I would like to thank everyone for the reviews so far and especially the previous chapter. Also I'd like to thank Tam who reminded me that I listed this story as a Tony/Gibbs father/Son type and seemed to have strayed away from that, it was not my original intention to do this but I think I got carried away with the Tony torture these last few chapters. But alas we get back to the team in this chapter and it will eventually be a father/son type story as listed I am getting there. Anyway enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 10 - Bittersweet Rescue
While Tony had been missing special agent Gibbs had flat out refused to give into the directors orders of getting a temporary agent to help them. Hell No! That would give the impression that they thought Tony wasn't coming back, that they weren't ever going to find him.
Each and every time the phone on his desk rung he held on to the small amount of hope he had left, hoping that it would be someone telling him where his agent was, someone who had seen him even. Anything. And each time it was nothing or another case popped up he would slam the phone back down; cursing it for not giving him what he wanted. They were investigators; they found things, evidence, and people for a living for Christ's sake! Why couldn't they find their own damn agent!
He knew his remaining agents were sending looks of worry his way; oh he knew he was getting obsessive like he had with Ari, but he didn't care as long as he found his agent and the team was balanced again. The team without Tony was like watching one of his movies with out hearing the words, it was just wrong. It had no meaning without words, just like their jobs had ceased to have meaning after the first month.
Into the second month and the pressure from the director had been getting on Gibbs' last nerve. If he thought he needed another person he would ask for one! He didn't need any other agent, he only wanted one but that was impossible and he knew it. Time seemed to trickle slowly by without the usual exuberant and light-hearted chatter between the team. A kind of background noise he had grown to like and now it was gone, everything was off kilter.
Now, with the time creeping into the third month; it was still wrong but they were slowly and painfully moving forward….without Tony and that was…to them…inexcusable. What gave them the right to give up on one of their own so fast? But then statistics dictated that they should have given up long before now. Told them that he would most likely be dead by now; even if he was an agent of a federal agency, and that would only give you so much leeway.
They had all taken to going over the case in their spare time, together and separately. Reading and testing the evidence again and again until they knew it off by heart and could practically recite the whole thing. But it didn't help, they really didn't have anything. Even the body they had found with 'My Precious' carved into it had come up with nothing other than the person that had done it had been medically trained.
Abby's pleading with Gibbs had stopped, but the way her eyes still strayed towards Tony's desk each time she came up to the bullpen made him want to cause Tony's captor so much pain and suffering. She had started playing her music again but it hadn't been to the same deafening volume as it usually was and should have been. However, this time, the music was being played purely for distraction; not because she enjoyed it.
Gibbs knew, yes, knew that Tony was alive somewhere. Even amidst all the doubtful looks with each passing day, all the memories of past cases of similar situations, even amidst each failure when they thought they'd had something and it had turned out to be nothing or simply another false flicker of hope.
But Gibbs believed it enough to call in a few favours in between cases; he refused to stop the search. Tony was his agent and nobody messed with his family. When one of his contacts had heard something about 5 weeks ago they'd all hoped that it would be over. It hadn't. They'd found nothing but an old abandoned and long deserted house on the outskirts of the city.
The same thing had happened on a few occasions, they'd hope for a couple of hours that Tony would be safely with them soon, only to have the hope obliterated into tiny pieces; like the fragments of the numerous phones he had thrown against the walls in effort to find his agent…ahh hell he's practically his son.
However, Gibbs no longer felt it was right to tell the team if he'd heard anything; to give them hope for it to be continuously stripped away from them. He couldn't see the look of defeat and loss on their faces anymore. It was like seeing his failure staring back at him and everyday was a day longer then Tony needed to be away from the team, and a day longer than the team could bear. Gibbs was forced out of his thoughts by the ringing of his cell.
"Gibbs!"
"Special Agent Gibbs?" Asked a timid female voice. In the background though he thought he heard grunts of pain.
"Yes, who is this?"
"Ann, erm, y-you interviewed me about two or so months ago." Gibbs knew the name immediately. And knew that this was related to Tony, he was sure of it, it had to be. Didn't it?
"What can I do for you?" She was quiet for a moment and then spoke all at once as if unsure of whether to tell him or not.
"I know where your agent is."
