Moments Like These (Part Three)
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 to pick 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.
As much as Tony hated going into the marketplace, they had to go into a town from time to time. They were close to Stillwater, Tony knew they only had maybe two more weeks of travel before they got to Gibbs but they wouldn’t make the journey if they didn’t get more food. He had some items stashed in his pack to barter or sell and he just hoped he could get a good price. They weren’t likely to find another outpost on the way to Stillwater.
Abby was looking pretty strong, his eyes taking in her markings just before she covered them so that no one would be able to see them. Tony had always prided himself on being extraordinary. He wished he could take it all back now but they weren’t given a choice in this.
The town looked alright from the outside, but they all did, didn’t they? Lots of places had put up walls around the outside to keep the Cloud-Raged out and the lack of a wall made Tony more wary. If the town didn’t have a wall, what was protecting it? Guns he could handle. It was the rest of it that made him anxious.
“We don’t have to do this, Tony.” Abby’s hand on his shoulder was a comfort against the anxiety. Her eyes were wide as she leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. “We could make Stillwater without stopping.”
“Yeah we could. Let’s see what they’ve got though. Something sweet wouldn’t go amiss about now.”
He wished his words were true but they needed to stop. They didn’t have enough food to last the journey and Tony couldn’t continue on less than half rations much longer. Some days he was sure Abby knew what he was doing but other days he was sure she didn’t know he’d been cutting back. He tried to make sure she didn’t know. She needed the full rations. Without her strength, without her illusions, Tony would still be in a damn cage.
The main street was dirty and crowded and they’d barely walked a quarter of a mile down the street when Abby halted. “Slavers,” she said under her breath, hands clutching Tony’s wrist.
“Deep breath Abbs,” Tony answered back. “No need to get excited. We’ve seen them before, everyone has. No need to draw attention to us.”
Slavery was still illegal in the United States, but no one said anything about the men and women behind bars. There was a large wagon train in the middle of town, cages filled. Large dog kennel cages were filled with people; snarling, pupils so far dilated they looked black eyed. Ragers. They were placed carefully so they couldn’t reach anything else. Some were biting at their own skin, some growled out from their cages, while others slept or watched with weary eyes as people passed them by. The other cages were packed together, larger cages where people could stand upright. The people inside were Deviants and Tony marveled at the number of them there. There was a large collection of Roans; people with a light dusting of hair that turned their skin into something else in the right light. He watched one girl turn from a dark chocolate to a pale white as the light hit her body just right. Another turned from a golden tan to a reddish color. It was all over their bodies, no way to hide their markings except to keep out of certain types of light. They had very little power in them, mostly illusion and a few small tricks but nothing more. He didn’t know why anyone kept them, except fear and superstition.
A few people in the cages were Duns, like Abby. Their powers varied but they were stronger than the Roans. He could see the effects of drugs on them and most seemed unaware of their surroundings. They were drugged or beaten down until they were nothing more than automatons for the person pulling their chains. Like his forensic teammate they all had golden skin with either white or black patches around their neck, wrists, and ankles.
A few people had no visible markings and the sight of those people made Tony’s anger boil. They looked perfectly normal, though bruised and bloody. Every last one of them had eyes only for someone in a cage. Mates. Bonded. Held captive and beaten to keep their other obedient and pliant for their jailor. It was how they kept the strong ones in line.
There were no Paints on the wagon and Tony wasn’t surprised by that. If they had a Paint they would keep it close. The strongest of the new psychic breed, the Paints were completely unpredictable. Tony had meet one or two, heard horror stories of how they’d hurt people they knew without meaning to before they learned how to control their power. Their bodies ran the spectrum of colors. What united them was that no matter what base color they started out with, great splotches of pigment were changed across their bodies. It was the Paints who earned all the others their names. It was, perhaps, the Paints who earned all the Cloud-Deviants their place as dangerous valuables. Named for the horse markings their skin resembled, they were treated often as nothing more than pack animals or tamed pets for other people’s amusements.
