AN: The biggest chapter of all time! The reckoning is upon us. For those of you familiar with the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2: Soundtrack...a section of this chapter was written to "Courtyard Apocalypse" running on Repeat. So you may like to have that ready when I tell you later in the chapter when to start playing it! -Wild
"Tony," Julia began again as they walked away from the ledge of the roof, "You have to trust me that I won't let anything bad happen to Ziva." She paused stopping just before the door to look at him, "She needs to do this and her way…for all the pain this man is responsible for in her life, Ziva needs to face him or it will never be over in her soul. Do you understand that?"
Tony knew Julia was speaking from experience with the tone in her voice and he nodded softly, "I am honestly going to try."
When the duo returned to the rest of the group, everyone sighed a little realizing Julia hadn't killed him and they both seemed a little more relaxed to be near each other.
"We need to go over the schematics of the building and speak of the plan." Julia got right back to business. She flipped her glasses up onto her head, and found the bag the man named Benji had given her and retrieved folded blue prints of the structure. Everyone gathered around her on the floor and she spread them out before her. "This facility they are keeping her in was built as part of the Hashshashini Project. It's called a Breaking Camp." Her eyes flickered up to Ziva's briefly, "You were held in something similar in Somalia but this one has a few more luxury items for the captors." She said with clear disdain, "This side of the building houses those responsible for the breaking. Bodnar, Haider, Ulman and the others will be on this side likely sleeping when we enter. It's rather state of the art with modern luxuries to keep their stay here 'comfortable."
Julia shook her head once with disgust, "The other side was created from much more ancient ruins dating back to the height of the Persian Empire. The two are now linked with a series of hallways and underground tunnels. This is where they keep the prisoners. Liat is the only 'guest' currently at the facility. It had been shut down on your father and Kazmi's orders but Bodnar had it brought back into function with your father's death." Julia looked back up to Ziva. "The largest problem we will face is that he's a massed a rather large private army for the uprising they were planning. There will be hundreds of soldiers in this section of the building as it is their barracks. There are night guards stationed here, here, here and here." She used her finger to point in one area of the facility, "Liat is being held here." She pointed directly in the middle of it all, "Roaming patrols surround the building and there are snipers on the roof at each of these posts." Again Julia tapped with her finger to show their positions.
"Agent Gibbs, I will be stationing you here," she tapped on an area of her grid, "For the best vantage point to take out at least these two snipers before we proceed further in. You will be taking them out, not so that we can get in, but so that we can get out. By the time we come out this direction, the other two snipers will have taken up the old ones positions and you should be able to easily take them out as well." She looked at Gibbs and he nodded in understanding.
"We will secure Liat first and then deal with the others." Julia paused taking a breath, "First, I want you to know that Liat is alive, and in fairly good condition. But she is not without injury and she will be weak from her confinement and in need of assistance. You three," She looked at Tony and McGee as everyone in the group sobered quickly to hear this statement, "Will need to work together, trading off without protest, carrying her out and away from this as a team while E.J. provides cover. Can you handle that?" Her eyes penetrated both of theirs deeply and then to E.J's.
"I can do it." Malachi immediately seemed upset that the responsibility and care of Liat had been given to E.J., Tony and McGee.
"And I don't want to leave Ziva." Tony agreed with Malachi, wanting to trade and already feeling his heart pounding at the thought of leaving Ziva's side for a second, let alone completely out of the building while she faced off with Bodnar.
"It must be this way. The two of you," Julia looked at Tony and McGee, "Do not have the same combat experience that Ziva, Malachi and Asa have. You do, however, have experience getting someone injured to safety." She looked pointedly from them to Ziva indicating their role in rescuing her in Somalia. "It must be this way." She looked pointedly again at Tony trying to remind him that he had to listen to her.
"Liat will be your responsibility after I free her and you will wait here, at this rendezvous point, until we meet up with you to exit." Julia looked at them both again pointedly.
"Ziva, you will stay with me at all times and if I turn you keep constantly to my back left so I know exactly where you are." Julia looked at Ziva next with her intent stare. "Asa, Malachi and Ziva will be the ones coming with me further into the compound for Bodnar and company." She paused, "When they are dead, we will meet back up with Tony, McGee and Liat and head towards our final rendezvous point with Agent Gibbs. Our exit is going to be rather fast and furious, as we'll be picked up as soon as I send the signal by aircraft in a Skyhook operation. We'll cross back over the border and keep going all the way back to Kabul." She took a deep breath looking around at all of them, "Any questions?"
"Ah, yes." McGee looked a little ashen, "Skyhook? As in, we're going to be literally picked up and carried away by a plane dangling several hundred feet above the ground on a very thin line of cable?" He gulped.
"Yes." Julia answered and all their eyes widened.
"Wait a second, you mean like Batman in The Dark Knight?" Tony asked with eyes widening feeling his heart pump a little harder remembering the scene from the film, "Where he attaches them both to a harness, that's attached to a large balloon and when the plane hooks the balloon, they get ripped out the side of a building flying over the city sky?"
"Yes." Julia answered plainly and paused, "Though we won't be getting ripped out of any buildings. Just up and off the ground."
"The CIA used to use Skyhook to rescue operatives off the ground in hostile territories." Ziva added quietly in realization. "This is what you used in Operation Borscht Relief? When you got the children?"
