Okay, I got some nice responses for the first chapter so I'm going to post the next one. Readers can expect an update probably every Thursday (in my time) as long as I keep up, which MIGHT not happen and I will apologize for that in advance. Thanks for reading!
Disclaimer- This is the only time I'm going to say it: Of course I don't own it.
"Gear up," Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs commanded as he strode into the bullpen. He grabbed his gun, badge, and keys off his desk. "Guy walking his dog found two dead marines in the woods."
"Where at, Boss?" DiNozzo asked as he and his two coworkers gathered their things.
"Woods are near a residential area in Waldorf, Maryland. Local cops said no one reported any disturbances until now," Gibbs informed them as they stepped into the elevator.
"How close is the crime scene to the nearest houses?" McGee asked.
"I don't know, McGee," his boss replied. "Why don't you figure it out when we get there?"
They parked on the nearest road, grabbed the necessary gear, and followed one of the local cops through the forest to the crime scene.
"McGee, photos. DiNozzo, bag and tag. David, witness statement," Gibbs commanded. Then he walked away to talk with the two policemen.
McGee began photographing the bodies before Ducky started to examine them and then squatted down to run their prints against the portable AFIS scanner.
"Special Agent David, NCIS," Ziva told the dog walker. He was wearing a burgundy tracksuit and held a leash that was connected to a large, panting black dog.
"Casey Donovan," he replied. "I live in one of the neighborhoods near these woods. I take Sully for a walk through here nearly every day. But I usually switch up my routes so this is the first time I've been through here in a while."
"Do you remember hearing any gunshots or seeing anyone suspicious in the area recently, Mr. Donovan?"
"Nah, nothing. Sorry. I just stumbled across these two. Scared the shit out of me. Called the cops."
"Okay, thank you for your help." Ziva nodded, smiled, and strode away.
"Whaddya got for me, Duck?" Gibbs asked, leaning over the elderly medical examiner and the bodies.
"Not a lot at the moment, Jethro. These men perished within minutes of each other. This one here," he pointed the body he was currently examining, "likely suffered a bit before he died. Exsanguination from a gunshot wound to the neck."
"Boss, this is Private First Class José Lopez. He's not on active duty at the moment and he's in the same platoon as this guy here," McGee indicates the other body. "His name is PFC Preston King. Both have family living in Virginia."
"Yes, well," Ducky continued, "Mr. King here did not suffer like his friend. From what I can tell, the young lad died almost instantly from one gunshot wound to the heart. I could not find any exit wounds so I presume the bullets are still in the bodies. They have been dead for only a few hours. I'll know more when I get them back to autopsy."
"Get on it, Duck. We-"
He was interrupted by a shout from DiNozzo, who was now getting help from Ziva in collecting evidence. "Hey!"
"What, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, irritated.
"Boss, Ziva's throwing things at me," Tony whined.
"I am not!" Ziva said indignantly.
"Well you're the only person close enough, Zee-vah!"
"I am NOT throwing things at you, Tony."
"Hey-" Tony stopped when another twig dropped on his head. Everyone looked upwards to the tree Tony and Ziva stood by. A young boy sat on a branch and stared down at them. As they watched, the child dropped another twig on Tony's head.
The boy looked to be about nine or ten and had short dark hair, bright blue eyes, and freckles. He was wearing a blue and white striped polo shirt, blue jeans, and black high-top Converse and holding a book in one hand.
"Hey!" Tony shouted. "Get down here, kid!"
The boy did not respond but instead squeezed his eyes shut.
Gibbs turned to the policemen standing nearby. "Who is this kid?"
The elder of the two shrugged his shoulders. "Dunno. He hasn't come through since we've been here. Must've gotten here before then."
"I never saw him," Donovan stated from his position as far from the bodies as possible. As if in agreement, Sully barked.
"Hey, kid," Tony called again. "I said get down here."
The boy continued to ignore him, eyes remaining shut.
"We'll go see if we can track down his parents in the nearest neighborhood," the first policeman told them. He and his partner started back through the woods.
"Can I go now?" Casey Donovan, the dog walker, asked.
"Yeah, sure," Gibbs replied and man and mutt quickly made their exit. "DiNozzo," Gibbs nodded toward the tree. "Get him down from there."
"What? Why me, boss?"
"Just do it, DiNozzo."
"Yes, Boss!" Tony spit on his hands and rubbed them together dramatically before he began his slow ascent toward the branch on which the boy sat. When he was finally level with it, Tony reached out and put a hand on the kid's arm.
He opened his mouth to speak when the boy let out a piercing scream that nearly shocked Tony into releasing his grip on the tree.
"Jeez," he exclaimed. His colleagues on the ground stared up in shock.
