Gibbs rubbed his temples as he looked at the large screen in MTAC. McGee had been working for several hours trying to narrow down the radius of the GPS signal. The range given was too large. It gave them a rough idea, but Gibbs wanted more specific coordinates. He didn't want to run off half-cocked and scare the kidnappers underground. He'd already suspected that the kidnapping had everything to do with MS-13; if they spooked them before they were close enough to infiltrate, they might not ever see Abby or Janessa again. The group was an unfathomable enigma. They operated above the law in more circumstances than even Gibbs knew. The more Gibbs studied the group and the more information they uncovered, the more perplexed the whole situation became. Too many reputable people were involved, covering up every kind of evidence imaginable and too much money was at stake. Human life no longer mattered. It had become nothing but a commodity to be bought and sold.
"Any luck yet?"
Gibbs turned around to see Tony walk in the room. He had a grave look on his face, but he looked more rested than he had earlier. Gibbs had insisted he and Ziva get some rest. Ziva had taken Aimee under her wing and hopefully the girl was getting some rest as well.
"Not exactly," mumbled McGee, stifling a yawn as he poured over the data on the screen in front of him.
"Whoa, McGeek, you look like crap," said Tony, wielding that bratty smirk that Gibbs often just itched to smack off his face.
"Thanks, Tony," muttered McGee, with an irritated tone in his voice.
"Boss, I can't get it narrowed down in any further. The technology was spotty at best in the first place which was why Abby gave up on it. The battery is pathetic and the locator is even worse. It's no use. I'm sorry," sighed Tim, throwing his hands up in defeat. Gibbs could tell he was exhausted.
Gibbs placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright. Get some sleep, Tim. We'll try again later when your head is clear."
Tim looked up at him skeptically.
"Go on, I mean it. I don't want to see you back here until 06:00 hours. Scram."
Tim stood to his feet and left the room looking defeated. Gibbs didn't expect that the man would get much farther than Abby's lab. Abby had a spot rigged up in her lab where she often crashed and Gibbs figured that was where Tim would head. Tim and Abby were more often than not connected at the hip. Once being romantically involved, they had settled into a close sibling-like relationship. Gibbs knew that Tim was mourning and worrying about Abby's probably even more so than he.
Gibbs turned and looked at the screen once again, feeling more discouraged than he had in a long time. The GPS had given them a 100-mile radius to work with, and it appeared to be highly populated in places which made it virtually useless to them.
"Boss, you should get some sleep too," said Tony, a careful tone in his voice.
Gibbs shook his head. He knew it was the truth. He needed sleep but his mind couldn't rest as long as he knew Abby was in danger. Not to mention little Janessa. All along his gut had been eating at him and wagering an inner battle trying to figure out a way to keep his girl safe. Ever since Abby's car had been blown sky high, a part of him knew that this moment had been one in the making. Like the explosion had started an inescapable series of events that couldn't be stopped until it had followed its way through to completion. Gibbs closed his eyes feeling more than a little weary. His head was pounding. He kept thinking that it was a lack of caffeine that was making him lack clarity. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd had a coffee. His throat felt parched but, in reality, it wasn't coffee he craved it the moment, it was something much stronger. Like whiskey or bourbon. He wanted enough to numb his senses and take away the blistering pain radiating through him and the huge overwhelming feeling of hopelessness that had settled over him. His legs felt weak as he leaned against the nearest wall.
Tony reached out just catching him before his knees gave out on him.
"Boss…Gibbs, you okay?"
Tony helped Gibbs to a nearby chair.
"Yah, just tired, Tony. Just need to rest my eyes for a few moments and I'll be fine."
Gibbs shut his weary eyes; leaning his head back, everything faded into darkness.
—ooOOoo—ooOOoo—ooOOoo—NCIS—ooOOoo—ooOOoo—ooOOoo—
A loud obnoxious beeping noise echoed in his head as his mind struggled to climb out of the pit of unconsciousness. His eyes fluttered for several minutes as he tried to shake the heaviness of sleep from his conscious mind. He rubbed his eyes several times before he realised he was still in MTAC. The screen in front of him was flashing several points on the large map and beeping warnings. Gibbs looked around and saw McGee had resumed his position and was working intently on the monitors around him.
