Chapter 8: plans don't always work out

Beta: Tino-chan (I can't remember your fanfiction name, get a decent one!)
Spoilers: none.
Disclaimer: I don't own NICIS. Just Mark Harmon, whom I keep in my closet at all times.

A/N Dear everyone,

This morning I woke up early because it´s my dad´s birthday! Me and my sister prepared breakfast while my other sister (I mentioned her in the prev chapter) was holding up my dad upstairs.
I wasn't planning on writing today, but I checked my email while getting the croissants out of the oven.
I was in shock. This is only chapter 8 and I already got 26 reviews!
I'm so incredibly touched and grateful!
When I'm overly happy my voice just… rises one octave. So I just ran to my sister, screaming: Omg people like my story! That's how happy you made me!

As a thank you, I'll immediately start writing chapter 8.

And I want to thank all the reviewers and yes I mean YOU:
lainou, camiguin, cheether, K.G, Marta von Trapp, STLFAN, smush68, Stephanie-BB-JISBON-CASKETT, dolphinsiren is me, gibbsgirlie08, RAIKIM4everlover, Red Wrier, NCISMASH4ever and NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan
I really love you all.

Preview
They had wasted so much time! He growled and shoved his chair back in one swift move.
"We're taking the footage with us," he demanded and left.
He had no other choice.
There was only one thing he could do now.

He had to get back to the HQ –it was the only place they could do something with the lead they just got. Here, with no equipment, it was worth nothing.
It didn't take them long to drive back, even though slowly more traffic showed up. Some people honked at Gibbs' speed, but it wasn't like he cared.
The building was still empty –or so it seemed. When the team approached their desks and turned on the lights, someone was standing at the railing above them, looking down.
With his marine senses, Gibbs noticed immediately. He glanced up and looked a few seconds at the person standing there.
"You all get to work. I need results. Fast!" He directed at his team and stormed away.

…..

"Jenny."
"I told you, Gibbs, it's director Shephard for you."
"What are you doing here?" He asked, ignoring what she said.
"I heard about Abby –No, not from her kidnappers," the red-haired woman added when she saw the special agent open his mouth.
"Ziva texted me." Gibbs looked down at his team with a frown on his face.
"Don't you blame her for that!" Jenny spoke up, leading him into her office. "I should have known this as soon as you did! Abby Sciuto is my employee!"
"Well she's in MY team," he objected angrily, blocking the way to her office. "We're not discussing this when she's still MISSING!" He turned around and left her standing there.
Jenny sighed, not even trying to stop him. When someone from his team was in danger, she knew Jethro would do everything in his power to save them. She'd seen it before, when Kate was threatened. He wasn´t even sleeping, trying to figure out Ari's identity. He had been like this all his life, always sticking his head out for others.
But this time things were different. He was behaving how she would expect him to behave, and yet…
And yet there was this… look in his eyes. A look that showed more despair than anything else. Yes, that was it. He missed his usual determination, his confidence that everything would turn out alright eventually.
Her telephone started ringing and she walked to her desk, putting it on speaker.
"Hello?"
"Director Shepard, NCIS?"
"Yes?"
"I'm director Norward, FBI, DC. News had just arrived of a criminal gang similar to the Mafia being active in DC. Director, we need the help of NCIS to catch him." Jenny frowned. First Abby's disappearance and now this?
"Please," she said in a quiet but firm voice. "Continue."

…..

After several hours of thinking she had a plan. But of course, her plan could only work if she knew every detail of the situation they were in. How many people were there, how often did they feed them? So when everyone woke up at sunset, they began to share information.
"They come here twice a day, bringing some food, but it's barely enough for all of us… There are no guards, because the door is made of solid wood. I tried to break it when I was still…" He coughed a few times. Abby supported his back as he continued. "When I was still healthy enough. But it was of no use." He turned his head a little so he could look at her. "I can sit by myself now, thank you, miss."
"Sure. And please: call me Abby. Or Abbs. A lot of people call me that. Except the people at the mail-office , they called me energizer Abby." She rambled on. "Because I always drink lots and lots of Caf-POW. It's my favourite drink, you know. I used to drink at least three bottles of it when I was investigating…"
She suddenly stopped talking. The Goth girl hadn't even dared to think about her lab, her babies: everything, but now it all hit her at once.
She missed her favorite drink, she missed Bert the farting hippo, she missed it all so intensely. She missed the good-work kisses on her cheek and she missed hugging everyone. Tears came to her eyes. Jasmin immediately signed at her: are you okay?
Yeah, I am, she signed back. She had to stay calm, if not for her than for the children. She sat back in the middle of the group.
Luca, who had been sitting aside for a while now approached her.
"Hey, you said we were in Mexico. How do you know?"
"Because of the moon," Abby stated officially. "Well, I'll explain. You know the different time zones?" The boy looked at her dumbly.
"Well, I do, and when I looked out of the window yesterday night, right when my head felt like someone just sat on it –what I don't really know, I mean, no one has ever sat on my head…" Gibbs would have probably interrupted her by now, Abby couldn't help thinking. She pulled up one corner of her mouth and forced herself to get to the point. "They drugged me with Gamma hydroxybutyrate, which means I couldn't be unconscious for more than 2 hours, considering the way my head felt..." Victor, Danai and jasmine looked at her like she was talking some higher math, and she was, in a way. Luca just blinked a few times and pretended not to listen. She got the feeling he didn't fully trusted the girl with the black hair and idem clothes.
"So if this was DC, it couldn't be half past 5 because the position of the moon was way off. I would know, I studied it in college. When I saw the moon I knew it had to be Mexico." She made a gesture with her hands that implied it was all very obvious. The rest obviously disagreed.
"I have this great idea, but it can only work if we all work together. Listen, this is what we do:"
She explained everything she came up with during the night and slowly everyone started to look a little more relieved.
"You really think that could work?" Victor asked thoughtfully. "But miss, eh, Abby, what if something goes wrong?"
"We have to try something, right?"
"Right!" Danai said convinced and even Luca looked at her with different eyes. Loud footsteps came their way and they all shut up immediately. They all looked at Abby with an obvious question in their eyes. Now?
"No, not yet, we have to wait for the right time," the forensic scientist whispered back.
With a bang the door burst open. Abby crept backwards, wishing it wasn't Sarah. She pushed Danai protectively behind her. The door opened and someone came in.
Abby immediately knew it: executing her plan was going to be a lot harder than she thought.

