focus on the laptop screen in front of him. The screen was split so the two feeds were showing – one from Tony, and one that had to be from Gibbs. Obviously, the teen understood why not everyone could wear one of the cameras, but he knew for a fact that it would be a whole lot more useful if he could see where everyone was headed.
But Agent Harrison said they only needed two.
The teen was trying so hard not to be suspicious about it, but he had a feeling that Gibbs was just as suspicious about it but was a whole lot better about hiding it.
"You ready?"
The teen took a deep breath, his fingers beginning to tingle with excitement. This was it they were going in.
We're coming for you, Alex.
Alex grit his teeth tightly as he pushed himself to his feet. He'd finally managed to release his ties – they were far too easy to remove (did Walker really underestimate him that much?) – but he didn't know what to do next. What was the next step? He could hear the steady trickle as water poured in from a vent in the top far corner of the room – just like the vent he and Andrew had escaped from earlier that day. For some reason… it felt like it had been more than a day since they'd attempted their escape.
The water had most definitely ruined his shoes by now. He could hear the squelch as he moved through the water, and the water level was just above his toes now. Pretty soon, he was sure it would reach his ankles, and then he'd have to start properly wading, then swimming. And from the fact that he was struggling to walk, he could tell it wouldn't take long before he'd be drowning.
Fun.
Shuffling towards the door, he braced his hands against it to steady himself as his eyes scanned the edges, looking for some sort of weakness in the structure. He knew that these rooms were built to keep things out… but were they really that good at keeping things in?
He supposed they had to be. "Sealed for both sides…" he muttered to himself. "Damn." He shuffled away from the door, his eyes scanning the room for another route of escape, as he thought back to the memory he'd recalled earlier.
A flash drive… with lists of names on it. That same flash drive, or a copy of it, was found when I was found in Petty Officer Marks' house.
That flash drive could've been what got him killed.
Or was it?
From what Alex could recall, that flash drive had two lists on it. One of those was a list of all the defected agents within the CIA – a list of every individual who had turned from the CIA to SCORPIA without any of the higher ups in the federal agency knowing. Individuals who had either come into contact with the criminal agency on missions or had been approached by members of SCORPIA with an ultimatum, Alex was guessing.
That list would've very easily become a hit list in the CIA's hands, which would explain why Walker was so desperate to get it back – especially if his own name was on it.
But that other list? Alex wracked his brain for what the other list could be, for why Walker could possibly want that…
Oh.
Alex's mind found an answer as soon as he realised that there was a small crack on one of the walls. The building was old – it had solid foundations, and even more solid protections against elements such as water in case of flooding. But it didn't have protection against general wear and tear, or the kinds of things that came to be over time. Memories from GCSE Geography flashed to mind about how things expand and contract in heat and cold respectively. A building like this wouldn't have solid insulation in the winter, nor would it stay cool in the summer. Any heat or cold would travel straight through the building and into its walls.
Maybe one of the walls would be weak enough to crack through.
Not to escape, of course, but to slow down the rise of the water or even drain it out of the room.
Glancing from the crack to the door, he smiled. It was the same wall the door was set into. Which meant the wall backed onto the corridor. Perfect.
If he was going to try and prove he could survive against Walker, he might as well be a little ass about it.
Shuffling over to the chair in the middle of the room, he looked over it until he found what he was searching for.
The legs were screwed in.
Sitting in the slowly rising pool of water and setting the chair on its side, he began to work.
Tony undoubtedly felt nervous as he fidgeted with his earpiece, trying to push it more comfortably into his ear. This was the second time he'd faced this building head on, and he was getting the feeling that there would never be a time where he'd visit this building peacefully. Not that there was really anything to do if he was to visit this building but… well, maybe he'd just prefer not to visit this building at all. The structure itself gave him bad vibes.
"Are you sure you are ready to go in?"
Ziva's voice cut through his haze of nerves, and he looked over at her to see her eyes narrowed, scrutinising him. He couldn't help the slight smile that appeared on his face when he realised that she was actually worried for him.
Andrew would never let him live it down if he saw this.
"Whether I'm ready or not, I guess we'll have to go, huh?" he pointed out, pulling out his gun and checking it was loaded one more time before tucking it back into its holster. "Alex needs us. We're putting him before us."
"That does not mean enter recklessly without making sure you are fully prepared for what is to come," the woman pointed out with a frown. "You must think things through as you move."
