"DNA!" Abby exclaimed, typing frantically on her computer. "DNA never lies!" Tim nodded, sitting back on his chair and sighing. He wondered how Tony and Kate were doing with their endless amounts of paper-work. He felt sorry for them, then he remembered that he would be doing it as well, if something hadn't come up. He silently praised Madisyn from saving him from another clean file of a Navy Officer or Seaman who would probably not be connected to Petty Officer Alvin Crosswarld. Abby pushed him off his chair so she could get to one of her precious computers. He stood up obediently and leaned over her shoulder to watch. The bleeps and clicks of the keyboard and the computer meant something to Abby and Tim, but for the two agents standing at the door, it was just garble.
Tony stepped forward, Kate following behind him. "I know you're there." Abby called without turning around. Tony glanced at Kate, maybe it was rubbing off Gibbs, but at least Abby didn't creep up on people. "Got anything yet?" Kate asked, taking a vacant chair by the computer. "Give science time, Kate!" Abby replied, watching the flashing images on the screen. The computer bleeped in a way that Tony could only think was smug. How could a computer be smug? Abby started typing again, faster and faster until her hands were a blur. The computer bleeped again and she stopped, frowning. "What is it?" Kate asked, leaning forward. Abby tipped her head onto one side, thinking fast. She started typing again without replying. The computer flashed up red, a warning sign in black letters on a red background. Kate stood up. "What's that?" Abby raised her eyebrows.
"Restricted access." A voice behind the four said. They all turned to see Madisyn leaning against the doorway. "The police got the same, I just don't exist." She shrugged, allowing her pony-tail to fall over one shoulder. She smiled at the blank faces. "Don't ask me, I don't know why. But for some reason, I don't exist on any Police or government file. Is that a bad thing?" Her cheerful smile stayed in place, not fazed by the confused an in one case accusing look from the NCIS team in front of her. She sighed, it was going to be a long day. "I don't get it, and I stopped trying a while ago." She sighed, stepping into the room. "Although, now I do know, I was told by MI5 not to tell anyone."
"I hate Spooks." Kate muttered.
"Me too." Madisyn replied, Kate raised an eyebrow, surprise she had heard her across the room and above the continuous clicking and bleeping of Abby's instruments. "I'm under protective custody." Madisyn admitted, watching the eyebrows rise as she propped herself up onto a table which was currently empty of bits of paper or plastic bags.
"Why?" Tony voiced the question the rest of the team were thinking.
"Well, I wasn't really. My mum witnessed a serial killer doing what he did best and filmed it. The murdering bastard was never caught so we were put in protective custody before being moved from Pangborne, where we lived to Oxford. Turned out the bastard had an inside man working for the Police and tried to track us down using DNA and such so they basically wiped our records or something like that." Madisyn shrugged again. There was silence before Gibbs voice broke through the tension and thoughts that were almost visibly zooming about the room.
"So why come to NCIS now?" Madisyn jumped off the table and turned to Gibbs.
"Because of the letter. My mum wrote a suicide note telling me to find my father, who she says is called Donald Mallard, so here I am, following the directions on this-" She pulled out a sheaf of paper from her pocket and unfolded it. It was a hand-written letter, the same handwriting that the letter addressed to Gibbs had been.
"In here it asks me to come to NCIS Head Quarters and find Donald Mallard to give him this. I just haven't given it to him yet. I'm not allowed to, apparently, until I am given protective custody." She rolled her eyes, tossing the sheaf of paper onto the table beside her. "So, whose house do I get to stay at first?"
Author's Chapter Notes:
"That could never be good."