Chapter Text
Tony spent a few minutes debating with himself before deciding how to proceed. One the one hand, he currently had shelter, consisting of a bathroom, picnic table and BBQ pit under a covered lean to. He'd checked the forecast on the way up, and they weren't expecting one of the typical afternoon rainstorms today, but that was no guarantee. If Tony stayed put, he'd be exactly where his team expected when they returned, and he'd have cover, some place to sit, fire to keep warm if needed… all the amenities.
On the other hand, no one else was likely to head this way, not with the rangers diverting hikers from the crime scene, so his odds of running into someone with a working phone that he could use to get a faster pickup were low. And, there was the fact that someone had killed their dead Sergeant, and Tony had no way of knowing if that person was still lurking around in the woods somewhere close by.
Alternatively, he could start down the trail. It would jostle his various aches and pains, but he stood a better chance of finding another non-murderer person, perhaps even a park ranger with a radio and a truck. At his usual hiking pace, Tony could probably make it down the trail in about an hour, but today it would likely take him two. He risked being caught out in the elements at any point, but overall, the pros outweighed the cons. Tony cast a weather eye at the sky again and didn't see any ominous looking clouds on the horizon, so he decided to take his chances.
Besides, he had never been very good at sitting around and waiting for someone else to come rescue him. He'd much rather call Gibbs in two hours to let him know he'd reached civilization and was hitching a ride home than to have to wait at least a four hour round trip for someone to drive back and find him sitting exactly where they'd left him. Tony could just imagine the monster headslap he'd get for "lazing about" and wasting everyone's time and gas. Not that it was his fault that the probie had left him behind for some reason, but Gibbs wouldn't care about that kind of logic today.
So, hefting his bag on his shoulders, Tony ignored the twinge in his hip and set off down the road.
oOo
Gibbs suppressed a growl when the elevator opened and one of Balboa's team emerged instead of his two missing agents. He and Kate had been back for over an hour and a half, and there was still no sign of the other two. He knew Tony didn't drive as fast as Gibbs himself, especially in the bulkier truck, but it shouldn't have taken him this long. Even when he had to instruct the others, Tony was very efficient at checking in the evidence and truck and getting everything to its proper place.
Letting out a frustrated huff, Gibbs suppressed the urge to call Tony. If something had gone wrong with the truck, he would have already heard from them, and if Tony was still logging evidence for some reason, calling would just slow him down. Gibbs trusted him to finish the job correctly; but today he was feeling less patient than usual.
"You got anything yet?" Gibbs growled the second Kate hung up her phone, needing to vent somehow.
"The team is still on blacked out maneuvers, but the second they get in tomorrow at 1600 they'll be informed that we want to see them," Kate reported swiftly.
"Not good enough," Gibbs grumbled. "Where are they landing?"
"Uh, Norfolk."
"We'll be there at 1500 tomorrow, ready for 'em," he decided.
"Gibbs, they'll need time to debrief!" Kate's mouth closed with a snap when Gibbs glared at her, and she sighed. "I'll call back and let them know."
The elevator doors opened again, and Gibbs's gaze shot to them. "About time, McGee," he growled, seeing only one of his missing agents. "Where's DiNozzo?"
"T— Tony?" He stuttered, stumbling to a halt at the edge of their bullpen. "I, uh, hav— haven't seen him recently?"
"He left you to process the evidence alone?" Gibbs growled. Tony knew damn well that McGee was too green for that. He wouldn't be legally allowed to have solo custody of the chain of evidence until he'd completed his first two months of probation! If Gibbs had to listen to JAG bitch that DiNozzo had poisoned their evidence by leaving it with a green agent, he'd headslap him into next year!
McGee looked baffled. "Y— yes, I mean, n— no, Boss. Tony w— wasn't there."
"What do you mean, he wasn't there?" Gibbs was starting to get a bad feeling in his gut.
"When I g— got here, T— Tony wasn't in, in the Evidence Garage."
"When you got here?" Gibbs repeated slowly. Kate gasped, obviously connecting the dots. "Kate; call him. McGee, yes or no: have you passed the licensing test to drive the truck?"
"Well—"
"Yes or no?" Gibbs snapped.
"N— no Boss."
"Have you finished your first two months of probation yet, yes or no?"
"No."
"And legally are you allowed to be the primary evidence handler in the chain of custody before that point?"
"No."
"So when you decided to drive the evidence truck back all by yourself, screwing up the chain of evidence and abandoning your senior field agent in the middle of the woods, what part of that sounded like a good idea, McGee?"
His mouth dropped open and the color drained from his face as his biggest mistake obviously finally clicked.
"Tony isn't answering," Kate reported briskly. "I'm calling the rangers to see if they've seen him, or can go check on him."
"But—"
"Ah!" Gibbs held up a hand. "Don't talk. Sit. Fill out your report." McGee practically fell into his chair as Gibbs headed to the stairs. He was going to need to tell Tom about this clusterfuck, and hopefully pass the buck on having to tell JAG about the state of their evidence chain. He was going to be too busy tracking down his missing agent to deal with their complaints.
He had just reached Cynthia's office when his phone rang. Gibbs didn't recognize the number, but he was hopeful as he flipped it open. "Gibbs."
"Hey Boss."
"Why aren't you answering your phone, DiNozzo?" Gibbs snapped, hiding his relief at hearing Tony's voice.
"Well someone slapped me into a rock outcropping earlier and smashed it," Tony snarked back.
Gibbs physically bit his tongue to keep from retorting angrily. He needed to stop taking his temper at McGee out on Tony. Especially if it was true that Gibbs's earlier temper was the reason he hadn't been able to get help sooner.
"Anyway, I finally found a ranger near the foot of the road and borrowed their phone," Tony continued evenly. "I was hoping the director had some file clerk probie or spare accountant or something; someone who could come get me without taking more time away from an actual case."
Gibbs was tempted to tell Tony he'd be sending McGee anyway, but he'd already done enough damage today. "I'll ask now. You still gonna have access to this phone?"
"Yeah, Ranger Bobby and I are becoming fast friends," Tony joked. There was a rattle thump, and Tony hissed in a quiet breath, but Gibbs caught it loud and clear.
"Rule 48?" he asked. That was the one he'd had to add just for Tony, about three months after they started working together. The third time Gibbs caught him hiding an injury was four times too many, in his book.
Tony sighed. "Bobby hooked me up with an ace bandage and some Advil, Boss. I'll be fine."
Gibbs was tempted to go get Tony himself, but he couldn't afford to lose both of the investigators from his team for four hours. He decided to trust Tony's assessment of his own injuries. "Alright, I'll be in touch."
"Thanks, Boss," Tony said quickly, before Gibbs could hang up.
Flipping his phone closed, Gibbs continued his earlier path into Tom's office. He still needed to pass the word about JAG, start the disciplinary process on McGee, and to arrange for someone to go get his agent. And if Tom couldn't find anyone to spare? Well, Gibbs could probably make it there and back in closer to three hours, if he tried.