"That was the plan. That operation did not go according to plan." Julia answered, "We did something else instead."
"What?" McGee asked with wide wondering eyes.
"We trekked across land in a rather extensive adventure until we made it to a large shipping port, hid inside a container and shipped ourselves away from there." Julia answered quietly.
"Why didn't the operation go according to plan?" Tony asked feeling fear in his heart already that things could go wrong.
"Because, at the time, my protocol was not activated so I did not have my abilities as I do now. I had only my other training and skills to rely upon. I could not see the danger on the other side from those who would betray me as I can now." Julia looked at him intently. "I learned a great many things during that war, Tony. One of those was knowing who to trust and who not to." Her mind suddenly entered just his, 'So please, try to trust me.'
When night began to fall, Julia instructed everyone to change into their black Special Forces looking tactical fatigues they'd had in their packs to give them cover in darkness. Ziva and E.J. were both pulling their hair back and up again when everyone ceased moving to see Julia emerge from the other room wearing something entirely different then them. Instead of the cotton black fatigues and battle gear, she wore black leather from head to toe. Her form-fitting black jacket had a long golden zipper that she left partially down exposing the skin of her chest and a white golden locket blazoned with several colorful stones.
Before they could ask the question, given the sweltering heat outside, she answered. "It is especially made for The Phoenix." She answered quietly, "The only thing that I can wear that won't incinerate off my body when I release the energy." A small smile graced her lips at their widening eyes, "Wouldn't want to travel home naked." She winked at them.
McGee and Asa both choked on coughs at the visuals that presented and shook their heads looking away from her. The idea that she was so hot, literally, that her clothes would actually burn off her body was too much to think about and breathe at the same time.
"Should something happen to me," Julia reminded them all when they reached for their packs about the leave into the night, "Remember what I said before. Call Katherine." She added quietly and gave them all a soft head nod. "Here we go." She sighed and grabbed her own black backpack.
"If you aren't taking weapons, can I ask what's in the bag?" McGee asked with growing curiosity as headed down the stairs and into the night.
"Water," Julia answered quietly, "And clothes for Liat." She paused, "Currently, she doesn't have any."
Their eyes immediately flashed between each other and swallowed hard, not liking that answer and what it meant for Liat.
Ziva had a gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach, remembering her own time spent being broken and mostly naked. The idea that Liat was enduring the same, and while pregnant was enough to make her sick. She couldn't stop herself and leaned over the railing, vomiting into the street below.
Tony laid a sympathetic hand on Ziva's back while Malachi and Asa's hearts increased with speed. Knowing that for Ziva to have this kind of reaction, she was recalling her own torture and what that meant for Liat.
This time when they hit the streets, Julia was using her abilities to shield them completely, pushing their way through the crowds and towards a waiting truck that they climbed into the back of, seeking shelter beneath its covering. The truck began to rumble along with its driver heading towards the border crossing and when it was there turn for inspection everyone held their breath hearing the men speaking outside and coming around to look in the back.
'Everyone be quiet.' Juliet instructed them all in their minds together and everyone froze.
Two men with heavy weaponry in military uniform from the Iranian government looked into the back of the truck, shining flashlights and checking the corners. Blinding them all with the beams and terrifying them that they'd been seen. Hearts were pounding wildly that they'd been caught and instead, the man yelled ahead to those ahead of him minding the gate to let them pass, that the 'back was all clear.' The truck began to ramble along again and everyone's eyes flashed wide in the darkness towards where Julia was sitting.
'They acted like they couldn't even see us!' McGee gasped in astonishment in his head.
'That's because they couldn't.' Julia answered in their silent conversation. 'I am blocking anyone from seeing us right now. It is the only way to get us all in undetected and this quickly.'
'This is how Jack got into my house in Israel.' Ziva realized and everyone heard her comment. 'You shielded him from being seen? And you knew before I did, with your abilities to see the future…that I would end up in Ari's room that night…that's why he was waiting for me in there.'
'Yes.' Julia answered simply and though they couldn't see her face, recognized a bit of smile in her voice.
'You can do that, even if you're not there with him?' Asa asked in awe.
'Yes, though it takes a considerable amount of energy to do so remotely.' Julia answered quietly even in their minds.
'How long to get near where we are going?' Ziva asked after another moment of silence.
'Two hours. So get comfy.' She answered and settled back against her pack on the floor of the truck.
The truck rumbled to a stop in the middle of the forest on a bumpy dirt road. Without saying anything, Julia grabbed her backpack and headed towards the back, jumping out and then looking around. The driver never got out of the vehicle and they never saw anything of him as they all filed out behind her. When everyone was secure in the tree cover line, the truck came to life once more and began to move on.
"Agent Gibbs," Julia directed him as she started hiking up the hill through the trees, "We're stationing you at the top of this hill. There is a perfect place for cover for you and good visual distance to the compound in the valley below. Our entrance into the underground escape tunnel is about two klicks north at the head of the valley."
No one said anything during the long and silent climb up the hill that seemed more like a small mountain to Tony who was still recovering from his month long stay immobile in a coma. His lungs were doing fine but his muscles were burning from the strain after being inactive for so long.
"I certainly wish that flying was one of your superpowers right now, Julia." He panted when they finally came to a clearing at the top of the hill, "Whew! Move over Susan Sommers and the Thigh Master. Try mountain climbing in Iran instead to feel the burn."
