Apollo, struck mute in his surprise, almost hung up the phone before finding his voice. "Just called to chat, did you?"
"Well I thought I'd see how you were doing. I've been stressed all day, what with the disappearances that showed up on the news this morning."
"I heard about that. I'm assuming the eight are in your basement," the eldest Clark said, dropping all pretenses.
"As a matter of fact they are," Thad said. "The question I had was, how did the Commune find out about it?"
"They're reporters. The media always prints what will sell," Apollo said, worried about where this was going.
"Not if the editor is a personal friend of mine, they don't."
Apollo went pale, and around him the other listeners reacted in grim confirmation of what had been suspected.
"Actually, he's a family member," D'Amico continued. "So you can see why I'd be surprised to find out that the news was reporting things I didn't want them to."
Tim was already pulling up the news site and showing the most recent article to Apollo.
"Well as we speak, I'm reading the highlights of your press conference. The Commune was hacked, it seems," he said.
"Yes, well it took several hours, but we found the man responsible for the first leak," came the once-again smug reply. "Turns out we had a little mole in our own police force. A member of our IT department. A Human. Go figure."
The phrase "our police force" seemed a little more familiar than someone talking about local law enforcement, and Apollo could tell that everyone else heard it too. Thaddeus continued.
"Luckily we found him. He's been taken care of." Chills went back up Tim's neck and his shoulders hunched, wings opening at the threatening implication.
"I'm impressed by his work, actually. It took us all day to find him. But funny enough, he wasn't responsible for the second hacking of the morning."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, the second one wasn't from the same computer. In fact, we're still trying to find the IP address of the second hacker. But it keeps bouncing the trace all over the world. Or something like that. That's what I've been told. It's hard to keep up with today's technology. I mean, I remember the introduction of the musket."
Apollo didn't answer, so D'Amico continued. "I didn't have any idea what to do, until I found that you called a mutual friend of ours…at the precinct."
"Where is he?" Apollo said, anger building in his chest.
"He's here with me," came the simple reply.
"No. He'd never do that. He wouldn't join you."
"Does it matter whether he's with me or against me? He's here in my house and he's not leaving."
"So, he's in your dungeon too."
"You take the fun out of everything, Apollo. I remember when you were much more fun than this." Suddenly, true fury radiated from behind the calm tone. "Which is why I'm so disappointed. I remember some of the crazy stunts we used to pull together, the power we had. I mean, calling the police station? You're better than that. Smarter. Do you think so little of me? Do you think I wouldn't own the whole goddamn force? Even the humans here are following my orders without knowing I exist. You either think I'm an idiot, or your mental capacities are slipping."
Everyone was crowding around to catch every word, but Apollo was feeling so claustrophobic and suffocated as it was…
"Even without the leak you hack you knew what was going on. And yet you chose to interfere…" after a pause, Thad continued. "I can't prove it yet, but something tells me one of your little friends was behind the second hack. No one on the force said anything about a serial killer. You made that one up on your own…but even without the leak, I knew it was you who called to ask about the disappearances. Were you going to tell on me to the cops?"
"Did you call to ask me rhetorical questions?" Apollo snapped back.
"No, I came to confirm that you did, in fact, interfere. And I knew the moment you answered my call. Consider our deal null and void."
Everyone but Gibbs paled in horror, knowing exactly what that meant. Apollo was shaking in fury and fear.
"Don't beat yourself up, I know it wasn't just you," Thaddeus said. "It was a team effort, I'm sure."
The agents and flightlings glanced at each other, knowing that he was right. They all agreed to hack the Commune, they all agreed when Apollo suggested calling up his friend on the Venetian police force. They all played a part in this disaster.
"So, yes, I'm just calling to check in on you, and to tell you goodbye and good luck," D'Amico said, infusing his voice with as much mocking finality as he could.
The line went dead. War had been declared.
Thaddeus smiled as he put down his phone and stared out his study window. The dozen of his strongest family members, whom he had sent just before calling Apollo, had specific instructions as to how they were to capture the occupants of the Clark house. Capture the humans. Harm the three Clarks as much as needed, but don't kill them just yet. Deliver all six to the D'Amico mansion alive, so that Thaddeus could do what he wished. He'd liked Tim and Victoria very much, and he had plans for them. Strong, noble as they were, he could use a pair of seconds- in-command. No matter what, he would be able to use them against his old friend-turned-enemy. Ideally, he could turn them over to his way of thinking, which would be useful to him…as well as tear Apollo apart. But if that couldn't be done, he had no problem killing them. He'd personally deliver their mangled bodies to Apollo and let them die in his arms before silencing him too.
..….
When the call ended, instead of standing there frozen, the humans and flightlings sprung into action.
