Yay! Chapter 5! I had some time to work on it but I won't be able to for a while I fear. Please bear with me! Enjoy!
Sunlight seemed nonexistent because of the thick clouds and fog that encompassed the ship. The morning was gray and brought with it rain. One of the doors on the deck was cracked open. Rain drops speckled the creature's dark red and black feathers as well as the black and green crest of long, elegant feathers that lined its neck and the top of its head. Lightening crackled through the clouds above and shed an eerie white-blue light on the shimmering feathers of the beast as it stalked back into the bowels of the Black Raptor.
Gibbs was the first up that morning. His agents along with Ducky were still asleep and he was willing to allow that. Yesterday had been a hard day and not to mention a hinky one. That creature snorting last night at their door helped that fact in no way. His gaze shifted from that of the tan wall to Tim, who had unconsciously tucked his arm against his chest. Yes, he was a hard and sometimes mean boss at times but seeing one of his agents hurt made him feel truly sorry for him or her.
"What I wouldn't do for a cup of Earl Gray tea," Ducky said as he sat up in his bunk and stood.
"Mornin' Duck," Gibbs greeted in a rather sour tone. He didn't mean to sound so grumpy but this situation didn't help his mood or his blood pressure.
"Jethro, I know that you're worried," Ducky noted as he rummaged through a bag for some of the food supplies they had brought aboard.
"My team is in danger and one of them is injured," Gibbs said gruffly as he stood from where he was sitting. "And I have no idea what that thing out there is."
"Perhaps we should find the fellow who is still on this ship," Ducky suggested. "This ship is still moving and heading back to the coast so a captain or at least someone must still be onboard. If anything, they'd know what that ghastly creature is and what it's doing on this vessel."
"Only problem is that beast is still out there," Gibbs pointed out and rubbed his tired blue eyes. "We heard it last night, me and Tim. It's waiting for us to come out so it can finish what it started."
Tim woke up when he heard his boss and Ducky discussing what the next move should be. He sat up and shifted his legs around so his feet were touching the floor. His hair was a bit disheveled as well as the jeans and t-shirt he slept in. All the agents had slept in their clothes, in fact. It was just in case they had to jump up and run in the middle of the night.
"Timothy, how's your arm?" Ducky asked once he saw that the young agent was awake.
"Stiff, a bit sore," Tim answered as he stood and stretched. The bunks weren't all that comfortable but they were better than the floor.
"And I'm afraid it will be for a while, my dear boy," Ducky frowned and then walked over to Tim. "I want to take a look at. I want to make sure there's no infection, only god knows what was under that creature's claws."
Tim nodded as the M.E. gingerly unwrapped the cloth bandage around his arm. The fresh air stung a bit but it was nothing too serious. The scratches were a very fleshy pink color but otherwise didn't look infected at all. There was no puss or any sign that the bleeding hadn't stopped.
"Well I think it's healing nicely but only time will tell," Ducky said as he began to wrap the bandage back around Tim's arm.
"That's good, I guess," Tony said suddenly as he rolled over and let his arm flop over the edge of the bunk, nearly smacking Tim in the head.
"Watch it, Tony," Tim grumbled as he moved out of the way as the senior field agent landed on the floor and pulled his SIG out from under his pillow.
"How'd you sleep with your arm, McGee?" Tony asked as he lifted his partner's bandaged arm up.
"Not very good," Tim pulled his arm from Tony's grasp. "Especially considering that the creature was scouting out our door last night."
"It was?" Tony's green eyes went wide. "I didn't hear it."
"You snored like a bear, Tony," Tim pointed out, earning himself a slap on the back of his head.
"That was not me," Tony corrected and pointed to the bunk above Tim's. "That was Ziva."
"I do not snore like a boar," the Israeli grumbled as she slid from her bed and landed neatly in front of Tony.
"McGee said a bear but a boar works just as well," Tony chuckled as he got a glare that could cripple and devour his soul.
"Bear or boar, it doesn't matter because I do not believe you," Ziva crossed her arms over her chest and took on a defensive stance.
"You snored like this," Tony flopped his head to the side and made a horrendous sound that sounded like a very angry bear. "Or maybe it's more like this," he switched sides and made a sound that resembled something closer to a buzz saw.
After that round of snoring ended another began. It sounded deep and rough yet had the faint tinge of a sound close to a purr mixed in it as well. Gibbs turned and looked at his senior field agent.
"That one sounded closest," the silver haired man decided.
"That wasn't me, boss," Tony's eyes were wide and looking around the small room suspiciously.
All the others froze in their spots, as if glue were attaching them to the floor. The sound came again, this time rougher and more agitated. A bird mixed with a boar sounding like squeal followed. All these terrifying sounds were seeping from the cracks in the door.
