SquidgeWorld Archive

IN TOO DEEP
Disclaimer- I don't own any of the NCIS characters, I am just playing with them for a while.
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Tony stretched and arched his neck back, trying to relieve the stiffness that came from staring at the computer screen for hours, searching for a clue or detail that they might of missed the first ten times reviewing the current case.
Nothing seemed to have changed from the last time he had studied the crime pictures. The victims all showed the evidence of physical torture they had endured before their death. The violence seemed to increase with each kidnapping, indicating that the killer was becoming more sadistic, more unbalanced. Definitely someone that needed to be caught before another victim accidentally crossed his path.
Each victim had last been seen in nightclubs frequented by military personnel and each of the victims had been with a beautiful blonde woman. "A woman whose beauty made you stop and stare!" was the description one bartender had given. A woman who seemingly enticed three men to the most painful deaths that Tony had ever encountered in all the years he had worked as a homicide detective or an NCIS agent. A small shiver ran down his spine as he carefully studied the sketches taken from the eyewitness descriptions. The pouting mouth and perfect bone structure of her face only seemed to hint at a beauty that hid the deadly intent from anyone unlucky to be drawn to her.
All the victims had similar looks and backgrounds. Each was a Marine, late twenties early thirties, just returned from deployment from Iraq. All three victims were tall, dark-haired, green-eyed, physical similarities that he shared with each. The background would be easy to set up; he could pull off being a Marine fresh back from Iraq.
Tony sat back a moment as he studied the three photos of the victims. A small smile slowly tugged at his mouth and he glanced across at his boss, wondering how Gibbs would react to the suggestion that might lure the woman out into the open. He studied the photos again and nodded his head before he called.
"Boss, I think I have an idea of how to draw this sicko out!"
Kate glanced up from her computer and watched interestedly as Tony approached their boss, grinning like an excited schoolboy. Gibbs slowly placed the cup of coffee he was drinking from onto his desk and said. "Okay, Tony, what's your brilliant idea?"
"We know that all the marines were last seen with a blonde in a nightclub. She seems to prefer Marines just back from Iraq."
"Part of her victims' profiles, Tony," Kate pointed out. "We know that this is some type of a serial killing. The killer looks for Marines with specific physical characteristics and backgrounds, someone who fits the profile of whom ever the killer is killing over and over again."
Gibbs nodded his agreement of Kate's profiling of the victims as he stared at Tony's eager face. "Go on Tony." He ordered quietly sensing where DiNozzo was going.
"We know that all the victims were similar in appearance. In fact, Boss, I think I could fit the killers' victims' profile. All I need is a falsified background and I would be perfect as bait!" Tony rushed on. "I can go undercover and draw her out. Maybe get her confident enough to lead me back to who ever is in on this with her."
Gibbs nodded slowly. "You know if you go under that I would want to keep you under tight surveillance, don't you Tony? These people are dangerous. We don't know how she gets her victims to go with her or how many other people are involved in this. But we do know that this group is deadly! All the victims were overdosed and then beaten to death, Tony, over a few hours according to Ducky."
Tony nodded, "I know, Boss, but it could be the only way to draw them out."
Standing up, Gibbs walked around to the front of his desk so he stood only inches away from the younger agent. "Okay, Tony, I want you completely wired. I don't want any surprises. Abby will fit you with both audio and video surveillance." He turned and faced Kate. "I want you and McGee to set up the truck."
"On it, Boss." Kate replied as she stood and hurried from the bullpen with McGee on her heels as they headed towards the stairs..
Leading Tony onto the elevator, Gibbs was silent as they began the descent to the lab. Reaching in front of his agent, Gibbs hit the emergency button halting the elevators descent and turned towards the surprised man standing beside him. "I want you to be careful out there, DiNozzo. I haven't lost anyone undercover yet and I am not going to let you ruin my record."
Tony grinned cockily. "Now Boss, do you think I would deliberately do something like that!"
Gibbs lifted his hand and slapped Tony across the back of the head. "Just make sure you don't, DiNozzo and that's an order! I want you to be careful out there, Tony."
"Ouch!" Tony squeaked as he rubbed his head. "Understood, Boss!"
Gibbs hit the button and got the elevator moving again.
NCISNCISNCIS
Abby grinned and turned to watch the two agents enter the lab. Picking up the small transmitter and the even smaller video camera, she stood up and quickly approached the younger agent, her fingers quickly unbuttoning his shirt as she spoke. "These are the most up to date surveillance equipment we have, Gibbs. We will be able to see and hear everything Tony sees or hears."
Tony grinned widely. "Everything, Abby?" he asked mischievously. The short sharp smack to the back of his head made him yelp and he rubbed the sore spot silently as he watched his boss nod.
"Any results back on the drug screens, Ab?" Gibbs asked as Abby finished adjusting the button camera and began to smooth Tony's shirt to ensure that the transmitter now attached to his chest was not noticeable.
"I found all three victims had large amounts of Phencyclidine, better known on the street as..."
"Angel Dust!" Tony finished for her, his eyes wide with horror and disgust. "Nasty stuff! Causes vivid hallucinations and can cause the user to become violent and dangerous both to himself and others." He gave a small involuntary shiver as memories of incidents when he had been up against perps affected by the drug during his time as a police officer resurfaced in his mind.
Abby nodded her agreement as she continued her report. "I also found minute traces of Rohypnol in two of the samples. Maybe that's how she gets the victims to go with her."
"So she possibly drugs her victims when she meets them and than lures them back to where ever she holds them." He murmured, "After she gets them back, she drugs them with angel dust and then tortures them."
"But why?" Abby asked, sitting back onto her stool, flicking the two black ponytails over her shoulder as she watched Gibbs slowly take a sip from the coffee cup he held.
"She has something against Marines!" Tony answered the obvious. "That's why we need me to get near her. Try and find out who she is and what makes her tick."
Gibbs glanced towards him. "Just remember, Tony, this woman is dangerous and probably has accomplices. We will be sticking to you like glue. You're not to take any chances out there!"
"Now Boss, you know me better than that!"
"That's why I am telling you, DiNozzo!" Gibbs growled, "Now go and see if McGee has the van gassed up. We'll meet you at the van in five minutes."
"On it, Boss." Tony answered as he turned and left the lab.
Gibbs watched the younger agent leave and turned back to the Goth. "This surveillance equipment is the best?" He asked.
Abby nodded.
"Good - cause I don't want to lose Tony for a minute!" Gibbs murmured as both he and Abby headed to the door.
NCISNCISNCIS
The small nightclub was filled to capacity and the music was loud enough to vibrate not only through the eardrums of the customers but also through the walls and floor of the old building.
Kate mumbled a small curse as the drink of the man who was attempting to shove his way past her in the crowded nightclub splashed onto the front of her blouse. She slapped away his hands as they began to clumsily wipe at the icy liquid that was now seeping through the material and onto her skin. She quickly pulled the wet material away from her own small transmitter, fearing it malfunctioning should it get wet. "Tony has just been approached by a young blonde woman. Could be our target." She whispered as she wiped at the stain.
"Keep him in your sight, Kate. If she is the one, we still don't know how she lures her victims out or if she has accomplices." Gibbs' voice echoed softly into the small receiver in her ear.
"Will do, Boss!" Kate murmured as she attempted to move closer to where Tony now laughed and chatted to the young woman at the bar, pushing her way through the almost solid wall of people either talking or swaying in time to the loud music.
Tony smiled warmly as the young woman sat down on the barstool beside him and casually picked up his drink, taking a small sip before speaking loudly in his ear in an attempt to be heard over the noise. "I needed that. It's hot in here. My name is Kiki. I haven't seen you before. This your first time here?"
Tony nodded, supplementing the movement with words. . "Yeah." He shouted back, his voice almost drowned out by the music and chatter. "I just got back a few days ago. Thought I would hit a few of the nightclubs to unwind. You come here often?"
The young woman smiled, "Only when I'm looking for a good time. You said you just got back from tour. Iraq?"
"Baghdad. Did six-months. It was rough." Tony replied, allowing his voice to drop a little as he began to stare at the bottles of alcohol lining the wall behind the bar before slowly shaking his head as if to shake a bad memory away and turned back to the woman sitting beside him, smiling warmly. "You said you were looking for a good time?"
Kiki smiled seductively. "A real good time!" she whispered as he allowed her fingers to run up and down lightly on Tony's arm. "Even a better time if you're a Marine, I have a thing for Marines."
Tony's grin grew wider as he leaned closer allowing the small video camera camouflaged as a button to zoom in on the woman's face. "This is your lucky day. I'm a Marine Lieutenant."
"Mmm... Well this is my lucky day," Kiki grinned as she snuggled closer and waved over the bartender ordering drinks for both Tony and herself.
NCISNCISNCIS
Gibbs leaned closer to the video screen and studied the image of the woman that Tony was flirting with. "Can you clear up the distortion a little, Abs?"
"Lighting in there is dim, Gibbs!" Abby frowned as her fingers flittered rapidly over the keyboard of the laptop sharpening the image on the portable screen within the surveillance van. Abby stared at the image of the beautiful blonde woman that now flickered across the screen, her face moving in and out of focus as she seemed to press herself closer to DiNozzo. "Is that our hinky lady?"
Gibbs studied the image closely as he distractedly answered, "I would say that that's her. She matches the witness descriptions." Abby watched as Gibbs continued to stare at the screen, the tenseness of the Gunny's muscles belied the outward calm he displayed as he watched and listened as the main suspect now flirted openly with his own undercover agent.
Kate rolled her eyes as she listened to Tony trying to flirt with the suspect. "His lines are as stale as day old bread." She murmured to herself as she edged closer, trying to maintain her line of sight of the couple as more people seemed to squeeze into the already overcrowded bar.
Tony's voice over the small mic seemed to be becoming more indistinct and slurred but Kate was unsure if it was Tony or the mic that crackled in her ear.
Something was wrong. Kate watched as Tony began to sway slightly on the stool. "Gibbs, I think she is making her move!" Kate whispered desperately into her mic as Kiki's voice echoed in her ear.
Tony blinked as he placed the glass back down on the bar and turned back towards Kiki. He suddenly felt too warm and the blaring music seemed to be travelling through his body, making it hard to think.
"Are you okay?" Kiki's voice seemed to fade in and out and Tony stared at her trying to make sense of her question. "It's too hot in here and you don't look to well. Maybe we should go outside for some fresh air." She suggested, gently grabbing Tony's arm and leading him towards the back of the bar.
"Boss, they're headed out the back door. I think she has slipped something to Tony!" Kate's anxious voice sent chills up Abby's spine as she watched the small screen showing Tony's unsteady exit from the bar.
"McGee, they're headed your way!" The tension in Gibbs' voice left no doubt he expected McGee to be on full alert when Tony and the suspect emerged from the nightclub.
"I'm trying to follow them," Kate's voice echoed in the small confines of the van, "But I'm having trouble, too many damn people! I've lost sight of them!"
"Gibbs, I've lost visual feed and audio!" Abby stated quietly.
"Damn!" Gibbs cursed. "McGee, you got them?"
Tim McGee shifted nervously, his eyes never leaving the back entrance. "They haven't come out yet, Boss." He murmured.
Kate's voice cut across the conversation. "They must have, McGee! I've reached the back entrance! They're not here and there is no other way out or anywhere else they could be!"
NCISNCISNCIS
The room spun wildly and Tony was barely aware of walking. The shapes around him all seem to blend and swirl into a sickening cacophony of color that made no sense. He felt himself stumble but a firm grip on his arm stopped him from falling. He shook his head in an attempt to clear away the strange floating sensation that he was experiencing. Nothing was making sense!
"Come on Marine, just a little bit further and than we can have some fun!" The soft voice echoed in his ear and he wondered to whom the voice was talking. Something was definitely wrong! He wasn't a Marine or was he? The thoughts became muddled and he no longer cared as he was guided along. He was so tired!
