Author's Note:
I watched NCIS reruns completely out of order. When I wrote this story, I knew that Ziva had been taken hostage and had been hurt, but I had no idea who had taken her or why. This is my version of what could have happened.
I now know (like you guys) that it was Saleem. I never published this story because I was sure that people wouldn't like it. However, I came across it the other day on my computer and decided to publish it instead of deleting it.
Please let me know what you think and forgive me for being wrong...
Also, please forgive me for hurting Ziva this way. I do love her really!
A bruised and bloodied Ziva is lying on her side on the floor of a dirty, mostly empty room. A man enters the room and her eyes open briefly at the sound of the door opening, but her back is to the door and she does not bother to turn over. The man crosses the room and rolls her over onto her back by placing his heel against her right shoulder and forcing it to the ground. She moans softly when she is moved, and looks up at the man standing over her and says quietly "Shalom, Father".
"My Ziva" he whispers as he crouches by her side. His face is a mask of concern, his voice breaking with sorrow. "Why do you insist on it being this way?" He reaches out and strokes the side of her face and she recoils as if he had hit her. This infuriates him. The concern and sorrow fall away instantly as he gets up and walks back to the door. He pauses and looks at her. "I have never struck you Ziva. I never will. You do not need to fear me." She pulls herself to a sitting position and though this effort causes her a great deal of pain, she is still able to keep her voice steady. "No father. Your hands never struck me. You used others' hands for that."
She remembers her hands pointing a gun at Ari, her brother. It was her hands that her father used to strike Ari.
He had sent her as Mossad "liaison" to NCIS in order to gather sensitive information on the US Navy bases scattered around the Middle East. Her excellent training and family background earned her a spot on Special Agent Gibbs' team. Her father had ordered Ari to kill Gibbs and later ordered her to kill Ari. She wound up in Gibbs' basement one night with Ari pointing a gun at Gibbs. She chose, in a split second, to take him down. Her father had been pleased that she obeyed his orders. He knew that if she would do that, she would do anything he asked of her.
He was wrong. She had killed Ari not because her father ordered it, but because he was threatening the life of an innocent man; a good man; a man who trusted her to "have his six" because he had hers. She had reacted instinctively, and she knew it was the right decision, but she could never forgive her father for putting her into that situation.
She now knew that her father had orchestrated the entire thing. He had known that even if Ari succeeded, he would most likely be killed or captured and Ziva would lose her position at NCIS. Though her actions resulted in Gibbs' remaining alive, she was able to remain at NCIS. Ari's death was an acceptable loss for her father because he knew that Ari was beginning to get out of control and Ziva was still in position to take down Gibbs whenever he ordered her to do so.
That order had come two months ago and she had refused. She had resigned her position as a Mossad agent and applied for American citizenship so that she could join NCIS permanently. Her father, enraged at her betrayal, had sent Michael to bring her to her senses and, if necessary, force her to return to Israel.
But he had been killed by an NCIS agent, Anthony Dinozzo, who had been suspicious of Ziva. As far as her father was concerned, his death was not a total loss. She had finally returned to Israel; to attend Michael's funeral. Once she left her American friends' protection, she was almost immediately captured and brought to this "terrorist camp" in the middle of the desert.
"Father, did you think I would not figure it out?" she questioned him. "These people were able to kidnap me, daughter of the director of Mossad, while I was in Israel." She shook her head in disbelief and sadness, but continued. "They have asked no questions about Mossad, only about NCIS and US Naval bases. Only the information you wanted to know."
He asked coldly. "Do you want the truth, Ziva?"
She sighed. "I don't want anything from you anymore." It was the truth.
This time when he spoke, there was no hint of emotion in his voice. "Ziva, I did not care if you figured it out or not. You are no longer my agent, you are no longer under my protection, and you are no longer my daughter. You have information I need and I will get it from you by whatever means necessary." He walked to the door and turned to look at her one last time. "You of all people should know that I have ways of getting what I want without getting my own hands dirty."
He turned to the two men standing guard on either side of the door. "Do whatever you need to do to get the information. After that, kill her." She heard him say it and watched him leave. Two tears trailed gently down her cheeks.
The two guards looked at each other and without a word, walked over to where she still sat on the floor. She recognized the look she saw in their eyes. They were going to hurt her and they were going to enjoy it.
She realized that up until this point, her father had been protecting her. He had hoped that after a few weeks of captivity and torture, she would beg to return to her exalted position as his daughter and special agent. He had spent a lot of time and money training her and did not want to throw it all away so easily. He had only wanted to remind her that it was he who gave the orders and she was to follow them; not question them. Her reaction to his touch let him know that all of that was over. She would never return to his side. So he was able to give the orders to torture and kill his one remaining child without a hint of remorse. She was already dead to him.