"It's back," Gibbs growled as he secured his SIG and cocked it. "We have to find another way out before…"
He trailed off as the five of them heard a squeaking sound that was eerily close to the sound a metal door makes when being opened. Sure enough, the thought to be impenetrable door was rocking on its hinges, being pulled open from the other side.
"We have to move, now!" Gibbs ordered as his agents got prepared for whatever escape route their boss had planned out. "We can use the ventilation shafts to crawl out and hopefully be long gone before that thing gets in here. We'll head for the bridge where the captain or hopefully somebody is still piloting this ship."
"On it boss!" Tony stood on his tiptoes and pulled out his knife. As quick as humanly possible he pried the vent off of the shaft, letting it clatter onto the floor rather noisily.
"I'll go first then Ziva," Gibbs ordered as he shoved a backpack up into the vent and pulled himself up into the shaft. "Then Ducky followed by McGee and DiNozzo you'll be at the end."
"Why me?" Tony squeaked as the Israeli followed the silver haired man.
"Now DiNozzo!" the irritated call echoed oddly in the shaft.
"Yeah boss," Tony secured his SIG, making sure it wouldn't go off while they were crawling in the vents. He jumped as a particularly ticked off snarl came from the now bent door. The creature's nose was pushing through one of the cracks, its nostrils flaring. "Move! Move, move, move!"
"I can only go so fast Tony," Tim grunted as he disappeared into the vents before the others got too far ahead.
"Yeah, yeah," Tony hefted himself up after his partner and stayed as close as he could behind him.
An ear shattering screech came from the room all of them were just in. A series of irritated clicks and snarls followed.
"Holy crap!" Tony rammed into the back of Tim, causing them both to collapse. The beast's jaws snapped close mere inches where Tony's foot had been. "Can't you move faster McGee?"
"Not with this arm," Tim growled as he got back on his knees and continued forward.
Tony looked back at the opening to the shaft. The creature couldn't fit into the relatively small area, thank goodness. Its head blocked the opening and its jaws snapped in pure fury. He cringed at the sight of its teeth. Surprisingly they were fairly white but they were backwards facing and serrated. If that thing bit into anything or anyone with one jerk of its head it could possibly pull a limb clean off.
"Keep moving McGee," Tony whispered as they followed the echoes of their boss pretty dang far ahead of them. "How did Gibbs get so far ahead?"
"I have no idea," Tim grunted as he tried to keep up with the others.
The creature sat down, tucking itself into a position similar to that of a hen sitting on her eggs. It nuzzled the spot where one of the humans had shot it in the chest. No real damage had been done but it was enough to make the beast uncomfortable. Its feathers fluffed up as it waited for the humans to reappear. They'd have to come out of the vents sometime. For now, though, it was just going to sit in the cargo bay where the creature knew that another human that had been on the ship before was hiding.
"Boss, how much farther?" Tony called up, hoping that his voice would echo enough to catch up with Gibbs.
"We're pretty dang close to the bridge," came the reply, sounding a bit tired and irritated.
"Okay," Tony smiled weakly then frowned as the group continued to crawl. Everyone was tired and hungry and sore. It felt like they'd been in these shafts for days though it had been only about an hour. "How're you doing McGee?"
"Okay, I guess," Tim replied, surprised that Tony actually cared enough to ask. His partner was not that bad even though he could be pretty self-centered sometimes. When it really came down to it, he knew he could count on him.
"What I wouldn't do for a cheeseburger," Tony smacked his lips as he thought about all the junk food he liked to eat. "Or a burrito."
"Stuck in these vents with you after eating a burrito would be complete torture," Ziva called back from somewhere up ahead.
"That would be very bad, wouldn't it?" Tony furrowed his brow as that thought entered his mind. It would be funny yet it could possibly cause him along with the rest of his team to suffocate.
"Yes, it definitely would be," Tim said.
The group came to an abrupt halt, causing a domino effect as they ran into the back of the person in front of them. They heard Gibbs kick a vent a few times before it clattered to the floor.
"We there, boss?" Tony asked hopefully.
"Yeah, DiNozzo, we're here," the reply came back as the silver haired man dropped to the floor, followed quickly by Ziva.
One by one, they dropped to the floor and looked at the bridge of the ship. There were controls everywhere, various buttons and LEDs lighting up occasionally. Where the door was, or at least they assumed, chairs and other supplies were stacked up to make the only door impossible to open or even pry open.
"Who are you and what are you doing on my ship?" a voice called out.
Please remember to R&R! It makes me incredibly happy! Thanks for reading! :)