[NCIS/SGA] Crossing Over, Part Two: Chapter 2
Title: Crossing Over
Rating: NC-17
Fandoms: NCIS, Stargate Atlantis
Authors: hellesofbelles and pestshingowrite
Pairings: Gibbs/DiNozzo, DiNozzo/OMC, various minor pairings
Warnings: BDSM Universe, graphic depictions of D/S and kinks, exhibition, spankings, canings, slash
Summary: Tony DiNozzo’s world is about to change, literally: he been swept away to a new life in a completely different galaxy. What's more, he gains the affections of the charming (and dominating) marine Alex Dupree. But back on Earth, Gibbs raises hell as the NCIS team tries to find out where Tony has gone. And Gibbs will stop at nothing to get him back.
Part Two
It wasn’t often that Gibbs found himself stunned to silence. He had been provoked to screaming in rage at times, but never shock-still silent.
Director Vance was sitting behind his desk calmly chewing on a toothpick, acting as if he hadn’t just informed the leader of his major response team that Gibbs’ senior agent was gone and not going to be available to explain himself.
“Agent DiNozzo has been reassigned to a top secret post. It’s need-to-know only, and you are not to be read in.” There was a hint of a smug smile in Vance’s voice as he told Gibbs. But it didn’t show in his completely serious face. “If Agent DiNozzo was such as important asset to your team then perhaps he should have been in the field with you and not behind a desk. I don’t pay one of my leading agents to sit behind a desk and use a computer he barely knows how to turn on. I was under the impression you hired him because of his instincts, but I’m beginning to wonder if you hired him to sit behind a desk and look pretty.”
Gibbs forced himself to stay still and not reach over and shove Vance’s toothpick down his throat at the sarcastic drawl. He just gritted his teeth and nodded once to the director and turned to leave.
“Oh, and Agent Gibbs, if I even hear of one inkling of Agent McGee or Miss Sciuto trying to locate Tony via computer, then your entire team and anyone involved is fired without recommendation. Not one of you will work for the government again, regardless of past accreditations,” Director Vance called out and Gibbs allowed himself to slam the door.
If he couldn’t find Tony using either Tim or Abby then he’d have to do it the old fashioned way and call in favors. If that didn’t work then he could knock some heads around too.
But what on earth had happened? Why had Vance done this? True, maybe he thought Tony wasn’t being used to his full ability. But Tony was completely loyal, he wouldn’t have left. Not willingly. Was he forced? Was Tony threatened? No, Vance’s body language would have indicated if he had sent Tony into danger. He had looked at ease, maybe even amused. It infuriated Gibbs.
He stalked down the stairs to his team and immediately ordered them all down to Abby’s lab. Tim and Ziva jumped up and followed immediately, and trailed behind him cautiously. They must have been wary of the tone in Gibbs’ voice.
Gibbs kept a handle on his anger until everyone was together in the lab, including Ducky, and finally began explaining: “Tony’s been reassigned…”
The team’s reactions were exactly as he had expected. Anger and confusion were voiced as everyone began to speak at once.
“QUIET!” he roared when it got out of hand.
When everyone looked at him expectantly Gibbs finished explaining what the Director had told him and emphasized to McGee and Abby that they were not to try and trace Tony using any technological means.
He met Ziva and Ducky’s eyes steadily and it went without saying that the three of them would start a quiet inquiry using their personal methods of tracking down information. It wasn’t until he’d dismissed everyone and started out the door himself when he heard Abby’s tremulous voice following behind him.
“Gibbs, I… I need to get a couple things from Tony’s desk. I loaned them to him. They’ll be clearing his stuff soon.” Abby quietly explained. He held the elevator door for her, and she joined him, eyes downcast. Gibbs took a good look at Abby as she hit the emergency stop and turned to face him. She looked earnest, and tried to say more, but it was difficult for her to find the right words. Gibbs sighed, and put a hand on her arm gently. He was surprised she hadn’t broken down sooner. “You can’t try and trace him, Abs, I mean it,” he ordered again in a soft tone.
Abby sniffled and nodded, “That’s not fair. But Gibbs, I have to explain…” She bit her lip, her face torn with indecision. Then she steeled herself, and looked up at him, and Gibbs knew she was going to say something very serious. “I know you’re going to go looking for him and scour his personal life to see if it will tell you anything…”
Gibbs eyes narrowed at Abby’s hesitant voice. His gut was telling him that there was something she wanted to tell him, and that she might be breaking a code of confidence with Tony.
“What is it, Abby? Whatever it is it’s not going to change anything,” he told her firmly.
“You mean it?”
He nodded.
Abby looked relieved. “Tony wasn’t entirely straight,” Gibb’s eyebrows flew up and Abby pressed forward before he could say anything, “and when you go digging into his personal life you’re going to find out that he was a submissive, and he was in the BDSM lifestyle! But he was always careful Gibbs! He never attached himself to a Dom permanently! Please, please, Gibbs, I know it’s a shock, but you can’t think any differently of him!”
Gibbs reeled back on his heels as he processed what Abby had just flat out given him. Tony was bisexual. Tony was into BDSM. Tony was a Sub. A Sub that had never trusted a Dom to collar him.
The information sifted so slowly through his mind that when he finally registered it all, Abby was watching his face for clues just as clearly as he was thinking about all the obvious signs there had been with Tony. Whatever Abby saw made her immensely happy under the circumstances.
“I knew it! I knew you wanted Tony, I knew you were a Dom! I kept telling him to make a move, but Tony is a very old fashioned Sub and all. He likes to be pursued, not that he’ll ever admit it, not for that matter that he ever admitted that it was you all those patsies were supposed to be,” Abby was talking a minute tone. She knew he was a Dom? For the second time that day Gibbs had been shocked into silence. His eyebrows furrowed.
Abby poked him playfully. “Oh, come on, Gibbs. I may not be an investigator likes you guys, but I can read a face. You were thrilled that Tony was bi and a Sub. And you were pissed that he’d been with other guys, but still happy that he wasn’t serious with any of them,” Abby explained with a happy little dance as Gibbs stared dumbly at her.
He finally found his footing when she finished her last speech, “None of that matters right now. We're going to find Tony and bring him home,” Gibbs answered and thought to himself if he wants to come home.
Although at this point, knowing what he did know, Gibbs wasn’t beyond handcuffing Tony to him and tying him to a bed when they got back.
Abby’s eyes flickered down and her mood sank. She was subdued again and nodded in understanding.
“Find him, boss, you have too. Tony’s not Tony without you,” she pleaded quietly. Gibbs nodded and gently laid a hand on her head. Then he let his hand drop and hit the elevator button, putting his game face back on as the elevator began to make its way up to the main floor.
---
Tony couldn’t help but moan as he awoke. His body was deliciously sore from the previous nights activities and for the first time ever he could feel the remnants of where his hands hand been tied, although loosely, to the links that hung above the bed for that specific purpose. He took a few minutes to wonder why he trusted Alex when he had never trusted another top to tie him up before.
There was something about the man that put him at ease. Just like Abby did, except there was no sexual tension between Abby and himself.
The night before had been amazing, but Tony regretfully knew that it wasn’t what he’d been searching for. Alex held the right amount of dominance and forcefulness in his behavior, but their kinks didn’t click perfectly. Alex was a hardcore sadist where as Tony was fine with a little bit of pain, but too much felt like punishment. Alex, strangely enough, also wasn’t mean enough for Tony. Tony didn’t like to be flat out verbally abused, but he did like being humiliated just enough to bring him down a notch or two. He had enjoyed the worshipful compliments Alex had given him, but there was an edge missing to their play. Tony was beginning to wonder if anyone’s dynamic would ever match his completely, but he still couldn’t get the picture of all the happily matched Dom and Subs he’d seen on Earth before.
“Hey there, how you feel?” Alex’s voice broke through his train of thought.
Tony turned to his new lover and smiled over at him. He couldn’t help but cuddle into the rumpled marine and was pleasantly surprised to find he was still floating inside the serene place in his mind the other man had taken him to the night before.
Alex welcomed his body easily and adjusted them so that Tony’s athletic body lay easily over his chest. He chuckled at the soft, happy sigh Tony let loose and leaned down to kiss the man.
“Thank you for last night, sir,” Tony’s voice was grateful, but Alex picked up on the hesitation.
“It was great for me too, Tony. Don’t be disappointed, I know we’re not completely in sync with one another’s needs,” he gently coaxed Tony into talking about it.
Tony shrugged. “No one is ever perfect together.”
Alex trailed a hand over Tony’s back, just casually. Tony sighed into the touch. Trying to be offhanded, Alex said, “There are people who are perfect together. If we were meant to be, Atlantis would have bonded us as soon as we touched in the city.”
Tony blinked in surprise and looked up at him in curiosity. Alex eyebrows rose when he realized how little Tony had been briefed about the inner workings of his new home.
“The ancients, in their infinite wisdom,” Alex added in a sarcastic tone before gentling his voice again, “created a way for Atlantis to recognize two people that are perfect for one another.” He stopped for a minute before continuing, “For lack of a better word, soulmates. When Atlantis recognizes these two people, it uses some sort of built in technology to bind the two together mentally.”
Tony listened intently and his jaw dropped at the information, “That’s why the government was so quick to adhere to the rules that the original expedition set up while stranded.”
Alex nodded thoughtfully, “It’d have been awful hard not to with the heads of military and science linked together mentally. They’re not the only two anymore either, General O’Neill himself and Dr. Jackson linked the minute they visited Atlantis for the first time. The top brass wasn’t happy. There was some buzz in Washington about replacing the General as head of the SGC, but the amount of fallout from that would have been disastrous. They would have lost Dr. Jackson, Colonel Samantha Carter, the help of Teal’c, and many more experts that have saved the world over and over again as well.”
Tony didn’t recognize everyone Alex was talking about, but he realized the principal of the situation. It would have been the same if any of the Directors had ever fired Gibbs. The amount of people that disliked him was high, but there was a larger amount of people that would have turned in their resignation flat out.
