More People Out There, chapter 2

II. More People Out There
Part II

"Pssst. Alpha."

"What is it, Gamma?"

"Have you ever wondered about the Teleinvisichronomicon?"

"What is there about it to wonder?"

"Well..where our subject's alter egos go when we Charge them, for one."

"Ah. No, Alpha. I've never wondered about that."

"I wonder."

"Well, stop. I'm sure the Great One knows what happens to them."

If Alpha had had a head, he'd have shaken it ruefully. The Great One knew everything, obviously, but he did not share knowledge with his minions. If one was to gain knowledge, one must do it on one's own..

The Great One, in a distant part of the Observation Chamber, doing the equivalent of cooking the equivalent of popcorn, had auditory capabilities that on Earth would have been described as keen as a cat's. If he'd had a forehead, it would have creased in thought. I wonder what does happen to them? Perhaps that should be an experiment for another time.

I.
The taxi dropped Mark off in front of the address he had requested, and then drove away.
Mark looked at it. A single story, relatively small house - the kind of house you'd expect a man with three ex-wives to have. Just big enough to have a basement in which one could built a succession of wooden boats of varying sizes. The lawn, surrounded by a wooden fence, was closely mowed... there were no trees, no bushes, no flowers to mar that greenery.

Taking a deep breath, Mark opened the gate and walked up a neat brick path to the front door. He pulled out his key chain, and fumbled a bit until he found the right key. Letting himself into the house, he closed and locked the door behind him.

Mark felt somewhat melancholy, as he walked through the rooms, halfway expecting a slow, sad song to accompany him. He knew the character of Gibbs intimately, of course, but he and his foibles had been created to serve the needs of the TV show. But now, if this experience was to be believed, Gibbs was a real character...a real person, rather, who could really suffer at the murders of his first wife and child by terrorists, friend Pacchi in the first season, Cait in the second, Cassidy in the... had it been the third? Then Jenny...

So many deaths...of people who had depended on Gibbs to keep them safe.

Mark laughed softly. This wasn't real, he chided himself. Gibbs wasn't real. He was just dreaming, and he was going to go to bed and when he woke up, he'd be home, with Pam beside him.

He found his way to the bedroom and laid down on the king-sized bed, fully dressed. He closed his eyes, and waited for sleep to come.

II.
When Mark woke up it was in the darkness of night. He reached out a hand...no Pam beside him.
He reached out his other hand, found the cord of the lamp by the bed, turned it on. A clock on the night stand told him it was two minutes past midnight.

He was still... here. Still in Gibbs' house.

Mark turned out the light and went back to sleep.

III.

On Sunday afternoon, the members of NCIS who were participating in the soon-to-come FBI/NCIS flag football game, were gathered at the practice field.

"He's five minutes late," Abby commented worriedly to Tony, Ziva and McGee. "Something must be wrong." They all nodded. Gibbs was never late.

"His car is in the parking lot..." Tony commented.

"But he left it there yesterday," Ziva finished.

Tony brought out his cellphone, and, while the others watched, speed-dialed Gibb's number.
At the second ring, it was picked up.

"Yeah."

"Boss?"

"Uh...yeah?"

"Boss...um...it's past noon. We're waiting for you."

"Waiting...where?"

"Um...at the football field, Boss. You were supposed to be quarterbacking us today."

"Right. Right. I'll be there in a few minutes."

Slowly, Tony replaced his cellphone in his pocket.

"He'll be here in a few minutes," he reported.

"Maybe we should call Ducky, and ask him to meet us here," said Ziva. "Gibbs spoke yesterday about hitting his head...he could have concussion, be having periodic bouts of amnesia."

"Is that possible?" said Tony. "Periodic bouts of amnesia?"

"Ducky would know." said Abby. "I think we should call him."

Tony held up a hand. "Let's wait until Gibbs gets here. Maybe he just got really involved with his boat. You know how he is."

'He's never been so involved that he's forgotten an appointment. Even if it is just for football practice," Ziva pointed out, and Abby nodded. Tony nodded as well. He didn't believe that explanation either.

IV.

After Tony's phone call, Mark got out of bed and went into the bathroom, where he stared at himself in the mirror for long seconds. Then he leaned forward and looked past himself into the mirror world. Was that where he was supposed to be?

He couldn't just sit in this house and go crazy wondering what the hell was going on...although maybe a stint in the basement working on the boat down there might do him some good...
But maybe if he returned to the "scene of the crime" as it were, the football field, something would happen that would snap him back into his own reality.

He had to give it a try.

So he called a cab and told the driver to take him to the NCIS building.

He found the crew he knew - McGee, Tony, Ziva and Abby waiting for him, as well as a dozen other people who apparently also worked at the office in various functions, and who knew him. He waved vaguely at the "Hiyas," that greeted him from these unknowns.

Abby came up and hugged him. "Gibbs, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," he told her, giving the smile that he reserved for Abby. "Sorry I'm late. Let's run some routes."

Soon he had his team - except for Abby, who continued to roam the sidelines and cheer everyone on as they practiced - running down the field, as he sent pin-point spirals their way.

Tony and Ziva, happening to meet up at one point, exchanged a little dialog.