He felt more hands grab him and then the strange sensation of floating. He moaned softly as he felt himself placed onto something cold and hard. Too exhausted to open his eyes and discover where he was, he allowed himself to drift to sleep as he heard the distant sound of a motor and felt himself moving. He sighed and allowed himself to drift into the darkness that beckoned him.
NCISNCISNCIS
"What do you mean they haven't come out yet, McGee?" Gibbs' anxious voice echoed through the small mic in his ear and Timothy McGee swallowed nervously.
"Boss, no one has come out of the back entrance. Tony must still be inside." He answered timidly as he watched the back door open and Kate step out, a frown showing her tension at the unexplained disappearance of her co-worker whose back she was supposed to be watching.
"McGee, they had to come this way!" She announced annoyed. "I followed them into the corridor; there is no other way they could have gone!"
McGee shook his head, "I tell you Kate, Tony did not..."
"If DiNozzo didn't leave by this exit then he must be inside!" Gibbs' gruff voice behind them made the two agents jump as he ignored the reaction. "Kate, you and McGee start a search but be careful, with DiNozzo's mic out, we're not sure if he is with this woman voluntarily. If he is, I don't want to blow his cover. Abby is in the van trying to fix the problem with his equipment. I'm going to have a chat with the bartender, see if he noticed them leave."
"Right, Boss."
"On it."
The two agents turned and hurried inside, followed at a slower pace by the lead agent.
"Where the heck are you, Tony?" Gibbs asked silently as he entered the main room of the nightclub and slowly looked around.
NCISNCISNCIS
"What were they drinking?" Gibbs asked as he watched the bartender pour a drink and serve an impatient customer. He didn't acknowledge Kate or the small shake of her head she gave him as she joined him at the bar and waited for the bartender's response to the question.
"Bourbon. She brought in her own bottle, insisted that she was served only that?"
Kate leaned forward and stared the young bartender directly in the eyes. "Isn't that a little unusual?" She asked softly.
The bartender laughed softly and waved his arms around. "Look around, nothing that happens with this crowd is unusual!" He answered dramatically. "If she wanted to have her own alcohol and pay the cover charge on me serving it, that's her problem. All I do is serve. I ain't interested in their kinks!"
"Where are the glasses they were drinking from?" Gibbs asked, looking at the bar for the glass Tony had been drinking from only minutes before.
"Hey, I keep a clean bar! If I didn't I wouldn't have a job here long. The glasses are in the dishwasher being washed. All I can tell you, Special Agent... Gibbs isn't it?" At Gibbs's nod, he continued, "All I can tell you is that the guy didn't seem to be able to hold his liquor. I mean two drinks and he was almost passed out on the stool! Anyway, I served them their drinks and she asked to keep the bottle, so I left it on the bar with them. I turned to serve another customer and when I turned back they were gone."
"What about the bottle of bourbon?"
"They must have taken it with them, probably decided to party elsewhere."
Gibbs rubbed his eyes in agitation; this was getting them no closer to Tony and the mysterious woman. "Is there another entrance out of the nightclub other then the back and the front entrances?"
The bartender frowned. "Only the small underground corridor that connects this place to the boss' place. No one but the boss has the key. And the only way anyone would be able to find the doorway is if they knew it was there and believe me, the boss is very exclusive to whom he tells about it!"
"Is he now?" Gibbs said mildly, "Cause I want you to show me this secret corridor!"
The bartender blinked in surprise at the order and began to shake his head but the look in the agent's eye quickly warned him that the disobeying this man's order was not a good idea. With a small shrug of his shoulders, he nodded in agreement. "You really think that these two snuck out through the boss' apartment. Man, is he gunna be pissed when he finds out!"
Gibbs watched as he called for another bartender to watch the bar and than with a small nod at Kate to accompany them followed the young man out of the nightclub area and down a small flight of stairs.
NCISNCISNCIS
Kate carefully studied the small door that opened into a small and dark corridor. The bartender was right. The door appeared to be just a normal section of wall, difficult to find or even notice unless you were aware that it existed. It showed no signs of being forced and so far she had been unable to locate any fingerprints or even evidence that the door had been opened recently.
She winced as she heard Gibbs' angry voice echo from the apartment and through the narrow corridor, ordering McGee to photograph and search the small apartment for any clues to the missing agent's whereabouts. The soft stuttered acknowledgement from McGee floated back to her and she could almost see him in her mind's eye as he scurried away.
"Where the heck are you, Tony?" She whispered quietly as she straightened and took a deep breath before entering back inside.
NCISNCISNCIS
Ducky looked up from the autopsy he was performing as Gibbs entered the room, followed closely by both Kate and McGee. Abby had returned from the undercover operation teary and upset an hour before and it had taken him several minutes to calm the young woman and discover that the clandestine mission had gone disastrously wrong with young Anthony being snatched from right beneath their noses.
One quick glance at the tension in the gunny's face told the M.E. that the search of the apartment had not offered any substantial clues to Anthony's current whereabouts. He sighed quietly and looked down at the poor unfortunate soul who had the misfortune to be the previous guest of the people who now held Anthony in their place of terror.
"I was told we have a fourth victim, Duck." Gibbs snapped as he walked towards the table to stare at the bodily remains of the yet unidentified Marine. "What can you tell me?"
Ducky placed down the scalpel down and turned to face the trio as he slowly removed the face guard and gloves he was wearing, dropping the gloves into the small bucket beside the table. "Our poor boy here died a hard death, Jethro. I'm sure Abby will find evidence of both Rohypnol and
Phencyclidine in his blood. He was then beaten severely over a period of several days. Judging from the layering of bruises I have found, each beating grew progressively worse causing extreme internal bleeding as well as breaking ribs, his sternum, his left ulna and radius probably occurred as he raised his left arm in an attempt to protect himself." Ducky explained lifting his own left arm in a demonstration. "And he suffered from a skull fracture. Several beatings were with a blunt instrument, maybe a baseball bat but some of the beatings were definitely done with fists. He also showed signs of torture with some type of an electrical instrument. By the marks left, I would say some type of stun gun."
McGee swallowed hard, trying to force back the bile that burned at the back of his throat as he cast a quick glance at the two other agents trying to gauge their reactions to the clinical report of what Tony might be enduring. He noticed Kate had grown pale and was nervously biting her lip and Gibbs was ramrod stiff in posture, giving no indication of any anxiety or fear that he may have felt for the missing agent's safety.
Ducky continued with his report almost as if he did not notice the effect it was having. "But Jethro, the drugs and the torture were not what killed our young man here."
Gibbs sighed impatiently, not in the mood for riddles as he urged the older man to speed up his report. "If he didn't die from that, then what precisely killed him, Duck?" He growled.
"He died from a massive Cardiac Infarction..."
"A heart attack?" Gibbs interrupted incredulously.
"Why yes, probably induced by fear, Jethro. You see the Phencyclidine in his system would have caused extreme hallucinations. The poor boy probably thought that some wild monster was attacking him when he was being beaten. In combination with the hallucinations, beatings and drugs, the boy literally died of fright. This reminds me of a case I once saw in Timor or was it Vietnam? Anyway a..."
"Ducky!" Gibbs cut off the story. "Over what period of time was he abused?'
"Ducky looked down at the body before looking back at the tense gunny. "Possibly three to four days, Jethro, a much shorter time period than the previous victims."
Gibbs nodded. "Thanks, if you find anything else..."
"I'll contact you immediately of course." Ducky said as he watched the three agents turn and hurry from the room. Turning back to the body, he continued his story. "Your unfortunate death does remind me of..."
NCISNCISNCIS
Stepping into the elevator, Gibbs turned to his two agents. "McGee, I want you to run a full background check on both the bartender and the owner of that nightclub. I want the works on them from the time they were born to now. I also want the full report of what was found at the scene where they found this victim and anything else that might interest us. Then run another check on the other three victims." He held up his hand as McGee opened his mouth to speak. "I'm aware that we have already run one but run it again!"
He turned to Kate. "I want a complete profile done on our perps. Anything you can think of that might link them to each victim. Anything they might do in the future that could help us. Then I want you to bring in the bartender. I want to chat with him again."
"Do you think he is involved, Boss?" Kate asked.
"Someone at the bar was!" Gibbs growled. "I'm going down to Abby's lab. Going to see if she has been able to match the video with anyone in the database yet. Maybe she can match some of those latent fingerprints from the apartment. I also want to find out what went wrong with the surveillance equipment DiNozzo was wearing!"
The elevator stopped its upward ascent and the doors chimed as they slid open. Gibbs stepped swiftly from it calling back over his shoulder as he strode briskly away. "I want answers when I get upstairs, understand?"
NCISNCISNCIS
He dropped his heavy burden onto the cold, cement floor before rolling the limp body and ensuring the ropes he had tied around the Marine's wrists and ankles were still tight. Satisfied, he kicked the young man onto his back and began to methodically search through the pockets and clothing. He suddenly cursed and with a violent yank tore open his victim's shirt exposing a small chip that was stuck to the man's chest. "This guy's no damn Marine!" He cursed, kicking the man hard in the ribs as he straightened and swung angrily towards the blonde woman watching. "This guy is wired! He's either a cop or more likely NCIS!"
The woman gasped. "You sure?" she asked.
"Of course I'm sure." He snarled angrily reaching down and pulling the mic loose before searching the rest of the man's clothing carefully. "He's wired for sound and for video!" He announced pulling a small button free from the shirt and holding it out for inspection. "Luckily I made you wear that magnetic jewelry! That would have interfered with their equipment." He chuckled. "I bet this guy's disappearance is driving them nuts!"
"What are we going to do?"
The man smiled and reached down pulling the unconscious man to his feet, shaking him a little before throwing him down onto the chair. "We're going to have some fun. The game has just reached a new level!" he announced excitedly, slapping the face of the agent hard in an attempt to bring him back to consciousness so the fun could begin.
NCISNCISNCIS
Tony yanked at the ropes that held him as he attempted to pull away from the next blow before he was even fully aware. His head whipped to the side as the next punch struck him, propelling him even faster from the state of semi-consciousness. Tony became aware of the coppery taste of blood now invading his mouth and making him gag as his eyes snapped open in confusion.
"Well, the undercover pig is finally awake!"
Tony blinked as he tried to focus on the face that was only inches from his own, desperately trying to remember the circumstances that had landed him in this position. His last memories were of a dark crowded nightclub and chatting to a young blonde woman...Blonde woman...the suspect. Slowly the details of the case came back to him but he found he had no recollection of leaving the nightclub or of the Neanderthal that now stood grinning only inches from him holding something in his hand. Tony stared intently at the object and his chest tightened as he recognized it as his video camera and mic. 'DAMN! Gibbs, now would definitely be a good time to come to the rescue'. The thought flittered through his mind as he struggled to maintain a neutral look on his face.
The man smiled benignly as he stepped back and watched the cop's face. The cop was good at showing no facial response to his find but he saw the small flash of fear at the sight of the items in the dark-haired man's eyes. He stared into the cool green eyes that watched his every move, before he suddenly sunk a hard punch into his victim's midriff, causing the man to gasp in pain as he doubled over as far as his bonds allowed him to. "So Pig, you were trying to set us up. I guess you want to know why we are doing this?" He grinned again as he punched the cop again. "This is for fun!" The reason given was accompanied by more punches as the laughter rang loudly in loudly in Tony's ears. "This is all a game and the rules just changed!" He laughed more as he continued the beating; not stopping till his victim finally sagged unconscious on the chair, held upright only by the ropes that bound him.
Laughing, Paul Harding wiped his bloodied hands on his pants leg and grinned at the unconscious man for several minutes before turning back to his companion. "This is going to be a blast!" He said excitedly as he pulled a small flat metal box from his pocket. Opening it, he took a small pinch of the white powder within and quickly sniffed it deeply; closing his eyes at the near instant rush the drug gave him.
The woman watched him before reaching for the container as it was offered and snatching it from his hand, greedily inhaling the drug herself. "I hope he lasts longer than the others!" she murmured dreamily as she followed her companion from the room. "It ruins the fun when they die so quickly. I thought Marines are supposed to be tough!"