"This is a hostage saving mission."
"Against a member of a once ruthless criminal agency that was brought down by the exact hostage they have in their grasp. The only reason they are keeping him alive is because of something we have in our possession."
"Which is weird, because it's not even the original." Agent Harrison burst in on their conversation, slight confusion on her own features. When she was met with two identical looks of irritation, she decided to continue as if she'd been invited to join their chat and hadn't just joined in uninvited. "The original flash drive is hidden in one of the CIA's safehouses. Marks made a copy of it so that he could keep it safe in case the other one got lost or destroyed for some reason. The original would be the best one to seek out, ideally, because there's more than one individual in the CIA who knows where it is."
"Are those people alive or dead?" Tony asked.
"Alive… I think."
"There is a chance that they would have been killed through contact with SCORPIA also," Ziva pointed out. "We can not be certain that their lives were spared. In fact, there would be heightened reason for killing them, would there not?"
Before the CIA agent could respond, Gibbs spoke over them all, his eyes cold and focused.
"We're going in. Stay close."
The five federal agents slowly began to make their way towards the compound, keeping low as they reached the metal fencing that surrounded the property. Moving to the front of the group, Ziva's eyes scanned the land outside the warehouse for any signs of guards or lookouts.
"It appears as if there are no individuals outside…" she murmured uncertainly, glancing back at Gibbs. The man's expression was icy as he glanced around, his eyes confirming Ziva's statement.
"Could they be expecting us…?" McGee asked lowly, a deep frown on his face. As far as he knew, none of them had connections to the people inside the warehouse, apart from…
"No one in that warehouse has been contacted," Agent Harrison states stiffly, glaring at McGee when she realised his eyes were on her. "Don't accuse me. I haven't contacted my brother in years, and the first thing I want to do to him is shoot him for being an asshat and turning assassin."
"Yeah, because that totally convinces us that you're on our side," McGee muttered as he turned back to face the compound.
"This is not the time for Tony-level sarcasm," Ziva scolded, only glaring at Tony when he scoffed indignantly. "We have a child to save."
"Then let's move in," Gibbs commanded, moving towards the gate into the compound. The five younger agents followed after him, each of them keeping their guns up and watching the areas around them as Gibbs led them forwards, towards the building. It didn't take them long before they reached the door to the building, without issue.
"This is really creeping me out," McGee muttered as they began to open the door to the warehouse, his eyes still on watch for any ambushes. "Didn't Andrew say he and Alex got chased and captured out here? Why aren't there any guards waiting for us to fight for Alex?"
"Stop complaining, McGoo – it just makes it easier for us to get in," Tony grumbled.
"Or they could just be waiting for us to ambush inside," Harrison pointed out, earning a glare from DiNozzo. "What? It's true."
"McGee has a point," Ziva responded. "We must take into account the fact that they know Andrew has escaped. They would be expecting us."
"Which means they could be preparing for us," Gibbs put in, before pulling the door open. "There's only one way to find out."
The four younger agents shared a look, before glancing at the open door.
There was definitely no turning back now.
Watching the feeds, Walker had to smile when he noticed the back door to the warehouse was being opened, the only indication being a light filtering through the gap and lighting up a rectangle of concrete flooring. "See, Dom? What did I tell you? They're coming for us."
Dominic Harrison just kept his eyes focused on the screen, only partially realising that Walker had actually said something to him. All he was waiting for was some indication, for some sign, that what he'd been told had been wrong. That there was no one from his past after him, and he was safe and unknown in this world again. He couldn't go on the run like the other agents – not when he'd fought so hard to keep his identity a secret and wipe it from SCORPIA's databases when they were destroyed.
His heart plummeted when he saw the familiar mop of fair hair – shorter than he remembered, but it was definitely there.
"Shit," he hissed, forcing Walker to look over at him sharply.
"What?" the other man asked, a frown on his face.
Harrison pointed to the individual on the screen, who was looking around, gun up and prepared for any sort of fight that could come their way. "CIA Agent Lisa Harrison."
"Harri—" Walker's eyes bugged out. "That means—"
"They know I'm here with you." Dominic's eyes hardened. "The CIA are onto us."
Walker stared at Dominic for a few seconds, before a slow grin spread on his face. "Well, I guess that just means we'll have to wipe them out, doesn't it?"
I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!
