Author's note: Tell me if it's getting to chemical... ;)

Chapter 11

Washington DC, NCIS quarters, office

'How's Tony?', McGee asked when she came to office this morning. Ziva was already sitting at her desk.

'He's recovering. I visited him this morning before work.' It was three days after the rescue mission. 'Grab your gear', Gibbs came in, coffee in his hand. 'What do we have?' 'A dead marine.'

'Would have never guessed that', McGee murmured.

Washington DC, NCIS quarters, Abby's lab

The forensic evidences and the clothes of the dead marine arrived one hour later at Abby's lab. She turned on her loud music, put off her rings and put on the gloves. She sorted the evidences, picked out the blood tests to verify the DNA. They already knew the name of their victim, Bryan Conan Doyle, but that was a routine. She extracted probes from his cloth and let them go through the gas chromatograph. While it was working she browsed through the marine's uniform trousers.

'That's interesting', she said to herself and found a interior pocket sewed in the usual pocket. She felt inside and picked out a plastic package. 'Aha', she said looking at it. She turned the little package of wet powder in her hands. She went over to her desk and called Ducky.

'Hey, Abbs. Nice that you call.'

'Hey, Ducky. Do you already have the body in Autopsy?'

'Yes, for about ten minutes yet. So I don't have any results yet.'

'Doesn't matter. I just need a hair probe.' 'What for?' 'Drug testing. You should also look for heroin abuse, Ducky.'

'I'll do so. Thank you, Abbs. I'll send Jimmy up to you in one minute.'

'So let's see what we've got here', Abby said and carefully opened the package after weighing it. She sorted a part of it in several probes and put them into test tubes. She marked them and put three into the refrigerator for later testing.

'You two come with me', Abby said, took to other probes and walked over to the gas chromatograph. After that she went back to the two testing tubes left on the table. 'And what are we going to do with you?', she asked. 'Abby?'

She turned around. 'Jimmy! You scared me to hell.'

'Sorry, Abby. I brought you your hair probes.'

'Thank you.' Palmer went away. Abby sighed. She looked at the plastic bag and at the light brown hair. 'Perhaps I'll get something out of you', she said and took another pair of gloves. She first cleaned the strand of hair to avoid contamination from the environment. Then she started with an immunoassay to later affirm with gas chromatography. She took the cleaned strand of hair with a forceps and put it in the test tube that was filled with a special liquid, containing several enzymes and indicators. She shook the probe and put it back into the test tube racks.

'You'll stay here and do as I say: Change the color', she said to the hair probe. Nothing happened. 'Change your color', she repeated.

'You sound like Ducky', McGee said. Abby looked up.

'You are the second person who came in here without knocking or doing something else to be noticed.' 'You're very occupied with your job', McGee said. 'Anything interesting yet?'

'Yes. I found this in an interior pocket of his pocket', Abby held up the white package.

'Cocaine?'

'I assume heroin. I just want this test here change color', she said pointing at the test tube. It was still clear. McGee got nearer. 'What does it mean when it doesn't change its color?', McGee asked.

'It's either not heroin or it's a new kind of that doesn't react to this stuff.'

'What if you heat it up?'

'Why shall I do that?'

'For me heating stuff up is everything I learnt back in chemistry classes in high school.'

'McGee!', Abby said sharply. 'There may be still some heroin in. By the enzymes it can already be split up in for example acetic anhydride. If I heat this up, the vapor is very harmful. Now, get out of my lab. I can solve this on my own', she said and pushed McGee out.

Abby turned back to the probe. 'What shall I do with you?', she sighed. She heard a ring tone. 'My gas chromatograph', she screamed for joy. 'I knew I could count on you', she said and went to her computer who had already digitalized the testing results. 'Aha', she said. But before she could take a closer look the screen went blue. In white letters the words 'TOP SECRET' appeared on the screen. 'Damn it', she cursed. 'Why the hell is my computer directly linked to the internet.' That 'top secret' barrier could not stop her.

Half an hour later Gibbs came in. 'Hello Gibbs', Abby said without turning around. She smiled when he put a Caf-Pow in front of her on the desk.

'What have you got for me, Abbs?', Gibbs asked. 'A lot of confusion', Abby answered. 'Look at the screen.' 'It's blue, Abbs. I don't see anything.' 'Wait.' Abby put a picture on it.

'That's a package of usual heroin', Gibbs said.

'No', Abby responded.

'That is a top secret substance developed by chemical specialists of FBI. I had to hack nearly every data bank that was there to hack in. The project is called 'Moonraker' because it makes people fly.'

'Abbs?'

'It's a drug. Looks like heroin but isn't. It's much stronger and has never left FBI testing laboratories. The army wants to use it for their troops to make super soldiers. With a little bit of this Moonraker drug they don't have to sleep for twenty-four hours and have super-normal reflexes.'

'You said none of that left testing area?', Gibbs asked. 'Isn't that what you've found in Conan Doyle's pocket?'

'No, it isn't. What I have found is a deadly toxin which contains exactly the same ingredients as Moonraker. But there was added…a substance that makes it toxic. And with toxic I mean deadly. Very deadly. But Bryan never took any of that so I think someone put this in his pocket so I could find it. With a chromatic analysis I got on the FBI site…well, I hacked into it-'

'Abbs!'

'The database records that yesterday some of Moonraker was stolen from the laboratories. There was a break-in but no video cameras recorded and no evidence was there.'

Gibbs started to go. 'Thanks, Abbs.' He kissed her on the forehead.

'Gibbs? That's not all.'

'I listen.'

'With adding a few simple substances to Moonraker it can be turned into a deadly gas weapon. The substance I have found in his pocket was synthesized after the example of Moonraker.'

'English, Abbs.'

'Whoever synthesized that, could have only done this when he already was in possession of Moonraker. He put it in this pocket to lead us on his trace. When he was able to do that, he will also be able to synthesize the toxic gas out of the Moonraker powder. Five hundred forty-three grams of Moonraker can produce enough gas to exactly fill the area of NCIS headquarters and the ventilation shafts would be perfect for it. Exactly five hundred and eighty grams were stolen by him…our unknown murderer.'

'Not him', Gibbs said. Abby looked at him. 'You already know who it was?'

'Paloma Reynosa.'

'But she would never be able of-'

'The woman who tortured Tony-'

'Carolina'

'-exactly, Tony told us that Paloma had mentioned that Carolina had studied Chemistry.'

'Then she would be able of doing something like that', Abby said.

'Oh my god, we need to report director Vance! And –'

'Abbs. Calm down. I'll do so. Carry on working on our dead marine. Although I get the feeling he was just a message.' Gibbs left Abby standing in her lab. She went to her desk and took a deep sip of her Caf-Pow.