Slamming the door closed behind them as they left the room, Paul turned towards her and gave a smug grin. "Don't worry - this time it's going to be even more fun. We're gunna play a little game of cluedo with his buddies and we will use pictures and videos of him as our clues!" Images of little pigs running around in circles looking for their friend flittered into his drugged mind and he giggled hysterically, thinking of how soon he would have fun making their victim scream.
NCISNCISNCIS
Gibbs stood in front of the plasma screen and stared at the photos of the bartender and the owner of the bar as McGee continued with his background report of the two men.
"The bartender is Michael Wellings, thirty-six, born and raised in D.C. He has worked as a security guard and a bartender in various clubs since the age of eighteen. Had one conviction of assault in 1992, stemming from a fight with a customer in the nightclub he was working in. Busted the guy's nose after the guy refused to leave when asked. Did a year in prison. No further trouble since his release. He has been bartending at the Flamingo Nightclub for the last three years. I spoke with the other bartenders and they all said he never left the bar tonight. One bartender confirmed his story about the woman and the bottle of bourbon. I asked if it was unusual for someone to bring their own alcohol and he claims it happens all the time. With the prices they charge for drinks in the nightclub, he'd bring his own too."
Gibbs' grunted and took another sip of his coffee. "What about the owner?" He demanded.
McGee glanced back down at his notes before looking nervously back up at Gibbs. "Um... He was a little harder to get info on, Boss. What I have is still fairly sketchy."
Gibbs stared at him hard. "How sketchy, McGee?" He asked quietly and Tim McGee shivered at the unmistakable anger in the soft tone.
McGee shifted nervously from foot to foot and shot a quick glance towards Kate, hoping for support. Kate nodded encouragingly towards him and he took a deep breath before clearing his voice and beginning the report. "Ummm - He has the nightclub listed under a business name, an LLC. But I was able to discover that the owner is a Benjamin Hardy, forty-nine years of age, address and whereabouts presently unknown. He was born in DC and moved to Canada for several years back in the '70's, from Feb '72 til Nov '79.
After returning to the States, he started several small businesses but each one folded. He bought the Flamingo Nightclub about a year ago. Paid cash. He was heavily involved in the running of it until about six months ago, then he seems to have vanished."
"What about the apartment that the corridor leads to, McGee? The bartender said he owned it."
McGee nodded. "He does Boss, came as part of the sale of the nightclub but as far as I can see, he has never lived in it. It has been pretty much vacant for the last twelve months."
Gibbs just nodded silently at the information before he turned to Kate.
"I believe that the woman doesn't operate alone in this. There are two, possibly three accomplices. The severity of the beatings inflicted on each victim has increased, as has the drug usage. Almost as if the perps are getting some pleasure and power at taking control of their victims so quickly and dominating them.
Each case has been more severe than the last in terms of the types of torture inflicted. The first victim, Private Joe Mann was beaten mainly with fists. The second victim, Sergeant Tom Hughes, was beaten with fists and Ducky says possibly a baseball bat. Victim number three, as yet unidentified, was not only beaten but also endured electrical shocks. The latest victim, Lieutenant Paul Evans was beaten and shocked. The last three victims were drugged, possible to cause hallucinations in an effort to torture them more, rather then to control their behavior.
They are on some type of power trip, possibly targeting Marines because of the reputation of being tough. They are slowly getting worse and the chances of a victim surviving a kidnapping with them now are extremely slim."
Gibbs' face grew grim. "We are going to find DiNozzo and bring him back alive!" he vowed. "I want the two of you back out there. I want you to find anyone who might have noticed Tony and the girl leave."
Both agents nodded and turned, hurrying away, aware that the nightclub had been full and interviewing everyone was going to take the rest of the night.
Gibbs sighed and hit the key on the computer, bringing up the video of the woman Tony had been talking to at the time of his disappearance. Something caught his eye and he leaned closer to the screen and squinted, staring at what looked to be a brown strand of hair that suddenly fell onto her face, watching as she quickly pushed back. Quickly he pulled out his cell phone and hit the speed dial to the lab, only allowing Abby to answer before snapping, "Abs, I need you up here now to look at something!"
He snapped closed the phone and stepped closer to the screen as he hit the button to rewind the video. "So you're wearing a wig!" He muttered, staring at the laughing woman on the screen.
NCISNCISNCIS
Consciousness came back slowly and painfully. Tony DiNozzo sat motionless for several minutes, willing the pain that seemed to emit from all parts of his body to subside to a more tolerable level. Snippets of memory slowly began to return and he gulped as he remembered the image of his mic and video camera being dangled in front of his eyes. 'DAMN! Gibbs is gunna be pissed.'
The thought passed unhappily through his mind as he tried to remember how he had managed to screw up so badly. He shook his head in frustration as his memory continued to come up with a black hole after he had entered the nightclub. Realizing that this was not getting him out of his current situation, Tony began to concentrate on how to free himself or at least to let Gibbs know where he was.
Trying to block out the pain that seemed to radiate throughout his body, Tony began to take a silent inventory of his injuries and his predicament. His face and body ached, probably a result of the beating he had endured when his surveillance equipment was found. He was sure that he had a couple of cracked ribs and a possible concussion. A quick tug on his arms confirmed that the ropes that bound him were tight and his ankles were also bound to the chair.
He frowned at the small uncomfortable budge in his back pocket and a small laugh of disbelief escaped from his lips. Whoever was holding him prisoner had been sloppy in their search, if they had indeed searched fully at all. The telltale bulge told him that he still had contact with Gibbs and the rest of the team. These amateurs had left him with his cell phone.
Tony carefully maneuvered his hands, attempting to reach his back pocket and begin the slow and delicate process of trying to remove his cell phone without dropping it. His fingers seemed uncoordinated and it took several attempts as he bit hard on his bottom lip and closed his eyes in intense concentration, breathing a sigh of relief as the phone was freed. He quickly opened his eyes and glanced back at the door as he flipped the phone open and carefully felt for the first number button on the speed dial. Finding it, he depressed it and listened as the soft click indicated the call was connecting and the reassuring ringing at the other end of the line reached his ears.
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Gibbs took a long sip of his coffee before placing the cup back on the table and staring at the dark silent desk in front of him. All leads to Tony had so far fizzled out to nothing. Abby was reviewing the video of the woman, trying to confirm if indeed she was wearing a wig. He sighed, considering reaching for his phone and calling her in an effort to speed things along. He leaned his head back tiredly and closed his eyes, his body exhausted but his mind active as he reviewed all the aspects of the case so far.
The ringing of his phone interrupted his thoughts and he snatched it up and snapped it open savagely. He froze momentarily, almost not trusting the Caller I.D as it flashed - DiNozzo.
Recovering quickly, Gibbs hit the talk button and answered - not in his usual fashion. "Tony, are you okay? Where the hell are you, DiNozzo?"
Hearing his boss' voice float up from the phone he held precariously in his hands behind him, Tony swallowed a sob of relieve as he spoke as loudly as he dared, not wanting to alert his kidnappers to what he had done. "Boss, I think I screwed up!"
"No Tony, you didn't screw up! We're going to get you out of there!" Gibbs placed the phone between his head and shoulder as he desperately tried to type in the commands into the computer required for the search, as he continued to try and reassure his agent. "We're coming for you, Tony!"
"They're coming, Boss!"
Gibbs' heart began to beat wildly in his chest as he heard a door slam somewhere in the background and an ominous voice laugh. "Time to have some fun! See this, it will send you on a fun trip without you ever having to leave the room!"
"Tony, we're going to find you! I want you to hang on. Don't do anything that might antagonize them! I'm trying to get your GPS location now so don't hang up!" He called desperately into the phone, knowing with DiNozzo's sensitive hearing that the young man would hear.
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Tony's eyes grew wide in fear as he watched the man approach with a syringe full of drugs - 'Phencyclidine. It had been used on all of the previous victims.' The thought slipped through Tony's mind as he began to struggle in an attempt to stop the injection but the Rohypnol he had ingested earlier to drug him enough for the kidnapping and the beating he had received upon first regaining consciousness had weakened him. He was quickly grabbed and held firmly still, unable to prevent what he knew was about to happen.
"What the hell! He's got a damn phone!" The enraged voice echoed into Gibbs ear and he held his breath as he hit keys faster. He swallowed back an angry shout as he heard the distinct sound of flesh hitting flesh and the unmistakable moan from Tony. "Damn it, this damn cop has managed to make a damn call!" The angry words were silenced by a loud click and the sound of disconnection.
Gibbs stared at the small phone in his hand before turning towards the flashing computer screen that said the trace was not completed. He growled in frustration and fear. Rising from his seat he threw the phone onto the table, shattering it on impact as he turned and kicked the chair. He stood motionless for a mere moment before he reached into his desk and pulled out the second cell phone Tony had begun to leave for times when he smashed the one he was using. Flicking it open, he pressed a button, waited a moment before speaking. "I want you back in the office NOW!" was all he said when the phone was answered before he hung up and repeated the call to McGee.
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Snatching the phone out of the cop's hands, Harding quickly disconnected the call before he turned and angrily backhanded the defenseless young man across the face, causing both the cop and chair to topple heavily to the ground.
"I thought you searched him!" Kiki screamed angrily as she watched Harding kick the cop angrily before he began to search through the man's pants pockets.
"I thought I did!" The angry man shouted back, his own annoyance at the oversight spilling into the roughness he used through the second search. "I don't see you searching!" He snapped, "What's wrong? Scared you might break a fingernail?"
"Hey don't take your blunder out on me!" she grumbled as she stepped forward and began to search their victim's other pockets. "You're the one who messed up - not me!"
Ignoring her jibe, Harding completed his search before he grabbed the sleeve of Tony's shirt and with a violent jerk, tore it open, exposing the arm beneath. "Get his phone and video tape this!" He demanded harshly with an evil grin as he began to tightly wrap a tourniquet around the top of the agent's arm.
He straightened up and picked up the syringe from the nearby table and swiftly drew up the remaining drug in the small ampoule. He waited a moment as Kiki set up the phone to record before he harshly instructed, "Make sure you only get a shot of my hands but get a shot of this pig's face well!" He dramatically leaned forward and plunged the needle deep into DiNozzo's arm ignoring the agent as he flinched and tried to pull away.
Harding poked the tip of his tongue out in concentration as he fished around in the arm attempting to find the vein. "Got it!" He murmured triumphantly before he plunged the contents of the syringe into the arm and pulled the needle free, standing back to admire his handiwork as the NCIS agent slowly began to moan and roll his head in reaction to the drug.
The object coming towards him was blurry and shiny but Tony instinctively attempted to pull away. He stifled a groan as he felt the sharp sting of the needle entering his arm and bite hard on his bottom lip in an attempt to prevent himself crying out in pain as the needle tore into his muscle.
The sudden warm rush that travelled up his arm and heated his body warned him that his attacker had been successful with his injection. Tony tensed knowing the potency of the drug that had just entered his system. He rolled his head and tried desperately to stay in control, trying hard to think of a way of escape. His only comfort as he felt himself slip from reality was that Gibbs was aware that he was alive and would, at this minute, be searching for him.
A soft, growling sound caught his attention and he slowly opened his eyes to find himself staring into the terrifyingly grinning face of a monster hovering only inches from his. He pulled back, trying to place as much distance between him and the creature as possible but the monster's laughter echoed through his head as it bared it hideous teeth threateningly.
Harding laughed delightedly as he watched the agent's eyes open wide with fear." Call the number that he last dialled and when they answer tell them you have a gift for them. Then send the clip of him being injected! Then hang up." He harshly instructed. "We're going to have some fun. Drive them nuts!"
Kiki nodded and hit the redial button, waiting only a moment before she heard the gruff male voice answer. "Tony?"
She giggled as she whispered. "Not Tony but a good friend who wants to send you a present!" Then she hit the button to send the video as she watched Harding leave the room.
She waited till the short video ended before whispering. "There will be more!" Quickly she disconnected the call.
