Thank you to everyone who is still with me so far. There are still questions to be answered! Please leave a review and tell me how you are liking this story! :)
Thursday came and everyone was present at Pride's NCIS headquarters. They spent the day tidying things up and making everything neat and clean for the agents' long awaited arrival. Even Owen helped, to give him something to do. He dreaded when Phoenix would come, but he gritted his teeth and settled his nerves. He had made the choice, and there was no going back on it.
They had an especially scrumptious lunch for Owen, because they all knew he'd be going back to slops. He could still barely eat, but made himself at least enjoy the food.
Later, the team, who also included Sebastian and Loretta, hung out in the kitchen, talking quietly and waiting. They were all excited to see Pride and LaSalle again, worried about the shape they might be in, and devastated they had to send Owen Lang to Phoenix once again. So many emotions pulled them all in different directions.
At last the door clicked open. Gregorio stood up, "I'll go." She resolutely walked to the squad room, and there Phoenix stood, with two of her ladies with her. The grey eyed woman nodded, "Afternoon, Agent Gregorio." The agent nodded back, "Wait here, please." She popped back into the kitchen and quietly said, "It's time."
Everyone rose and filed into the squad room. Phoenix smiled to see Tony, then her eyes settled on Owen. She breathed a sigh. It had been a very long time. He would not meet her eyes. Sonja stepped forwards, "Okay, you see him. Now give us the location of our agents."
Phoenix laughed, "First things first, my dear. First I get my slave back." She turned to Owen, who still stared at the ground. "Look at me, boy." He raised his eyes to hers, and couldn't help a tremor go through his body. Tony, who had a hand on Owen's shoulder, felt it, and his jaw jumped. This isn't right. But it's the only way, he thought.
They turned at Phoenix's voice, "Come here, boy. Like the dog you are." Everyone looked at Owen then, who took a deep breath. He dropped to his knees, then paused. He looked up at everyone standing around him, and gave a tight smile. He leaned forwards and got on his hands and knees and went to Phoenix that way. No one said anything. There was nothing they could say or do. Phoenix was milking the situation hard, and they knew it.
As soon as Owen had reached Phoenix's feet, he sat up and stayed on his knees, hands behind his head. Phoenix flicked her eyes at the two ladies beside her, who immediately came forward and cuffed Owen, and put shackles on his feet. Phoenix watched closely, then looked up to meet the agents' eyes. She reached into her bag, and Tony flinched to see what she had in her hand. Loretta put a hand on him for encouragement when she heard his sharp inhale.
Phoenix held a silver collar.
Without further ado, she snapped it on Owen's neck, and cued him to rise. At a quick nod to the women, they took him away and out the door. Phoenix was left alone facing the agents. She studied them all carefully before saying, "Go to Charity Hospital. There's a morgue down in the basement. You'll find the agents there." With that, she turned on her heel and walked out.
The agents didn't wait but immediately jumped to get their things. Tony did ask, "Charity Hospital?" Sonja answered, "Yeah, it's a huge hospital that got abandoned during Katrina. Perfect place for her to drop them off, really."
They soon arrived at the derelict hospital. They went in armed, just in case it was a trap. You never know with Phoenix. Gregorio was totally creeped out by the abandoned hospital, but she swallowed her fear because she knew the agents were close by. After a few wrong turns, they finally found the morgue. It was definitely sinister in there...even Loretta got the chills. But they saw what they had come for.
Two crates that looked like they should be used for zoo animals were placed against the back wall. Tony had a flash of remembrance of being inside one of these, though his had been smaller for ease in a van. They heard light bumping sounds coming from the cratess and they hurried forwards.
There was a key on top of one of the crates, and Sonja grabbed that. She quickly unlocked the door of that crate. A groan sounded from inside, and Tony jumped in to help Sonja pull the man out. "Agent Pride, it's good to see you again," Tony smiled at the disheveled grey haired man who smiled back at everyone surrounding him. Was the nightmare finally over? He grasped Sonja's hand hard, and then grabbed her into a big hug. Everyone exclaimed over him and then turned to the other cage. Loretta noted a flash of puzzlement on Pride's face, but dismissed it as she paid attention to Tony opening that crate. A hiss of pain was heard as the person turned over and grasped Tony's hand.
Everyone stood in shock as the person emerged. It wasn't LaSalle, but Gibbs. Although Tony was very happy to see Gibbs again, he asked in surprise, "Where's Christopher?" They turned at the sadness in Pride's voice, "He's gone."
Tears welled up in Loretta's eyes, "No. He's dead?" But Pride shook his head, "No. Not dead. I don't know where he is. He's gone. He was sold."
No one said a word for a long moment, then Loretta turned brisk, "Well, you can tell us about that later. Right now you need to get looked at. I can tell you are both in pain. We need to get you to a hospital."
Gibbs growled, "I did not go to a hospital last time. I have no need of one now. You can patch me up. Unless you want to go to one, King." Pride shook his head, "No. I'd rather not. All I want is to go and have a rest and a good meal. Let's go back to the squad room. We can talk there. In peace and quiet. I guess you feel the same, Gibbs, that you don't want a bunch of strangers poking around you." Gibbs grinned wryly, and that was their answer.
