Here's another chapter for you guys. I just looked at the published date of this story and saw that this was published 5 months ago. 5 MONTHS! And I've enjoyed writing every minute of it. Don't worry, it's not the end. I've got a way to go. If any of you have any ideas of how this should go, please review me your ideas; this plot is flexible.

Chapter 11: Absolute Zero

As soon as Gibbs had left the Starbright home, he drove straight back to HQ. His team was waiting for him.

"Good news boss," Tony said, running up to his boss as Gibbs stepped out of the elevator, "McProspector's struck gold."

"I checked Malkey's phone records. In the past three days, he's made three calls to a number under Cartwright's name." McGee said after shooting a glare at Tony.

"Trace it."

A few seconds later, a dial tone rang throughout the bullpen, coming from McGee's computer.

"Hello?" A feminine voice answered.

Gibbs had been surprised. For a second, he'd almost expected no-one to answer. "Janice Cartwright, This is Special Agent Gibbs."

There was a pause, "NCIS?" Janice asked. She paused, then laughed, "I thought you would call…My boss has a message for Alex."

Gibbs looked to McGee. The agent mouthed 'Almost' back. Gibbs needed to keep her talking.

"Alex isn't here." Gibbs said, "What do you want from him?"

"My boss wants him dead, simple as that," her voice turned audibly poisonous, "Tell Alex: 'This time, we will not miss.'"

Then, she hung up. Gibbs looked to McGee expectantly but guilt was written all over his agent's face.

"Sorry boss, not enough time."

xxxAlexNCISxxx

Alex was avoiding Jack, eating a small lunch and then escaping to the confines of his room. He stayed there, throwing a tennis ball, thinking hard. Somehow, the metronome thump, thump, thump of the ball hitting the wall was calming him down and he needed to be calm to think straight. Alex didn't know what to do about SCORPIA, and that frustrated him the most. There were bits and pieces of the murders that he understood, and some that he didn't. Why was SCORPIA playing this dying game? Didn't Blunt tell them to back off? Why are they so complacent about having Janice be so traceable? Bit and pieces of a puzzle, but not the complete picture.

Gibbs had called him from HQ to tell Alex that they had found more information on Janice Cartwright, if that was her real name. Gibbs didn't want to mention the call so he stayed clear of any indication that there was contact involved. He didn't think the message would evoke a positive reaction from the boy.

"Apparently, she was James Malkey's fiancée; we found papers. She doesn't seem to be trying hard to stay hidden."

"Which means, either she'll turn up dead soon, or SCORPIA doesn't think she'll talk," Alex had muttered into the phone dejectedly. "They're not going to leave any loose ends."

"Don't assume anything. Always check your facts."

"What?"

"It's a personal rule."

"From what I know of them, it's still pretty likely."

"We'll just have to get to her first," Gibbs had replied. Alex heard the man pause before he continued talking, "Don't think of doing anything stupid, Alex."

Gibbs had sounded as worn as Alex felt. "I'm not going to do anything."

"Because you truly won't, or because you can't?" Gibbs asked. When he didn't get a reply, he sighed, "If you want, I'll be there in twenty." He had hung up without saying goodbye.

Alex now stared at the clock; five minutes had passed since Gibbs' call. The small room suddenly felt cramped and suffocating. Alex pushed open the window and looked into the enclosed backyard below him.

Fifteen minutes later, Alex heard the doorbell ring.

Downstairs, Jack opened the door to find Gibbs standing on the doorstep. "Alex called you?" she suspected, opening the door wider. Why would Alex want to talk to Gibbs only a few hours after he left?

"No," Gibbs said curtly, "I called him."

Alex, hearing Gibbs' heavy footfalls in the living room, got dressed quickly and hurried downstairs. Gibbs greeted him with a short nod that answered the boy's unasked question. Nothing, yet.

They arrived at NCIS headquarters to find the team hard at work, but Alex looked at each face and saw that they were exhausted. Tony looked up from his computer and waved at Alex. "Hey dude." He called.

Alex returned the wave and went to sit at Gibbs' desk.

"We've tried tracing the call again and again but she keeps hanging up."

"Hmmm…" Gibbs looked at Alex.

"Where's the hope she'll call us this time?" Tony joked.

"This time?" Alex said, perking up, "What do you mean? You've been in contact with her already?" Alex looked at Gibbs accusingly, "Gibbs…"

Gibbs turned to Tony and slapped the back of his head.

"Were you able to trace the call?" Alex asked. Finally, he thought, they weren't at a dead end anymore.

He was greatly disappointed when McGee shook his head. "She hung up before we had time."

"Did she say anything?"

"She had a message for you, Alex," Gibbs said, watching for a reaction, "She said, 'This time, we will not miss.'"

Alex knew exactly what the threat meant and felt his heart push against his ribs, against his stitches, almost as if it was trying to escape. This time, we will not miss. He saw, in everyone's eyes, that they knew what it meant too. He could also see that they were waiting for his reaction.

"Gibbs?" he asked, looking for help.

Gibbs glanced down at Alex, his face blank. "We'll make sure nothing happens to you. Rule #16: If someone thinks they have the upper hand…break it!"

Thinking about it, Alex realized that he couldn't have put it any better.

Sorry this chapter is slightly shorter than usual. As I said above, I'm open for new ideas. This is for you guys. Any changes? Anything to add? What happens next? You decide for the next chapter.

Till next time,

Warriorette 12