Once at the crime scene, Tony puts his hand over his nose. "Geez! how long has he been out here?"
"Only a few hours, we think," Gibbs says, looking at Tony in question. "DiNozzo, are you.. on something?"
"What?"
"You seem to have a sensitive nose today."
"Dunno, I'm not really taking anything. I think I'll um.. go interview today." He wrinkles his nose at the smell of the corpse, which is laying in the hallway of the victim's house.
"..Yeah. McGee, bag & tag. Ziva, your turn for photos." He looks at the body of the dead man, who couldn't be over 30. A single gunshot wound to the chest, and the gun is laying near him. At first glance, it appears a suicide.. but that's what they're here to investigate.
"Did he mention anything, recently, that seemed odd to you?" Tony asks, and the marine's wife shakes her head. "No, not at all. He seemed fine this morning."
"When did you see him last?"
"It was before I left to go shopping for groceries. Mark is on leave for a few weeks, and it was great to have him home.." Her eyes well up with tears. "But when I got home, I found him dead on the floor!"
Tony's nose twitches; other than the smell of the dead man, he picks up the smell of flowery perfume, and the smell of.. gunpowder. "Yeah.. so.. did you touch the gun when you came home?"
"What..? No, why would you even ask that? I called the police the moment I found him like this."
Tony reaches forward, grabs Mrs. Wilkes' wrist, and takes a deep whiff. "My nose says otherwise."
"DiNozzo, what the hell are you doing?"
"Boss, her hand smells like gunpowder." He offers the wrist to Gibbs, the woman looking horrified and insulted-and Gibbs looking at Tony with a look of utter confusion.
Gibbs takes a hesitant sniff, then looks at Tony. "I don't smell anything. Tony, I think you really should take some time off."
Tony looks at Gibbs incredulously. "I know what I'm smelling! I don't know how, but it's there!" He turns and heads back to the crime scene, putting gloves on and removing the gun from the evidence bag. He holds it to his nose and inhales deeply, causing Ziva and McGee to look at him very strangely. "Yeah.. same smell. Gunpowder and perfume." He looks up at the two, who are staring at him. "..What?"
"Tony.. what is wrong?"
"Whaddya mean? I smelled gunpowder and perfume on the wife, then I checked the gun, and it smells the same."
"But.. the gun didn't have a smell on it," McGee replies, looking at Tony strangely.
"It does so!" Tony shoves it into McGee's face, who takes it from Tony's hand. "Tony, I think you should talk to Gibbs about this."
"He already has," Gibbs says, walking up to the three. "Tony, go home."
"But-Boss! I probably just solved the case for you! The wife shot her husband. I don't know what from, but-"
"No, DiNozzo. You're smelling things that aren't really there, you're imagining things and you're acting strangely. You need time off to recover all the way. Go. Home."
Tony stares at Gibbs, and all of a sudden, he grits his teeth. "Fine. Waste your damn time investigating this case instead of listening to the one who's right anyway. Make sure you have Abby check the gun for perfume." He throws the bag that the gun was in onto the floor, turns and walks from the room, his stomping indicating stubborn anger.
Gibbs turns to watch him walk out, his face showing concern for his agent. He starts to worry Tony might have been mentally affected by the attack more than they realized.
Tony takes Gibbs' advice and stays home for a few days. It's been a week, actually, since anyone from work has heard from him-and he hasn't been answering his phone, either. A recon team has been sent to his home, consisting of no less than the rest of the team. Gibbs leads the assault, knocking on the front door. "Tony? Tony, are you home?" He knows Tony's in, since Tony's pride-and-joy car is in the driveway. However, at the lack of answers, Gibbs steps aside and has Ziva force the door open.
Inside both surprises and worries them. The living room is a mess.. the DVD bookcase had been knocked over, and hundreds of movies scattered about the floor. The tv itself was broken, its screen shattered, closer inspection showing the remote control lodged into it. Various empty food containers are on the coffee table, some even have food in them still.
The team move onto the kitchen, where they find dishes in the sink, as well as a collection of broken dishes abound on the floor, mixed among silverware and food bits. On into the bedroom they check, weapons still at the ready. They find nothing amiss in the bedroom.. oh wait, the smashed alarm clock on the floor.
Their attention turns to the bathroom as they hear clattering, and Ziva quickly yanks the door open-revealing Tony, hunched over the kitchen sink. Unshaven, shirtless.. but what really gets them is how he's acting. He's leaning over the sink, looking like he's in pain. Closer inspection shows it's not so much pain as rage being held in; Gibbs can see the sink isn't far from being torn from the wall. "Tony! Tony, what's wrong?"
Tony jerks to look up at Gibbs, eyes flashing with anger-but also fear. Just as he'd turned, however, the sink came loose-tearing from the wall, pipes and all, to crash into the doorway, somehow missing any human contact in the process. "I.. Gibbs..?"
