Gibbs dug through the ruble desperately, afraid of what he was going to find. His hands were torn and bleeding from searching through the debris and the glass, but he kept on doggedly. He knew that Ducky was there somewhere, he just had to keep looking. Finally he spied a hand; and, as he shifted the debris, he found the body of his friend.
When he spied the white unmoving face of his friend, Gibbs was certain Ducky was dead. Desperately he put two fingers on the other man's throat, looking for a pulse. He sagged a little in relief when he found it, beating steadily beneath his fingertips.
The smoke was beginning to fill Gibbs lungs, and he fought against the urge to cough. The crackle of the fire became more urgent as did the calls of the wounded, terrified beyond reason.
"Ducky," he called urgently, patting his cheek.
Ducky's eyes opened and squinted up at him. "Dear boy," he extended a hand to Gibbs, "what was that?"
"A diversion," was Gibbs grim answer as he helped the other man to sit.
Ducky's face paled even further as his appalled gaze took in the state of the room. "From your Mr. Morgan?" Ducky asked as he carefully stood. Gibbs kept a hand on his elbow, steadying him.
"I'm afraid so." Without any evidence to substantiate his feelings, Gibbs knew the explosion was the work of Leo Morgan. The man had been a demolitions expert. If you wanted something blew up with the maximum amount of boom, Leo was the person you called.
"You realize he must be stopped." Ducky's mouth was set in a hard line as he surveyed the demolished room.
Around them people were beginning to stir. Cries from the injured began to fill the room. Getting his equilibrium back, Ducky moved to help those nearest him.
"I know that. Are you okay, Ducky?" Gibbs urgently needed to be out of that room, but he had to make sure his friend was alright first.
"I'm fine, Jethro. You go make sure the rest of our people are alright. I'm going to see what help I can be here."
Gibbs didn't like leaving Ducky there alone, but he needed to check on his team. He bent and pulled his throwaway from its holster around his ankle, pressing it into Ducky's hand.
Ducky stared down at it, appalled. "Jethro, exactly what am I supposed to do with this?"
"Protect yourself," Gibbs called to him as he disappeared from the room.
Tony put his body between Morgan and Ben. He could see that the corridor beyond the big man's body was filled with smoke, thick choking smoke. The high thin wail of the siren continued, it punctuated the shouts and the cries of whatever was happening out there.
Tony found himself filled with rage at what the man had done to get to him, to get to Gibbs.
"You bombed a hospital?" Tony held himself ready, waiting for just the right moment. There was no way Morgan was taking him, or Ben, without a fight. He might not be able to put up much of a fight, but he wasn't going easily. The thought that chilled his soul, was maybe Morgan wasn't here for him this time. Where was Kate? Where was Gibbs?
Leaning easily against the door jam as if he had all the time in the world, the man just smirked, "It was just a little diversion, so we could talk uninterrupted."
"You could have killed your son." Tony could feel Ben pressed in against him, hiding as best he could from Morgan.
Tony resolved that even if he couldn't escape he'd find a way for Ben to get away.
Morgan's eyes narrowed dangerously, "You know what I did in the Gulf War, DiNozzo? I blew things up. You wanted something blown up, you came to Leo Morgan. I know how to set a bomb to cause the most amount of damage, I know how to target a specific area –like that cafeteria right downstairs. Too bad Gibbs went for coffee like that. I expect they're scraping what's left of him off the floor right about now."
At that moment someone turned the alarm off and silence it left behind was profound. Morgan's eyes flicked to the hall just briefly, a half-second, maybe less. It was enough time for Tony to take his chance. Using the only weapon he had available to him, he used his whole body to ram Morgan, sending them both careening into the hall.
He knew he was only going to get in one good shot, and he was right. Morgan was up quickly and hit him with a casual swipe of his hand. Tony was knocked off his feet and went sliding down the hall until he came to rest against an object that had been hidden by the smoke. It was the guard that had been stationed outside his room, and McGee's. Tony couldn't tell if he was dead, but his face was a strange waxen shade and there was a thin trickle of blood staining his lip.
From somewhere Ben was at his side, shaking him. "Tony?"
"Run, Ben, go now." The boy didn't look convinced. "Find Gibbs, Ben." Tony tried to put all the urgency he could into his voice.
The boy nodded and scurried away just as Leo appeared again in the smoke. He reached out to grab his son as he ran past, but the boy was quick and lithe and easily avoided him. Afraid that Morgan was going to follow him, Tony shoved himself upright. His strength of will was all that was keeping him standing on his feet now. He launched himself at Morgan one more time, just as the man turned and took a stop to follow Ben.
"No, you don't." Tony tackled the other man around the knees and they both went down in a tangle.
Again, Morgan was up way too easy. He stood over the fallen man and Tony saw his death in the other man's eyes. Still he wasn't ready to give up. He pushed himself backwards, trying to get the space to stand, to act.
Morgan began to stalk him. Slowly, step by step, he gained on the fallen man until he was standing over him once again. He brought his foot down and put it on Tony's chest. At first lightly, but then pressing harder and harder.
"Bastard," Tony wasn't willing to admit defeat. He wasn't going to give the other man the pleasure. "Go to hell."
McGee was a blur as he burst out of his room. He attacked Morgan with the only thing he could find, the metal chair that Abby had sat in all night. He swept up with it, hitting Morgan across the chest and away from Tony; and then again, down over his head and shoulders. The man went down hard and Tony scuttled away, trying to breathe.
McGee had managed to draw blood, but it was still too little. Morgan swatted away the chair as he wiped his bloody mouth. He scooped up McGee with one hand, the fingers matching the bruises already on the man's throat.
"I thought I already took care of you," Morgan growled. "I guess I'll have to do the job right this time."
Tony could tell that Morgan was getting tired of the game. He just wanted blood now. He set himself to move, but Leo must have seen it. Lashing out with a booted foot, he caught Tony in the hip, then again in the back Tony curled in a ball trying to protect his head.
"Morgan." Gibbs' voice rang out in the hall.
Tony saw Leo smile. He turned toward where Gibbs' voice had come from, still gripping McGee by the throat.
Gibbs appeared then, out of the smoke, his gun at the ready, steady on Morgan's head. A small movement down the hall drew Tony's eye and he saw Kate creeping from the opposite direction, her gun out also, a deadly gleam in her eye.
"Well, Jethro Gibbs, glad to see you made it to the party."
Gibbs didn't react by so much as a twitch to Leo's taunt. "Just let McGee go, Leo, this is between you and me."
"See that's where you're wrong, Jethro. You robbed me of my life. I'm going to make you watch as I take everything you care about, then I'm going to take your life."
"And what's that going to prove, Leo? It's not going to get your fourteen years back. It's not going to make your son love you." Gibbs' words were like a bullet, each one hitting their mark.
"You leave my son out of this," Morgan snarled.
"You're the one who brought your son into this, remember, Leo. Now let my people go, and you can do whatever you want with me." Gibbs kept advancing, one step at a time, drawing ever closer.
Kate stumbled into something in the smoke and the sound echoed down the hallway. Morgan's grip on McGee loosened just a fraction. Instantly McGee took the opening and twisted from his grasp, throwing himself to the floor.
Shots rang out from both ends of the hall and Leo Morgan's body twitched as the bullets ripped through him.
To Tony it was if he fell in slow motion, the surprise etched into his face. He fell at Tony's feet, his hand outstretched, the blood already beginning to pool beneath his body.
There was shocked stillness then as Tony realized that it was well and truly over. He couldn't make his body move, but he sagged backwards in relief and shut his eyes.
It was over at last.