AN: Another fic! Yay! I don't know if I should continue this or not...the story line is admittedly a little clichéd (no infringement intended!), but I do know where I'm going with it! Enjoy (or not) and review!
Tony threw his head back, rubbing his temple. Seventy-two hours of sleep deprived, caffeine fueled labor had gone into virtually no progress. The FBI had been fully uncooperative with them, forcing McGee and Abby to spend a full day hacking into a system which could have easily been accessed with a minimal effort from their federal foes.
Ziva looked across the isle to her partner's desk, watching him repeatedly bash his head against the desk. Pity was not something she was predisposed to, but in this case she made an exception. She stood up and walked to his desk, placing her hand in Tony's, "Here. Take these. They will help you feel better." she dropped two Tylenol in his palm, "It cannot possibly be worse than pounding your head into a desk. How can that possibly help your headache?"
He swallowed the pills dry, looking up at the dark inquiring eyes staring him down, "To each their own." he stood to stretch his legs, "So what do we know?"
McGee stood from his desk, bringing up the case on the plasma, "Ensign James Scott, native of DC, went missing five days ago." the image of the ensign appeared on the screen, "Five kilos of cocaine and three-hundred grand in cash were found in his apartment, along with several automatic weapons."
"We also found a few fake passports and drivers licenses. All the same identity, most likely practice runs for the real thing," Ziva continued for him, "According to his new persona, 'Hector Lopez' is a translator working for the US embassy in Venezuela. Venezuelan citizenship."
"We have to find this guy before he gets to Venezuela. No extradition; get out of jail free card." Tony sighed, "Did he buy a ticket yet?"
A voice from behind and above them barked, "He doesn't need a ticket! The bastard has a pilot's license and a small craft!" Gibbs came down from the catwalk, two steps at a time, "The airport where he rented a hanger said he left two days ago."
Ziva groaned, "Why are we just finding out about this now?"
McGee darted to his computer, typing away, "According to the FAA, he landed in Bogotá yesterday!"
Tony was confused, "Why go to Columbia? Why not Venezuela where there's no extradition?"
"Because, DiNozzo," Gibbs explained, "Columbia is one of the biggest drug exporters in the world. Scott couldn't resist that jackpot. Judging by how much money we found in his apartment, he could buy a hell of a lot of drugs down there."
"So, what is the plan?" Ziva asked, "Do we just hop a plane to Columbia, and hope to get him before he reached Venezuelan soil?"
The group exchanged glances. "Well, yeah! Unless you have a better idea, Officer David?"
"Priority flight? Again? Boss, you're gonna kill me!" Tony whined, taking a seat in the back of the massive aircraft's cargo hold, "McGee gets to stay! How come I have to get tossed around like a ragdoll?"
Ziva elbowed his side, "Stop complaining! At least we have a chance of catching up to him before it is too late if we leave now. Besides, McGee is needed here. He can track Scott's credit card or phone from NCIS."
Gibbs threw his bag in the back corner, "I happen to like priority flights, brings me back to my Corps days!" he grinned, knowing the younger agent hated him at the moment
Tony rolled his eyes, clinging to a nearby pallet for support as the plane lurched forward. Peering out the window, he watched the lights of Washington shrink down and all but disappear. A rustling behind him made him squeal. He'd already set several mousetraps, just as a precaution. He noticed a cargo net swaying above, "Ziva?! What are you doing up there?"
Ziva swung herself gracefully into the net, "Gibbs? Can you toss me my bag?" she asked
Her boss threw up her bag, noticing its girth, "What all did you pack?" he tried not to be a sexist, but four ex-wives colored his feelings about women. Ziva's bag felt like it was full of bricks. Why do women always 'need' more than they need?
"I had no way of knowing how long we would be leaving, where we would be staying, or what we may encounter, so I packed enough clothes to get by for a week, plus additional food, bottled water, first-aid, and toiletries." She stated, "I only packed what may be necessary."
Tony shook his head, "Stay away from Weeblos McGee, Ziva! He's rubbing off on you. Why are you up there anyway?" he tortured both of his younger teammates relentlessly, and never passed up an opportunity.
"I haven't slept in three days, Tony. I'm going to sleep!" she lay back, using the netting as a hammock, "Wake me when we get ready to land. And do not come begging to me in a few hours when you want one of my snacks!" she tossed Gibbs a granola bar from her bag, sticking out her tongue at Tony
"Yeah, real mature, Ziva!" Tony called
Gibbs shook his head, watching in dismay as Tony tried and failed to replicate Ziva's acrobatics. Rather than slinging himself into a net, Tony flung himself over, falling flat on his back. One of his many mousetraps found its way onto one of his fingers. "Tony? Just stop."
Tony threw the trap away, shaking out his hand. A warm voice chuckled at him from above, "You know, in South America, mice and rats are the least of your worries! They have capibara!" she looked down at him, watching his face, "It is a rodent that is the size of a large goat! The live in the Amazon, and have been known to fight off anacondas!" she let out a malicious laugh, swinging down long enough to grab a bottle of water. "Sweet dreams, Tony!" she swung herself easily into her hammock, making it look all too easy.
He looked up, watching Ziva sleep peacefully in her net, "Show off." he muttered
A few hours in, the plane began to fly off balance, shifting around the passengers and crew. Tony darted out of the way as an unsecured crate slid toward him. The crate smashed open, spilling its contents a few feet from where Tony stood. "Wow! That wasn't in the brochure!"
As the plane shifted from the horizontal, cargo flew everywhere. Anything that wasn't properly strapped in was tossed around helplessly. That included the passengers. Gibbs finally woke up when a barrel fell from ten feet above, and smashed open beside him. "What the hell is going on?!" Gibbs stood up, moving out of the path of the debris, "Tony! Watch your six!" he looked up to the ceiling
Tony spun around, seeing nothing at first, "What?"
A small shriek alerted him to the threat. Ziva fell from her makeshift hammock, along with her supplies. Running forward, rather than away from the sound, he held out his arms, catching his partner against his chest, "You gotta stop dropping in like this!" he teased, setting her down, panting heavily. Her bag fell a few feet away, narrowly missing hitting them.
"What on dirt is going on!" Ziva groaned, tackling Tony to keep him from being pulverized by boxes
Tony shook his head, "Earth. Earth, Ziva. Not dirt." her idiomatic errors if nothing else, lightened the mood, "Hopefully, we won't meet the Earth too soon."
The craft shifted again, more forcefully this time. The three agents were tossed toward the back, along with several crates. Tony grabbed Ziva around the middle, throwing her down. He wrapped his body around hers as pieces of broken boxes pelted his back.
Gibbs helped Tony up after the debris quit raining down on him. Thankfully he was fine, save for a few splinters embedded in his back. "Everyone okay?" he checked
Tony nodded, helping Ziva to her feet; not an easy task since they were flying at a thirty degree angle. She clung to Gibbs' arm, trying to steady herself as the plane lurched once more. "Sorry, Gibbs!"
A calm voice came over the intercom, "We are experiencing turbulence."
"The hell we are!" Gibbs barked at the box mounted on the wall
"Remain calm. An emergency landing may be necessary. In the event that..." Gibbs rolled at the automated recording, Yeah, this is us being calm...tossed around in the damn cargo hold!
Gibbs looked out the window, watching the rain-forest grow closer and closer. "We're going down!"
AN: Should I continue? You like? Reviews make me write faster, and stroke my ego!
Note: title and summary may change