Disclaimers: All the usual apply, ie., I don't own these characters nor do I have any affiliation with the TV show NCIS. I'm just having a little fun and promise to put them back when I'm finished!
INTO THE WILD
Chapter 1
Ziva sighed as she, Tony and McGee checked into the Lake View Hotel and Conference Center late on a very hot September afternoon. She had always wanted to visit the Lake George area and the Adirondack Mountains, but she figured it would be on a vacation, not an NCIS mission to find an escaped Leavenworth criminal allegedly seen in the area.
The flight from DC was short - only one hour, as was the drive from Albany. Her day had started out like any other, arriving at work early so she could get a head start before Tony came in and interrupted her repeatedly with his jokes and movie trivia. As much as she hated to admit it, she enjoyed the banter with him and as a result they had developed a work based friendship. In the past she had kept to herself, but Tony made that virtually impossible with his constant barrage of questions – and he almost never gave up until she gave him a reasonable answer. He was almost childlike at times, yet she had witnessed a serious side to him too. One she knew would protect her six given the circumstances. Of course, the other side of him would no doubt like to do more with her six than protect it, she mused as she watched him argue unsuccessfully with the woman at the hotel check-in counter over room selections.
"We have 2 rooms reserved, Miss…" Tony squinted as he took a closer look at the nametag the hotel manager wore. "Miss Gibbs?" He turned to look at Ziva and McGee with raised eyebrows. You've got to be kidding, he thought to himself.
"Hey you don't know a Jethro Gibbs do you?" McGee asked, fidgeting nervously.
"No, and even if I did it wouldn't get you 2 rooms. We are fully booked due to the International Podiatry and Footcare Conference. I'm sorry." She tried to give Tony her best smile, all the while tapping her pen on the check-in slip in front of her.
"How many beds are in this room?" Ziva piped up.
"One queen, one pull-out sofa bed. We can offer you a wheel away cot as well if you like. No extra cost." She continued to smile.
"Whatever, here – I'll sign." Ziva was not in the mood to argue the point any further. It was either this or all three of them sleep in the rental car.
She grabbed her room key, slung her bag over her back and headed directly to the elevator. Tony looked at McGee who just shrugged.
"You two better hurry. That is unless you want to fight it out between you as to who gets the cot," Ziva winked at them as the door to the elevator opened with a 'ding'. Smiling, she waved them goodbye before she stepped in, the door closing quickly behind her.
"Damn!" Tony and McGee were left in the lobby, outsmarted by Ziva yet again.
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When Tony and McGee entered their room, Ziva was lounging comfortably in the middle of the Queen sized bed, her ankles crossed and her hands behind her head. "What took you boys so long?" she asked with a smirk.
Both Tony and McGee ignored her. McGee walked over to the sofa, looking to see where to flip it open.
"Hey Probie, not so fast," Tony stared him down. "As senior field agent, I get the sofa bed."
A knock on the door interrupted them. Tony nodded, "Get that would you McGee," he ordered. Ziva rolled her eyes, she would never understand Tony's fascination with making McGee's life hell.
As McGee answered the door, a bellhop followed him in, wheeling in a small, very uncomfortable looking cot. Once he had placed it near the only window, he stood smiling, his hand out. McGee handed him a few bills and quickly ushered him out.
"Hey now this isn't so bad is it McGee," Tony smiled as he sat on the cot, testing it for strength.
"You'll be snug as a shag on a rug," Ziva offered.
Both Tony and McGee looked at each other. "Interesting though it sounds Zee-vah, but what you mean is 'snug as a bug in a rug," Tony glanced over at her lounging on the bed and the fleeting thought of sharing a shag on a rug with Ziva whipped through his mind. He shook his head. Weird chick, he thought to himself.
"Whatever," McGee mumbled. "And if its OK with you two, I'd like to take a shower if that's not too much to ask."
"You don't need to ask, be confident McGee. People can smell fear from miles away." Tony was still being an ass. A pompous ass.
McGee grabbed his bag and stalked into the bathroom.
Ziva sat up. "Why do you do it to him Tony?" she asked.
"Do what?"
"You know what, treat him like that. He's a good agent and a little respect would go a long way with him," she looked Tony in the eye as she spoke.
"Its character building, he'll thank me one day," Tony turned to busy himself by putting the sofa bed together and arranging his blankets. Once done, he flopped down onto it and let out a long sigh of contentment.
