Moments Like These (Part One)
Title: Moments Like These
Author:
hunters_retreat
Artist:
flyonthewall2
Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: Tony/Gibbs, Abby/McGee
Summary: The cloud swept over everyone, leaving some unchanged, leaving others unable to stop the rage, and others still changed beyond belief. It had no respect for station or power and those left behind were forced topick up the pieces and try to make it through the hardest winters in a century. Two years had gone by since Gibbs had seen his team. McGee was there with him, Ducky safely hidden away as a commodity in times when a real physician was rare. Every night, Gibbs found himself on the wall that surrounded his hometown and looked out for his missing members. He knew there were at least two still alive, fighting to get back to them. He couldn't track them, didn't know how to find them in the mess they were left with, but if there was anything he knew, it was that Tony would bring Abby back to them. Every night Tony went to sleep knowing he had to get Abby to Gibbs before their luck ran out again, before Abby became too weak and Tony was exposed for what he really was.
Harvest time. God, he hated that time of year. End of the season and everyone was beginning to wonder if the supplies would be enough, if they could hold out for the winter. If the last of the crops would be ready before the first big frost hit.
Leroy Jethro Gibbs needed to be away from the noise of the compound that his hometown of Stillwater had become. He could feel McGee at his side, his agent ready to leave at his word. They were waiting for the rest of their contingent though, the people they were taking on their current foraging trip. Gibbs hated bringing civilians out away from the safety of their enclosed community but like everyone else, he was doing his best to find more supplies before the winter set in. Eight civilians, only two of them with any hunting experience, but the others could handle the preparation and storage of what food they found while he, McGee, and the other hunters worked their way into newer areas to seek out game to buffer their stores.
He’d been content to stay in place for the last six months, content to wait in sleepy Stillwater for Tony to show up but now he needed to be on the move. He didn’t know what caused the itch in his feet, but this wasn’t the first time he’d felt the sudden need to move. McGee stayed with him for the same reason Gibbs always came back to his father’s shop at the end of a hunt or scavenging trip; the hope that Tony and Abby would have found their way to the compound.
It’d been two years since they’d last had contact but before the phones had blacked out Tony said he and Abby would meet them there. Gibbs was still holding onto that hope because there was no other option. That first year, he’d tried to find Tony himself but there was no sign of him. Whatever Tony had to do to survive against the Cloud-Raged he’d gone to ground hard and fast and Gibbs knew there was no hope of tracing him.
So he was biding his time, making a place for Tony and Abby. His father reminded him over and over again that if there was anyone capable of getting there it was Tony but Jackson’s words were a cold comfort. Cars were mostly defunct and most travel had to be done on foot but it had been two years and that was more than enough time for Tony to make the journey. Plenty of time, and yet Gibbs still stood on the outpost wall every sunrise and sunset to see if his missing second in command was going to show.
He was there now, looking into the desolation that was their new world. Almost three years since the sky had turned to ash in the wake of meteorite showers. At first, the environment was their biggest concern, scientists talking back and forth about the impact of the dust cloud and the winds and global warming, ice caps melting and the whole array of trendy topics of the moment. Two months later though and they realized there was more to worry about than a harsh winter. Three months later and everything went to hell. The Cloud-Rage hit and half the population turned violently on the other, killing with a ferocity that earned them their name. It was then that communications went out planet wide and men who had no orders pushed buttons that brought down bombardments with no purpose other than to kill. Tony had been with Abby in Mexico at a conference when the bombs had hit. That was before they understood the Cloud-Ragers or the Cloud-Deviants. They still didn’t have a clear scientific understanding of what had happened but the general consensus was that the meteorites that had pelted the earth’s surface had contaminated the atmosphere with an alien pathogen, one that mutated the human DNA in ways that no one could have predicted.
No one outside the comic book industry anyway.
Not everyone was affected. Some people got the Cloud-Rage and others didn’t. The Cloud-Deviants were easy to spot, their skin mottled to show to what degree they’d been affected. They had a few in the camp but they were well protected and never left the compound. Their gifts were too valuable and being on the outside was a sure way to get themselves captured by someone who wanted to use them.
“Boss, looks like trouble on the horizon.”
McGee was always one to state the obvious. If Tony were there, he’d call him on it, but the familiarity of it settled Gibbs. McGee’s eyes were on the dark figures that were approaching the main gates and Gibbs looked past him as the claxon sounded. He watched as men and women filled the vacant spots on the wall, preparing for whatever came.
He saw Jimmy climbing the stairs and hated the necessity. The former autopsy gremlin had a grim look on his face and it matched the markings on his face too closely. Jimmy’s kind, goofy grin always looked out of place on a Dun’s face. He was the first of the Cloud-Deviants they’d come across, one of their own and suddenly lost because with the markings he carried came the powers that Duns gained.
