A/N - Again, sorry for the wait. I've got tons of Uni work at the minute and several exams next week. Thanks to everyone who's reading and/or reviewing this! It really means a lot.
Just wondering, something. I'm English and I'm trying hard to not put any English cultural references in that would be out of place and confusing, because this is an American show after all. Is anyone bothered about my using the English spellings of certain words or does that get annoying? I've been trying not to but it's hard to avoid.
Timothy froze, his hand on the doorknob and the door half-open. A sickly feeling of dread rose in the pit of his stomach as he turned slowly on his heel, letting the heavy door swung shut again, to face Gibbs.
For a split second, Gibbs face was utterly blank and devoid of all life. Only his eyes registered anything. They were staring fixedly at the spot which had been the back of Timothy's head and was now his eyes, staring with an expression of intense fury and hatred. Timothy had seen that kind of hate before and his mouth went suddenly dry. It was a look usually followed by swift and terrible violence.
But the moment was over in a heartbeat. Timothy blinked once and Gibbs was back to normal, his eyes clear and displaying only confusion at the stillness of the room and the way everyone had turned to stare at him.
Glancing around, Timothy noticed that the rest of the NCIS team were looking at their boss in mild bewilderment, while Kinoan looked worried and Harriet ... Harriet look horrified. That expression, too, lasted only a second. The Captain schooled her features back to their usual stoic blankness as soon as she realised Timothy was looking at her.
"What did you say?" Timothy asked in a low voice, gaze fixed on Gibbs again. He didn't move from the door. His legs felt like they'd been soldered to the thick metal beneath the rug. If the look in Gibbs' eyes and the cold cruelty of his voice weren't enough to alarm Timothy, there was also the actual words he had spoken.
The Void. Just the name sent a shiver down Timothy's spine, though seconds later he mentally slapped himself. The Void was nothing. It was a ghost story and absolutely not true. The Void was not, could not be, a real thing. Even the most superstitious of recruits accepted the legends were simply metaphorical warnings about the dangers of deep space travel.
Gibbs was frowning, evidently confused. "I didn't say anything."
"Yes, you did." Timothy forced himself to move forwards, staring his old boss straight in the eyes and trying to discern any leftover trace of that terrible hatred. He still felt sick and shaky but a glance at Harriet told him he wasn't showing any of this. A small frown line still appeared between her eyes whenever he showed weakness or fear, like he was still one of her soldiers who had to be whipped into shape. Most of the time he resented that attitude but sometimes, like now, it came in handy.
"You said, 'The Void approaches.'" Timothy watched Gibbs very carefully.
"No, I didn't."
It was evident to Timothy that Gibbs had no idea what he was talking about. The agent looked around at his team for support but was met with concerned faces.
"You did, boss." Ziva said quietly. "You went all ... weird for a moment."
"We should get him to the Medical Deck." Kinoan's clear, calm voice cut through the heavy air, startling them all. Timothy nodded his agreement and wasn't at all surprised when Gibbs began to protest.
"I'm fine, I don't need-"
Timothy cut him off. "You." He said firmly, jabbing a finger towards Gibbs' chest. "Are going to the Medical Deck. No discussions."
"Why? There's nothing wrong with me." Gibbs was not at all happy about being ordering around by one of his agents. It was hard to stop thinking of Timothy, who looked so young still, as one of his men who would jump to his orders immediately. Gibbs was used to being the one in charge and would not take to being in the backseat easily, especially if the person now giving the orders was, only a day or so ago, a subordinate.
Timothy moved even closer, expression hard and more than a little angry. His patience was wearing thin. He had not had the chance to stop and think, to process what was happening, since waking up in his room to attend the Generals' meeting. Every minute since then had been fraught with tension, fear and danger.
"Because I say so." Timothy said coldly, with a glare to rival Gibbs' own. "And up here, I give the orders. I am your General and you will do as I say, do you understand me?"
Gibbs said nothing, setting his jaw. Timothy didn't notice Tony open his mouth to interrupt, or Kinoan hold up an authoritative hand to silence him.
"If you have a problem following my orders, Gibbs," Timothy's voice lowered even further, became decidedly dangerous. Harriet and Kinoan exchanged slightly nervous glances; this, right here, was why Timothy had the reputation he did. "I will not hesitate to throw you in the cells."
Everything seemed frozen for a few long, fraught moments, the whole room trapped in the battle of wills between Timothy and Gibbs. Then, Gibbs gave a short, sharp nod and dropped his gaze. Timothy span around and headed back to the door, flinging it open and marching through without waiting to see if they were following.