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Gibbs stared at the scene being played out on his phone as McGee rushed to try and locate Tony's phone. Unable to stop his anger from erupting, the silver haired agent gripped the phone tightly, warning the female caller. "Don't you dare harm him! We will track you down and if he is hurt, nothing will stop me!" The soft laughter echoed over the line as the video ended and then the call, leaving Gibbs staring at McGee who shook his head slowly. "Damn!"
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Harding re-entered the room and Kiki squealed with pleased delight as he handed her the stun gun. "Now the fun begins!" He boasted as he picked up the small cell phone and hit the redial button again.
The voice sounded angry and stressed. Harding grinned at his control. "Time to play!" He murmured ignoring the words of the agent who had answered as he turned the phone towards his victim.. With a nod of his head, Kiki placed the prongs of the stun gun against the young agent's chest and depressed the trigger She watched fascinated as he screamed in agony, his body arching away from the bolt of electricity now arcing through his body. Grinning as she released the trigger and watched him sag back onto the chair, his body limp and bathed in a fine sheen of perspiration. His eyes closed in what she guessed were blessed unconsciousness.
Gibbs' knuckles turned white as he gripped the phone tighter, almost crushing the plastic instrument in his fist as Tony's screams reverberated in his ear before a sudden silence replaced it and then chilling click of the call ending echoed.
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Dropping the phone noisily to the desk, Gibbs turned expectantly at McGee who was hunched in front of his computer desperately tapping the keyboard. The younger agent finally looked up and triumphantly announced. "Got it, Boss! Old warehouse district, just entering in the GPS coordinates now!"
"Kate, call Ducky! Have him meet us at the truck. Tell Abby I want her to continue to monitor any calls that might be received from Tony's phone. If they move, I want to know about it. McGee, get the truck!" Gibbs commanded as threw the keys across to the young agent and then holstered his gun.
In one fluid motion, McGee caught the keys as they flew towards him and quickly left. Gibbs turned back to his desk, snapping up his phone and placing it into his pocket before reaching for his gun and holstering it.
Kate quickly finished the calls and hung up as she followed Gibbs' hurried departure towards the elevator "Ducky's on his way!" She quietly informed the lead agent. "He'll arrange for an ambulance to be dispatched as soon as we are rolling!"
Nodding Gibbs stepped into the elevator, his face carefully masking the emotions of fear and anger that were rippling under the surface. The undercover job had soured with Tony being taken right under their noses. The kidnappers had somehow managed to finger Tony as an agent and now were having fun trying to make this into some sick game of hide and seek. His hands tightened into hard fists as he the sounds of Tony's pain-filled screams echoed through his mind. If these lowlifes thought they could get away...
Gibbs growled under his breath, ignoring the covert glance that Kate threw silently his way. He was uncertain of what condition Tony would be in when they reached the warehouse but he was determined that they would get Tony out alive. He had never lost an agent before under his command and he was not going to let DiNozzo screw that up now!
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Watching as NCIS agents and the local police surrounded the warehouse, Gibbs carefully fastened the bulletproof vest and checked to ensure his gun was fully loaded. He waited impatiently as each small team radio that they had all moved into position before he finally gave the word to move in. The surprise entrance into the building was swift and efficient, giving anyone inside little warning of what was happening.
The agents and officers moved quickly through the building, finding each room empty before all met up in the large empty room that dominated the building. The warehouse was completely deserted. The only evidence of anyone using it recently was a litter littered table, a small stained mattress in the corner and a chair surrounded by blood stained ropes and an empty used syringe in the small room adjoining it.
Moving to the table, Gibbs stared down at the small transceiver that Tony had been wearing when he was snatched. The small piece of equipment rested on a handwritten note. What appeared to be a memory card was lying discarded beside it. Gently picking up the two electronic items with his gloved hand, Gibbs placed them into an evidence bag.
He squinted at the note as Ducky stepped over and began to read the message softly over his shoulder.
Too Late! You have to be quicker next time!
We thought you might want some photos so you can see how much fun your boy is having! Although he doesn't seem to like needles much but that will change as the game goes on!
Okay, time to play some more! Tag - you're it! Come and find us if you can!
"Oh my!" Ducky murmured as Gibbs angrily shoved the note into the small, plastic evidence bag.
"We'll find them!" Gibbs growled quietly to Ducky, his hand tightening around the bag holding the note. "Tony knows we are coming for him! I'm not going to let him down!" He turned away abruptly, ordering Kate to take photos and for McGee to bag and tag any evidence found in the warehouse, including the syringe, and to get it back to Abby.
Ducky watched silently. He had known Jethro for good many years. The ex-gunny was ready to explode and he would hate to be in the kidnappers' shoes when Gibbs finally caught up with them. Ducky had no doubts that Gibbs would track them down, he prayed that it would be in time to save young Anthony!
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"Wakey, wakey!" The voice filtered through the darkness and Tony rolled away hoping that if he ignored it long enough it would leave him alone. The small movement ignited a wave of white-hot pain that seemed to radiate through his chest before spreading to every nerve in his body. He cried out in agony, curling onto his side in a tight ball. His face was buried into the rough woolen material beneath him as tears flowed freely down his face. He took several small breathes in an attempt to control the pain as he desperately tried to remember what had happened. Instinct told him he was no longer in the room that he last remembered being in and small snippets of memory intermingled with frightening creatures reminded him of the sensation of being driven somewhere else.
An evil laugh echoed through his head and he felt himself rolled over onto his back, his arms screaming in new pain as his weight trapped them beneath him. Slowly opening his eyes, he blinked several times in an attempt to bring the face above him into focus. His breath caught in his throat as he recognized his tormentor and his last memories of the needle being injected into his arm causing his world to transform into a terrifying world of monsters.
Harding grinned as he saw the flicker of fear cross the cop's face before it was replaced by a look of defiance. "Scared, eh?" He whispered triumphantly. "Well you should be. The fun is just starting!"
"Go to hell!" Tony muttered through swollen lips. He was rewarded as Harding hit him in the mouth with a closed fist.
"Oh, I won't go to hell just yet but you are about to have another visit!" He laughed as he picked up a syringe that had been out of Tony's line of vision. He turned momentarily to someone in the shadows and demanded. "Start recording!" before he turned back to his victim.
Grabbing the young NCIS agent as Tony tried desperately to pull away, he quickly pulled at Tony's arm, ignoring Tony's scream of pain as his other shoulder screamed in protest at being pulled into such an unnatural angle. The sudden agony that tore through the pinned shoulder as it dislocated under the strain, faded into the background as Tony felt the needle plunge deep into his arm and the warmth of the drug as it began to flow up the vein. "Oh God Gibbs, help me!" He cried out as the world faded around him and the face of a monster wavered in and out of his vision. He struggled desperately to loosen his bonds but the monster swooped forward till the only thing he could see were its teeth descending towards his throat. "Gibbs!" The scream reverberated around the room as Harding's' laughter intermingled with it.
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Gibbs tiredly rubbed his eyes and flicked to another window on the computer, bringing up all the information collected on the case. Details and facts surmised from three different crime scenes. Impersonal details and cold facts that showed a pattern of kidnapping, drugging and torture that resulted in the deaths of three young marines. Details that warned that the killers' violent behavior was escalating. His fourth victim was certainly enduring both the horrific emotional and physical pain that would ultimately result in his death if they did not find him fast. The fact that the fourth victim was one of his own team, sent in by himself, only added to Gibbs' anxiety and fear.
Gibbs hit the computer key hard enough to cause the keyboard to jump as he muttered a curse at it and the world in general. He studied the pictures of the bloodied and beaten figure on the screen searching for some clue, something they missed that might prove to be the clue they needed to get the young agent back. His fist hit the table as a short video flickered across his screen showing Tony being injected with a syringe full of some as -yet-unidentified drug. He knew the pictures they received were a deliberate attempt to inflict pain upon the team, that Tony's ordeal would be made even worse since the murderer had realized that he was an NCIS agent sent undercover to lure them out.
Picking up the small transceiver that DiNozzo had been wearing, Gibbs slowly turned it over in his hand, studying it as his thoughts wandered back to a few short hours ago. The ringing of his cell phone interrupted his thoughts. A small tremor of fear coursed through his body as he snatched up the small phone, releasing the breath that he had been unconsciously holding as Abby's name flashed across the caller I.D.
"What have you got for me, Abby?" He snapped into the phone.
"Now, Gibbs, is that anyway to answer a phone?" Abby's normally excited voice sounded more manic than usually.
"Abby!" Gibbs growled impatiently, catching out of the corner of his eye the quick glances that both Kate and McGee threw his way at the tone of his voice. Choosing to ignore them, he drew a deep breath and lowered his voice. "What have you got?"
"Got the results of the blood found at the scene, it's Tony's! Also managed to get a partial print from the note. Running it through the computer now. Should have a match soon..."
"We'll be right down!" Gibbs cut her off, hanging up before the Goth forensic expert could say another word. He stood up and moved quickly around his desk. "Abby might have a print for us!" He announced to the two agents as he hurried towards the elevator, both Kate and McGee close behind.
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Glancing away from the computer screen, Abby grinned as the three agents entered the lab. "We have a hit!" She announced triumphantly sweeping her hand in a majestic sweep towards the screen. She tapped a key on the keyboard and the screen divided into two windows, the first window continued to flicker fingerprints across it at an incredible rate while the second window showed the face of a man, his details printed across the bottom of the window.
"Our partial print matches an ex-Navy seaman, Petty Officer Third Class Paul Harding, stationed at San Diego in '98, served four years in Leavenworth. He received a dishonorable discharge after his release from Leavenworth in '02. The Navy lost track of him after discharge." Abby informed them as she nodded towards the second window on the screen. I managed to find a second latent print, small enough to be our lady friend. Running it through now. No hits so far."
"Well done, Abs!" Gibbs said with a small grin before turning to the other agents. "McGee, I want a full background check on Harding! I want to know where he is and who he hangs around with, the works? -->!"
McGee jumped, "On it Boss!" He answered before he turned and raced out of the small lab.
Gibbs turned to Kate, "I want a full profile work-up on this character. His personality, what he is capable of and what he might do to DiNozzo. I also want you to go through everything the case has and match his profile with what we have on the killers so far. I want to make sure that these cases are linked and not a revenge case against the military that is mimicking the investigation!"
Nodding her acknowledgement of her orders, Kate turned and left the room, murmuring a quick "Hello" as she brushed past Ducky.
"Ah Jethro, I'm glad you are here." Ducky said quietly as he reached the younger man's side. "I wanted to speak to you about the effects of the drugs that Abigail found in the syringe. Also about the injuries that I have been trying to ascertain by way of the video and photos that young Anthony appears to have received through his captivity!"
Abby looked up at the elderly M.E. "I haven't had time to tell Gibbs all the results yet, Ducky." She turned to Gibbs, who was waiting impatiently for the rest of her report, and began.
"The blood found on the floor and on the ropes were the same blood type of Tony's, we also found two other bloodstains that types were consistent with our other vics' blood types. By the splatter in the room, it appears that Tony was probably tied to the chair as he was beaten. The photos back up my theory. Tony's blood was also found in the discarded needle that was found at the scene. This would have happened when he was injected with the drug.
Trace elements in the syringe show the drug is a derivative of LSD. Has the same compounds but in slightly altered percentages. Also trace amounts of Heroin were found on pieces of paper and in a discarded straw on the table. My guess, Gibbs, is one or more of the kidnappers is a user and is high now!"
Gibbs grimaced at the news. It was bad enough that these perps were into torture and drugging their victims but to be using themselves added a dimension that took the scenario to a new and highly dangerous level. A drug addict was unpredictable at anytime but one with a victim could become deadly at the slightest provocation.
"Tony, please don't do anything to antagonize these people." He whispered silently to the heavens.
"We know young Anthony has been injected with this drug, Jethro, and from what I know about this particular compound, the effects are far from pleasant. Anthony will be experiencing vivid hallucinations. He will be unable to differentiate between fantasy and reality. The drug tends to remain in the person's system for a period of twelve hours and does build up in the fatty tissues, so a tolerance builds with each dose leading extremely quickly to an overdose scenario." Ducky informed the lead agent clinically. "Also with the injuries that Anthony appears to have already received in his rough treatment, his weakened state has left him far more vulnerable to the chance of overdose! We need to find him quickly!"
