Disclaimer on chapter one.

AN: here you go another chapter. Sorry bout the wait, but yeah life just gets in the way sometimes. Enjoy and leave your comments in the box, thanks. dark rolling sea.

Chapter Twenty Two

Jonas had heard the agents yelling. A smile had slipped over his features as he shifted in his hiding place. He knew his best option was to stay until morning, but something was gnawing deep inside him. He needed to act; waiting was never his strong suit.

He slid from his secure spot and quickly slipped through the woods without the slightest of sound. Jonas knew that the man would be following him. He knew he was taking a big risk, but everyone was exposed right now and he held the upper hand. Moving deftly, he quickly closed the distance between himself and the distracted agents.

He came upon the backside of the caves and stopped, listening for any sign of what was happening on the other side. He could hear people talking, but couldn't make out the words. He took a moment to compose himself and think through his next move. He would take them by surprise and he would eliminate them before they even knew what was coming.

Dusty moved from spot to spot quietly, watching for any sign of disturbance. He had no idea where Strom had gone, and it was getting too dark to track. Using the little moonlight that made its way through the tree cover, he was able to pick up on some of the tales Storm had left behind.

He felt his stomach tighten and his chest squeeze, this young man was good at covering his tracks. Storm could be anywhere, waiting to ambush him, but he knew he couldn't stop. Not now, when everything he cared about was in grave danger. His mind floated to Levi and he hoped his friend was ok. Deep down he had a sickening feeling, but he managed to shove it aside.

Dusty continued, moving through the underbrush and following the path. Coming up to an outcropping Dusty froze in his tracks. He smelled the air and closed his eyes to strain his ears. Opening his eyes once again he let himself breath deeply. Storm had been here, but was no longer waiting. He moved towards the outcropping and inspected the area.

Storm had set up here to stay, but something had grabbed his attention and made him move on. Dusty looked around and pushed down the uncertainty that was creeping into his mind. He turned to face the direction of the cabin he had left the agents at and wondered if Storm had headed there.

After jumping down and looking around, Dusty picked up Storm's trail again and headed towards the other side of the mountain. He picked up his pace, something in his gut telling him he needed to hurry. Moving swiftly, but carefully, Dusty made his way through the woods, no longer caring if he drew attention. If he drew Storm's attention, it was no longer pointed at the other people.

Grayson hobbled along through the thick brush, making slow time and a lot of noise. He didn't care anymore. His leg felt like it was on fire, the throbbing and pain making it hard to concentrate. Shooting pain was running through his shoulder as well, making it difficult to keep a steady pace. He was following the trail left by both Dusty and Jonas, hoping that he wasn't too late.

His mind continually floated from person to person involved in this little adventure and he felt his heart fall. He had gotten a lot of people into a lot of hot water. A voice in the back of his mind tried to tell him it wasn't his fault, but how could he truly believe that?

This entire ordeal was his fault. Gunnery Sergeant Corbett was dead because of him, his brother lay wounded because of him, not to mention Levi and the other agents, he didn't even know if they were alive. The anger and hatred bubbled and grew inside him with each passing thought, and Jonas was in the very center of that mass.

Grayson pushed himself harder, to move faster, even though his leg protested greatly. The pain was almost to the point of tears as he pushed his body to move even though it was badly torn. The trees started to blend and blur as the tears burned his eyes, but he pushed on, not caring if he walked into an ambush. His only thought was to find Jonas, one way or another, and finish this. Whether that meant he was dead or Jonas was dead, it really didn't matter to him anymore.

The sound of the night echoed around him, crickets and bugs hummed, while the brush crackled and snapped under his unsteady feet. He knew anyone close would know he was coming, but at the moment his brain didn't care.

Janie frantically struggled against her bindings. She feared that the man that had kidnapped her had left her to die. Waiting around to find out was not in her game plan. The gun battle she had heard had given her hope, but when no one emerged to rescue her, the fear invaded once more. She had tried yelling, but no one had answered, she wasn't even sure if anyone was still alive to hear her. All she knew was she had to free herself.

She wrestled and pulled against the restraints until her shoulder exploded in angry pain. She cried out as the tears rolled down her face. She had to rest; the strength had been swept away with the pain in her injured joint. Her eyes guardedly watched the cave entrance for any movement. She would be ready if he came back, but she knew she needed to escape from this prison if she was going to survive.

The fear of death fueled her adrenaline once more and she again attacked her restraints with fury. The pain in her shoulder tripled but this time she ignored it, giving up was not on her list of things to do today. She felt the bindings give a little and a smile washed over her face. There was a chance, she told herself, it would give way and she would be able to escape.

Zack slowly blinked his eyes as the world came back into focus. Almost instantly the pain in his side panged through his body making him groan. He tried to sit up, but only managed to intensify the pain. His body dropped back to the floor and he cried out. He lifted his head slightly and scanned the cabin, but he found he was alone.