Besides, he did not actually need the information she had gathered. He only wanted her to think that he needed it. His real plan was to use her as bait to draw out Gibbs and his team. He held them responsible for killing Ari and Michael and for turning his daughter against him. He knew that if Ziva found out the truth, she would find a way to thwart him. She may take her own life or somehow warn her friends at NCIS. He had to keep it a secret for the time being. Only he and Asir knew the real reason she was being held.
When he left, the guard on the right, Asir, grabbed her hair and pulled her to her feet. Even now that she was standing, she still had to look up at him and he laughed and said mockingly "I hope you realize that we have been holding back on you, little one." He was an excellent agent, very experienced in undercover work, and he planned on playing his role as interrogator very well.
She felt suddenly sick to her stomach. Asir had used her father's special nickname for her when she was just a child. She hadn't heard it in years. This man should not know it at all.
He continued. "But now that we don't have to worry about that, we can really have some fun." Asir shoved her through the door, into a room that she hadn't seen before, and threw her onto a table. "Tie her down, Isaac. Then go and tell the others that they can come in one at a time." He turned to look at her and winked as he said "I get her first, though." She struggled against Isaac, realizing what was coming, but in her weakened state, he was easily able to get her wrists and ankles cuffed to the legs of the table. Asir approached her and said over his shoulder "I got it from here. You can come back when I'm done." Isaac left and Asir took a knife and slowly cut her shirt open.
"You know that this will not work. I won't tell you anything." Ziva hissed.
"I am not asking any questions." He said as he continued to cut her clothes off. She could not control a shudder of disgust as he ran his hands down her now naked body. "Oh, don't be frightened, little one. I am not going to hurt you too badly. We're just going to have a little fun." He walked across the room toward a video camera that was mounted on a tripod facing the table. "I hope your friends at NCIS will enjoy this little show."
She cursed herself for dragging her friends into this situation. It would kill Gibbs to have to watch her being raped and tortured for information about NCIS. McGee and Abby would never get over it, and Tony. Tony would torture himself watching it over and over again, hoping that he would be able to pick up some clue as to her location. If he could, she knew that he would come to rescue her. He would be killed, and it would be her fault.
"No. No." she said quickly. "They do not care about me anymore. You do not have to waste your time." She said trying to hide the fear in her heart.
Asir turned around. "You know, I don't quite believe that. I can think of at least one 'very special agent' who would really enjoy this little film." He left the camera off and came back to the table.
His intimate knowledge of Tony's little quirks surprised her. It must have shown on her face because he climbed on top of her, leaned over her face, looked directly into her eyes and said "I probably know more about them than you do. I did the research. I was the one who was supposed to take that mission." As he spoke, he became more and more upset.
Now he was practically screaming. He sat up, straddling her with his fists clenched, literally shaking with rage. "I was passed over. My mission was given to 'daddy's little girl' instead." His voice softened a little and Ziva began to relax. "I was upset and spoke out. The Director found out and my career with Mossad was essentially OVER." As he spoke the last word, his rage broke through again and he started punching her in the face, over, and over, and over again.
She tried to turn away from the blows, but she was cuffed to the table. There was nowhere to go. She felt her nose break, then her left cheekbone. The world started to go grey, and she welcomed it. "If he keeps this up, I won't have to worry about being raped."
When she awoke, her face on fire, she found that she was no longer cuffed to the table. Asir had moved her to a bed in the corner. He was kneeling by the side of the bed and practically sobbed with relief when she turned her head to look at him. I guess he doesn't want to kill me, not yet, anyway. Ziva thought he seemed terrified that he had killed her before he could get the information her father wanted.
He was terrified, though not for the reasons she thought. He had never lost control of his temper this badly before and it bothered him. He had almost killed her and her father needed her alive for a little longer if their plan was going to work.
What he had told Ziva was true. He had been one Eli David's most trusted agents and most people believed that he was being groomed for succession. Eli's son, Ari, was unlikely to be chosen; his loyalty was questionable at best. When Eli had taken away his mission and given it to Ziva, he had been crushed. He interpreted that to mean that Eli had chosen Ziva as his successor. He had let his temper get the better of him at that time too, and it had nearly destroyed his career.
What he had not told her, respecting her father's wishes, was that they had not captured her to get information. They had captured her to use as bait. Gibbs and DiNozzo were the targets, she was the lure.
In his relief over finding that she was alive, he made a critical mistake. He said "I'm sorry, Ziva. I really shouldn't hold that against you anymore. You screwed up badly enough, by not killing Gibbs when you had the chance, that your father has finally recognized the value of my loyalty." He stood up, glanced back at the camera to make sure that it was still off and said. "I will be the one to finish what you started, and that will make your father very happy with me."
She knew then that Asir and her father were still trying to kill Gibbs. If her friends came to rescue her, they would be walking into a trap. She would find a way to warn them. Her father knew she would and it was why he hadn't wanted her to be told what was going on but Asir underestimated her.
He turned the camera on.