Gibbs turned away from the M.E. and stared at the flickering screen, not willing for either Ducky or Abby to see the fear in his eyes. He cleared his throat and quietly asked. "You said you were able to ascertain some of Tony's injuries, Ducky?"
Ducky nodded sympathy evident in both his expression and tone. "I'm sorry, Jethro, but keep in mind that these are just educated guesses. I won't be able to confirm the injuries or the severity of them until we have Anthony back with us. From the photos and the video, it appears that Anthony probably has a moderate concussion, broken ribs and a possible broken left arm." He moved the spare photos that Abby had been examining closer to the NCIS agent. "As you can see, the top of Anthony's left arm appears to be bent at an unnatural angle, I have little doubt that it has sustained a break. Also there are marks across Anthony's chest that is consistent with some type of electrical burns - maybe a stun gun. Young Anthony is definitely showing signs of being systematically tortured and, with the combination of the drugs being forced into his system, I doubt the poor boy will be able to survive this treatment for very long!"
Gibbs turned and stared at both Ducky and Abby. The shocked and frightened look on the Goth's face along with the serious and concerned fatherly look on the M.E.'s face mirrored his own internal emotions. He patted Ducky on the shoulder and gave Abby's shoulder a light squeeze. "We'll get Tony out before anything happens!" He promised, uncertain if the words were to comfort the two others in the room or himself. Collecting his emotions, he straightened up and headed towards the door. "Abby, I want to know as soon as you get a hit on the second suspect!" He commanded. "And Ducky, I want to know everything about the effects of the drug they are using on Tony!"
Watching Gibbs stride from the room, Abby turned to coroner. "Do you think we will find Tony in time?" She asked, her usual confidence flagging under the grim light of facts.
Ducky smiled, "Of course we will, my dear." He reassured her. "Jethro has never lost an agent under his command and I doubt he will let young Anthony mar his record now!"
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Standing in the doorway, Harding watched with great delight as the NCIS agent sat wide-eyed in the corner. The fear in the young man's eyes was evident and his captor giggled uncontrollably as the man gasped and tried to pull away from some terrifying creature that only he was able to see. Drawing his knees closer, Tony slowly dropped down onto his side, curling up into a ball as he squeezed his eyes closed tight and whispered a soft mantra. "It's not real; it's just a dream; it's just a dream!"
Grinning, Harding slowly turned and looked back at the thin, jittery woman who stood nearby; peering over his shoulder at the figure huddled on the floor. He growled in annoyance at her flushed appearance and dilated pupils. It was obvious that Kiki had taken another hit of their stuff and was as high as a kite. His own body craved a hit but he wanted to enjoy the next part of the game before he gave himself his richly deserved reward. "He's ready for some more fun and games!"
"What'cha gunna do?" Kiki slurred her eyes bright in anticipation as she clapped her hands together in delight. "Ya gunna beat him some more. Oh please, Paully, I like it when they scream! Make him scream for me Paully!" She begged.
Harding turned and studied the injured man for a moment trying to decide just how to proceed with the next part of the game. A small smile slowly spread across his face before he turned back and looked at his girlfriend. "Let's really have some fun. Get the dust from my stash and a straw! Let's see how this cop likes going on the trip of his life!"
Kiki giggled as she scurried away. She loved it when they used the angel dust on their toys before. But this would be extra fun! This time they had an audience!
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Positioning the phone nearby, Harding ensured that the man on the other end of the phone could hear the sounds in the room. "OK, Pigs, it's time to play again!"
Checking that the ropes were still tightly bound around the man's wrists, Harding rolled him over onto his back and nodded at Kiki to secure the tape to the young man's mouth. Tony's eyes opened wide as the sensation of only being able to breath through his nose jerked him from the twilight zone into which he had escaped. He tried to focus on the shapes that hovered above him, but his eyes refused to cooperate, leaving him only able to distinguish shapes and colors without any real details of what they may be.
Nodding towards the straw, Harding quickly grabbed his hostage's head, preventing him from moving it. Kiki inserted the straw, giggling as the agent struggled, breathing heavily through his nose as he attempted to break loose.
Tightening his grip on the young man's head, Harding instructed. "Get the powder and tip it into the straw than blow as hard as you can!"
Kiki bit her lip as she carefully followed Harding's directions, some of the dust spilling a little as she carefully poured it into the straw. The cop's eyes opened wide, as if he was aware of what was about to happen and she heard Paul curse as he struggled to keep their victim still.
"Hurry up, will you!" He muttered and she quickly drew a deep breath, her lips sealing the straw as she exhaling it all in one hard blow.
Tony arched his back and stiffened, instinctively inhaling the breath of air that was forced into his nose. His nasal passage burned and his eyes watered as the fine powder traveled through his sinuses. A strange heavy feeling began to spread through his body and he felt himself relax momentarily as the drug began to take effect. A warm buzz spread through his head and he stared up at the whiteness now above him, his pain and fears fading away as a feeling of invincibility gripped him.
Feeling the agent relax under his hands, Harding slowly released him and sat back, watching. Nothing appeared to be happening and he slowly stood up and glared at Kiki. "You sure the dust was good stuff?" He asked, disappointed that it seemed to be having no effect.
"The best!" Kiki answered, her eyes never straying from the motionless figure on the floor.
Before either could say another word, Tony suddenly rolled and bolted to his feet. The ropes binding his hands tumbled to the floor as he struggled to get his hands loose. Harding made an attempt to tackle the now free man but Tony shoved him backwards into Kiki and instinctively reached for the object at his feet, grabbed it and ran.
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Kate gasped and grabbed the dash as the car skidded wildly around the corner. The sounds of Tony's terrified gasp and a brief struggle echoed through the hands-free car phone followed by the chilling command to get the powder and blow it into Tony's nose. Gibbs' knuckles whitened as he gripped the steering wheel tighter at the horrifying sounds of the violent act of forcing Tony to inhale the unknown powder followed. She cast a worried look at both Ducky and McGee who were both holding on for dear life in the back., The moment of silence before they heard Harding ask if someone was sure the dust was good nearly unnerved them all.
An indistinguishable reply was lost, tires' squealing around the corner as they neared the area that the GPS locator indicated Tony was being held. A surprised gasp and a strange thumping sound suddenly reverberated from the small speaker, followed by a shout.
"Gibbs, the phone is on the move!" Abby's voice broke over the connection. "Heading east on 22nd avenue. It looks like who ever has the phone is moving on foot. They have stopped about halfway down the block."
With a violent wrench of the steering wheel, Gibbs slid the car around the corner onto 22nd Avenue, narrowly missing the taxi that swerved out of his way. Kate, McGee and Ducky barely had time to brace themselves as the car lurched to a violent stop and Gibbs exited the car before it had stopped rocking. Drawing his gun, he quickly scanned the old abandoned building and deserted footpath, moving forward towards the middle of the block as the others joined him. "Ask Abby where the hell the phone is now!" He growled as he continued to move cautiously down the street, hugging the front of the old boarded up buildings as he moved.
"The phone is about middle of the block, Gibbs. Maybe inside of one of the buildings on the right side of the street." Abby's voice softly floated back to him.
"Oh my Lord!" Ducky's soft gasp of shock froze Gibbs in his tracks and he turned to look at the M.E. Ducky's attention was fixated at the roof of the building across from them and with a sickening feeling of dread Gibbs turned and looked up at what had caught the older man's attention.
"Oh no!" Kate whispered softly at the sight on the roof across from them.
"Tony?" The shocked name slipped from McGee's lips.
"DiNozzo!" Gibbs whispered as he stared up at the figure balancing on the roof's edge, arms out stretched, before he raced across the road. "Stay back! Stay back, Tony! We're coming for you!"
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Hearing the sounds of running footsteps in the stairwell beneath them, Harding and Kiki quickly opened the fire exit door and stepped into the deserted corridor. They held the door ajar as they watched the four figures run past obviously headed towards the roof to where the drugged NCIS agent had fled only minutes before.
"Paul?" Kiki whispered, frightened that the unexpected arrival of either the cops or NCIS agents so quickly after their toy had escaped.
Harding pushed her back from the doorway, "Shut up!" He growled even though he was also unsettled. "Lets just get out here!" He whispered forcefully as he grabbed her by the arm and began to hurry towards the internal stairs. "I don't want to be around when they reach that pig!"
Kiki whimpered at the bone-bruising grip Harding had on her arm but her fear allowed her to accept it as she was pulled along. "What if he tells them who we are?" She whispered. "What if he can identify us?"
"He ain't in any condition to identify himself little lone us. Man, he is so far off his face all he will see is monsters!" Harding whispered as he dragged the woman along. "And who is gunna be sure what he did or did not see when he is straight!"
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The door to the roof was ajar when they reached it. With guns drawn, Gibbs, Kate and McGee all cautiously stepped out onto the roof, their eyes automatically scanning the open space for any unseen dangers. They turned their attention to their colleague who still stood on the edge of the roof, staring out at the horizon, seemingly oblivious to their presence.
"Tony?" Gibbs spoke quietly as he stepped slowly towards the figure.
Tony jumped at the sound and quickly turned around, his eyes wide with wonderment as the figure slowly approached him. "I can fly!" He whispered, his eyes shining brightly with excitement. "I can soar like an eagle. Want to see?"
"DiNozzo, I want you to listen to me!" Gibbs said softly, ignoring Tony's drugged revelation. "I want you to step down off the ledge and come towards me. Can you do that for me Tony?" He asked, his eyes never leaving the bruised and bloodied figure that swayed on the edge of the roof.
"Jethro, take it nice and slow with him. Let young Anthony come to you!"
Not allowing himself to react to Ducky's softly whispered words, Gibbs continued to watch Tony closely.
The young man smiled disarmingly and slowly stepped down. "Don't you want to see me fly?" A small frown creased his forehead as he stepped towards Gibbs. "You know the monsters are down there. It's safer when you can fly." He whispered conspiratorially. "They can't reach you when you fly!" He advised the older agent as he took another step towards him.
Gibbs smiled and held his hand out to Tony, aware of both Ducky and McGee as each circled around behind the drugged agent, preparing to grab him if required. "It's okay, Tony. I promise that you have no need to fly when you are with me. You're safe! We're here now!" He murmured as Tony stepped almost into arm's reach.
A strange emotion flickered across Tony's face. He suddenly tensed and pulled back. He growled angrily at Gibbs, "You don't want me safe! You want to do experiments on me!"
"Grab him, Jethro! Timothy!" Ducky yelled as he saw Tony's sudden mood change.
Tony's eyes darted wildly around and he growled in anger as the three men lunged at him. He turned and shoved McGee back towards the building's edge, before swiftly swinging around to face his other two attackers. Gibbs managed to grab him around the chest as Ducky tackled his legs and the three of them fell heavily to the bitumen covered roof as a desperate struggle commenced.
Tony fought like a wild man, kicking and punching in an attempt to break free, oblivious to his injuries as he struggled furiously against the men who held him. McGee recovered from the violent push just as Tony managed to kick free from Ducky. Gibbs shout for McGee to help echoed over Tony's yells and curses.
McGee grabbed Tony's legs, using his body weight in an attempt to hold them still as Ducky threw himself over Tony's chest and tried to keep a firm grip on his hands. Gibbs managed to grasp Tony around the shoulders, pinning the now terrified and confused man to his chest, trying to whisper in Tony's ear as the young man fought hard to break free from the men he believed wanted to harm him.
The sound of an approaching siren drew near and Gibbs realized that Kate had called for an ambulance. He continued to concentrate on keeping Tony safe from harming himself or them in his drugged state. He knew the way they had Tony pinned that they were probably aggravating any injuries he had but he was also aware that releasing the young man could result in Tony deciding to try and fly. Something that he would not considering they were on top of a ten-story building.
"You're safe, Tony. You're safe. We have you." He murmured again and again as he held the young agent tightly.
