Chapter 4
It was black...not the black of onyx or obsidian. Not the black of hematite. Not even the black of a cave or of night. This was the inky blackness of space...with a light dusting of stars. They were staring at the universe.
Tony's mouth was open...Tim's was not but his eyes were wide.
"Can we step in there, you think?" Tony asked.
"One way to find out," Tim said and took a step before Tony could stop him. Tim walked into the universe. Tim was shaking and strangely illuminated in the space. He looked back over his shoulder and his eyes went wide. "Tony? Are you there?"
"Yeah, I'm here, McGee."
But Tim couldn't hear him and didn't even see him. It was like he'd stepped out of the world and into space. "Tony?"
As frightening as it was, Tony grimaced and took a step into the empty blackness.
"Tony!" Tim said, incredibly relieved. "You disappeared...I thought...I don't know what I thought."
"This is...very freaky, McGee."
"Yeah. Yeah...you're right."
"How big is this place?"
"Who knows? It could be light years...maybe...maybe twenty feet." Tim voice was shaking almost as much as he was.
"What's up, McGee?"
Can't you hear them, Tony? They're so loud."
"Hear who?"
"Them. Their voices!" Tim looked around, completely spooked. "They're all here! All of them!"
"I don't hear anything."
Tim spun around in a circle and then began walking farther into space.
"I don't know what to do!" he shouted. "Help!"
"McGee!" Tony hurried after him.
Tim stopped suddenly, facing away from Tony.
"McGee! Wait up!" Tony turned him around...and then backed away in horror
Tim's eyes were black...but when he spoke it was still his voice.
"Tony...I..." He panted and then arched backward away, yanking himself from Tony's grip. A swirl of energy surrounded him, flinging Tony back, leaving him watching, horrified, as multi-colored shafts of light stabbed through Tim's body. His eyes never closed. They were black. As bottomless as the space in which they were floating.
Floating?
But yes. At some point, the ground, the floor had disappeared and there was only space around them. There was no door. There was no light...except for the illumination around Tim, bearing him up. He was not limp but nor was he under his own power. His mouth was open in a silent scream and his arms raised, hands facing Tony, fingers splayed to their fullest extent. The tattoo on his right palm grew and began to swarm all over his body. Occasionally, Tony caught glimpses of multiple Tims but they always returned, solidifying into one.
"To-ny...he-lp...me..." Tim's voice was shifting from his own to that horrible alien tone and back.
Tony tried to walk forward but he couldn't move. Or rather...he could move but it didn't actually result in forward motion. Tim didn't seem to get any closer.
This is why Tim needed you here, dang it! You can still move!
Tony forced himself to look down...and down...and down...and there was no floor there, but he knew there had to be. There had to be because he would not accept that this could be anywhere than the backwoods of Virginia. He wouldn't accept that. He thought he could see something...flat. If he stared really hard at it, there was something there. He forced his foot down and touched...solid ground.
Ha! But even with himself on the ground, that didn't solve the problem of Tim hanging in the air, struggling against...something...trying to help a bunch of...whatevers only he could hear. He really wished that he could just say this wasn't happening...but it seemed to be.
Squaring his shoulders, Tony forced himself to walk forward on the floor he knew was there and he was surprised to find that Tim was actually standing on the floor as well. It had looked like he was floating in the air.
"McGee!" He reached out...but for some reason, he couldn't actually touch Tim. He was too far away. How had that happened? "McGee! You need to stretch your hand. I can't reach you by myself."
"He can't hear you!" The voice was almost taunting...but at the same time Tim's right hand, the one with the tattoo, reached out. It turned out to be just far enough. Tony grabbed Tim's hand and pulled him...down? Over? It didn't seem to be any real direction because as soon as he reached Tim's hand, Tim was there.
"He's...he's still here, Tony," Tim whispered. "That's what the problem is."
"Okay...so how do we get rid of him?"
"There's only one way," Tim said, softly.
"How's that?"
"I die."
"What?"
"He's inside me, Tony. He won't give me up without a fight."
"No, McGee. No, that's unacceptable."
"If I'm dead...he'll leave...or he'll be trapped inside my body when I die."
"And then what?"
"They'll be free."
"No, McGee!" Tony protested.
Tim was suddenly far away from him again. Tony had no idea how it happened.
"It's the only way, Tony...I'm sorry. You'll understand." Tim pulled out his gun and before Tony could do more than shriek a wordless protest, Tim pointed it at his own chest and fired.