Chapter 20:
It had been a long night and in more ways than one. Despite his attempts to stay awake, Gibbs ended up dozing on and off throughout the night. He had been keeping an eye on Erikson and Myers while he struggled to loosen the ropes, but having a concussion did not help matters any.
When morning came and help still hadn't arrived, Gibbs knew that from here on out he was on his own. The only conclusion he could come to was that Fornell and his team didn't know that something was wrong. He doubted that the GPS trackers failed, Abby was too good at her job for that to happen. She probably ended up camping out in her lab to monitor their location just to be on the safe side. There was no way she would have missed any sign of trouble, so something else had to be going on.
Wearily, Gibbs sighed and shoved those things aside for the moment. He had more important things to worry about. Erikson and Myers had been very busy once the sun had started to rise. They had been emptying everyone's bags, including their own, and trying to pack what Gibbs could only guess to be the drugs into one or two bags for easier carrying. He gave a small sigh in relief as the contents of their bags were ignored and that the GPS trackers had gone undiscovered.
The question was why switch bags at all? The drugs had already been packed well enough to avoid water getting through and made for easy transportation in the raft.
‘Unless they aren't using the rafts for transportation anymore,' Gibbs suddenly realized. ‘They're continuing on foot.'
Erikson and Myers had started arguing once they had packed what Gibbs recognized as Tony's backpack and Ray's small overnight bag with the drugs. Erikson seemed to be calling the shots, and Myers did not look at all happy about it.
Eventually, Myers seemed to agree with Erikson, and pulled on Tony's backpack and picked up Ray's bag. He turned to leave, but Erikson grabbed his arm to stop him and handed him a gun. They had another short conversation before Myers turned again and left the camp. Gibbs wished that his head hadn't been bothering him so bad otherwise he would have attempted to read their lips. Even without knowing exactly what was said, he felt pretty certain that Myers was going to make the drop. He just wondered how far he was going to go.
The rest of the group had since woken up and had curious looks on their faces as they watched Myers leave the camp. Erikson watched them, as if daring one of them to ask what was going on. Everyone remained silent, unsure if they wanted to know the answer or not. Unsure of how long Myers would be gone, Gibbs began to refocus his attention on the ropes. He knew his chances of getting them loose in time were small, but he had to try. He stood a better chance of turning the tables with Myers gone; Gibbs just hoped that Myers didn't come back with one of his business partners.
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Several times throughout the night Tony had stood up and paced around the cabin, afraid that if he sat still for too long he would fall asleep. It had been harder than he thought to keep himself occupied enough to stay alert all night. Once he had a general layout of what his next move was going to be his mind seemed to want to shut down. The only other thing that helped him to stay awake was the amount of pain he was in.
Tony sighed with relief as the sun started to peak through the trees. At least now he would be able to examine the cabin more carefully for any other lingering supplies that could be useful. Unfortunately, there was nothing left that would serve any real purpose to Tony in his current situation. Knowing he had little time to waste, Tony left the cabin and started to head back towards the camp.
Walking in the cool morning air was actually starting to help Tony become more alert. It also reminded him of his injuries as well. He tried to focus on making his way back to camp, in an attempt to block out the pain. But he was going to need something more to do besides walking, and soon, if he was going to be of any use to Gibbs and the others.
It could have been seen as a coincidence, but then again Gibbs didn't believe in such things. Tony didn't care what you called it, he was just thankful that it had happened. Myers was walking through the woods and hadn't spotted Tony. Quickly Tony moved out of sight and hid behind some trees. Myers seemed to be too preoccupied to even glance around. He was walking from the direction of the camp, walking as quickly as possible. Noticing the bags he was carrying, Tony immediately realized that he was going to make the drop.
Tony was torn between continuing on to the camp and following Myers. Watching closely as Myers walked by he noticed that there was a gun tucked in his belt. Thinking quickly, Tony decided that he stood a better chance at taking Myers down by himself compared to Erikson. By getting Myers out of the way first, Tony would also have acquired a gun, which would serve as a greater advantage later on.