"Boss!"
McGee's voice was filled with excitement as he jumped to his feet.
"I've got it. I have her position!"
Within seconds, Gibbs was on his feet and standing beside Tim and Tony staring at the screen.
"Baker's Field. It's an old abandoned town about an hour from here. The mine closed a couple years ago and most of the farms there were foreclosed upon. Abby and Janessa must be being held in one of those farmhouses."
McGee poked at the screen. "Her GPS gave me a reading right there."
"How close do you think it is, Tim?"
McGee smiled confidently. "Close, Boss. My gut says within 10 miles or closer."
Gibbs started towards the door at a half run. "Gear up!"
—ooOOoo—ooOOoo—ooOOoo—NCIS—ooOOoo—ooOOoo—ooOOoo—
Abby took a sip of the water Mulligan had left for them on the floor. The guy had been faithful to make sure they had water, but not much else. Even Janessa had stopped moving and talking much over the last several hours. She had been crying because she was hungry but her crying had made Mulligan angry and he'd shaken the small child hard enough to make her bite down on her own lip, bloodying it. Abby knew that Janessa had figured out that it wasn't really a game. As much as Abby had tried to keep her spirits up, she couldn't continue it any longer. Abby's fingers had swollen up and the pain made tears come to her eyes. Thankfully Janessa wasn't a strong willed child. She was content to huddle under Abby's arm and stay quiet. Abby's heart was breaking for the little girl. She's also heard the girls' stomach rumbling for quite a while and even Abby was feeling more than a little hungry.
"Can't you get us some food?" asked Abby, breaking the silence in the room.
Mulligan looked up with a piercing glare. "Got none."
"Can't you see she's hungry? She's just a little girl. Have a heart!"
"Can't get blood out of stone, lady. She'll get food when she's delivered to her destination."
Abby pulled Janessa closer as the little girl whimpered.
"I'm a pretty good cook. Why don't you let me see what I can wrestle up out the canned stuff in the kitchen? I saw a bunch of stuff in there. Anything is better than nothing."
Mulligan licked his lips, obviously taking into consideration Abby's request. He had to be hungry too.
"Fine. Go, but no funny business, or I'll start breaking her fingers too."
Abby cringed at his words. She felt like he wouldn't follow through on it though because Janessa would need to be in top condition in order to sell her. Whether she was to be adopted or sold to the highest bidder, people didn't want broken merchandise. Abby, herself, was obviously expendable to them. Fagan had said her knowledge of forensics was useful to them so she didn't figure she would fetch much for them in the sex trade. Young girls and teen were more coveted than adult women.
"Kid, you go outside and find some wood. It's getting cold in here again, and I want to start a fire before sundown tonight. Last night was freezing."
Mulligan pulled a candy bar out of his pocket as an incentive. "If you bring in enough, I'll let you have this chocolate bar.
Janessa perked up somewhat and stood to her feet, looking to Abby for direction.
"It's okay, Nessie. Just outside the door is a barn straight ahead of you. Inside there is a wheel barrel. Just load up some wood in it and try to see if you can push it to the house. If you can't, I'll help you, okay?"
"No, you won't. You go make food. If she can't do it, she doesn't get the candy and I'll smack her. How's that for incentive?"
Janessa stuck out her bottom lip, and Abby could see it trembling as the small girl blinked back tears. Janessa nodded but didn't say anything. Abby silently thought that it was a blessing in some ways that Aimee wasn't with them. Aimee was a fighter and she would have fought Mulligan until he hurt her or even worse.