He wondered where his brother had gone, before he felt around his side. The first thing he noticed was the bunched up sweatshirt secured around his midsection. Pushing with his hands and using his feet against the floor he managed to get himself into a sitting position against the wall. He needed to rest a moment to regain his strength as the pain reverberated through his side.

He looked down and saw he had lost a lot of blood, but the sweatshirt seemed to be working to slow the bleeding. Closing his eyes and concentrating he tried to remember what had happened, but he could only recall bits and pieces from his memory. He knew he was best served to wait it out here, but he tried to stand anyway. As soon as he was halfway up the room began to spin fiercely, sending Zack back to the floor with a thud. He let out a frustrated sigh before resigning himself to the sideline for the rest of the game.

"McGee," Tony said turning to face up the cliff. McGee peeked over the edge and looked down at him.

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to need your help. Neither one can walk out of here."

"Ok," McGee said with a gulp, as Tony turned back around jumping down over the rock ledge that had protected Kate and Gibbs earlier. McGee started to make his way down, slowly and carefully, but then he lost his footing and slid down the rest of the way on his butt.

"Glad you could join us, McGee," Gibbs said and McGee turned a little red as he nodded.

"Well, I think we're going to have to find a place with better footing, then drag the two of you up one at a time," Tony said thoughtfully.

"Drag?" Kate asked with a raised eyebrow before looking at Gibbs. Gibbs gave her an apologetic smile before nodding. Kate crossed her arms over her chest.

"There's some good footing just over that way," Gibbs pointed to the place where he had tumbled down. Tony walked that way and inspected the ground as best he could in the darkness. Once satisfied that they could use the slope, he walked back to them.

"Ok. Who wants to go first?" Tony asked with a smile. Gibbs looked at Kate and pointed.

"Kate goes first. Be careful," Gibbs replied. Tony nodded slowly and motioned for McGee to help him. Gibbs stood back and watched as the other two men helped Kate to her feet.

The four slowly walked the short distance to the better slope, having to stop a few times. Once there, Gibbs took a seat on a rock and rested his injured leg as McGee and Tony got Kate situated on the ground. Tony looked back at Gibbs and noticed he was staring at Kate. When he looked down at Kate he realized they were staring at each other. There was something there but Tony thought better of asking at the moment. Instead he looked back at McGee.

"Ready?" Tony asked McGee. The younger agent nodded and Tony looked at Kate. "You ready?"

She nodded as well and closed her eyes. Gibbs' jacket was still wrapped around her leg, to protect it from the dirt and rocks. Gibbs sat on the rock feeling helpless and hating it. He watched as Tony and McGee slowly got Kate to the top of the cliff and disappeared over the edge. The light was almost completely gone now and he worried about what might be waiting for them up above.

Tony and McGee came back down and Gibbs was already sitting where Kate had been. Tony took one side and McGee the other and up they went a second time. Pulling Gibbs up proved to be a bit more difficult, but they managed to make it without too many hiccups. Once on the top Gibbs made Tony help him to his feet, and then Gibbs half hopped, and half walked over to Kate.

He sat down next to her and inspected the wound on her leg once again. Tony walked over to Levi and squatted down. Gibbs slipped his arm around Kate when he noticed Tony and McGee weren't looking and kissed the side of her head, before slowly pulling back. Kate looked at him slightly shocked before she regained her composure.

Tony walked back over to Gibbs and Kate and looked down at the two of them. He then scanned the area trying to come up with a suitable plan. He checked his watch noting it was almost three in the morning, before glancing at Kate. Noticing that she was shivering, he pulled his jacket off and handed it to her.

"Here," he said softly. Kate looked up at him with a small smile before she slipped the coat over her shoulders. Gibbs looked at Tony.

"You need to go get help. Get the authorities and get paramedics up here," Gibbs stated. Tony nodded as he stood to his full height. He looked around feeling unease, before he glanced back at Gibbs.

"I'll send McGee. No need both of us going off and leaving you two defenseless," Tony replied. He was slightly confused by the look that flashed through Gibbs' eyes, but the older man didn't respond so Tony walked over to McGee.

After sending McGee down the mountain side Tony decided to take a look around and secure the area. Once he was out of sight, Gibbs slid his body over to Levi and took a look at the man. He frowned when he examined the wounds. There had been a lot of blood loss and his color was fading. He checked for a pulse and found a weak one. After making sure the bandages were tight and secure Gibbs moved back over to Kate. He looked around and noticed Tony was out of sight.

"Where'd DiNozzo go?" he asked Kate as he settled in next to her. She leaned on his shoulder, the fatigue of the day and her injuries taking its toll on her.

"Up there somewhere," she replied gesturing with her hand. Gibbs nodded and watched as Kate's eyelids drooped and then closed. He took in a breath smelling her hair closing his own eyes. His body tensed when he heard footsteps coming closer. He opened his eyes to see DiNozzo coming towards him with a worried look on his face.

TBC…