PAST TENSE
Chapter 2:
Upon Tony and Ziva's arrival at the office, Gibbs was already pacing. "Nice of you both to show up", he mumbled sarcastically. Tony refused to go to the doctor, he didn't wish the wrath of Gibbs on anyone. Plus Ziva had him so dosed up on Tylenols and some home-made potion of unknown origin that he was pretty much out of it anyway.
Abby had managed to trace six addresses linked to the suspect they had discovered via the DNA sampled from the fingernail. They'd also found out that all three women had been drugged somehow, which would explain the similarity of their wounds – they were unable to try to fight off their attacker. Fortunately, none of them had been raped which didn't fit the profile. It seemed they were killed and their bodies dumped for no apparent reason. The suspect they had linked this to was Daniel Sparks, an ex-marine cadet, who failed to complete his training at Quantico. A small man, it had been discovered that he'd been abused as a child, and as a result developed an unhealthy attitude towards women. He didn't communicate well with anyone and had lied about being engaged to his girlfriend. She, apparently, didn't even exist.
Gibbs wanted Tony and Ziva to check out three of the addresses, while he and McGee were to check out the others. So no sooner had they arrived at the office did Gibbs intend on sending them right back out again.
Tony started coughing again, which in turn made his throat feel even worse, if that was at all possible. As he sat at his desk preparing to get up and leave with Ziva, he noticed his nose had started to bleed. Ducky walked into the bullpen right at that moment and immediately noticed, promptly going to his aid.
"Here, you just sit back and take a deep breath – there, that's it", he was taking control and Tony relaxed just a little. "I think I should do a chest x-ray and run a blood test to make sure you haven't developed pneumonia, your lungs are quite possibly still weakened from the Y-Pestis. You should have come to me sooner, Anthony". Ducky was seriously concerned for poor Tony.
Gibbs witnessed this and was quick to suggest it could wait. "Sorry Duck, DiNozzo – I need you to check out those addresses first, then as soon as you get back I'll make sure you get those tests". Gibbs hated himself as soon as he said this, but knew that every minute they wasted could potentially be the death of another victim. They were running out of time as the three murders had all taken place on this day, a tuesday, exactly three weeks apart between the hours of 6 and 8 pm. If Daniel Sparks truly was their killer, then they had to act fast.
Ducky merely looked at him as he left the bullpen, taking Tony's bloodied tissue with him to the lab – perhaps they could at least start by running a test from it. 'Save the poor boy any further discomfort' he thought to himself as he entered the elevator.
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Riding in the car with Ziva, Tony was lightheaded and shivery. "Ziva, I need to get some water", he pointed to a mini-mart on the opposite side of the road.
"I'll go in Tony, you wait here".
"No, really, I need to move," he responded as he awkwardly stretched, followed by another cough.
"Then we both go. I'll park…right… here…!" She swung the car into a spot right out the front of the store. Tony figured he really must be sick, because her crazy driving wasn't affecting him anymore.
As they walked into the store, Ziva protectively placing her arm around Tony, a lone figure stocking up on minor food supplies watched them carefully from his place behind one of the aisles. He recognized the man from somewhere, the woman not so much but her striking beauty took his breath away. He watched them, noting their moves and trying to hear what they were saying. It was obvious the man was ill, the woman perhaps was his lover? Colleague? The man moved slowly towards them, keeping his eyes on the handsome couple arguing over which bottle of water to purchase.
"Tony it really doesn't matter, just pick one, yes?" Ziva was starting to lose her patience. Plus there was a creepy little man watching her, she sensed it as soon as they entered the store. She wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible, whereas Tony seemed to be taking his time in choosing which bottle to buy. In actual fact he was so lightheaded all the bottles looked the same to him.
"Red Bull? I thought you wanted water", was Ziva's surprised response to what he had chosen.
"Ah, actually I thought it was water… another time perhaps?" Tony raised an eyebrow and Ziva grabbed the Red Bull from him and switched it with a large bottle of water. She could have sworn he was flirting with her, despite being so sick. Somehow it didn't surprise her, this was Tony DiNozzo after all.
As they paid and exited the store, the man watching them walked up to the counter to purchase his goods. His eyes followed them as they got into a nearby car. He memorized the license plate as they drove off. He smiled at the cashier as he paid for his supplies, but more for himself than the cashier. All of a sudden he wasn't so depressed about going home to an empty place – because it wasn't going to be that way for long.
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The first address they visited ended up being a vacant lot, as were all the lots around it. The second address held potential. They pulled up out the front of an old, dilapidated apartment building, about 10 stories high with all of the windows either missing or boarded up. If anyone still lived there, they were most likely squatters or itinerants. The front lawn was a mess of splintered boards and broken glass, what used to be the pathway was worn with weeds poking through the cracks. A front door no longer occupied the entry into the lobby.
Tony and Ziva slowly entered the building, adjusting their eyes to the darkness within. Their only source of light came through the missing windows and cracks between those that were boarded up. An eerie glow was cast on the walls and floor before them, and silent dust particles floated in the air. Tony found his flashlight as did Ziva and they nodded at each other as Ziva led the way into the first apartment, rats scattering as they did so. The room was empty, peeling paint on the walls and torn up cardboard boxes was all it held.
"Rats. I hate rats", Tony coughed and tried to clear his throat. "Ziva you want to check under those cardboard shreds?"
"Me? Why me?" Ziva glared at him.
"Because I hate rats OK. What if there is still one under there?"
"Oh, poor Tony, scared of a little rodent… you are feeling much better, yes?" she noticed he was more coherent, and had been coughing less. He was however, still very pale and the fact that he hadn't shaved that morning made his face seem even paler as it contrasted with the dark stubble on his chin.
"Actually, I seem to have a sudden burst of energy and my throat isn't as sore." He coughed slightly, rubbing his chest. "What was in that potion you made me drink this morning?"
Ziva smiled at him, a mischievous smile, because he really didn't want to know.
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The lonely man walked up the street with his groceries. He had been thinking about the dark haired beauty he'd seen in the store all the way home. As he headed towards his apartment building, he immediately noticed the car he'd seen her and the man with the cough get into out the front of the convenience store. He smiled as he recognized the license plate. 'Oh, this is going to be easier than I thought, she came right to me!' He hurriedly walked to the vehicle, peering in through the closed windows. Nothing to give away who they were except for – wait – a black cap with the letters NCIS lay on the floor in the back partially hidden by the seat in front of it.
'So, they are military Feds. This WILL be fun' he got excited thinking of how the exotic woman would probably try to fight him off. He tiptoed into the deserted building, quietly moving in the direction of his dwelling. 'Not long now, he thought. I best prepare for company' so he sat, syringe in hand, silently waiting their arrival.
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Ducky checked the results of the test he did on the small amount of blood he managed to use from Tony's nose bleed. "Oh dear" was all he muttered under his breath, as he hastily reached for his cell phone to call Gibbs.
An abrupt "Yes" was all Gibbs said as he answered his phone whilst driving.
"Jethro, we have a problem. It appears young Anthony has developed a mild strain of the Y-Pestis he was infected with last year," Ducky kept talking. "In fact, it was this day exactly one year ago that he contracted it, now it seems to have reactivated itself. I have Abby running another test on the small blood sample I retrieved from his bloodied nose earlier this morning, and as far as we can tell he is not contagious, but we do need to find out if it has an expiry time like before. Jethro I don't need to tell you how important it is that we find him and get him to a hospital".
"Damn!" Gibbs slapped the steering wheel as he abruptly turned the car back in the direction from which they had come. McGee clutched the dashboard and simply asked 'Boss?" as he took in his mentor's grim expression.
TBC…