“Alright, Tony, up and at’em. I’ve got to get you acclimated to the city and ready to work ASAP. Those are my orders and now they’re yours,” Alex teased.
Tony flushed as Alex’s voice dipped into a dominant quality, “You’ve got to quit doing that while we’re moving around the city. I can’t expect respect if some guy I just met sends me floating just by the tone of his voice.”
Alex nodded in understanding, but Tony could tell he was disappointed. Alex reached out to tip Tony’s head up, “I will make a conscious effort not to throw you into your subspace in public, Tony, but I’d like to continue this relationship if you wish.”
Tony tossed him a confused look, “But you said…”
He didn’t even get to finish before Alex broke in, “I meant we weren’t compatible as in forever, but there is nothing wrong with using one another to meet each other’s needs. It’s common here, but I’ll understand if you don’t want too. We’ll still be friends, but I’m a one Sub at a time type of guy. I expect the same from my partner.”
Tony thought it over for only a millisecond, “I can do that. As long as we have an easy out clause. I don’t want to get in the way of you finding someone who is your bonded partner.”
Alex smiled indulgently at him, “What about you, Tony? Don’t think there’s anyone out there just for you?”
Tony couldn’t help the sad smile when he answered, “I know there’s someone out there just for me. Unfortunately it’s not reciprocated.”
The finality in Tony’s voice kept Alex from pursuing the subject any further, but the top in him responded to it fiercely and he leaned down to claim Tony’s lips in another hard kiss. Tony opened up just as sweetly as the first time and Alex wondered how the hell anyone couldn’t want the amazingly responsive man that was currently in his arms.
---
The day passed by in a blur for Tony as Alex taught him everything he could about Atlantis. When they reached the jumper bay Tony was itching to learn to pilot one. Alex had laughed and led him inside to show him the basics of the controls, and promised to teach him to fly, and then bent him over the control booth for some hot, messy sex. Every time they went, new things lit up. Alex explained it was because of an ancient gene therapy that had been successful on him.
Tony had been astonished at how easy and calm he felt in Atlantis and he almost felt as if he knew where to go instinctively.
That was what had led to their voracious appetites and a trip to the cafeteria. They were eating in a happy silence when a shadow descended over them and Tony looked up to see a beautiful and familiar woman standing there with a tray. He immediately stood and pulled out a chair for the woman to sit when she waved a hand in asking to join them.
“Dr. Weir this is Special Agent DiNozzo. Tony this is Dr. Elizabeth Weir, the head of Atlantis and all Pegasus expeditions and extensions. She’s also the woman responsible for bringing you here,” Alex made the introductions.
Tony immediately recognized Dr. Weir as a dominant and he wondered at his newfound ability to see a person’s dynamic easily on sight. He wondered again if it was Atlantis.
“It’s nice to meet you, ma’am,” he respectfully replied.
Dr. Weir laughed lightly, “Oh, none of that, we’re rather laid back here. It’s Elizabeth at times like this. I’m very glad you accepted the assignment, Agent DiNozzo.”
“Tony, please, and I am still in shock over being chosen,” Tony answered honestly.
“There were many reasons for choosing you, Tony, and not only because of your involvement in the lifestyle. You have a lot of experience and success in your field. Some reasons were not even known till just a while ago. I just came from a meeting with Dr. Beckett, Carson, and he told me the results of all your labs,” Elizabeth replied and paused almost dramatically before continuing. “You tested positive as a natural gene carrier for the ancient code. Has Atlantis been speaking to you?” Elizabeth giggled at the astonished look on Tony’s face.
“She talks?” he blurted out.
Elizabeth and Alex both laughed at that.
“Not technically, no, but she does in a roundabout way. Have you been able to tell whether someone was top, bottom, or switch by chance? Gene carriers are always able to tell on Atlantis,” she explained and Tony was once again flabbergasted at the new world around him.
“I thought I’d developed a sixth sense or something,” he mumbled while looking down to his plate. He quickly found his chin raised again by a cupping hand and he was staring into Elizabeth’s serious eyes.
“I can see why you would think that. I know this all new to you, Tony, and there will be much more to come. I think you will do just fine. In fact, I know it, I have every bit of confidence in you,” Elizabeth added and smiled at the glee that shone in Tony’s eyes at the compliment.
“Now, I see that both of you are done, so perhaps Alex should show you where your office is. I noticed that everywhere you went today seemed to be something spectacular and not something practical,” the admonishment was clear to Alex and the man shrugged unabashed.
If Dr. Weir had been the one to introduce Tony to Atlantis, Alex sincerely doubted the office would have been on her list of priorities either. More likely over her lap would have been her number one objective. That reminded him that he needed to go over Atlantis’ method of admonishment and discipline with Tony as well.
“Well then, ma’am, I guess we’ll see you at another time,” Alex inclined his head respectfully and took Tony’s and his tray to the dirty dish cart while Tony said his goodbyes.
“I guess I’ll be showing you your office. Now, whatever will we do with an empty desk and rolling chair?” He grinned mischievously at the other man. His grin turned larger as Tony blushed bright at the implication.
Alex tossed an arm around Tony’s shoulder companionably and pulled the man down the corridor towards their destination.
“I have two weeks to help you out as you get settled, Tony, I was thinking we use that time to see how well we mesh as Dominant and Submissive,” Alex stopped briefly to view Tony’s reaction. Tony felt excited, if a bit foolish. Fools dove into a relationship so quickly, but Tony’s heart was leading him straight into the danger. He trusted Alex, this friendly and passionate marine he had known for only a day. Tony stared back at Alex attentively and waited to see what his new guide would add.
“If we continue to get on as well as we have been, then… look, I know we’re going too fast,” Alex broke off hesitantly. Tony’s stomach dropped, realizing that Alex was about to say they shouldn’t sleep together anymore.
Tony was about to apologize for pulling them into this so irrationally, but Alex continued before Tony could say anything.
“We’re going fast, but in all honesty Tony, I’m lonely,” Alex sighed in a sad manner. Tony blinked in surprise. That was not what he was expecting.
“You’re the first play partner I’ve had that even comes close to offering what I want in a Sub. If we both agree then I want to propose a standard contract outlining what we expect and don’t want,” Alex paused and Tony, more relieved than he had ever been before, nodded enthusiastically and then forced himself to stop acting so eager.
Alex choked back a laugh.
“Hold off on agreeing until you know exactly what it is you’re agreeing too, Tony,” Alex chided.
Tony flushed, “Sorry, Alex,” he contritely answered.
Alex smiled at him, “If we decide to go through with the contract then I will want to collar you for the duration of it. I know it won’t be permanent since either of us might find our bonding-mate, but I like my Subs collared and safe. If that’s amenable then I’ll take you to Corsica, one of the open markets on Treboisor, a nearby planet, and we’ll look for one for you one from the leatherworkers?” Tony couldn’t help but beam. He couldn’t help the way he wanted to belong to Alex, even if he was shocked by how fast this had happened. He wondered if he might have been looking for someone to help him and ground him without even knowing it. Tony had felt like he was falling and ungrounded on Earth. Maybe this was his chance to come back down to reality and keep his feet solidly planted.
---
Treboisor was a temperate planet. The weather was pleasing and the vegetation appealing and colorful.
“Corsica is three miles east, Tony, let’s start walking.” Alex told him. “I want to make sure that we have enough time to find what we want before we have to be back on Atlantis,” they fell into an easy step heading eastward.
The walk was uneventful but arriving in the marketplace, Tony was immediately overwhelmed by the amount of hustle and bustle in the trading town. Corsica for all intents and purposes was filled with different cultures and an array of different items for sale and barter.
“There’s a very good leather worker this way. Let’s go there first and then you can shop till your heart’s content,” Alex teased. Tony grinned at the idea of shopping. He wished he could buy souvenirs for Abby and the rest of the people he missed back on Earth, but Tony firmly clamped down on those melancholy emotions and reminded himself that he was never going to return there anyways.
“Ah, there he is, Tony come!” Alex’s voice broke through his dwelling and Tony hastened to catch up to his top who was already looking at designs and talking to the trader.
“Something simple with easy access for removal,” Alex was saying and Tony just let himself be pulled around, collar after collar being held up to his neck. He modeled them all, play acting a little until Alex swatted him for his silliness. Finally Alex found one that was the softest leather Tony had ever touched and the lock was a simple slip and hook. Alex grinned as he paid the man and then wrapped the collar around Tony’s throat.
It was the first collar Tony had ever worn. All fun slipped away as he realized this moment was real. It had happened. He had been collared.
Maybe his eyes showed how overwhelmed he was, because Alex cradled his cheek then leaned in to kiss him so sweetly that Tony’s knees trembled.
“Hey there, you keeping it together?” Alex whispered.
“Yeah. I’m just a little…” Tony breathed deeply, willing his head and stomach to steel up. “I’m good. I’m good.”
“I know you are.” Alex kissed his ear and wrapped arms tightly around him. “I’m so proud of you, my brave boy. You look so good with my collar on you.” Tony smiled into Alex’s shoulder. Playfully, Alex broke up the seriousness by grabbing Tony’s ass and giving it a good shake. “I’m going to ride you so hard tonight that your legs are going to be jelly for the rest of the week.”
They separated with a laugh, but under the fun, under the arousal and the elation, Tony felt dread. Neither man was looking for a permanent relationship. There would be no elaborate collaring ceremony. They would both sign a contract when they returned to Atlantis, one they had both already read and agreed to the conditions. It simply detailed what the limits were and made it obvious that if one of them was to bond with someone else then the contract and collar was null and void. The idea of Alex eventually finding the person truly meant for him left an empty pit in Tony’s stomach, but he’d never hold Alex back from true love and companionship.
“Did you want to go look for some souvenirs from your first non-official gate trip?” Alex’s teasing voice broke through Tony’s pity party.
“Yeah, I wonder what passes for good quality shoes around here. Are there movies in this galaxy?” Tony answered, quickly masking his feelings. Alex stared at him hard for a moment making Tony think he’d not done a good job of covering his loneliness, but then Alex nodded and gave him a one hour time limit. Tony took off determined to do as much as he could in the time allotted.