He froze, anything they'd done had gone nowhere, found nothing. His contacts, Ziva's contacts, everything and everyone they knew. Now, here was someone, one person, telling them what they wanted to hear. It was almost too good to be true…wait, was it just too good to be true? His investigator mind told him it was a lie, that it was false; that he was so much in denial of losing his agent that his mind was telling him all the things he wanted to hear.
"How do you know it's our Agent?" Two heads snapped up at the question, hope shining in their eyes but not showing on their faces, they'd been in this situation before.
Thuds were heard in the background now, and the sounds were definitely ones of pain. With the sounds clear Gibbs' heart sped up in anticipation.
"It does not matter. You must get here now! Before she decides to kill him! You do not have much time." Ann's voice had descended in to further panic as the conversation had gone on and this worried Gibbs to no end. What was happening for her to become more agitated?
"Where?" Gibbs had decided that now wasn't the time to take a chance and not go an at least follow this lead, his gut was telling him that he needed to do this, no matter what they may find. It could be their only chance.
Signalling Ziva and McGee to grab their gear, he wrote down the address that Ann had given him, ripped the paper off the note pad and they all entered the elevator. McGee had already called Ducky by the time they met at the car. Gibbs, McGee, Ziva and Ducky all hoped that it wasn't too late to save their friend. They also hoped Ducky wouldn't be needed.
The paper work lay forgotten and strewn across their desks at the office as the four companions travelled together towards a place just out side of the city. Their journey remained silent as they were all lost in thought, wondering whether or not this moment could have come sooner, if only they had tried harder to find him.
***
Once they were at the address Ducky was asked to stay behind and under no circumstances was he to enter until the place had been cleared. They would shout when they needed him. While the others were surrounding the small building Ducky checked his bag to make sure he had brought everything that he might have needed if they were to find Anthony alive.
As they broke down the door to the rickety wooden house, the sight they were greeted with was unexpected to say the least and even anti-climatic. Evelyn lay peacefully on the floor of the open plan kitchen/living area, eyes looking serenely upwards as if at something only she could see. A soft giggle could be heard as they moved closer; also as they stepped closer, they noticed splatters of blood on her hands and saw no sign of Ann. Gibbs' gut churned at the outcome that suggested for his agent. Had they been too late?
Aiming their weapons at her they searched around, looking for Tony. When Eve began to sit up their weapons followed her every move. The look on her face scared them, it was beyond happy, beyond glee, beyond satisfaction even. It was complete and utter elation with a bit of menace to top things off.
Hearing no other noise in the small house they feared the worse. Gibbs noticed a door that had been left ajar, moving towards it his steps became heavy and he couldn't help but feel scared about what he would find. The giggling which hadn't been stifled when they had arrived and cleared the first room stopped, and a controlled voice broke Gibbs concentration on the door ahead of him.
"He won't leave." Eve stated simply.
"The hell he won't" Gibbs didn't believe for a second that Tony would actually want to stay here, no, not when his team had come to rescue him. Or, that this woman had broken his agent.
She waved her hand towards the door as she spoke. "Go. See for yourself. He's been free from restraints for over a week now."
Gibbs froze. That just didn't sit right and he didn't even have to look at Ziva and McGee to see their scepticism on that subject. Tony was a trained federal Agent; they were trained to pretty much everything. Diversion, compliance just to make them seem they have control, negotiation, everything and Tony even had his own nature that worked in his favour. She couldn't have, could she? They wondered briefly.
"We'll see." Gibbs muttered and started moving towards the door again.
"I wouldn't bet on it. I mean, YOU! HIS TEAM! Hadn't saved him after almost three months. Just who else was he suppose to believe."
Laughing fully now her response to his muttered words had stuttered a little but held such a disturbing certainty that he could feel his fear of not knowing what had happened creeping and crawling within him. He wanted to hope that it wasn't real, that it was just to bug him, that it was all a part of her twisted imagination. Even that maybe, just maybe Tony had made her believe that herself, that that was the reason Tony hadn't come out of the room yet. Maybe he was still acting. Maybe he would wear that oh so annoying smile that said 'gotcha'.
But he also knew it was too many maybes and it made his blood boil. Forcing his way into the room he quickly scanned the room, making sure nobody else could pop up and surprise them. His eyes then scanned in more detail; there was a figure of a man sitting on the edge of an unmade bed.