He figured that he should find out where the drop was too, while he was at it, otherwise this whole operation would have been for nothing. ‘Well, maybe not nothing,' Tony thought to himself. Being able to talk to Gibbs about certain things had been an enjoyable experience and that was worth everything.
After waiting to make sure Myers was far enough ahead that he wouldn't be spotted, Tony moved to follow him. He continued to keep up his fast pace, obviously familiar enough with the area and where he was going. The fact that someone was following him didn't seem likely either, considering where they were.
Myers continued walking for several minutes, until he reached the bottom of a steep hill. Tony couldn't see from the distance that he kept, but he heard Myers call out to someone, and someone answered. Remaining as far away as possible to avoid detection, Tony made his way up the hill once he saw Myers do the same. Once he made it to the top he paused, taking in the sight before him.
‘No one is gonna believe this,' Tony thought to himself. Even he didn't believe it, and he was right there. Erikson and Myers were meeting by train tracks. Of all the possibilities that everyone had considered, this was not on the list.
At first Tony couldn't understand how no one had known about the tracks. They weren't on the map, though, of that much he was sure of. Taking a closer look at the tracks, Tony began to wonder if they were even in use anymore. That would be one reason why they weren't on the maps. The maps they looked at concentrated on the river and the immediate surrounding areas, and these tracks were definitely far enough away that they wouldn't be put on the local tourist maps.
‘Everyone is gonna be giving themselves head slaps later when they find out about this,' Tony thought to himself with amusement.
There were two guys there to meet Myers. They had arrived by dirt bikes, and were busy transporting the drugs from the bags Myers had used to their own. They made quick work of it, and in no time the dirt bikes were loaded up and the two men took off. Fortunately they didn't head in Tony's direction, so he didn't have to worry about being seen.
Once the dirt bikes had disappeared, Myers headed back down the hill, carrying the two bags with him. ‘Don't want to leave any evidence behind,' Tony observed as he made his own way down. Because he had maintained his distance from Myers, he was now the one in the lead. Moving within the trees, Tony slowed his pace and waited for Myers to get close enough to jump him. He had the element of surprise, but Tony knew that if he didn't move fast he could quickly loose his advantage.
It didn't take Myers long to catch up to Tony, who was waiting behind some trees. After letting Myers get a few feet in front of him, Tony launched himself at his target, tackling him to the ground. Bringing his arms around Myers' waste as they hit the ground, Tony made to grab the gun. He managed to pull it free from Myers' belt, but dropped it as he moved to dodge an elbow aimed at his head. Tony used the momentum from the move to roll them both away from the gun, not wanting to risk Myers getting hold of it again.
They rolled a few feet away, with Tony ending up on his back. Quickly he moved his arms so that he could get a grip around Myers' neck as he had begun to slam his elbows into Tony's sides. Adrenaline rushing through him, Tony ignored the pain and held on. Myers continued to struggle, but soon enough the lack of oxygen took its toll. After falling limp in his arms, Tony shoved Myers off to the side and took in a few deep breaths before moving to pick up the gun.
Quickly Tony pulled out the duck tape that he had acquired from the cabin and used it to bind Myers' arms and wrists behind his back. Then he checked his pockets for anything else that might be useful, and found an extra clip for the gun. ‘One down, one to go,' Tony thought to himself with a sigh.
Glancing around, he noticed the bags that Myers had also dropped during their fight. Looking closer, he realized that the backpack was his, which meant that someone had gone through his stuff. Tony was suddenly filled with worry and fear. If they had gone through his things there was a chance that they had found the GPS trackers. And if they had, then Gibbs was in a hell of a lot more trouble than ever. Tony knew he had to get back to camp, and fast. Quickly Tony shoved the other bag into his backpack along with the remaining duck tape and pulled it onto his back. You never knew what could be useful out here.