He perused several of the booths and had just found a trader that sold different planks and cuts of wood found in Pegasus. Tony ran his hand over several of the pieces, thinking of how much Gibbs would love to have his hands on the new materials. His touch was lingering on one specific cut of lightweight but extremely dense red wood when someone caught his attention out of the corner of his eye.
He turned and watched as a short, hooded figure took a bag of coin from a sleazy and dirty man. The hooded figure tilted his head and snapped a finger gloved in red. A beautiful, scantily-clad woman stepped immediately around the table dividing the sordid trader and the short figure in the cloak. The seedy man roughly grabbed the woman’s chin and turned her head side to side, then his fingers dug in her mouth to examine her healthy teeth, before finally grasping her breasts.
Tony growled in anger at the obvious display of abuse. That wasn’t consensual powerplay, it was obvious from the way the woman’s eyes were terrified. She seemed less like a woman and more like a girl as he drew closer. She couldn’t be more than fifteen. He was only a few feet away from the table when Alex was suddenly beside him and pulling him roughly away.
“DO NOT DO ANYTHING,” Alex hissed into his ear. Tony turned to argue, but the look on his top’s face kept him from saying anything further and he allowed himself to be dragged away.
“That girl was being inspected like a piece of property!” Tony raged.
“We are only allowed to trade and do business in Corsica if we don’t protest the slave trade.” Alex argued back, obviously not happy about it.
“I won’t stand for that!”
“Stop it Tony! We hate it, but there’s nothing we can do here. Colonel Sheppard prevents it when we come across the slaves being taken from their own planet. We stop it as often as we can, Tony, but we can’t challenge the laws here or we’d be in big trouble,” Alex made clear as they walked back to the gate.
Tony cast one last glance towards the town and wished desperately he could go back and free that woman. He knew that Alex wouldn’t lie to him, though, and he followed his top's lead. He vowed to do whatever he could, though, to keep as many people from becoming slaves as possible.
Alex, as if sensing his discomfort, wrapped an arm around Tony and didn’t let go until they’d made it back to the gate location. As they were walking up another group of people came from a different path way. Tony shot a questioning look to Alex and reached for his sidearm only for Alex to stay his action with a hand motion.
“It’s alright, Tony, they are allies and the peace treaty holds here as well as the marketplace,” Alex murmured before raising his voice to the others, “Good afternoon, your Highness.”
Tony started at the honorific and took a closer look at the pretty, petite blond standing in the middle of a buff group of warriors. She was familiar.
“Greetings, Atlantean,” the woman responded and Tony was taken aback by how musical her voice lilted.
“How are you and your fine companion this day?” the woman said quietly while lowering her head and peering submissively through thick eyelashes. Tony gritted his teeth as she smiled prettily at Alex and he felt off balance at the inane jealousy that rocketed through him. Alex almost immediately picked up on Tony’s ire, though, and Tony couldn’t help the smile that blossomed as Alex pulled him close before answering.
“We’re just fine, my lady, just came to do a bit of shopping. My sub is a bit upset at that slave trading he saw. He is new to Pegasus,” Alex explained Tony’s attitude away.
Tony wondered at the hooded look that came over the pretty sub’s face at Alex’s words, but the gate soon burst into action and the party said their farewells. Then it was their turn and they made their way home through the gate and were back in Alex’s quarters before Tony could fully think about it. The woman’s answering words still stuck in his head though and he filed them away for future pondering.
“Many things are different and unique about our galaxy, sweet one; perhaps it would be best if you just tried to overlook their ways while you are here.”
The woman had said their ways, but she had first said our galaxy and the possessive tone she’d used sent shivers down Tony’s spine.
The months flew by as Tony became used to life on Atlantis and in the Pegasus galaxy. There were a few small cases, but nothing major that required more than a stern look and a spanking or two. Tony was quickly coming to think of Atlantis as home and he realized with a jolt that it had been a long time since he’d felt that way about a place. Washington and NCIS had become a routine but without Gibbs and his team mates there would have been nothing there.
Tony yawned as he threw himself down onto his bed. Alex was off world with his team and Tony missed the companionship. He briefly thought of going to sleep in the Dom’s quarters, but shook off the idea. Alex wouldn’t have cared, but they were nothing more than friends with benefits, great benefits, but benefits none the less.
He finally settled down into a restless night's sleep. Tony awoke abruptly to the ringing of his alarm clock and reached over to slam his hand on the offending machine. He felt like he’d only gotten a couple hours of sleep. It was only when the alarm continued that he realized it was his comm link going off instead.
“DiNozzo,” he gruffly replied.
“Special Agent DiNozzo, I think you’d better report to the gate room. Be ready to go off world,” the always calm voice of Dr. Weir answered.
“Be there in five,” he replied, instantly awake after years of being Gibbs’ senior agent.
Jumping out of bed, Tony was dressed and running to the gate room in under four minutes. He slid to a halt outside of the main corridor and slowed to a fast walk inside the room. He found his normal team of lackeys awaiting him, and Colonel Sheppard with his Sub standing with them.
“We’re going to PX 491,” the Colonel started.
“We’re not going anywhere, no offense, Colonel. I don’t know what happened, but I can’t have the head of Atlantis military and the head scientist off world at a crime scene,” Tony interrupted.
Dr. McKay bristled immediately, “It’s MY scientist that’s dead, Agent DiNozzo and we don’t know if it was something to do with the alien technology that did it. I am going with you.”
“And if Rodney’s going then I’m going,” Colonel Sheppard followed immediately.
Tony sighed but gave a quick nod. He knew when to not fight a battle that was already lost.
“Then Colonel, if you’d give the order to dial her up please.”
Colonel Sheppard almost rolled his eyes, but they had all gotten used to Tony's obnoxious side after several months. (Besides, he was nowhere near as bad as Rodney.) Sheppard nodded above to the control center and the gate started to turn. Tony watched, almost entranced, as the gate became active. He would never get tired of that.
---
PX 491 was a hot rocky world. There were old, ruined buildings, made of strange mixture of metal and stone.
“The initial hypothesis is that this was an Ancient outpost that had been built around by more primitive societies that followed,” Dr. McKay’s voice reached Tony just as he wondered about the odd differences in architecture. He nodded briefly in answer to the information.
It was obviously late day here from the way the sun dipped in the horizon and they would quickly lose the sunlight. Tony pulled out his camera and notepad, ready to snap photos of whatever scene they found. He needed to take the photos before the sun set. The interviews would have to come second, Tony thought as they came upon the expedition group.
The scientists all looked sweaty and tired. The marines were sweaty too, but they were holding up better in the conditions. They had all been working since early in the morning and Tony could see how the conditions might have lead to bad tempers. There didn’t seem to be any attacking aliens hanging around.
He looked at the time the murder had been called in. It had taken them less than an hour to respond so Tony knew that the body would still be fairly fresh and while he was not a medical examiner, if cause of death wasn’t obvious he could easily call back for Carson or Dr. Keller.
All the members of the party watched him warily, silently. Tony could see in their eyes they were disturbed. Disturbed by the death? By violence? Had there been violence or had a teammate just suddenly keeled over?
“Guys, please separate all the witnesses so they can’t talk to each other. Dr. McKay, I will let you know if it looks like anything technological did this as soon as I see the scene. My team knows what to do as well and will help separate them,” Tony ordered.
Tony still found it weird that he had a team of marines with no investigative skills whose sole purpose was to do what he said and keep him alive at the same time.
Tony’s team began to move. The marines from the impacted away team acted very guarded. They seemed stiff, defensive, holding their guns tightly as he walked by. The scientists seemed cowed and skittish. They looked away from Tony, and wouldn’t meet his eyes. Both groups looked equally unhappy to see their bosses with Tony.
The leader from the team came up to meet him. They stiffly shook hands. Tony smiled. The Master Sergeant did not. Tony immediately noted the hostility and used his tone of voice to let the man know he was aware that his presence was not desired.
“So, what happened here? I understand someone is dead,” Tony kept his voice steady and stern.
“Yes, our lead archeologist, Dr. Holloway. Let me show you,” the marine replied as he nodded his head to the ruins and lead the way.
The ruins looked like something out of Star Wars. The walls were stone, but there were metallic panels. There had been technology here at some point, but that was long ago, exactly like Rodney had suggested. The ceiling had been corroded away, leaving them exposed to the sun. It was in the center of a large control room where the dead body lay, in a pool of blood.
“Here he is,” the marine gestured. Tony snapped several photographs from different angles before he headed for the body.
Tony crouched over Dr. Holloway, seeing lots of blood from a wound to the chest. There was just a little bit of fabric burn on the man’s shirt. It had been close range.
“Look at this, a plain old bullet wound. How domestic is that? I was hoping for something more exciting, you know, like a phaser. Phzzzzzz. Or a light saber. Whomp. Whomp,” He made accompanying gestures with the sound effects. “Do any of the alien races have light sabers?” Tony asked, full obnoxious grin on.
The man frowned, “No,” he stood rigid.
“Well, that’s a disappointment,” Tony said conversationally, “I’m here in a sci-fi flick and there are no light sabers.”
The Master Sergeant’s frown deepened and his voice was condescending, “Are you even qualified to investigate this?”
Tony’s next smile was sufficiently less nice, “Let your boss worry about that. I have to say, I don’t think this man was killed by aliens. Can you tell me what happened here?”
The man pursed his lips and looked away. Tony didn’t particularly admire a marine that couldn’t stare him down.
“Master Sergeant?” he asked again in an ever harder tone.
“I don’t know,” the man’s voice was steady, but his head tilted to the left.
“Maybe someone else will. No one goes home until they’ve all been interviewed,” Tony replied and kept any suspicion out of his voice. No need to let anyone realize that he already knew that someone was covering for someone else.
The Master Sergeant sighed, but Tony ignored him, “And no one comes in this area without my permission. Now first thing I need to document this scene. Colonel Sheppard has already separated everyone, so tell all of them to sit tight, and find somewhere for yourself to park it as well. It may be a few hours.”
