Disclaimer: NCIS is not mine.

A/N Sorry about the delay with this chapter. I've been working on my other fics and thinking about possible others that I would like to try. I also had a bit of a block with this chapter, until I had this idea. I hope people are not to upset with the delay and I thank everyone who is continuing with this fic and who has held out until now.

This chapter is where things start to get dark, so I advise readers who don't think this it their thing to turn back now. Things are only going to get worse.

Thanks to my beta, Kandon Kuuson. He is the biggest help.

Enjoy.


Chapter Two: Stage One Commenced

The sun felt nice as it showered down upon Anthony DiNozzo's back. He could hear the waves crashing against the shore, so, he assumed, he must be on a beach. He sighed happily. Beaches meant girls in bikini … or if he was lucky, girls with no tops. But where was he? The waves and the sun didn't do much good if he didn't know where he was. 'Hmmm … the Caribbean would be nice,' he thought to himself.

He looked around, trying to find a clue as to where he was. His eyes fell upon a 'Welcome to' sign next to the entrance of the beach. At first, it was a little blurry and he was unable to make out what it said. Slowly the sign slid into focus and he read:

'Welcome to the Caribbean'.

Tony smiled brightly. This was more like it. But then he stopped to consider why he was in the Caribbean in the first place.

'A case?' he wondered. 'Holiday? Unlikely, but …' A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.

"What are you doing here, Tony?" came McGee's voice. Startled, Tony whipped around and, yes, there was McGee standing behind him in swimming trunks with polka dots splattered all over them.

Tony tried to open his mouth to respond, or at least comment on the hideous trunks McGee was wearing, but he found that no words came out as he tried.

"What are you doing here, Tony?" McGee repeated. This time, Tony noted, that McGee sounded cheerless. He had a look of concern on his face that unnerved Tony.

'Probie,' he tried to say, but nothing came out. 'What are you …'

"He can't help you, Tony," replied the familiar female voice.

'Ziva?'Ziva was wearing a red bikini that accented her curves in all the right places. Despite his situation, he grinned at the sight in front of him. Ziva really did look nice in a bikini.

"You have to be strong, Tony," she continued, looking him directly in the eye.

'Strong for what?' he thought.

"Please stay strong." Ziva sounded pained, Tony mused. Interesting, why would McGee and now Ziva sound so depressing. And Ziva at that too? "We will come, I promise. I will come."

'Come where.' Tony was even more confused now. He tried to speak, but again he could not.

"You will survive this, DiNozzo!" a male voice said gruffly.

'Boss? What …' He looked at his boss, and had to suppress a grin at Gibbs in bright blue Speedos.

"You will come home," Gibbs stated firmly, ignoring Tony's smirk. "That is an order."

'Of course I'll come home.' Tony blinked twice. 'I'm on a case … or was that a holiday.'

"Tony!" he heard Abby shriek before the Goth launched herself on him. She was also in a bikini, black and covered with skulls. Very Abby.

"I'm so sorry, Tony," she cried into his neck. "I should have … I really … my phone … forgive me, Tony."

'Forgive you for what, Abs?' Tony tried to voice, not comprehending any of what was going on. 'Forgive for what.'

"Oh, Tony," Abby continued to mutter. "I … I won't stop till I find you. I won't eat, sleep, I promise I'll get you out of here, Tony. Tony …" She hugged him tighter.

"Abs …" came a very familiar voice, one that he only heard in his dreams.

'Kate?'That wasn't the surprise he expected. Kate stood there in a lime green bikini. Even if Tony had wanted to, he couldn't have imagined her more sexier then she was right now.

"Abby, let him go …," Kate whispered, pulling at the Goth clinging onto his neck.

'Kate? Hmmm … nice bikini.' Kate glared at him as if she knew what he was thinking. She was still struggling with Abby.

"You need to go back, Tony," Kate smiled sadly as she managed to free Tony from Abby's grip. "Go back, Tony. They will find you. You're not forgotten. I will … I will watch over you. Protect you as I can. But you have to go back."

'Back where?' Tony tried desperately, annoyance rimming his thoughts. No sound came out. Their sad smiling face started to fade away and their voices merged as one:

"Be strong, Tony. We will come."

As they continued to fade away, a light breeze rushed across his face, bringing a fine spray of liquid. At first he thought it was blood … Kate's blood. But one look at the fading Kate showed him that her face was perfect, just like it was before it she was killed.

The water droplets got heavier, and an unfamiliar, cold, voice barked at him from somewhere nearby, "DiNozzo."

Tony felt his eyelids droop. He felt more sleepy than he had in this entire life.

