[Phoomph-Four]

Gibbs bolted up suddenly letting out a curse when he hit his head on the spine of the boat. He carefully slid out from underneath the boat rubbing the spot on his head were it made contact with the wood. He didn't remember falling asleep, but he was fully alert now for some reason. He reached for his phone and saw that he did not miss any calls and that it was only two fifteen. Gibbs quietly walked up stairs then made it up to the second floor. He rubbed his eyes thinking that noting could have happened during those thirty so minutes that he was asleep. But still he found himself walking towards his guest room. He opened the door slightly, just enough to peek his head in the dark room and with the light from the hall he saw Abby sleeping peacefully. He closed the door and stood in the hall staring down at his phone double checking if he missed any calls, nothing, with a sigh he headed back down stairs. However Gibbs didn't make it past his living room couch as he started pacing the room like a caged lion, he still felt like something was going to happen but it was driving him crazy that he had no clue on what it was or when it was going to happen. Gibbs knew that working on his boat wouldn't help him anymore he needed to do something more. The thought of heading down to the office came up in his mind that way he would be surrounded by the tools to research on any possible threats. But there was no way he would leave Abby alone, she was more important than settling his nerves. So he filled another cup with coffee and moved to his living room window staring deep in the fog outside.

[Phoomph]

The details on the streets were getting familiar as Brad was almost home; he was subconsciously counting down the buildings and houses he had left till he reached his apartment complex. But what his mind was really focusing on was that man near the abandoned festival. He knew that most people don't go out for a run at two in the morning if they weren't planning to do something and everything about that runner set off alarms in his police trained head. Just when he was three blocks away from his apartment he heard a loud thunderous boom that tore though the empty streets. Brad stopped dead in his tracks, it sounded like gun fire. He took off running in the opposite direction of his place, it was almost like his legs were on auto pilot and he was just along for the run. It took him two blocks to realize that he was heading to Stanton Square back to where he last saw the other runner. His mind was running faster than his legs. He didn't remember seeing a bulged of a gun anywhere on the runner, but that didn't stop him from believing the gun fire and the runner were tied together. However it was just one shot, so it couldn't be that bad, but his gut told him other wise. When he finally made it to the edge of the square, his lungs were on fire and his legs were like jello, but the discomfort pain didn't even compute to his brain.

"Shit." A spotlight from a street lamp that was a few yards from the edge of the square was casting a perfect cylinder around a body; its pale yellow ray was outlined by the dense fog.

Brad was hesitant about stepping into the light; the body that was laying face down in the cement side walk did not have crazy red hair. So as he continued to move carefully towards the body, his eyes scanned the square looking for the runner. When he felt that who ever did this was long gone, he stepped into the light and as he feared the fog caused the light to be almost blinding. He could barely see anything outside the wall of light and fog. He knelt down near the body trying to get a look at the man's face as he pulled out his cell phone. As he could tell, it was a middle aged man with blood pooling around his left shoulder.

"Sir? Sir can you hear me?" he shouted but got no response. He quickly dialed the number of a police man's cell that he knew was paroling the streets near by. As the phone was ringing he held it next to his ear with his shoulder as he tried to find a wallet. He barely saw the body rise and fall with shallow breaths. He pulled out the wallet just as an officer picked up.

"This is Officer Steve--"

"Steve its Brad." He started not letting the person on the other line finish. "I have a man down at Stanton Square call the medics he's got a gunshot wound in the shoulder." He glanced at the driver's license just enough to get a name. "Anthony DiNozzo." Brad carefully rolled Anthony over and saw a dark green intstention cord hanging loosely around a bruised and bloody neck. "Shit."

"What is it?" Steve asked, the sound of dispatch was faintly heard from his car radio.

"He's been strangled." Brad carefully placed two fingers on his neck and felt a faint pulse. "Barely has a pulse, barely breathing."

"Medics ETA is three minutes, I'll be there in one."

Brad closed his phone giving all his attention to the man. He took off his sweater and placed it on the gun shot wound. The man stirred as pressure was applied which was a good sign.

"Anthony?" A broken mone replied so he tried again, hoping that talking would bring this man to consciousness. "Anthony, you're going to make it, you have my word." Just as he spoke flashing lights of blue and red filled the night, the sounds of sirens of a police car came speeding into the plaza's streets. Right when Brad heard the car door open he shouted, "Med kit!"

He heard the trunk pop open and then slammed as a pair of shoes stomped in his direction. The light around him darkened as a figure stood next to him, he looked up to see Steve crouching down and opening a med kit in the process. Both men quickly put on blue gloves, Steve grabbed some gaze pads and replaced Brad's sweater with them. Brad on the other hand pulled out a mask and started rescue breaths because the victim no longer appeared to be breathing. However with only two breaths, Anthony's eyes fluttered open as he was trying to gasp for more air.

"Anthony, who did this to you?" Brad immediately asked.

The man opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out, not that Brad could hear if he did speak, because the sounds of more sirens filled the distant air. It was like the man knew this too so he just mouthed the word 'no.'

"That's okay, the ambulance is almost here."

