Neither NCIS nor its characters belong to me. I am merely playing in the world wonderfully created by others.
Positive feedback is appreciated. It's been awhile since I have stretched my fan fiction legs, and this is my first go 'round with Gibbs and company, so my apologies if they sound at all "out of character".
Out of the Dark – Chapter Two
"Pass the ball, DiNozzo, or get the hell outta the game," demanded Leroy Jethro Gibbs of his senior agent. At the moment, Gibbs himself was unsuccessfully trying to get past Clint Moyer, the 6' 7" ringer the FBI had brought in from their Quantico training facility– no way was the kid a full field agent yet, he looked twelve – but that was no reason for DiNozzo not to pass the ball to McGee, Cha Arguello, or even Palmer for that matter, all of whom looked open from Gibbs' perspective. "Get that Buckeye power-forward ass of yours in gear!"
The NCIS/FBI Intramural Championship Basketball Game always brought out in droves agents from both agencies and their families. While the proceeds of the game went to a charity for fallen agents, the value of the bragging rights of the winning team were beyond measure, and Gibbs had no intention of letting NCIS be on the receiving end of those rights for another year.
"Workin' on it, Boss," shouted Tony over the din of the packed gym. Wiping the sweat from his brow with his forearm as he kept the ball away from FBI Agent Tkach, DiNozzo suddenly saw an opening as Tim McGee finally managed to break free of Angie Zerucha's coverage. With one quick bounce it was in the younger man's hands. To McGee's credit, he held onto the ball and all but sprinted to the hoop – thankfully remembering to dribble the ball along the way. The bottom of Zerucha's shoe caught on the wooden floor awkwardly, and she went down, giving Tim a clear path to the hoop.
In the stands, Ducky and Abby cheered their colleague. "Go, Timmy!" shouted Abby, her black pigtails bouncing as she jumped up and down at Ducky's side.
"Drive it, Probie!" shouted DiNozzo as he skirted around his blocker, running up the side of the court, ready to assist his friend if needed. Gibbs and Palmer did the same, but their efforts proved needless. With a smooth leap that he had never managed to perfect in practice, McGee slammed the ball into the hoop just as the horn sounded the end of the first half.
Gibbs slapped Tim on the back as the junior agent approached the bench, "Good job, McGee!" Gibbs didn't fail to notice the smile that spread across Tim's face at the unexpected compliment.
"Not bad, Probie," DiNozzo agreed, breathlessly. "You might make the junior college C-team yet."
"I'd say our young Timothy did quite well," added Ducky from behind the bench. "I can't remember that last time we led this game going into the third period."
"Thanks, Ducky," McGee said with a smile. Grabbing a cup of water, he downed it in a single gulp. "I wish Kate was here, though" he said wistfully.
"I still disagree with Caitlin's assertion that she's too petite to effectively play basketball," said Ducky, "but I do wish she'd been able to come and watch the team."
"Kate'll be here if she can, Duck," said Gibbs, grabbing a towel from his gym back and wiping his face free of sweat. "Helping out Carlson's team makes sense. We need to get those guns off the street." Nevertheless, Gibbs couldn't get rid of the dark feeling that had been nagging at him during the game.
His blue eyes quickly searched the stands for the missing member of his team, but still there was no sign of her. His gaze instead met that of the Director who gave Gibbs a nod of approval for his efforts. Gibbs then watched as the man pulled his cell phone from his pocket and answered a call. Surprising, since Gibbs himself had heard the Director order his assistant that, barring an imminent attack against the United States, he was not to be disturbed until after the game was over. The nagging feeling in the pit of Gibbs' stomach grew.
"So what's our plan for the second half, boss?" McGee asked.
"The plan hasn't changed from practice, McGee," Gibbs answered automatically, his eyes never leaving the image of the Director whose face had grown grave during the phone call. The Director rose suddenly and made his way for the exit. As Gibbs followed the man's progress out of the gym, he reached into his gym bag and grabbed his own cell phone, switching it on even as it started to ring. "Gibbs," he said. Distantly, he noticed that other senior agents in the stands were answering their cell phones as well – not a good sign.
"Boss?"
"Jethro?" asked DiNozzo and Ducky simultaneously, picking up on the change in his demeanor.
Gibbs held up a hand to stop them from further conversation, then he plugged his open ear with a finger to better block the noise of the crowd as he listened to the caller; his face grew taught with anger at the message that was imparted.
"Where? When?" he demanded. Continuing to listen, Gibbs turned his back on the worried looks being given him by his colleagues. He ended the conversation with a quick "We'll be there in twenty," and then flagged down the referee and spoke urgently in his ear before returning to the bench. The ref hurried to the opposite bench to explain the situation to the other team.
"Game over. Grab your gear," he ordered his team. Tugging on his warm-up jacket, Gibbs then snagged his bag. "DiNozzo, get the car. We're heading to Arlington. Carlson's team was ambushed. We'll need you too, Ducky," he added. It was all he need say to indicate that at least some of the team had not survived the attack.
"Oh, my God! Kate?" asked Abby, her voice worried.
Gibbs spared a quick glance at his young friend, her face now pale from more than just her "Goth" makeup. He answered her question with a silence that their years of friendship allowed her to understand – there was no word of Kate's fate.
"Mr. Palmer and I will meet you there as soon as we can," Ducky said as he climbed down from the stands. Jimmy Palmer had already sprinted toward the locker room as had the rest of the team the moment Gibbs' gave the order.
An eerie silence had fallen over the crowd gathered to watch the game. News of this kind always spread quickly, and a thousand pairs of eyes followed the NCIS Major Crimes Response Team as they headed out. How many newly fallen agents there would be no one knew. The death of an agent in the line of duty was always crushing, but as Gibbs jogged off the floor, his heart clenched to think that this time it might be Kate.