Chimera: [part 1]
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3rd Person POV:
In the bullpen, Tony gently pulled the paper down the straw in his mouth. Eying the target across from him he wet his lips and aimed. Ziva flinched as the end of the wrapper tapped her on the forehead. She narrowed her eyes but said nothing, choosing to ignore him. Tony grinned deviously. With a smirk he tore off another piece and rolled it around in his mouth. Loading up he launched a spitball at her face. Ziva bolted up, slamming her pen down angrily as she moved away from him. McGee and Claire watched from the other corner of the bullpen in silent amusement.
"Don't you have paperwork, DiNozzo?" Ziva pointed out irritably as she walked over to McGee's desk, dropping off some files.
"What do you think I'm doing?" Tony hummed; paper in his mouth.
"I take the paper, and I make it work." He explained, shooting another that direction. Ziva gasped at the assault, not noticing the small wad that had gotten caught in her hair. Tony lamely gestured towards it. Ziva glared across the bullpen at Claire as she walked back to her desk.
"Why did you give him extra straws?" she groused. Claire shrugged.
"Because he begged and after a couple minutes it's intolerable. I've learned to pick my battles." Tony pursed his lips in offense at her answer. Abby sped walked towards the group, interrupting Tony's entertainment as she waved some tickets around wildly.
"Yay! Tonight's the night." She beamed. McGee frowned in confusion.
"What night?"
"Brain Matter."
"Brain Matter?" Claire reiterated.
"Yea, my friend's band remember?" Abby reminded with a grin, handing her a ticket. Claire's mouth dropped slightly as she suddenly remembered halfheartedly agreeing to the event weeks ago.
"Brai….Brain Matter…" Tony hummed, his face scrunching up as he tried to remember.
"Yeah you guys all promised you would go with me." Abby pointed out, less peppy than earlier as she handed out the other tickets. They didn't look as excited as she was.
"All of us?" McGee asked skeptically.
"All of you."
"Even me?" Tony asked in surprise.
"Even you. And you…and you." Abby insisted pointedly.
"Um, I don't think I can make it tonight…. I've got to…catch up on… paperwork." Ziva blurted out.
"I've got a very important thing and that other thing." Tony mumbled. Abby's smile faded.
"And uh, I've got…" the goth woman glared and raised up her spiked bracelet in front of McGee's face before he could finish.
"Some people wear these spiky things just for show…..I don't." she warned. McGee took the hint and pulled a ticket from her hand.
"I've got nothing better to do than to see…."
"A dead body, McGee?" Gibbs cut in as he joined them.
"You read my mind, boss." McGee chirped in relief.
"It's a quick read." Tony quipped.
"Pack up, full kit." Gibbs ordered, already gathering his stuff. The agents all instantly began to rush around. Gibbs tossed a bottle to McGee who frowned.
"Motion-sickness meds?" he asked in confusion.
"Chopper's waiting at NAS Anacostia."
"I'm fine on a chopper, boss." McGee tossed the meds back. Gibbs huffed and returned them.
"Chopper takes us to the ship, McGee. The USNS Chimera. Get briefed at Anacostia." He clarified.
"Nice." Claire grinned, pleased to do something different than usual. Gibbs glanced at her.
"I mean…not the body of course…..just nice to break the monotony a little." She sheepishly clarified. Tony smirked at her fumbling.
"You know, Brain Matter's playing a really late set." Abby supplied, looking to her friends earnestly. They all avoided her gaze.
"Well, that's odd. There's no Chimera on the register. Any reason why that would be?" McGee inquired as he lingered to look up the ship on his computer. Gibbs shot him a look.
"We'll get briefed at Anacostia?...I'll get my gear."
"I'll get Duck. Pack a toothbrush, we're gonna be there a while." Gibbs ordered.
"I didn't know you got seasick." Claire pointed out as they started to clear out. McGee grimaced at the reminder.
"Just a bit." He mumbled.
"Look on the bright side, probie. Ix-nay on the Ain Matter-bray." Tony pointed out, handing back his ticket to Abby.