The Master Sergeant muttered an unkind curse under his breath.
Tony clapped the man on the shoulder, bearing down hard. “Don’t worry, I’ll find whoever did this.” He let just a hint of a threat into his voice. He squeezed the man’s shoulder, and let the man know that he maybe a Sub but he was also like a dog with a bone when it came to a dead body.
Tony watched as the Master Sergeant exited just as rapidly as he had brought Tony in and the tension was now obvious between his neck and shoulders in the marine’s stance.
Tony took note of that and then further examined the crime scene. Not for the first time did he wished that he had Ducky’s medical knowledge when it came to placement and time of death. Tony was required to go on the word of the other expedition members and his own instincts. It was as he took in the scene and followed the bullet projectory that he found what he was looked for. Grabbing an evidence bag from his pocket, he slipped a glove on, and picked up the metallic object.
Grimacing, Tony immediately recognized the round. He’d been working around military issued weaponry for the last ten years and he recognized the standard round that was used often in the hand guns marines carried. It confirmed his suspicions that the man had been killed by one of the very men that was supposed to be there to protect him. The only questions now were the ‘why’ and the ‘who’.
Determining there was nothing left to observe Tony quickly pocketed the evidence and headed out for interviews.
He pulled Colonel Sheppard aside, and Dr. McKay followed as expected.
“The man was killed by one of your marines, Sheppard,” Tony immediately informed him and secretly showed them the evidence bag. “I need this forensically proven for official documentation if charges are going to be pressed back on Earth, Dr. McKay,” Tony added quietly. The procedure had long been discussed, outlined, processed, and approved by Dr. Weir and then Internal Affairs back on Earth.
“I’ll be back quickly with documented forensic evidence,” Dr. McKay’s voice was quiet for once, but Tony could hear the justified anger behind it. One of the man’s crew had just been killed and that wouldn’t settle with any decent person.
“Colonel Sheppard, I’ll need the files on all of the people here as well,” Tony added.
Sheppard looked up surprised, “You intend to do the entire investigation here and not on Atlantis?”
Tony nodded slowly and thought about how to word his reasoning, “They’re being very hush hush. The quicker I talk to your marines, sir, the faster I’ll find out who they are all covering for. This isn’t just a matter of one man covering for his friend; this is accomplice to murder for five of your men, Colonel. I intend to see each and every one of them know that their career is over and jail time is probable. If anyone’s innocent in this I’ll be able to weed that out too.”
Sheppard seemed to understand his reasoning because he motioned Dr. McKay to follow him back to the gate.
Tony nodded goodbye to both Dr. McKay and Colonel Sheppard. It was sometimes hard to separate the two from John and Rodney, but in official situations it made it easier for Tony and them to do their jobs. Tony finally turned back to look at the people that were lined up with at least fifteen feet between each of them. The sun had dipped even lower and Tony ordered Jacobs and Martinez, two of his team, to set up temporary lights. Tony wondered where he should do the interviews.
He briefly thought about taking each marine into the room with Dr. Holloway’s body, but tossed that idea right out of his head. Something like that would end him ass up over Dr. Weir’s lap (or at the least Alex’s) and Alex had made it clear how displeased he was going to be if asked to ever punish Tony.
They had no official status, but everyone knew that Tony was off limits for play and Dr. Weir had already called them in to discuss what would happen if he ever had to be admonished. Alex hadn’t been pleased when it was suggested that someone else handle it since Tony was not collared. He’d even gone as far as telling Dr. Weir that he’d put a collar on Tony before someone else put a hand or any other implement on his ass.
Tony didn’t take Alex’s protectiveness for anything other than what it was. The man genuinely cared what happened to Tony and as long as Tony was his to care for then he’d be taking care of him.
In the end it was the last of his team that made the decision for him. Tony nodded approvingly when Corporal Jonathon Sharpe called him over to one of the tents that had been set up for research purposes. Inside he found that Sharpe had cleared off one long table and placed a chair facing the entrance behind it.
“Do you want them to have a chair, sir?” the man asked when Tony immediately started around the table.
Tony couldn’t help but chuckle, “This isn’t an interrogation, Jon, just interviews for now. Yes, let’s give them a chair and I want you to tell Jacobs to call non-military personal in here one by one first and then the marines. Tell Martinez to keep a sharp eye on everyone while I talk to each of them. I want to know how the marines react.”
Sharpe looked confused for one moment, “What about me, sir?”
Tony raised an eyebrow and knew the minute Sharpe felt smaller than two feet, “I want you to stand in that corner over there, and in between interviews you’re going to tell me what you think about each person’s interview.”
Sharpe looked at him in surprise, but when Tony raised an eyebrow he was out of the tent and giving the other two their orders. Tony shook his head wryly as he watched. All three members of Tony’s team were smart, but Sharpe showed the most potential for being a true asset to Tony. It would take training, and Tony had his work cut out for him, but Sharpe could and would make a damn good investigator one day as well as a good marine. Tony didn’t plan to train and teach like Gibbs had. He wouldn’t expect Sharpe to read his mind. But he did plan to make sure Sharpe learned to listen to interviews and hear what the person wasn’t saying instead of what they were. If there was anything he could teach, that was it.
The first woman to come in, Dr. Winters, was a nice switch from what Tony had seen, but it was what he had heard that made him want to talk to her first. Rodney had made a remark over dinner a few weeks back about her rotating from Area 51 to Atlantis recently and she had a near photogenic memory and an excellent ability to see outside the box. Tony wanted to hear her recollection of events first since they would probably be the closest to what happened.
Despite her last name, she was normally warm and bubbly; she now looked rough and terrified.
“Please sit down, Elaine,” Tony said softly and pulled his canteen from his side. He handed it over the table to her and she took it with a trembling hand.
“Thank you, Agent DiNozzo,” she said hoarsely.
“Tony, Elaine, it’s going to be okay. I want you to just tell me what you know about the sequence of events,” he prodded gently.
Elaine nodded and passed the canteen back over after taking a few sips.
“Dr. Baker and Sterne, Terrell, and Smith were out combing the area looking for a secondary entrance to what we think is a half-buried temple. Dr. Lukas and Harley were in here writing out a supply list to send back to Atlantis. It looked like we were going to request an extended stay of about three more days. There’s a lot here and we think that once we break the surface and enter the underground facilities we could find ancient tech. There is an energy reading some fifty feet down or so,” Elaine closed her eyes as she talked and Tony could see her purposely taking herself back to the that afternoon.
“Dr. Holloway and Master Sergeant Dunn were at odds about staying. They’ve been at odds, honestly, since we arrived here. The tension was irritating, but they stayed out of one another’s way most of the time. I don’t know where Major Sergeant Dunn was at exactly that moment, but he was the one who found the body,” Elaine stopped and took a deep breath and seemed to contemplate something for a moment.
Tony quickly encouraged her insight, “What is it, Elaine?”
She frowned slightly, “I don’t want it to sound like Dunn did it, sir, because he seemed tore up about Keith’s, Dr. Holloway that is, death. Almost like…like they had been lovers or something.”
Tony thought about it for a moment and made a mental note to question the others about that and was about to let Elaine go when he realized she had left someone out. She continued on before he could ask though and Tony could see that she was confused about something.
“Sergeant Davis wasn’t at the gate for the dial in check up. I was taking a walk to make sure my legs still worked,” she wryly remarked and rubbed her thighs subconsciously.
“I’d been lying under a stone tablet all morning. I decided to go to the gate and keep him company. He’s seemed out of sorts lately. He’s been assigned to my team ever since I arrived on Atlantis. He wasn't at the gate. I assumed that he’d already walked back, but thinking back I know I didn’t pass him and no one had asked for his help over the comm link. We keep them to the same frequency in case of emergency. It logs if turned to another channel,” Elaine stopped and Tony could see she was trying to think of where Davis could have been. He made a note to get the comm link logs just to make sure someone hadn’t been having a private conversation.
“Anything else, Elaine? Anything you can think of?” he asked one last time. She shook her head after a few minutes.
“Alright, Elaine, Corporal Sharpe is going to walk you to a spot. I want you to sit tight there until we finish up. It’s going to be awhile, Elaine, and I’m sorry for that,” Tony warned her.
She nodded in understanding, “I get it, Tony. I really do. I can put the pieces together as well, but I can’t stand to think that one of the people I’ve been working with for the past week did this.”
Elaine darted out of the tent with Corporal Sharpe on her heels. Tony reviewed his notes and waited for Sharpe to reenter.
“So, Jon, what do you think?” he asked quietly as he looked through his notes.
The Corporal wetted his lips, and rocked on his heels. “Honest from her tone and the way she spoke to the point. She’s known to do well under pressure and show complete professionalism, so her not being calm and not too emotionally distraught is not alarming. Her assessment of the relationship between Holloway and Dunn needs to be followed up, but I do think her input about his state upon finding the body is telling. Could have been a lover’s quarrel, but Dunn is known to be a good and level-headed Dom. Davis is the one that I think we need to question closely,” Jon finished up and looked at Tony nervously.
Tony nodded, “Good assessment Jon, the only thing you need to watch is taking too much of what a witness says for flat fact until you’ve finished putting together the entire puzzle. Elaine could easily be correct, but until we question the others we don’t know for sure.”
Tony turned back to his notes to hide the smile that blossomed at Jon’s over enthusiastic grin from the compliment. Then their next interview was brought in and they started the process again. The day moved slowly, but by the time that he heard the swoosh and pull of the Stargate activating and Colonel Sheppard’s voice on his comm link, Tony had a fair view of what he thought had happened.
He didn’t think Dunn was the killer, the man had broken down crying during questioning, but it didn’t strike Tony as remorse except for perhaps not realizing the love he had for the now dead doctor. Tony was once again struck by how much you could love a person even when they weren’t perfectly a fit for you. It made him want to see Alex tonight. Still, he didn’t discard Dunn completely as a suspect. The man could just be a very good actor.
The one thing he was sure of was that most, if not all, of the marines were protecting the killer. They knew something that the scientists didn’t.
