Inter-agency Nightmare 13/14
Two Marines and Dr. Jackson stayed behind with McGee while the rest went after the downed craft. From on top of the rock formation, Gibbs watched them, but his gut was telling him to stay close. Down below he watched as McGee studied the readings on his computer, leaning close as something apparently didn't add up. Gibbs had seen that expression before and was watching him so intently while he climbed down that he almost missed when one of the drones began to vibrate. It stopped before Gibbs could take another step, but he continued to split his attention between the drones and the loose rocks as he made his way back down.
---NCIS---
"It's over there, Sir." Carter couldn't quite hide her excitement. It was a rare day when they had the chance to get their hands on a Death Glider, even a badly damaged one, as the pilots were trained to use the self destruct mechanism rather than let it fall into enemy hands. She'd heard enough of them to know that the explosion they'd heard was from an impact, not from an overheating naquadah reactor.
"Slow down, Carter." O'Neill was fully aware of the potential of this find, but he didn't want to get them all blown up, either. They approached cautiously, weapons raised.
One of the Marines whistled. "Now that's a shot."
Jack had to agree with him. A hole dead center in the front window matched up with a hole in the center of the pilot's forehead. Blood covered his face, pooling on his clothing and on the floor of the glider.
"Is that too much damage for the Gao'uld to heal his host?"
Jack looked over his shoulder, it was one of the newer members of the Marine unit, PFC Hales. He reviews Hales' service record and realized this was his first mission where he'd come face to face with a Gao'uld, let alone an Ashrak.
Hales was obviously nervous, looking around as he stood perfectly still. "It's not going to look for a new host, is it?"
Teal'c was carefully studying the body and reached forward to grasp the dead man's hand. He held it up for the rest to see. "He does not wear the Hara'kesh, the ring of the Ashrak."
Jack immediately checked the other hand. It, too, was bare. "They always wear that ring. Maybe the demon wasn't an Ashrak?"
"Perhaps." Teal'c had been studying the body and tugged the shirt to one side, revealing an X-shaped opening in his abdomen. The head of a dying infant Gao'uld could be seen and Hales shuddered and stepped back. "However, I do not believe the demon was a Jaffa and I have never known of a Death Glider to be piloted by only one being."
Gunfire back at the battle site stopped anything else any of them might have said and the reappearance of the drones kept them busy.
---NCIS---
The safest path back down to the ground put Gibbs too far to the side to stay in visual contact with McGee. He was tempted to slide down the face of the rock, but he wouldn't do Tim any good with a broken neck. By the time he was down and back around, a tall man with bronze skin was charging at McGee, a staff weapon in his hand. Rather than running, Tim was holding his ground as every wave of the man's hand brought more of the drones back to life and McGee was doing everything he could to block the signal.
The two Marines opened fire on the alien, but a sphere of glowing energy seemed to surround him and the bullets pinged harmlessly away, falling to the ground as he walked past them. The Ashrak fired at them with his staff, hitting them both. Ducking behind a pile of rocks, Gibbs tried with his sniper rifle and hoped that the massive power in the casings would drive the bullets past the shield. The only thing they did was bounce further off the shield. Without a clear shot at him, the Ashrak dismissed Gibbs and continued toward his goal
"Damn it, Tim, run!" A drone raised up in front of Gibbs and managed to fire off several shots before McGee brought it under control. Gibbs had to dive out of the way and by the time he rolled to his feet, the Ashrak was within feet of McGee. "No!"
Instead of running, Tim keyed in the last command, smiling at the realization on the Ashrak's face that he'd permanently lost control of the drones. With his other hand, McGee brought up his sidearm, but the Ashrak had stopped short and the shield was still between them.
The Ashrak raised his right hand and the large ring nestled against his palm began to glow. Outgoing weaponry wasn't affected by the shield at all and the beam of energy caught McGee and threw him down to the ground. The Ashrak stepped closer, capturing McGee inside his shield. The energy beam from his ring hit McGee on the forehead and he writhed and screamed in agony, unable to get away.
Desperate to distract the Ashrak, Gibbs raised his rifle to fire again. Daniel had been circling around and was now close enough to yell at Gibbs. "Don't shoot, the more kinetic energy of the attack, the stronger the shield. It'll never get through. You're better off throwing a rock."
"I have to do something." Again, he raised the rifle. Even if he was just an annoyance, it might give McGee a few extra seconds. Before he could fire, Daniel's words penetrated his head and instead, Gibbs pulled out his knife.
---NCIS---
Ganlok was furious, but he had the Tau'ri in his grasp. The ring could kill instantly, or it could kill slowly and painfully. He was enjoying the pained screams of his prey, but even more, he was enjoying the angered yells of the man helpless outside the shield. Enjoying the dual torment, Ganlok wasn't aware he had a problem until the knife hit his throat.
---NCIS---
It wasn't a rock, but Gibbs' k-bar blade slipped easily through the shield and found its target. Gibbs had a moment of perverse pleasure at the expression on the alien's face when the blade sliced into his airway, but he was more happy to see the energy beam drop away and Tim collapse to the ground. As Gibbs edged closer, the Ashrak gave him a bloody smile, reaching up to pull out the knife. The blood spurted freely even as the symbiote inside the Ashrak worked to close the wound.
Giving one last glance at Gibbs, the Ashrak turned his attention back to McGee, laughing at the weak cry as the energy beam resumed and he went limp. By now, Gibbs was at the edge of the shield. He could feel the static charge it gave off, raising the hair on his arms. Slowly, he pushed the tip of his rifle barrel through the shield. Just like the knife, the lower energy and speed made it possible to breech the shield. He kept pushing it forward until the magazine made it through and then pulled the trigger over and over until it was empty. When the Ashrak fell to the ground, the shield collapsed around him.
