Chapter Three
Gibbs took a quick glance around the lab to make sure the man was gone before turning his attention to the woman in his arms. "Abby, are you okay? What'd he do? Did he hurt you?"
"No, I… he just… stuck me with a needle…" she glanced at the tiny red spot on her arm. "Which kinda hurt, but I'm okay."
"He did stick you? Was it like a shot of something?" Gibbs asked, concerned. His worry grew when she nodded. "Okay. Alright then… Ducky. I should get Ducky," he decided after a moment. There was a chance that the guy - terrorist, now, if he was making biological weapons - was telling the truth. But there was always the chance that he wasn't, too, right? No reason to panic yet… but it certainly wouldn't hurt to get Ducky's opinion.
Abby looked up at him, fear suppressed but still noticeable in her eyes. "Would you?"
Gibbs nodded slightly, hugging her a bit awkwardly in an attempt to comfort her. "Sure. Of course. Will you be okay here for a few minutes?" Abby nodded and Gibbs reluctantly released her, promising "I'll be right back" as he turned and left the lab.
Abby stood in the middle of the lab for a moment before taking a step back to lean against the table. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to compose herself. She was scared, she'd admit it; she hadn't liked the description the guy had given. She thought it was likely he had told the truth, too; he'd seemed so sure of himself, so confident that by the twenty-four hour mark Gibbs would be willing to meet whatever demands he had. Abby didn't like that; she didn't want to be a liability, didn't want Gibbs doing something he didn't want to in order to save her. But, then, she didn't want to die, either. She had always hated being sick, and now…
Okay, calm down, she told herself. Everyone else would probably be worried enough. There wasn't anything she could do about it now, anyways, and worrying would just… well, worry her, and that wouldn't be good. Who could think straight when they were freaking out? No one she knew. So she'd make herself stay calm, so she could think logically. Nothing good came from panicking like that. So she'd stay calm, and try to keep the others calm, too. Or, at least, she'd do her best.
A moment later, Kate and Tony hurried into the lab, both looking confused and worried. "Abby! Are you alright? What happened; Gibbs told us to come here and he seemed all worried," Kate blurted, moving to her friend's side.
"And you know how rare that is," Tony pointed out, making Abby smile slightly.
Calm, she reminded herself, answering "I'm okay, guys." She paused for a moment, trying to think of how to explain the situation without freaking them both out. She was saved from having to do so by Ducky coming into the lab, followed by Gibbs. Ducky wasted little time in hurrying to Abby's side, wrapping his arms around her in a light but comforting hug.
"Are you alright, my dear? Here, now, let me see your arm…" While he examined the small red spot left by the needle, Gibbs explained the situation to Kate and Tony. Abby heard Kate gasp as Gibbs repeated the man's claim.
"Oh, God, Abby!" Kate was instantly back at her side, a hand on her shoulder. "Oh, God. What did this guy want? We have to get that antidote."
"Money, I'm assuming," Tony guessed. "We'll find some way to get the stuff from him and get this jerk behind bars where he belongs."
"How much money? We'll get it somehow," Kate commented worriedly, never taking her eyes off Abby.
"Okay, aren't we reacting rather fast here? Not that I don't appreciate it, but…" Abby shrugged. "There's no assurance the guy was telling the truth, right? I mean, what if he was lying?"
"But Abby, maybe he wasn't. We have to consider that possibility and be ready for it," Gibbs told her.
Abby nodded. "Yeah, okay, I get that. But I feel fine right now. And, heh, even if he wasn't lying… we've got Ducky! He can fix anything." She smiled at the man standing beside her, and he gave her a small smile in return.
"I'm afraid that's not completely true, but that you for the vote of confidence, my dear." He wrapped an arm lightly around her shoulders.
Gibbs took a deep breath. "Abby's right. There's no reason to panic. Right now, our priority is to find out who this guy is, how he got in, and where we can find him."
Abby nodded. "See, now, that's sensical."
"Senseical? Is that a word?" Tony asked, looking a bit confused.
"It is now," Abby claimed. "But that's not the point. I don't know about you guys, but I don't feel like standing around worrying. I'm gonna do something productive." This said, she moved over to her computer to find some work to do.
Kate watched Abby for a moment before glancing at the other three people in the lab. Tony was making an attempt at his signature grin, but not quite succeeding, worry obvious in his eyes. Ducky looked thoughtful, probably thinking of what would need to be done if the terrorist hadn't been lying. Gibbs, though, she couldn't read; he was staring at Abby, such a mixture of emotions in his expression that she couldn't begin to guess at what he was thinking. One thing was certain: he was worried. They all were. Kate sighed slightly… she could only pray that Abby was right; pray that the terrorist had been lying. But somehow, even as she thought that, some part of her knew he hadn't been, and she couldn't make that feeling go away.
Chapter End Notes:
Sorry this one took so long; I kinda forgot I hadn't already posted it. ~_~ Yeeeah. I've been really busy. But here it is, and I promise the next one will be out soon.