CONTINUE
Rating: NC-17
Fandoms: NCIS, Stargate Atlantis
Authors: hellesofbelles and pestshingowrite
Pairings: Gibbs/DiNozzo, DiNozzo/OMC, various minor pairings
Warnings: BDSM Universe, graphic depictions of D/S and kinks, exhibition, spankings, canings, slash
Summary: Tony DiNozzo’s world is about to change, literally: he been swept away to a new life in a completely different galaxy. What's more, he gains the affections of the charming (and dominating) marine Alex Dupree. But back on Earth, Gibbs raises hell as the NCIS team tries to find out where Tony has gone. And Gibbs will stop at nothing to get him back.
Part Two
It wasn’t often that Gibbs found himself stunned to silence. He had been provoked to screaming in rage at times, but never shock-still silent.
Director Vance was sitting behind his desk calmly chewing on a toothpick, acting as if he hadn’t just informed the leader of his major response team that Gibbs’ senior agent was gone and not going to be available to explain himself.
“Agent DiNozzo has been reassigned to a top secret post. It’s need-to-know only, and you are not to be read in.” There was a hint of a smug smile in Vance’s voice as he told Gibbs. But it didn’t show in his completely serious face. “If Agent DiNozzo was such as important asset to your team then perhaps he should have been in the field with you and not behind a desk. I don’t pay one of my leading agents to sit behind a desk and use a computer he barely knows how to turn on. I was under the impression you hired him because of his instincts, but I’m beginning to wonder if you hired him to sit behind a desk and look pretty.”
Gibbs forced himself to stay still and not reach over and shove Vance’s toothpick down his throat at the sarcastic drawl. He just gritted his teeth and nodded once to the director and turned to leave.
“Oh, and Agent Gibbs, if I even hear of one inkling of Agent McGee or Miss Sciuto trying to locate Tony via computer, then your entire team and anyone involved is fired without recommendation. Not one of you will work for the government again, regardless of past accreditations,” Director Vance called out and Gibbs allowed himself to slam the door.
If he couldn’t find Tony using either Tim or Abby then he’d have to do it the old fashioned way and call in favors. If that didn’t work then he could knock some heads around too.
But what on earth had happened? Why had Vance done this? True, maybe he thought Tony wasn’t being used to his full ability. But Tony was completely loyal, he wouldn’t have left. Not willingly. Was he forced? Was Tony threatened? No, Vance’s body language would have indicated if he had sent Tony into danger. He had looked at ease, maybe even amused. It infuriated Gibbs.
He stalked down the stairs to his team and immediately ordered them all down to Abby’s lab. Tim and Ziva jumped up and followed immediately, and trailed behind him cautiously. They must have been wary of the tone in Gibbs’ voice.
Gibbs kept a handle on his anger until everyone was together in the lab, including Ducky, and finally began explaining: “Tony’s been reassigned…”
The team’s reactions were exactly as he had expected. Anger and confusion were voiced as everyone began to speak at once.
“QUIET!” he roared when it got out of hand.
When everyone looked at him expectantly Gibbs finished explaining what the Director had told him and emphasized to McGee and Abby that they were not to try and trace Tony using any technological means.
He met Ziva and Ducky’s eyes steadily and it went without saying that the three of them would start a quiet inquiry using their personal methods of tracking down information. It wasn’t until he’d dismissed everyone and started out the door himself when he heard Abby’s tremulous voice following behind him.
“Gibbs, I… I need to get a couple things from Tony’s desk. I loaned them to him. They’ll be clearing his stuff soon.” Abby quietly explained. He held the elevator door for her, and she joined him, eyes downcast. Gibbs took a good look at Abby as she hit the emergency stop and turned to face him. She looked earnest, and tried to say more, but it was difficult for her to find the right words. Gibbs sighed, and put a hand on her arm gently. He was surprised she hadn’t broken down sooner. “You can’t try and trace him, Abs, I mean it,” he ordered again in a soft tone.
Abby sniffled and nodded, “That’s not fair. But Gibbs, I have to explain…” She bit her lip, her face torn with indecision. Then she steeled herself, and looked up at him, and Gibbs knew she was going to say something very serious. “I know you’re going to go looking for him and scour his personal life to see if it will tell you anything…”
Gibbs eyes narrowed at Abby’s hesitant voice. His gut was telling him that there was something she wanted to tell him, and that she might be breaking a code of confidence with Tony.
“What is it, Abby? Whatever it is it’s not going to change anything,” he told her firmly.
“You mean it?”
He nodded.
Abby looked relieved. “Tony wasn’t entirely straight,” Gibb’s eyebrows flew up and Abby pressed forward before he could say anything, “and when you go digging into his personal life you’re going to find out that he was a submissive, and he was in the BDSM lifestyle! But he was always careful Gibbs! He never attached himself to a Dom permanently! Please, please, Gibbs, I know it’s a shock, but you can’t think any differently of him!”
Gibbs reeled back on his heels as he processed what Abby had just flat out given him. Tony was bisexual. Tony was into BDSM. Tony was a Sub. A Sub that had never trusted a Dom to collar him.
The information sifted so slowly through his mind that when he finally registered it all, Abby was watching his face for clues just as clearly as he was thinking about all the obvious signs there had been with Tony. Whatever Abby saw made her immensely happy under the circumstances.
“I knew it! I knew you wanted Tony, I knew you were a Dom! I kept telling him to make a move, but Tony is a very old fashioned Sub and all. He likes to be pursued, not that he’ll ever admit it, not for that matter that he ever admitted that it was you all those patsies were supposed to be,” Abby was talking a minute tone. She knew he was a Dom? For the second time that day Gibbs had been shocked into silence. His eyebrows furrowed.
Abby poked him playfully. “Oh, come on, Gibbs. I may not be an investigator likes you guys, but I can read a face. You were thrilled that Tony was bi and a Sub. And you were pissed that he’d been with other guys, but still happy that he wasn’t serious with any of them,” Abby explained with a happy little dance as Gibbs stared dumbly at her.
He finally found his footing when she finished her last speech, “None of that matters right now. We're going to find Tony and bring him home,” Gibbs answered and thought to himself if he wants to come home.
Although at this point, knowing what he did know, Gibbs wasn’t beyond handcuffing Tony to him and tying him to a bed when they got back.
Abby’s eyes flickered down and her mood sank. She was subdued again and nodded in understanding.
“Find him, boss, you have too. Tony’s not Tony without you,” she pleaded quietly. Gibbs nodded and gently laid a hand on her head. Then he let his hand drop and hit the elevator button, putting his game face back on as the elevator began to make its way up to the main floor.
---
Tony couldn’t help but moan as he awoke. His body was deliciously sore from the previous nights activities and for the first time ever he could feel the remnants of where his hands hand been tied, although loosely, to the links that hung above the bed for that specific purpose. He took a few minutes to wonder why he trusted Alex when he had never trusted another top to tie him up before.
There was something about the man that put him at ease. Just like Abby did, except there was no sexual tension between Abby and himself.
The night before had been amazing, but Tony regretfully knew that it wasn’t what he’d been searching for. Alex held the right amount of dominance and forcefulness in his behavior, but their kinks didn’t click perfectly. Alex was a hardcore sadist where as Tony was fine with a little bit of pain, but too much felt like punishment. Alex, strangely enough, also wasn’t mean enough for Tony. Tony didn’t like to be flat out verbally abused, but he did like being humiliated just enough to bring him down a notch or two. He had enjoyed the worshipful compliments Alex had given him, but there was an edge missing to their play. Tony was beginning to wonder if anyone’s dynamic would ever match his completely, but he still couldn’t get the picture of all the happily matched Dom and Subs he’d seen on Earth before.
“Hey there, how you feel?” Alex’s voice broke through his train of thought.
Tony turned to his new lover and smiled over at him. He couldn’t help but cuddle into the rumpled marine and was pleasantly surprised to find he was still floating inside the serene place in his mind the other man had taken him to the night before.
Alex welcomed his body easily and adjusted them so that Tony’s athletic body lay easily over his chest. He chuckled at the soft, happy sigh Tony let loose and leaned down to kiss the man.
“Thank you for last night, sir,” Tony’s voice was grateful, but Alex picked up on the hesitation.
“It was great for me too, Tony. Don’t be disappointed, I know we’re not completely in sync with one another’s needs,” he gently coaxed Tony into talking about it.
Tony shrugged. “No one is ever perfect together.”
Alex trailed a hand over Tony’s back, just casually. Tony sighed into the touch. Trying to be offhanded, Alex said, “There are people who are perfect together. If we were meant to be, Atlantis would have bonded us as soon as we touched in the city.”
Tony blinked in surprise and looked up at him in curiosity. Alex eyebrows rose when he realized how little Tony had been briefed about the inner workings of his new home.
“The ancients, in their infinite wisdom,” Alex added in a sarcastic tone before gentling his voice again, “created a way for Atlantis to recognize two people that are perfect for one another.” He stopped for a minute before continuing, “For lack of a better word, soulmates. When Atlantis recognizes these two people, it uses some sort of built in technology to bind the two together mentally.”
Tony listened intently and his jaw dropped at the information, “That’s why the government was so quick to adhere to the rules that the original expedition set up while stranded.”
Alex nodded thoughtfully, “It’d have been awful hard not to with the heads of military and science linked together mentally. They’re not the only two anymore either, General O’Neill himself and Dr. Jackson linked the minute they visited Atlantis for the first time. The top brass wasn’t happy. There was some buzz in Washington about replacing the General as head of the SGC, but the amount of fallout from that would have been disastrous. They would have lost Dr. Jackson, Colonel Samantha Carter, the help of Teal’c, and many more experts that have saved the world over and over again as well.”
Tony didn’t recognize everyone Alex was talking about, but he realized the principal of the situation. It would have been the same if any of the Directors had ever fired Gibbs. The amount of people that disliked him was high, but there was a larger amount of people that would have turned in their resignation flat out.
“Alright, Tony, up and at’em. I’ve got to get you acclimated to the city and ready to work ASAP. Those are my orders and now they’re yours,” Alex teased.