Jimmy’s once pale face was now decorated with a dark black stripe down the center of his nose and a matching band encircled his neck and wrists. When they’d found him he’d been crawling on the floor, begging Ducky to make it stop. They’d been close to Stillwater when the bombs hit and somehow the destruction had forced Jimmy’s gifts to develop. He was on the front wave of the Deviants who turned and the only thing Gibbs could think to do was get him someplace safe. Stillwater became their safe haven and when the Ragers hit they’d built the walls to keep it that way.
It’d taken months to get Jimmy to be able to speak coherently and then they’d learned that he’d been imprisoned in his own head by the feelings and emotions of the people around him. Once he’d learned to channel it, he’d found a way to use it but it had been a hard year for Jimmy. More than once they’d had to defend him against people’s fear and then against the people that wanted to use his powers for their own good.
He wasn’t the only Dun in the community. They had a fair number of Roans, Deviants who had little actual power but who’s skin was all over covered in a coating that made their skin change colors in the right light. They were the most common of the Deviants and the least likely to run into trouble. Their powers were just tricks really and the only reason to cage them was fear or sport. He’d heard of more than one Cloud-Fight where Ragers were thrown in a ring with Deviants who couldn’t find a home or were caught and couldn’t be sold quick enough. It sickened Gibbs to think of people paying money to watch two people kill one another but he knew it happened. It made him all the more protective of the people they had in their compound.
Duns, like Jimmy, were rare. They had the same markings though it varied as to whether they were white or black; a stripe down the nose and bands around the neck, ankles, and wrists. They had more power and Gibbs had yet to meet two Duns who could do the same thing.
The last of the Deviants were the Paints. They were the ones that earned the whole lot their names, men and women who had splotches of color on their bodies. He’d seen a few from a distance, but only one up close. The man’s face was half covered in black and brown spots, the barest hint of pale skin between the splotches. They were the most powerful and because of it, feared far more than the others. No one knew what they could do but they were strong enough to be a real concern to people. Even Gibbs worried about Paints, not for fear of them as a whole but because he’d had enough experience with human nature to know that not all Paints would use their abilities for a good cause. And because he knew that most Paints were under someone’s protection. What they had to do to gain that protection was enough to make Gibbs lose sleep when he thought about it too much.
Almost all the Deviants that were in Stillwater had come to them when they’d rescued them while out on recon or foraging missions. They saved them when they could, released them from slaver cages when they found them and put down any Cloud-Ragers they found.
“This isn’t good, Gibbs,” Jimmy said with a familiarity that had only come in the past year. When they’d learned what jimmy could do, Ducky had taken him under his wing in a new capacity. As an empathy, Jimmy was a natural at calming people and helping them to learn to adapt to their new world. His abilities had their limits though and that he could feel something so far off said something Gibbs didn’t want to hear.
“What do you feel, Jimmy?” McGee asked.
“Fear. Hate. Rage.” Jimmy’s eyes were dark as he settled on Gibbs’ other side and looked at him, then past him to McGee.
“Slavers?”
“That’s my guess. If not it’s Cloud-Fighters looking for a place to set up for a while.”
“Or both,” Gibbs contributed.
The men at his side grimaced but Gibbs ignored it. “You staying topside?”
Jimmy stood at his side for a second and looked out, leaning forward to grip the wall in front of him. “Yeah. They aren’t going to cause trouble because of a Dun on the wall. Not unless they’ve come for trouble to begin with. I might be able to feel something out that helps you.”
Gibbs nodded again. He always gave Jimmy the choice. Sometimes his appearance did cause trouble and he’d learned to trust Jimmy’s instinct about it. “Alright, but remember the rules. If something happens, you get off the wall and to the meeting hall.”
The whole community would already be there, waiting to see what was happening with the newcomers. If there was trouble, they were ready to defend themselves and their community’s assets. Jimmy was definitely one of those and no one doubted it.
The caravan stopped at the gates and Gibbs had a hard time keeping his face neutral. He didn’t want to antagonize the small armed group but he couldn’t help the anger that ran through him when he saw the number of cages.
“You’ve come far enough,” Gibbs yelled over the wall to the men driving the horse drawn carriage at the front of the group. There were seven different trailers and they were all full of caged people except the center one that Gibbs figured was their supply vehicle. He counted their numbers quickly and saw the slight shake of McGee’s head. It was just a quick reassurance that let him know McGee agreed with him. There were too many armed men to take them on.
“We could use a friendly place to stay the night.” The man rode up from the back on horseback and smiled at Gibbs, right until he saw the Dun at Gibbs’ side.
“Maybe you do, but we aren’t friendly to slavers. Try to get into Stillwater and you’ll find yourself bunking with your Ragers.”
“We don’t trouble,” the guy said as he raised his arms, his weapon hanging harmless from a strap around his neck but Gibbs could see the familiarity with the weapon and the way his men carried them. “We don’t steal anyone’s pets, just the loose ones.”
“We’re not interested,” McGee piped in. “Head the other way. There’s only trouble for you here.”
