Author's note: The Italics are from a poem titled "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner " by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. I didn't write it.

Albatross

And now the STORM-BLAST came, and he

Was tyrannous and strong:

He struck with his o' ertaking wings,

And chased us south along.

Eleanor Bishop blew her damp bangs out of her eyes and tried to will the headache away from the knot above her left eyebrow. She suddenly wished she had invited Torres on this vacation, but things were rocky with them right now, and when Ellie won the seven day trip to the island Barbados, she jumped at the chance for peace and sunshine. She took time off and approved it with Gibbs and sent over a text to Torres to tell him that she would see him in 7 days. That was five days ago. The first part of her vacation was a dream, sunbathing, massages and fresh ocean air. Ellie felt rejuvenated and relaxed feeling years of tension leaving her shoulders and breathing easy for the first time. Her guard fell, and that was her first mistake. A tall dark and dangerous man followed her second. Tracked was more like it. So when her shopping excursion yesterday led her to book a day cruise to see dolphins.

She met the ship this morning, and when they offered her freshly squeezed juice, Ellie drank it and soaked up the sun. Soon the boat started to tilt. And then the world turned squirrely and black spots formed in front of her eyes. When She awoke, she was in a wet, smelly room.

"Hello, my sweet" A man with a walrus mustache and beady eyes said with a smarmy voice. He had dark skin and dark malicious eyes.

Being a special agent, Ellie struggled, even managed to grab a piece of glass and scratch her captors face. He just laughed as his fingers grazed the deep cut from his nose to his eye. The butt of a rifle came next, and when Ellie awoke and cuffed to a rusty pipe. A large knot on her forehead and a busted lip were the spoils of her spunky, brave moment. The room shifted, and Ellie knew she was on a ship. She tamped down the fear that arose from her stomach. Her brown eyes watched as the room rolled from the ocean propelling the boat.

A door opened from the left, and the large man came back. His face patched up and he bent down to look at Ellie.

"Hello, my sweet" The man said again. "I'm sorry for the rudeness of the handcuff, but I thought we could have a simple discussion. But since your fight or flight leans more toward a fight. Precautions need to made. Now my name is Fernando Luis, and I need your help. Special Agent Eleanor Bishop."

Ellie's fear bubbled over because this was not a random kidnapping. They knew who she was and what she did for a living.

About, about, in reel and rout

The death-fires danced at night;

The water, like a witch's oils,

Burnt green, and blue and white.