"I can't fly, Tony." Julia answered scanning the compound in the valley far below, "But I have been known to levitate." She added softly and everyone behind her shared more astonished looks with wide-eyes and open mouths. "And no, Tony, my head does not spin around in circles like Reagan in The Exorcist." She added a moment later reading his mind.
"Agent Gibbs, is this acceptable to you?" She asked pointing towards the compound and the area surrounding them. The branches of the trees above them gave good cover while still giving him a good view of the compound below. A large, smooth and flat rock hung over the side of the hill at an outcropping and provided a good base with just enough shrubbery to blend in with his ghillie suit once he took position in the dark. The large full moon in the sky was both welcome and a hindrance.
Gibbs dug into his pack and found his binoculars, scanning the roof of the compound and seeing the sniper targets as well as the foot patrol roaming the grounds around it.
'I won't have any energy left by the time this is over. I am counting on you to take those snipers out for our safe retreat.' Julia spoke quietly just to Gibbs mind and he realized that she wasn't sharing this with the others for a reason. As their leader going into battle, she couldn't let them know she wasn't invincible until after the fact or they'd lose their courage. He understood as a leader himself.
'I've got your back.' Gibbs assured her that he could handle this and wouldn't let her down.
'There is a homing beacon in your backpack. If I am unable, you need to turn it on. Benjamin and the Skyhook crew will still come and get you.' Julia continued to speak only to Gibbs inside his mind though her eyes were intently held with his as the others chatted quietly and nervously behind them, 'Do not wait for me, Agent Gibbs. Take them home.' She added.
Gibbs felt a knot form in the pit of his stomach. There was more Julia hadn't told them, was still not telling them, of what she knew or something else had changed. Gibbs nodded in understanding at what she was saying.
"All set?" She asked him out loud and gained the others attention quickly.
"All set." Gibbs nodded in the affirmative. "Good luck." He added looking at her softly.
Julia nodded with a soft smile stepping away as Ziva stepped forward.
"Take care of yourself, Ziver." He kissed her forehead tenderly.
"I will." She smiled at him with tears forming in her eyes, "Believe in what you have taught me, Gibbs." She smiled kissing his cheeks and hugging him tightly before whispering, "I will see you soon, I promise. I love you."
"I love you too." He kissed her head once more and let go. "McGee," He stopped the young man from following after Ziva already starting off into the woods, "Take care of yourself and try to keep Tony from killing himself too." He gave him a small smile and then supportive shoulder squeeze before touching his face, "Come back in one piece, okay?"
"Okay Boss." McGee smiled with a soft head nod and turned to hurry after the others.
Only Tony lingered behind a moment, "I will try to listen, Boss. I will." He looked across the small clearing at Gibbs with a deep sigh and soft smile. "We'll see you soon." He smiled more widely, "Back with the Little Ninja in tow." He nodded thinking about Liat and took off before Gibbs could say anymore.
'So Julia, tell us more about the levitating?' Tony asked quietly as they stalked forth into the darkness. Addressing her directly in his head without speaking out loud, knowing she was already inside his head.
'Sorry, I can't. You'll have to ask Jack or Katherine about it. I'm usually not conscious when it happens.' Julia sighed pushing through the thickening shrubbery in the hot muggy air. She knew they were all nervous and trying to pass the time, calming themselves by hearing stories about her. 'Sleeping in my bed is usually when it happens.' Instantly all of their minds shifted to the scene in The Exorcist again with Reagan floating in her nightgown above her bed. 'Why must everyone immediately think of some demonic force and that movie whenever they learn I can levitate?' She asked and then stopped walking to turn around and look at their stunned faces, 'Why not think of angels for instance? They too, levitate.' She looked at them sharply in the moonlight and then turned around again to march forth through the jungle into the valley.
'Are you part angel?' Malachi asked cautiously wondering if that is what she was getting at by her comment and Julia laughed softly in her mind.
'I don't know what I am, Malachi. To some I am the devil, to others I am an angel.' Julia sighed and pushed on holding their rapt attention, 'I prefer wife, mother, daughter, sister, lover…' They could hear the soft smile in her voice and then turned to face them all again as they followed behind her like ducks in a row, 'Friend.'
'Friend.' Ziva repeated and smiled back at her, liking this relationship as well and Julia turned around and continued.
'There are legends about people with some of your abilities, Julia. They say they are descended from the earth bound angels that God sent here long ago. Have you heard of these people? These legends?' Malachi asked quietly.
'Yes, I have heard.' Julia sighed, 'And they do exist, people with similar abilities though none have them all. Some have telepathy, others telekinetic, others can manipulate emotions, etc. Some of these people are good. Others, are very bad.'
'So there are others like you?' McGee asked with awe in his voice.
'No others like me that I'm aware, Agent McGee. I am the only one that exists to my knowledge with all of the abilities in one and to the degree at which I can command them.' Julia answered him and hoped quickly over a down tree, turning back to extend her hand to Ziva who followed behind her. 'They are also limited to manipulating the elements, when I can produce them.'
'What elements?' McGee asked nervously.
'Wind and fire.' Tony added softly remembering her demonstrating on the roof of incinerating the sheet to ash and then blowing it away.
'All of them.' Julia answered quietly.
