Endgame - Chapter 10
Title: Endgame
Author: fulltobursting aka unilocular
Artist:
hinky_hippo
Summary: For Sergei Mishnev, Diane's death was just the beginning. His next objective is to destroy Gibbs' beloved team.
Rating: Strong Teen
Spoilers/Warnings: General spoilers up to 12x15: Cabin Fever. Canon Divergence from 12x11. Copious violence, whump, bad language, and some mentions of torture.
9:01pm - Former Location of Alden Import and Export Company - 142 Q St. SW, Southwest, Washington, DC -
Holding his breath, Tim watches Gibbs silently square off with Mishnev. Somehow, his boss managed to get close enough to their captor to be within striking distance, but far enough away to not get caught up in a fight. His muscles are tense and tight, ready to pounce at the slightest provocation.
Even though Baldy points a gun at him, Gibbs looks more annoyed than anything else. It's the same expression he wears when Tony forgets to collate his reports or Ellie takes to the floor to ponder their case. Or when Tim launches into a rambling of some technobabble that no one else understands.
Another feral shriek rips through the warehouse.
Holy shit, what is Bishop doing to that guy?
Gibbs' steady gaze shifts from Mishnev to his present team members. Whatever face Tony makes earns him a barely perceptible nod.
When Gibbs glances at Tim, his eyebrows jump and he presses his lips together.
Tim has no idea what that means, but nods anyway. Just bobs his head like he knows what the hell is going on. As soon as the fighting starts, he'll just aim for the closest goon and hope for the best.
Hope for the best.
The words pinball around Tim's brain, slamming into synapses and awakening memories. They rekindle those distant, long-forgotten promises he's made to himself over the years. That next bestseller, hobbies, another dog, a wife and children. All those things he told himself he'd get to sometime in the future. Never now. Not because he didn't want to, but because he never had the time. He was always working, always solving some important case.
His life belongs to the job, not him.
He swallows hard, trying to dislodge the lump in his throat.
So he never learned from his father's death. How precious life is, and that it could be gone at any moment. He told himself it'd be different this time. That he'd be different this time. But he slipped back into his old ways far too quickly, never even told his team he was late to their crime scene because he came straight from the funeral luncheon.
If he makes it out alive, he'll do everything he put off. He'll beg Delilah to come home just like he always wanted to, but never had the courage. He'll do whatever it takes for them to be together. Even take a leave of absence and wander the streets of Dubai for a while.
Anything to be with her, anything to truly live.
Another shout - closer this time - drags Tim out of his thoughts.
That dirtbag nearly has Bishop here.
Out of the corner of his eye, he catches Tony's bruised and battered face. The swelling is exponentially worse than just a few minutes ago. For a moment, Tim forgets how much can be normal for someone who is still alive.
Something that could be mistaken for a smile pulls at Tony's bloated lips. "You ready, McGee?"
He half-nods. "As I'll ever be."
"Good." Tony inhales deliberately. "Don't go until Gibbs gives the signal."
Before Tim has a chance to ask about the signal, the door opens and Handsome drags Ellie out. His face is a mess. Bumps and bruises make him rival Ugly in the looks department. When he jerks her forward, he hobbles with a nasty limp. She rams her knee into his thigh, but he drags her towards the rest of the team.
Once she's close enough, Mishnev shoots the whole team a sidelong glance. "Have you decided whose life you are willing to exchange for my man's, Gibbs?"
Pressing his lips together, Gibbs shakes his head. "They all walk away, Sergei. That was the deal."
"If you are unwilling to choose, I will."
He gives a long pause, but Gibbs remains silent.
Mishnev's lips part to reveal a shark-like grin. "Who would you like to die with you today? Your right-hand man or - " his cold, dead stare glides from Tony to Tim - " or your computer specialist or - " then, he leers at Ellie " - your informational analyst. They are all worthy choices." He lets the silence linger before his grin widens. "Of both options."