Tony shivered at the memory of the last cage, held for six months, watching the ‘games’ as the Cloud-Raged were sent into arenas to kill one another for the sport of the untouched.
“Tony, calm down before you give us away.”
Abby’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he became aware of the power building in himself and the power Abby was exuding to keep the illusion around him. The men and women in the cages looked at them as if they could sense it and Tony pulled at Abby’s hand moving them quickly away from the crowd that had come to see the Cloud-Deviants.
“Sorry about that Abbs. I was just-”
“I know Tony. They won’t find them though, even if they did find us. No one can use the bit against us.”
The bit was another form of address he hated. The bit was the rare bond that sometimes formed between the Cloud-Deviants and the untouched. Tony had seen how, in the hands of a skilled manipulator, a man could force a bond and then take the will of another and turn them into a weapon. He’d also seen how people who were already bonded had been used against one another to enforce compliance.
He and Abby had already started to bond. No one understood how it happened exactly but though their bonds were incomplete they were strong enough that Tony had been able to resist six months of brainwashing and torment. Even with the half formed bonds though, he wasn’t sure he’d have lasted much longer. By the time they’d escaped their captivity the need to give in had grown until he was almost unable to resist.
Now though, something felt wrong. He could feel his power building and it wasn’t his doing. He didn’t have control. He looked at Abby, her eyes wide as she watched him struggle. “Go hide, Abbs. I can’t … you can’t protect me now.”
“Tony, no,” her voice begged but he knew she’d go. He knew because they’d gone over it a hundred times since they’d been captured the first time, how to get out if they got caught a second.
“Go now Abbs before anyone else notices.”
She grabbed him, embracing him quickly before turning to quickly walk away. Tony closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to hold the power off long enough that she could get clear of him so no one would associate her with the Paint who had just come into town.
He didn’t know why the power was pulsing out of control but he needed release before the power engulfed him completely. He could feel the hint of pain creeping along his nerves, knew how much worse it would get if he didn’t find something to direct the power into. He looked back at the cages and knew that was his best chance at getting Abby free. The more chaos he could unleash, the less likely anyone would go looking for her.
He closed his eyes and focused on the locks. God help him, he thought for a second, and then he pushed his power into the door of the cages. The Cloud-Deviants were stunned by their sudden freedom but only took a second before they leapt from the cages and ran. A second after the Cloud-Raged escaped their cages and began attacking. Screams filled the air of the dusty town.
It wasn’t enough and as Tony looked up, men were coming out of the main building, eyes focused on him. He let go then, let out the paralyzing power that would bring everyone to their knees. He felt pain, felt the sick twist of his stomach as wave after wave of other people’s worst experience hit him, people caged and people used against them, people who watched in fear, or who perpetrated the horrors themselves. They all had pain and Tony screamed with it, the wash of power swept over him, release and agony and his own empathy backfiring on him. Just as before, Tony was blacked out by his own powers.
His only regret as he fell was that they had been so damn close this time.
**
He didn’t have time to think about what was happening. One moment he and Gibbs were walking towards the nearest town and the next Tim was waking up with a lethargy that he knew wasn’t his own. He had no idea what had happened to Abby but he knew she was close and he needed to get to her. That didn’t change the fact that Gibbs was out cold. Whatever had hit Abby must have been even worse on Tony. Tim had lots of ideas about why Gibbs was affected the way he was but he’d been smart enough to keep them to himself. Gibbs didn’t allow intolerance towards the Cloud-Deviants in their camp but that didn’t mean it wasn’t there, hiding in the background. Tim wasn’t about to open up his ideas to the forum and see what people would think if they knew what Tim suspected. He’d never seen the bond form as it had between himself and Abby, from long distance and with only a few stumbled words over the phone, but he’d seen the same sort of recognition when he looked at Gibbs that day, the knowledge that somehow they’d been changed. They weren’t Cloud-Deviants but there was no doubt that both Abby and Tony had been affected.
