Chapter 11 - Dead or Alive?
After Tony and McGee had gotten all of the information they needed, they drove back to Kate's apartment. Abby and Ducky were waiting for them; Kate had fallen asleep on her bed after Ducky ordered her to get some rest.
"Well?" Abby asked Tony and McGee as they walked in the door. "What did you guys find out? Please tell me you know where Gibbs is! And why don't I like the looks on your faces?"
Neither agents said anything; Tony found something very interesting on the opposite wall and McGee stared at his shoes.
"Please, Timothy, Tony, you need to tell us what has happened to Jethro," Ducky said.
Tony sighed. "Ok, here's what we know. They heard Gibbs checking in with Kate, and Gibbs let something slip that he shouldn't have. They followed Gibbs to his home and waited until he was asleep, then broke in. Being the Marine he is, Gibbs put up a good fight. But he couldn't handle all three of them. Two guys held him down while the other one kept hitting him until they knocked him out. He probably has broken ribs - if he's still alive," Tony said as his voice drifted off.
McGee continued, "They said they threw him in a truck and started driving. For a while they thought they had already killed him, but eventually Gibbs moved or something. They ended up in Pennsylvania - some place called Mohnton - in the middle of no where. They dragged Gibbs into the woods and tied him to a tree. There was no way he could have escaped. They thought that if internal bleeding didn't kill him, he would eventually freeze to death and…" McGee stopped talking as his voice cracked.
Abby and Ducky were speechless. Ducky went to Abby and pulled her into a hug, but Abby pushed away from Ducky when she saw Kate standing in the hallway. She had tears streaming down her face.
"No," Kate whispered. "Not Gibbs! He can't be dead. It's impossible, Gibbs would never do that! I can't lose him, I've never told him!"
Tony went to Kate and put his arms around her. "We're still going after him, Kate. There's still a chance that he's alive, ok? We can't give up hope just because of what those two idiots said. You have to be strong for Gibbs. He needs you to be strong now, Kate. We'll get him. Shhhh," Tony said as Kate cried into his shirt.
McGee walked to Tony and Kate and put a hand on Kate's shoulder. "We've got directions to where Gibbs is, Kate. Tony and I will find him. I promise."
Tony and McGee had started off towards the door when Kate grabbed McGee's arm. "There is no way in Hell that I'm staying here. I'm coming along to get Gibbs. And I'd like to see you try and tell me that I'm not."