The phone on Gibbs' desk rang, and Tony jumped to his feet to answer it. According to the screen, the call originated in Abby's Lab. "Hey, Abs!" he greeted. "What do you have?"
There was a pause. "You're not Gibbs," Abby informed him. "Where is Gibbs?"
Tony was surprised that Abby hadn't heard. Gossip usually flew faster than cellular data in the NCIS building, and Abby was ordinarily quite well informed as to the happenings involving her team. "Gibbs, Mac, and Bishop went out looking for our suspect," he informed her.
"Gibbs isn't answering his cell. Is everything okay?" Abby asked in concern.
"They're in the deep woods; probably out of cell phone range. They have a satellite phone, if you really need to talk to Gibbs."
"No," Abby decided. "You'll do. Get down here. I've got something." Tony shook his head as he hung the phone back up, then hurried to the elevator.
When he reached the doorway to the Lab, his nose wrinkled. "Abby? What is that smell?" he demanded, hurrying in to ensure the forensic scientist was all right.
"Tony!" Abby called, coming out of her office. She had a clothes pin affixed firmly to her own nose. "These chemicals stink!"
"I noticed!" Tony reached back to one of Abby's exhaust fans and ensured that it was dialed up to the highest setting. "What on earth is going on in here?"
She gestured to her table, where glass dishes and trays were laid out. "I ran all of the evidence from the warehouse where Andy Schwimmer was shot. There were traces of all sorts of unusual chemicals, which Major Mass Spec was able to identify for me. I remember reading that this Cougar guy is a drug runner, weapons dealer, and all around bad guy, so I wondered if some of these chemicals might be part of the weapons side of his business. I'm still running tests, but if you track down where these chemicals were purchased, that'll get you closer to catching this guy!"
"Then, what is making this horrible smell?" Tony demanded.
Abby shrugged, wincing a little as her clothes pin moved and she accidentally inhaled through her nose. "I'm trying to figure out what their end goal was with these chemicals. None of them make any sense when mixed together; unless it's some strange reaction that happens with the perfect recipe. I got curious, so I tried a few combinations. Unless The Cougar wants to create some kind of stink-bomb, I'm at a loss so far."
"Well, get some fresh air… breathing this in can't be good for you," Tony advised, accepting the list of chemicals she'd handed to him before backing quickly towards the door.
She followed him as he sidled backwards. "I wish MacGyver were still here; let me know the second he gets back, okay? With his background in chemistry, he might have an idea on what this stuff is capable of."
Tony stepped out into the fresher air of the hallway. "I promise, Abby."
She followed him, pulling the door closed behind her. She tugged the pin free, rubbing at the red mark it left on her nose. "Ugh! Tony, you said Gibbs, MacGyver, and Bishop went into the deep woods? What are they doing there?"
"We got a BOLO back on Salazar's car; Mac had some satellite images that showed buildings in the same area. They're going to check it out."
"How deep are these deep woods?" Abby demanded. "Deep enough that they're out of cell phone range, obviously, but where are they?"
"They packed for an overnighter," Tony shrugged. "Mac said something about 'a first-class ticket to MacGyver-Land'…whatever that means."
Abby's eyes widened and she covered her dark lips with her hands. "Oh, poor Ellie!" At Tony's instant concern, Abby waved to dispel her words. "I remember working with MacGyver back when I was in high school, and Mac said the same thing to me… we were lost out there for the better part of two days with a crazy eco-terrorist on our trail and a hungry gator chewing holes in our equipment! I don't know how we made it out of there alive! 'MacGyver-Land' is not the safest place to visit…even if MacGyver himself is with you!"