Gibbs saw it flicker, the only time it was visible, and cautiously stepped in. When he wasn't stopped, he dropped the clip out of the rifle and slammed another one in as he stopped next to the Ashrak. Four fifty caliber rounds had done a number on the body, but Gibbs wasn't convinced it was over. He watched and a black serpent like creature crawled out of what was left of the Ashrak's chest. Gibbs shot it, watching the impact toss it into the air. A second and third shot reduced it to a twitching pulp and Gibbs stepped down on the head, enjoying the satisfying sound it made as it crunched under his heel. Only then was he convinced that it was over.
Letting his rifle slide out of suddenly numb hands, Gibbs stepped over the body of the Ashrak, determined that no one else would handle McGee's body. He dropped to his knees and gathered Tim into his arms, holding him close. He didn't even notice Daniel at his side until the other man jabbed McGee with a syringe.
"He's not..."
Daniel was checking McGee's pupils, then his pulse. Not ready to give up, he pulled another syringe out of the medical kit and plunged it again into Tim's neck, needing the drugs to reach his brain in a hurry. "Maybe, but we've got to hurry." He looked up and saw the rest of the team returning and waved them over. "We need to get him through the Gate, now."
---NCIS---
Gibbs sat in a chair outside the infirmary. It had been a chaotic few hours as they'd carried McGee and one of the more injured Marines to the FRED, then the mad rush back to the Gate. Everyone was now back, even the hostages, and they were just waiting for word on the injured. He was vaguely aware of movement to his side, then a cup of coffee appeared under his nose.
"Here, thought you could use this." Once Gibbs had taken the cup, Jack sat in the chair next to him.
"Thanks." Gibbs stared into the cup without taking a sip, remembering what Jack had told him about the weapon that could practically melt a human's brain. "I thought I saw him die. That beam was right on his forehead and he was in so much pain. God, so much pain, and then he went limp."
Jack knew he should warn Gibbs that McGee could still die, that surviving and recovering weren't necessarily the same. Instead, he laid his hand on his arm. "Tim's strong, he's real strong."
The question of whether being strong was enough went unanswered as they fell silent again, waiting for word. Another hour passed before Dr. Fraiser came out. Jack stood up as she joined them. "Janet, how is he?"
She sat in the chair O'Neill had vacated and spoke gently to Gibbs. "He's stable, we're just waiting for him to wake up. I can't do a full assessment until he's awake, but I don't see any indication of permanent brain damage."
Gibbs sagged in relief and nodded, unable to speak past the lump in his throat. Understanding, she patted his arm as she stood. "You can come sit with him if you like. It'll probably do him good to wake up to a familiar face.
She didn't have to ask twice and a few minutes later he found himself sitting at Tim's bedside. Tim was pale, paler than he'd ever seen anyone still alive, which made the burn on his forehead even more apparent. The one physical sign that Gibbs struggled with was the newly gray hair at his temples, a testament to the strain his body had been under. For now, Gibbs cupped McGee's cheek in his hand and relished the feel of warm, living skin. He was still sitting like that when he felt McGee stir.
"Tim? Tim, you back with us?" He watched, worried until the green eyes focused on him. "Hey, how you feeling?"
"Sore, really sore." Tim's voice was raspy and Gibbs held a glass of water for him. After sipping some water through the straw, he tried again. "Did we stop him?"
"Yeah, we sure did." Gibbs watched as Tim struggled to keep his eyes open. "Hey, just stay awake long enough for the doctor to check you over, okay?"
Tim nodded slowly. "Yeah, sure. Can I sit up?"
Gibbs looked at Dr. Fraiser, who nodded. With her approval, he lifted Tim up and slid in back of him. "How's that?"
"Nice." Tim smiled, enjoying the comfort of the strong arms around him, keeping him safe. The exam was mercifully brief before she smiled, brushing his hair back.
"Everything looks good, Tim. It might be a few weeks, or even a month before you regain your full strength, but you should make a complete recovery. Just give yourself some time, okay? Pushing it will just slow your recovery down."
"He'll take it easy. I'll make sure of it."
Janet recognized the fear that was still in those intense blue eyes. "Let Jethro take care of you, Tim. It will do you both some good, okay?"
"Can we go home?"
Home sounded like a very good idea as Gibbs tried to give her an encouraging smile. "He'll be staying with me."
Janet bit back a smile at the two hopeful faces. If she were Gibbs, she'd want the patient all to herself, too. "Sure, but no sex until you get the all clear. I'll fly out later and check on you."
Tim looked a little disappointed at the no sex, but Gibbs wasn't arguing. "We won't do anything to jeopardize his recovery, but it'll be good to be home. Maybe rent a vacation home on a lake for a few days.
Janet laughed at that. "The Colonel and Daniel may even come out and join you for that." She laughed even harder at the expression on Gibbs' face. "But I'll tell them they have to rent their own cabin." Satisfied, she stood up. "We'll let you get some rest. Just push the call button if either of you need anything."
Once they were alone, Gibbs let some of his worry show through. "You sure you're all right? Are you having trouble breathing? Is that why you wanted to sit up?"
Tim shuddered as he remembered the freezing cold pain that felt like his soul was being ripped out of his body. "I just need your arms around me."
Gibbs tightened his grasp and bent down to kiss the top of his head, carefully avoiding the burns. "You got it, babe, forever and always."
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