…..

Gibbs came back, marching.
"Got an ID yet, McGee?"
"Not yet boss."
"Dinozzo?"
"Nothing yet, boss."
"Ziva?"
"Sorry, Gibbs, I have not found anything."
"Then you all search faster!" He yelled angrily, wanting, needing something. His cell phone rang and he answered it.
"What? On my way." He stalked away again. They all followed him with their gaze until he disappeared in the direction of Jenny's office.
Suddenly Tim jumped up, a shocked expression on his face.
"What's wrong, probie? Scared by your screensaver?" Tony joked half-heartily. He tried to keep his cool but he couldn't control the fear they all felt. He knew they were doing all they could but still… there was nothing. No hits on the man's face, no matter how many different scans they used. More and more office workers came in as they'd worked, throwing them surprised looks. Of course, no one dared to say anything.
"Still standing there, McNerd?" He knew he shouldn't tease the agent like that on a moment like this, but he was afraid that, if he let Abby's disappearance get to him like it got to Gibbs, nothing could keep the team from falling apart. When his boss couldn't handle things; he could. And this case could only be solved when everyone kept thinking straight.
"Listen you guys!" Tim yelled with a hysteric tone in his voice. "I, no, um, we, sort of, well, I guess you could say the whole team… But especially Gibbs, I think…"
"Okay, McGee, get it out," Ziva said annoyed. Everyone around her was scared of her ninja skills –especially when something bad happened. Considering that one knife was already firmly planted in the wall behind her, their fear was justified. Tony raised an eyebrow at Ziva.
"No, no, it's spit it out, not get it out."
"But I don't want him to spit, yes?"
"We got an email!" McGee yelled through them. "Or rather, Gibbs did. I don't want to open it, because it might contain some kind of computer virus… But it looks like it has to do with Abby."
"WHAT?" The other two agents said in unison. They both gathered around McGee, looking over his shoulder, who nervously asked:
"Shouldn't we wait for Gibbs?"
"Open the email," Gibbs ordered, walking towards them with the director in his footstep. They were all used at how their boss could arrive out of thin air, so the youngest agent in team Gibbs didn't hesitate and opened the email, putting it on the big screen.

From: anonymous

Hello agent Gibbs,

You think you can catch us. We think otherwise. But we took a precaution.
One with lovely black hair.
If you want her back, we suggest you stop all investigations to the gang named Comorro. If you don't do that, we let someone who wants to destroy you more than anything have her way with your beloved scientist.
And we don't want that, do we?
You have three days.
If you haven't stopped every investigation by then, you shouldn't count on seeing her again.
If you do, we call you at exactly 12 pm.
Greetings.
….

"McGee!"
"I can't trace the email, boss, it's impossible." Frantically, Gibbs tried to think. What to do? First, he had to make sure that Abby was… that she was… He forced himself to think it. That she was still alive.

Oh Abby, please… Please be alive. I haven't even told you yet.
Gibbs looked out of the window and stared up at the moon. The sun was already rising but he could still see it.
And for a second he felt like Abby was talking back.

A/N I wanted to stop here but since you all have been as kind as to review me so much: I have something for you too! Continue!

"Reply," he ordered McGee, who hastily followed his orders. Gibbs pulled the keyboard towards him and awkwardly started typing.

….
Reply to: anonymous

You bastard, if you think you can get away with this you're going to find out how wrong you really are!
was what he really wanted to type. But this was Abby's life he was bargaining about.
So instead, he typed:

I need proof she's still alive.

…

He didn't know what else to say, so he just hit the send-key.
Email was send successfully his computer told him. Good. Now all he could do…
was wait.

Ping. New email from: anonymous
Gibbs hands shook when he clicked on the pop up message.

….
From: anonymous
Give me your phone number and you'll get your proof.
….

He couldn't type the number fast enough. The reply almost came immediately, but not in the form of an email.
His phone rang: unknown number.
"Can we trace this?" He yelled.
"On it, boss!" Tony and McGee clasped some wires to his cell phone while Ziva connected them to an recorder. She gave Gibbs an OK-sign, who pressed the green button and pressed his phone to his ear.
"Hello?"

A/N Well, another cliffhanger! XD