'I'm suddenly envisioning you as Mila Jovovich in The Fifth Element as Lee-Loo the beautiful being from space.' Tony smiled and then mimicked her voice, 'Mul-ti-pass…mul-ti-pass.' Earning a few soft chuckles from those who'd seen the movie including Julia.
'Oh, Tony…' Julia shook her head softly with a smile at his tenacity and ability to make her smile even now.
'I do not understand this movie, reference.' Ziva shook her head as the only one not laughing softly. 'What is it about? And what does that have to do with Julia?'
'It is set in the future," Tony begins the story quietly and thinking of how it does fit kind of perfectly with Julia, "when the universe is threatened by evil, the only hope for mankind is this perfect, beautiful alien type angel, Lee-Loo, that comes from the heavens every 5,000 years. When the four elements are brought together, earth, wind, water, fire they form the perfect weapon against the evil forces threatening to destroy mankind but without the human element…the element worth fighting for, worth dying for…the weapon won't work. Lee-Loo is the missing Fifth Element…the human…element." Tony paused as everyone's minds went to Julia and her desire to be seen as human and not simply a weapon, 'And when she finally experiences love, the most human element…the perfect weapon to defeat evil is complete…and she saves the world."
Everyone fell quiet thinking about it and Julia decided to break the uncomfortable silence, yet very loud thoughts they had on her by turning the tables and making them smile. 'I don't think I could pull off that white stripped outfit she wears very well though. Seems like it would chaff badly to me.' Her comment had the intended effect and everyone laughed softly, save Ziva who had no idea what she was referring to until Julia cast the image of the memory of the outfit into her mind.
'Oh!' Ziva smiled with surprise and then laughed shaking her head in understanding.
They walked on a bit further and then stopped short when Julia raised her hand and pointed toward two guards standing near a stoned archway leading into the earth.
'We cannot kill them, as they need to keep Coms established with their base while we get in and to Liat before alerting them or our presence.' Julia informed them again, 'I will shield us and we will go by undetected. There is another guard on the inside, that I will have open the door from the inside out.'
They all held their breaths as they walked past the guards and into the mouth of the large tunnel. As soon as they were standing off to the side, Julia manipulated the guard inside to come and open the door from the inside out. They marveled as they walked past the man at his actions and her abilities. Her eyes were growing pools of black and gold with each use of her energy.
As soon as they were passed them, they moved quickly down the corridors several hundred yards long, following Julia, who knew where she was going and past several more guards, and rounding ancient stone structures through vast catacombs and then emerged in a large circular room with doorways and hallways in several directions.
Julia moved towards the hallway on the opposite side of the room and everyone quickly shuffled in behind, taking count of each and every guard they passed to know their whereabouts on the way out. The hope was to get in unseen and then kill all of their evil beings on the way out.
Two large guards at the very end of the hallway blocked a heavy wooden door.
Julia hid their approach and when standing a few feet away motioned with her fingers. 'This is it.' She spoke once again in their head, 'Take them out.'
The two trained assassins in the group who were at liberty on this mission to kill, stepped forward. Ziva and Malachi both looked at each other and then at the men and fired single shots into their foreheads and double-tapped them each in the heart before their bodies even began to fall.
Their adrenaline was surging now as Tony and Malachi grabbed the bodies and pulled them back from the door, hiding them into the shadows of the dingy stone hallway. Tony grabbed the keys to the door and threw them to Asa who opened it quickly and then stood back as the heavy door creaked open.
Moonlight was filtering in through a tiny sliver of a window at the top of one wall and bathing the floor through the bars like a spot light. They couldn't see or hear anything.
"Liat?" Ziva called out into the darkness quietly as they all crept in slowly with weapons drawn. "Liat?" She called again taking another step inside.
"Ziva?" Liat called back in a cracked voice of disbelief.
"Liat?" Ziva called out again and stepped into the moonlight, revealing herself for the first time.
"Ziva!" Liat cried out and lunged into the edges of the light, held back by her chains and showing herself to them for the first time.
Their hearts breaking in sorrow and relief instantly at seeing her both alive and her condition. She was stripped naked and chained to the wall with heavy shackles on each arm and leg giving her only three feet of slack to stand or sit against the wall.
"Liat." Ziva gasped with tears in her eyes and surged towards her, slowly when she realized what she was doing.
"Is it really you?" Liat asked through endless tears on a dirt stained and battered face. Bruises new and old swelling her eyes and cheeks. "Ziva?" She cried again trying to touch Ziva but held back against her restraints.
The signs of human suffering in this room could not be ignored as they stood at its center with sights, sounds and smells.
"It's really me." Ziva cried approaching slowly and finally making contact with her palm to Liat's cheek, "We came to take you home." Ziva spoke in Hebrew quietly.
Liat cried in relief and disbelief, "We?" She asked not understanding as she only saw Ziva in the light.
"We." Malachi stepped forward into the light, trying to hold back his own tears and the others followed, revealing themselves as a small army to her for the first time, "We are here to bring you home, Liat."
Liat's eyes were frozen on Malachi, holding her breath and daring not to believe it was true. "You…came for me?" She asked him through broken words and tears streaming down her face. "Am I dreaming?" She asked him in a barely above a whisper seeing him approach.
