10

Vault

"Hello…are you there? Hello!" Angie Mason couldn't believe it, her first solo shift and she got a call like this. When she saw the light on her panel she thought it must be an electrical short; the Rubicon Bank branch in Bowie, MD had closed six months ago and she'd almost ignored the call; now she didn't know what to do. The man, the one who called he sounded…he sounded real sick…was it a practical joke, one of the other security techs making fun of the new recruit? Well, if it was a joke, she wasn't laughing.

She checked the online directory and found a number for NCIS, picking up her phone she hesitated, if this was a prank she was going to look pretty stupid. Angie squared her shoulders and punched in the number, there were worse things than looking stupid, if the guy McGee, if he was really a Federal Agent, and he was in trouble…

NCIS NCIS

"When did the call come in Leon?" Gibbs was already picking up the keys to the sedan.

"Switchboard logged it five minutes ago." Vance pre-empted Gibbs next question. "I've already sent agent Chapman to talk with Ms Mason." He glanced up at the plasma. "This was one of the banks on your list?"

"Yeah." Ellie and Tony were already at the elevator, and Gibbs was eager to join them, after so long they finally had a real break, they knew where he was, and he was alive. "Leon, she said he sounded…"

"Don't worry, I'll get EMTs on the scene."

"Then let's get out of here."

Gibbs negotiated the DC traffic as they headed toward US-50, it was less than 15 miles to Bowie, but to the three agents desperate to see their team mate again it felt like 1500. They'd continued to work the case, never letting up in their determination to find Tim, their latest hope had rested on a theory that the Dorado team would have to rehearse the raid, and where better to do that than a de-commissioned bank vault? Ellie and Tony had narrowed the list down to six banks and before they got news of Tim's call Vance was prepared to send search teams to every location on the list. Now they could concentrate all their resources in one place, it was only a matter of time, and Tim would be home.

Tony had to concentrate hard on keeping his breathing even, this was not the time to be falling apart, he'd held it together so long, soon, real soon they'd be there, he'd be able to see his friend again. "There it is Boss, on the left." His voice was hoarse, his mouth dry with pent-up tension.

"I see it Tony, keep it together, okay?"

"I'm good, least I will be soon."

NCIS NCIS

Tony's hopes of seeing his friend soon had been dashed the minute they saw the vault. Gibbs muttered expletive had spoken for all of them.

"Bastards! They've sealed the door, call Vance, we need specialist cutting equipment."

Vance pulled all the strings he could and they were promised equipment 'within the hour'. Ellie stared at the door, daunting in its size and security, she took a step forward and ran a hand over the seal. "How long, when we get the equipment, how long will it take to get the door open?"

Gibbs was watching Tony closely as he prepared to answer, his Senior Field Agent was teetering on the brink, and what he was about to say might tip him over the edge. "When they get here, two, three hours maybe."

"He can't wait that long! Tim's been waiting too long already, we have to…"

"We'll move as fast as we can Tony."

"Not fast enough. Boss, if he's hurt…"

"Damn it Tony, don't you think I want to get in there and drag him out! Every minute he's been gone I…we won't leave him behind." He squeezed Tony's shoulder, "He's family."

Ellie watched them, her heart pounding in her chest, she had known from the start that she was joining an exceptional team, and even in the short time she'd been with them she'd seen just how strong the bonds were that held them together. McGee, he wasn't as flamboyant as Tony, or as intense as Gibbs, but he was integral to the success of the whole, without him they were diminished and she couldn't bear the thought of this amazing team being broken, not when she was just starting to feel as if she belonged.

"Gibbs, we may have something." Vance's voice in their earwigs broke through the heavy silence in the ante-room. "It's a slim chance, but Ms Sciuto thinks there may be another way in."

"We're ready to go Leon."

"Hold on Gibbs, it's not going to be easy. Ms Sciuto, you tell them."

"Gibbs! I…it's a long shot, but this is Tim, we have to try, right?"

"Abby, take a breath." Gibbs tried to sound calm for Abby's sake, to keep her on track, he was wound tight, ready to spring into whatever action was required.

