Chapter 4

Drew was agitated. He had one agent when he was supposed to have three, none of the other guys had checked in for several hours, and the storm was getting to him. He hated thunderstorms. It was a past childhood terror that he had never really gotten over. They were just so creepy and wild. He paced the floor back and forth, back and forth. The injured agent seemed out cold, making the chains he had fastened around his ankles to the pole bolted to the floor and ceiling redundant. Drew glanced out the side window. The thunder and lightning had started back up, harder than ever. He snorted in disgust then sat on the single bed in an attempt to calm down. Looking around the small room he wondered where the others could have gone.

A particularly loud flash of thunder shook the two windows in the room. Drew flew to his feet and cursed loudly. He stomped over the closest window and looked outside. A second flash of lightning arched across the sky, followed by the thunder, somehow louder than the first. Drew flinched visibly and turned around. The rain seemed louder than normal. Moving to the other window that faced the woods he stopped suddenly. It was open. It was open all the way. He knew for a fact he had closed it when the storm started.

Drew looked down at McGee. He didn't think the chains were long enough to reach the window.

A thump sounded in the front room. Closing the window with a snap, he cocked the gun he still had in his hand. Carefully he held the gun in front of himself and walked slowly to the doorway.

The front door was securely bolted and the room was empty with the exception of a few chairs and a table. Ever so carefully, Drew moved around the room, checking behind the chairs and under the table for… something. Nothing.

Drew dropped the gun to his side and shook his head at his own fantasies. He stalked back to the bedroom, disgusted. At the doorway, he froze. He's gone… McGee was gone. The chains sat unlocked and neatly stacked in a pile next to the pole.

Boom

Thunder rattled the windows. Drew blinked a few times then turned back to the front room. A flash of lightning lit the room a bit. Two large shadows stood in the center of the room.

The overhead lights flipped on. The three agents he had lured to the cabin stood in the front room. One stood braced against the door and had a gun pointed in his direction. The women had a large, scary knife in one hand and was supporting the last agent with her other arm.

Tony stared down the supposed 'boss' of the goons who had chased him. He stood with a gun in his hand held limply to his side. He had a look of surprise and a trace of fear frozen on his face, just staring. Tony glanced sideways at Ziva, who shrugged slightly. McGee, spoke softly. "His name is Drew."

Tony nodded and faced Drew once more. "Drew what's-your-last-name, you are under arrest for assault and attempted kidnapping of three federal agents. Put the gun down."

Drew stood there looking between the three agents. The gun stayed at his side.

"Drew, come on buddy. You're outnumbered, and I don't want to shoot you if I can help it. I want to go home, get some dry clothes, and sleep for the next twelve hours. Just put down the gun before you cause more trouble."

Drew flinched and unfroze. He started cocking the gun, then seemed to think better of it. He sighed and slowly put his hands in the air. He put the gun on a small table next to him and kneeled down.

Ziva carefully helped McGee into a chair. She moved behind Drew and picked up the gun. Tony lowered his own gun and leaned against the door with a gratefully sigh. McGee pulled out his handcuffs and tossed them to Ziva.

"Wow, these guys really don't know anything about kidnapping people," mumbled Tony. He hobbled over to another empty chair and sat down. He rested his faithful crutch on the arm of the chair and looked at McGee. "Okay there Probie?"

"Fine," said McGee simply. "Raging headache, a little dizzy, but fine. I faked the unconsciousness so he would stop pestering me with questions."

Tony laughed and winced as the movement jarred his injured ribs. Ziva dragged Drew into the back room and chained him to the same pole McGee had been attached to. She made sure she took the keys with her instead of leaving them on the bed like Drew had.

Back in the front room, McGee called Gibbs on the landline while Ziva and Tony did some basic documenting of the crime scene as well as describing to Gibbs where they left the other men who had tried to kidnap them. After a few minutes they all ended up sitting in easy chairs next to the cold fireplace with Drew visible through the open doorway.

Tony stretched out in the lazy boy chair and looked out the window. The rain had turned to a drizzle and the thunder and lightning had moved off into the distance. He propped his injured foot up on the coffee table and sighed. The three sat in silence, finally able to relax.

"Hey Ziva," said McGee.

"Yeah."

"Can I ask a silly question?"

"Of course McGee. Ask away."

"Well, I was sitting in that room chained to the pole. Then suddenly you were there, the chains were unlocked, and we were standing." McGee trailed off in thought, then looked quizzically at Ziva. "Where did you come from and how did I not notice you?"

Ziva smiled. "It wasn't anything all impressive. If I was still with the Mossad I would have been…chastised for being so loud. I made too much noise coming window."

"But still..."

Tony gave a short laugh. "She did the same thing to me. I was lying on the ground, expecting to be dragged to my feet, when she materialized out of the forest and took out those two guys."

"And Tony thought I was going to take him out next."

"Did not!"

"You said so yourself."

"That… was a statement made out of relief and gratitude."

"Wow Tony, I didn't know you could feel so deeply."

"Shut up McGee."

The three burst into laughter. Flashing red and blue lights lit up the room from the outside and the three agents were swept up in a flurry of activity. Gibbs took one look at his special agents and sent all three to the hospital. With only one ambulance Ziva took a seat in the front while McGee and Tony were loaded in the back. Due to his possible broken ribs and broken foot Tony was forced onto a gurney, much to his distaste.

McGee and Tony rode in the back of the ambulance in silence. McGee was holding an ice pack to his head and Tony was twiddling his thumbs.

"Tony."

"Yeah."

"Did she really just appear out of thin air and take out those other two guys?"

Tony looked over. He thought about it for a moment. "It felt like it. It was just dark and gloomy enough I couldn't ever see her until she was moving. I couldn't actually tell it was her until she spoke."

McGee thought for a moment. "Yeah, that's how I felt to." McGee leaned back in his seat and stared at the wall, thinking. Tony relaxed back on the gurney as well. He replayed the evening's events in his mind, watching Ziva materialize as a dark shape out of trees, from behind rocks, and out of the very ground.

She's a ninja. An Israeli ninja. He smiled as he replayed the scene in his head. Glad she's a ninja on our side.

The End