Harriet and Kinoan herded the NCIS team out of the office after Timothy, who kept his speed up to remain several meters ahead. There was a strange mixture of triumph, dread and anxiety welling up in Timothy's chest and all of it completely separate to the fear he still felt over Gibbs' strange behaviour. Despite his words in the office, Timothy was not at all confident he would be able to throw the agent in jail. The team were like family and he held a deep affection for all of them. On top of that, he still felt a little spark of deference when it came to Gibbs.
When Timothy made the decision to take a break and return to Earth, the Stars officials - shadowy and secretive as they were - could easily have pulled strings and found him a high-ranking position anywhere he cared to go. That wasn't what Timothy wanted, though, and definitely not what he needed. He had needed to not be in charge for a while. Playing the subordinate, the lowest on the team, had been a welcome break from the pressure of authority.
Timothy knew he made a good leader. Hell, he made a great leader. But even the greatest leaders can know too much power and can fall into the same traps as everyone else. A moment of weakness could cost lives.
The trip to the Medical Deck was conducted in silence. Nobody, not even Kinoan or Harriet, felt brave enough to disturb Timothy's thoughts. The General wore a dark look that was not at all inviting. For the NCIS team, the walk offered them a chance to clear their heads and think about what had happened in Kinoan's office.
Each lost in their own thoughts, only Ducky and Palmer seemed to notice when they emerged onto the Medical Deck. This was to be their home from now until this war was over, after all. One way or another.
It looked, perhaps anti-climactically, like a regular hospital reception area. A few uncomfortable-looking chairs around a rickety table and a wooden corner desk with a potted plant to the side were the only furnishings. To the left of the desk were a set of grey double doors that led into a long, white corridor. Behind the small frosted glass windows figures moved rapidly, walking up and down and from side to side, entering and exiting any number of doors.
The brunette receptionist sat up straighter as they emerged from the lift, her eyes locking onto Timothy immediately and widening. She had eyes as brown as her hair and a pale complexion liberally sprinkled with freckles.
"Is Doctor Gorcheva in her office?" Timothy asked brusequely. The woman jumped slightly, glanced at her computer screen and shook her head.
"In the Trauma Room, General McGee." She said, tone professional despite her obvious surprise. "I think she's attending to some of the Generals who were hurt in the missile strike."
Timothy frowned. He had all but forgotten the other Generals.
"Are there any serious injuries?" He enquired. He had ordered them all off the station the moment the attack began, but it made sense that anyone injured would stay behind. Doctor Gorcheva's staff were well-respected.
"No, General. Just a few broken bones."
Broken bones weren't as serious up here as they could be down on Earth and Timothy allowed himself a small smile of relief. Though he tried to shut off most of his emotions while fighting a war, he had known many of those people for a long time and had come to care for them.
With a nod of thanks to the receptionist, Timothy led the way through the double doors.
The Trauma Room was only a minute's walk from the reception area. Another set of double doors led into a long, white space bordered on both sides by lines of curtain-surrounded beds. Groups of doctors and nurses moved from one bed to the other, talking rapidly amongst themselves as they tended to the patients. There were quite a number of casualties here, injured in the missile strikes. Thankfully, none seemed to be in a critical state.
"Doctor Gorcheva." Timothy called, sighting the Bulgarian woman bent over a clipboard half-way up the room.
She turned and, without looking up, walked towards them. Doctors and nurses, both human and alien, skittered out of her path. The ease of their movements showed that the staff were used to Gorcheva moving through them in this distracted manner.
It wasn't until she came to a stop a metre or so in front of Timothy that Gorcheva finally looked up. She quirked her eyebrow at the group but otherwise her expression remained unreadable. Timothy noticed that she decidedly did not look at Harriet. The enmity between the two women was widely known but it was already become a thorn in Timothy's side.
"I need a quarantine room, immediately." Timothy said.
That got Gorcheva's interest; and, apparently, the NCIS team's. Hearing the beginning of mutterings behind him, Timothy turned around and held up a hand.
"We have no idea what's going on here." He said firmly but not unkindly. "This could just be some side-effect of the teleportation beam, or it could be something dangerous. We need to know and until we do, we can't take any chances."
Perhaps still reeling from their confrontation in Kinoan's office, Gibbs didn't protest. The rest of the team looked suddenly very worried.
"Follow me, then." Gorcheva said curtly. She set off, back towards the double doors they had entered by and away up the endless corridor.