"Okay…we were checking the blueprints, Ducky and Jimmy are helping, and…there was something hinky, they'd been altered. So I called the construction company that built the vault, they didn't want to talk but Ducky can be very persuasive…there's a back door Gibbs! Not a door exactly, but maybe another way, a passage they used when they were building, it was supposed to be filled in but…"

"Can we get in Abby? Tell me!" Tony knew Abby had her own way of telling things, but right now…"Please Abs, how do we get to Tim?"

NCIS NCIS

"Tony, are you sure about this?"

"I don't have a choice Boss, if there's a chance I can get to him, I have to take it."

"Then be careful, I have one agent in trouble Tony, don't need to be rescuing two."

With a quick wave Tony headed for the entrance to the concealed passage. "You can be sure I'm on it Boss!"

It was slow progress, Tony was carrying a pretty heavy pack, and the tools at his belt were cumbersome and restricted his movement almost as much as the confined space in which he was crawling.

It had taken time to get his gear together, time he was becoming increasingly concerned Tim didn't have, he'd tried his best not to rush, to take things steady, to get it right first time. Following Abby's directions they'd found the concealed entrance, so well hidden they'd have walked past it even if they'd been looking hard. They'd needed an explosive charge to break open the concrete barrier, and despite Gibbs concerns about the safety of the passageway Tony had insisted on forging ahead, he'd also insisted on going alone.

"You said it yourself Boss, it could be unstable, could already have collapsed, Dorado may have booby-trapped the exit…you have to stay, make sure they get the seal open, Bishop, she's just out of the hospital. It has to be me."

"And what if something happens to you?"

Tony's eyes had been bright, not with tears, but with utter determination. "Nothing's going to happen because I'm going to get into the vault and keep him safe until you get the door open."

He kept inching forward; the thought of getting close to Tim was what kept him going, despite the ominous amounts of loose soil dropping in his wake. There was just enough room for him to move, the surfaces were rough, unfinished, but it was passable and nothing else mattered. Tony's flashlight beam picked up the metal panel he knew marked the end of the short tunnel, he picked up the pace, sending up a silent prayer of thanks that the construction company had cut corners. If they'd filled all this in with concrete as they should, he'd still be pacing back and forth in the vault ante-room. Instead he was close enough to touch the panel that would give him access to the vault, to Tim.

He took the wrench from his belt and started to loosen the metal nuts holding the panel in place, sweat dripped into his eyes and he had to stop to wipe his sleeve across his face. "Almost there Tim." Tony steadied his shaking hand and started work removing the final nut. "Please God, no booby traps." With one last turn of the wrench the nut gave way and the panel fell toward him with a dull thud. Large pieces of earth started to fall from above his head, time to make his exit, he took hold of the panel frame and dropped down into the darkness.

NCIS NCIS

"He's on his way Duck, don't expect to hear from him until he gets into the vault."

"Did he take the oxygen Jethro?" Ducky couldn't keep the anxiety out of his voice even though he knew Abby would be listening to the communications in her lab, at least Jimmy was waiting with her.

"Yeah, Duck…you worried about the air in the vault?"

"To some extent; there are other factors." He decided to take the plunge, Abby had heard the recording of Tim's call to the security centre, she knew he was in trouble. "Timothy's call, he sounded breathless, the KOLOKOL-1, it can depress the respiratory system, combined with the amount of time he has been held, and the likelihood that the air in the vault is becoming thinner as time passes…let's just say I'll be more relaxed when I hear that Tony is with him."

"You and me both Duck." Gibbs turned to the engineers working on the door, raising his voice over the noise of the cutting equipment. "Any way you can hurry this along?"

"We're going as fast as we can Agent Gibbs, we'll get to your man soon."

"Not soon enough, would it help if we got a thermal lance?"

"No way! This is real life, not the movies, you try a lance now; the heat inside the vault…no one could survive."

Gibbs nodded briefly, bowing to the expert. "Then I'll quit talking and let you get on with your work." He stepped aside and checked his watch again, Tony should be getting in touch soon, just so long as he'd made it through without mishaps. His earwig crackled back into life and Bishop's panicked voice echoed in his head.

