Now, I know it's been a while and I'm sorry for the wait but here is the chapter and i hope you enjoy it. Poor Tony is having a bad time of it though hehe

Chapter 8

Walking had become a tiring task, hell simply standing upright was draining what little strength he had, but he needed to continue on, to make sure that Mark hadn't got to his team. He'd spent the night stumbling through what seemed like an endless forest, the low braches whipping his face and chest as they brushed past, he'd quite literally fallen off the path a good few hours ago.

Rolling down into a small river hadn't been his best move of the night and one that had left him shivering, but at least he was vaguely clean now. After pulling himself up with a new collection of scrapes and bruises, he continued on. Determination the only thing keeping him going.

Now, hours later his eye lids sagged in exhaustion and he meandered further through the looming trees, no direction in mind but getting back to D.C.

Except, he didn't exactly know which direction he was going in, or which state he was even in.

While he'd been thinking he hadn't realised that the ground beneath his bare feet had flattened out until a sharp pain shot through his foot and upwards towards his brain. Looking down he questioned whether or not the gravelled path was real and not a figment of his imagination.

But looking down then suddenly around to see where he was turned out to be a mistake, the fast movement coupled with hunger, thirst and exhaustion took him down like a stone.

Only dulled sounds made it through the haze of his mind, a bright light shone through for a moment and blurred figures moved between him and the light, the his vision darkened and he slipped blissfully into nothing.

The last few feelings he had was one of movement and that he'd failed his team because he wasn't strong enough...

x-X-x

Mark stomped into the facility where Tony had been held and had to cover his mouth at the destruction that stared back at him.

Equipment, paper and boxes filled with medicines were strewn about, blood splattering all of them. The people he had hired lay dead at his feet, eyes staring and boring through him.

Mark cursed and walked away, leaving the mess behind, hoping that none of it could be linked to him. He dialled his phone and made a very important phone call, one that would get him Tony back easily.

Knowing that there would already be an APB out for Tony he just updated the one that was already out. Sniggering to himself he made his way to the local police department or sheriff's office, waiting for the person in question to be delivered to him. Well, he hoped it would anyway.

x-X-x

"Boss, we just got word of the APB out on Tony being changed." McGee called out through the silence that had descended upon them in the early hours of the morning.

"What, where?"

"Pendleton County Sheriff's Office, West Virginia."

Finally, they had a place to start. They all rushed around their desks and were out of the bullpen with a flash. Gibbs was also on the phone trying to find out who had changed the APB on his Agent and getting it changed back to missing Agent rather than wanted fugitive.

However, they had a feeling that it was Mark and it only left them feeling that maybe Mark was closer to their friend than they were and they hated it.

They needed to get there first, no matter what.

No matter the speed Gibbs' devil like driving could go, they were still miles away and it would take the better part of a couple of tension filled hours to get there.

x-X-x

The next time Tony woke up, he found himself in a warm haze of dulled pain and strange surroundings.

Forcing his eyes open wider the light that shone back at him had him squeezing them tightly shut again. Testing his muscles he shifted around a little on what felt like clouds, fibres awakened and his muscles stiffened as hard as stone, every small movement sent lightning bolts of pain throughout his entire body.

Forcing himself up anyway he wandered around his new room. It was sparsely but warmly decorated, the bed he had previously been sleeping on was the centre piece of the room, and simple desk was pushed up under the window to the left of the bed, a jug and a glass of water on the edge of the desk.

The window, he noticed, was also open and on the same level as the ground.

Perfect.

Rallying all the energy he could and hoping that the occupants of the house were asleep; he took a long drink of the refreshing water, dressed in the clothing that had been left out and climbed out of the window. Though not before writing a small note for the people that had obviously redressed his wounds and gave him somewhere to sleep for the remainder of the night, on a note pad that had also been left in one of the draws of the desk.

Turning back for a moment at the house he tried to memorize it so he could come back and thank them properly later on. He needed to make sure his team was safe first, anything else could come later.

Finding open fields he begun to walk again, his muscles protested but he ignored the pain in them and in his leg, and this time, that he was at least a little closer to civilisation.

He would find his way to the nearest police department as that was his best bet for people who could actually help him. Though first if he were to come across a phone box he would let Gibbs know that he was still alive and to make sure the team were safe.

However, what he didn't know was that the police station he was heading for held the person he really didn't want to see at the moment...

TBC

Hehe what am i like to our poor Tony and who is going to get where first, either way lol enjoy... and please review.