"No, you are not dreaming, Liat." He smiled at her kneeling down beside Ziva, "We are here to take you home." He nodded softly at her and reached out to gently cup the side of her head, his heart breaking at the sight of her condition and then glancing down to see her small baby belly dancing in and out of the shadows. "We're here to take you both home." He added softly with a small head nod and smile, acknowledging the fact he knew she was pregnant now. "I promised God…the next time I saw you, I would tell you with words…I love you, Liat." He smiled at her speaking quietly in Hebrew, "I love you."
"Now, I know… I must be dreaming." Liat looked at him in surprise and new tears rolled down her cheeks shaking her head softly in disbelief.
Malachi's heart was breaking that she didn't believe him and instead, only took his declaration as another sign of her hallucinating or dreaming as she couldn't possibly believe he would say those words to her in real life.
"We don't have a lot of time. We must do this quickly." Julia stepped forward with a small smile as she kneeled towards Liat. "Hello Liat…my name is Julia. I'm going to break these chains and I need you to stay calm, okay?"
Liat nodded still not sure if she were dreaming or hallucinating and remained silent watching as the woman before her looked intently at the heavy links of chain holding her to the wall.
To their utter astonishment, one of the links near Liat's wrist began to glow bright orange and then red hot and somewhere inside Liat's head she heard 'pull' and she did. The chain link broke and fell away. Her eyes widened considerably, not understanding and decided she must be in a dream.
Julia did the same to all four links of chain and each time instructed Liat to pull at the right moment and free herself from the wall. "I'll take care of those later." Julia ran her hand over the thick shackles on Liat's wrist, "Right now, we need to move." She paused with a smile, "Tony…" She called him over.
Tony stepped up from the back and Liat gasped to see him. "I must be dreaming. You are dead." She spoke quietly shaking her head in complete disbelief staring at Tony.
"Hey Little Ninja," Tony smiled at her as Julia and Ziva undid the duffle rapidly and pulled out the clothing Julia had brought for Liat. "You aren't dreaming."
"No, you died. Illan showed me…he killed you." Liat shook her head staring into his eyes unwavering even as Julia and Ziva proceeded to slip the black cotton military t-shirt gently over her head and arms. It hung around her already lithe frame, even smaller now like a nightshirt.
"I'm not dead, Little Ninja." Tony reached out gently feeling tears in his eyes to understand her disbelief and confusion having felt the same waking from his coma. He gently brought her palm to his cheek so she could touch him as he smiled.
Ziva and Julia put each of Liat's battered feet and legs gently into each pant leg and then nodded for help as Asa and Malachi stepped in, gently lifting her to stand so that Ziva could pull the black combat pants up and secure them around her waist. Ziva's eyes flooding with tears now to see how much Liat's baby belly had grown now at 22 weeks. She was very obviously pregnant now and was a startling reminder to them all of how much time had passed.
Liat seemed utterly dazed looking at Ziva securing her pants around her waist and then to her right to see Malachi's arm around her beneath one arm gently and then slowly to her left to see Asa, holding her up with the other, each had their arms wrapped securely around her body together.
"I must be dreaming." She shook her head softly that in no real world situation would both Malachi and Asa be holding onto her in this moment with both Ziva and Tony standing before her. "Am I dying? Everyone I love is here." She spoke quietly in Hebrew looking around at the faces.
"You aren't dying, Sweetheart." Ziva leaned forward with tears in her eyes and smiled softly, gently cupping the side of Liat's face and then leaned in gently to kiss her forehead, "We are here to take you home." She kissed her again and everyone tried hard to blink back tears that she thought she was dying.
"Tony and McGee." Julia nodded towards Liat and both men stepped forward. "Liat," Julia smiled softly at the broken young woman before her, "Tony and McGee, are going to take you out of here to a safe place to wait for us. E.J. is going with you." She motioned E.J. forward, "They won't let anything happen to you, okay?" Julia smiled and then reached forward, cupping the sides of Liat's face gently with her eyes glowing in pools of gold.
Liat could feel the warm tingles and pulses of electricity coming through the woman's touch and stare deeply into her swimming eyes.
"Are you the angel they speak of…the one who comes to take you home?" Liat asked softly with a hint of a smile, "You are a very, very beautiful angel…though, I never expected the angel of death to be wearing black leather." Her brow knit curiously and those who spoke Hebrew all chuckled through tears at her comment.
Tony's eyes flashed to Ziva for explanation.
"She thinks Julia is an angel… though she never imagined the angel of death to be wearing black leather." Ziva answered with a soft smile through her endless tears.
"I am no angel, My Darling. You are." Julia smiled kissing Liat's forehead gently and blinking back tears of understanding as well, "Now let's get you home."
Malachi and Asa both reluctantly let go of Liat as Tony and McGee slid into their places, holding Liat up. Both looking longing at leaving her side and Tony looking the same back at Ziva, not wanting to leave hers.
"She cannot walk at all. You must carry her." Julia instructed Tony who was the first to swiftly pick up Liat into his arms to carry her out. "Come on, we need to go." She moved the group forward back towards the door and hallway again.
When they came to the circular room with all the hallways and doors, Julia stopped them speaking into their minds once more knowing their were guards not far away.
'We part company here. You three wait and hold position here. We will come back this way. I will shield you from being seen but as guards come your way, shoot them.' Julia nodded at E.J. knowing that was her main role in the trio protecting Liat. 'You stay put! No matter what, Tony, do you understand?' She asked looking right at him with fiery eyes.
Tony nodded though his eyes flashed with panic towards Ziva.