It didn’t help him figure out what to do, but he didn’t need Gibbs awake to hear his voice telling him he’d have his head on a platter if he didn’t get to Abby when she was in danger. His former self would have worried himself sick about the right thing to do, but he wasn’t the same man anymore. Instead, Tim set about doing what he had to. Gibbs needed shelter before Tim could go out and get some recon.
They weren’t far from where they’d stabled the horses, an old house that had long been looted and abandoned. It wasn’t a pleasant job, but Tim hoisted Gibbs up and managed to drag him back, setting him in the corner of the living room with their extra gear. Hopefully if anything came looking for trouble, Gibbs would rouse for it. He didn’t have a lot of faith in that, but it was the best he could do. He knew what was happening to Gibbs in a vague way but Abby and Tony had to be close and their predicament was what had caused Gibbs to black out to begin with.
Tim pulled out a small piece of paper and wrote a simple note for Gibbs and placed it in his hand. If he woke without Tim there he would understand. Gone to find them.
He felt guilty but at least he knew Gibbs was safe for now. Tim didn’t miss the way Gibbs always eyed the slave carts that tried to come through Stillwater or that they saw on their journeys and he knew they shared the same thoughts about it. The way Abby and Tony were moving could mean they were caught in someone’s cage and if that was the case, whatever had just happened could have made them more vulnerable. He couldn’t leave them to the unknown just to play nursemaid over a sleeping Gibbs.
He jogged his way back up the path he’d come from, grateful for the extra time he’d put into training with Gibbs since the cloud came. At the time, Tim had felt the need to be harder, to be more, to try to be the second that Tony had been for Gibbs. Now, Tim had put in the time and he could keep up with the others on the most exhausting of hunts. He needed the extra stamina and strength when Abby pulled at his reserves, which she did frequently.
He could felt the drain on him now, like Abby had been using him again, but it wasn’t severe. It left him worried about Tony. The sudden and devastating drain on Gibbs was something big and it didn’t take a genius to figure out that Tony was using a lot of strength in a short period of time while Abby was using small amounts almost constantly. They didn’t know what talents they had but it gave Tim and Gibbs an idea of what they would see when they found the others.
He pushed the thought away as he found himself on the outskirts of town. There was no wall barring the way and the lack of visible protection made Tim nervous. Most places had walls. Ever since they figured out about the Ragers, walls were the best way to protect people. Ragers normally traveled alone, but every so often you found a pack and they were vicious. A pack could take out a small town quickly, but a single Rager would sneak in and take out the weak and young before people realized what was happening, culling the herd so to speak. Humanity was depleted enough without the help. That the town in front of him had no walls made him think they had something else to keep them safe. Or that no one in the town was safe and they let each other fend for themselves.
The thought chilled him. They’d seen more than one kind of set up while he and Gibbs had been out on scouting trips and Stillwater was one of the few they’d seen where people actually looked after one another. Almost all others were based on a hierarchy of supply and demand and getting close enough to the guy in charge. Some seemed to be people just living close to one another hoping that proximity was safety enough.
He moved slowly into town, walking in the shadow of trees as much as he could. The roads were cracked and weeds poked through, covering the street in more green than anything else. The buildings had more boarded up holes than actual windows but that was pretty common even in Stillwater. No matter how they looked after one another now, no one had a lot of glass to replace the lost windows and they were a liability if someone did sneak into the town unnoticed.
There was a large commotion in the center of the small town. A large group was gawking at cages on a wagon while others were walking away at a fast pace, faces turned away in obvious disgust. Tim could see why. Although he couldn’t see well enough to get a look at what was in the cages, he knew. It was a slaver train on the move with a group of Cloud-Deviants. He felt his stomach jump at the thought of the people caught in their cages. If they were right, Abby and Tony could be in there.
He stood straighter as he walked close to the shop buildings, trying not to draw any attention to himself. He needed to get a closer look at the cages to see what sort of shape his teammates were in. He realized then that the commotion wasn’t just about the cages. There was blood drying on the ground in various spots, enough in some spots that he knew people had died. He took a deep breath and steeled himself to his task. He wished he had Gibbs at his back - or that he had Gibbs’ back if he were being honest with himself - but he knew what he needed to do and there was no backing down.
