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Chapter Six, A Missing Agent:

Gibbs paced in the hospital waiting room, his third cup of coffee in his hand. When Ducky had found Jimmy in Autopsy, screaming about a vision he was having with a fever of 101.6, they had all rushed to the hospital. He was stable now, but Gibbs wanted answers. Nothing had ever made Jimmy that sick before, so the vision had to be bad. And right now Gibbs wanted to know exactly what he saw and how to stop it.

“Pacing won’t help, boss.” Tim muttered to the floor.

“Then what will, McGee? I’ve got Fornell on my back, Jen on my ass and I’m trying to protect one of my agents. Now my assistant ME has a vision so bad it puts him in the hospital and I can’t even see what he saw! Pacing is exactly what I should do right now!”
McGee flinched and Gibbs continued pacing, every now and then taking a swig of coffee to calm his nerves.

Ducky came out a few moments later, looking weary. “Jimmy’s fine. He’s sedated and sleeping at the moment. His doctors think it was merely an extreme case of the flu that wasn’t treated properly.”

“Why’d you lie, Duck?” Gibbs asked.

“And tell them Mr. Palmer is pre-cognitive? Not a good idea, Jethro.” Ducky said and took a seat beside Tim.

“Did he say anything about the vision he had?” He asked.

Ducky shook his head. “He tried, but there was nothing intelligible.” Gibbs struggled to resist the urge to slam his fist against the wall. They had nothing; no case, no evidence, no vision, no hope.
Abby came rushing down the hall and straight into Tim’s arms. “Oh God, how is he?” She asked.

“He’s alright Abbs. It’ll be okay.” He rubbed her back as she clung to him in worry for their friend.

“I have the worst feeling,” She said as a nurse stepped out of Jimmy’s room. In her hand, she clutched a piece of paper.

“Dr. Mallard?” She asked, standing beside Ducky.

“I am he.” He said.

“Mr. Palmer asked that I give you this. He claims it’s urgent.” She said and slid the paper into his hand. He unfolded it and his breath caught in his throat.

“Jethro, call Ziva and Tony now.”

-

“So you’re telling me you’ve never seen ‘Clerks’?” Tony laughed in disbelief. He and Ziva had volunteered to stay behind at headquarters in case some evidence turned up. The topics had ranged until finally, it fell on movies. A subject Tony knew everything about and Ziva knew nothing about.

“It is a film about shop clerks?” She asked, confused. Who would go see a movie like that?

“Kind of, it’s hard to explain.” He said. “What about ‘Pulp Fiction’?”

She shook her head.

“ ‘10 Things I Hate About You’?” Another no. “Man Ziva, we need to get you out more.”

“And you will get me out?” She asked, raising an eyebrow to accent her question. He smirked and his green eyes lit up.

“That would work.” He said, scooting his chair closer to her. Now they were face to face.

“Have you ever heard of a sixty second romance?” He asked.

“No.” She replied. Truthfully, she had no idea what he was talking about but she had a feeling he was about to tell her.

“Got a minute?” He asked and she laughed, it was a joke. A lame Tony-joke, but she had found herself beginning to like even that aspect of him. Slowly, he leaned in for a kiss and she found herself not resisting.

Just a little closer…

Her cell rang. She pulled it from her pocket and Tony groaned. It was Gibbs. “Yes?” she asked, answering it.

“Ziva, is Tony with you?”

“Yes, he’s right here. How’s Palmer?” She asked. Gibbs’ voice sounded urgent and panicked. Gibbs never panicked.

“He’s fine. Listen, don’t let Tony out of your sight. Got that?”

“Gibbs, I’m already keeping an eye on him. Tell me what’s going on.” She said angrily.

“Tony’s in danger. More danger than being fired. He’s-”
The battery went dead. Damn Gibbs! He needs to learn to charge his phone!

“Sorry about that, Tony.” She said and spun around expecting to be kissed. When she did, there was no one there.

-

Tony wandered into the break room and took a look at the questionable coffee that had been made for him and Ziva. Few packets of sugar and it should be safe to consume, he thought, pouring himself a mug and grabbing some sugar packets. Then he flicked off the lights and headed back for the bullpen.
He didn’t see the gray creature following him.

-

Ziva heard a crash and leapt from her chair, rushing to where the sound came from. What she found outside the break room made her heart almost stop.
Tony’s coffee cup, coffee spilt on the floor staining the rug and a single white feather.

-

Tony awoke and found himself chained to a wall, shirtless and his good pants stained and ruined. He cursed to himself and struggled against his chains. No good. Whoever put him there made sure he couldn’t get loose.
The sound of footsteps made him pause. Shadows covered the doorway and he couldn’t see who it was properly till they stepped into the dim light. It was the woman from the rooftop. Dressed in a pair of jean capris, a red sweater and black pumps, her blonde hair tousled. She smiled a wicked smile.

“Hello Tony.”

“What do you want?”

“Want? Tony, it’s not what I want. It’s what I need. And what I need right now is you dead. I can’t have you trailing me and blowing my cover. But I don’t like things to be done so fast; in case you haven’t noticed, I like to play with my victims first. And now it’s your turn.” Her red lips formed into a cruel smiled and he tried not to wince as he saw the knife she wielded.
Whatever happened, he swore he wouldn’t scream.