Tony's struggles suddenly stopped and he stared up into his boss' face. "I waited for you to come." He whispered. "Thought you were watching my..." The words trailed off into a soft gasp as Tony suddenly stiffened in their arms.
Gibbs stared down as Tony's eyes went wide with pain before they began to glaze. "Tony?"
Ducky's fingers quickly touched the side of Tony's neck before he placed his ear on the now motionless man's chest. "He's gone into cardiac arrest!" he announced urgently as he checked Tony's carotid pulse again and then started cardiac massage. "The drugs and the struggle were too much for his heart!"
Gibbs quickly hyper-extended Tony's head, beginning the process of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. "Come on, DiNozzo. You are not allowed to die on my watch!" He muttered between each breath. "You got that, DiNozzo!" He growled as he blew another breath.
He jumped in surprise as Tony gave a small gasp then watched as Ducky again checked his pulse.
"We've got him back. His pulse is weak and irregular but at least it's there. Lets get him to the hospital!" Ducky ordered as the paramedics hurried towards them on the rooftop, the ambulance attendants following closely behind with the stretcher. Ducky rose quickly to his feet as he oversaw Tony being placed on the stretcher and began giving orders as the stretcher was quickly wheeled from the roof.
Gibbs rose to his feet and began to follow behind. "I want a full search of this building and the building where we picked up the GPS signal. Get the local boys in to help. I want anything, and I mean anything, that even looks slightly suspicious over in Abby's lab!" He called over his shoulder to the two NCIS agents watching. "When you have something for me, reach me at the hospital!"
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Watching the roof door swing shut behind Gibbs, McGee drew a shaky breath and looked worriedly at Kate. "Do you think Tony's going to be okay? I mean...I mean..." He blushed as he stumbled over his words, grateful when Kate seemed to know what he was trying to say.
Kate gave a small reassuring smile and spoke with far more confidence than she felt. "This is DiNozzo. He won't let something like this hold him down for long! He'll be back in the office before we know it, looking through my bag and telling his latest girlfriend or us all about the latest movie he watched. Besides have you ever known Tony to disobey a direct order from Gibbs?"
Tim nodded unconvinced. "Yeah you're right, Kate." He answered, trying to copy Kate's positive attitude. "Tony won't let this beat him! Gibbs would kill him!"
Kate grinned and slapped the younger agent on the shoulder. "Let's find some evidence that will catch these bastards!" She knelt down and began to take photos of the cell phone that now lie shattered on the bitumen. She lowered the camera and watched silently for a moment as McGee quietly moved off and began a perimeter search of the area. Standing back up, she removed her own phone from her pocket and contacted the NCIS forensic team to come and take prints of the door and anywhere else they could think of.
Quickly disconnecting from that call, she hit the speed dial for Abby, only having to wait a few seconds before she heard Abby's anxious voice. "Did you find him, Kate?"
Dropping her voice, she glanced back at the shattered phone as the image of Tony standing on the ledge rapidly replayed in her mind. "We found him, Abs. He's on his way to the hospital. Gibbs and Ducky are with him." She swallowed hard, willing the tears that burned in her eyes not to fall as she cleared her throat and continued. "It doesn't look good." She heard a small gasp from Abby and rapidly tried to reassure her. "Hey Abs, Tony's going to be fine." Drawing a deep breath, Kate tried to refocus the call on the investigation. "Abs, it looks like Tony managed to get away from the bastards that were holding him. I need to know the GPS location when this last call originated from."
She waited a moment before Abby answered. "The call originated at the corner of 22nd Avenue and Main. On the same side of the street that you are on!"
"Thanks, Abby." Kate said softly before disconnecting the call. She turned and walked briskly to where McGee now stood sketching the rooftop. "Find anything?" She asked.
He shook his head solemnly. "I think this is just where Tony ran to. No signs of any other disturbance."
"I think you're right. If Tony escaped and made it here, then they were probably chasing him and made it into the building before we arrived. Probably heard us enter and slipped out of the stairwell. I'm going to get some of the local boys to make a sweep of the building and canvas any of the occupants. Maybe someone noticed them. "Kate told McGee. "Then I'm going to organize some more teams to move into the building where we first got the GPS co-ordinates for the last call. I'm hoping they have retreated like rats back to their nest!"
"You think that they would risk going back there?" Tim asked.
Kate flicked her hair back from her face. "They are starting to make mistakes. We know that they are users and I'm willing to bet that they have their stash still there. They'll go back to retrieve it. If they have, we have them!" She informed the younger agent confidently as she moved off to speak to the other senior agents with McGee close behind.
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Growling angrily, Harding dragged Kiki back towards the building. He had taken them through the alley in an attempt to elude the cops and NCIS agents now converging on the scene. He was growing impatient with the terrified woman he was dragging along and was tired of her moaning about the cop being able to identify them. A small thought niggled at him as he dragged Kiki to the safety of the warehouse. Kiki was definitely a threat to his freedom. He knew that she would crack under pressure and admit to what they had done - something that he would not allow to happen!
He stopped and looked at the woman whom had been his lover for the last five years. Cupping her face gently in his hands, he whispered. "Baby, I could never let them catch you. I promise that it will never happen!"
Kiki looked up and smiled. She knew Harding would take care of her, protect her. She believed him totally when he told her that she would not be caught and she sighed lovingly as she felt his hands caress her neck. "Paul." She whispered affectionately before she felt the hands tighten. She struggled to break free from his choking hold; her eyes wide in surprise and fear as she struggled to draw a new breath of air into her tortured lungs. Her world slowly darkened around her and she felt herself grow limp, as the last sounds she heard were Harding's cruel laughter and his whispered words. "No, they won't ever catch you!"
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Gibbs paced the small waiting room; the cup of hot coffee Ducky had forced into his hands shortly after Tony was wheeled into the examination room was still held but forgotten. His mind replayed Tony screaming and struggling in their arms, wanting to fly away from the monsters. He shivered as he remembered the lucid look in Tony's eyes just before he had...just before... Tony's whispered words haunted him. "I waited for you to come. Thought you were watching my..." He turned and paced back towards the waiting room door. He had broken a promise that he made to all of his agents. He wasn't there when Tony needed him the most!
Ducky had told him in the ambulance that whatever Tony had said was not what Tony believed! It was the drugs talking and Tony would have known Gibbs was tearing the town apart to find him.
Gibbs shook his head and turned back in the direction he had just come from. He glanced at his watch and sighed. An hour - what the hell was taking them so damn long! Ducky had promised to update him on DiNozzo's condition as soon as he could! And where the hell was Kate and McGee - neither had reported in to him from the scene since he had left. He took a sip of the now long-cold coffee and grimaced at the taste. What the hell had gone wrong?
The coffee cup flew across the room and shattered against the wall, leaving Gibbs to stare at the brown liquid as it slowly snaked its way down the wall.
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"Now Jethro, some poor housekeeper is going to have to clean that up!" Ducky's voice from behind him caused the NCIS agent to jump and he spun around to face the older man expectantly.
"Well!" He demanded. "How's Tony?"
"They managed to stabilize young Anthony and he is on his way up to surgery as we speak. Why don't we take a seat, Gibbs, and I will explain his injuries to you." Ducky gently commanded as he grabbed Gibbs' arm and guided him firmly to the chairs waiting for Gibbs to sit before he sat beside him and began. "Anthony's injuries are basically the injuries that we already suspected from the video and pictures - he has a moderate concussion, three broken ribs on the right side - none of which thankfully have punctured his lung, his left arm is severely broken and his left shoulder is dislocated as we suspected. His arm and shoulder are the reason why he has been taken to surgery. I'm afraid that they may need to insert a rod in his arm to facilitate the healing. He has numerous small burns across his chest and back, indicative of being tortured by a stun gun."
He paused a moment to allow Gibbs to digest the information before he softly continued. "None of these injuries are life threatening, Jethro, but what is of a greater concern are the drugs in young Anthony's system. He has high dosages of a derivative of LSD and Angel Dust, which unfortunately will take up to another twelve hours to work their way out of his system. Until his system is cleared of them, Anthony will continue to hallucinate and will be unpredictable in his behavior. There is a very real chance, Jethro, that he may require being restrained after he comes out of the anesthetic until he is no longer under their influence."
Gibbs stared at Ducky in horror. "Restrained? My God, Ducky, hasn't Tony been through enough without the medical staff resorting to doing that to him!" Rising from his seat, Gibbs turned towards the older man. "I'm sorry but there is no way I will allow Tony to be restrained! I will sit with him myself and keep him calm for the next twenty-four hours if that will prevent it from happening! Tony has been through ENOUGH!"
"Jethro, no body here wants to restrain young Anthony any more than you want to see him restrained. But no one wants to see him injure himself or anybody else and THAT is a very real possibility while he is under the influence of these drugs!" Ducky explained softly, rising to his own feet and gently grabbing Gibbs' arm, forcing the irate NCIS Agent to listen. "But I'm willing to speak to the doctors treating Anthony and discuss the possibility of you staying with Anthony to keep him calm. I'm afraid though Jethro, if Anthony becomes agitated then we will have no choice but to restrain him. With the drugs already in his system, the doctors are going to be very reluctant to add anymore to sedate him."
"Thanks, Ducky." Gibbs whispered. "Any idea how long DiNozzo will be in surgery?"
Slowly removing his glasses, Ducky sighed quietly. "Maybe two or three hours, Jethro. Anthony's arm is severely broken and it is going to take them a while to make the necessary repairs. They also need to repair his shoulder and check for any damage to the ligaments. We could be in for a bit of a wait I'm afraid."
Nodding at the M.E.'s prediction of how long the wait would be, Gibbs turned and began to walk towards the coffee machine. "I'm getting a coffee, want one Duck?" He called over his shoulder.
NCISNCISNCIS
The search through the old, abandoned apartment building was slow and methodical; each small apartment was entered with extreme caution and searched. So far it had also been fruitless with the teams of NCIS agents and police only finding the scant belongings of squatters who used the building to shelter from the night and wandered the streets during the day. Kate Todd leaned tiredly against the wall and brushed a strand of hair from her face. She was aware that Gibbs was expecting a report from them soon and she did not want to be the one who had to admit that they had not found anything.
She pushed away from the wall and began to climb the stairs towards the next floor, her thoughts wandering briefly to DiNozzo and the scene an hour earlier on the rooftop across the street. A cold chill of fear ran up her spine as she remembered Tony's terrified screams and struggles as Gibbs and Ducky tried to subdue him followed by the sudden sickening silence when Tony went into cardiac arrest. A soft beep from the radio she was carrying pulled her from the disturbing memory and she quickly pulled it to her lips, depressing the button as she snapped, "Todd."
" It's McGee. We found the apartment! 4 B!" McGee's excited voice crackled through the radio.
"On my way!" Kate answered into the radio as she began to jog up the internal stairs, the exhaustion that plagued her only moments before forgotten.
Entering the small litter strewn apartment, Kate gagged at the stench. The smell of rotting garbage intermingled with the sickly smell of sweet and blood. Discarded needles, garbage and old unwashed clothes and rags were strewn across the floor. She carefully stepped over the litter and headed to the corner of the room where McGee and another NCIS agent, whom she did not recognize were squatted, examining something on the floor. As she drew closer she spied what had their attention - two pieces of bloodstained rope and a straw lay abandoned, a light sprinkling of white powder covered a small area of the floor nearby.
McGee glanced up as her shadow fell over them. "Looks like they had Tony tied up here when they forced him to inhale the Angel Dust. The ropes look like they were broken, not cut or untied. Wonder if that's how Tony got loose?"
"Angel Dust gives the user super human strength as well as makes them feel invincible. Maybe Harding didn't count on that when he gave the drug to Tony." Kate answered distractedly as she began to glance around the rest of the room, noticing other agents and police officers entering the other two rooms to search them. "Looks like Tony surprised them by escaping. They left their drug stash on the table!" She observed. "Maybe they thought they could catch him before we reached him!"
Tim craned his neck to look at the needles and drugs lying haphazardly on the table. "Maybe they will come back!" He suggested.
