for all those people reading and then writing reviews i want to thank you for doing so and tell you that there is only one chapter left after this! Yes! this is the penultimate chapter. But don't worry, i have already started wrting my next story, which should be with you soon after this one finishes.
"As I was saying-"
"Ducky? Just place your bet," Abby pleaded, interrupting the man before he could lose himself in other story.
"Ah, yes." He placed three paperclips into the ever growing pile of multicoloured office stationary that was substituting for inaccessible money.
"Palmer?" The young assistant placed an equal amount of paperclips into the centre.
"I hope the power comes back on soon," Abby spoke as she dealt out another card to everyone.
"I thought you were enjoying the blackout?" Palmer asked.
"It's lost its thrill," she replied with a sigh.
"Jethro will get the power back on soon, Abigail," Ducky reassured.
"I know, Ducky."
"And he will find young Anthony."
"Oh, no doubt."
"Then what, may I ask, is your predicament?"
"I can't read my cards," Abby replied. She brought her cards close up to her face and squinted.
"Hmmm." Ducky copied her action. "I seem to have the same difficulty."
"This would be easier if there was some light," Palmer agreed. The trio winced as their request was granted. The squad room was instantly re-lit, the bright orange walls now visible and hurting their eyes.
"Ohh!" Abby cried. She grinned madly and placed her cards down excitedly. "Full house!"
Jason sat grumbling under his breath. His hands were cuffed tightly behind his back and Ziva was standing over him with one hand on her gun and one hand on his shoulder. He wasn't going anywhere. Jenn sat opposite Jason, her cell phone against one ear as she carried on co-ordinating the back up outside the building. She had already been told the power would come back on at any moment and was waiting by a computer to put in the security number to re-open all the doors. Not that it mattered for the doors inside. Most of them would have to be replaced after Gibbs had destroyed them all.
"How much longer?" Ziva asked.
"Not too long now," Jenn replied.
"Good, I'm really starting to think I should eat more potatoes."
"It's carrots, you idiot," Jason sneered. Ziva slapped the back of Jason's head. "Hey!" he cried out in indignation. Ziva leaned down to look Jason in the eyes.
"Gibbs told me to shoot you if you so much as sneezed. I myself need much less motivation than that." Jason gulped. "Stay quiet or I'll make you scumbag."
He muttered under his breath but after death glares from both Jenn and Ziva he shut up completely.
"I thought you said the light would come on any moment?" Ziva asked Jenn.
"Fornell has always exaggerated."
"I've never wanted to get out of the building so much before."
Jenn laughed. "Me either."
"Let's just hope Gibbs found McGee and Tony."
"Well, you know Gibbs, always-" Jenn's sentence was cut short by the lights coming on. She immediately twisted around to face the computer, turned it on and punched in the eight digit pass-code.
McGee flipped the phone shut and turned to his boss.
"Fornell said it should be back on in a couple of minutes."
"And what if we don't have a couple of minutes, McGee?" Gibbs asked.
"I uh..." McGee stuttered unintelligibly.
Gibbs began pacing the room impatiently. "If I find he's sitting on his ass wondering what the hell took us so long I'm gonna shoot him," Gibbs threatened. "Or leave him in there," he added as an afterthought. He looked at his watch and sighed when he realised less than thirty seconds had passed. "What is it about DiNozzo that attracts trouble?" he asked.
McGee shrugged. "He has more lives than a cat." Gibbs snorted. "If anyone can survive in a five foot by five foot box, it's Tony."
Gibbs stopped pacing and walked up to McGee. "You willing to bet your life on that McGee?" McGee replied with some more unintelligible noises. "I thought not." Gibbs walked away. "He takes too many risks, he's going to get himself killed one of these days." McGee knew better then to reply when Gibbs was pacing around in a mood. He looked at his own watch.
"How much longer?" Gibbs asked.
"Around a minute," McGee answered. Gibbs began pacing faster and faster. He hated not being able to do anything. He was so used to doing whatever was needed to get results. This time he had to rely on other people.