Tony flushed as Alex’s voice dipped into a dominant quality, “You’ve got to quit doing that while we’re moving around the city. I can’t expect respect if some guy I just met sends me floating just by the tone of his voice.”
Alex nodded in understanding, but Tony could tell he was disappointed. Alex reached out to tip Tony’s head up, “I will make a conscious effort not to throw you into your subspace in public, Tony, but I’d like to continue this relationship if you wish.”
Tony tossed him a confused look, “But you said…”
He didn’t even get to finish before Alex broke in, “I meant we weren’t compatible as in forever, but there is nothing wrong with using one another to meet each other’s needs. It’s common here, but I’ll understand if you don’t want too. We’ll still be friends, but I’m a one Sub at a time type of guy. I expect the same from my partner.”
Tony thought it over for only a millisecond, “I can do that. As long as we have an easy out clause. I don’t want to get in the way of you finding someone who is your bonded partner.”
Alex smiled indulgently at him, “What about you, Tony? Don’t think there’s anyone out there just for you?”
Tony couldn’t help the sad smile when he answered, “I know there’s someone out there just for me. Unfortunately it’s not reciprocated.”
The finality in Tony’s voice kept Alex from pursuing the subject any further, but the top in him responded to it fiercely and he leaned down to claim Tony’s lips in another hard kiss. Tony opened up just as sweetly as the first time and Alex wondered how the hell anyone couldn’t want the amazingly responsive man that was currently in his arms.
---
The day passed by in a blur for Tony as Alex taught him everything he could about Atlantis. When they reached the jumper bay Tony was itching to learn to pilot one. Alex had laughed and led him inside to show him the basics of the controls, and promised to teach him to fly, and then bent him over the control booth for some hot, messy sex. Every time they went, new things lit up. Alex explained it was because of an ancient gene therapy that had been successful on him.
Tony had been astonished at how easy and calm he felt in Atlantis and he almost felt as if he knew where to go instinctively.
That was what had led to their voracious appetites and a trip to the cafeteria. They were eating in a happy silence when a shadow descended over them and Tony looked up to see a beautiful and familiar woman standing there with a tray. He immediately stood and pulled out a chair for the woman to sit when she waved a hand in asking to join them.
“Dr. Weir this is Special Agent DiNozzo. Tony this is Dr. Elizabeth Weir, the head of Atlantis and all Pegasus expeditions and extensions. She’s also the woman responsible for bringing you here,” Alex made the introductions.
Tony immediately recognized Dr. Weir as a dominant and he wondered at his newfound ability to see a person’s dynamic easily on sight. He wondered again if it was Atlantis.
“It’s nice to meet you, ma’am,” he respectfully replied.
Dr. Weir laughed lightly, “Oh, none of that, we’re rather laid back here. It’s Elizabeth at times like this. I’m very glad you accepted the assignment, Agent DiNozzo.”
“Tony, please, and I am still in shock over being chosen,” Tony answered honestly.
“There were many reasons for choosing you, Tony, and not only because of your involvement in the lifestyle. You have a lot of experience and success in your field. Some reasons were not even known till just a while ago. I just came from a meeting with Dr. Beckett, Carson, and he told me the results of all your labs,” Elizabeth replied and paused almost dramatically before continuing. “You tested positive as a natural gene carrier for the ancient code. Has Atlantis been speaking to you?” Elizabeth giggled at the astonished look on Tony’s face.
“She talks?” he blurted out.
Elizabeth and Alex both laughed at that.
“Not technically, no, but she does in a roundabout way. Have you been able to tell whether someone was top, bottom, or switch by chance? Gene carriers are always able to tell on Atlantis,” she explained and Tony was once again flabbergasted at the new world around him.
“I thought I’d developed a sixth sense or something,” he mumbled while looking down to his plate. He quickly found his chin raised again by a cupping hand and he was staring into Elizabeth’s serious eyes.
“I can see why you would think that. I know this all new to you, Tony, and there will be much more to come. I think you will do just fine. In fact, I know it, I have every bit of confidence in you,” Elizabeth added and smiled at the glee that shone in Tony’s eyes at the compliment.
“Now, I see that both of you are done, so perhaps Alex should show you where your office is. I noticed that everywhere you went today seemed to be something spectacular and not something practical,” the admonishment was clear to Alex and the man shrugged unabashed.
If Dr. Weir had been the one to introduce Tony to Atlantis, Alex sincerely doubted the office would have been on her list of priorities either. More likely over her lap would have been her number one objective. That reminded him that he needed to go over Atlantis’ method of admonishment and discipline with Tony as well.
“Well then, ma’am, I guess we’ll see you at another time,” Alex inclined his head respectfully and took Tony’s and his tray to the dirty dish cart while Tony said his goodbyes.
“I guess I’ll be showing you your office. Now, whatever will we do with an empty desk and rolling chair?” He grinned mischievously at the other man. His grin turned larger as Tony blushed bright at the implication.
Alex tossed an arm around Tony’s shoulder companionably and pulled the man down the corridor towards their destination.
“I have two weeks to help you out as you get settled, Tony, I was thinking we use that time to see how well we mesh as Dominant and Submissive,” Alex stopped briefly to view Tony’s reaction. Tony felt excited, if a bit foolish. Fools dove into a relationship so quickly, but Tony’s heart was leading him straight into the danger. He trusted Alex, this friendly and passionate marine he had known for only a day. Tony stared back at Alex attentively and waited to see what his new guide would add.
“If we continue to get on as well as we have been, then… look, I know we’re going too fast,” Alex broke off hesitantly. Tony’s stomach dropped, realizing that Alex was about to say they shouldn’t sleep together anymore.
Tony was about to apologize for pulling them into this so irrationally, but Alex continued before Tony could say anything.
“We’re going fast, but in all honesty Tony, I’m lonely,” Alex sighed in a sad manner. Tony blinked in surprise. That was not what he was expecting.
“You’re the first play partner I’ve had that even comes close to offering what I want in a Sub. If we both agree then I want to propose a standard contract outlining what we expect and don’t want,” Alex paused and Tony, more relieved than he had ever been before, nodded enthusiastically and then forced himself to stop acting so eager.
Alex choked back a laugh.
“Hold off on agreeing until you know exactly what it is you’re agreeing too, Tony,” Alex chided.
Tony flushed, “Sorry, Alex,” he contritely answered.
Alex smiled at him, “If we decide to go through with the contract then I will want to collar you for the duration of it. I know it won’t be permanent since either of us might find our bonding-mate, but I like my Subs collared and safe. If that’s amenable then I’ll take you to Corsica, one of the open markets on Treboisor, a nearby planet, and we’ll look for one for you one from the leatherworkers?” Tony couldn’t help but beam. He couldn’t help the way he wanted to belong to Alex, even if he was shocked by how fast this had happened. He wondered if he might have been looking for someone to help him and ground him without even knowing it. Tony had felt like he was falling and ungrounded on Earth. Maybe this was his chance to come back down to reality and keep his feet solidly planted.
---
Treboisor was a temperate planet. The weather was pleasing and the vegetation appealing and colorful.
“Corsica is three miles east, Tony, let’s start walking.” Alex told him. “I want to make sure that we have enough time to find what we want before we have to be back on Atlantis,” they fell into an easy step heading eastward.
The walk was uneventful but arriving in the marketplace, Tony was immediately overwhelmed by the amount of hustle and bustle in the trading town. Corsica for all intents and purposes was filled with different cultures and an array of different items for sale and barter.
“There’s a very good leather worker this way. Let’s go there first and then you can shop till your heart’s content,” Alex teased. Tony grinned at the idea of shopping. He wished he could buy souvenirs for Abby and the rest of the people he missed back on Earth, but Tony firmly clamped down on those melancholy emotions and reminded himself that he was never going to return there anyways.
“Ah, there he is, Tony come!” Alex’s voice broke through his dwelling and Tony hastened to catch up to his top who was already looking at designs and talking to the trader.
“Something simple with easy access for removal,” Alex was saying and Tony just let himself be pulled around, collar after collar being held up to his neck. He modeled them all, play acting a little until Alex swatted him for his silliness. Finally Alex found one that was the softest leather Tony had ever touched and the lock was a simple slip and hook. Alex grinned as he paid the man and then wrapped the collar around Tony’s throat.
It was the first collar Tony had ever worn. All fun slipped away as he realized this moment was real. It had happened. He had been collared.
Maybe his eyes showed how overwhelmed he was, because Alex cradled his cheek then leaned in to kiss him so sweetly that Tony’s knees trembled.
“Hey there, you keeping it together?” Alex whispered.
“Yeah. I’m just a little…” Tony breathed deeply, willing his head and stomach to steel up. “I’m good. I’m good.”
“I know you are.” Alex kissed his ear and wrapped arms tightly around him. “I’m so proud of you, my brave boy. You look so good with my collar on you.” Tony smiled into Alex’s shoulder. Playfully, Alex broke up the seriousness by grabbing Tony’s ass and giving it a good shake. “I’m going to ride you so hard tonight that your legs are going to be jelly for the rest of the week.”
They separated with a laugh, but under the fun, under the arousal and the elation, Tony felt dread. Neither man was looking for a permanent relationship. There would be no elaborate collaring ceremony. They would both sign a contract when they returned to Atlantis, one they had both already read and agreed to the conditions. It simply detailed what the limits were and made it obvious that if one of them was to bond with someone else then the contract and collar was null and void. The idea of Alex eventually finding the person truly meant for him left an empty pit in Tony’s stomach, but he’d never hold Alex back from true love and companionship.
“Did you want to go look for some souvenirs from your first non-official gate trip?” Alex’s teasing voice broke through Tony’s pity party.
“Yeah, I wonder what passes for good quality shoes around here. Are there movies in this galaxy?” Tony answered, quickly masking his feelings. Alex stared at him hard for a moment making Tony think he’d not done a good job of covering his loneliness, but then Alex nodded and gave him a one hour time limit. Tony took off determined to do as much as he could in the time allotted.