"If I know anything, then I know that he sent some of his lackeys to retrieve us. They're probably on their way now. We need to get out of here."
Everyone sprinted around the house. Apollo set about locking and barring all the doors and windows in the house. It might only give them a few moments' time, but it would help. It was clear that staying to fight was out of the question, unprepared as they were.
The agents went to their rooms and armed themselves with as many weapons as they could carry, as well as grabbing their wallets and phones.
Victoria and Tim went to their rooms as well. McGee grabbed his backpack and filled it with his wallet, keys and laptop supplies. Victoria grabbed her own wallet, keys and phone, as well as a weathered little heirloom book- the one Darwin had written about the flightling race. Meeting Tim in the hallway, she threw her belongings into his bag, then retrieved the long pair of fighting knives they kept in case of emergency.
The six met in the ballroom, directly under the domed section. The pillars around them reflected in the immaculate floor.
"Where do we go?" Tony asked, knowing that the front door wasn't a smart option.
A thought occurred to Tim before anyone could panic. (Not that this set of individuals would ever really panic, anyway.) "The drain."
"What?" Ziva asked in confusion, but Victoria and Apollo already saw what McGee meant. Victoria pulled the grate up so quickly it flew out of her hands and hit a pillar with an awful crack. It would have taken Tony and Gibbs' combined strength to lift it, but no one focused on this, given the circumstances.
Tim jumped down and called for everyone to lower themselves. It was pitch black, and even though the flightlings could see, McGee pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight for everyone. Apollo grabbed the grate and pulled it down behind him just as, somewhere in the house, a window smashed.
"They've gotten into the house," he hissed to Tim, who was leading the way. "We need to move." Even if the attackers never thought to look under the grate, it was clear that they couldn't stick around to find out.
Led by Tim, the group raced into the dark. On a hunch, McGee took the left tunnel, only stopping when they came to the wall. Without missing a beat, he turned to Apollo. "Help me knock this down."
The two flightling men paused, then, in sync, rammed into the stones with their shoulders, praying that the tunnel wouldn't collapse on top of them. The old bricks gave away on the first try, and, miracle of miracles, the passageway held together.
"Okay, let's go," Apollo said, and they continued their escape.
They only ran for about twenty minutes, though their silence and the endlessness of the dark made it seem like hours. They couldn't hear anyone pursuing them, which was good, but the idea that attackers might emerge from behind, out of the pitch, kept them sprinting.
They only slowed when they turned a corner and could see a light in the distance.
"Thank god," McGee breathed as they reached the outlet of the passage, which looked like a sewer outlet from the outside. A thin set of bars kept them shut into the tunnel, but they were luckily not steel, and Apollo pulled them apart with ease.
They hopped out of the outlet and landed in wet sand. A glance around sent Apollo running towards some docks close by.
"This is perfect," he said without explaining further. The others dashed after him, not questioning what he meant until he leapt up onto the dock and stopped in front of a large private boat.
"What are we-"
"Remember that boat I said belonged to a friend?" Apollo cut off McGee's question. "He gave me a key a while back."
The boat was practically a small yacht, but it would definitely move fast enough. The agents dropped their bags below deck and joined the Clarks at the wheel.
"Hopefully you won't get seasick as a flightling," Tony muttered to Tim as Apollo peeled out of the harbor and into open water. Gibbs and Ziva both stood on the open-air deck at the stern of the yacht to check their surroundings.
"There are two in the air just over our heads," Ziva reported.
"Most likely two sent to monitor the harbor," Victoria said. "The rest are probably still searching around the house."
"Let's hope," Tony said. "What do we do about the ones over us?"
"Are they noticed us yet?" Apollo asked.
"No."
"They will. Don't attract attention," the eldest Clark said, trying to keep the boat at a "casual" pace. "It isn't late- anyone could be out. They won't come near unless they have a reason to. Stay out of sight."
But it was no good. Tim could see that the two flightlings were beginning to circle and follow the boat. The passengers were all covered from view by the top deck- a sunroof- but it was clear their pursuers wouldn't let up until they saw who was on the yacht.
"They're following us," McGee informed, trying to keep the worry from his voice.
"Don't do anything unless they dive to attack," Apollo advised. "We'll go up around the land and hide at Simon's house until we decide what to do. Luckily his home is on the water."
Everyone who wasn't driving took turns watching the sky behind them. Apollo focused all of his attention on the water in front of him, still keeping their speed casual and unsuspicious.
Unfortunately, this left a lot of gaps in their defense.
After a few minutes, the two flightlings behind them slowed and dipped.
"I think they've lost interest," Ziva said.
