*Thursday*
*Chapter 2*
Three bags drop hard on the floor next to Tony's desk. Ziva looks up from behind her computer in wonderment of what he packed to have so many bags.
"There has to be an easier way to carry all this." Tony huffed while trying to catch his breath.
"What could you possibly be bringing that warrants needing three bags?" Ziva wondered.
"Did you not hear? We're going to Antarctica. The coldest place on the planet."
"I only have one bag." McGee stated.
"I have one too." Ziva said.
"Well I don't do well in the extreme cold." Tony defended himself. "You two are going to freeze your asses off. Then you're going to come crying to me that you're cold and need extra layers. And I'll charge you for renting my extra clothes."
"I would not be caught dead wearing your clothes, Tony." Ziva stated. "First of all, who knows where your clothes have been. And second… you have no fashion sense."
"Like you have fashion sense, Ms. I'm currently wearing an unfashionable stripped sweater."
"There is nothing wrong with my sweater." Ziva defended her sweater. "McGee, you like this sweater, right?"
"Uh…" McGee hesitated. "I just remembered I really need to use the head." He gets up and runs away.
"I do not understand how anyone can forget to use the bathroom. It is not like a person needs to think about it. You can feel when it is coming." Ziva said. Tony chuckles slightly. "What?"
"Nothing."
"You found something to be funny."
"I was just wondering if…"
"Knock it off, DiNozzo." Gibbs said as he passes by the bullpen in the direction of the back stairs.
"So when are we leaving?" Abby asked as she enters into the bullpen all bundled up in heavy clothing.
"Abby…" Tony is perplexed about her strange outfit. "What in the world are you wearing? You look like a multi-colored lollipop."
"These are my cold weather clothes for when I climbed Mt. Everest. Against snow, it would be stupid to wear something white in case of an emergency."
"There's no possible way to miss you on a mountain of snow with that outfit." Tony stated.
"I did not know you climbed Mt. Everest." Ziva said.
"I didn't. Well, I did. But I didn't. Even though I did."
"I think she's succumbing to heat delirium." Tony commented.
"What do you mean, Abby?" Ziva asked.
"I climbed five hundred feet before I realized the mountain I was on was not Mt. Everest."
"So you did not climb Mt. Everest."
"No, I did." Abby said. "After I climbed five hundred feet of the wrong mountain, I went over to the right mountain. I climbed five hundred feet before…"
"Before realizing you were once again on the wrong mountain." Tony joked.
"I guess I told you this story before." Abby doesn't remember.
"No, you didn't." He said. "How could you have been on the wrong mountain again?"
"The second mountain I was on was the mountain right next to Mt. Everest. I just took the wrong path. It can happen to anybody." Abby answered. "So I climbed back down, went to the next mountain, which finally was the correct mountain and started climbing. I climbed twenty-five feet."
"You only climbed twenty-five feet of Mt. Everest." Tony acknowledged.
"I was exhausted after climbing one thousand feet between two wrong mountains."
"Twenty-five feet hardly qualifies as climbing Mt. Everest." He said.
"It's more feet climbed than what you've climbed of Mt. Everest." Abby defended her twenty-five foot climb of Mt. Everest.
"She has got a point there." Ziva agreed.
"Uh, Abby?" McGee wondered as he enters into the bullpen. She turns to him. "That's uh… aren't you hot?"
"Very. But I'm trying to get used to wearing this again for the trip."
"I didn't know you're going." McGee said.
"It'll be a little hard to send evidence to me from so far away." Abby stated. "Besides, I always wanted a penguin." She said cheerfully at the thought of having a pet penguin.
"We're not going there to catch penguins, Abby." Tony said.
"Do you know how many penguins die each year from the jaws of seals?" Abby asked. "I don't. But I know it's a lot. At least I think it's a lot. I'm pretty sure it is a lot. Seals are vicious penguin-eating machines. I'm going to do my part and save a penguin." She added. "Besides, penguins are super cute. I really really really want one."
While Abby talks about penguins and how she'll take care of one, Gibbs and Director Shepard exit from the Director's office.
"Ms. Scuito…" Director Shepard tries to get her attention. She looks to her. "Is there some reason you're wearing…" She cannot find the words to describe such an odd outfit. "…this."
"It's for the trip." Abby stated cheerfully.
"You're not going, Abs." Director Shepard stated.
"How can I not be going? There's going to be no way to send physical evidence to me in order to be processed. So I need to be down there in order to process evidence."
"It's a security issue."
"My security clearance is higher than the entire team put together. And they're all going."
"Maybe we should discuss this in private."
"No, I don't want to discuss this in private. You can tell me right here. I want to know why I'm not going."
"The reason you're not going is because you're not allowed."
"Not allowed?! That makes no sense. Why would I not be allowed?"
"Because the Colonel thinks you're a security risk. He doesn't want you there." Director Shepard said. "I'm sorry, Abs." She then walks away.
"I'm not going, Gibbs…" Abby tries to wrap her arms around him for comfort but is hardly able to bend the arms of her outfit. He wraps one arm around her. "You always know what to say to make me feel better."
Tony and McGee look at each other because Abby said that with Gibbs not saying a word. They shake their heads.
A minute passes.
Gibbs approaches Tony's desk, leans down and grabs two of the three bags.
"Oh, you're going to help me carry those…" Tony said.
"Yeah…" Gibbs tosses them over the partition of the bullpen. "Now you have one like the rest of us. It'll be easier to carry."
"Thank you, Boss." Tony said.
"Time to go." Gibbs stated. He grabs his bag and walks in the direction of the elevator.
The others follow. Abby tugs Tony's arm. He turns to her.
"Get me a penguin." Abby said.
"You would make a fine addition to Willy Wanka's lollipop land."
"I want a penguin, Tony. Get me a penguin." She demanded. "Don't come back without one."
"Today DiNozzo!" Gibbs barked from inside the elevator.
"Coming!"
Tony runs to the elevator and enters inside. Abby stands in front while the doors close.
"Don't forget my penguin." She said.
The doors finally close.
"She really wants a penguin." Ziva stated. "You are screwed, Tony."
"I should really take this thing off." Abby muttered to herself due to feeling very hot. She then notices everybody in the squad room looking at her. "What are you all looking at? This is normal for me."
Abby walks toward the back elevator so she can go down to her lab.