Description
Chapter Six, A Missing Agent:

Gibbs paced in the hospital waiting room, his third cup of coffee in his hand. When Ducky had found Jimmy in Autopsy, screaming about a vision he was having with a fever of 101.6, they had all rushed to the hospital. He was stable now, but Gibbs wanted answers. Nothing had ever made Jimmy that sick before, so the vision had to be bad. And right now Gibbs wanted to know exactly what he saw and how to stop it.

“Pacing won’t help, boss.” Tim muttered to the floor.

“Then what will, McGee? I’ve got Fornell on my back, Jen on my ass and I’m trying to protect one of my agents. Now my assistant ME has a vision so bad it puts him in the hospital and I can’t even see what he saw! Pacing is exactly what I should do right now!”
McGee flinched and Gibbs continued pacing, every now and then taking a swig of coffee to calm his nerves.

Ducky came out a few moments later, looking weary. “Jimmy’s fine. He’s sedated and sleeping at the moment. His doctors think it was merely an extreme case of the flu that wasn’t treated properly.”

“Why’d you lie, Duck?” Gibbs asked.

“And tell them Mr. Palmer is pre-cognitive? Not a good idea, Jethro.” Ducky said and took a seat beside Tim.

“Did he say anything about the vision he had?” He asked.

Ducky shook his head. “He tried, but there was nothing intelligible.” Gibbs struggled to resist the urge to slam his fist against the wall. They had nothing; no case, no evidence, no vision, no hope.
Abby came rushing down the hall and straight into Tim’s arms. “Oh God, how is he?” She asked.

“He’s alright Abbs. It’ll be okay.” He rubbed her back as she clung to him in worry for their friend.

“I have the worst feeling,” She said as a nurse stepped out of Jimmy’s room. In her hand, she clutched a piece of paper.

“Dr. Mallard?” She asked, standing beside Ducky.

“I am he.” He said.

“Mr. Palmer asked that I give you this. He claims it’s urgent.” She said and slid the paper into his hand. He unfolded it and his breath caught in his throat.

“Jethro, call Ziva and Tony now.”

-

“So you’re telling me you’ve never seen ‘Clerks’?” Tony laughed in disbelief. He and Ziva had volunteered to stay behind at headquarters in case some evidence turned up. The topics had ranged until finally, it fell on movies. A subject Tony knew everything about and Ziva knew nothing about.

“It is a film about shop clerks?” She asked, confused. Who would go see a movie like that?

“Kind of, it’s hard to explain.” He said. “What about ‘Pulp Fiction’?”

She shook her head.

“ ‘10 Things I Hate About You’?” Another no. “Man Ziva, we need to get you out more.”

“And you will get me out?” She asked, raising an eyebrow to accent her question. He smirked and his green eyes lit up.

“That would work.” He said, scooting his chair closer to her. Now they were face to face.

“Have you ever heard of a sixty second romance?” He asked.

“No.” She replied. Truthfully, she had no idea what he was talking about but she had a feeling he was about to tell her.

“Got a minute?” He asked and she laughed, it was a joke. A lame Tony-joke, but she had found herself beginning to like even that aspect of him. Slowly, he leaned in for a kiss and she found herself not resisting.

Just a little closer…

Her cell rang. She pulled it from her pocket and Tony groaned. It was Gibbs. “Yes?” she asked, answering it.

“Ziva, is Tony with you?”

“Yes, he’s right here. How’s Palmer?” She asked. Gibbs’ voice sounded urgent and panicked. Gibbs never panicked.

“He’s fine. Listen, don’t let Tony out of your sight. Got that?”

“Gibbs, I’m already keeping an eye on him. Tell me what’s going on.” She said angrily.

“Tony’s in danger. More danger than being fired. He’s-”
The battery went dead. Damn Gibbs! He needs to learn to charge his phone!

“Sorry about that, Tony.” She said and spun around expecting to be kissed. When she did, there was no one there.

-

Tony wandered into the break room and took a look at the questionable coffee that had been made for him and Ziva. Few packets of sugar and it should be safe to consume, he thought, pouring himself a mug and grabbing some sugar packets. Then he flicked off the lights and headed back for the bullpen.
He didn’t see the gray creature following him.

-

Ziva heard a crash and leapt from her chair, rushing to where the sound came from. What she found outside the break room made her heart almost stop.
Tony’s coffee cup, coffee spilt on the floor staining the rug and a single white feather.

-

Tony awoke and found himself chained to a wall, shirtless and his good pants stained and ruined. He cursed to himself and struggled against his chains. No good. Whoever put him there made sure he couldn’t get loose.
The sound of footsteps made him pause. Shadows covered the doorway and he couldn’t see who it was properly till they stepped into the dim light. It was the woman from the rooftop. Dressed in a pair of jean capris, a red sweater and black pumps, her blonde hair tousled. She smiled a wicked smile.

“Hello Tony.”

“What do you want?”

“Want? Tony, it’s not what I want. It’s what I need. And what I need right now is you dead. I can’t have you trailing me and blowing my cover. But I don’t like things to be done so fast; in case you haven’t noticed, I like to play with my victims first. And now it’s your turn.” Her red lips formed into a cruel smiled and he tried not to wince as he saw the knife she wielded.
Whatever happened, he swore he wouldn’t scream.