Back at the squad room, Gibbs and Pride gratefully sank into chairs in the kitchen. They had flipped them around so they were sitting backwards, so the others could tend to their wounds. Gibbs stripped off his shirt, and everyone winced at the lash marks lining his back. Tony sighed, and got to work, tending to that. Loretta watched as Pride also ripped off his shirt to unveil the same story. Except these were definitely fresher. They had also cracked and bled so the doctor carefully sponged his back.
Loretta looked carefully at the rescued agents. How good it was to have Pride back again! She knew he'd take a long time to recover from his ordeal, and they would have to be patient. She noted the bruises both carried on their faces and bodies. She saw the old scars on Gibb's wrists, and the new raw wounds on Pride's. After she had bandaged them up, he had gently reminded her to do his ankles too, which were in the same shape.
All the tending to both men's wounds took a long while.
At long last, everyone sat around the kitchen table with piles of food around. They talked and joked and made Pride feel comfortable once again.
Finally, Pride was ready to talk about what happened to him. He looked at each person in turn: Gregorio, Percy, Gibbs, Dinozzo, Patton, Sebastian, and Loretta. Dr. Wade was sitting next to him and she kindly placed her hand in his, for encouragement. Pride started to speak, then stopped. He wasn't sure how to begin after all. How could he explain the horrors that he had gone through? Loretta squeezed his hand. "It's okay, Dwayne."
Pride paused and looked at the ceiling. Sighing, he looked at Loretta and the others. "First of all, I want to thank you all for trying so hard. I know it was hard when Chris and I were gone. It has been...very difficult." He fingered the collar that still lay on his neck. "We suffered many things. Beatings, whippings, humiliation." He balled his hands into fists, "And rape. She tried so hard to make us into the slaves she wanted us to be." He wanted to say more but his words failed him.
Gibbs softly said, "Jared is a wreck. He is only a shadow of the man I once knew." Pride nodded, "And we saw terrible things being done to others. Miguel, for instance. We saw it happen. How can someone like her do stuff like that? We have all seen evil people. But seeing it that close...it scares me."
Loretta finally asked the question that was on everyone's mind, "Can you tell us where Christopher is?" Pride shook his head, "I wish I could. She sold him. When they took him away, all she told me was that he was going somewhere in the desert. And believe you me that I have tried everything I could to get more information. But all she told me…" He looked up at everyone. He had caught their expressions and knew what they were thinking. "If you're wondering if I let her rape me in exchange for information, the answer is yes. Can we move on now?" There was a chorus of yeses from everyone. Pride locked eyes with Tony for a few seconds… he knew Tony knew exactly what he had gone through. Pride continued, "All she told me was that the desert was not in North America." Everyone looked at each other. Loretta thoughtfully mused, "Someone paid a ton of money for him, obviously. So what desert has a lot of money and often deals with slaves?" Gregorio shook her head and sighed, "Saudi Arabia."
He bumped endlessly around in the cage, not knowing where he was going or how much time was passing. At last, the door opened, and his cage was pulled out. He blinked in the brightness, but someone placed a blanket over the cage so he could not see. He felt himself half pulled out of the cage, but couldn't see who did it. He was still inside the cage from the waist up.
Hands felt him all over. He was still naked and exposed, wearing only the chains on his ankles and hands. He dared not move as one of the voices told him to hold still.
A sharp pinprick in his leg! He felt it dig around, apparently without success. A female voice said, "Damn it. I think I've gone through. Get me another needle." He felt the sharp object pulled out of his leg, and a bandaid put on. Now he felt his other leg handled, and a sharp prick, this time more slowly. "There...I've got it now." A strange sliding sensation. "There, that's it. The IV is in. Now hand me that."
He gasped as he felt himself handled in his private places...which were no longer private, really. He still hurt from Phoenix. But now...what were they doing? He felt a tube, and understood. They were putting a catheter in. Without much lube. He moaned and hissed as whoever was doing it was rough. But at last it was in.
He was shoved back inside the cage, and moved inside the crate once more. His crate was moved and he heard the sound of a plane starting up. Where the hell was he going? The IV must have held some drugs, for he fell asleep.
When he woke again, it was hot. Very hot. Strange noises all around. He sensed he was not in the crate anymore, but still caged with the blanket over him. Strange voices all around. A different language.
He was pulled out finally and blinked in the hot sun. Sand beneath him. A dark man hovered over him, draped in white. A woman, presumably the one who took care of him, took out his IV, and yanked the catheter out, making him yell. He was hauled to his knees, as the strange man squatted in front of him. The man caressed his face. In a very heavily accented voice, he said, "You are beautiful, my slave. You will be a good addition to my family. My wife and I will enjoy having you share our bed. You will scream for us as we both use you. Sometimes it may be just me, or it may be just my wife. It doesn't matter, for you will do as we both ask. I certainly paid enough for you. You are now our most precious possession. Forget your friends and family. You have left them behind. You will serve us now, to the best of your ability."