The two empty coffee cups from Starbucks in the trash can before eleven thirty told Kate Gibbs was not having a good morning. She glanced over at the empty desk opposite her and caught Tim's gaze staring in the same direction. Tim quickly turned his eyes back to the computer screen as Gibbs came in from MTAC. He didn't look like he was in a good mood. He looked over at Kate. No expecting an invitation to start, or even a question she stood up. The remote for the large screen opposite Gibbs desk in her hand, she started reporting.
"We pulled up everything we could find on the protective custody of Kyran, but the Spooks weren’t' very helpful. They refused to give over any information about the murderer except his name: Simon Ivydowns. All they told us was that he had a team of around six, they've managed to catch two of them, but Ivydowns has been off the radar for a while." As she spoke she brought up a very unflattering newspaper picture of a tall, muscular man with a mop of black hair, evil little brown eyes and a straggly beard.
"We looked up Ivydowns, but could only find what the Spooks had already told us. Thirty-six years old, English, born in Cholsey, parents died when he was eleven, went into foster care and went to collage in Didcot. Dropped out of uni before becoming something of a petty thief escalating up to Murdered when he joined a known violent gang in Manchester. That's all we could find." She finished, putting down her file and looking at the photograph taken from the Daily Telegraph in 2006. It shoved Ivydowns with two other large, muscular men under a bridge next to a fetid and dark green river.
Gibbs rose from his seat and walked over to the screen, studying it carefully. "Is that the Themes?" He asked, voicing one of the only rivers he knew the name of. The question took Tim and Kate back.
"Um." Kate muttered, flicking through her file. Tim started typing on his computer. Tim looked up. "It could be, or it could be the River Pang." He replied reading off his screen. The look Gibbs gave him made him keep typing. "Judging from the size of the bridge." He replied quickly. "It is most probably the river Themes, either in Didcot or Cholsey, it runs through both."
Kate had been thinking. She didn't know a great deal about England and its Geography, but she knew who might. "Does the river Pang run through Pangbourne?" She asked Tim. Gibbs turned to Kate as Tim started typing once more. "Yes." He replied shortly, looking at the map on his screen. Gibbs raised his eyebrows.
"Madisyn was born in Pangbourne." Kate replied shortly before picking up the phone to call Ducky.
------------------------------------------------------
"Tony? Tony?"
The voice seemed very far off, welcome but far away. The field agent tried to open his eyes, but the throbbing behind his eyelids wasn't one he really wanted to face. The events of last night started to seep back into his brain, spinning around in the wrong order. It was like a puzzle trying to fit the jagged edges together. Something clicked.
Tony groaned and opened his green eyes. Everything was slightly blurry, but he blinked it back into focus. The dull throb wasn't actually as bad as he had first thought. He pushed himself up off the ground. A second person helped him into a sitting position.
"Okay?" Madisyn asked, sitting back down against the wall next to Tony.
"Yeah," Tony replied, turning to the young English girl beside him. "Have they done anything to you?"
"Except lock me in a large stone box with only you for company?" Madisyn tried to lighten the mood. It didn't really help, but it might've been better if she'd tried to brighten up the room. There was one dusty light-bulb that didn't give a great deal of illumination, but at least Tony could see Madisyn's features clearly enough. He let his eyes sweep over her, making sure she didn't have any injuries: She only had one that he could make out, a thin cut above her left cheek. Otherwise she just looked cold. She had her arms wrapped around herself and brought her knees up to her chest.
"How's...how's your head?" She asked, her dark brown eyes only showing a slight flicker of fear. He smiled, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"I've been hit harder by my Boss." He assured her. She forced a smile, but he could see the unsurity in her brown eyes. She was trying to believe him, but something told her it was her fault he was here. For once, Madisyn's over active imagination was correct.
Author's Chapter Notes:
"Well that didn't exactly go to plan, did it?"