Ch.4 Missing
Ziva David awoke to the sound of her phone ringing. She saw that it was Dinozzo, and she became irritated. "It's four in the morning, Tony! What do you want?" Anthony Dinozzo didn't know why, but Gibbs had told him to assemble the team, and judging by the anger in his voice, he was in no hurry to question his boss. "I don't know, Gibbs just called me and told me to assemble the team." Ziva was less annoyed now. When she thought about it, Dinozzo valued his life too much to risk certain death by disturbing the former Mossad officer's slumber. If it was Gibbs, it meant it was important.
"Ok, Tony. I'll be at the Navy Yard in fifteen." Dinozzo smiled. "Sounds good, I gotta wake Mcgee now," he replied happily. At least he could take some pleasure in his work. Timothy Mcgee answered his phone wearily. "What is it, Tony?" he asked, trying to shake the sleep from his voice. "Good morning, Probie-san," Dinozzo answered happily. "I hate to disturb your rest, Mcgeek, but Gibbs wants us all at the office, and it's not a good idea to keep him waiting right now," Dinozzo replied. Mcgee understood the situation immediately. An angry Gibbs was never a good thing, and better his anger be directed at someone else, than him.
Leroy Jethro Gibbs burst into the squad room at NCIS headquarters. His team stared wide-eyed at his entrance. Dinozzo opened his mouth, but a look from Gibbs cut him off. "Sorry to wake you all, but Abby called me. I couldn't make out anything she was saying except for this." He played a voicemail that he recieved after she called him the first time. "Need. Help. Buried. Alive." was barely discernable from all the static. The room became deathly quiet. "Oh, dear lord," Dr. Donald Mallard said sadly. "Yeah, Duck," Gibbs said. Someone had dared to put Abby in danger. "Well, at least today's not going to be boring," Dinozzo quiped. Gibbs wasted no time smacking him upside his head.
Gibbs went into mission mode with no further delay. "Dinozzo, Ziva, check Abby's apartment. Leave no stone unturned," Gibbs ordered. They quickly left to follow Gibbs' instructions. "Mcgee, can you trace Abby's phone? She just called me, so-" Mcgee took the phone from Gibbs without a second thought and said "On it, boss." The drive to Abby's apartment was a tense one. Ziva and Dinozzo cared as much for Abby as Gibbs did. Ziva was thinking of all the ways she was going to make whoever did it suffer. Tony was already going forty-five, but it didn't seem fast enough.
The silence was deafening. She called Gibbs three more times, without sucess. She was sure that wherever she was, she was too far away from a cell tower to get good reception. She knew for sure she was in a cemetary, but there were five in city limits alone. That wasn't counting the areas of open country in Maryland, away from major cities. She was certain that Michael and Chip wouldn't make it that easy for Gibbs, and bury her in the city. Add the fact that she was underground, and she was surprised she could use her cell phone well even once.
The radio cackled to life without warning. "How are you, my hot, dark angel?" Michael Mauer asked on the other end. Abby seethed. "How do you think I am?" she yelled angrily. Michael laughed. "Whoa, you sound tense. That can't be good for a relationship," he said with mock concern. She wished she could knock the smug look that she knew he was wearing off his face. "Get this through your skull, Michael. We had a relationship. HAD! As in, the past. We have no future, and when Gibbs catches you you'll be lucky to spend the rest of your life eating through a straw!"
"Now, now, no need to overreact. Just admit your true feelings for me and this will all be over." Abby wished she could be there when Gibbs caught him. "The only feelings I have for you is wishing you a very painful death when Gibbs finds you!" she screamed into the radio. Chip smirked. He'd hoped Abby would respond this way. Her stubborness was putting the final nail in her coffin. He made a mental note to get fresh flowers for her grave. "You need more time, I see. Well you should know you only have enough air for about forty-eight hours. I'll check back later, honey." With that, slience resumed in her coffin.
Tony and Ziva had arrived to find Abby's apartment door wide open. The manager had tried to stop them, but backed off when they showed their badges. There were tread marks in the carpet, which suggested something heavy had been moved recently. Though they hated the idea, they went to work as if it were any other crime scene. Tony entered and went straight to the bedroom. "Coffin's gone," he observed. Ziva silenced her fear and worry for Abby as she followed Tony. She noticed a foot print on the carpet that she took a picture of it.
"You know, this reminds me of Kill Bill, volume two," Dinozzo said as they began searching. "That means what to me?" Ziva asked, slightly annoyed that Dinozzo would make a movie reference when Abby, of all people was in danger. "Uma Thurman seeks revenge on Michael Madsen. He ends up drugging her and burying her alive, with nothing but a flashlight." Ziva shook her head angrily. "I take it she found some impossible way out?" she questioned. Tony grinned. "She drew on the teachings of her former master, and broke her way out of the coffin."
"Well, Abby can't do that," Ziva said as the conversation returned to the living room. "Let's not forget that in reality, you'd be crushed by the dirt above you." She saw Dinozzo's smirk leave. He looked past her, to the coffee table where Abby's purse was. He walked to it, and noticed a glass. "Crazy Al's Pub," Ziva read the engraving. "I know that bar. Abby and I have been there." Tony placed the glass in a bag. "Maybe we can talk to the bar owner and get last night's security tapes," Tony said softly. The more they found, the more worried he got. Meanwhile, Director Jenny Shepard had just got a priority message from Leavenworth requesting Gibbs' prescence in MTAC.