Anthony painfully struggled to get his cell phone out of his jacket pocket; he didn't even have to look at the screen as he speed dialed a number. He reached up with his other hand and grabbed Brad's shirt and tired to bring him closer. But all he did was stretch his shirt as his arm fell back down to the ground. However Brad understood what he was trying to do and leaned in closer.

"What is it?" the officer asked not sure what the wounded man wanted to say. Anthony didn't even stutter a single sound; he just pressed the call button and handed the phone to Brad right as the medics arrived at the scene. They moved over Anthony like hungry vultures, pushing Brad and Steve away. As they assisted Anthony's condition and prepared him for transfer, Brad waited for someone to answer the phone having no idea who it would be.

[Phoomph]

Gibbs was going mad, this feeling that he had in his gut seemed to get worse with each passing minute. He had no doubt anymore; something bad was going to happen, not like a robbery or anything minimal but something big. He was never good at waiting especially with something like this. All of a sudden the high pitched sound of his cell phone ringer went off. The unexpected sound caused Gibbs to jump. He cursed at himself as he rushed over to his phone that lay on the counter top on the other side of the room. He looked at the screen and saw the name DiNozzo. He felt a bit relived but at the same time hoped that it wasn't a call for help.

"What the hell is it DiNozzo?" He snapped covering up his worry and relief with his bastard facade "It's two in the morning."

A man's voice that was not his senior feild agent filled speaker. "Um sir this is not DiNozzo."

Gibbs instantly stood up straighter his face frozen with anger, he no longer needed to pretended to be pissed off, he was way passed that now. "Who the hell is this?" His voice was low but filled with demand and anger.

"Officer Brad Erickson of D.C police and can I ask who I'm speaking to?"

"You're the one who called me officer?"

"Actually I didn't sir. A man by the name of Anthony DiNozzo was the one who called you, and he handed me the phone right before the medics arrived."

Gibbs heart sipped a beat, hell it could have been three. An officer is calling on DiNozzo's phone, and medics are around him, 'What the hell did you get yourself into Tony?' The one thing Gibbs did know what that he had to put aside his emotions to get answers. "I'm DiNozzo's boss, Special Agent Gibbs."

"Special Agent?" The shocked tone of the officer's phone did not help Gibbs hold back his emotions.

"With Navy Criminal Investigative Services, now where is DiNozzo?"

"At the Stanton Square, but he's about to be taken to- Hey!" Gibbs heard the officer shout to someone "What hospital are you taking him to?" There was a pause before the officer continued to answer the NCSI agent. "Howard University Hospital."

"I'm sending my team, this is now--"

"I'm sorry I have to go, there are loading him in the ambulance." Gibbs cursed as the phone got disconnected. But he wasted no time; he dialed Ziva's number as he raced up the stairs. He got to the guest room just as Ziva picked up.

"David, get McGee and head over to Stanton Square now." Gibbs's demands caused Abby to wake up with a start.

"Gibbs?" Abby said confused as she rolled over, but when she looked at his face she was fully awake. "What is it?"

Gibbs didn't answer her, but continued to talk on the phone to Ziva who asked the very same question. "We have a case, local LEO are at the scene, move it!" He shut the phone and looked up and saw that Abby was fully dressed and standing right in front of him with a look that demanded more answers. Gibbs took a breath, "I don't know what happened so don't ask, but all I know is that Tony is being taken to Howard Universty Hospital."

[Phoomph]

Brad heard Special Agent Gibbs say something about sending a team, but all of his attention turned to Anthony when he saw the medics place him on stretcher and wheel him to the ambulance.

"I'm sorry I have to go, there are loading him in the ambulance." He told the man right before he shut the phone. He felt horrible for ending the call like that, but for some reason he felt that he must stay with this stranger, and seeing how his gut hadn't been wrong tonight he would obey.

"Hold the door!" Brad shouted to a police officer who was about to shut the ambulance rear doors. He quickly ran and hopped into the back of the vehicle. "Feds are coming to take over; this guy is a NCIS Special Agent." Brad said to the officer before the doors shut, and he heard the few bangs from the outside signaling to the ambulance to drive off.

Brad sat quietly and watched the professionals do their job. His mind was racing full speed, trying to make sense of this all. A federal agent strangled and shot and he couldn't help but think it was by that runner he saw a bit earlier in the night. So was it revenge, was it a message or was it just a random attack? The only thing that he knew for sure was that all hopes of catching this man flew out the window. It was a federal case now, one of their own attacked, and it was going to be a hunt to the death.

When they arrived at the hospital, Brad watched as the nurses and doctors wheeled Tony through the ER doors. He could have pulled his police card to try and follow the paraded, but he knew that there was nothing he could do behind those double doors that would help Anthony. Instead he moved to the nurse's station and addressed a young woman who sat behind the counter.

"Hello I'm Brad Erickson with DC Police. I came with a victim of an attack, an Anthony DiNozzo. I would like to know his condition when it's available."

"I will inform the doctor."

"Thank you." Brad glanced back at the locked double doors, before he headed off to find a cup of coffee.