A man came walking his way, a traveler and when Tim caught his eye he nodded. “Trouble?”
The guy snorted. “Town has a Paint that can pull the power out of others. They caught a stray Paint and somehow the stray let the Ragers out of their cages.” The guy snorted. “Guy in charge of the train kept talking about how tame his Ragers were - tame unless they were in a fight ring - right up until the cage opened and they attacked the locals.”
“Tame Ragers?” Tim shook his head at the idea. “How bad is it?” He asked. Things could get ugly real quick if the wrong people got hurt in an incident like that.
The traveler shook his head and gave a small shrug. “A few people not gettin’ up again. A handful more got hurt before the Paint stopped ‘em all.”
“The one that was catching the others?”
“Nah, the other ‘un. Whatever else he did, he knocked the whole damn town out somehow. Hurt like hell. No need to worry though. Got him drugged and caged as soon as everyone woke up. Looks like whatever he did, it got him worst of all.”
Tim schooled his face as he’d learned to do. As much as they hated the way the Cloud-Deviants had been caged like they were some sort of property, they weren’t always in a position to do anything about it. Right now, Tim needed more information before he figured out what he could do and tipping his hand just yet could get him into serious trouble. Gibbs was counting on him, to find Abby and Tony, and to get back to him.
“Seems safe enough for my business then,” Tim said. “Thanks for the information.”
“Just keep an eye out. Locals are pretty uppity right about now. Not taking too kindly to strangers if you know what I mean. Hell, the trader train will be headin’ off in the morning. No one is taking chances.”
Tim nodded. “Good thing I just plan on stocking up and leaving then.”
The traveler moved past him then and Tim let out a deep breath. It could be a lot worse but he had a really bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He really needed to get a look at the cages.
He made his way through town, still sticking to the edges. People were moving away from the center of the street now as everything died down. He was drawing close to the cage but something caught his eye back behind one of the houses. He didn’t know what he’d seen, but years of working in the field with the team had taught him to catch someone trying to sneak by. He moved between the buildings to try to catch up, but as he turned the corner a hand was pressed over his mouth. His eyes opened wide as he found himself looking down at Abby.
He brought his hands up, touching her arms lightly before she let go of his mouth and threw her arms around his neck. “Abbs,” he whispered her name into her hair. Her body was shivering and he wrapped her tight, holding her close. He could feel her again, not just the awareness of her, but her physical body and he wasn’t sure he was ever going to be able to let her go again.
“God, Abby, are you okay?”
“I’m… Timmy. I don’t know where to start. Tony, we have to get to Tony. I don’t know what they’ll do to him.”
“Who has Tony? Abbs, I need to know what’s happening.”
“Tony,” she paused and Tim could see that she was torn. She knew what was happening but she didn’t want to betray Tony. This, at least, he knew how to take care of though.
“We already know. I mean, we figured it out after a while. Once it became clear what was happening to the people who formed bits.” God he hated to call it that but she’d know what he meant. “We knew you and Tony were Cloud-Deviants. I figured ... well Gibbs and I didn’t talk about it directly but we knew. You had to be a Dun. The way Gibbs gets drained … Tony is the Paint they caught, isn’t he?”
Her eyes turned down to the ground and he could see the silent sobs in the way her shoulders shook. He pulled her close again. “It’s okay Abby. We knew before we came looking for you. We knew you were trying to get back to us but we couldn’t find you. We never gave up though. We’re gonna get Tony out. Now, I need to know what you know. I need to get some facts and we can make a plan while I go back and check on Gibbs.”
“Gibbs?” Her eyes flew up to his at the mention of their boss. “What happened to Gibbs?”
“He’s fine, Abby. It’s just that whatever Tony does, it packs a punch. Gibbs was unconscious when I left him, but he should be okay until we get back. Now, tell me what you can about Tony and where he is. Then we’ll see what we need to do next.”
