Chapter 25

Tony and Abby crouch behind a bush that shields them from the exercise yard they had just crossed to get to the perimeter fence. After double checking to see that no one would be able to see them moving along the fence. They swiftly run at a crouch to a place in the fence where it would be easy for them to escape through without cutting the wire. Tony glances back over his shoulder casting a longing look at the window closest to the CO's office. 'It's what he would want us to do.' Abby whispers to him.

'It doesn't feel right.' Tony counters. He opens his mouth to continues but shakes his head. He moves closer to the fence but Abby stops him.

'Tony what?'

'It feels like we are about to make a mistake. Like we're leaving safety.'

'Well we are.' Abby begins making Tony scowl at her. 'But we're doing the right thing, I'm certain of it.' Tony bites his lip nervously but nods.

'Let's go.' Abby leads the way to the exact spot where the chain overlaps.

'Here's to hoping.' She whispers gleefully making Tony rolls his eyes.

'It's not.' He states. 'They're putting more signs up. Don't want to electrocute staff do they?' Abby giggles quietly. Tony joins in keeping his hand up to stay quiet enough.

'Good point.' Abby's nimble fingers separate the two different layers of the wire and holds them open enough so Tony can slip through. Once on the opposite side, Tony takes over holding the wire allowing Abby to slip through. He rearranges the wire back to the original position. They check the partition over and give each other a nod of satisfaction. The pair of children dash over some open ground to hide in the scrub.

'That needs to be wider.' Tony mutters as he nods to the mown strip. 'It took us thirty seconds to run that. One of the staff could do it in 5.'

'We'll tell them when it's all over.' Abby promises. Tony gives her a quick smile and they move carefully through the vegetation. But they don't notice the lone man standing behind a tree. Watching them. Tony stops sensing something but as he looks around he misses the man standing there. Watching them.

Gibbs opens the office door. The door to the empty office. He steps in and walks around the desk and looks at the CO of RIMA. He glares at him. the steel blue gaze that has broken many a criminal and subdued many an agent or Marine. Regardless of rank the Officer shifts uncomfortably under the gaze. 'Where is my son?'

'He was here. Staff Sergeants Hopkins and Sanderson checked on them not…' He glances at his watch. '…thirty five minutes ago.' Gibbs notches up his glare making the Commander even more uncomfortable. 'Have they left a note? Hopkins mentioned they were thinking about testing the security. Could they have run so if Senior did manage to get in he wouldn't find him?' The question is enough to shift the glare away from him. He breathes a silent sigh of relief, both Morrow and Mike throw amused glances towards him.

'That glare is something isn't it?' Mike Franks murmurs. The lead agent gets a smile in reply from the military man.

'They are brilliant. Abby and Tony, they are brilliant.' Gibbs' eyes are shining when he looks up at the three other men.

'Of course they are Probie, you trained them.' Mike replies. 'What have they done?'

'It's not one note.'

'Explain.' Morrow states.

'It's not words written on paper. They left clues.' He pins two papers down his finger. 'Two maps. Different scales. One too close one too far. They've got the middle one.'

'Just right.' Mike states.

'Move the maps, and you find?' Gibbs moves the maps.

'Arrows.' The commanding officer's tone is confused.

'Look to where they are pointing.' Gibbs tilts his head towards the wall. The CO does so.

'Two sets of keys are missing.'

'What are they for?'

'Two different cabins. Hunting cabins in the woods.' Gibbs lifts a set of keys from the desk.

'They hid one set.' Gibbs states the obvious.

'The average person would notice the board but wouldn't be sure which keys they had taken.' Mike adds. 'but a military man or a cop-'

'-would look.' Morrow finishes.

'Especially if it's their family missing.' Gibbs concludes leaning heavily on the desk. The commanding officer holds his hand out. Gibbs looks at the proffered appendage and raises his eyebrow.

'The keys.'

'Oh.' Gibbs hands them over.

'It's the further cabin.'

'What?'

'They're heading to the further cabin.' The CO repeats. 'Like you said earlier, the average person would look at the missing keys, go to the map and think they would be heading to the closer cabin. But instead they're heading to the other.'

'A classic diversion.'

'Are the cabins near each other?' Morrow asks.

'Five maybe seven miles apart. Depends on the route.'

'But they are neighbours.'

'Yea-' realisation dawns on the CO's face. 'They're next door neighbours. The cabin-'

'Will be the first place they will look next.'

Tony leads Abby through a series of bushes following a trail of a dirt path while not straying far from it. Abby tugs on his sleeve. 'Tony, it will faster on the path.'

'But harder to hide.' The young boy counters. 'The bushes grow too close together and too close to the ground.' Abby concedes the point but still would rather be on the path after her clothes get snagged for the umpteenth time. Being an honourary Gibblet, as she calls herself and Tony, Abby grits her teeth and plows on. Tony leads her to a clearing where five different paths meet, six including the difficult path Tony had lead them on. Just off centre of the meeting place Tony and Abby lay their map and compass on the ground.

'Are you sure you know where we are?' Abby whispers, careful to keep her voice low. Tony nods and points to their exact location.

'There.' He murmurs. 'The only place where 5 paths meet.' He lines the compass and map so both point due north.

'Which path?' Tony silently points. 'Sure?' Tony nods once, his ears pricked. Abby notices that something is off. Tony not speaking and his obvious distraction. 'Tony?'

'Shh.' Tony looks down the path they had followed. And sees nothing. he stares down it. Abby looks down it too, but switches her gaze between her brother and the path. Suddenly Tony grabs her hand and pulls her in the direction of the path. 'Run.' He hisses. The two of them speed down the path and just around a corner duck under a large bush, just perfectly sized for two children hiding from an unknown danger.