Apr 5, 2025
seen from China
seen from Germany
seen from India
seen from China
seen from Brazil
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from China
seen from Germany
seen from Russia
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from India
seen from India
seen from Brazil
seen from United States
Don't give what u can't take, girly ♡
The Agent and the Fireman, Part 15
***
Deeks managed to get his arms in front of him before he hit the ground, saving his face from a face full of gravel but the impact drove all the air from his lungs with a painful whoosh. He couldn’t hear anything past the ringing in his ears.
The weight on his back lifted, making it slightly easier to breathe.
“Deeks. Deeks, are you ok?” Kensi demanded from above him, her voice tinny and faint. He rolled over with a groan, pressing a hand to his chest. Kensi leaned over him, her eyes wild with concern as she grabbed his shoulders.
“Ye—” His response was interrupted by a grating cough, that crackled up his throat. “Yeah, I’m ok.” His ears were still ringing slightly and it felt like the entire building had landed on his chest, but he was alive. “Yeah. Your cheek.”
He reached up where a thin line of blood streaked down from her cheek bone to her jaw.
“I’m fine,” she insisted. “You’re looking a little rough though.”
Beside them, Callen and Sam were getting to their feet. “Everybody ok?” Sam asked, his voice raspy. He pressed his finger to his ear. “Castor, you clear?”
Once Sam ascertained there weren’t any casualties, Kensi offered Deeks a hand, and he stood, shaking shrapnel from his hair. Now that the initial shock was over, he felt the sting of little cuts along his exposed skin.
Billows of smoke poured from the partially demolished factory, flames flickering from where the roof once was. It had already created a dark cloud around them, bits of debris still lingering in the air.
“We need to get farther away in case there’s a secondary explosion,” he warned. “We have no idea what might be stored in there.”
“As soon as we secure the area. The bomb squad is on the way, but it might be too unstable for them to safely get close enough to check,” Callen said, leading them back across the street. “The second team’s making sure there aren’t any civilians we missed.”
Deeks eyed the building nervously; it was one thing when he entered a burning structure with protective gear and the training to recognize a worthwhile risk. An NCIS Agent with only a bullet proof vest and rifles against possible blazing fire was an entirely different story.
Callen, and Kensi had started rooting around the nearby alleyway, and he could see Sam sizing up the the main entryway.
Hey, everyone needs to get back,” Deeks repeated, taking on an authoritative tone. He saw both Sam and Callen turn to him in surprise. He didn’t give them time to object again. “You may be lead in this case, but I know fire better than any of you.” The sounds of sirens signaling the approach of trucks and squad cars reached them. “Let us check it out before you go running in.”
He expected more pushback, a reminder about their federal status, but Sam looked more impressed than anything, and Callen relented with a nod.
“Ok, we’ll follow your lead then.”
They moved towards the adjacent building as a group, the other team of agents led by Agent Castor joining them after a minute.
“Don’t you think it’s a little hypocritical of you to preach caution after some of the stunts you’ve pulled?” Kensi asked once they were at a safer distance.
“Probably,” Deeks agreed. “I’ve seen some nasty things with fire over the years. It sneaks up on people. Besides, I know you guys like to bend protocol. Do you not approve?”
“Actually, I thought it was…very attractive,” Kensi replied with a sly grin. “I always do when you stand up to us like that.”
“Ooh, interesting.”
The arrival of emergency vehicles ended their conversation, and Deeks headed off to grab an extra set of gear and assist with the fire while the others coordinated securing the scene.
“Be careful!” Kensi called after him.
He lost track of her in the melee of it all. First, they let the bomb squad analyze the remains for further signs of explosive devices before taking over. Since most of the outer infrastructure was concrete, it didn’t take long to extinguish the remaining fire.
Deeks and a fire investigator did a walk through to ensure it would be safe for further investigation. When they were finished, he sought out Kensi, Sam, and Callen again.
“Did you find anything?” Callen asked.
“Whatever might have been there is long gone,” Deeks answered Callen’s question grimly. With a frustrated sigh, he tugged his safety helmet off, ruffling his matted hair. “The interior is completely gutted aside from anything metal or stone-based. We were so close.”
“Hey, we’ve closed down one of his avenues,” Kensi pointed out. “Eventually, he’s going to run out of places to hide.”
“Well, we still have his mother at—”
Deeks held up a hand, interrupting Sam mid-sentence. “How many officers did LAPD send?”
“Nine,” Kensi responded instantly. “Why?”
“Because now there’s 10. Guy at your 6 o’clock.” While keeping his body and head oriented towards Kensi, he watched the man lingering near the caution tape. “He’s got a clipboard, and appears to be collecting evidence, but the fit of his vest is a little off, and he’s about McHenry’s height.”
“You’re sure?”
Kensi shifted her body so she was facing Callen, and snuck a discreet glance beyond him.
Deeks inclined his head. “I can’t be positive, but he hasn’t gotten within three yards of anyone else and we know he’s returned to at least one scene previously.” He brushed Kensi’s shoulder in warning as the man turned around, and she hastily looked away.
Callen slowly scanned the entire area, pausing in the direction Deeks had indicated for a few extra seconds. “Ok, don’t make any fast moves, we’ll try to get close enough to him without making him suspicious. Keep an eye on him while we get reinforcements.”
Callen and Sam took off towards the lead LAPD officer.
“Too late,” Kensi growled a minute later. “He’s on the move.”
Sure enough, the man had started walking in the opposite direction, heading away from the man road and building.
Kensi put a hand on Deeks’ arm as he started to pursue. “Wait, where are you going?”
“You really want him to get away again?”
Kensi considered his question for a few seconds, and then dropped her hand, letting out another growl. “C’mon,” she said, which was all the encouragement Deeks needed to break into a run, Kensi easily keeping pace with him.
***
A/N: Ooh, look at that, we’re getting closer! I hope you’re still enjoying this story, fireman Deeks, and all the many liberties I take with fire protocol.
A Time To Celebrate
It's a wedding, y'all! And like all weddings, there's the joy, the tears, and some drama (mild, though).
Taglist: @cuillere @stargaterevival @geekygumiho @frostysfrenzy @jgem87 @daydreampending @riverageleis
//I suppose to quickly clarify, I’ll just generally not use the term Wendigo for what I’m interested in rping, monstrous cannibals exist in the form of ghouls, other monsters so on so
Mildly inspired, but I won’t snag the term//
oh boy. drama in the dappervolk discord
AHHHHHHHH.
The post uni depression is seriously settling in already. I’m so stressed and all I can see before me is an endless ream of shitty job applications and failure and eventual starvation.