A/N. Here's more, as promised. I don't use a beta and my brain is zoning out a bit so apologies for any typos. Enjoy…
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'Abby! Abby!' McGee yelled frantically, but there was no response. He turned to look at Tony and Ziva. 'I think Vance has Abby,' he informed them.
'Shit,' DiNozzo declared loudly, 'to hell with secrecy, we need to get her back. Grab your gear, let's go.' He ran up the stairs to where Ducky continued to carry on a conversation with an unconscious Gibbs. 'Ducky, can you stay here all night?' he asked.
'Why yes,' the doctor agreed immediately, 'when you told me about Jethro's condition earlier, Mr Palmer volunteered to stay with my mother in case I was needed here. I'm sure they'll be…'
'Thanks Ducky,' the senior field agent cut him off , 'If there's any trouble, call Fornell. Don't trust anyone at NCIS except us. We'll be back as soon as we can. Look after him Ducky.' He ran back down the stairs and out into the driveway, where Ziva already had the car ready. He climbed in and the car immediately reversed out of the driveway and zoomed off down the street.
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Ziva drove the car at speeds Tony hadn't even thought possible as she covered the few short miles to the NCIS building. McGee was looking decidedly green when they arrived. Nonetheless, he exited the vehicle as quickly as the others and the three rapidly covered the distance to Abby's lab. As they feared, it was totally empty. The lights and instruments had been turned off and the cell phone had been turned off and placed on Abby's desk. It looked like Abby hadn't been down here tonight at all. Fortunately, the team knew better.
'Pull the video surveillance McGee,' DiNozzo ordered. 'Ziva, help him look through it. I need to know what time Vance left and what he was driving. Abby was on the phone when he caught her and he knew it, so he won't have had time to cover his tracks. He needed to get out of the building before we arrived.'
'What about you?' Ziva asked.
'I'll be in MTAC.'
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'Get me SECNAV, now,' DiNozzo ordered the technician on duty as he stormed into the communications centre.
'Sir, it's four a.m.,' the technician protested, 'you'll have to wait until…' Tony didn't even wait for the sentence to be finished. Turning on his best Gibbs stare, he moved his face until it was only inches away from the technician's.
'I have a gun and I'm not afraid to use it. GET. ME. SECNAV. NOW.'
'Yes sir,' the technician gulped and put the call through. Within about ten minutes, the secretary of the navy appeared on screen. It was obvious that he had just been woken up.
'Special Agent DiNozzo, if this is about…' the man began but was cut off by Tony, who had no time for an argument.
'No sir,' DiNozzo answered, knowing what the question was going to be before it was asked. 'Abby Sciuto's been kidnapped.' He paused for a second. 'By Director Vance,' he added. 'I realise how ridiculous this must sound, sir, but please hear me out.' The SECNAV nodded.
'You'd better start at the beginning,' he sighed, 'and you'd sure as hell better not be making this up.'
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'The technician said Tony left MTAC over ten minutes ago,' McGee informed Ziva as he hung up the phone. Between the two of them they had examined footage from all the surveillance cameras between Abby's lab and the parking garage and had pieced together the director's movements. Having somehow knocked their friend unconscious, Vance had slung Abby's arm over his shoulder and dragged her down to the parking garage. If you didn't look too closely, it appeared as though the director was simply escorting a tired and overworked employee out of the building.
'Bastard,' McGee had said when saw the footage. Vance had thrown the forensic specialist into the back seat of his NCIS issue car and driven away as though it was the most natural thing in the world. Ziva's reaction had been more practical. She had recalled from Director Shepard's files that during the extended surveillance, a GPS tracking device had been fitted to Vance's car. Consultation of the surveillance team's reports had revealed the tracker's ID number and McGee had soon been able to locate the car, travelling south-west on the I-95. They needed to get on the trail as soon as possible but now DiNozzo had disappeared.
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Tony had left MTAC with the promise of all the backup he needed and had been on his way back to Abby's lab when he had decided instead to duck into the bathroom in the corridor outside. He needed a minute to think. He ran some warm water and washed it over his face.
'What the hell are you doing, Tony?' he asked himself, 'You're going to get them all killed.' He stared at himself in the mirror for what seemed like an eternity before finally losing it. 'Goddamn idiot!' he yelled, punching his reflection hard enough to cause the glass to shatter.
'Tony?' McGee asked hesitantly. He had been on his way to find his friend when he had heard the yelling and followed the sounds into the bathroom.
'I should never have left her here by herself. I should have known something like this would happen,' Tony confessed. He figured McGee was about to tell him the same thing anyway and he might as well save him the trouble.
'You're doing a good job, Tony,' DiNozzo's eyes widened as he heard McGee's reply. 'Hindsight is always 20/20.'
'Gibbs would never have left her alone,' DiNozzo replied, not ready to get rid of his guilt just yet.
'Well as you're so fond of telling us,' McGee retorted, 'you're not Gibbs. Since we're on the subject though, Gibbs would never second guess himself either. Besides, we don't have time for this now, we need to find Abby.' DiNozzo sighed, then smiled slightly.
'You'll make senior field agent yet, McGee. You're right – I need to stop second-guessing myself and focus on the case. How's the search coming?'
'We know where he is,' McGee answered, 'that's what I was coming to tell you.'
'Then what the hell are we waiting for? Let's go get her back.' DiNozzo marched out of the bathroom with McGee right behind him.
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