Once Janessa left the house and headed towards the barn, Abby shut the door and started to walk towards the kitchenette. She had seen cans of food in the cupboards but she wasn't sure she'd be able to find a can opener and, even if she did, she wasn't sure she'd be able to use it anyway. From the corner of her eye, she saw Mulligan sit on the old, ratty chair in the living area. His eyes were on his phone but Abby knew that his reception must be spotty at best. Her instincts were shouting at her that they were very remote. She was trying to stuff that feeling down deep for fear she would lose what little nerve she had left. Being too remote would mean Janessa's bracelet would be useless. Heck, even thinking that Tim would notice that Aimee had the bracelet was remote. Hope was fleeting no matter how she looked at it. She wanted to cling to a little hope; the longer time worn on, she was losing hope in there being any hope.
Abby wiped at tears that escaped down her cheeks. Sniffling softly, she willed herself to keep focussed on the matter at hand. One thing at a time; they needed some sustenance. Abby scanned the cupboards and a small smile pulled at her lips through her tears. She'd been right. Whoever had lived there had left plenty of provisions behind. Abby figured most, if not all of it, was outdated, but she also knew that the amount of salt in the canned food would have kept it from spoiling for several years after the expiry dates. She pulled out preserved vegetables, salmon, tuna, potatoes, and pasta and placed the cans on the counter. Her stomach growled loudly in anticipation. If she could manage to get the cans open, they would have a feast tonight.
—ooOOoo—ooOOoo—ooOOoo—NCIS—ooOOoo—ooOOoo—ooOOoo—
Tony set off on foot towards the old abandoned barn. Behind him, McGee and Gibbs were spreading out and staying low. They'd checked two previous properties and had turned up nothing but a bunch of angry raccoon families. As Tony approached the barn, he peeked inside a peephole seeing nothing out of the ordinary. He didn't figure he's find anything inside except some other animals angry at being disturbed in their natural habitat. Tony made eye contact with Gibbs who nodded his permission for Tony to enter the barn. They had to do everything by hand signals and eye contact just in case someone was hiding. They needed to stay as quiet as possible until they knew that the coast was clear. Tony pulled the side door open on the rickety out building. As he took a few steps inside, he heard a flurry of wings above his head and he ducked instinctively as a group of pigeons flew out the door screeching angrily. His heart jumped to his throat from the scare. One thing Tony wasn't was a country boy. He'd been born and raised in the city. Barns and getting dirty was not his forte. He much preferred fine dining and chardonnay to buttermilk and grandma's homemade casserole.
Shaking off the sudden jolt, he forced his eyes to adjust to the dimness in the barn. It smelled of a mixture of moldy hay and animal feces. Tony couldn't help but wrinkle up his nose in disgust. He turned on his heel to see Gibbs enter behind him. He edged his head towards another door and proceeded to open it softly. His eyes widened when he entered the room. He spun on his heel and poked his head out the door once more, motioning to Gibbs then ducked back inside. Curled up in the hay with two kittens was a very dirty Janessa. She was sound asleep, and Tony stood staring at her in disbelief. How could it have been this easy?
"Don't disturb her just yet, DiNozzo," whispered Gibbs. "Stay here; McGee and I will continue searching around the place. Maybe Abby is behind door number two."
"Boss, Abby wouldn't leave Janessa alone if she had a choice."
"I know, Tony. Believe me, I know."
Tony carefully sat down in the hay so as to not wake up the sleeping girl. One of the kittens opened its eyes and softly meowed, making its way towards him. Tony smiled as the small ball of fur crawled all over him looking for some love and attention. It certainly wasn't feral. It was obvious the kittens had been held since before their eyes opened. They were very affectionate creatures. Maybe this farm wasn't abandoned like the others. Anyone who took the time to handle kittens with kindness couldn't be all bad, could they? Tony scooped up the kitten and petted its softness. The small creature began purring loudly with pleasure. Before long, the other kitten awoke and made its way towards him as well. Tony wouldn't have called himself a cat person, but he had to admit the small little creatures were endearing.
Tony couldn't be sure how much time went by before Gibbs and Tim poked their heads back inside the room. The room was surprisingly bright considering the time of day.
"Any luck?"
