Sorry about the wait for this again but here we go, enjoy.
Chapter 6
Something was wrong.
He could feel it, feel it twisting through his gut and even seeping into his bones.
He'd normally pace but he couldn't give the rest of the team the impression that he was nervous. He was Gibbs and well…Gibbs never showed what he was feeling, not if it would damage the team's hope. They needed that, especially now.
The only thing they had found in the warehouse had been blood, Tony's blood as a matter of fact.
Nothing else had been found, bar the bleach that still seemed to cling to his senses like a dog gnawed at a bone and the usual things like dust, broken glass. Exactly, what you'd expect to find in an abandoned building.
It was as if Tony and the people who had him hadn't even been there. Just one little drop of blood that stood out in his minds eye like spotting a rescuer in the dark, except they couldn't even do that for Tony. Not as long as they had nothing.
The small hope that had danced in all their eyes a few days ago after finding out about the warehouse had now vanished, and Gibbs hated seeing his team so deflated. He almost wanted to be angry at Tony for putting them all in that position, for putting him in that position but knew that it wasn't fair on Tony.
He hadn't meant nor expected an old friend to turn on him and Gibbs knew that when Tony got a chance to think fully about it, if he got the chance his mind reminded him, then he'd have to do some damage control, if only so that Tony wouldn't hurt himself in the process. No one crossed Tony. He'd been witness to that himself and it wasn't somewhere he'd like to go again.
Feeling eyes on him Gibbs' train of thought stopped and he looked around; both McGee and Ziva were looking at him, concern written on their faces. He glared before he said something he might regret and they both got back to work.
They were all disturbed when Gibbs' cell breeched the silence.
"Gibbs."
At first no one answered and Gibbs was tempted to just throw the phone across the bull pen. But then he heard something that he didn't think he'd hear, it wasn't possible.
"Boss." However something in the voice worried Gibbs, it was tired, strained even.
"Tony, how did you…" Two heads looked across at him and McGee started immediately tracing the call at Gibbs' nod.
"Not important right now…" The voice seemed to fade away. Gibbs was on his feet and pacing, it didn't matter who saw him now. They could get a lead if Tony stayed on the phone long enough.
"Tony, where are you?" When Gibbs heard only breathing on the other side of the line his gut clenched. There was something wrong and Gibbs wasn't close enough to do anything about it.
"I can't…." Can't, can't what Gibbs wondered as the breathing seemed to become more forced. Maybe Tony just didn't know what he was saying. "I don't know."
Damn.
Tracing phones could only go so far, to within a few blocks, maybe hundred meters if you were lucky.
"We will find you, you got that Tony." Gibbs put all his confidence in his voice making sure Tony knew that he was coming and hoped that he was able to do just that. Tony didn't need anyone else lying to him right now.
When he didn't get a response for over a minute he wondered whether the whole call had been a figment of his imagination.
He only caught on to what had happened when McGee cursed and he heard the dial tone in his ear.
They'd lost him again.
"Did we get anything?" Gibbs asked while setting his cell down. He couldn't break it if it was his only link to his agent. What if Tony tried again, but then, what if he couldn't and that was why the line had disconnected.
As it turned out, they weren't that lucky.
"Not much, Boss." McGee stated simply.
Gibbs' anger boiled. "Not much? What do you mean not much?" McGee paled a little but answered.
"We've got a general location, but other than that, nothing."
"How general are we talking, McGee."
"Somewhere in West Virginia."
Gibbs didn't even bother stopping the curse that followed that statement.
It wasn't nearly enough.
West Virginia was huge; it was hard enough trying to find a wayward agent in their own city. They didn't stand a chance, not finding just one person.
"Alright," Gibbs sighed, "inform the local PD and fax them Tony's picture."
Oh, they could try, but in the end they didn't even know who had Tony now or even if anyone did.
If Tony had been calling from a phone or cell then he must have got away.
Right?
The whole thing hadn't been a hallucination born from desperation.
Had it?
A sudden image of Tony walking, alone and injured in the darkness popped up in his mind, with nobody to help him and it damn near killed him that he couldn't follow one of his own moral values.
Never leave a man behind.
TBC
I know that it's another short chapter but I will try to get more out soon. I do have an idea or two popping up for this and another so it shouldn't be too long.