Well, it looks like this story is wrapping up as well, it only has about two chapters after this one, thanks to everyone for reading and sticking with it and a few other of my stories especially considering the amount of time between some chapters. Anyway, on with the story and enjoy...
Chapter 9
It was only when he was a fair way away from the house he had been taken to, that he realised he should have at least tried to find a phone or something there, where he'd been relatively safe. But then hindsight was always twenty-twenty. Tony could just hear Gibbs' voice in his head agreeing with him on how stupid he had been.
But there was no time for could of and should of right now, he needed to contact his team and warn them that Mark would try everything to make sure there was no witnesses to anything that had transpired.
The fresh shirt started to cling to his body as the temperature rose along with the sun upwards to what looked like mid-day; he may not be a boy scout like McGee, but he knew where the sun generally was at certain times of day. He smiled despite the fact that he didn't know where he was heading; at least the ground was relatively flat and didn't hold any hidden sharp items or pot holes.
About an hour later, with no clouds in sight, his throat drying up, and nothing but fields or trees for the next mile he changed his direction slightly and headed towards trees hoping that where there was more of them then the more chance he had of finding water.
The sun was relentless as it beat upon his back, as were the pains in his body and the sickly feeling in his stomach. It really wasn't his day today and a few times he had questioned whether he should just go back to the house he'd been in, at least there he had water but he needed to contact Gibbs and get back to civilisation, he'd been out of the loop for...wait how long had it been? Great he muttered under his breath, he didn't even know what day it was.
An ever so slight trickling sound caught his interest and he honed all his senses into finding where it was coming from. After standing still for a moment or two he surmised that it was coming from a north westerly direction where a bunch of trees had gathered. Sure because trees can gather like people, he laughed. Not taking any notice of his footing when the ground dipped slightly his bad leg took most of his weight and almost buckled underneath him, that was when he noticed that it had started to throb more and more we each step he had taken that morning and afternoon. He cursed and recognized the symptoms that meant the infection in his leg had flared up again through a lack of antibiotics.
Focusing on why he was where he was, he remembered the water he thought he'd heard. It only took a few minutes to locate it; a gentle stream of water fell between two trees and rippled over rocks of differing sizes. He winced at the pain that shot through his leg and the rest of his body as he bent down to quench his thirst for now. He really needed to find someone soon so he could contact his team.
It took another hour or so, wandering through a sparse forest and haze, but he made it to an actual road. He breathed a sigh of relief; now all he had to do was wait for a car to go past and hope that the people were friendly and would help him. It might not have been the greatest idea as Mark had said there was more than one group interested in him but it was the only option open to him at the moment. That and he doubted he had the energy to do anything else.
x-X-x
After arriving at the police station, Mark, with his new identity sat relaxing behind a desk waiting for Tony to be found. Nobody in this out of the was police department suspected a thing, he laughed, well he had made himself look different even if there was a BOLO out on him.
The staff had been happy to accommodate him; after all he was looking for a wanted fugitive.
What Gibbs didn't know, however, was that he had suggested that federal agents were helping Tony out so that if Gibbs and the rest were to turn up that he was to be told immediately.
x-X-x
It was by chance that he saw them.
It just so happened that he was looking out of the window that he saw one of the agency cars and politely asked the person that had helped him if they could stop so he could get out.
When he had been found, Tony had immediately asked the lady that had pulled over if she had a phone but it had turned out that her phone was dead. Tony had thought his luck would continue like that so had decided to get a bit of shut eye, they'd hit a small bump which had woke him up and he'd looked around and saw the car at the gas station.
Maybe, the world decided that he deserved at least a little good luck. Whichever he had assured the kind person who had helped him that they were his friends even though he'd not seen one of them yet, she lingered for a bit to make sure he was be okay so now here he was.
Staring at the car and wondering if this was the best idea, he hadn't seen them yet but his gut was telling him it was them. It had to be, right?
He hesitated, which seemed strange as a minute ago he was determined to find them but he'd had time to think through everything fully while resting. What if they thought he was working with Mark?
Well, may as well find out.
x-X-x
Gibbs had been annoyed when they'd needed to stop for gas along the way, but in a way relieved, the atmosphere in the car had been stuffy in the afternoon heat and both Tm and Ziva were getting restless being cooped up in a car for hours. They were tense, worried and ready to kill each other by the time they had stopped.
Seen as they were near their destination anyway, Gibbs decided to show the person behind the cash register a picture of Tony to see if he'd been seen in the area recently.
The man glared. "Haven't you people already been here asking the same thing?"
"We aren't the local police." Gibbs stated simply. The man merely shrugged it off, accepted the money Gibbs gave him and returned the change.
Gibbs stormed out and hoped that Ziva and McGee had finished asking other people in the shop if they'd seen Tony.
Turns out, they had, but they'd received the same response as Gibbs. Shaking their heads at the attitude of the people they had met, they returned to the car, not taking any notice of the surroundings
"Lost something?" A familiar voice asked Gibbs.
Gibbs, Ziva and McGee were startled and Gibbs had to look twice at the man stood by their car.
The man looking at them was dirty and looked exhausted but the smile on his face was all they needed to know who it was.
"Tony."
TBC
Hehe, yay they found Tony...well Tony found them, but what is going to happen now when they get to the police station? How will this all end? Will they convince Tony to seek medical help before they find Mark? Find out in the next chapter...