Terror licks down Tim's spine as Gibbs' eyes wander over his team members. First to Ellie, then Tony, and finally, him. They stay there just a second too long and Mishnev catches it.
"So you do have a choice," he growls, grinning.
"No, I don't," Gibbs repeats. "I'm trading my life for theirs."
But Mishnev is too busy motioning to his goons with his free hand to pay attention.
Tim doesn't have a chance to think about what's going on as Ugly yanks him to his feet. As he's marched closer to the confrontation, he glances over his shoulder to meet Tony's wide - and for the first time ever - terrified eyes. Like he finally believes they might not all survive this encounter, like that blind faith he has in Gibbs might be crumbling.
Tim's own heart turns to ash.
Only Ugly's tight grip on his upper arm keeps him upright when they stop mere inches from Mishnev and Gibbs' showdown. Neither his boss nor his captor bother to look at him while they're locked in a standoff to see who will be the first to crack.
Whether Gibbs will beg for his man's life before Mishnev ends it.
"Boss?" Tim's voice is so quiet that even he barely hears it.
No one else dares speak a word, let alone breathe, as though it might influence the outcome. As though a single sound could make one of them break. The winds howl outside, slapping against the side of the warehouse and making Tim's heart twist into his throat.
Cold sweat soaks through his shirt as he tries to desperately figure out how this could be part of Gibbs' plan. How letting Mishnev gun them down in this dirty filthy place could actually fix anything.
Sacrifice, he's realizing, isn't everything it's cracked up to be.
The minutes pass like hours and Tim's gaze flicks between his captor and his boss. Both of them are as impassive and impenetrable as stone walls. But then Tim notices how Gibbs moves, almost imperceptibly closing the gap between himself and Mishnev.
Gibbs' eyebrows rise ever so slightly, imploring Tim to trust him. That they'll be just fine because he has a plan. It's got to be something so simple he doesn't even need a gun for it.
Whatever the hell it is, Tim just wishes he could read his boss' freaking mind. It would be a lot easier to accept if he knew what Gibbs was about to do like he knows Mishnev has a bullet ready for him.
Mishnev breaks the silence first. "So, Gibbs, you accept this choice? Agent McGee dies with you, yes?"
Tim's breath hitches. "Boss…"
"Me." Gibbs takes another step forward. "You take me and we're even."
When Mishnev loads a bullet into the chamber of his gun, Tim flinches like he's been shot.
Behind him, there's the screech of Tony's chair against the concrete. Probably searching for a better vantage point to see whether he could do anything to prevent this disaster.
Mishnev moves towards Tim, gun raised. "Your man for my - "
"I volunteer!" Tony yells.
There's a twitch to Mishnev's lips like he planned this all along. To watch the team jump at the chance to sacrifice themselves so he could murder them one by one in front of Gibbs.
"Is that so, Agent DiNozzo?" he asks.
Tony nods emphatically. "I'll take McGee's place. Let him go."
The ensuing silence is so overwhelming that Tim thinks he's gone deaf for a moment. Then there's a barely perceptible screaming in the distance.
Sirens.
Back-up is on its way, begging the team to hold on until they arrive. Based on the sound, they're minutes away and the team's already out of time. Swallowing hard, Tim decides that waiting for Gibbs' damned signal doesn't matter anymore.
His muscles tense when Mishnev shifts the gun towards Tony.
"McGee, Bishop, now!" Gibbs yells. "Tony, get down!"
Tim wrests his body sideways, smashing his forehead against Ugly's already crooked nose. Something crunches in the attack and Tim hopes to hell it's his target, not his skull. Both of them crash into the concrete, momentarily stunned. Then Tim rolls to his side and kicks Ugly squarely in the chest, even though the thug isn't moving anymore.
Tim lies there, lungs and bound arms burning, as the world around him dissolves into chaos.
A shriek explodes from across the room where Ellie goes for another round with Handsome.
Tony throws his chair sideways and he goes down hard, his head bouncing off the concrete. He shudders as his eyes fall closed. His body sags against the restraints as he finally succumbs to the hours of abuse. Mercifully, he's already out when Mishnev squeezes off a wild shot.