"Damn it…I want the power back on!" he shouted out. As if he had magical powers, the lights switched on, bathing the room in a bright white light. All three winced as the light hurt their eyes.
Tony put his whole body into the compressions. His arms were tired, he was sweating from all the effort and at the same time he could feel the blood pouring out his leg. The blood loss had already affected his vision. Only a blur of a body lay in front of him. If someone didn't find them soon then all they'd find would be two dead bodies in a pool of blood. Tony gritted his teeth.
"Come on Harker, don't you die on me now!" Every six compressions he moved to Harker's mouth and breathed for him. Oxygen he so desperately needed himself. He knew he couldn't go on much longer. It was sheer adrenaline that was keeping him awake enough to keep Harker alive. After breathing for Harker, he moved back to the chest for more CPR. His muscles bulged as he strained them and pushed himself further than he ever thought he could go. "Come on!" Tony blinked hard as a brighter white light replaced the single green one. He sighed a huge sigh of relief as the power brought the elevator to life, it would be only seconds before the elevator opened, until then he had to keep pressing his fists into Harker's chest.
With the power back on and the elevator doors open, Gibbs waited for the car to start back up again and arrive.
"Come on, come on, come on," he muttered. Slowly, a whizzing sound grew louder, signalling the arrival of the elevator. A small ding was followed by the inner doors sliding open. McGee and Rick's jaws dropped at the spectacle in front of them. Gibbs' expression was unreadable as the group stood stunned for a millisecond, watching Tony give the prisoner, who was lying unconscious on the floor, CPR. It was only a millisecond after that that they realised Tony was bleeding badly.
"Tony," Gibbs called.
Tony kept on giving the prisoner first aid without looking up. "I need some help in here!" he shouted.
Gibbs rushed forward and instantly placed his hands on Tony's thigh to stop the bleeding any further. From the amount of blood inside the elevator, Gibbs could see that Tony had lost a lot. "Damn it Tony!"
Tony cried out in pain as Gibbs pushed harder against the wound and dropped back against the wall of the elevator, exhausted. "McGee get in here!" Gibbs ordered. McGee reacted instantaneously, taking over from Tony, giving Harker the attention he needed.
"Heart…attack," Tony breathed. He began shivering, his eyelids dropping as he began slipping into unconsciousness.
"Get the paramedics in here!" Gibbs shouted to Rick. He turned back to Tony. "Come on, Tony," He slapped the other man's cheek gently to get a response. "Stay with me."
The group looked up as the main garage door opened up and Rick's partner, Fornell, his team, and a pair of paramedics rushed into the room. The paramedics ran to the open elevator. One went to Tony's side while the other went to Harker. Gibbs and McGee were pushed out of the way and could only watch as the paramedics called for back up and began treating their two patients. In all the commotion the group hadn't seen Abby, Ducky and Palmer join then.
"Oh god, Tony!" Abby cried. Ducky held her back from rushing to Tony's side.
"Jethro! What happened?" Ducky asked. Gibbs shrugged. "Are you hurt?"
Gibbs looked down at his bloodied hands and shook his head. "It's Tony's."
Jenn and Ziva then arrived with Jason in between them. Jason laughed at Harker's still body.
"You bastard, this is all your fault!" Gibbs shouted, punching Jason square in the face and sending him flying to the ground. Gibbs stood over him. "If he dies, I'm coming after you." He looked up at Fornell's men. "Take him away," he ordered. Gibbs turned away as two men picked Jason up off the floor and dragged him outside.
Another set of paramedics came charging through the doors with a stretcher and Tony was placed on top of it. Gibbs followed as the stretcher was taken outside and into an ambulance.
"This was a long night," Ziva spoke as the bustling room emptied.
McGee sighed. "It's not over yet." The group joined Gibbs outside as they watched the ambulance turn on its lights and sirens and drive away towards the hospital.