"Really wish I could go. Sorry." Claire told her as she returned hers as well. Secretly not as sorry as she appeared.
"Thanks anyway." Ziva hummed. Abby sadly watched them all head to the elevator.
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Claire's POV:
Once at Anacostia the commander led us into the hangar so we could start strapping on our flight gear.
"We received word of the death this morning." Skinner supplied.
"Yeah, they say what killed the guy?"
"Isn't that your job, Agent Gibbs?" he snarked. I rolled my eyes mentally.
"Commander Wilkinson will have you out to the Chimera by nightfall." The man explained further.
"Chimera's not listed on the Navy fleet." Gibbs pointed out. I glanced up curiously while securing my vest over my NCIS gear.
"It's not on the books. The Chimera's a highly sophisticated, top secret research vessel." Skinner explained, looking at all of us pointedly.
"Researching what?" McGee asked dumbly.
"That's need to know….and you don't."
"That's the top-secret part, McGee." I pointed out dryly. McGee flushed.
"Go in, get the body, come back out." Skinner insisted.
"We've got a death to investigate. It's more complicated than an extraction." I countered. The man shot me a glare.
"Take witness statements. Do what you need to do. Just don't ask anything beyond your pay level." Gibbs grinned humorlessly.
"We'll do our jobs, commander." He retorted coolly. The Commander pursed his lips at our blasé attitudes after his multiple warnings.
"NCIS was called out because no other federal investigative agency has clearance to get on the Chimera. That said, even you guys don't have clearance to know what's on it." He insisted haughtily.
"Oh, I get it, boss. This is a black ship." Tony pointed out with an accent. Ziva frowned turning to face him in confusion.
"Black sheep?"
"No, they don't exist." Tony countered.
"Oh, I've seen a black sheep."
"No, I said 'black ship' not 'sheep'." He clarified. Ziva nodded in understanding.
"Clearly the U.S. Navy is still intent on pulling the wool over the eyes of the American people, sir." I pointed out humorlessly. The commander didn't enjoy that.
"No photos." He snapped, catching McGee check the camera. Tim froze, looking between Gibbs and Skinner.
"It's standard procedure….."
"There's nothing standard about the Chimera. I don't want anyone documenting what's on that ship." Skinner reiterated. We all watched Gibbs for direction.
"Bring the camera, McGee." He directed. Skinner's jaw clenched irritably.
"I suggest you keep your enquiry focused on that body." As he walked away I glanced at Tony who shared my small grin.
"Mystery ship, secret research….I'm surprised you're not busting at the seams over this." I pointed out teasingly. Tony huffed.
"Oh don't worry. I've got them all locked and loaded. Just need the right timing." He explained, tapping his temple. I chuckled, double checking that all our gear was ready to load.
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3rd Person POV:
The team had to wait until nightfall before the chopper took them out to the Chimera. Everyone watched as they approached an unassuming fishing vessel in the middle of the dark waters. The pilot attempted radio contact with the ship but they got no answer. Finally the chopper lowered over the deck, hovering as the team hopped off.
"We still can't raise any of the crew on the radio, sir!" One of the flight crew shouted above the roar of the choppers.
"Alert Commander Skinner." Gibbs told him as the team grabbed their bags.
"Will do." The man nodded, letting them carefully hop out onto the deserted deck. Walking down the stairs they each began to take off their helmets and earmuffs, frowning as the ship seemed lifeless.
"Where's the welcoming committee?" Tony questioned as they walked onward.
"The deck lights are on." Claire pointed out.
"Nobody's home."
"This is most unusual, Jethro." Ducky commented.
"It's creepy." Ziva countered.
"It's a ghost ship." Tony grinned, a bit uneasily.
"Agent Gibbs, we have bingo fuel. We need to know if you're staying, sir." The chopper pilot asked over their radios.
"Boss, I gotta tell you. I don't have a real good feeling about this." McGee commented, waiting for the decision. Gibbs scanned the empty ship.
"We're staying." Claire nodded as the chopper began to take off.
