A/N: More Tony and Tim in the next chapter, promise. I know they aren't as interesting but I have to include these scenes with Gibbs and Ziva to move the plot along! I do know where I'm going with this story but I'm open to suggestions, and reviews are always welcome! -abby
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Gibbs cut the drive time to Norfolk to almost half the usual. Once they arrived at Abby's provided GPS coordinates, he brought the car to a screeching halt on the shoulder of the highway. As he looked down the embankment the missing NCIS vehicle was visible, having run off the road into a shallow creek.
Ziva and Gibbs leapt out of the car and ran, terrified of what they might find. DiNozzo and McGee where nowhere to be found, but the front car doors were both open and a cell phone lay half-buried in the mud as though it had fallen from someone's pocket. Ziva immediately began taking photos as Gibbs carefully picked up and bagged the phone.
Once they looked inside the car their fears were realized. The driver's seat and steering wheel were covered in glass and blood, and there were clear traces of blood on the passenger side dashboard as well. The driver's door was badly damaged and a twisted piece of metal stuck out at an awkward angle. Gibbs' heart seized when he saw the thick coating of blood on the jagged metal. Oh, God, Tony, he thought. What have you gotten yourself into now? Gibbs knew very well that DiNozzo would never have let McGee drive all the way to Norfolk. He was constantly teasing the junior agent about driving like an old man and didn't have the patience to ride long distances as a passenger.
Swiftly and silently the two teammates swabbed the blood and carefully bagged any relevant evidence.
"Gibbs." Ziva's voice was quiet. "We need to get these blood samples back to Abby for analysis."
"Go. I'm not leaving. I'll call the local LEOs to tow the car. Get the samples to Abby. I'm going to canvass the area, there has to be a witness." Gibbs' instructions were clear, but Ziva hesitated.
Someone planned this, Gibbs thought. This was no accident. He could not shake the feeling that something was horribly wrong, that he was missing something vital. It's bad, I know it.
"Maybe you should come back with me, it is unlikely that there were witnesses. This is a major highway and there are no businesses or homes nearby…" Ziva trailed off at the look on her boss' face. "I will go and take these samples to Abby."
Gibbs nodded shortly. "Call me when you get back to the Navy Yard." He wasn't going to take chances with any other members of his team. Just then, DiNozzo's cell phone beeped to indicate an incoming message. Ziva started, evidence bag in hand. She looked at Gibbs, awaiting his instructions.
"Open it," he said. If this was related to his missing agents, there was no time to waste worrying about the chain of evidence.
I have them, was all the message said. Gibbs didn't hesitate. "Go, Ziva. Hurry. Maybe Abby can trace the source." There was no further hesitation. Within seconds, the Mossad officer had run up the embankment and was headed back to Washington in a blur of smoke and burning rubber.
After Ziva left, Gibbs finished processing the scene before sitting down to wait on the LEOs. There was nothing that made it immediately obvious who had kidnapped his agents, and he knew that Ziva was right about the possibility of a witness. He could only hope that Abby was more successful. Just hang on, DiNozzo. I'm coming for you. You and McGee, just hold on.
The sound of approaching sirens brought Gibbs to his feet. He mentally prepared himself to make nice and brief the LEOs.
Sergeant Whitten, Norfolk PD, was the officer that arrived to escort Gibbs to the station. Whitten greeted the lead NCIS agent with a nod. "I thought you might like to know, we just received word of a 4-wheel drive truck leaving this area in a hurry a few hours ago. It may or may not be related, but we're checking it out."
Gibbs knew that the report was involved somehow, and he again hoped that they would get a break in the case sooner rather than later. His gut told him that Tony and Tim were running out of time.