**
It turned out that Tony was taken to one of the upper rooms of the Inn so the doctors could look at him. Abby stayed in the background but Tim went into the bar to see what rumors he could hear. If the rumors were right, Tony had been beaten by the crowd before the town mayor had stopped them. He hadn’t regained consciousness and they were cleaning him up. The mayor had his own Paint, collared and drugged to do his bidding, who was keeping an eye on Tony. The doctor had cleaned him up, complained about the half-starved man they expected him to be able to heal overnight, but from what Tim heard, Tony was going to be alright. At least, alright enough to travel out of town with the train the next day.
He didn’t mention any of that when he made his way back to Abby. She was upset enough as it was. Instead, he told her Tony would be alright and that they needed to get back to Gibbs. As much attention as Tony had on him at the moment there was no way Tim could get to him yet. He just hoped Gibbs would miraculously wake up and be able to help him come morning because there was no way Tim figured he could get Tony out on his own.
As they walked away from town, Abby leaned into him more and more and Tim could feel the sense of her becoming stronger. He wrapped an arm over her shoulder as they finally got far enough away. It wasn’t enough, but it was the best he could do. Nothing would be good enough until he got her back to Stillwater where they could keep her safe.
“He always said you were coming,” Abby said softly as they walked. “Tony, he always said you guys were out there, waiting for the right clues to come find us. I can’t … Timmy … I can’t leave him like that. You don’t know what they’ll do to him … what that place did to him last time.”
He pulled her to a stop and wrapped his arms around her, letting her cry into his shoulder for a few minutes. When he looked down at her, he shook his head. “Let me see Abby. I don’t know how you’re hiding your markings, but let me see.”
It was just the blink of an eye, but where Abby had just been standing, pale skinned and red eyed before, he was suddenly faced with a totally different Abby. Her skin was golden in color, but a thin white line trailed down the center of her upturned nose. Around her neck, where her dog collars used to be, was a thick white stripe. Her tears never stopped, but the quiver of her lip gave away the newest turmoil and Tim cupped her face gently to try to still her fears.
“Abbs, you are still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known,” he said softly. “You got new markings, but everything truly beautiful about you is far deeper than those.”
She threw her arms around him then and he ignored the moisture in his own eyes. He had to be strong for her. Hell, Gibbs had been making him take care of himself for far too long with that motto in his head - be strong for Abbs - that he couldn’t do anything less now.
“Come on. Let’s get you back to Gibbs. If anything could wake him out of this, it would be you.”
She perked up at the mention of Gibbs and they started walking again. Tim really wanted to ask about Tony and what she’d meant about before. He wanted to ask what had happened to them and how Tony was caged and she was free, but there wasn’t time yet. He’d get the rest of the answers when they were safe tonight. And then he’d figure out a plan that would get Tony free that wouldn’t lead the town straight back to Abby and Gibbs. Even if their escape meant getting himself caught in their place.
The walk took longer with Abby slowing him down, but she managed the distance better than he’d originally thought she would. He didn’t say anything but after a few sideway glances, she’d smiled and mentioned that she and Tony had been walking for a while now and she had a perfectly good set of legs if he’d like to take a look.
It was close to nightfall when they came across the path that would lead them to Gibbs. It looked undisturbed and Tim breathed a little easier. He made Abby stay outside as he went in, gun in hand as he checked to be sure they were alone.
He heard the safety click before he saw someone else moving, but let out a sigh of relief when it was Gibbs putting the safety on.
“Boss! I didn’t think you’d wake up so fast.”
“How long was I out?”
“Just a couple hours.”
“You find anything?”
Before Tim could say anything Abby was flying through the door, her arms catching around Gibbs’ waist. She was sobbing and Gibbs held her close, but he looked up at Tim, waiting for an explanation as to why she was walking through alone.
“They have Tony,” he said softly as Gibbs and Abby took a seat. A fire was started in the fireplace and there was tea hanging over the flames. Tim got their cups and grabbed for the rations, giving Abby more than a fair helping. She looked too thin. Tim didn’t forget what they said about Tony being half-starved. If Abby was thin, he bet Tony was worse. His friend would have given Abby all that he could to keep her strong.