"Of course we are." She muttered, unsurprised at the change of plans. As the fog rolled in over the ship, the NCIS team headed below deck. Inside was just as silent and vacant as the deck was. Still no sign of anyone.
"So this is the highly sophisticated, top-secret ship?" Ziva mused, looking around at the average looking vessel.
"Looks more like an old tramp steamer. I suppose they were trying to look inconspicuous, hoping to be left alone." Tony explained, following her down another flight of stairs.
"I doubt you can get any more alone than this." Claire trailed off, glancing around. Making their way further in, the team came across the open door of one of the cabins. The room looked like it had been rapidly abandoned. A poker game was still set up on the table, along with an iPod who's screen was on. The lights were left on and it was untidied with a couple shirts littering the bunks. Ziva walked to the other side of the room and set her supplies down.
"Every room is empty." McGee pointed out what they had seen on the way there.
"It's like the entire crew disappeared." Claire hummed with a frown.
"Welcome aboard the USNS Houdini." Tony quipped. McGee picked up the iPod.
"It's still playing." He pointed out. Tony put one of the earbuds in.
"Oh hey, it's your favorite, McGee. Brain Matter." He chirped, shoving the noise towards McGee.
"Thanks. I feel bad enough already, okay?" McGee deadpanned in displeasure.
"Take another pill." Tony snapped. McGee shot him a look before walking out.
"Sorry." Claire gave the man a disapproving stare before she continued scanning the room.
"Wait a second, this doesn't make any sense." Tony blurted, staring at the table in confusion.
"Something suspicious?" Ziva asked, on alert.
"Absolutely….This guy had a full house. Why would he fold?" he asked in all seriousness.
"Maybe the other guy's a good bluffer." Claire muttered, looking over a piece of paper left behind.
"Dear Mary Beth, Good news. Overheard the captain say they had a good dive last night. If they found what they were looking for, we could be heading home any day. Can't tell you much about the mission but…." Tony and Ziva waited as Claire paused in reading the letter.
"But?..."
"It stops there." she told them.
"We need to join McGee, find out what else is going on." Ziva suggested, leading the way out of the room.
"I bet he's already found the head." Tony taunted with a chuckle.
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Soon enough the other three found McGee….right where Tony had speculated. The sound of pained groaning lured Gibbs and Ducky inside with worried expressions until they realized what was happening.
"Five minutes. You owe me 10 bucks." Tony hummed, looking at the girls pointedly.
"Where's McGee?" Gibbs inquired. They all gestured to the door beside them.
"Calling Earl….Shouting groceries…Making street pizza…Technicolor yawn." Tony unhelpfully supplied. McGee suddenly opened the door, looking much more pale than he had started out. The man's face shifted to embarrassment when he realized that everyone was listening to him puke.
"Found something." He muttered, pointing down the hall.
"Lost something too." Tony snickered. The others followed, holding back small grins. Following McGee they stepped into a very modern looking lab. Nothing like how the rest of the ship looked.
"I guess you can't judge a black ship by its wool." Tony hummed. Claire gave him a look.
"You're really running with that analogy, aren't you?"
"It's all I got, Ziva gave me the idea." he defended, earning a chuckle from the woman.
"What are they researching, Duck?" Gibbs inquired.
"Something to do with rats, if I were to guess from these empty cages." Ducky supplied, drawing attention to the open cages. The agents shifted a bit uneasily at the sight.
"Well, Skinner seemed pretty paranoid. I'm guessing the mission wasn't purely humanitarian." Claire mused thoughtfully.
"I doubt it's even human." Ducky hummed, walking towards all the equipment.
"Thermosalinographs, fluorometer, carbon analyzer. Well, whatever it is, it's not visible to the naked eye."
"That's not comforting." Claire commented. They all froze as the sounds of footfalls echoed above them.
"And neither was that…."
"What was that?" Ziva asked warily.
"Could be the metal of the ship contracting in the cool of the evening." McGee suggested. A look from Gibbs had him reconsidering.
"Or not."
