Pride, Gibbs, Patton and DiNozzo looked at the screen waiting for the timer to reach zero. Each man imagining the worse. When the counter finally went to zero the picture of Brody disappeared and was replaced by video of a man sitting in a room.
"Mushtaq." Gibbs said immediately identifying the man.
"Agent Gibbs." Mushtaq greeted. "It has been a long time since you caused my sister's betrayal. But do not worry. I never forgot. Today will be the day I get my revenge. Today I will kill Agent Brody and you will watch, helpless. You will learn what it is like to see someone cause you to lose something and not be able to do anything to help. But I am not completely heartless, I will ensure that when you find her body you will be able to identify her through my mark."
With that the website changed again this time showing a video feed of an empty room. The room itself was spartan with a desk, but no chair and some shelves. The most striking features though were the bulkhead doors and pipes running across the ceiling and down the sides of the room.
"Ship?" DiNozzo asked.
"Looks that way." Pride confirmed before looking at Patton. "See if you can pull anything from the images which gives a clue to the name of the ship."
"Sure thing Pride." Patton said getting to work.
"Something's happening." Tony said seeing the bulkhead door open.
Moments later a man entered and the room carrying something bulky over his shoulder. Something that when he reached the middle of the room he tossed to the ground. The men watching the screen guessed that the something was Brody, but with a sack over the figure's head they couldn't be sure. The uncertainty did not last for long though as another man entered the room and approached the figure before leaning down and pulling the sack off revealing Brody's bruised, but awake, face. The new man then turned to the first man and said something which caused the first man to leave the room.
"Any idea who those two are?" Pride asked.
"The man still in there is Azhar Ali." Gibbs said. "Last time I came across him he was a low level thug working for Mushtaq. He managed to escape with him. The other other guy I don't know." The Washington Agent explained as he watched Ali appear to goad Brody, who remained on the ground, her hands tied behind her back.
"Does he have history with Brody?" Pride asked, concerned by the attention Ali was paying her.
"See how his nose is offset?" Gibbs asked.
"Yeah."
"That's courtesy of Brody." Gibbs explained as he watched Ali grow angry by the lack of reaction Brody was giving him. Ali then glanced at the door before looking up at the camera and smiling. He then turned back to Brody and took off his belt. Pride, Gibbs, DiNozzo and Patton watched in horror, their blood boiling. Just as Ali reached Brody she unleashed a kick to Ali's groin causing him to fall to his knees. Seizing the advantage she then kicked his face, re-breaking his nose.
Ali fell back gripping his face whilst Brody edged her way backwards trying to create some space between them.
The relief felt by the men in the field office was short lived though as Ali, blood flowing from his nose, climbed to his feet, his body almost trembling with rage. He then strode towards Brody and unleashed some kicks to her mid drift. He then bent down and hauled Brody to her feet before backing her into the walk and putting his hands round her neck.
The men in the office were so focused on Brody that they momentarily missed the bulkhead door open and three more men enter the room.
"That's Mushtaq." Gibbs said, watching the leader shout something at Ali. Whatever was said caused Ali to turn and glare at Mushtaq, without releasing his grip on the oxygen starved Agent. Mushtaq once again shouted something causing Ali to drop Brody who crumpled to the floor, gasping for air. Ali then looked down at Brody and kicked her again. The action causing Mushtaq to pull a handgun from his waist band and shoot Ali in the head.
"What's going on?" LaSalle asked re-entering the office and seeing the end of Ali.
"Mushtaq does not tolerate disobedience." Gibbs said.
"So she's safe whilst Mushtaq is in there?" DiNozzo asked.
"Doubt it." Gibbs said. "All it means is that anyone who gets in the way of his plan will end up dead."
"Now what are they doing?" Pride asked seeing one man hold Brody as another released her hands.
"That does not look good." LaSalle said watching the man holding Brody drag her to the table. The Agents watched as as Brody was placed on the table, lying on her side, pinned down by the two henchmen. They then watched Mushtaq pull something from his pocket.
"What's that?" LaSalle asked squinting at the screen.
"Looks like a scalpel." Tony said as Mushtaq stood between the camera and the table, blocking the Agents' view of Brody and what was happening.
"What is he doing to her?" Pride asked as he saw Brody struggle, the fear and pain radiating from her eyes before she eventually passed out.
"Got something." Patton suddenly called, unaware of what had been happening on the screen. "There is a file in the corner with the name of a ship. The Vanguard."
"Christopher, get hold of the Coast Guard, get them to search for that ship and find out where it has been." Pride said thankful for something to focus on that wasn't the torture of his Agent.
"On it." Chris replied, his eyes still locked on the screen wondering what was happening to his partner. As Chris moved away another man entered the room Brody was in and moved to the table she was lying on. He then appeared to receive some instructions from Mushtaq before bending over and doing something to the still unconscious Brody. But again they couldn't see what. Finally he straightened and looked at Mushtaq who appeared to dismiss him as he left the room. Mushtaq then nodded to the two who were holding Brody. One of the men half carried half dragged Brody to the middle of the room. Once there the other man thread a pair of handcuffs over one of the ceiling pipes and then cuffed Brody's limp wrists so she dangled from the ceiling. As she hung there the NCIS team got the first hint of what Mushtaq had done to her as her shirt and the top of her pants were covered in blood.
"He cut her?" Pride asked angrily. The comment temporarily distracting Chris from his conversation with the Coast Guard.
The team then silently watched Mushtaq watching the unconscious Agent. For a while it seemed that Mushtaq had all the time in the word as he leaned on the bloodstained table and watched Brody. But then his mood seemed to change and he appeared restless. He turned to the door and shouted something inaudible on the silent video feed.
"Patton, are you recording this?" Pride asked.
"Yeah."
"Good, I want you to get the footage to a lip reading expert. Let's see if they are giving any clues about where the Vanguard is." Pride ordered.
"I have just the person in mind." Patton said taking out his phone and sending an email.
Turning his head back to the screen Pride saw a man enter the room holding a bucket. Moments later the contents of the bucket, water Pride assumed, were thrown over Brody, waking the Agent up. Mushtaq then dismissed the man again who this time dragged the lifeless body of Ali from the room, and approached Brody who watched him in weary silence. As he reached her he moved behind her and then grabbed her chin and forced her to look at the camera as he spoke to her.
"Looks like he wants her to know we're watching." Tony said as Mushtaq released Brody's face before moving to stand in front of her so his back was to the camera. The watching Agents had no way to tell what Mushtaq was saying to Brody but Pride knew it was affecting her. Whilst it was true she was doing her best to hide her fears he knew her well enough to see the signs. He knew then that whatever Mushtaq was saying the consequences were likely to be bad.
"The Vanguard has not been registered in any port." Chris said moving back to the video screen and the other Agents. "The Coast Guard have initiated a search but pointed out that it is a huge area to search and we are going to have to narrow it down." He added, his eyes drawn to the monitor.
"Then let's narrow it down." Pride said. "Let's at least figure out where they took her to board the vessel. Find that Transit."
"He leaving." Tony interrupted causing all the Agents to once again look at the screen where Brody hung from the ceiling.
"Let's hope that buys us sometime." Pride said. However, the doubt in his voice was obvious.
TBC
A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing. Next chapter up tomorrow.