He couldn't leave Myers out here in the open though, who was groaning, a sure sign of him waking up. Suddenly, Tony smiled to himself as an idea came to him. Using more of the tape he sealed both Myers' mouth and eyes shut. No doubt he would start to panic when he woke up and there was no reason to let him know who his assailant was. Just as he finished Myers started to become more alert.
Tony waited until Myers started to try to free himself before moving to grab him up by the arms. He was prepared when Myers tried to break free, so Tony gave him a quick punch in the gut, sending the man to his knees.
Kneeling over Myers, Tony spoke in a soft gruff voice, hoping that it would be enough to confuse Myers. "We're going for a walk. You cooperate, you live. You fight back, and then I'm going to have to make use of my new gun that you've donated. Understand?"
Myers gave a shaky nod, and then Tony hauled him to his feet and started walking. Tony hoped that Myers was thinking that it was one of his partners or someone else, as long as he continued to think he was dead. It was an advantage that he was not willing to give up just yet.
Tony pushed Myers as fast as he could back in the direction of the cabin. It would do for a holding cell of sorts for the moment, and it was certainly a better option than tying him to a tree. Being trapped in a building would no doubt be a surprise to Myers, or so he hoped.
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Myers had been gone for a while now, but Erikson didn't appear to be worried. Gibbs wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. He had been constantly struggling to break free of the ropes and all he got for his efforts was the feeling of blood trickling down his fingers. He had rubbed his wrists raw, but Gibbs didn't care. He was too frustrated at not being able to even loosen the ropes to pay any attention at all to his new injuries.
Gibbs inadvertently let out a sigh, which drew Erikson's attention. Smirking, he walked over to Gibbs and said, "What's the matter, knots too tight? Bet it pisses you off, a Marine and not able to get out of those binds."
Gibbs chose not to reply, but to just glare at Erikson.
Erikson continued to laugh. "Yea, I bet you were hoping to spring some sort of surprise attack on me or something. But you know something? I'm in the Navy, Petty Officer Erikson reporting for duty and all that crap." He gave a mock salute with a disgusted look on his face.
"Its probably pissing you off to no end isn't it? The fact that two Petty Officers were able to get the drop on you, the big bad-ass Marine. Yea, Myers is in the Navy too."
Gibbs actually had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. Instead, he said, "Yea, a Petty Officer who had to rely on his buddy to keep me from beating the shit out of him." That got Erikson pissed, and it got Gibbs a fist in his face.
"Hey! Leave him alone!" Gary shouted from the other side of the camp. "Haven't you done enough to him already?"
With an evil glint in his eyes, Erikson turned to Gary and said, "Oh, are you referring to his idiotic son? Huh, and here I thought I was doing him a favor."
Noting how close Erikson was standing, Gibbs took the opportunity to kick his legs up and into Erikson's gut. Caught off guard, Erikson flew backwards and landed on the ground. Quickly getting back up onto his feet, Erikson pulled out his gun and pointed it at Gibbs.
"You got some kind of a death wish? You want to follow your son into the afterlife?" Erikson shouted at him as he kept the gun leveled.
Gibbs showed no reaction to Erikson or the gun, and for a fleeting moment Gibbs thought Erikson was going to shoot him. Suddenly, Erikson started laughing as he lowered the gun.
"Very good, Marine. You sure provoked the hell out of me," Erikson said. "That's what's going on here, right? You trying to get me to do something stupid, make a mistake that will give you some sort of opening?"
Again Gibbs resorted to simply glaring at Erikson, not in much of a mood for a conversation with the man anyway.
"Alright, you've had your chance. Now it's my turn," Erikson said with a disturbing smile. "You know, your son wasn't much of a fighter. But boy did he start fighting when I took this from him." Then Erikson pulled out something from his pocket and held it up for Gibbs to see.
He felt the air in his lungs freeze, for in Erikson's hand was Tony's watch. Erikson must have read the expression in Gibbs' eyes because his smile got even wider. "So, was it a gift from you? Must have been important, the way he tried to get it back, just before I tossed him into the water like a rag doll," Erikson said darkly.