He could hear the authority in McGee’s voice and the other man seemed to recognize it as well. Underneath Gibbs could hear the anger as well though. They didn’t talk about the sense of time and movement they shared, but they both knew that in all likelihood, their missing members had found themselves caught in some kind of caravan. Gibbs tried not to think about the dangers of that but they’d been gone for two years and being enslaved would explain why Tony hadn’t arrived yet.
The guy nodded as he looked up and down the wall, checking to see if Gibbs’ people were in accord with their leader. Gibbs didn’t need to look to know. Every man and woman on the wall was handpicked by Gibbs, McGee, and Jimmy to make sure there was no trouble.
“Yeah, alright. Can you tell us where the nearest town is then?”
“About twenty miles south of here there’s a large settlement. You might find friendly housing there.”
It was the end of the exchange and Gibbs was happy enough to see the backside of the caravan. Jimmy was nearly shivering by the time they were out of sight and Gibbs put his hand on Jimmy’s shoulder. “We can’t save them all.”
“I know, Gibbs. It doesn’t mean those people didn’t deserve to be saved.”
Gibbs nodded because it was all he could do. When Jimmy walked away Gibbs was left listening to McGee give orders for a pair of scouts to make sure the caravan was truly gone.
“Boss?” McGee asked when he was done. “We’re not leaving for the foraging trip today, are we?”
“Let’s make sure the caravan is gone. If they don’t cause trouble, we’ll head out at first light.”
McGee was off then, heading down from the wall to shout orders at the men and women who had been waiting to go with them. Gibbs let his eyes travel the path they’d be taking and pushed away thoughts of his missing team. He had to keep what he still had alive. Tony, wherever he was, would find his way there eventually. Gibbs didn’t doubt that. Tony had never gone back on his word in all the years they’d worked together. Gibbs wasn’t about to let him start now.
**
Gibbs felt the itch in his feet again, the need to keep moving. It didn’t make sense, not when they’d just set up camp the day before and he and the hunters were busy setting up snares and spreading out to find the best places to catch local wildlife, but he felt the need to move anyway.
If he closed his eyes, he could almost see green eyes, as he always could when the need to move crept up on him. Unlike the other times, there was something desperate behind the need this time and Gibbs had to breathe deep to keep from giving away his position. A large buck was standing under the oak tree, picking at the acorns, fattening itself up for winter. Gibbs would have to get a few of the others out there later to pick up the nuts. As much as he hated the damn things, he’d learned to enjoy the taste when the nuts were ground into flour for bread. It was funny, how quickly your taste buds could adapt to the taste of nut bread when you no longer had wheat in abundance.
Gibbs let that out with a breath as he waited. He wasn’t a patient man in general and sitting there waiting for McGee to take the shot while he had that desperate need to move in the back of his head wasn’t helping any. McGee had asked for the first shot though and Gibbs couldn’t say no, not when Tim had been training with the bow as hard as he had been. They had ammo aplenty in stock but McGee had been adamant about learning to use weapons that they could replace themselves or that didn’t need replacing. He made a good point. While they had a stockpile now, guns still broke down over time and eventually they would have to move further and further afield to find replacement parts and bullets.
It amused Gibbs, that ‘McGeek’ was the first one to go native, to abandon greater technology to learn to shoot a bow. The younger man was adaptable though, more so than Gibbs and when things got rough he turned to him more and more to work things out. McGee was a great administrator, patient and fair and the people trusted him. And because of that, they trusted Gibbs, whom McGee was loyal to.
The deer looked up, nothing startled in its appearance, just looking, and Gibbs was shocked at the silence of the violence when McGee let the arrow fly. One moment the deer was alive and eating and the next there was an arrow taking the magnificent beast down.
He moved out of position and walked over as McGee looked down at his kill. “Nice shot, Tim,” he said quietly. The younger man smiled at the praise but bent down to grab the front legs. Gibbs got the back and they began pulling it away from the tree. There was a better location for dressing the deer nearby and Gibbs wanted to get someone else over there to pick up the acorns. It was a good day’s work, something that would feed them and give a little more warmth to their community.
They worked in silence, Gibbs deferring to McGee since the deer was his kill, but the other man had learned all aspects of the hunt as he did everything else, with speed and accuracy and little fuss over the necessities.
“I … I had a dream last night,” McGee said in the quiet as he stared down at his bloody hands. “Abby was on the move. Someone was with her but I couldn’t see. They only moved at night, like she was hunted or something. I can’t get it out of my mind. I wasn’t,” he paused, letting out a shaky breath. “It came back to me when I was up there and I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to let loose the bow.”
Gibbs could only nod. Over the last year they’d shared the same phenomena, the odd feelings they got or the images they felt. Their instincts about when to move and when to stay were completely in tune with one another and always seemed to come at the same time as the imaginings began.
“She still feels protected though and I know she is.”
Gibbs nodded again. Yeah, Abby was protected. No matter what had happened - even if she’d become one of the Cloud-Raged - Tony would have found a way to save her. Loyalty was what Tony knew, it was everything he was. It was also everything Gibbs tied his hope to and what kept him moving every day.