"Sounded as if it was coming from the cargo hold above us." Tony pointed out, looking up at the ceiling.
"Duck, you're with me. Check out the cargo hold." Gibbs instructed.
"I was afraid you were gonna say that." Tony pouted. The four agents filed out obediently, heading up to check out the noise.
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Claire's POV:
As he opened the door of the cargo hold, Tony began eerily singing to himself. The sound echoed off the metal walls, further emphasizing how empty the vessel was.
"Baa, baa, black ship…..have you any wool?...Yes, sir, yes, sir…..but in order to see it you're gonna need top-secret government clearance." Ziva stared at him like he had gained a second head. Not that I blamed her. It was freaky sounding.
"I don't see or hear anything." I commented, slowly walking through the area alongside the others.
"Someone or something's on the ship….with us. I can feel it." Ziva announced seriously. McGee frowned as he looked over Tony's shoulder.
"Uh, yeah, I can see it." He pointed. Tony slowly turned and jolted backwards in fright at the sight of the rat sitting on the box. The rodent skittered off. Tony quickly tried to regain his composure.
"Scared much, DiNozzo?" McGee taunted.
"Stuff it, McBarf-Bag."
"It's just a cute little rat. Why the irrational fear?" Ziva tacked on with a grin.
"It's not cute, it's not little, and it's not irrational."
"Cowardly, then." She hummed.
"Not if you're someone who survived a bout of pneumonic plague, thank you very much. Rats are a known carrier." Tony snipped. I walked over and looked at him skeptically.
"Tony, there's no plague wandering around anymore. And technically it was the fleas." I pointed out. His face clenched, still uneasy about the rat.
"Regardless, I don't trust them. So forgive me if I'm a little touchy about it." He huffed. I nodded, letting the point slide. Clearly it was a very deep seeded fear that had developed. I never realized it.
"I used to love rats before the plague…..I was a regular Willard." Tony mused, quickly switching back to his normal demeanor.
"What is a Willard?" Ziva inquired, walking along through the boxes.
"It's a movie." I clarified.
"Willard had a pet rat named Ben. Social misfit, made fun of by his coworkers. He had a creepy boss." Tony summarized as we all gravitated towards the center of the room.
"No wonder you related." Ziva hummed. Tony frowned.
"You think Gibbs is creepy?"
"I think she meant the social-misfit, made fun of part." McGee clarified. Tony's head jerked back in offense. Ziva lifted a hand, frowning in concentration.
"Shh. Did you hear that?" we all listened intently.
"No." Tony, McGee, and I answered. We glanced at one another at the unison of our answer. Weird.
"There's something aboard, other than a rat." She insisted, stalking forward. Tony frowned skeptically.
"Well, what do your astute ninja Mossad senses tell you it is?" he inquired dramatically. I smacked his shoulder in admonishment.
"In Mossad, part of the training is to be open to things you cannot see or even understand." She explained, keeping her focus elsewhere.
"You mean the supernatural?" I inquired.
"Call it what you want. Not everything can be explained by the laws of the natural world."
"Do you believe in ghosts?" Tony asked.
"I do not, not believe in ghosts…or demons, or monsters." She elaborated, leading the way and peeking around doors. Seeing as none of us were picking up on what she clearly did, it was best to let her do her thing.
"We are on a ship called the Chimera." Ziva pointed out.
"I thought Chimera meant 'delusion' or 'fantasy'." McGee commented. I shook my head.
"In Greek mythology, a Chimera is a monster with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a dragon's tail." I explained. Tony shot me a questioning glance.
"I liked mythology as a kid. No big deal." I grumbled, ignoring the stare of amusement that was being sent to the back of my head.
"So you think they named the ship the Chimera because there's a monster on board?" Tony deadpanned, clearly not believing any of it.
"They did not name it the Puppy." She snarked. Another round of subtle noises caught out attention. Ziva paused before slowly reaching for the door handle. The door whipped open, causing everyone to flinch at the sight of Gibbs.
"Boo…..Get in here." He waved us in. Sheepishly, we complied.