“From what I heard they’re planning on selling him to the train heading out in the morning. There was too much attention earlier to get him free. I was thinking, in a few hours, if we can find a way past the guards, we could break him out and be on our way before anyone knew what was happening.”
“Gibbs, you can’t let them take Tony. He saved me. I was so scared and Tony was telling me to go because he was going to need help out, but I couldn’t get far enough away and I got caught too. You have to get Tony. Gibbs, he won’t survive captivity again.”
“Hold on Abbs,” Gibbs said, his patience never ending as it always was when it came to her.
“We’re not going to let him go, but you need to tell us everything.”
“I’m … um … I’m a Dun. I can create really strong illusions so I’ve been covering Tony’s markings. When we came into town we saw the slaver train, but we needed supplies. He didn’t think I knew but … he’s been too quiet lately and he sleeps so much harder than he used to so I started watching him. I knew he wasn’t eating right. I knew … but I was tired too and I couldn’t say no when refusing meant I couldn’t keep his face covered.” Tears were in her eyes again and Tim understood how hard they’d been living. He’d guessed at how bad their situation was but he’d always hoped that whatever had kept them apart had been better. Now he knew and he wished he could un-know it. He wished he could find a way to make Abby forget.
“We all make sacrifices and not all of them mean taking a bullet for someone, Abbs. You did what you had to. Now what happened here?”
“I could feel the power building in Tony. It’s happened before, but only when someone was forcing him into something. He always held out Gibbs, always tried so hard to keep his powers under his control, but this time it was out of nowhere. He was building up and Tony told me to get away because he couldn’t control it. He said he’d need me to get him out later. I couldn’t get far enough though and I got caught in Tony’s circle.”
“What is it? What can Tony do?” Gibbs asked.
“He can pull up the most horrible pain you’ve ever been in and make you relive it. Gibbs, he can make the pain so strong, so intense that you pass out. Only it’s not something small, it’s everyone within his circle and when he lets his powers loose, he feels the pain of every person he’s connected to.”
“Jesus,” Tim muttered.
“He can do other things too, move things with his mind when he has to, but mostly he doesn’t use his powers. He said … he thought the first time that he felt you Gibbs. He said he was hurting you too and he couldn’t do that. He wouldn’t. I … I didn’t have that choice.”
Tim bumped his shoulder to hers and smiled. “I spent the last two years taking extra naps. I’m pretty sure you got the short end of the stick in all this.”
“Not sure I understand why I’m awake now though,” Gibbs said softly.
“I was thinking about that. What if it’s similar to the reserves? Like with Abby, the more of my reserves she used up the harder it hit when she needed to really do something. This time with Tony, he wasn’t using his reserves to prevent his powers from being used, it just happened. You were just caught in his power, not the full backlash with depleted reserves.”
Gibbs nodded at that as he stared down at his hands. “So, Tony is a Paint.”
“Gibbs, he needs you.” There was no recrimination in her voice but there was a plea there that Tim couldn’t answer. She was begging for something that she had no right to ask for. She was begging for something that Gibbs had never stood a chance against anyway.
“What does he look like?”
Abby’s voice was quiet. “He doesn’t like people to see him like that. I’ve been covering him since we figured out that hiding was the only way to survive. He’s beautiful though. I mean, Tony was always handsome, but his markings … he’s almost all pale white, but on his right side is a brown patch that starts at the corner of his eye and moves down to his chin. It takes up his whole side, doesn’t end until his knee. He’s got these two baby spots on his throat on the left side that look like a vampire bite and his right arm almost all the way down his forearm is another brown spot. He’s beautiful and his eyes just stand out so much more. He kept me sane. When they put a collar on me I thought I was gonna go mad but Tony just kept telling me I had to hold myself together because you’d be pissed if I didn’t make it back to you.”
“He was right,” Gibbs assured her. “And we’ll get him out Abby. We’re not leaving him to be traded like some piece of meat. He belongs with us and we’ll make sure he stays that way.”
For the first time in years, Tim had something more than just hope. They had a plan.