But Mishnev's aim follows him to the ground.
Just as he goes to pull the trigger again, Gibbs sucker-punches the Russian in the throat. The gun hits the ground with a metallic plink before it skitters away into the blackness.
When Baldy finally catches up the action, he lunges for the back of Gibbs' neck. Tim leverages a solid kick to the goon's ankle. Cursing and groaning, Baldy drops to one-knee. When he sets his sights on Tim, the agent scrambles backwards. But before Baldy can reach Tim, Gibbs smashes his elbow against the goon's temple. He collapses to the floor, unmoving.
With the nearby henchmen neutralized, Gibbs scoops up a stray gun. One shot drops Handsome and earns him a thankful smile from Ellie.
Then Gibbs stalks towards Mishnev.
On his back, gasping and crowing for air, the Russian is no longer as menacing as he was earlier. He struggles for his back-up weapon with his shaking hand, but Gibbs kicks it away.
The sirens' shrieks fill the warehouse now, bouncing off the walls and ripping through Tim's spent nerves. They're so close it makes him hold his breath as he watches Gibbs intently.
Don't do it, Boss. Help's almost here...
Mishnev struggles to his knees, eyes burning. "Excellent work, Gibbs. I guess you won the game."
"Never was a game, Sergei. You killed my friend. You came after my team, my - " he checks on his agents " - family."
"Only because you murdered what was left of mine."
Gibbs sets his jaw, the rage deepening on his face.
"You deserved everything you have experienced." Mishnev lets out a rasping laugh like a dying man. "Especially, your ex-wife's. That was agony at its finest. I regret I won't be able to see your face while you watch your team die. Perhaps in another life, yes?"
Gibbs rests his gun against Mishnev's forehead. "Last words, Sergei?"
"I'll see you in hell, Gibbs."
He smirks. "Be sure of it."
Then he pulls the trigger and Mishnev's body drops like a stone.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Author: fulltobursting aka unilocular
Artist:
hinky_hippo
Summary: For Sergei Mishnev, Diane's death was just the beginning. His next objective is to destroy Gibbs' beloved team.
Rating: Strong Teen
Spoilers/Warnings: General spoilers up to 12x15: Cabin Fever. Canon Divergence from 12x11. Copious violence, whump, bad language, and some mentions of torture.
9:01pm - Former Location of Alden Import and Export Company - 142 Q St. SW, Southwest, Washington, DC -
Holding his breath, Tim watches Gibbs silently square off with Mishnev. Somehow, his boss managed to get close enough to their captor to be within striking distance, but far enough away to not get caught up in a fight. His muscles are tense and tight, ready to pounce at the slightest provocation.
Even though Baldy points a gun at him, Gibbs looks more annoyed than anything else. It's the same expression he wears when Tony forgets to collate his reports or Ellie takes to the floor to ponder their case. Or when Tim launches into a rambling of some technobabble that no one else understands.
Another feral shriek rips through the warehouse.
Holy shit, what is Bishop doing to that guy?
Gibbs' steady gaze shifts from Mishnev to his present team members. Whatever face Tony makes earns him a barely perceptible nod.
When Gibbs glances at Tim, his eyebrows jump and he presses his lips together.
Tim has no idea what that means, but nods anyway. Just bobs his head like he knows what the hell is going on. As soon as the fighting starts, he'll just aim for the closest goon and hope for the best.
Hope for the best.
The words pinball around Tim's brain, slamming into synapses and awakening memories. They rekindle those distant, long-forgotten promises he's made to himself over the years. That next bestseller, hobbies, another dog, a wife and children. All those things he told himself he'd get to sometime in the future. Never now. Not because he didn't want to, but because he never had the time. He was always working, always solving some important case.
His life belongs to the job, not him.
He swallows hard, trying to dislodge the lump in his throat.