"Tony.. we're here. Tell us what's wrong." Gibbs reaches out, taking Tony by his shaking shoulders.
"Boss.. something's wrong with me, but I don't know.." He looks at the others, who look frightened for their friend. "I-I.. my senses are going haywire and this rage fills me all the time.."
Gibbs stares at Tony, shaking his head. "Come on, let's get you to a doctor." He looks at McGee, who helps him walk Tony out to the car. Ziva sits in the back with Tony whilst Gibbs drives, McGee in the passenger seat.
After a very long and extensive visit first with a psychologist, then a physical doctor, Tony is given a series of prescriptions and a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. At the diagnosis, Tony looks both relieved at having a reason this was happening to him, but also concerned, as he wanted it to go away.
"See? Soon you'll be feelin' better," Gibbs says, heading to the pharmacy with Tony, who just plain looks despressed now.
"Doesn't matter.. with the way I've been, no way I'll be able to work.."
"That's what the medicine is for," McGee says, in an attempt to comfort Tony.
"How the hell am I supposed to work when I'm all drugged up?" Tony asks, and the rage appears again. "I'll never be able to work again! Damn that fucking wolf!" His hands form into fists, and he takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He gains worried looks from everyone, and Gibbs confirms Tony's words in his mind.
[Maybe he won't be able to work again..]
A week has passed. Tony has been on his medication, but has insisted upon staying at home, not wanting to worry Gibbs about the fact that his symptoms have only gotten worse. It's been one month since the last attack, and Tony's feeling particularly.. energized, around now. He picks up his cellphone and calls Abby.
Abby answers promptly, music playing in the background. "Tony! How are you? I heard you have PTSD. Are you doing okay?"
Tony grins a little. "Yeah. Hey, Abby.." he pauses, unable to believe he's even asking this question. "What do you know about werewolves?"
Abby brightens. "Werewolves? Well, they have to be bitten by another werewolf to become one. They change under the light of the full moon, they can't control themselves, silver bullets will stop them.. haven't you ever watched werewolf movies, Tony?"
"Yeah, I.. I have, thanks, Abby.." He starts to sound breathless, though he hasn't been exerting himself at all. He does feel a twinge of pain, though, course through his body, eliciting a whimper from him.
"..Tony? Tony, are you okay?"
The pain jolts through him again, this time, more intense-he drops the phone, which Abby hears as a loud clack. Another pain, and Tony cries out.
"Tony! Tony, I'm coming right over!" just as this makes it through the line, Tony stumbles, stepping on the phone-crushing it.
Very soon afterwards, Abby and Gibbs arrive together at Tony's door. Cries of pain are heard behind the door, in the voice of their friend. Sounds of smashing and crashing and stumbling are heard as well, but the sound that scares them the most is of Tony yelling out in an almost inhuman cry of rage. Gibbs immedately breaks in the door, and the two are met with Tony in mid-transformation.
Pointed ears. Stubby-muzzled face, teeth needle-sharp. Fingernails sharpened into thick claws. Feet bursting through shoes as foot-claws shred through the sneakers. Abby stares, mouth wide open, stumbling back. "T-T-To-"
Gibbs stares in horror at his agent as the transformation continues, brown fur spreading to cover his entire body, chest thickening and straining at the t-shirt he was wearing. Tony's ears travel to be atop his head, his mouth elongates into a full wolf muzzle complete with shiny black nose, and he suddenly grows a tail. The transformation complete, Tony stands, a wolf with the body shape of a man, teeth bared and muscles rippling under the sleek brown fur coat. He tosses his head back and howls, leaning forward and landing on all fours when finished.
"Oh, shit," is all Gibbs can manage, and whips out his gun, readying himself to take down Tony without killing him.
Tony's head whips up to face Gibbs, his hazel eyes showing pure animal instinct.. but just a little bit of Tony in them. Instead of attacking, the wolf growls, then turns to Abby, who was slowly backing away.
"Tony.. Tony c'mon, calm down, we're-we're only here to help.."
Tony stares at Abby, faces the door, and shakes his head. He lets out a whine, prompting Abby to speak again. "Tony, are you in there? Let us help you with this."
Out of nowhere, Tony snaps at Abby, nearly getting her hand-and Gibbs reacts instinctively to protect Abby, lodging a bullet in Tony's right shoulder. Tony immediately swipes a lethally-clawed hand at Gibbs, tearing through cloth and flesh on his arm before running out through the open door into the cool night, free to bring hell to the entire city.
"Gibbs! Gibbs, are you okay? We have to stop him," Abby says, eyes filling up with tears. "He's going to hurt somebody, Gibbs.."
Gibbs looks at his left arm, which has three gashes in it, and puts his hand over it. "Let's go, we'll track him." He heads out to his car, which they arrived in, and the two drive off after Tony, hoping to be lucky enough to keep up with him.