The boy continued to emit piercing shrieks as Tony gripped his arm and pulled him towards him. The child started to struggle and, in the process, dropped his book, which fell and bounced off Ziva's head before coming to rest in a bush. Ziva yelped and Tony shouted as he tried to secure the kid against his hip and climb back down the tree. About halfway, the struggling and screaming child kicked Tony in the crotch and Tony, now in great pain, involuntarily released his grip on him. The boy screamed even louder as he plummeted toward the ground. Gibbs started to run but he knew he wouldn't make it. Only Ziva was close enough and she moved as quickly as she could, trying to brace herself for the impact of the boy. While he couldn't have weighed more than seventy pounds, the speed at which he landed in Ziva's arms caused her to lose her footing anyway and she landed on the brush covered ground with a thud and an "oomf." She broke the child's fall, though, and it knocked the wind out of her. He rolled off of and away from Ziva and stopped screaming, curling into a fetal position in the dirt.
Tony finally collected himself enough to climb down the rest of the way and limped over to help Ziva off the ground. Gibbs rushed up as well and bent down to rest a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder but quickly retracted it when his eyes shot open and the shrieking started up again until the Special Agent in Charge backed away.
"Duck," he said. "Get the bodies back to NCIS, start the autopsy. McGee."
"Yeah, Boss?"
"Bring all the photos and evidence back to Abby and start finding whatever you can on the victims. Take the truck."
"Yes, Boss."
Tim, Ducky, and Palmer quickly gathered the evidence bags and rolled the bodies of the two marines on gurneys out of the clearing and down the path through the woods. Gibbs sighed, glancing down at the skinny little boy curled up on the ground. Not wanting to start the screaming up again, he let him be and turned to check on his two remaining agents. Tony seemed to have fully regained his composure and was now leaning against the tree watching his partner pick leaves and pine needles out of her hair. Ziva was using one arm to cradle her ribs as well.
Gibbs frowned. "Ziver, you okay?"
"I am fine, Gibbs," Ziva replied as she suppressed the urge to wince.
"You're going to Bethesda to get checked out."
"I-"
"No arguing. You're going."
"Fine," Ziva huffed. She rolled her eyes.
Moments later there was a rustling in the brush along the trail and the two policemen from earlier emerged with a worried couple following behind them. The woman was short but lean and muscular, with light brown hair and blue eyes identical to those of the boy. The man was taller and well-built and had thick brown hair that was streaked with gray, brown eyes, and a thin layer of stubble on his chin. They ran over to their son and knelt down but did not touch him. Instead they spoke in comforting tones in an attempt to get his attention.
"Tyler, sweetie. It's okay, it's okay," his mother soothed.
"C'mon, buddy. Everything is alright. Sit on up now, Ty," the father told him. "Nobody is going to hurt you."
As the woman continued to cajole her son into getting up, the man rose and turned to Gibbs.
"I'm Jonah Woodbury and that's my wife, Nicole, and my son, Tyler."
"Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS." They shook hands.
"What happened here?"
"Two marines were murdered. A guy found them while walking his dog through here. Your son was sitting up in that tree there when we found him. One of my agents got him down, kicking and screaming. Were you aware that he was out here in the woods by himself, Mr. Woodbury?"
"Yes. He likes to come out here and read all the time because it's quiet and usually deserted. Tyler is autistic. He doesn't like to be touched and doesn't take well to new people. I'm sorry if he caused you and your agents any trouble, Agent Gibbs, but he really can't help it," Woodbury explained.
"It's fine." Gibbs nodded to Nicole and Tyler, who was now sitting next to his mother with his knees pulled tight against his chest. "How old is he?"
"Ten." It was Nicole that spoke this time. "He's our only child. Our house is really close by, so it's not like we let him wander around wherever. He's very smart and he knows his boundaries. This is where he always comes to read on nice days."
Tyler remained silent. He hadn't made a sound since his last scream.
"It's possible that Tyler witnessed the two murders in this clearing today. And the killer might have seen him as well," Gibbs told them. "We'll need you to bring him in to NCIS in D.C. to see if he will tell us anything relative to the case and also for his safety."
Mrs. Woodbury nodded. "Sure, okay. We'll need to go back to the house to get some things but..."
"I need to take one of my agents to the hospital so these officers can escort you. We will be there soon to talk and make arrangements."
"Okay. Come on, Tyler. Let's go, sweetie." Jonah, Nicole, and Tyler Woodbury slowly followed the two cops back down the trail and out of sight.
"Alright, you two, let's go," Gibbs said once they'd left.
"Comin', Boss," Tony replied. He looked inquisitively at his partner.
Wincing, Ziva leaned down and retrieved something from a bush. It was Tyler Woodbury's book. Here's Looking At Euclid by Alex Bellos. Flipping through it, she thought it seemed a little advanced for a ten year old, but she couldn't be sure. She stuffed the book in her jacket pocket and started after Tony and Gibbs. This case was going to be interesting.
Sorry it's kind of short. I'm not exactly sure how long any of the chapters I've written are. Anyway, the book I mentioned in this chapter is actually very good (or at least I think so). But then again, I love math (gosh, that sounds nerdy) so it's naturally appealing. Those of you that think math is the worst thing ever invented may have differing opinions. Reviews greatly appreciated!