Disclaimer on chapter one.
AN: Looky there updated pretty quick this time. Enjoy and remember I enjoy your comments. Have at it. dark rolling sea.Chapter Twenty Four
McGee was snapping at the operator now as she continued to ask questions. He finally hung up the phone and went outside to wait for the sirens. He paced the front porch stamping down his anger, fighting the urge to run back up the mountain.
He knew if he left the cabin the emergency personnel wouldn't know where on the mountain they were. That could be the difference between life and death. He knew Brown was still alive when he left, he just hoped the EMS got there in a hurry.
It was then that McGee heard the eruption of gun fire. His head snapped towards the noise and he felt his gut roll over. He strained his ears towards the distance trying to hear any sign of the sirens, but heard nothing. He gripped the railing along the porch tightly, as he debated in his mind to stay and wait or charge back to help the rest.
He knew his best bet was to stay put and wait, to make sure the emergency workers found the right site, but the pull to help his team was just as strong. He released his left hand and balled it into a fist. Slamming it down on the railing, he swore aloud and turned and kicked at a chair.
Gibbs would want him to stay, to make sure help arrived and was led to the correct place. McGee knew it would better serve to hold the fort and wait, even if it tore his heart apart. So he waited.
Grayson heard the exchange of gun fire and started to push himself faster. He could feel his leg starting to give in, but he fought with the pain and made himself hustle through the forest brush. The gun grew heavy in his arm as his mind worked through the scenarios that could be coming up.
There was nothing more important in his world right now than killing Jonas Bale, even if it was the last thing he did. The darkness was overbearing and his mind started to play tricks on him, but he managed to find his way, barely. He held his breath without even knowing it as the noise assaulted his ears and caused his mind to spin. Fighting back the wave of helplessness he pushed forward, half running, half hopping on his bad leg.
He came to the rock caves just as the gun fire ceased. Taking a long moment to catch his ragged breath, Grayson leaned on the rock face and closed his eyes. The pain in his leg was gone from his mind, as he focused on his task at hand; nothing could stop him now.
Dusty heard the first shots ring out just above him. He leaped up the rock face and took cover on the back side of the caves, watching the discharge from the weapons. He saw Storm just below him and another person firing from the bottom of the rocks.
He took aim and fired a quick burst of shots at Storm just as the young man fired at the other man. The shots were off a hair, and Storm ducked behind another rock for cover. Dusty tried to find an angle, as another burst of shots came from below at Storm. A stray shot smacked off a rock next to his shoulder and Dusty ducked down further.
Another single shot rang out and Dusty popped up instantly firing in the direction of the report. He then dropped flat to the ground as the gun spun and fired in his direction. The air went silent then as Dusty reloaded his clip and waited for someone else to make a move.
Storm was no where in his sight and that bothered him. He had also lost whoever was at the bottom of the rocks. He cursed softly and decided it would be in his best interest to find another spot. He quietly moved to his left, dropping into the cave that had held Janie just moments before.
Tony reloaded his weapon after the exchange and tried to look back over where the others were. He swore under his breath as he realized he had left them completely unarmed. He bit at his lower lip as he scanned the darkness looking for movement, but he found none.
Time seemed to have stopped for him as he checked himself for wounds. He figured he would have felt pain, but in his adrenaline surged state he had to be sure he wasn't bleeding somewhere. Finding none he let out a sigh of relief as he shifted to find a better angle.
Tony ran the gunfight through his mind quickly, and decided that there was more than one person up in the rocks firing weapons. He closed his eyes and offered a silent prayer that it was someone friendly. The last thing they needed tonight was two psychos instead of one.
He shifted again, scanning the caves for danger. Stifling the urge to call out to Gibbs, he just hoped that they had gotten to cover and were safe. His mind raced with all possibilities and he offered another silent prayer that McGee hurried back with lots of help.
Jonas ducked into a cave and checked his ammunition. There was a smug smile planted securely on his lips after taking the silver haired agent down. The man had hesitated just long enough for him to send a bullet through the older man's shoulder. Pleasure had spread through his body as the agent hit the ground with a grunt.
The fact that no shots had come from that direction also made Jonas happy. They were injured and unarmed. The only agent with a weapon was pinned on the other side of the open plain. The only thing that worried him was the late joiner that rained bullets down from above him.
Either Grayson had caught up with him, or the other man was there and ready to take him out. The first shots had almost succeeded, just barely missing him. He sat back and enjoyed the moment for now, in no hurry to finish the night. Confidence would carry him through the odds, he was sure of that.
