Chapter 23
At the NCIS bullpen...
Kate calls Ducky.
'Autopsy'
„So, what's going on? " Kate asked.
'Yeah, I knew you could do it. See you in ten minutes, Abby.'
„Wait, what are you do...!? " Kate said, confused, but Ducky hung up before she could finish.
At the Autopsy...
„Why didn't you use the speaker phone?" He asked. Ducky swallowed.
„Oh, sorry! I didn't think. I always answer my phone like this" He said, ironically.
At the bullpen…
Abby's talking to herself. Behind her is the NCIS's most wanted wall.
"There's a way to overcome this. Really? How? Group therapy. Oh, how many people fear of autopsy? You're going to be a group of one! Lots of people wouldn't be caught dead in the autopsy room. Very funny. Maybe hypnotism. Ooh, remember Doctor Wertzer's class? You still don't know what he made you do when you were under hypnosis. Whatever it was, I woke up feeling fresh… in his office"
Abby bit her lips every second. They became nearly bloody. Gibbs saw here there and quietly approached her.
"Abby?" He called her. She hastily turned around.
"Yes?" She said.
"What are you doing?"Gibbs seemed very concerned. In the NCIS crew, Abby was literally the only person with whom he talked normally.
"I was having an internal debate" She said.
"Who's winning?" Gibbs asked.
"I don't know. Oh what the hell. The phobic side" She said, and ashamed, bowed her head.
"Still can't enter the autopsy?" He asked as he put his hand on her shoulder. She lifted her head and shook it for no.
"Did you find any tag traces of explosives on the terrorist's clothes?" He asked, still holding her shoulder.
"Ducky took everything back before I even had the chance to test it" She said. He quickly removed his hand from her shoulder and looked at her, now dead serious.
"What?" He hissed angrily.
"Hey, don't blame me! He just wanted everything back" She said in her own defense.
"Including the blood?" He asked, knowing something is wrong. Very wrong.
"Yeah" She nodded.
"Did Gerald pick it up?" He said, with a sigh.
"No, he was busy. Ducky just wanted me there STAT" She said.
"STAT?" Gibbs repeated her words, worried even more.
"Yeah And I wouldn't go, so Kate went down instead" She said, now confused.
Gibbs exhaled, and then ran to the emergency phone.
"What's wrong?" Abby followed him. Tony saw Gibbs running.
"Hey, boss. Hey, Abs. What's up?" He said.
"Something's…" She started.
"…hinky?" Tony finished her off.
"Tony get the autopsy on plasma, now!" Gibbs interrupted and quickly went over to the plasma TV.
"Huh?" Tony asked. Gibbs was talking fast, and he couldn't understand him.
"Autopsy. TV. NOW!"He yelled at him. "Why would Ducky say STAT?" Gibbs was wondering.
"Because he's a doctor? You know. STAT means medical and a fast emergency?" Abby supposed.
"Medical emergency, I know. But, what is a medical emergency on autopsy?" He overlapped Abby's sentence and grabbed the TV remote. He turned it on.
"All I'm getting is snow, boss" Tony said. Abby and Gibbs shared a concern look.
At the autopsy…
Elevator doors slide open. Kate appears with the evidence box. She knocks on the door of the Autopsy.
"Hey!" Kate calls. Ducky's face shows up.
"Hey! Just leave it down there!" He yells.
"You have to sign" She says.
"Well, I can't open the doors with you there" He said.
"And what's the infection, again?" Kate asked.
"We don't know yet. We're working on it. Don't worry!" He says.
"I beat my phobia!" Kate added, pretending to be Abby.
"Yes, I see. Good job, Abby, I'll see you later" Ducky waved.
She looks around and bends down to put the evidence box down. But, when she bended down, her t-shirt lifted a bit and her gun could be seen.
When she got up, she pulled the t-shirt down. She pressed the elevator button, but the man waited for her with his gun and grabbed her. She tried to pull out her gun, but realized her mistake very soon. He was pointing the gun at her.
"Since when do lab rats carry Sig Sauer around?" He asked viciously smiling. She stood there, frightened.
At the NCIS bullpen…
"Punch up autopsy receiving and the stairwell cameras too, immediately!" Gibbs ordered.
"On it, boss" Tony took his order.
He was confused right now. The situation was very frustrating. He knew he was trained for this, and this is why he works her, but he noticed Kate's not coming back for a while. He forced himself to continue with his job, and everything will be fine.
"Gibbs for Director here" Gibbs picked up his phone and called the Director. "Abby, did Ducky sound kind of funny?" He asked while on the line.
"Yeah, like he was angry with something" Abby said.
"Director, we have an intruder here. A possible hostage situation" He said. Abby and Tony freeze. Gibbs's words sounded horrible. Abby didn't want her friends being in hostage. Neither did Tony.
"There's an ambulance receiving outside of the autopsy, boss" Tony returned to his work.
"Yes, sir. Aye-Aye sir" Gibbs said and hung up afterwards.
"Oh, God, I should be down there. Stupid phobia" Abby worried. She kicked a trash can suddenly.
"Sorry" She muttered. Gibbs glanced at her, but continued with the work.
"Tony, where's my floor plan?" Gibbs yelled.
"Right here, sir" He typed something in the computer and it showed up on the plasma TV.
"Great, get me two agents in receiving and two in the elevator. TAC-one" Gibbs said.
"TAC-one" Tony repeated after him and sent a message to the emergency center.
"Abs, please show me how do I rotate this thing" He said, trying to rotate the floor plan desperately.
"Your lab and autopsy. All entrances and exits. Give me three sixty. Keep going. Keep going. Keep going. Keep going. Go, go, go, go, stop. Right there. What's this right here? "Gibbs was saying while pointing to a little thing on the screen.
"Um, let me see. Yeah, it's my gas chromatograph" She said.
"Can it be moved?" Gibbs asked and looked at her.
"Yeah, sure thing" Abby said and took the remote.
"Do it. Thanks. Oh, and by the way. Abby, I'm going to need a drill and a flexible video probe" He said and walked away.
"On it" She said.
"Agents on their way. Are we taking the basement stairway?" Tony hurried to Gibbs.
"Yeah" He said without turning around.
At the autopsy…
Kate was lying on her belly on a cold, metal autopsy table with her hands behind her head. The man was checking her for any extra weapons. He was touching her everywhere, which was off course, very unpleasant for her. When he moved to her butt, she rolled her eyes. He checked every part.
"No throw away, huh. Special Agent Caitlin Todd. Are you good with this gun?"He said while taking her gun and her badge.
"Give it back and I'll demonstrate to you easily" She said.
"Ooh, you bite. Did you ever shoot someone in anger?" He asked ironically.
"I would love to right now" She muttered, loud enough for him to hear her.
"Did you shoot Qassam? Did you put that double tap in his heart?" He asked. Kate was silent. She didn't want to answer him. She was stubborn and brave since she was just a little girl.
"She didn't shoot him" Ducky finally broke the silence.
"Then who did it, Caitlin?" He kept asking. She remained silent again.
"Special Agent Gibbs" Ducky said quietly.
"Ducky!" Kate yelled.