So he never learned from his father's death. How precious life is, and that it could be gone at any moment. He told himself it'd be different this time. That he'd be different this time. But he slipped back into his old ways far too quickly, never even told his team he was late to their crime scene because he came straight from the funeral luncheon.
If he makes it out alive, he'll do everything he put off. He'll beg Delilah to come home just like he always wanted to, but never had the courage. He'll do whatever it takes for them to be together. Even take a leave of absence and wander the streets of Dubai for a while.
Anything to be with her, anything to truly live.
Another shout - closer this time - drags Tim out of his thoughts.
That dirtbag nearly has Bishop here.
Out of the corner of his eye, he catches Tony's bruised and battered face. The swelling is exponentially worse than just a few minutes ago. For a moment, Tim forgets how much can be normal for someone who is still alive.
Something that could be mistaken for a smile pulls at Tony's bloated lips. "You ready, McGee?"
He half-nods. "As I'll ever be."
"Good." Tony inhales deliberately. "Don't go until Gibbs gives the signal."
Before Tim has a chance to ask about the signal, the door opens and Handsome drags Ellie out. His face is a mess. Bumps and bruises make him rival Ugly in the looks department. When he jerks her forward, he hobbles with a nasty limp. She rams her knee into his thigh, but he drags her towards the rest of the team.
Once she's close enough, Mishnev shoots the whole team a sidelong glance. "Have you decided whose life you are willing to exchange for my man's, Gibbs?"
Pressing his lips together, Gibbs shakes his head. "They all walk away, Sergei. That was the deal."
"If you are unwilling to choose, I will."
He gives a long pause, but Gibbs remains silent.
Mishnev's lips part to reveal a shark-like grin. "Who would you like to die with you today? Your right-hand man or - " his cold, dead stare glides from Tony to Tim - " or your computer specialist or - " then, he leers at Ellie " - your informational analyst. They are all worthy choices." He lets the silence linger before his grin widens. "Of both options."
Terror licks down Tim's spine as Gibbs' eyes wander over his team members. First to Ellie, then Tony, and finally, him. They stay there just a second too long and Mishnev catches it.
"So you do have a choice," he growls, grinning.
"No, I don't," Gibbs repeats. "I'm trading my life for theirs."
But Mishnev is too busy motioning to his goons with his free hand to pay attention.
Tim doesn't have a chance to think about what's going on as Ugly yanks him to his feet. As he's marched closer to the confrontation, he glances over his shoulder to meet Tony's wide - and for the first time ever - terrified eyes. Like he finally believes they might not all survive this encounter, like that blind faith he has in Gibbs might be crumbling.
Tim's own heart turns to ash.
Only Ugly's tight grip on his upper arm keeps him upright when they stop mere inches from Mishnev and Gibbs' showdown. Neither his boss nor his captor bother to look at him while they're locked in a standoff to see who will be the first to crack.
Whether Gibbs will beg for his man's life before Mishnev ends it.
"Boss?" Tim's voice is so quiet that even he barely hears it.
No one else dares speak a word, let alone breathe, as though it might influence the outcome. As though a single sound could make one of them break. The winds howl outside, slapping against the side of the warehouse and making Tim's heart twist into his throat.
Cold sweat soaks through his shirt as he tries to desperately figure out how this could be part of Gibbs' plan. How letting Mishnev gun them down in this dirty filthy place could actually fix anything.
Sacrifice, he's realizing, isn't everything it's cracked up to be.
The minutes pass like hours and Tim's gaze flicks between his captor and his boss. Both of them are as impassive and impenetrable as stone walls. But then Tim notices how Gibbs moves, almost imperceptibly closing the gap between himself and Mishnev.
Gibbs' eyebrows rise ever so slightly, imploring Tim to trust him. That they'll be just fine because he has a plan. It's got to be something so simple he doesn't even need a gun for it.
Whatever the hell it is, Tim just wishes he could read his boss' freaking mind. It would be a lot easier to accept if he knew what Gibbs was about to do like he knows Mishnev has a bullet ready for him.