"It can't be that easy-" DiNozzo was saying when a heavy thump on the sunroof jostled the boat, causing him to stumble. Gibbs caught him and helped him up as McGee moved to investigate. He didn't have to, however, as a dark-winged man leapt down to their deck. He spared no time in grabbing for the nearest person, Victoria, who kicked him and sent him reeling back. The attacker hit the floor, and Tim pulled him up and began to fight.
The close quarters were filled with wings, and the NCIS agents went below deck to grab their weapons. Gibbs was the first back topside, to find that Victoria was trying to wrench the man off of Tim- McGee was pinned to the wall in a chokehold.
Jethro fired, narrowly missing Victoria and nailing the flightling in the side. He fell back with an inhuman screech, and Victoria was joined by Ziva in tossing the man into the water, where he sank and did not resurface.
"You ok, McGee?" Gibbs asked, helping his youngest up.
"Yeah, thanks, Boss."
Before the moment could become too personal, the two flightlings in the air noticed the gunfire and saw what had happened on the yacht. They wasted no time in turning back around and diving for the boat. Tony and Ziva opened fire on them, but even with the moonlight, the flightlings had the visual upper hand, and dove out of range with ease.
"Is everyone ok?" Apollo called, speeding up.
"I can't hit them until they're right up close," DiNozzo said.
McGee resolved not to let his family become endangered like that. Two flightlings were on their way, surely more would follow.
So Tim did something stupid.
Bending his knees and arching his wings, the young man shot off the deck and into the sky, planning to meet the offenders before they got too close. He heard someone shout his name, and then in moments Victoria was next to him. The wind made it difficult to hear, even for his ears, but he could make out his sister calling him an idiot, as well as some other, less flattering names. He would have laughed, given her expression, if the situation weren't so desperate. But he wasn't afraid- Victoria was by his side. It was an even match.
Apollo heard Tim and Victoria take off before he could turn around. His blood ran cold when he saw them racing to meet their foes.
"Jesus," he muttered, then got Gibbs' attention. "Take the wheel! Don't slow down, whatever you do."
The boat was already a couple hundred yards away from his kids before Apollo could take off after them. The humans on board watched, feeling utterly useless, as Tim and Victoria made contact.
Body hit body, wings hit wings, and the four were in a dance to the death. Victoria would send her attacker down fifty feet, Tim would send his. Then the two darker thugs would turn the tables. Ziva put her advanced sights on a small, compact launcher they carried around for their more dangerous hunts. It shot steel shells as thick as an apple. Tony picked up a similar weapon and did the same. But they couldn't fire without the risk of hitting McGee or Victoria. They were fighting with such intense speed and motion, and yet to their human audience it seemed to be in slow motion. They agents had never felt so useless in their lives.
Gibbs whipped the boat around and headed closer to where one of his kids was locked in a sky-high death match.
As for Tim, he did his best to wrestle the flightling he fought, attempting to disable the man's wings enough that he might plummet into the water. He couldn't see all too well, but he could tell that Victoria was holding her own.
And all of a sudden, the fighting stopped.
His enemy detached himself from the arm lock Tim had him in and shot away, gaining height and speed. Surprised, McGee flapped his wings to make up the distance, and noticed with confusion that Victoria's sparring buddy had done the same. She sent a look over to her brother, each mirroring the other's puzzlement. Had they won? Surely the two soldiers weren't retreating? But off they went. Tim looked down to see the boat racing towards them, and a hundred yards away Apollo was catching up with the younger flightlings.
Something just didn't feel right. There was no way they would be allowed to escape Valero Notte without more of an effort. Those two evil creatures wouldn't just draw back…Thaddeus wouldn't accept it. So then why…?
McGee's thoughts were interrupted as Victoria screamed his name. Before he could react, a removed whistling sound could be heard, getting louder and louder. Tim turned in midair only to feel the explosion hit his ribs and fiery agony erupt through his body.
….
Victoria was the first to see the missile as it headed for Tim. Whatever it was made of, it was engulfed in flame and moved too fast for McGee to dodge out of the way in time. The projectile had come from a boat just leaving the harbor, which was heading towards the little yacht with a frightening speed. Two more followed behind.
Tony and Ziva noticed the incoming fire just as Victoria did, but could do nothing as it headed for their friend. When it made impact, it seemed as though McGee had been swallowed in fire before most of the shrapnel fell to the water. Neither agent screamed, neither shouted. Their eyes were locked in horror on the scene above them. Gibbs clearly saw it too, because he sped up the boat even further. Miraculously, McGee didn't fall from the sky, and Victoria was reaching out for him as he thrashed about in the air. This was enough to snap the agents to action; DiNozzo grabbed their own missile launcher and fired at incoming watercraft. One returned the shots with a machine gun, the other two continued firing at the Clarks. Gibbs forced the boat to duck and weave, all while keeping his eyes on McGee.