He perused several of the booths and had just found a trader that sold different planks and cuts of wood found in Pegasus. Tony ran his hand over several of the pieces, thinking of how much Gibbs would love to have his hands on the new materials. His touch was lingering on one specific cut of lightweight but extremely dense red wood when someone caught his attention out of the corner of his eye.
He turned and watched as a short, hooded figure took a bag of coin from a sleazy and dirty man. The hooded figure tilted his head and snapped a finger gloved in red. A beautiful, scantily-clad woman stepped immediately around the table dividing the sordid trader and the short figure in the cloak. The seedy man roughly grabbed the woman’s chin and turned her head side to side, then his fingers dug in her mouth to examine her healthy teeth, before finally grasping her breasts.
Tony growled in anger at the obvious display of abuse. That wasn’t consensual powerplay, it was obvious from the way the woman’s eyes were terrified. She seemed less like a woman and more like a girl as he drew closer. She couldn’t be more than fifteen. He was only a few feet away from the table when Alex was suddenly beside him and pulling him roughly away.
“DO NOT DO ANYTHING,” Alex hissed into his ear. Tony turned to argue, but the look on his top’s face kept him from saying anything further and he allowed himself to be dragged away.
“That girl was being inspected like a piece of property!” Tony raged.
“We are only allowed to trade and do business in Corsica if we don’t protest the slave trade.” Alex argued back, obviously not happy about it.
“I won’t stand for that!”
“Stop it Tony! We hate it, but there’s nothing we can do here. Colonel Sheppard prevents it when we come across the slaves being taken from their own planet. We stop it as often as we can, Tony, but we can’t challenge the laws here or we’d be in big trouble,” Alex made clear as they walked back to the gate.
Tony cast one last glance towards the town and wished desperately he could go back and free that woman. He knew that Alex wouldn’t lie to him, though, and he followed his top's lead. He vowed to do whatever he could, though, to keep as many people from becoming slaves as possible.
Alex, as if sensing his discomfort, wrapped an arm around Tony and didn’t let go until they’d made it back to the gate location. As they were walking up another group of people came from a different path way. Tony shot a questioning look to Alex and reached for his sidearm only for Alex to stay his action with a hand motion.
“It’s alright, Tony, they are allies and the peace treaty holds here as well as the marketplace,” Alex murmured before raising his voice to the others, “Good afternoon, your Highness.”
Tony started at the honorific and took a closer look at the pretty, petite blond standing in the middle of a buff group of warriors. She was familiar.
“Greetings, Atlantean,” the woman responded and Tony was taken aback by how musical her voice lilted.
“How are you and your fine companion this day?” the woman said quietly while lowering her head and peering submissively through thick eyelashes. Tony gritted his teeth as she smiled prettily at Alex and he felt off balance at the inane jealousy that rocketed through him. Alex almost immediately picked up on Tony’s ire, though, and Tony couldn’t help the smile that blossomed as Alex pulled him close before answering.
“We’re just fine, my lady, just came to do a bit of shopping. My sub is a bit upset at that slave trading he saw. He is new to Pegasus,” Alex explained Tony’s attitude away.
Tony wondered at the hooded look that came over the pretty sub’s face at Alex’s words, but the gate soon burst into action and the party said their farewells. Then it was their turn and they made their way home through the gate and were back in Alex’s quarters before Tony could fully think about it. The woman’s answering words still stuck in his head though and he filed them away for future pondering.
“Many things are different and unique about our galaxy, sweet one; perhaps it would be best if you just tried to overlook their ways while you are here.”
The woman had said their ways, but she had first said our galaxy and the possessive tone she’d used sent shivers down Tony’s spine.
The months flew by as Tony became used to life on Atlantis and in the Pegasus galaxy. There were a few small cases, but nothing major that required more than a stern look and a spanking or two. Tony was quickly coming to think of Atlantis as home and he realized with a jolt that it had been a long time since he’d felt that way about a place. Washington and NCIS had become a routine but without Gibbs and his team mates there would have been nothing there.
Tony yawned as he threw himself down onto his bed. Alex was off world with his team and Tony missed the companionship. He briefly thought of going to sleep in the Dom’s quarters, but shook off the idea. Alex wouldn’t have cared, but they were nothing more than friends with benefits, great benefits, but benefits none the less.
He finally settled down into a restless night's sleep. Tony awoke abruptly to the ringing of his alarm clock and reached over to slam his hand on the offending machine. He felt like he’d only gotten a couple hours of sleep. It was only when the alarm continued that he realized it was his comm link going off instead.
“DiNozzo,” he gruffly replied.
“Special Agent DiNozzo, I think you’d better report to the gate room. Be ready to go off world,” the always calm voice of Dr. Weir answered.
“Be there in five,” he replied, instantly awake after years of being Gibbs’ senior agent.
Jumping out of bed, Tony was dressed and running to the gate room in under four minutes. He slid to a halt outside of the main corridor and slowed to a fast walk inside the room. He found his normal team of lackeys awaiting him, and Colonel Sheppard with his Sub standing with them.
“We’re going to PX 491,” the Colonel started.
“We’re not going anywhere, no offense, Colonel. I don’t know what happened, but I can’t have the head of Atlantis military and the head scientist off world at a crime scene,” Tony interrupted.
Dr. McKay bristled immediately, “It’s MY scientist that’s dead, Agent DiNozzo and we don’t know if it was something to do with the alien technology that did it. I am going with you.”
“And if Rodney’s going then I’m going,” Colonel Sheppard followed immediately.
Tony sighed but gave a quick nod. He knew when to not fight a battle that was already lost.
“Then Colonel, if you’d give the order to dial her up please.”
Colonel Sheppard almost rolled his eyes, but they had all gotten used to Tony's obnoxious side after several months. (Besides, he was nowhere near as bad as Rodney.) Sheppard nodded above to the control center and the gate started to turn. Tony watched, almost entranced, as the gate became active. He would never get tired of that.
---
PX 491 was a hot rocky world. There were old, ruined buildings, made of strange mixture of metal and stone.
“The initial hypothesis is that this was an Ancient outpost that had been built around by more primitive societies that followed,” Dr. McKay’s voice reached Tony just as he wondered about the odd differences in architecture. He nodded briefly in answer to the information.
It was obviously late day here from the way the sun dipped in the horizon and they would quickly lose the sunlight. Tony pulled out his camera and notepad, ready to snap photos of whatever scene they found. He needed to take the photos before the sun set. The interviews would have to come second, Tony thought as they came upon the expedition group.
The scientists all looked sweaty and tired. The marines were sweaty too, but they were holding up better in the conditions. They had all been working since early in the morning and Tony could see how the conditions might have lead to bad tempers. There didn’t seem to be any attacking aliens hanging around.
He looked at the time the murder had been called in. It had taken them less than an hour to respond so Tony knew that the body would still be fairly fresh and while he was not a medical examiner, if cause of death wasn’t obvious he could easily call back for Carson or Dr. Keller.
All the members of the party watched him warily, silently. Tony could see in their eyes they were disturbed. Disturbed by the death? By violence? Had there been violence or had a teammate just suddenly keeled over?
“Guys, please separate all the witnesses so they can’t talk to each other. Dr. McKay, I will let you know if it looks like anything technological did this as soon as I see the scene. My team knows what to do as well and will help separate them,” Tony ordered.
Tony still found it weird that he had a team of marines with no investigative skills whose sole purpose was to do what he said and keep him alive at the same time.
Tony’s team began to move. The marines from the impacted away team acted very guarded. They seemed stiff, defensive, holding their guns tightly as he walked by. The scientists seemed cowed and skittish. They looked away from Tony, and wouldn’t meet his eyes. Both groups looked equally unhappy to see their bosses with Tony.
The leader from the team came up to meet him. They stiffly shook hands. Tony smiled. The Master Sergeant did not. Tony immediately noted the hostility and used his tone of voice to let the man know he was aware that his presence was not desired.
“So, what happened here? I understand someone is dead,” Tony kept his voice steady and stern.
“Yes, our lead archeologist, Dr. Holloway. Let me show you,” the marine replied as he nodded his head to the ruins and lead the way.
The ruins looked like something out of Star Wars. The walls were stone, but there were metallic panels. There had been technology here at some point, but that was long ago, exactly like Rodney had suggested. The ceiling had been corroded away, leaving them exposed to the sun. It was in the center of a large control room where the dead body lay, in a pool of blood.
“Here he is,” the marine gestured. Tony snapped several photographs from different angles before he headed for the body.
Tony crouched over Dr. Holloway, seeing lots of blood from a wound to the chest. There was just a little bit of fabric burn on the man’s shirt. It had been close range.
“Look at this, a plain old bullet wound. How domestic is that? I was hoping for something more exciting, you know, like a phaser. Phzzzzzz. Or a light saber. Whomp. Whomp,” He made accompanying gestures with the sound effects. “Do any of the alien races have light sabers?” Tony asked, full obnoxious grin on.
The man frowned, “No,” he stood rigid.
“Well, that’s a disappointment,” Tony said conversationally, “I’m here in a sci-fi flick and there are no light sabers.”
The Master Sergeant’s frown deepened and his voice was condescending, “Are you even qualified to investigate this?”
Tony’s next smile was sufficiently less nice, “Let your boss worry about that. I have to say, I don’t think this man was killed by aliens. Can you tell me what happened here?”
The man pursed his lips and looked away. Tony didn’t particularly admire a marine that couldn’t stare him down.
“Master Sergeant?” he asked again in an ever harder tone.
“I don’t know,” the man’s voice was steady, but his head tilted to the left.
“Maybe someone else will. No one goes home until they’ve all been interviewed,” Tony replied and kept any suspicion out of his voice. No need to let anyone realize that he already knew that someone was covering for someone else.
The Master Sergeant sighed, but Tony ignored him, “And no one comes in this area without my permission. Now first thing I need to document this scene. Colonel Sheppard has already separated everyone, so tell all of them to sit tight, and find somewhere for yourself to park it as well. It may be a few hours.”
