Chapter 37
„Tony, can't you just get it off somehow?" Kate exclaimed, in panic.
"Hold on, Kate" Tony said calmly.
"Is it poisonous?" Kate asked.
"I think it is" Tony said slowly.
"Ew! What is it doing?" Kate yelled when the snake wrapped around her leg.
"It's wrapping around your leg" Tony said.
"Do something, Tony!" Kate yelled.
"I'll just grab it, don't make any sudden moves, ok?" He assured her as he crouched.
"What if you miss it?" She said.
"I see this stuff on Discovery Channel all the time. It's not that hard" Tony said.
"Oh, I'm just gonna shoot it!" Kate pulled out her gun and pointed it at the snake.
"HEY! Put that gun away and let me do this. You'll blow your foot away" Tony said.
"Oh, God. My life, in your hands. I knew it was gonna end this way" Kate whined.
"Quiet! You're making me nervous!" Tony hissed.
"Ah!" She screamed in panic when Tony grabbed the snake.
"Gotcha!" Tony said to the snake that was in his hands. Kate exhaled in relief.
"So, are we friends again?" Tony asked. Kate smiled.
"OH COOL! A snake!" Can I hold it, please?" McGee pleaded.
"NO, McGee! It's poisonous" Kate said quickly.
"Uh, no. Actually, they're not, Kate" McGee said, in a very confused tone.
"Yes, they are, McGee!" Tony said, implying the are part.
"What about that one you caught at Shenandoah? You had it, like, hours on your neck" McGee said.
"Plague must have clattered my memory" Tony hissed at McGee.
"You're such a loser" Kate said, very offended and kicked Tony with her foot. He rolled on the ground with moaning.
"Ouch" Tony managed to say.
"Everyone, back to work. McGee, check the trunk." Kate said.
"Freeze!" Tony shouts quickly.
"What now?" Kate groans.
"Kate, McGee, don't move!" Tony said warily.
"Tony, what's the matter?" McGee asked. Tony spotted a tiny red light under the victim's car, which was not touched by the explosion. He quickly realized it was a bomb.
"The car is wired to a bomb. Detonator is possibly in the trunk" Tony said. McGee gulped.
"W… What?" McGee stuttered.
"How far did you turn the key?" Kate asked, frightened with the situation she found herself at.
"Uh, um… I'm not sure. Almost all the way, I think" McGee said fearfully.
"Ok, well, don't let it snap back, alright?" Tony said.
"Yeah" McGee said as he let Tony take in charge.
"Ok, now both of you. Run!" Tony half-shouted.
"No! Tony, we're not leaving you here!" Kate yelled utterly angrily.
"Kate, listen. This isn't a debate. Run, I'm faster. I'll be right behind you" Tony hissed. Kate sighed and nodded to McGee. They both ran up the hill, leaving Tony alone.
"Anthony, you should have taken that extra week" Tony whispered to himself and closed his eyes. He opened the trunk slowly.
Up on the hill…
Gibbs is talking on the phone. He spots two figures running towards him. Soon, he recognizes the faces: Kate and McGee who were recklessly running up the hill, waving with their hands.
"What the…" Gibbs whispered to himself as they were getting closer.
"BOSS! THE CAR!" McGee yelled almost losing his breath.
"IT'S WIRED TO…" Kate joined McGee in yelling.
She was stopped by the exploding bomb. Gibbs, Kate and McGee found themselves on the ground very fast. Kate and McGee were strongly thrown to the ground, by the explosion. Gibbs volunteered himself to fall. Before McGee or Gibbs could move or say anything, Kate quickly turned around and cried in Tony's direction:
"TONY!" Her voice seemed shaken.
Her breathing was fast. Normal, by the adrenaline the explosion caused. Her eyes got wet, but suddenly, something appeared to be crawling on the hill slowly. She looked closer.
"Tony?" She whispered, trying to hide her tears.
"Boss? Remember today when I said I never felt better? I lied" Tony weakly said, and dropped his head on the ground.
"Tony?" Kate whispered, fearing the worst already happened. He wasn't moving.
"Kate! Call Ducky and Palmer right away!" Gibbs yelled at Kate. She was too distracted by unconscious Tony to hear Gibbs' words.
"No need to, Jethro. We're already here" Ducky arrived with his assistant.
"What happened?" Jimmy asked, looking at Tony.
"Set up, that's what happened!" Gibbs snapped at Jimmy. Ducky bent over to see Tony's pulse.
"Jethro!" Ducky yelled.
"Yeah?" Gibbs turned to him. Ducky motioned with his hands to him to come closer.
"Anthony's fine. He just collapsed. He'll wake up in any minute" Ducky got up. Gibbs nodded. They both looked at Kate, who was talking to McGee now. She still looked lost.
"She's getting suspicious…" Gibbs glared at Kate.
"Jethro. You would worry about your colleague too, wouldn't you?" Ducky said.
"I would, but she's getting over attached" Gibbs whispered.
"For God's sake, Gibbs! She's not his girlfriend!" Ducky raised his voice.
"You called me Gibbs?" He smiled at Ducky.
"Oops" Ducky chuckled.
"Wa… What happened?" was heard a little further from them. They looked at the direction where the sound was coming from. They both gasped in relief. Tony was slowly getting up on his feet, rubbing his head.