Kate shook her head. "Not while we are here! Better snap some pictures, McGee. I'll contact Gibbs and give him a report and find out how Tony is."
McGee nodded and rose slowly to his feet. "Want me to do the sketches as well?"
"I'll do them in a minute." Kate answered, pulling her cell phone from her pocket and flipping it open.
Before she was able to hit the speed dial for Gibbs' number an excited metro officer hurried into the apartment. "Uhh, I'm after the agent in charge!" He stated excitedly.
"That's me!" Kate answered stepping forward, "Special Agent Todd, NCI..."
Her sentence was not finished as the young officer announced, "They have found a body in the alley. A woman! Fits the description of one of your suspects. The Sergeant says it looks to him like she has been strangled!"
Tim glanced at Kate, startled by the news.
"Come on, McGee, let's check it out!" Kate ordered as she hurried out of the door and followed the police officer. The crime scene was secure, she knew that they could return in a few minutes and carry out there investigation. The body in the alley now carried priority. She opened her cell phone again and hit the speed dial, waiting only for a short ring before she heard the voice she wanted. "Palmer, we need you here at the scene ASAP!" She announced. "We have a customer for you!" Ending the call, she paused before she hit the speed dial again. She tapped her foot nervously before she heard the call answered.
"Doctor Mallory."
"Ducky, It's Kate." Her voice dropped as she glanced around watching the activity around her as she asked anxiously, "How's Tony?"
"He's in surgery, my dear. His prognosis is quite promising." Ducky replied.
"Thank God," Kate breathed. "Is Gibbs with you, Ducky?"
"Yes he is. Would you like to speak to him?"
"Please."
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Gibbs listened to Kate's brief report before he disconnected the call. He took a sip of his coffee before he turned to Ducky and asked. "Tony will be in surgery for a couple more hours, right, Duck?"
The Medical Examiner nodded. "At least two or three, Jethro and then he will be placed in the recovery room. I'm afraid that they won't let you see him for at least another three or four hours."
Gibbs nodded and rose to his feet. "I'll take you back to the scene, Ducky. I'm not doing Tony any good sitting around here! At least out there, I might catch the bastard before Tony wakes up!" He stated as he walked towards the door, not waiting to see if the Medical Examiner was even following.
NCISNCISNCIS
Hidden behind some old grates, Harding watched as the alley slowly filled with cops and NCIS agents. He had hoped to have been well on his way to freedom by now but had been forced to hide as the area had become inundated with cops and NCIS. He had barely time to slip into the cramped hidey-hole after killing Kiki, surprised by the sudden arrival of a young metro officer at the entrance to the alley.
The cop was so wet behind the ears that he had only glanced into the alley and had not discovered Kiki's body immediately, giving him time to cover his hiding spot more securely. He peered through the small peephole he had made and watched as Kiki's body was surrounded by investigators, the area surrounding it was being searched and photographed. He laughed silently to himself. 'God there was even a guy sketching the whole scene!'
A tall, silver-haired agent quickly entered the alley accompanied by a smaller, older man. Harding watched intrigued, as the agent seemed to take control. Unable to hear his words, Harding instinctively realized that this man was definitely the lead agent. He glanced again around at the scene in front if him, aware that his hiding spot was in real danger of being discovered. He knew he had to make a move and make it fast if he didn't want to be trapped like a mouse. He stared again at the lead agent and smiled. 'Yes, he is the ticket out of here!"
Kneeling down besides Ducky, Gibbs visually examined the woman lying dead on the ground. Once she would have been beautiful but the years of abuse and drug abuse had obviously taken their toll on her looks and health. There was no need for Ducky to speculate to him how the woman died- the dark vivid bruises encircling her throat told him without words. He stood and glanced around, pleased to see that Kate had already organized the securing of the crime scene and the collecting of needed evidence. McGee was sketching as Kate took the photos; NCIS agents and police were carrying out a perimeter search.
Something about the scene bothered him and he stood and walked towards the crates that were piled next to the wall. He turned and studied the area in front of him.
Harding saw his opportunity and took it. He leaped to his feet and quickly stepped out from behind the crates; his arm encircling the agent's throat as his other hand quickly reached around and pulled the agent's gun from its holster. His grip tightened as he felt the agent begin to react and he pressed the gun to the NCIS lead agent's head. "Move and you're a dead man!" He growled softly into the agent's ear.
"Harding!" The single word tore from Gibbs' lips like an expletive causing everyone to stop and turn towards the pair.
"Ah, Gibbs, I assume. We finally meet face to face! Your boy called out for you several times during our games!" Harding chuckled into Gibbs' ear as he tightened his hold and turned his attention to the NCIS agents and police who now had weapons out and trained upon them. "Drop your guns unless you want me to blow his brains all over the place!" He ordered pressing the gun harder against Gibbs head causing the older man to wince in pain. "Don't think I wont do it!"
McGee continued to hold his aim as he looked uncertainly at both Kate and Gibbs. Kate had not even reacted to the madman's threat and her aim remained steady. The look in Gibbs' eyes warned McGee that he would have hell to pay if his gun even wavered in its aim. The police and other agents around him continued to train their guns on the pair.
"We're going to slowly walk out of here! Tell them to back off, Gibbs, or you will be a dead man!" Harding hissed as he edged along the wall towards the alley opening using Gibbs as his human shield.
"I'm not letting you go anywhere!" Gibbs growled. "You're going to get everything you deserve after what you did to Agent DiNozzo!" He promised. He heard Harding chuckle and felt his grip loosen a little as he leaned closer to whisper something.
Taking the opportunity, Gibbs reached up and grabbed Harding's arm, tossing the startled man over his shoulder and onto the ground in front of him with a bone-numbing crush. Quickly reaching down before Harding had time to catch his breath or react; Gibbs twisted the gun free from his hand, ignoring the loud snap of the criminal's wrist. He yanked the man to his feet and slammed him against the brick wall, pulling his arms behind him and tightly snapping the handcuffs on. "I want him booked! Kidnapping, torture, murder and attempted murder for starters." He growled, pulling Harding back a step from the wall and shoving him towards McGee. "And I want the bastard shackled - hands and legs until I interrogate him later!"
"Right, Boss!" McGee answered with a grin, roughly grabbing Harding's arm and dragging him struggling towards the car.
Gibbs turned back to Kate. "I want everything bagged and tagged. I want nothing overlooked! Here or at the apartment!"
"Will do!" Kate answered, before she nervously shifted from foot to foot. "Ah Gibbs, did you really want Harding shackled until you interrogate him. I kinda hoped that...that after we finish here...that maybe...Tony would be out of surgery..."
"Are you asking if we are going straight back to the office after we are finished here or are we going to the hospital?" Gibbs asked, stifling a smile as Kate shifted under his stare again and nodded.
Gibbs grinned. "I think a few hours of being shackled might give Harding a taste of his own medicine. He's a junkie, by the time we are finished at the hospital, he should be starting to hurt a little, be more willing to co-operate. I think giving him a few uncomfortable hours to stew wouldn't hurt, do you, Ducky?"
"Oh no, Jethro, in fact I believe it might be very beneficial for the man to discover how it feels to have a lack of control over his surroundings!" The M.E. agreed as he joined the pair. "In fact I remember a young chap in Vietnam or was it..."
Gibbs smiled. "Lets try and wrap this up here." He ordered glancing down at his watch. "DiNozzo will be out of surgery soon and I want to be there when he wakes!"
NCISNCISNCIS
Soft muted sounds began to drift through the cocoon of darkness that protected him. He remained still, trying hard to ignore the pain. He didn't want them to know he was awake. If they knew they would attack him again. Better to play dead then to gain their attention. Slowly the muted sounds of the monsters that surrounded him faded and Tony drifted back into the safety of unconsciousness.
NCISNCISNCIS
"Drink this, Jethro." Ducky commanded quietly, pushing the hot cup of hospital industrial strength coffee into his hand before settling into the seat beside him.
Gibbs sighed and took a sip before lowering the cup and continued to stare at the motionless figure on the bed. Tony's ribs and left shoulder were wrapped tightly, his arm encased in a heavy white cast, the dark bruises that mottled his body stood out starkly against the too-pale skin. He studied the small green line that traveled across the heart monitor and the tubing that ran down from the IV bag above the bag and disappeared under the sheets near Tony's right hand. "I thought he was awake a little earlier but he didn't open his eyes." Gibbs said softly.
"Give him a little time, Jethro, young Anthony has been through quite a lot and so have you! He may drift in and out of consciousness for a couple more hours." Ducky reassured Gibbs quietly. "After all, the lad has quite a potent mixture of drugs mixed with the anesthetic he received. I'm hoping that he might sleep until the drugs are completely out of his system."
Gibbs nodded unconvinced and took a second sip of the scalding liquid, grimacing at the taste. "Reminds me of the stuff I drank in the Gulf." He grumbled.
"I sent Kate and McGee home, not much they can do waiting out in the corridor for young Anthony to wake." Ducky continued quietly, carefully watching Gibbs. "They refused to go. Instead Kate asked me to let you know that she and McGee were heading back to the office to start on the reports." Gibbs nodded absently, his eyes never leaving the man in the bed. "I also examined Harding's right wrist. It was broken when you wrestled the gun free. I reset it and placed it in a cast."
"So he is unshackled?" Gibbs growled angrily as he turned abruptly and glared at the older man.
Ducky smiled and glanced over the rims of his glasses. "Now Jethro, would I let Kate or Timothy disobey a direct order from you? I just got them to adjust the wrist shackle a little to accommodate for the cast." He answered with a chuckle.
Gibbs smiled but a small whimper from the bed caught his attention. He turned back just in time to see Tony's eyes open wide in terror. He stood up and leaned over the frightened man, gently grabbing his arm. "It's okay, Tony, you're safe! You're in the hospital! You're going to be fine!" He tried to reassure the now-struggling man.
"No! No! Get away from me! Leave me alone!" Tony shouted as he continued to struggle against both Ducky and Gibbs. "Get off of me! Leave me alone!" Tony shouted hysterically. He knocked over the IV machine, causing the IV needle to tear from his arm.
"Hold him, Jethro!" Ducky shouted as Tony pushed Ducky away.
"I'm trying! Calm down DiNozzo. Come on Tony, you're safe!"
The two men continued their desperate struggle as Tony continued to thrash around trying to get free. The door to the room suddenly opened and Gibbs was pushed aside as several nurses and doctors quickly surrounded Tony and subdued him. Within a few moments, the young agent was in a deep drug induced sleep.
Gibbs watched horrified as leather straps were gently placed around Tony's wrist and ankles and securely attached to the bedrails.
NCIS NCIS NCIS
Tiredly rubbing away the stiffness in the back of his neck, Gibbs slowly rose from the uncomfortable hospital chair and walked over to the window. The night had been long and emotionally traumatic for the lead NCIS agent. He had spent it alternatively trying to reassure his young agent that he was safe from the nightmares that were haunting him and then finding himself trapped in his own nightmares of memories every time he had dozed off into a light sleep.
Tony had woken several times during the night, unable to escape from the horrors of the drug-induced hallucinations that had him trapped firmly within their grip. He had cried out in terror, struggling desperately to free himself from the protective restraints that held him tightly, leaving his wrist and ankles painfully red and raw from his efforts. Ducky had explained that the doctors were reluctant to add any more drugs into Tony's already over- taxed system, even the mildest sedative could cause more problems than help.
"Boss? Boss? Help me!"
The soft terrified cry from the man in the bed yanked Gibbs from his thoughts as he turned immediately and walked back to the edge of the bed. Placing his hand lightly on DiNozzo's arm, he leaned close to Tony's ear and spoke softly. "You're safe, Tony! I'm here! I'm watching your six! It's just a dream, understand, it's a dream!"
Tony's eyes opened wide in fear and darted terrified around the room, looking at monsters that only he could see. "Boss? BOSS?"
