"Are you sure?" Gibbs asked.
"Yes, I'm sure that this isn't the full code. There's supposed to be a machine that translates all of this. I new the code at one point, but I can't remember it now and there doesn't seem to be any other code clues. So now we have two hundred coded answers, and I have to translate it from the ancient greek then figure out what the heck the other code is. And more coming in." Nico glared at the machine.
"Don't you guys use this?"
"I know Connor does." He rubbed his forehead. "Which is why I called him. But he was still on the plane when I called at four this morning."
"I thought he wasn't leaving until this morning?" Abby asked.
"He got offered an earlier flight, with a free upgrade to first class because there was a problem with the booking. He should have gotten in at eight. It's nine. But I don't want to call him. He's probably exhausted." Nico ran a hand through his hair.
"You been here all night?" Gibbs asked.
"I couldn't sleep and Abby was already here."
Abby nodded. "Maybe an Atbash Cipher?"
"Try it."
He started organizing the responses by the who sent them and what cabin they belonged to. The ones from Apollo kids would get precedence. They would have the cleanest work stitching and removal. The injuries they treated would be practically flawless.
"Hey, thought I'd bring him right down." McGee gestured to the person behind him.
Connor smiled. "I brought coffee."
"The Atbash cipher failed. Connor!" Abby managed to hug him before Nico could.
"Hey Abby," Connor smiled. "I brought you some CaffPow."
"Oh! You're so sweet." She took it with a smile. "Your machine hates us."
"My machine?"
"I left you a message." Nico told him, quickly hugging Connor as he passed. He had to figure out what the heck this message said. "The radio thing. Where is your translator for the code?"
"I'm the translator."
"Seriously?"
"You've got the greek part," Connor said, looking at one of the reports. "It's just a Caesar Shift Cipher with four letters that don't shift since it came to mine."
"What?" Nico couldn't help but think that sounded familiar.
"Four letters don't change, C, O, N, and R. The others all shift four letters over." He started translating one. "This one says, 'Removed stitches from someone matching description two months ago. D. Green. Cabin eighteen Hebe. No word from him after, stitches done by R. Bell. Take care. Gods be with you.' D. Green. Daniel? Oh man…I forgot about Daniel. Then again I only met him once. Kind of a bleh guy."
"Are you sure about that name?" McGee asked.
"Yeah, there's only been one person with the last name of Green in that cabin since it went up about…eight years ago. Well, there's another one now but she's twelve."
"McGee—"
"On it boss."
Nico frowned. "Bell…Rachel Bell? From cabin six?"
"I think so. That or Rick Bell from cabin 14."
"Which isn't likely." Nico nodded and started applying the cipher that Connor specified to the one he had set aside. "Check my translation, but I think this one says that she hasn't heard from a friend of hers that's here in washington. Perry Malthoy, he's from Cabin 20. She hasn't heard from him in two weeks."
Abby typed it into the computer. "I've got an address for him."
"22 Mercury Drive." Connor said at the same time as her.
"You know him?"
"I know of him. It's where his parents lived when they were alive. They left it to him and he's cellist. He works in a local orchestra." He frowned. "I think I have his phone number." He pulled out his cell phone.
"Call him." Gibbs ordered.
Connor dialed and put it on speaker-phone.
It rang and rang.
Finally it went to messages.
"Hey Perry, it's Connor. Just seeing if you're alive but you didn't answer so some friendly federal agents are going to be coming to check now. Bye." Connor ran a hand through his curly hair.
Nico thought he looked really attractive.
"Get me directions to the house." Gibbs walked out the door.
"Yes, sir." Abby did a few things on her computer. "How was your trip, Connor?"
"Exhausting. Here's the one from Rachel. She says she stitched up two guys. Daniel and another guy an Aaron Blackwell. Not a camper. Seventeen years old. Six foot one, brown hair, heterochromia—one brown eye and one dark blue, dark tan."
"Finally!" Nico darted to the other keyboard to help Abby search for the guy. "See if she'll come in to give us a description. It's important."
"Right." Connor tuned the radio, then sent off a message. "Since this is the most recent transmission she might still be near the radio."
"You don't have her phone number, you seem to have everyone else's."
"I only have some people, I had Perry's number because he's eighteen and alone in the city. We'd get coffee once a month." Connor frowned at another page.
"I've got the cipher in the computer. We can scan them in." Abby grabbed a stack of sheets.
"Then I'll get out of your way. I'll get you guys lunch." Connor squeezed Nico's shoulder. "I can get burritos from that place by our house?"
"The chicken wrap? The one with the apple chunks?" Nico asked.
"Yeah, I can get that for you. Abby, what would you like?"
"Is that the place where you got those cajun wraps?"
"Yeah, you want one of those?"
She nodded.
"Alright, get the agents' orders and text me?"
"Will do, thank you!" Nico called after Connor. He wished he had a chance to just talk with Connor. Alone.
The phone rang.
Nico grabbed it since Abby was busy. "Hello?"
"The house is empty. Looks like a fight. Where would he go if he was in trouble?" Gibbs asked.
"Camp. He would head for camp. On foot, in a car, doesn't matter. He'd head toward Long Island."
"Got it." Gibbs hung up.
The radio started beeping.
Nico darted over and grabbed the paper. "Rachel responded."
"Bring it here."
They quickly translated it.
"She's on her way. We're finally making progress." Nico smiled at Abby.
She grinned. "Told you everything would turn out right."