"Gibbs! There's been a collapse, we heard…and then…there's debris and dirt spilling out here at the entrance, what should we do?"

"We wait, nothing to be gained by sending anyone else in there, we'll give him five more minutes, if we don't hear anything…"

NCIS NCIS

For a while all Tony heard was a deep rumbling as the roughly finished construction passage became one with the earth again; he took a few seconds to regain his equilibrium, grabbed the flashlight and swept the beam around the vault. Tony wouldn't have thought it possible for his heart to beat any faster, but when he saw the still figure it felt like it would explode out of his chest. He hurried over to his friend, laid the flashlight on the ground and put his trembling fingers to Tim's neck.

"Not dead…Tony." The voice was so weak that for an instant Tony thought he'd imagined it, then Tim turned slowly toward him, blinking at the light. "Knew you'd find…" A fit of heaving, painful coughing overtook him and Tony unhooked the tool belt, slipped the back pack off his shoulders and reached for the portable oxygen system.

"We got you now Tim, take it easy, we'll do the heavy lifting from here. I need to get this mask on you, so lie still okay?"

"Can't seem…to move…" He batted the mask away as a look of fear crossed his face. "Bishop…did they…?"

"She's fine, she was in the bathroom, got knocked out by the gas, but they didn't find her."

"'S good…" His eyes started to close, and Tony hurried to get the oxygen mask in place.

"Hey buddy! No sleeping on the job, stay with me okay?"

"Like…Somalia…always…sleeping."

"You can sleep later Tim, I promise, right now I need you to remember something else about Somalia, what I told Salem about you…show me now Tim, show me the lion's heart, fight this for me, you can do it." Tony took hold of Tim's hand, needing the physical contact to prove his friend was alive.

"Tony, Tony! Can you hear me, you okay?"

Gibbs; Tony had been so focussed on Tim he'd forgotten to call in. "I'm good Boss, Tim needs help fast, how much longer?"

"They say another hour at least."

"Not sure we have that long Boss, he…his breathing's not good, there are bruises, I don't want to move him too much, he's hurting; I don't want to make things worse."

Ducky's voice cut across the conversation. "Tony, I quite understand; the best thing you can do in this situation is keep Timothy conscious, it won't be easy, but if he can stay awake, and if you can elevate his head a little it will assist his breathing, can you manage that?"

"I'll try; hey Tim, can you do something for me, take your time, I'm going to help you sit up, not too much, here, let me put this pack behind you, how's that?"

"Feels…better…thanks." His voice was muffled by the mask, but it did seem as if his breathing was less strained.

"Done that Ducky, how about I give him a drink?"

"A very little, just wet his lips Tony, we must be careful."

"On it." Tony lifted the mask and held the water bottle to Tim's lips, allowed a tiny amount of water to dribble out and watched with increasing unease as Tim ran his tongue greedily along his lips. "More?" Tony shook his head. "Not right now, maybe in a little while. You settle down and we'll shoot the breeze, just you and me, no distractions, sound good?"

Tim smiled weakly, he wanted so much to get more sleep, but Tony was determined to talk, so he lay back and let his words wash over him, answering only when prompted. It felt good having Tony by his side, doing this alone had been hard, now Tony was here he could relax.

NCIS NCIS

Gibbs re-entered the ante room for what he hoped was the last time.

"Almost there Gibbs." Ellie moved aside as the medics set up their equipment. On standby in the parking lot, the EMTs had waited for word, at last Gibbs had been able to get them down to the ante-room, more than happy to help them carry their equipment down the narrow stairs.

The sudden silence as the cutting equipment was shut down came as a shock after so much unrelenting noise. Ellie and Gibbs held their breath as the engineer unwound the huge locking mechanism.

Finally, the door opened and light flooded into the vault illuminating a scene no one who witnessed it would ever forget. Like some ghastly tableau outlined by the thick metal doorframe they saw Tim lying on the cold metal floor, Tony kneeling beside him, pumping his chest with life-saving compressions. It couldn't be, after all their hard work, all the waiting, they couldn't be too late…

We're nearing the end of this arc, the penultimate chapter comes next; Wishes.