Chapter 2

All the rest of Team Gibbs had seen and heard was a loud pop followed by the car veering out of control. It veered to the left before finally veering off to the right. Then it headed over the steep embankment that had bordered the road for the last several miles.

Gibbs quickly surmised that a tire had blown, or more likely had been shot out. Either that or the driver had been killed. And he hoped, for mercy’s sake, that Tony had been dead before the car went over. The mere thought of Tony being burned alive turned Gibbs’ stomach.

Gibbs was brought back to the present by Ziva. He saw a blur go past him. Gibbs grabbed Ziva before she could go any further.

“It’s too hot.” Gibbs whispered in her ear. “It’s too hot.”

Ziva shook her head, vigorously, still fighting Gibbs’ grip. “My partner…!” She said, tears streaming down her face. “He’s not...! TONY!!! TONY!!!”

Gibbs, unable to say anything else, pulled her into his arms. It was then that he finally noticed Tim. He was just standing, looking over the edge, oblivious to all around him.

“Tim?” Gibbs said quietly, after a few moments, as he led Ziva back to their car. “Tim!” He said again, a little more forcefully. There was no response until Gibbs reached out and touched McGee’s shoulder.

“Yeah, Boss!” Tim said, sadly, jumping at Gibbs’ touch.

“There’s a lot to do, Tim.” Gibbs stated.

“But we…we can’t…!!” Tim pointed to the car.

“No…” Gibbs shook his head, sadly. “…too dangerous, it’s too hot. It’s…it’s still burning.”

Gibbs mind was going a mile a minute. He had to make several calls and deliver lots of news. In his heart, hope was eternal, until Ducky had a body. In his head, he couldn’t see anyone surviving. He had scanned the bank, and the area around the car, hoping to see a body. But he hadn’t seen anything. His intellect was telling him he would soon have to be looking for someone to fill a spot on his team.

TBC