As Gibbs got closer he wasn't sure whether or not to say anything or how to. He had no idea what had been done to his agent over the amount of time he'd been missing. What he could see from where he was standing though was that the man, if it was his agent, had lost a lot of weight. The over worn clothes seemed to hang off the figures frame and the hair scruffier than usual, but it was Tony, their Tony, they'd finally found him. Unsure what to do he settled for what he knew.
"DiNozzo!" he barked. The figure flinched but Gibbs brushed it off as being surprised, it couldn't be anything else; it wasn't possible.
But when Tony didn't do anything else but stare down at the floor, which is where his vision had been anyway, he became worried for his agent's state of mind.
McGee entered the room and Gibbs shoed him away but mouthed to him to get Ducky in here. McGee had seen the figure and looked confused but disappeared to get the doctor.
Gibbs moved closer to his agent, whishing that he would just turn around and see him, just to prove that he was actually there. Maybe, that was why he'd barely responded; maybe, he didn't believe he was being rescued. He tried a different approach this time.
"Tony?" he asked softly in a voice he usually used for scared victims. To Gibbs' surprise even this tone of voice got a negative reaction out of his agent.
Tony tensed and he couldn't hide the shudder that coursed through his entire body, a soft tone meant kindness and…and…Gibbs spoke again. But it couldn't be Gibbs, could it? The only person who wanted him was Eve and maybe her friend. Gibbs was his boss but not now, he'd been away for far too long and most likely replaced. Eve wouldn't be happy if he left though, what reason did he have to leave anyway? Maybe Gibbs was a figment of his old imagination. But then Gibbs was kneeling in front of him and Tony wasn't sure of anything.
Even now Gibbs had eye contact with his agent he could see this wasn't going to be easy. There was a hell of a lot missing from the bleak and confused look. Where was Tony's defiance, Tony's spark? Where was his agent? What had been done to him? Millions of questions were racing through his mind.
"Jethro?" Ducky asked quietly as he entered, sensing the mood of the room. Ducky was surprised at the scene. Usually Anthony would be joking, pretending nothing was wrong, saying his usual 'I'm fine' but there was nothing, and it was disconcerting.
Ducky tried to reach for Tony but he flinched back in fear, normally Tony wouldn't flinch, oh he'd complain a whole lot but not flinch away from the touch. Neither of them missed the wince on Tony's exhausted face as he moved and they shared a look of concern.
"Tony? We just want to help, okay?" Gibbs placed his hand on Tony's slightly bloody one, where the blood had come from however was yet to be seen. Again Tony flinched but he looked Gibbs in the eye and Gibbs almost jumped for joy at the small amount of recognition in them. Tony relaxed but only a fraction, he nodded but again it was only a fraction.
Tony started to rise from his position, Ducky and Gibbs decided to let Tony go on his own speed at the moment. However as soon as Tony swayed they caught each arm and started leading him along and out of the room.
When they entered the main room of the house Tony wondered where Eve was, maybe she was already waiting somewhere else for him and his 'friends' were taking him to where she was.
Both Ziva and McGee had been shocked to see there friend leave the room, his hands shaking a little, they weren't used to seeing Tony so…well…not Tony. They had been stupidly hoping that he'd still been Tony, even after all this time. They now realised how stupid they'd truly been.
They were happy that they had finally found him but it was no where near what they wanted and they almost whished they hadn't of found him, well, not like this anyway, not like the broken shell of a man they once knew who was standing before them. It wasn't for their sake though, it was for his. They weren't at all sure what they could do for him.
Knowing that Eve was cuffed and locked inside a patrol car they had called and on her way to the local lock up made them feel a little better. They had the person who had hurt their friend. They were again shocked when a raspy voice broke the silence that had descended in the room.
"S-s-stop" The strangled word coming from their friend caused them to do exactly that as they helped him towards the front door, it had been the first time he'd spoken since they got there. Realising the slight panic appearing in his eyes but not the reason, they tried to placate the struggling agent but continued on.
"It's okay Tony, you're safe now." Ziva soothed but he flinched away from her calming touch, sending him past the threshold for the chip inside him. His body shook with stronger tremors than had started a minute ago, both Ducky and Gibbs weren't fast enough as their friend dropped limply to the floor…
TBC
What will they do now, how are they going to get Tony out of there with that chip in him. Hope you all liked it and the length and please review!