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3rd Person POV:
The agents filed into the small mess hall of the ship, eyeing the abandoned meals left lying on the tables.
"Well, whatever's on this boat must be pretty damn scary if it got them to ditch this delicious looking…." Tony trailed off, grimacing at the green sludge on the plates.
"What is this stuff?" McGee shuddered, looking away from the substance.
"Don't ask me. That's not a request, it's a command." He answered, looking at Tony pointedly. His stomach was weak enough. They moved closer to Ducky who was crouched by a splatter on the floor.
"Ooh, the plot sickens..." Claire muttered, eying the mess on the floor. Tony chuckled in approval, nodding at her while she grinned.
"This is our crime scene." Ducky pointed out, examining the liquid.
"If there was a crime." Gibbs countered. There was still no body to be found. Ducky pointed to particular parts of the mess, indicating for McGee to take photographs. The man grimaced and quickly handed it to Claire so he didn't have to look at it on a shaky stomach. She sympathetically took it from him.
"Well, you see these little flecks of brown in the blood? Coffee-ground emesis, usually a sign of alcoholism, but you can get it from severe gastrointestinal distress." McGee faltered, having glanced at the vomit. Tony quickly reached out to keep him from falling.
"Steady, probie."
"Tell that to my stomach." Tony knelt down to stomach level.
"Steady, probie stomach."
"I would not stand there if I were you." Ziva suggested. McGee looked over at her from where he was hunched near the mess on the floor.
"That's a good point. We don't wanna compromise the crime scene." Tony agreed. Claire took a few more photos before Ziva called their attention to her find.
"Gibbs?" The man stood and shined a light on the boot print on the floor.
"Partial footprint."
"In blood. They lead out of here." Ziva gestured, walking alongside the steps. They followed the trail through the kitchen towards the freezer in the back. Gibbs stepped forward and opened the door. A body within a bag fell forward in front of them.
"You were right, Ziva. Someone is onboard with us." Ducky mused, kneeling down to start examining the corpse.
"Not him, there's something alive. I can feel it."
"A lion-headed dragon goat?" Tony mused dramatically.
"Maybe."
"Someone tossed a month's supply of creamed corn to make room for him." Claire pointed out, reading the bags of once frozen vegetables that were left outside the door.
"Please don't say that again." McGee grumbled.
"Tossed?"
"No, creamed corn." Claire nodded in understanding.
"There's significant petechial hemorrhaging in the eyes, these little pinpoints of blood. It's often a sign of asphyxia. Well, we won't know for sure until we conduct some tests." Ducky summarized, looking over the blood that was dripping from the man's eyes and nose. Gibbs read over the man's ID and looked up at the agent in the back.
"McGee get me a satellite link."
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McGee quickly used the satellite laptop to link up to Abby's lab, allowing her to run information on the corpse, Dr. Takada. The director had joined in on the call, waiting for information on the team as well. Just as Gibbs relayed that they didn't know the cause of death yet, Dr. Mallard walked in looking quite grim.
"Yes we do…My initial diagnosis of asphyxia was incorrect, I'm afraid. It looks as if Takada died of viral hemorrhagic fever, to which, by now, we have all been exposed." The older man announced. The agents shared worried glances.
"Can't leave the ship." Gibbs surmised calmly.
"Well, that's not a problem, Jethro. If my diagnosis is correct, we'll all be dead by morning." Ducky clarified grimly.
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Gathering in the science lab, the team had watched as Ducky continued his autopsy on the man as best he could. Gibbs picked up the saw thoughtfully.
"Primitive conditions, Duck." Dr. Mallard chuckled.
"Primitive? You remember that tiny, thatched cottage I used as an examination room in Nambia? Yes, of course, then I was working with Pygmies." He mused.
"You know what killed him?" Gibbs interjected.