Mishnev breaks the silence first. "So, Gibbs, you accept this choice? Agent McGee dies with you, yes?"
Tim's breath hitches. "Boss…"
"Me." Gibbs takes another step forward. "You take me and we're even."
When Mishnev loads a bullet into the chamber of his gun, Tim flinches like he's been shot.
Behind him, there's the screech of Tony's chair against the concrete. Probably searching for a better vantage point to see whether he could do anything to prevent this disaster.
Mishnev moves towards Tim, gun raised. "Your man for my - "
"I volunteer!" Tony yells.
There's a twitch to Mishnev's lips like he planned this all along. To watch the team jump at the chance to sacrifice themselves so he could murder them one by one in front of Gibbs.
"Is that so, Agent DiNozzo?" he asks.
Tony nods emphatically. "I'll take McGee's place. Let him go."
The ensuing silence is so overwhelming that Tim thinks he's gone deaf for a moment. Then there's a barely perceptible screaming in the distance.
Sirens.
Back-up is on its way, begging the team to hold on until they arrive. Based on the sound, they're minutes away and the team's already out of time. Swallowing hard, Tim decides that waiting for Gibbs' damned signal doesn't matter anymore.
His muscles tense when Mishnev shifts the gun towards Tony.
"McGee, Bishop, now!" Gibbs yells. "Tony, get down!"
Tim wrests his body sideways, smashing his forehead against Ugly's already crooked nose. Something crunches in the attack and Tim hopes to hell it's his target, not his skull. Both of them crash into the concrete, momentarily stunned. Then Tim rolls to his side and kicks Ugly squarely in the chest, even though the thug isn't moving anymore.
Tim lies there, lungs and bound arms burning, as the world around him dissolves into chaos.
A shriek explodes from across the room where Ellie goes for another round with Handsome.
Tony throws his chair sideways and he goes down hard, his head bouncing off the concrete. He shudders as his eyes fall closed. His body sags against the restraints as he finally succumbs to the hours of abuse. Mercifully, he's already out when Mishnev squeezes off a wild shot.
But Mishnev's aim follows him to the ground.
Just as he goes to pull the trigger again, Gibbs sucker-punches the Russian in the throat. The gun hits the ground with a metallic plink before it skitters away into the blackness.
When Baldy finally catches up the action, he lunges for the back of Gibbs' neck. Tim leverages a solid kick to the goon's ankle. Cursing and groaning, Baldy drops to one-knee. When he sets his sights on Tim, the agent scrambles backwards. But before Baldy can reach Tim, Gibbs smashes his elbow against the goon's temple. He collapses to the floor, unmoving.
With the nearby henchmen neutralized, Gibbs scoops up a stray gun. One shot drops Handsome and earns him a thankful smile from Ellie.
Then Gibbs stalks towards Mishnev.
On his back, gasping and crowing for air, the Russian is no longer as menacing as he was earlier. He struggles for his back-up weapon with his shaking hand, but Gibbs kicks it away.
The sirens' shrieks fill the warehouse now, bouncing off the walls and ripping through Tim's spent nerves. They're so close it makes him hold his breath as he watches Gibbs intently.
Don't do it, Boss. Help's almost here...
Mishnev struggles to his knees, eyes burning. "Excellent work, Gibbs. I guess you won the game."
"Never was a game, Sergei. You killed my friend. You came after my team, my - " he checks on his agents " - family."
"Only because you murdered what was left of mine."
Gibbs sets his jaw, the rage deepening on his face.
"You deserved everything you have experienced." Mishnev lets out a rasping laugh like a dying man. "Especially, your ex-wife's. That was agony at its finest. I regret I won't be able to see your face while you watch your team die. Perhaps in another life, yes?"
Gibbs rests his gun against Mishnev's forehead. "Last words, Sergei?"
"I'll see you in hell, Gibbs."
He smirks. "Be sure of it."
Then he pulls the trigger and Mishnev's body drops like a stone.
CHAPTER ELEVEN