Ziva quickly closed the distance and grabbed the back of Tony's neck, kissing him over Liat deeply and then pulled away, 'I will come back. I promise.' She nodded at him, speaking in her head and knowing he heard her through the link Julia was creating. 'I love you.' She looked at Tony with a smile through glittering dark eyes and then at Liat, 'both of you.' She nodded and stepped back.
'Ani ohev otach, Ziva David.' Tony answered her swallowing hard, 'Always.'
*Courtyard Apocalypse- on Repeat ;)
'Let's go.' Julia motioned her group forwards and led the way as Ziva, Malachi and Asa followed quickly behind her. 'Start taking them out!' She commanded seeing the guards before them. She was only supposed to be shielding and subduing on this mission, not the killing unless required as a last resort. This was their battle, she was there for support.
Julia knew that the guards by Liat's doors had not checked in by now and soon others would come check on them. E.J. Tony and McGee would have to take them out and soon, the compound would know they had visitors.
Ziva engaged first, firing two silent rounds in the first and Malachi hit the second while Asa watched the side and back, firing at and killing the guard he saw coming down another hallway behind them. His eyes went wide as did Ziva and Malachi's to see the bodies suddenly lift from the ground and be cast into the shadows as Julia marched forth, parting the bodies from her path.
More and more guards started flooding the tunnels, armed and running now knowing that something was going wrong with so many not checking in. The bullets were flying faster and faster and Ziva, Malachi and Asa tried to keep up as they continued forward in the vast tunnel system. The guards seemed terrified to see the bodies of those before them fall but no clear enemy before them and began firing their automatic machine guns back in the general direction the shots were coming from.
Julia threw her hands out in front of her spreading her fingers wide and stopping the bullets coming at them as though they'd hit a wall. They could all feel the heat starting to radiate from her the more she used her abilities and the intensity upon which they were attacked increased.
'Move faster.' Julia commanded them all to move more quickly along with her knowing they didn't have a lot of time, 'He knows we're here and that you're not alone, Ziva.' Julia saw a heavy set of metal door before them separating the old part of the compound from the new and threw her arms out in front of her again. The doors exploded as though they'd been hit with dynamite and the men beside them went flying. 'He is going to try and escape.' Julia's anger seemed to grow with intensity and the others quickly followed along as a hailstorm of bullets started coming from them in every direction as scared guards let loose with fire. The unseen wall around them was being made visible by the bullets now raining down its sides and giving away exactly where they were.
Julia looked pained as thousands of round exploded from all directions and she threw her hands out again in different directions, blasting the guards off their feet and back several hundred feet giving them more time as Malachi' threw a grenade down one hallway and Ziva the other. The loud shattering booms echoed through the vast caverns.
'Don't close off our exit.' Julia held Asa back from throwing his as well behind them and instead spun around and threw her hands in the general direction and another massive pulse blast the soldiers running at them back several hundred feet again into piles.
They were heavily outnumbered hundreds to one but the goal wasn't to kill them all now, but to get to Bodnar first, kill him and then take everyone else out after. Julia would do her best to hold them all back until then while the others took as many out for now as they could.
The heat coming from Julia now felt as though they were standing next to a raging fire, making them sweat profusely to be in such close proximity and the action as they continued firing round after round and taking turns throwing grenades down long hallways.
'Get ready, he's here.' Julia spoke into their minds and blew open the heavily fortified doors of another section of compound. At once they found themselves inside a massive hangar where three helicopters were already starting to hum to life.
Julia dropped the shield and this time, exposed them to Bodnar with a smile before throwing her hands forwards once more and rolling the helicopter end over end like children's toys into a heap at the far end before they burst into a giant fireball exploding that part of the building and raining debris down upon them.
Ziva stepped up beside Julia and looked at Illan and Haider, the 'Cigarette Man' as she had always known him and raised her gun immediately and fired, shooting him directly between the eyes before the man had a chance to raise his gun. His body crumpled beside Illan. Several guards ran at them from all directions with weapons drawn and Julia flicked her wrists and ripped the weapons from their hands, sending them sprawling across the concrete away from them.
"I see you've brought the Devil with you, sister." Illan smiled a sickening smile and looked at Julia and then back to Ziva. "I'm guessing you've already found our dear baby sister in the catacombs?" He cocked his head to the side at the look on Ziva's face.
Ziva's heart was already thundering in her ears and trying to process what he'd said.
"That's right, Ziva. I am your big brother." He smiled, "You and Liat, are my sisters."
"You…are not my brother." Ziva shook her head with weapon drawn as he inched forward. "You never were." She spat at him with disgust at the man who had always tried to worm his way into her family.
"Oh, but that is where you are wrong, dear sister. I am your brother. I am the biological son of the great Eli David." He yelled with laughter and it echoed around the space, "I am his son, Ziva!" He turned his deadly glare back to her, "But I was considered nothing but a bastard project, something to be used and trained for the sole purpose…of protecting you."
He shook his head in disgust, "Daddy's precious little princess! The heir…to the throne!" He mocked her, "He was leaving it all to you and I was supposed to make sure that you were always taken care of! My blood was not good enough…it had to be you. You were the one everyone wanted. Ari, Kevin, me even Liat… we were nothing but projects to him." He smiled widely and shook his head, "But not princess Ziva. No, she was the child he wanted and adored. The one he was leaving the kingdom too. The one he loved."