Gibbs fought to stay conscious. His shoulder was growing increasingly sticky and wet with each passing second. He felt his body being pushed up against the rock wall and settled against something warm. Letting his head fall to the side he found a soft shoulder against his neck and squinted up to see who it was.
Kate's face stared back at him with increasing alarm and Gibbs tried to smile at her. His entire side was completely numb, making it near impossible for him to move his injured arm. He frowned slightly as he tried to regain control of his body, failing miserably. His mind grew cloudy with confusion, as his eyes dimmed in the lack of light.
Blood was trickling down his arm, but he couldn't tell. A pool of it collected in the dirt. Shivers started to assault his body as he felt increasingly cooler with each passing moment. An arm snaked around him as a force pushed into his uninjured side. Someone was whispering to him, but his ears couldn't register the noise.
The world was slowly slipping away from him and he knew he had to fight it but nothing seemed to work. The darkness started to overcome him and he looked at Kate one last time. Noting the worry etched into her face, he tried to reach out to her with his good arm, but the world was black.
Kate knew Gibbs was out cold when his eyes closed and remained shut. She bit at her lower lip and lowered him flat on the ground. She inspected his wound and knew that help needed to arrive soon. Everything had gone wrong out here in the wilderness. She just hoped that Tony was still ok after the exchange of gunfire had ceased.
Checking the time on her cell phone she calculated how long McGee had been gone. Frustrated that she was trapped with a wounded leg, and without a weapon, she tried to struggle to her feet. Collapsing to the ground with a grunt, she realized with a small amount of panic that she had lost all feeling in the leg with the bullet wound.
Kate closed her eyes and fought the urge to break down. Panic was the last thing she needed right now. She attempted to stretch and flex her leg, to return some sort of blood flow, but she found that she couldn't get it to move very much at all. She slumped against the wall and looked at Gibbs, hoping McGee returned in time to save them all.
Grayson pushed himself away from the rock support and made himself slowly climb the back of the caves. Tucking the gun into his pants he relied heavily on his arms to pull himself up. His leg buckled and cramped under him, but he refused to let it hold him back. He clamped down on his lip a couple times to keep himself from crying out in pain.
By the time he reached the top, his lip was bleeding steadily, pain was pulsating through his leg, and his shoulder felt like a million tiny needles were kneading the muscle. But none of this stopped him. He crouched low in the rocks and pulled the hand gun from his belt. Checking it one last time to make sure it was ready to fire, he made his way carefully over the last barrier between him and Storm.
His breathing increased as his heart rate tripled and he knew he needed to calm himself before he faced Storm. He stopped and closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths to slow his racing body. Once he was in control again, he moved forward again. Movement to his left made him stop and drop to his good knee.
He scanned the area and smiled to himself, destiny was smiling on him tonight. Jonas was slouched against a cave entrance with his eyes closed. Grayson pushed with everything he had left, knowing that surprise was his only chance. As he came around, bringing the gun up, he fired a single shot at Jonas.
The bullet caught Jonas in the lower rib cage and Grayson smiled at the strangled yelp that escaped. Before Grayson could react a second time, a spray of bullets were headed in his direction. He fell to the ground as he heard them wiz past his head. More shots sounded from behind and below him as the air exploded in another round of gun fire.
Grayson remained flat on the ground until it all stopped. He could hear someone above him moving slowly through the rocks. Jonas was making soft noises to his left, while he was sure someone was down below calling out to them. Grayson picked his head up when he was sure Jonas was through.
He could tell from the noise that his adversary had been hit. Grayson limped slowly over there, hoping he didn't draw the fire of the other two with guns. Squatting down next to Jonas, Grayson let a small smile play over his lips as he saw the thick dark blood leaking from the wounded man's side.
"You take that first shot, Grady?" Jonas asked in a choked voice.
"Yeah. Just for old times you know," Grayson replied with mirth. Jonas smiled up at him with a nod.
"I never expected it from you," Jonas struggled to say. Grayson heard Dusty come up beside him, but his attention never left Jonas.
"That was why I won," Grayson replied. "You never expected it and that's why I'm alive and you're dying."
Jonas smiled broadly at him for a moment before his body slumped to the side. Grayson looked up at Dusty with guilt and pain in his eyes. Dusty reached out and placed a gentle hand on the young man's shoulder.
"This is all my fault," Grayson whispered hoarsely. "Where's Agent Gibbs?"
"I don't know," Dusty replied honestly. It was then that they heard someone yelling at the bottom of the caves. Grayson turned slightly.
"Jonas is dead," Grayson yelled back down. "How is everyone?"
TBC…