Advantages and Abilities
Chapter 2 On the Hunt
Both men were silent on the drive to Greg's favorite coffee shop. It was the only one in the Vegas area that supplied the ultra special blends Greg favored. Though from Gil's experience the regular house roast was of high quality as well. Gil figured this was also the place that Doc Robbins got his coffee from.
Gil's palms were sweating as they pulled up a couple of spaces away from Greg's VW Rabbit. Gil tried to control his breathing reminding himself that he could do this. A friend's life might hang on this and his control.
Gil knew now that Nick's presence was the reason everything stopped pressing down on his mind. Gil was grateful for the peace. Now he knew where the boundary was. That was good and bad. Good in that now he might have a chance to build up his own boundaries again. Bad in that he was scared that to find Greg he would have to break through those boundaries and risk the pain and anguish of the people around him.
"Nick it's been years since I've looked at a crime scene this way. I don't know if I'll find what we need." Gil leaned back and said.
Nick took Gil's hand in his and using his free hand turned the older man so their eyes met, "Gris, I believe you can do this. If you need anything from me let me know. I just know that Ecklie is wrong. Greg wouldn't run from me."
The two men left the air conditioned comfort of the Tahoe and walked towards Greg's car. Nick walked close to his boss after grabbing their kits from the back of the SUV. Out of habit both men put on the latex gloves they would normally wear to a crime scene.
Gil closed his eyes mentally preparing himself like he did just starting out as a CSI to look at a crime scene with abilities instead of looking at the evidence. "Okay, Nicky lets see what I can see."
Gil slowly walked around Greg's car, it was very difficult now to not look for evidence with his eyes, "Nick," he says shaking his head, "I'm not getting anything. Let me try something else."
Going against every criminalist instinct he had Gil peeled off the latex gloves protecting him from contaminating a crime scene and rested his hand against the driver side door of Greg's car.
Gil's eyes widened as his mind's eye saw the early morning scene unfold:
Greg pulled in to a parking spot near the Surf Spot Coffee Shop. As Greg was near the door he saw a woman being dragged towards a plain delivery van. The pigtailed girl was putting up a major fight. Greg started running towards her. He reached the kidnappers just as they subdued the raven-haired girl. Greg too was quickly knocked out and placed in the van with the woman. The van drove off like it hadn't just taken two people away from their loved ones.
Gil told Nick what he saw, "Sorry Nick it's not much I'm out of practice. The plates on the van were Nevada 52C-WU7, but I'm sure they were stolen."
"Grissom, it might be a bit more than you know was the pigtailed girl dressed in sorta Goth outfit." Nick said earnestly.
"Yeah right down to a spiked neck collar." Gil said surprised that Nick would guess that.
"Her name is Abby Sciuto she's a NCIS lab tech. Her and Greg met up at some lab geeks convention. She came out here because as she said her boss ordered her to take a vacation and she had to be west of the Rockies." Nick looked flustered, "I can't imagine any reason for someone to grab any lab tech let alone her and Greg."
Grissom pursed his lips in thought as he started walking over to where the van was in his vision. "There isn't enough evidence in any form to know what is going on. We have to have more information." Grissom stopped, turned and looked into Nick's eyes, "Nick, I'm going to look at the spot where they were taken. Go deeper some how. Maybe I can get more that way."
"Gris, are you sure about this? You aren't looking so good at the moment." Nick met the older man's gaze. "Greg and I wouldn't want you hurting yourself to find him."
Gil closed his eyes against the fear and concern he saw in his friend's eyes. There was something else just hovering under the surface but Gil didn't have the time to look deeper. He had to help find Greg and his friend before his strength gave out. "Yeah I'm sure. Why don't you go and move your truck over here, I'll be okay."
Grissom watched as Nick walked back to his truck, fighting down recently occurring emotions of lust, desire and love he felt when ever he would let his internal guards loosen around Greg and Nick. Gil didn't know what to really make of these feelings. The younger couple was thoroughly wrapped up and happy with each other, and he didn't want to do anything to screw that up. 'I just have to be careful. If I'm feeling this now then what I have planned will really leave me open.' He thought to himself as Nick brought the Tahoe around and pretty much blocked the alley from prying eyes.
"Okay Gris, the Tahoe, is blocking the way now what?" Nick said watching his boss with concern. 'It really was to soon after his surgery for him to be out and about.' Gil heard mentally from Nick.
Gil, who was walking toward one part of the alley, suddenly changed direction and walked toward the younger man, "Nicky, I'll be fine. If I thought it was too soon I would have said something. Quit worrying."