"Well, if Dr. Takada was a bit too fond of his Scotch, what I'm seeing here is esophageal varices, and this tear caused blood to enter his esophagus, causing him to vomit blood. Or Dr. Takada could have had a severed gastrointestinal infection that produced a Mallory-Weiss tear, in which case the vomit would have come first. Neither diagnoses is inconsistent with hemorrhagic fever." As Ducky gave his explanations Claire watched Tony fumble around the lab, poking at buttons he had no business messing with. An alarm went off on one of the machines and she calmly walked over to place the lid back where it belonged, leveling Tony with a deadpan stare. Tony chuckled sheepishly, wandering back towards the monitors where Abby was on screen.
"And if we were exposed?" Gibbs inquired.
"Well, I'm hampered from prognosticating further.…until Dr. DiNozzo gives me a proper blood analysis." Ducky called. Tony waved his gloved hand.
"Abby, where's the gas chromate-thinga?" Tony called in confusion.
"It's the boxy-looking thing with the um, circular door-like thing on the front." Abby relayed. Claire stood next to the machine, arms crossed as she waited for him to spot it. Tony pursed his lips nudging her out of the way.
"Oh. I got it."
"Okay, good. Now put the sample in the circular rack-like thing at the top." Tony carefully placed the tube into the rack, raising his arms in triumph.
"Got it."
"Okay, press the blue start button. It's bluish and squarish. It's on the tower on the top, Tony. The tower like thing." Claire pressed the button before she had finished the explanation.
"Got it." She assured.
"While we're waiting let's get the blood count. Place a small amount of blood on your slide. It's amazing what you can learn from blood, even before it's analyzed. I mean, the color and texture and the smell." Tony did as instructed.
"Okay, um, now take out the dropper of methylene blue. It's bluish and it's dropper-like." Claire scanned the tabletops and grabbed the right vial, handing it to Tony.
"Got it."
"Okay, now place two drops of the methylene blue on your slide."
"We're good."
"Of course, blood that's passed through someone's GI tract has a very particular smell…." While Claire was placing the methylene back on the counter Tony curiously leaned in to sniff the slide.
"You did not sniff that…." She whispered in mild disgust. Tony shrugged innocently.
"….But since this guy may have died from a highly contagious virus whatever you do, do not inhale it." Tony froze, staring down at the slide. Claire's eyes widened and she stared at the man in exasperation.
"We're not good." He mumbled in alarm. Gibbs turned, spotting their expressions.
"Hey, you okay, DiNozzo?" he asked in concern. Tony frowned, setting the slide on the microscope.
"Not for long." He muttered as an answer.
"Where's my blood analysis, DiNozzo?"
"I'm working on it Ducky. It may be the last thing I do." Tony huffed, looking into the sights of the microscope. Ducky made his way over, gently prodding him out of the way.
"Let's hope not. May I?" After a moment of examination Dr. Mallard spoke up.
"There's definitely an increased white blood count, with an absolute increase in lymphocytes having an atypical appearance."
"That would be consisted with acute viral infection."
"I have located three rodent bites on Takada's body. Perhaps he contracted the virus from a diseased rat." Ducky suggested.
"That would be bad." Tony commented. Claire shot him a curious look. Did he get bitten?
"Maybe the top-secret whatever it was that Takada is studying is what killed him." Abby suggested.
"In which case it would be airborne."
"That would be really, really bad." Tony reiterated, his frown deepening. McGee stepped in, alerting Gibbs and Ducky that they were wanted on MTAC with Skinner and the Director. As they left, Claire and Tony stayed behind in the lab. Tony tentatively reached up and felt his lymph nodes, humming in the back of his throat.
"Tony you are not sick. I think you're just a little paranoid." Claire tried to soothe. Tony wasn't convinced.
"Well I just sniffed contagious blood and we may all be infected anyway. Plus the rats…..little devil carriers."
"Did you get bitten by one." Tony frowned.
"…no." he admitted. Claire reached up to pull his hands away from his self-examination.
"You're going to be fine. Don't stress yourself out more than you need to." She insisted gently, keeping hold of his hands. Tony glanced down at the contact, trying to calm his racing heart.
"Ok, I'll try." He nodded, albeit hesitantly.
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Not the most exciting chapter but it's really just a big set up for the second half.