Gibbs and Ziva made good time across the field. The moon was still high and the ground was flat. Gibbs' flashlight beam touched on the old timbers coving the mine shaft first.
"I still smell smoke, this must be it." Ziva commented putting her light down angling it to where it would still light the area as they cleared it.
Gibbs' only answer was to start pulling at boards. They worked in silence for several minutes while they cleared most of the entrance. Tossing one of the beams aside Ziva reached for her flashlight and trained it down the hole. The bright light was swallowed up in the inky darkness.
"Too far down." Gibbs observed. He had pulled his light out as well hoping it would help but neither of the lights would reach far enough.
"Need to get down there." He muttered almost to himself turning and heading back in the direction of the helicopter.
Ziva stood staring down the hole for a few more seconds.
"Move it David."
"Coming!"
"I don't have a harness," the pilot said scratching his head, "so I can't lower you down, but a lot of these mines have a ground level entrance."
"How do we find out?" Gibbs asked impatiently. It hadn't taken long to get back to the chopper but every minute they spent going back and forth was one more minute two of his agents were out there alone, in who knows what kind of shape.
"Pretty simple. I'll radio the tower and have them look at the old charts. They lay out most of those old tunnels." He said picking up the radio and quickly laying his request to the person on the other end.
"If we don't find them what will we do?" Ziva asked Gibbs.
Gibbs frowned. "Go back and talk to Mrs. Baird. She knows way more than she's telling."
"I agree, we should have gotten the information out of her at the time, not spent the night chasing wild chickens." Ziva frowned.
Gibbs smirked. "Little early to be torturing old ladies isn't it Ziva?"
She smiled back humorlessly. "It is never too early for torture Gibbs."
"Hey, good news for you Agent Gibbs." The pilot leaned out from his seat suddenly and spoke. "According to some of the old mine charts this shaft has a ground level entrance. It's a mile back into the cave from that entrance."
"Which direction?" Gibbs asked picking back up his backpack.
"That way, north," he said pointing before reaching back into the chopper and pulling out a portable radio. "Take this so you can call if you find your guys."
Gibbs raised the radio to his head in a salute. "Appreciate it."
"Yes sir."
Gibbs was relieved to see this tunnel entrance only barricaded by a few boards. Reaching to remove the first one Ziva stopped him with a hand on his arm.
"Gibbs wait."
"What Ziva?" Gibbs asked impatiently.
She hesitated.
"Today Ziva."
"Gibbs, what if it was just a fire?"
He looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"I mean what if it really was an accident and we have wasted hours on this that leads to nothing. We have no trace of what happened to them. Nothing. They could be anywhere." She asked waiving her arm to indicate the miles of land around them.
"This is how investigations go Ziva." He said pulling the first board down and throwing it to the side. "You follow a lead, it turns into a dead end and you switch tactics. Suspicious activity is as good a place to start as any." Gibbs said looking pointedly at the boards still covering the entrance.
"I just…" She shook her head and looked away.
"I know Ziver." Gibbs sighed, "I know."
Tim heard a noise and forced his eyes open. Well, half way open. A pinpoint of light danced in his vision and gradually got larger. It took several moments for his mind to clear, but enough of their situation oozed through. He remembered he and Tony were in a larger area and the mine gradually tapered down into a tunnel. The light was coming from one of the tunnels.
Maybe that meant someone was coming to rescue them. He opened his mouth to call out. A small sound escaped but was lost in the expanse of the cave and the blackness that surrounded them. The light kept getting closer or so he thought. It was hard to tell when he could only keep his eyes open for a few seconds at a time. Soon though even that became too much of an effort.
Impatience makes everything seem longer and this was certainly true for Gibbs. He would have sworn they had walked five miles but they continued to press on. Gibbs sighed, thinking for the hundredth time they had entered the wrong tunnel. Suddenly though instead of darkness swallowing up the flashlight beam, it illuminated what looked like a dirt wall. He let the beam sweep the area, but stopped abruptly when it landed on the outline of something that did not belong in a cave by any stretch of the imagination.
The metal had been mangled and charred but it was obviously the remains of a car. It was equally as obvious that anyone who had been in the car at the time it burned, or exploded by the looks of it, would not have survived. Gibbs began moving toward what was left of the car almost in a trance until he felt Ziva's hand on his arm stopping him for the second time that night.
"Gibbs."
He tried to shake her off, but she gripped his arm harder and used his momentum to turn him sharply to the left. Before he could turn back she shown her light on the two prone figures she had spotted.
Ziva had had her own moment of panic when she had seen the car but she heard a noise, she would have swore she heard a noise and when she swiveled the light to her left she saw her two teammates huddled against each other in a crevice in the earth wall. She took a step toward them and realized Gibbs wasn't following. He was moving toward the head of the cave and realized he hadn't seen them.
Once Ziva refocused his attention, Gibbs quickly changed directions and knelt down in front of his two boys. They both appeared to be unconscious and his stomach turned as he took in their shallow breathing and white faces. Ziva reached round him and laid her jacket over her two friends as Gibbs added his own coat to the chilled bodies.
"I will call for the helicopter." Ziva said quietly straightening up.
Gibbs nodded reaching to check their pulses. He sighed in relief that both pulses were weak, but steady. Hoping Tony and McGee were closer to consciousness than they appeared he gently tucked the jackets around them as he offered words of comfort.
"It's ok Tony, Tim. You're both safe." He said softly. "Have you out of here in no time. Just hang on and that's an order."
He wasn't sure if he imagined it but he thought he saw McGee's eyelids flutter.
Happy late Christmas and Early New Year! My family was in so…not a lot of time to write. They are gone now and while I am very sad I can also get my life back in order that has been on hold for a week. :)
Hope you enjoyed the chapter and thanks so much for reading!