"He had me raped and tortured…by your hand! That is not love!" Ziva threw back at him in disgust and rage with tears welling in her eyes, "I wanted no part of any of this!" Her hands were shaking as he moved closer to her while Julia continued to encapsulate them in a bubble of their own holding the incoming soldiers back while Ziva had her closure.
"I wanted to destroy you the moment I learned that it was you who were the Chosen One by our father. Year after year I had to stand by and watch as you wasted everything that was given to you." Illan moved within six feet staring at her intently as Malachi and Asa continued to fire rapidly at the soldiers coming closer and Julia kept pushing them back, sending them sprawling and ripping their weapons out of their hands.
"You deserved everything I gave to you in that camp!" Illan seethed at her and Ziva fired, blasting through one shoulder of his with tears raining down her cheeks. "I told Haider to make sure you could never have any children of your own." He smiled looking at his bloody shoulder with hand shaking as he lifted the gun in his hand. "I know you're pregnant now, Ziva…and I also know you're too damaged to carry that baby full-term." He smiled with a sickening grin, "At least I know if I die right now that I will have stolen from you all that you have taken from me…a chance at a 'real' family. All I wanted was for our father to look at me, the way he looked at you…"
He raised the gun fully aiming it at Ziva directly and she was frozen hearing his words and knowing he was her brother who only wanted a family, "You don't get to be a mother." He smiled widely at her with rage filled tears in his own eyes, "You don't deserve to be anyone's mother, you traitorous American whore! I hope that baby burns in hell!" He moved his finger to fire and Julia ripped the gun from his hand in the same second.
She lifted him off the ground in rage at what he'd said to Ziva and clenched her fist. His body crumbled with the sickening sounds of bones popping and crunching from the pressure as she held him in the air and he screamed and then burst into flames before their eyes.
Ziva, Asa, Malachi and the others in the room gasped in horror and disbelief at what was happening before them and then watched as Illan's body burned dropping to the floor in a pile of ash and bone.
Julia let loose with waves of fire, blasting those before into the same piles of burning ash and exploding the building around them.
They couldn't stand close to her anymore and Malachi pulled Ziva's arm back and away from her as they headed back in the direction they came from. The heat coming from Julia was too much to stand. She turned suddenly and let loose with a shockwave blast that was so powerful it knocked all three of them to the ground and the corridor she sent it down collapsed in thundering heap. She whirled up the debris that was before them and sent it smashing rapidly away from them as they struggled to their feet to keep up behind her but every blasting shockwave she rocket out of her body sent them flying backwards and onto the ground again. It was clear that Julia was tearing this building that represented hell on earth down piece by piece as they left.
Tony gasped feeling another pulse rocket through them as they waited in the circular room and pieces of the ceilings around them in other corridors fell to the floor shattering around them. The constant barrage of earthshaking and debris falling felt like war and a constant barrage of mortar rounds being continuously fired. The smell of smoke and fire drifted on sudden wind gust through the long stone corridors and stole their breath from time to time.
"I have to go!" Tony panicked passing Liat over to McGee, unable to stay back any longer as another blast knocked them off their feet again and the sounds of blood curdling screams could be heard echoing through the stone walls.
"Tony! No!" McGee tried to grab for him but couldn't as he had Liat in his arms, fear gripping him instantly to see Tony dodging into the pieces of rock falling all around them. Julia had kept them safe inside the protected shield of this room and the debris was sliding off rapidly.
E.J. tried to grab for Tony as well and he dodged her arm as a huge rock fell from the wall and stopped her from coming any further as she screamed after him seeing him running down the hallway dodging the debris.
Julia blasted her way through the wall of fallen boulders in front of her and sent pieces of rock like shrapnel flying in every direction around them and once again knocking the others off their feet. Every time she launched her arms with a shockwave pulse more corridors would explode and she'd follow them up with a blast of incinerating heat to kill and destroy whatever was left.
"Oh God, oh God, oh God!" McGee chanted with pounding heart hearing the explosions coming closer and the room shake more around them, not knowing what was happening.
"What is going on?" Liat asked with streaming tears still sure she was in a nightmare.
"Where's Tony?" E.J. screamed across the distance standing in the doorway still inside the safety of their room but looking for the man who had disappeared down the hallway now filled with smoke and dust. "Tony!" She screamed coughing as she inhaled and screamed again, "Tony!"
Tony was thundering along as fast as his feet would carry him towards the pulses and heat, getting back up each time the ground was stolen beneath his stride and bouncing off the walls to keep upright. The sounds of death and screaming were echoing off the walls and he moved faster trying to get to Ziva as the building began coming down around him.
Julia let loose with another massive shockwave and fireball that flushed out another corridor and then collapsed it. Ziva, Malachi and Asa were clinging to each other with Asa and Malachi each holding one of Ziva's arms trying to keep her in the middle and upright, developing a new system of bracing themselves for each time they knew Julia was about to unleash another surge of energy.
When they approached the circular room, Julia waved her outstretched arms away from her body once more and sent out the biggest shockwave pulse yet that collapsed all the tunnels around them.
"Dear God," Gibbs gasped from his position having cleared the snipers and watched as the modern part of the compound was exploding repeatedly into massive fireballs and collapsing literally behind them, obliviating the structure in their wake as they moved towards the older ruins. He picked up his gear, hit the homing beacon signal and started running down the hill as fast as he could towards the exit they would be coming from.