The Master Sergeant muttered an unkind curse under his breath.
Tony clapped the man on the shoulder, bearing down hard. “Don’t worry, I’ll find whoever did this.” He let just a hint of a threat into his voice. He squeezed the man’s shoulder, and let the man know that he maybe a Sub but he was also like a dog with a bone when it came to a dead body.
Tony watched as the Master Sergeant exited just as rapidly as he had brought Tony in and the tension was now obvious between his neck and shoulders in the marine’s stance.
Tony took note of that and then further examined the crime scene. Not for the first time did he wished that he had Ducky’s medical knowledge when it came to placement and time of death. Tony was required to go on the word of the other expedition members and his own instincts. It was as he took in the scene and followed the bullet projectory that he found what he was looked for. Grabbing an evidence bag from his pocket, he slipped a glove on, and picked up the metallic object.
Grimacing, Tony immediately recognized the round. He’d been working around military issued weaponry for the last ten years and he recognized the standard round that was used often in the hand guns marines carried. It confirmed his suspicions that the man had been killed by one of the very men that was supposed to be there to protect him. The only questions now were the ‘why’ and the ‘who’.
Determining there was nothing left to observe Tony quickly pocketed the evidence and headed out for interviews.
He pulled Colonel Sheppard aside, and Dr. McKay followed as expected.
“The man was killed by one of your marines, Sheppard,” Tony immediately informed him and secretly showed them the evidence bag. “I need this forensically proven for official documentation if charges are going to be pressed back on Earth, Dr. McKay,” Tony added quietly. The procedure had long been discussed, outlined, processed, and approved by Dr. Weir and then Internal Affairs back on Earth.
“I’ll be back quickly with documented forensic evidence,” Dr. McKay’s voice was quiet for once, but Tony could hear the justified anger behind it. One of the man’s crew had just been killed and that wouldn’t settle with any decent person.
“Colonel Sheppard, I’ll need the files on all of the people here as well,” Tony added.
Sheppard looked up surprised, “You intend to do the entire investigation here and not on Atlantis?”
Tony nodded slowly and thought about how to word his reasoning, “They’re being very hush hush. The quicker I talk to your marines, sir, the faster I’ll find out who they are all covering for. This isn’t just a matter of one man covering for his friend; this is accomplice to murder for five of your men, Colonel. I intend to see each and every one of them know that their career is over and jail time is probable. If anyone’s innocent in this I’ll be able to weed that out too.”
Sheppard seemed to understand his reasoning because he motioned Dr. McKay to follow him back to the gate.
Tony nodded goodbye to both Dr. McKay and Colonel Sheppard. It was sometimes hard to separate the two from John and Rodney, but in official situations it made it easier for Tony and them to do their jobs. Tony finally turned back to look at the people that were lined up with at least fifteen feet between each of them. The sun had dipped even lower and Tony ordered Jacobs and Martinez, two of his team, to set up temporary lights. Tony wondered where he should do the interviews.
He briefly thought about taking each marine into the room with Dr. Holloway’s body, but tossed that idea right out of his head. Something like that would end him ass up over Dr. Weir’s lap (or at the least Alex’s) and Alex had made it clear how displeased he was going to be if asked to ever punish Tony.
They had no official status, but everyone knew that Tony was off limits for play and Dr. Weir had already called them in to discuss what would happen if he ever had to be admonished. Alex hadn’t been pleased when it was suggested that someone else handle it since Tony was not collared. He’d even gone as far as telling Dr. Weir that he’d put a collar on Tony before someone else put a hand or any other implement on his ass.
Tony didn’t take Alex’s protectiveness for anything other than what it was. The man genuinely cared what happened to Tony and as long as Tony was his to care for then he’d be taking care of him.
In the end it was the last of his team that made the decision for him. Tony nodded approvingly when Corporal Jonathon Sharpe called him over to one of the tents that had been set up for research purposes. Inside he found that Sharpe had cleared off one long table and placed a chair facing the entrance behind it.
“Do you want them to have a chair, sir?” the man asked when Tony immediately started around the table.
Tony couldn’t help but chuckle, “This isn’t an interrogation, Jon, just interviews for now. Yes, let’s give them a chair and I want you to tell Jacobs to call non-military personal in here one by one first and then the marines. Tell Martinez to keep a sharp eye on everyone while I talk to each of them. I want to know how the marines react.”
Sharpe looked confused for one moment, “What about me, sir?”
Tony raised an eyebrow and knew the minute Sharpe felt smaller than two feet, “I want you to stand in that corner over there, and in between interviews you’re going to tell me what you think about each person’s interview.”
Sharpe looked at him in surprise, but when Tony raised an eyebrow he was out of the tent and giving the other two their orders. Tony shook his head wryly as he watched. All three members of Tony’s team were smart, but Sharpe showed the most potential for being a true asset to Tony. It would take training, and Tony had his work cut out for him, but Sharpe could and would make a damn good investigator one day as well as a good marine. Tony didn’t plan to train and teach like Gibbs had. He wouldn’t expect Sharpe to read his mind. But he did plan to make sure Sharpe learned to listen to interviews and hear what the person wasn’t saying instead of what they were. If there was anything he could teach, that was it.
The first woman to come in, Dr. Winters, was a nice switch from what Tony had seen, but it was what he had heard that made him want to talk to her first. Rodney had made a remark over dinner a few weeks back about her rotating from Area 51 to Atlantis recently and she had a near photogenic memory and an excellent ability to see outside the box. Tony wanted to hear her recollection of events first since they would probably be the closest to what happened.
Despite her last name, she was normally warm and bubbly; she now looked rough and terrified.
“Please sit down, Elaine,” Tony said softly and pulled his canteen from his side. He handed it over the table to her and she took it with a trembling hand.
“Thank you, Agent DiNozzo,” she said hoarsely.
“Tony, Elaine, it’s going to be okay. I want you to just tell me what you know about the sequence of events,” he prodded gently.
Elaine nodded and passed the canteen back over after taking a few sips.
“Dr. Baker and Sterne, Terrell, and Smith were out combing the area looking for a secondary entrance to what we think is a half-buried temple. Dr. Lukas and Harley were in here writing out a supply list to send back to Atlantis. It looked like we were going to request an extended stay of about three more days. There’s a lot here and we think that once we break the surface and enter the underground facilities we could find ancient tech. There is an energy reading some fifty feet down or so,” Elaine closed her eyes as she talked and Tony could see her purposely taking herself back to the that afternoon.
“Dr. Holloway and Master Sergeant Dunn were at odds about staying. They’ve been at odds, honestly, since we arrived here. The tension was irritating, but they stayed out of one another’s way most of the time. I don’t know where Major Sergeant Dunn was at exactly that moment, but he was the one who found the body,” Elaine stopped and took a deep breath and seemed to contemplate something for a moment.
Tony quickly encouraged her insight, “What is it, Elaine?”
She frowned slightly, “I don’t want it to sound like Dunn did it, sir, because he seemed tore up about Keith’s, Dr. Holloway that is, death. Almost like…like they had been lovers or something.”
Tony thought about it for a moment and made a mental note to question the others about that and was about to let Elaine go when he realized she had left someone out. She continued on before he could ask though and Tony could see that she was confused about something.
“Sergeant Davis wasn’t at the gate for the dial in check up. I was taking a walk to make sure my legs still worked,” she wryly remarked and rubbed her thighs subconsciously.
“I’d been lying under a stone tablet all morning. I decided to go to the gate and keep him company. He’s seemed out of sorts lately. He’s been assigned to my team ever since I arrived on Atlantis. He wasn't at the gate. I assumed that he’d already walked back, but thinking back I know I didn’t pass him and no one had asked for his help over the comm link. We keep them to the same frequency in case of emergency. It logs if turned to another channel,” Elaine stopped and Tony could see she was trying to think of where Davis could have been. He made a note to get the comm link logs just to make sure someone hadn’t been having a private conversation.
“Anything else, Elaine? Anything you can think of?” he asked one last time. She shook her head after a few minutes.
“Alright, Elaine, Corporal Sharpe is going to walk you to a spot. I want you to sit tight there until we finish up. It’s going to be awhile, Elaine, and I’m sorry for that,” Tony warned her.
She nodded in understanding, “I get it, Tony. I really do. I can put the pieces together as well, but I can’t stand to think that one of the people I’ve been working with for the past week did this.”
Elaine darted out of the tent with Corporal Sharpe on her heels. Tony reviewed his notes and waited for Sharpe to reenter.
“So, Jon, what do you think?” he asked quietly as he looked through his notes.
The Corporal wetted his lips, and rocked on his heels. “Honest from her tone and the way she spoke to the point. She’s known to do well under pressure and show complete professionalism, so her not being calm and not too emotionally distraught is not alarming. Her assessment of the relationship between Holloway and Dunn needs to be followed up, but I do think her input about his state upon finding the body is telling. Could have been a lover’s quarrel, but Dunn is known to be a good and level-headed Dom. Davis is the one that I think we need to question closely,” Jon finished up and looked at Tony nervously.
Tony nodded, “Good assessment Jon, the only thing you need to watch is taking too much of what a witness says for flat fact until you’ve finished putting together the entire puzzle. Elaine could easily be correct, but until we question the others we don’t know for sure.”
Tony turned back to his notes to hide the smile that blossomed at Jon’s over enthusiastic grin from the compliment. Then their next interview was brought in and they started the process again. The day moved slowly, but by the time that he heard the swoosh and pull of the Stargate activating and Colonel Sheppard’s voice on his comm link, Tony had a fair view of what he thought had happened.
He didn’t think Dunn was the killer, the man had broken down crying during questioning, but it didn’t strike Tony as remorse except for perhaps not realizing the love he had for the now dead doctor. Tony was once again struck by how much you could love a person even when they weren’t perfectly a fit for you. It made him want to see Alex tonight. Still, he didn’t discard Dunn completely as a suspect. The man could just be a very good actor.
The one thing he was sure of was that most, if not all, of the marines were protecting the killer. They knew something that the scientists didn’t.
CONTINUE