AN: I do not own NCIS or any of it's characters, I just write about them. Stray
Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo was getting worried, any worry for Tony general manifested itself as childish pranks and general annoyance for his fellow team members. His normal target was the cause of his worry on this day, one Agent Timothy McGee was not at his desk where he should be and that was the cause of the problem.
"Ellie, have you heard from Tim this morning?", Tony whined to the only other agent in the bullpen.
"Not since you asked five minutes ago." the young woman answer clearly not trying to hide her annoyance.
Tony hung up his phone after calling his Probie for the tenth time since he was officially late for work fifteen minutes ago.
"Still no answer."
"No answer for who, DiNozzo?" Leroy Jethro Gibbs asked breezing into the bullpen area for out of nowhere holding his ever present coffee cup.
"Tim, Boss. He's not here and he's not answering his phone."
Just then the outside elevator dinged, announcing the arrival of Trent Kort, the one CIA Agent guaranteed to raise the blood pressure of everyone in the room.
He swaggered into the bullpen, only showing a brief moment of hesitation when he noticed that the desk he was moving to was empty and quickly turned to the desk he happened to be in front of, "DiNa... oops I'm sorry DiNozzo." he said with a smirk.
Gibbs didn't waste a second crossing the bullpen to come right behind the man and when he turned they were nose to nose.
"What do you need, Kort?" Gibbs seethed, growling at the man.
"I came to speak with Agent McGee, would you be kind enough to tell him that I'm here?"
"Probie?" Tony said disbelief and angry mixing with his words, "Why would you want to speak with him?"
Even though Gibbs had not answered the man, they still stood face to face neither willing to give the other the satisfaction of backing down, so Kort's answer was said directly in Gibbs' face.
"We were supposed to meet for coffee this morning and he didn't show, I assumed he was pulling another all-nighter here, since what I had to tell him was important, I decided to face the wrath of the dreaded MCRT to have a word with him."
Sarcasm was dripping from the Englishman when spoke of the MCRT.
Upon hearing that Tim had missed an appointment before work as well as being late for work, Gibbs felt an uneasy tug in his gut. Something was definitely wrong.
"DiNozzo try calling McGee. Bishop trace his cell." Gibbs' glare never left the other Agent as he directed his team.
"Agent Kort." the team and visitor were all startled by the sudden appearance of Leon Vance on the stairs leading down from his office. "Care to explain why you were meeting with one of MY agents?"
"Personal", was the tired response from the man not willing to disclose any information until the mystery of the missing man was solved.
"No answer, Boss." Tony reported, worry once again filling his voice.
"Gibbs" Ellie said on the tailend of DiNozzo's report, "I've got his cell, but the signal is weak like it's been damaged or someone tried to disable it."
Gibbs turned to look at the young woman, when she finish and she turned to look at him questioningly.
"Where?", Vance supplied the question Gibbs was patiently waiting for the answer to so he could find the missing man.
"Oh, yeah, at his apartment." she said flustered.
That said the three remaining members of the MCRT started gathering their gear to go find Tim and hopefully give him hell for causing such an uproar.
Vance stopped all movement, "Kort, you are riding with Gibbs and myself. Tony, you and Ellie get Abby on the trace and have her notify us of any change in the cell location. We'll meet you at the apartment."
Gibbs turned his death glare on the director, but didn't say a word as the man took his spare gun out of his desk and nodded the two stubborn agents to the elevator.
Once inside Vance took a page from Gibbs' playbook and hit the emergency stop button.
"Now, would you care to explain why you and Agent McGee were meeting for coffee this morning?" Vance said giving the a hard look.
Kort raised his hand in surrender, "Like I said earlier, it's personal."
"If you got my agent tangled up in something, Kort, I promise you..."
"I didn't do anything to your agent, in fact he came to me."
This statement stunned the other two men in the elevator long enough for Kort to hit the button to get the elevator moving again.
The ride to Silver Springs was as quiet as it was terrifying. Seldom had Gibbs driven so fast or reckless with anyone but himself in the vehicle, but the longer it was since he realized his agent was missing the worst the sensation in his gut got, by the last couple of miles he was hiding a carefully guarded panic that had risen up inside of him.
The three men exited the car after it came to a sudden stop in front of the apartment complex, their collective field knowledge screaming that something was wrong loud enough to also be verbalized. All three checked their sidearms and headed to the missing man's apartment.
The door was slightly ajar, signaling the three men that their fear hadn't been in vain.
Once they walked inside the odor of blood almost knocked them off their feet and they quickly cleared the apartment, finally coming to the only closed door, McGee's bedroom.
With Kort on one side and Vance on the other Gibbs opened the door and was grateful that he only had coffee so far this morning, because the sight that greeted them would have had him losing any food he had eaten.
A battered and bloody Tim McGee laid on the floor of the room, his beloved german shepard lying inches from him dead.
Gibbs rushed over to the fallen man and breathed a sigh of relief when he found a weak but steady pulse in the man's neck.
"Call an ambulance." he yelled back at the two other men still standing by the door.
AN: Okay this is my newest story. I will try to update weekly while I finish Hear No Evil. Hope you enjoy and has always please review with thoughts and comments. :) stray