The Texan's eyes widened, "Gil," he said awed and confused, "I didn't say anything."
Gil smiled enigmatically, "but you thought it, right." He continued as Nick nodded, "That's what I meant. These abilities of mine have been getting stronger. I think sometimes when my hearing would cut out I was actually hearing your guys thoughts."
"Wow that's unreal Gris," Nick pondered for a moment before looking concerned again, "Umm boss you wouldn't have picked up any umm like racy thoughts would you?"
Gil chuckled, "I don't think it worked like that. I think that my brain used my abilities to compensate for the loss of my hearing. Everyone thinks what he or she wants to say before they say it. So I think I was picking up on that."
"Okay," Nick nodded and looked over the alley, "well you’re the one calling this one tell me what you need Griss."
Gil closed his eyes for a moment a quick flash of the scene, how it was, flashed in his mind, "the van was parked over there, and so we should find some tread marks." The older man indicated the part of the alley where he was initially heading towards before Nick's concern got to him. "Greg came from more or less the area around the front of your SUV. Towards the van, his friend was kicking and clawing. I'll want us to go over this with a fine-tooth comb. She's a lab tech she knows enough to try and leave us as much evidence as possible. I'm going to see if I can get more info, Nick."
"What will you need from me Gris?" Nick said his concern for Gil radiating out so strongly the older man almost reeled from the intensity of it.
Shaking his head a bit to clear it, "If something goes wrong. I don't answer you for a while or if I completely pass out. Don't over react. Don't call for an ambulance. Just get me home, okay?" Nick nodded his wary acceptance. "Thank you for being here Nick. I wouldn't be able to do this without you here."
Gil turned away from Nick and walked over to where the van was parked. After gathering evidence with Nick's help the normal way Gil kneeled near where he thought the side door of the van was. Again taking off the latex gloves he wore for gathering this area of evidence. Gil placed his hand on one of the smaller shoe prints he hoped belonged to Greg's friend Abby.
Gil saw the young Goth girl walking towards the coffee shop where she was meeting Greg for coffee. Her head tilts as she hears a noise in the alley. A moment later a masked man grabs her from behind and starts dragging her to the van. Abby puts up a fight elbowing the guy in the stomach and stomping on the kidnapper's feet. Neither appears to do much. Another man in the van comes out and covers Abby's nose with a white cloth. Just as she is going limp from what is obviously chloroform or similar substance. Greg passes the opening of the alley.
Abby's last bit of strength goes to alerting Greg. He hears a muffled scream, turns sees Abby and gives a shout running up to the van. He skids to a stop when the second kidnapper points a gun at Abby's head. In a low gravely voice Gil hears the kidnapper order Greg in the van or he will kill Abby. As Greg shakily gets into the van the kidnapper puts the same cloth that was covering Abby's face over Greg's pinning him to the floor of the van. Greg struggles as much as possible before he too passes out. Both kidnappers haul Abby into the van putting her next to Greg. Kidnapper #1 laughs to Kidnapper #2, "The Gunny will do what we want now that we have his little brat and her boyfriend." Then the vision ended as the van pulled away from the alley.
Gil yelled in frustration, hitting the ground before him with his fists, "Damn it, damn it."
Nick rushed to Gil's side grabbing his boss' hands before he could severely damage them. "Gris what is it? Greg's not?"
"Dead, no" Gil's weary eyes met Nick's, "they were chloroformed. The kidnappers wore masks. Probably some body armor and steel toed boots as well. Greg's friend should have been able to loosen her kidnapper's hold with the blows she got in. All I could make out is that she was taken to get someone close to her to do something. In context it might be her father or a similarly close relationship." Gil gripped Nick's hands and stared at them for a moment before meeting Nick's eyes as he gave the next info, "Nicky, they think Greg is Abby's boyfriend." Gil then looked away so he couldn't see Nick's reaction to that news.
Nick removed one of his hands from Gil's so he could raise the older man's eyes to meet his, "that's good then Gris. That and the bad guys being masked means they plan on keeping Greg and Abby alive for a good long while. We have a better chance of finding them alive."
Gil looked at his friend, Nick's brown eyes gazing deeply into his own. Nicky was so convinced that they'd find Greg, that his abilities would help them do it. No one since his mother had ever believed in the visions he saw. Now kneeling in this dusty alley with him was another. Nick's genuine trust in him, the hero worship Gil had tried to curtail was illuminated in Nick's eyes like a beacon. Of his own subconscious will he moved forward until he was placing a chaste kiss on the younger man's forehead. "We'll find them Nicky. I promise."