"DiNozzo," the same, hard voice barked and more droplets fell on his face. Maybe he'd just have a small nap. The sun, after all, was very comforting.


Tony moaned as he slowly opened his eyes. He immediately felt the change in temperature. Gone was the warm and sunny beach. He shivered. Wherever he was, it wasn't pleasant. He felt cold. He could almost feel the damp and mouldy walls that felt like they were closing in around him. The air was stale and damp, it was thick with tension, hate and something he couldn't quite identify … maybe malice or cruelty.

Tony moaned again as a shadowy figured appeared in his line of sight.

"Kate …" he whimpered as the figure looming overhead got clearer.

The figure laughed cruelly. "Sorry, Agent DiNozzo. Your precious Caitlin Todd is not here to save you now." Tony saw the figure bend over and immediately he felt his breath in his ear.

"How was it, Agent DiNozzo?" he leered. "When the blood of your partner sprayed across your face?" A reminder of what happened on that roof top nearly three years ago blasted its way into his mind as a soft spray of liquid was cruelly sprayed over his face.

He flinched violently. The bile rose up in his throat as he desperately tried to push back the flashing images that were assaulting his mind. He felt sick as another spray landed on his face … Kate's blood. He couldn't help himself as the last meal he'd eaten found itself all over the floor in front of his captor. He didn't even flinch.

"Oh, Tony," the man said comfortingly as he ran his hand through Tony's hair before gently pushing a stray strand out of his eyes. "It is awful isn't it," he cooed. "You couldn't save your precious Caitlin, and for that, I sympathise."

"I'm sure she went quickly, Tony," he continued to coo. "No pain, just sleep. It's the best thing, I think. She could have bled out, but that lovely terrorist had a big heart and used her head. Painless, and not too much mess. I, on the other hand, would have preferred other methods." The comforting voice faded and the previous voice returned. The figure was still blurry, but he could make out his distinct nose and his cold, hard sneer.

"I," he sneered, "would have shot her in the chest … the lungs I think. She would have bled out, slowly of course. He lungs would have collapsed, blood would have trickled out of her mouth. You would have been covered in her blood as you desperately tried to save her. But you wouldn't and the blood would stain your hands everything you touch another living thing … knowing that what you touch dies …" he finished in a dangerously low voice.

"Instead, all she got was this …" Keller flicked Tony hard in the middle of his forehead, the same place where Kate had been shot.

This was enough to jerk Tony upwards, his eyes open wide in horror. He looked around at his surrounds wildly. He then slumped forwards as he felt his muscles turn to jelly. Hard hands caught him around the shoulders and forced him upwards again.

"Well, well, Sleeping Beauty finally decided to wake up," he announced as he pulled Tony roughly to his feet.

Tony swayed on the spot and his knees gave way, but Keller yanked him up sharply. Keller slammed Tony into the lone wooden chair, securing his arms behind his back tightly. Already the ropes started to dig into his skin. Keller took another length of rope and secured his leg to the front chair legs.

Instinctively, Tony started to struggle against to bonds, but only caused himself more pain as the unusually sharp rope dung into his wrists.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Tony," Keller said with a false tone of kindness. "That, Agent DiNozzo, is my own special design of rope. Little, teeny, pieces of glass have been painstakingly added to the rope, making attempts to get away painfully difficult."

He laughed humourlessly as Tony's hands fell limply behind his chair. He could already feel droplets of blood trickling down his fingers.

"Wha …" Tony coughed as he tried to speak. He cleared his throat and tried again. "What do you want?" he rasped.

"Now why would I tell you that?" Keller responded lightly with a smile. "Where is the fun in that? No, it will become clearer, Agent DiNozzo. I predict that you will be my houseguest for a rather long time. We'll have such fun." He smiled at Tony manically.

"What?" Tony rasped again. His throat was painfully dry and he was beyond confused. All he knew was that he was trapped in a room with a madman who seemed to like alternating between sweet and sour at the drop of a hat.

Keller sighed. "No more questions, Agent DiNozzo."

And before Tony had a chance to react, a syringe appeared out of nowhere and was thrust into his arm. Immediately, Tony head dropped forward as he feel unconscious and his last conscious thought was:

'Damn … I really do hate needles.'

Keller sneered cruelly, but at the same time ran his hand over Tony's hair. Somewhere in his heart, a small pang resounded as Keller unconsciously compared this agent to his eldest son. Shaking his head, Keller flipped open his phone and pressed speed dial one.

"McIntyre," came the voice on the other end.

"Stage one commenced," Keller growled down the phone before snapping it shut harshly.

Stage one had more than commenced.