Apollo saw the two flightlings withdraw from Tim and Victoria, and were just as confused as they were. But he heard Victoria's cries, saw Tim get shot, and his heart leapt into his throat. He flew even faster, hoping to help Victoria get Timothy from the line of fire before either of them were killed.
…..
McGee's vision shimmered at the edges. The amount of endorphins his body released was already making him numb. He could hear Victoria speaking to him, but it sounded like she was under water. There was a tugging sensation at his arm, and he realized that she was trying to keep him moving. The tugging at his arms hurt. No, it was torture. The pain cut through the haze and he was brought back to reality. He flapped his wings, and heard Victoria say, "good, Tim. That's great. Keep moving."
He did. He flapped his wings and jolted forward. McGee could feel his own blood running down his torso and over his side with the direction of the wind, but when he tried to look down at the wound, Victoria yelled at him to keep him eyes forward and he focused all of his attention on doing just that. His sister flitted around him as best she could without bumping into him, and moved to turn him towards the boat when more whistling could be heard. She was ready for it this time, and dodged out the way. The missiles flew past, and Tim followed her example, ducking to safety.
But his injury hindered movement, and he wasn't fast enough when more fireballs headed his way. One flew by, barely singeing the feathers on his left wing. He heard explosions left and right, and wondered if Tony, Ziva and Gibbs were ok... And where was Victoria? Where was Apollo?
It was hell to do so, but Tim ducked and dropped his elevation by a few feet. In a moment's respite he could see Victoria weaving out of gunfire. More bullets and explosions sounded below him. It was his team, shooting heavy amounts of artillery at three small speedboats- the source of the fireballs. A direct hit by Ziva caused one boat to burst into flames and begin to sink. But there were two more.
Everything hurt. Oh god, everything hurt. It felt like everything below his chest had been shredded. Maybe it was- he still hadn't looked at it.
Flaming missiles kept coming. Tim moved out of their path and saw Apollo land on one of the remaining speedboats. It was promptly destroyed. McGee's hazy vision was coming back and it distracted him from seeing the next projectile, which nailed him straight in the right wing. And when the fire abated, Tim was left to see the charred, bloody remains of his wing. He started to fall.
Victoria had seen the last strike and folded her wings, immediately dropping to his altitude. She knew this would hurt, but she couldn't think of anything else; she grabbed his left arm to slow his fall.
"I've got you, Tim," she vowed, but before she could wrap her hands around his chest, her own wings were hit. Twice.
McGee was fast fading when Victoria had caught him, so he hardly even noticed when she screamed and let go. She disappeared from his sight as he began a sort of spiral. His wings flapped about wildly, which further added to his pain. Suddenly Apollo was there. He could feel the older man reach out for him, but that was followed by a rush of air as they missed each other. The wind whipper his head around, and as the water got closer and the explosions became louder, McGee closed his eyes. He didn't even feel it when he hit the water and sank below the waves.
…..
With the combined efforts of the agents, the third and final speedboat was destroyed. But there was no time to celebrate, for when they glanced up, they saw both Victoria and Tim plummeting out of the sky. Gibbs once again whipped the yacht around in their direction. Apollo was racing after McGee, and it seemed as though there might be hope, before Tim slipped through his hands and landed in the water.
Both Ziva and Tony let out strangled cries, and Jethro pulled up alongside the place that Tim had disappeared. He threw the boat into neutral and leapt over the deck into the water. McGee was just beginning to sink, so Gibbs was lucky enough to catch him only a few inches from the surface. But those wings added so much weight that for half a moment, the senior agent thought they might both drown. However, he was able to pull Tim's head above the surface, and Ziva threw them a line. She and DiNozzo pulled them in.
McGee's brief time in the water momentarily cleansed him of blood, but as soon as he was brought on deck the stained wood ran red. It looked as though he were burned open- the skin on spot he'd been hit, his ribs, was charred and blistered. Tony was fairly certain he could see bone, and resisted vomiting with all of his might. Meanwhile, there were small cuts and burns on Tim's head, arms, and legs. His left wing with singed on the edges, but his right wing now held a large, raw patch of skin where the feathers had been burned away. Every inch of him that wasn't burned was covered in blood.
The agents made space on deck as Gibbs pulled Apollo on board and helped him pull an unconscious Victoria onto the boat. The oldest flightling suffered only minor scrapes and cuts, so he immediately took the controls of the boat.
"Hold on!" he shouted, hoarse, as they sped back down their original path to Simon's house. The agents began first aid, although there was little they could do until they were on dry land.