Ziva wondered why she even bothered sometimes. She stood to sort through her bag. She was planning on being next in the shower and she'd fight Tony hand and fist for it if she had to. She didn't need any character building.
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After each of them had showered, they ventured downstairs to meet with the two local detectives handling their case. The hotel lobby was filled with visiting podiatrists from all over the country, each one wearing a name tag and passing out business cards. Tony, Ziva and McGee led the detectives into the bar area for some relative peace and quiet.
"We've had several reported sightings of a man fitting the description of your missing lieutenant in the area," Detective Mark Weatherly spoke first. "We understand he went missing from Leavenworth several months ago?" he asked.
"Yes," answered Ziva. "Two months ago to be exact. The van carrying him and several other convicted military criminals crashed before arriving at Leavenworth, and he managed to escape after killing those who remained alive, according to the autopsy results we received."
"What was his felony?" asked the other detective, Michael Harmon.
"Murder." McGee didn't feel the need to elaborate.
"Obviously." Tony deadpanned in McGee's direction.
"So he is dangerous," Detective Harmon added seriously.
"Quite. He won't hesitate to kill again given the opportunity. His psychological profile suggests he doesn't need much to provoke him." Ziva was first to answer him.
Tony handed the detectives pictures of the escapee. "His name is David Murray. 24 years old, approx 6 ft tall with blue eyes. We need to know the location of his last reported whereabouts."
"We believe he is heading into the less crowded western Adirondacks. Most of the tourists travel and stay in the eastern and southern areas of the park. Much of the western region is inaccessible by vehicle and only visited by the hardcore traveler." Detective Weatherly was becoming increasingly concerned.
"We'll begin our search in the morning." Tony's jaw was set.
"Need I tell you it is extremely easy to get lost in those parts," Detective Weatherly added. "We'll give you all the help we can. Meet us in the lobby tomorrow morning at 6am. Best to get an early start."
As the two detectives left, Tony waved to the waiter behind the bar.
"What are you doing Tony, we're still on duty," McGee appeared surprised.
"Hey if I'm going out into the woods tomorrow to hunt for a deranged killer with military skills, them I'm going to have a drink tonight." Tony ordered a scotch and soda from the waiter.
"Anything else?" the waiter asked once he'd taken Tony's order.
"Same for me," Ziva answered first.
"And me," McGee added nervously. "In fact, make mine a double."
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Later that night, as all three of them were getting ready for bed, McGee started to flick through the travel brochures in their room. Perhaps reading the facts and figures of the region out loud to Tony and Ziva was his way of trying to relax. "Hey guys, did you know the Adirondack Park is a 6 million acre wild park with close to 3000 ponds and lakes with over 2000 miles of hiking trails," he read almost too enthusiastically.
"Great," Ziva deadpanned.
"Yeah, peachy McGee. So how d'you think we're gonna find Murray in a 6 million acre wild park, answer me that," Tony replied sarcastically.
McGee ignored their comments and continued to read, "Oh and white-tailed deer are abundant as is the black bear."
"Even better. Now we can add being eaten by a bear into our search. Want to put that down McGee before you tell us something useful?" Tony was still not amused. In fact, he was quietly not looking forward to the next day at all. He wasn't fond of the great outdoors at the best of times, least of all when there was a killer on the loose with them potentially as his new target.
Ziva made eye contact with Tony before turning out the light near her bed. McGee settled into the small cot and was soon fast asleep.
Tony however lay wide awake, his mind a jumble of what the following days could hold.
He had a bad feeling in his gut and the more he tried to relax the worse it got. He heard Ziva shuffle in her bed and realized she too, was having trouble falling asleep. He got up and walked over to sit on the edge of her bed in the darkness.
"Can't sleep either," she looked up at him in the half-light.
Tony rubbed his hands over his face and through his hair. "Something's bugging me about this case." He moved to sit fully on the bed next to Ziva, his head resting against the headboard as he stared straight ahead.
Ziva sat up and snuggled into the blanket, wrapping it tightly around her for comfort, "I know what you mean".
As Tony and Ziva sat silently together, McGee snored lightly in an apparent deep and peaceful slumber.
TBC…
What do you think? Do you like the direction this is taking? Want to read more?
I'd love to hear your thoughts!