"Tony!" E.J. screamed again through tears feeling another shockwave blast inside their bubble that knocked her to the ground and watched as the tunnel that Tony had run into was now consumed with a giant fireball and rushing vacuuming surge of heat that sucked it out nearly as quickly.
Ziva heard E.J.'s scream come through the bubble and echo off the stone walls and felt her heart stop inhaling a large gasp.
Julia stepped through into the circular room with the others behind her and saw only McGee holding onto Liat, huddled back against a wall sitting down while E.J. was flattened to the ground crying and screaming Tony's name down a corridor that was collapsing to their left. The one they'd left through but not come back in. "Tony!" She screamed again through raging tears.
And Ziva gasped pushing past Julia with recognition slowly dawning upon her what Tony had done. He hadn't listened. He'd come after her. "Where is he?" She cried rushing to E.J.'s side and pulling her upright off the floor as the building continued shaking around them.
"He ran that way! We couldn't stop him!" E.J. cried shaking her head.
"Tony!" Ziva screamed with blinding tears as she started running into the collapsing corridor and suddenly felt herself being rocketed backwards at lightening speed with feet not even touching the ground. She gasped with breath stolen when she hit the far wall with a gentle thud and saw Julia's eyes flash like fire holding her hand out having been the one to pull Ziva back and push her away.
"Stay!" Julia commanded with a voice like thunder with eyes nearly consumed in the fiery black and gold mixture and everyone froze where they were even as the building burned with smoke, dust and searing heat. She turned rapidly and stalked towards the collapsed hallway Tony had gone into and started blasting the debris into ash creating a pathway at a rapid pace.
"Damn you, Tony." She seethed seeing his flattened body beneath a large piece of the ceiling and flicked it off of him revealing his badly bleeding body. Quickly she extended her fingers and lifted him off the ground and towards her as she moved back down the hallway and back towards the circular room. "Out!" She screamed at the stunned faces to see Tony's crumpled and bleeding body suspended in the air behind Julia.
Malachi quickly picked up Liat from McGee and ran with her down the hallway they'd all come from originally, leading the way as everyone else followed. Julia stayed in the back as the building continued to collapse and explode in her wake behind them and everyone ran forward with blinding tears. The mile long tunnel seemed endless and Malachi passed Liat to Asa half way through as they took turns to make sure she was out to safety as quickly as possible.
They broke out into the night air just as Gibbs was getting to the clearing at the bottom of the hill, scanning faces immediately to see them emerge covered in soot, dust and bits of debris. Relief flooding his heart to see each new face and then Ziva emerged, wracked in sobs with tear stained face smeared with the ash.
"Where's Tony?" Gibbs grabbed for her as another explosion rocked the earth around them and another part of the complex fell.
Ziva didn't have time to answer before Julia emerged from the tunnel entrance next and Tony's body after.
Gibbs could barely breath seeing it float and then softly fall to the ground. Everyone moved to rush him.
"Call Katherine." Julia's fiery eyes flashed to Gibbs, "Now." She commanded and then waved everyone back, "Stay back!" She commanded and bent over Tony, feeling for a pulse. It was weak but there. Blood was once against seeping from his nose and mouth and this time even his eyes were leaking tears of blood. The shockwave she'd sent out had nearly liquefied his lungs and vessels and he was massively bleeding out internally.
"Argh!" Julia screamed into the darkness and it echoed like thunder around the mountainside, "Damn you, Tony!" She seethed again and lay her hands on his chest and her body and his began to shake.
Gibbs rapidly found the phone and hit 'Send' knowing it was programmed to one number only. "Katherine!" He gasped in disbelief watching as the blood from Tony's mouth, nose and eyes began a reverse trail back inside his body. "It's Gibbs. I have no idea what's happening." He panted unable to speak. "Tony…was hurt. Julia is healing him but she…told me to call you first." He didn't give her the chance to say anything other then 'hello.'
"Tony…" Ziva gasped through tears kneeling beside them and all watched in stunned silence as the Tony's blood reversed streamed back into his body. "Tony!" She cried out when the blood on Tony's body had disappeared and he gasped loudly, inhaling a deep breath and then went into a coughing fit.
"Julia!" McGee screamed as the first to notice her and missed catching her as the fell backwards to the ground beside Tony and Ziva. Blood seeping from her eyes, nose and mouth now as she gasped for breath as if taking her last.
"Julia!" Ziva screamed holding onto Tony whose eyes were now open and looking around and then to Julia whose once beautiful golden and dark swimming pools of light, slowly began to fade. "Julia!" She screamed again. "No! No! No!" Ziva chanted and let go of Tony, reaching for Julia's hand in confusion as to what was happening.
Katherine could hear the screams of Julia's names over the phone, "What's happening?" She asked in a panic and the new sounds of a helicopter's blades filled the night sky, circling above. A large black bag was dropped onto the ground near them from above.
"She healed Tony but…now she's… she's…" Gibbs didn't want to describe what he was seeing before him to the woman he knew was her mother.
"She's what, Agent Gibbs?" Katherine demanded in her commanding tone.
The dust began swirling around them as the helicopter took off again, racing away and Gibbs finally answered in disbelief and not understanding what was happening, "She seems to be dying."