"You son of a bitch!" Gibbs shouted at him, instinctively struggling against the ropes in a vain attempt to be free to attack Erikson, who was laughing hysterically.
"It really is a nice watch," Erikson said as he slipped the watch onto his wrist. "It would be a shame to not put it to use." And with that Erikson turned and walked away, leaving Gibbs alone to simmer over the newfound knowledge.
Gibbs now knew why back-up never arrived; in fact it wasn't going to. As far as McGee and Abby could tell Tony was still with the group at the camp. This also meant that Tony was essentially lost. There was no direct link to him, he was on his own more than Gibbs had first realized.
The sudden realization of all of this hit Gibbs hard. Tony had been shot and thrown into the river with the knowledge that no one monitoring the trackers would realize that he was in trouble. Of course, knowing Tony, he was probably thinking more along the lines of no one knowing that Gibbs was in trouble. He was always putting other people first; it was one of the many qualities that made him such a good agent. It also made him ignorant of his own well-being, which irritated Gibbs to no end on several occasions.
With that thought in mind, Gibbs could only hope that his own safety would be enough to motivate Tony into having enough strength to somehow find help. It wasn't much, but at the moment it was all Gibbs had to hold on to.
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It took a little longer than Tony would have liked to reach the cabin. Myers had stumbled constantly, and Tony had to be extremely cautious in case he decided to try something. Just because a man was tied up and blindfolded didn't mean he was harmless.
As soon as they entered the cabin Tony moved Myers to the corner where he had left the blankets and shoved him down so that he was lying flat on his stomach. Keeping a foot pressed into his back, Tony quickly pulled out the leftover duck tape from his back pack and knelt down to bind Myers' knees and ankles together. Then he pulled out the extra bag and removed the straps. Tony looped one end of the straps through Myers' arms and then looped the other end through an old pipe in the wall. It may not have been very durable, but it would certainly make things difficult for Myers to escape.
Satisfied that Myers was as secure as he was ever going to be, Tony leaned down and told him, "Don't move a muscle. Someone will be by later to release you once I've finished my work. You got that?"
Myers gave a frantic nod, and then Tony stood and walked out of the cabin, closing the door as firmly as possible. Figuring that sooner or later Myers would realize that he was alone, Tony decided on giving him some of the truth in hopes that he would be stupid enough to actually stay. If things turned out well enough, someone would be by to take him into custody.
After jogging a short distance from the cabin, Tony slowed his pace to catch his breath and regroup. The brief fight with Myers had taken its toll; the blows to his sides reawakening his injuries with full force. Pausing briefly to check his left side, Tony noticed that he was starting to bleed a bit again. Not that the fact that the wound had dried up while still open was much better. He considered himself fortunate enough that his ribs hadn't cracked and punctured a lung. He was still able to breath with relative ease; although earlier it had been a bit difficult.
‘Note to self, avoid any kind of contact to ribs in the future,' Tony thought idly to himself.
Tony knew that while he had removed Myers from the picture, Gibbs and the others were still in danger while in the company of Erikson. He could only hope that he hadn't wasted too much time getting Myers back to the cabin. Knowing that they had made this run at least a few times before, Tony would bet that Erikson was probably keeping an eye on how long Myers had been gone. If he started getting suspicious before Tony could get to camp and form a plan, the element of surprise might be lost.
The idea of going up against Erikson in his present condition was not at all appealing, especially if he lost one of the few advantages that he had. Erikson would not go down as easily as Myers had and Tony didn't think he could do it by himself.
Forming a mental block against the aches and pains his body was distributing, Tony picked up his pace to a light jog once more. He was going to have to find a way to make sure Gibbs was free to move against Erikson. The two of them working together was the only way to be certain that he would be brought down.
Chapter End Notes:
Sorry it took a little longer than usual to get this posted. Only day I have off is Sunday, the rest of the time I have work and school. But I am keeping at it, never fear! Lol. One week 'til new season! It needs to hurry up already! Anyway, looking forward to hearing what you think so please review!