Gibbs shook his head. "Nope."
Tony watched as Gibbs knelt down and gently shook the sleeping little girl.
"Janessa, wake up," Gibbs said softly.
The little girl's eyes fluttered. Her face went white when she saw Gibbs' face and she burst into tears, launching herself into his arms. Gibbs embraced her.
"You did find us!" she exclaimed in a loud voice. Tony recognised her tears as happy tears. The small child looked visibly relieved. "Abby said it was a game of Hide-and-go-Seek, but I didn't believe her anymore because that bad man made me bite my lip. See?" She poked out her lip making Tony chuckle under his breath. "But you came, Mr. Gibbs. That means you win. I'm gonna run and tell Abby!" Janessa tried to jump out of Gibbs' arms but he held her tightly.
"Hang on, Janessa. What game are you talking about?"
Tony caught on much quicker than he figured Gibbs would. Abby had made it all a game for the small child so she wouldn't be as frightened.
"The game, Boss. We won! Isn't that fantastic?"
A small subtle wink seemed to grab Gibbs' attention. "Uh, right. The game. Where is Abby, Janessa?"
He still had a looked of confusion on his face but Tony was glad to hear him play along.
"In the house. I was supposed to get firewood, but I can't lift the wheelbarrow even when it gots no wood. That bad man said he's gonna smack me, so I didn't go back. I don't think he plays nice games. Abby's bleeding." Janessa reached for one of the kittens and Tony handed her one.
"Can I keep one of the kittens as a prize, Mr. Gibbs, please?"
This time Tony did chuckle out loud earning him a piercing glare from Gibbs. Tony tried to wipe the grin off his face but he couldn't help it. Janessa's childlike innocence was too sweet. After all the kid had been through the last several days, she was still was so innocent. Tony watched a series of emotions cross Gibbs' face as he looked at the little girl. Gibbs stroked her hair gently and quietly. Tony chewed his lip waiting for an answer and some kind of instructions.
"Boss?" prompted Tim, who was also chomping at the bit for action.
Tony had noticed how Tim's face changed when Janessa had mentioned Abby was bleeding.
"How many people are in the house, Janessa?"
"Just that bad man. His name is Mulletgun. The other two mans left yesterday. One of them is Abby's friend. He dresses real nice. Kinda like you, Tony. You know, Mr. Gibbs, that bad man in the house…well, he gots some black pictures on his skin." Janessa started pointing to different parts of her body to indicate where she had seen the tattoos. "Do you think he drawed them pictures with sharpies?"
Tony bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing again.
Gibbs stood to his feet and scooped Janessa up in his arms. Tony stood as well. Just as Gibbs opened his mouth to say something, the familiar sound of a vehicle pulling in the laneway came to their attention silencing them. Tony moved quickly to get a good look. Muffled voices were heard as the occupants of the car vacated the vehicle and headed towards the farmhouse. Within minutes all they heard was silence again.
"What'd you see?" asked Gibbs.
"Two more men, Boss," said Tony.
"McGee, I want you to stay here with Janessa and lay low. Tony and I are going to infiltrate the house-"
"Boss…Abby…" McGee's voice trailed off as Gibbs handed Janessa into his arms. Gibbs gave the younger man a piercing yet sympathetic look which spoke volumes before nodding his head towards Tony and disappearing out the door.
Tony stopped for several moments and looked closely at McGee standing stock still with Janessa in his arms. The little girl was lightly patting Tim's face which struck Tony was such a sweet scene. It was almost as if the small girl understood how Tim was feeling in that moment. For all the times Tony teased and poked fun at McGee, he had a lot of respect for the man. Tim genuinely loved Abby, and the two of them had a bond that Tony had never seen before between a man and a woman that wasn't based on physical intimacy.
Tony placed an encouraging hand on Tim's shoulder and smiled at him.
"We'll get her back, Tim."
Tim nodded quietly as gritted his teeth and pulled Janessa closer to his chest. Tony patted his shoulder and disappeared out the door after Gibbs.