"Who knew Gibbs to have such a great arm," Tony gasped, catching his breath.

"It's impressive." agreed Ziva. "He must have played in college, eh?"

"Probably a four-year starter," Tony said.

"He's being rather silent, isn't he," commented Ziva as they trotted back towards Gibbs. "Not screaming at us for running slow, or running the wrong route. I do not think McGee has heard a cross word."

"Yeah," said Tony. "Too silent."

After a couple of hours, practice wound down.

As the entire group milled around, a spectator who had wandered by came up to Mark.
"That was impressive work, sir. Where'd you play?"

Mark, tired, answered truthfully, "UCLA."

"Argh!," said the man. "I'm a Trojan myself. But that sure was pretty." They shook hands and exchanged grins and the man walked off.

"Can I give you a lift home, Boss?" said Tony. "I noticed you came here by cab. Something wrong with your car?"

"No," said Mark. "I didn't feel like driving yesterday, that's all. I'm going to spend some time in the office, now, though."

"Come on, Gibbs," said Abby persuasively "We're all going to the Dive to slam back a few."

"I've got work to do, Abby," Mark said. "Give me a raincheck." And then he turned and strode away, Gibbs like.

The solution to his car problem was obvious, Mark thought. He'd wait a few hours until the parking lot was practically empty - the car that remained would be his car.

V.

Monday morning rolled round, and Mark Harmon woke up in despair. Still in Gibbs house. This was far beyond a dream or a hallucination now. Had he gone insane..or if not insane simply delusional?

He couldn't stay here...couldn't escape anywhere...the NCIS people would come looking for him. He had to go in.

He shaved, dressed, and drove to the NCIS building. He sat inside his car for some minutes..he couldn't go in there without a coffee cup, but he couldn't face the thought of coffee today...but he'd be found out if he poured his Jack Daniels in it and drank that throughout the day. In the cup holder was an empty logoed cup, and he plucked that up.

Showing his badge, Mark walked past the guard, then stopped in at the rest room to fill the cup full of water.

As luck would have it, Tony DiNozzo walked into the rest-room and saw what he was doing.

"All right," said DiNozzo. "Who are you and what have you done with the real Jethro Gibbs?"
It was just a joke, Mark knew. He'd heard that phraseology before. But just for a second, he'd frozen, and his eyelids flickered, and he saw Tony's face change.

Say something clever, he told himself.

"I'm going to pull something on Abby, DiNozzo, what the hell do you think?" he said, crisply.

"Sure, Boss, I knew it was something like that."

Mark brushed past him and out into the hallway, and then down to the"Command Center" where McGee and Ziva were already seated.

"Quiet day today, Gibbs," said Ziva in a disgruntled tone. "So far. We will be able to catch up on our paper work."

"Good," said Mark shortly. When he used that tone of voice, as Gibbs, that was a signal that no one was to approach him...and no one did. Out of the corner of his eye he saw DiNozzo enter the room and take his seat, without his usual banter. That didn't bode well.

Mark pinched the bridge of his nose. Hell.

"Oh, Great One?"

"Yes, Alpha?"

"The subject is registering signs of acute distress. His brainwaves are starting to spike. I think he has been Charged too long. Should I..."

"No. I want to see how this ends."

"But...the distress...his mind is beginning to rebel..."

"Yes, he needs something...someone...to ground him to this reality..."

"Another subject? Two at one time?!!

Yes. Why not? But it must be an appropriate subject. Of course, I know. That one. There. Charge. Now."

"Yes, Oh Great One."

Had anyone been listening outside the Forensics realm of Abby Sciuto, they would have heard the sound of knees hitting floor, a brief silence, and then a "What the he... Oh... My.... God. No way!!!! Get out!"

And then, a reverent whisper, "This so absolutely rocks."

Then, "This is soooo cool. Oh... my ... god."

The form of Abby Sciuto then runs out of her office and towards the medical realm of Ducky Mallard, outside of which she hesitates. If she wishes to confirm that what has happened is real, she thinks perhaps she doesn't want to prove this by walking in on a body laid out on a slab with various internal organs showing.

So she scurries up the stairs - too excited to take the elevator - to the main floor, and strides into the main room where she looks around with typical grinning face but with extra radiant eyes as she takes it all in.

Then, down the stairs and into the floor and leaning over the desk of Ziva, gazing deep into her eyes.

"Ziva!" she says. Ziva looks at her, only very slightly surprised because, after all, it is Abby.

She then turns and leans over Tony's desk, looking at him. "Tony," she breathes.

Tony looks at her, also only slightly puzzled. Besides, he's got more important things on his mind.
Then, Abby goes to Gibb's desk, and Mark has just gotten up because waves of panic have started washing over him. Abby stares deep into his eyes, and recognizes something there.

"Mark?" she mouths at him.

Mark, suddenly grounded, stares at her, and then suddenly grabs her and hugs her with all his strength, burying his head into her shoulder.

This act is witnessed with various thoughts and emotions by McGee, DiNozzo and Ziva.

And...

"First subject has recovered his equilibrium. All brain waves now showing normal! Well done, Oh Great One!"
"Thank you, Alpha. Let the experiment proceed."