The terrified plea tore at Gibbs' heart and he drew a deep breath as he steeled himself and tapped Tony firmly but carefully on the top of his head in a mild imitation of the head slap he used to focus the agent. "Tony, you are safe!" He growled softly, watching as DiNozzo jumped in response and seemed to focus on his face. "You are safe, Tony, we got you! There is nothing here that I am going to allow to hurt you! Got that, DiNozzo?"
Tony swallowed and nodded but did not answer the question verbally as his eyes seemed to stare at something beyond his boss' shoulder.
Slapping Tony's forehead again a little harder, mindful of the concussion the young man was suffering, Gibbs leaned even closer. "DiNozzo, you are safe." He growled watching as Tony refocused onto his face. "Do you understand, Tony? Nothing is going to hurt you!"
"I'm safe!" Tony whispered in response, his eyes closing from exhaustion as he spoke. "You've got my six. Nothing is go..." The words trailed away as the young agent drifted back to a more restful sleep and Gibbs remained where he was for several minutes watching, his hand resting on Tony's arm in an attempt to let Tony to know that he was not alone.
"His blood tests are looking excellent, Jethro. The drugs are metabolizing quickly out of his system. The doctors believe by this afternoon the drug tests will be negative." Ducky's soft cultured voice from behind startled Gibbs and he spun around as the older man slowly entered the room and walked to the other side of the bed, studying both the sleeping man and the lead agent as he spoke. "They are confident that Anthony will have no lasting after effects from the drugs forced upon him. We were lucky Jethro; the LSD derivative used does not have the same addictive qualities as its cousins."
Rubbing his hand tiredly over his face, Gibbs murmured. "Thank God."
Ducky nodded his agreement before quietly stating, "He may need some counseling to help him deal with the traumatic experience of this undercover assignment, Jethro, but he's young and healthy. He'll bounce back even quicker than the doctors' hope."
"I let him down, Duck!" Gibbs whispered, his eyes never leaving the figure in the bed. "I promised that we would watch his six and than we lost him to those maniacs. I should have prevented it from happening. I should have kept a tighter blanket on him, reached him sooner!"
Shaking his head, Ducky walked around the bed until he stood inches from Gibbs. Placing his hand on the agitated agent's shoulder he firmly stated. "What happened was NOT your fault, Jethro. I know Anthony will agree. Things out of your control went wrong but you found him before it was too late and you saved his life by getting him to step away from the ledge - something I know young Anthony will be eternally grateful for. You have also got the man who is truly guilty of this horrific crime behind bars! Which reminds me, Jethro, I've been told that he did not experience the most comfortable night being held in shackles nor did he manage to obtain much sleep. It seems that the guards placed a very inebriated man who decided to sing patriotic songs all night in the cell beside him!"
Encouraged by the smile that tugged at Gibbs' lips, Ducky continued. "I do believe young Anthony has finally managed to settle into a restful sleep and will probably sleep for a few hours. Why don't we grab a coffee at Starbucks on the way back to the office? There is a suspect waiting to be interrogated."
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Kate and McGee stood quietly near the one-way mirror, observing the interrogation being carried out in the small interrogation room. Harding sat defiantly on the hard wooden chair, still shackled tightly as Gibbs sat silently in front of him, studying the contents of a thick folder on the table in front of him, fully ignoring the prisoner. The director sat motionless in the corner of the tiny room watching the proceedings.
Kate smiled as she watched Harding grow restless at the continuing silence of the two agents. "It's starting to get to him. "She murmured to McGee, never taking her eyes from the scene being played out in front of her. "He is starting to need a fix and Gibbs' silence is unnerving him."
McGee glanced at Kate before returning his attention back to the suspect. He watched Harding's body language more closely suddenly aware of the nervous, jittery movements that Harding made and the fine sheen of perspiration that covered Harding's face.
Gibbs waited a few more minutes aware of the prisoner's increasing discomfort before he finally looked up and studied the man closely. He smiled warmly and, with an exaggerated concern, inquired politely, "I hope you had a comfortable night last night, Mr. Harding. I trust our facilities were to your liking. Is there anything that I can do that will make your stay more comfortable?"
McGee blinked in surprise at Gibbs words but Kate grinned, 'Tony would be enjoying this. ' She thought as she watched Harding's eyes widen in surprise.
"You can take these damn shackles off!" Harding growled, rattling the chain as he lifted his hands. "They are cutting into me!"
Gibbs smiled apologetically before the smile slowly morphed to a look of disgust and contempt. "Now I thought you were deeply into bondage. I know that you kept all your victims tightly bound with ropes while you tortured them and drugged them. The three bodies that you dumped and my agent all bear the marks of the ropes you tied tight enough to cut into their skin."
Harding suddenly grinned, obviously delighted at the contempt in the other man's eyes. "Should have heard them all cry out when I tied them up. Mind you, your boy was tried hard not to react. I tied his arms and legs tighter than the others just to see him cry out in pain."
"You enjoyed watching them suffer didn't you, Harding?" Gibbs prompted, slowly circling him like an eagle watching his prey.
Harding grinned and shook his head as his eyes glazed over. "You should have heard them scream! They would struggle to get away, cry like babies. Man, the power I held over them! Awesome, man! Absolutely awesome! At first they would try and tough it out, not make a sound but in the end they all cried, even your boy! He held out the longest. Kiki said it was as good as the drugs watching him struggling to not make a sound. He did cry out your name once or twice, especially when I got him with the prod. He was fun to play with! But that's not why I did it. Kiki was the one into pain, not me!"
"What were you into, Harding?" Gibbs questioned quietly.
"Hey, the power, Man, the power! Do you know what its like to have the ability to hold someone's life in my hand. I could make them cry and squirm in pain or scream out in fear. at the monsters I can make them see." Harding looked up and grinned at Gibbs. "And the power of making you suffer. Of being able to force you to hear and see your own boy scream! Proves that I am stronger than you will ever be." Harding gloated triumphantly. "I was so peeved to find your boy had the phone but he did me a favor. Really made the whole game worth playing, don't you agree?"
McGee gasped in shock at the suspect's ramblings but Kate continued to watch and observe. Her own disgust was hidden almost as if she was mimicking Gibbs as she watched Gibbs slowly draw out a full confession out of the drug addict in front of him, drawing on the man's own eagerness to brag.
Gibbs ignored the taunt as he slowly circled the table and sat back down in front of the suspect. "Tell me about Kiki." He said quietly, flicking to the photos of the yet unidentified woman found dead in the alley and the artist sketches of the same woman drawn as their female suspect in the case.
"Kiki?" Harding's delighted smile turned wistful. "Kiki was a nice kid. Only sixteen when I meet her a few years ago. She was as straight-laced as they come. Mamma was a teacher! Daddy was a preacher! But I turned her on. She loved the highlife and the parties but most of all, Man, she really dug the drugs!"
Gibbs grimaced as he stared at the aged face of the photo in front of him. She was barely twenty-one, with make up and a darkened room she appeared stunning but under the stark morgue lights the abuse was more than evident, she appeared at least forty. "What was Kiki's real name?" He asked quietly.
Harding shook his head and grinned. "Don't know as much as you think, do ya?" He giggled. "Figure it out yourself!"
Gibbs ignored the gibe and continued with the interrogation. "Why Marines? Why did you kidnap torture and drug them?"
"Marines were Kiki's idea. She loved a man in uniform. Said a Marine was the toughest of the tough but I showed her that they were like the rest. Give them a little pain and they will cry like babies. They're not so tough. I am more powerful than a Marine could ever be!" He sniffled and wiped his nose on the back of his sleeves. "You should have seen your boy. He was the best! He didn't want to show any signs of weakness. Fought me the whole way. Even when he saw the monsters, he tried to call out for you to help him! Man, that was sweet! Best fun I have ever had. He screamed your name until he couldn't even talk. It took me a while to break him but I did!"" He boasted as he wiped the sweat from his face and carefully wrapped his arms around himself as if he was cold.
"Starting to hurt?" Gibbs asked coldly. "Needing a fix?"
Nodding his head, Harding glanced up into Gibbs' cold angry stare. "Yeah man, I need something to take the edge off and I know my rights. I ain't saying nothin' more until you get me somethin'. You have to get me something!"
Smiling at the man's discomfort, Gibbs leaned forward, his hands pressed against the tabletop. "I thought you were tougher than your victims. Can't you take a little pain? You know that at this minute Agent DiNozzo is sleeping quite peacefully in a hospital bed. He no longer is in pain and no longer hallucinating. I'm sure that he will like to know just how well you can deal with the same type of pain that you put him and your other victims through!"
"You can't do this! I ain't gunna' say nothin' unless you get me some help!" Harding threatened as the tears began to run down his face unchecked.
Gibbs shrugged his shoulders and turned away. "Well Man I guess you ain't got nothing more to say then! " He said as he walked towards the door, the director rising to his feet and silently following Gibbs from the room, leaving Harding staring at the door as it closed behind them.
Stepping into the corridor, Kate and McGee quickly hurried to where Gibbs and the Director now stood. Shaking his head with a mixture of pity and revulsion, Gibbs looked at his two agents. "That is one twisted man!" he stated quietly. "I'm sure as the drugs wear out of his system; we are going to discover that the three Marines and Tony are only the tips of the iceberg!"
"I think you're right, Gibbs." Kate agreed. "He has perfected his crimes for these to be the first cases. I believe we are dealing with a serial killer here. Both he and the girl probably urged each other on."
Gibbs nodded as he turned and walked towards the elevator. "We need to track down anyone that he or the girl has come in contact with since they meet. I can bet that we are going to turn up the names of quite a few missing people and not all of them will be Marines. "
NCISNCISNCIS
One week later -
Sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, Tony DiNozzo signed his name on the release papers with glee. The signature was almost illegible but he had never been good at writing left-handed and, at the moment, he didn't care. All he wanted was to be able to go home.
The memories of his undercover assignment and the first two days spent in the hospital were extremely patchy and what little memories he possessed warned him that the rest were best left forgotten. His physical injuries would heal with time and the sessions that Ducky insisted that he have with the NCIS psychologist were helping to stop the strange nightmares that had plagued him the first few days after his rescue.
Gibbs had been extremely reticent about the case; only saying that the woman used to lure the victims from they her accomplice had herself murdered bar. He found that he did not really want to know more than that.
He grinned expectantly as the door to his hospital room opened and McGee entered the room. Tony frowned with confusion as he looked past Tim, expecting Gibbs to enter but the door closed quietly behind him. "Hey Probie, I thought Gibbs was going to be my chauffer home today."
McGee shrugged and tried to smile. "He was but something came up. He wants me to take you back to his place. Said he doesn't want you wandering around your apartment alone until your ribs and arm are more healed." McGee informed him. "And I'm not going to argue with Gibbs. He wants someone with you until he gets home with dinner so I guess you're stuck with me!"
Eyeing McGee suspiciously, Tony asked. "Are you sure there isn't more? I mean, Gibbs letting me stay at his house! What's up? Come on Probie, spill it!"
McGee shrugged his shoulders as he picked up Tony's bag. "Hey Tony, I can only repeat what Gibbs ordered. I'm sure he'll explain when he gets home. Now do you want to get out of here? I rented some great DVD's for us to watch - Starwars and Jaws!"
"Did you remember the beer and pizza? Tony asked back over his shoulder as McGee followed him from the room.
NCISNCISNCIS
Standing in the doorway to the cell. Kate watched silently as Gibbs angrily questioned the guard. "Just how the hell did Harding escape? I want a full report on what happened here this morning! "
The young guard nodded nervously, "Yes sir!" he answered before scurrying away.
Gibbs turned back to Kate. "I want this whole room photographed and gone over with a fine tooth comb. I want to know just who the Hell assisted him to escape!"
Kate nodded and paused biting her lip before she looked up into Gibbs' worried eyes. "Do you think he'll try for Tony again?" she asked.
Gibbs returned her glance. "He will never get near DiNozzo again, Kate! I'm going to track him down and make sure of it. I promised Tony that I had his six with this madman and it is a promise I don't intend to have broken again!"
Kate returned her attention back to her job. Gibbs was one man who kept his word especially to his team!
The End