Rogue (NCIS K-9)

Chapter 23: Is this the End?

The light buzzing from the machinery around me was enough to send my mind back to the basement. Back to the blood stained floors and clawed walls. To the belts and the whips, the cursing and drunken men. Every beep, every whir made me jump and flare my nostrils in it's direction. Dallas who stayed just a few feet ahead of me, noticed my shakiness but said nothing. Keeping his nose to the trailed scent of the bad guy we ventured further and further into the dark.

"Can you smell him?" Dallas asked, as we walked on. My mind was a mess, I could barely see where I was going let alone search for a certain smell.

"I-I can't smell anything" I replied, jumping at the sound of a machine turning on. Dallas, stopped walking causing me to run right into his behind. "Sorry" I mumbled, taking a few steps back.

"What is wrong with you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow as he turned around to face me.

"What do you mean?" I replied, sternly.

"Your jumping at every sound that goes off, your breathing is labored, your heart beat has quickened to about one hundred and fifteen just by walking" he spoke, looking me up and down. I avoided his eye contact and looked around the compacted area.

"Lets just keep moving okay?" I replied, trying to push past him. Dallas stepped in front of me halting my movements.

"No, not until you tell me what's going on" He demanded. I huffed loudly starting to get irritated with the man.

"Look here Buster. I hate dogs alright, especially FBI ones" I growled. Dallas took a step back and shook his head slowly.

"I wasn't trying to-" He started before I cut him off again.

"And I hate tight spaces... I hate the dark..... I hate this musty smell floating through the air" I began snarling my teeth at him. " I hate this cold floor!, I hate this stupid factory!, I hate every annoying beeping sound that comes from these damn metal machines!" my blood was running hot, my head pounding through my ears.

"Rogue, calm down" Dallas warned, barring his teeth a bit. I chuckled and took a step toward him, my senses on full alert. This canine really thought he had chance against me.

"Did you know that I'm a killer?" I asked, tilting my head. Dallas raised his eye brows in confusion. "Ya that's right, a full stone cold, bloody killer" I laughed. "I eat dogs like you for breakfast".

"Rogue-" Dallas was cut off, by a loud bang just a few yards ahead of us. I snapped my eyes past Dallas and growled at a dark figure standing in the clear footpath. He raised his hand, a small black gun shining in the red light. With all my anger built up it was hard to think straight. I snarled, foam dripping from my K9's as I challenged the man before me.

Dallas had now turned around facing the man as well, though not in the stance I was. My eyes adjusted a bit, making his face appear.....strange. My mind immediately took over the image and before me I saw my old master, smiling with his crooked grin.

"You" I whispered.

"Rogue, don't move his gun is trained on you" Dallas spoke, but I couldn't hear him.

"I'm gonna kill you!" I growled.

"Rogue!" Dallas barked, but it was to late. I had taken off from his side, running full speed toward the man. In the strangers panic, he fired three shots at me. One lodged into the front of my vest, the other two ricocheting off a machine. Clearly seeing that the gun had missed me, the man turned to run, but was to slow.

I leaped from the ground and onto his back, causing him to tumble over to the ground. My teeth sunk in to the back of his jacket, trying to find purchase in a piece of flesh. I tore straight through the material, as the man squirmed and screamed under me. He made a wrong move and decided to flip over onto his back, belly and hands up. His right hand reached toward my neck trying to push me off, as his left grabbed my front leg.

My mind was running at full speed, nothing but the need to kill in my veins. I thought I saw lights flash behind me or maybe it was just my imagination.

"Please get off!" the man yelled, may jaws snapping close to his face. The only thing holding me back was his grip on the neck, that was slowly starting to recede.

"Get it off me" he cried.

"Rogue!" A voice called behind me. "Rogue off!" it commanded again. But I couldn't, I couldn't control myself. The mans grip fell and that's when my teeth snapped onto his neck. The flesh open and bare, just for me. The taste of cold iron coated my tongue, my grip tightening.

"I SAID OFF!" The voice yelled. A pair of large arms wrapped around me, pulling my mind back into reality. I let the mans neck go, as I was tackled to the side. I glanced up to see Gibbs right above me, he held me tightly as he slid down a nearby dryer onto his behind. Tony, Ziva and Morgan tended to the man who was muttering something.

Blood coated my entire mouth, even my muzzle had sustained a few drops. In the arms of my owner and partner, I had started to relax.

My heart rate fell, the feeling of Gibbs being near calmed me down. After about thirty seconds, Tony sighed raising from the mans side.

"He's gone" he stated. Gibbs sighed and set his head back on a machine that held his body up right.

"Hotchner, how is he?" Gibbs called down the footpath.

"Prentiss and I were able to stop the bleeding, but he needs an EVAC now" Hotchner replied. I glanced down the footpath, to see Dallas lying on his side. I whined and struggled in Gibbs grip.

"Woah, Woah" he spoke, running a hand through my soft fur. He clipped a leash on a loop attached to the bullet proof vest, before standing up and allowing me to pull him all the way to Dallas.

"Dallas, are you ok?" I asked pushing past Hotchner, who allowed me to sniff around his fallen member.

"I think I got hit" Dallas, chuckled. I glanced at his body, Prentiss had taken his vest off and tied some fabric around the wound. "So much for a bullet proof vest" Dallas joked.

"Your gonna be fine" I assured him. "Probably just a nick" I added.

"Liar" he smiled weakly, before glancing past me at the mans body. I followed his eyes and cleared my throat.

"I- I couldn't stop" I mumbled, looking to the ground.

"Hey, It- It's al-alright" he stuttered, before his eyes rolled back.

"Dallas?" I questioned.

"He's Crashing!" Prentiss yelled.

"Gibbs get her out of here" Hotchner demanded. I felt a tug on my leash, pulling me back towards Gibbs. I watched as Hotchner picked Dallas up and carried him out of the boiler room. I pulled forward, hoping to follow. Thankfully Gibbs obliged.

Hotchner carried Dallas all the way out of the building, to an ambulance just pulling in. I sat helpless at Gibbs's feet, as Hotchner jumped in the back closing the doors behind him.

(In reply to a comment: I feel like being a bitch today)