Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Firstly, may I say a huge thank you to all who took the time to review, it is massively encouraging. Secondly, for all those who found the last chapter to be difficult to read due to the storyline, you may need tissues for this one. Lastly, and unfortunately for our little one, there is more to come. PLEASE DON'T HATE ME...

I have to also note here that I have cut out a lot of the computer techy stuff – I have little skill on a computer and know nothing of software programming, hacking, or anything else Abby and McGee are so good at. With this in mind, I shortened the technical bit A LOT and focussed instead on what was happening elsewhere.

Chapter 36

Unable to stomach watching the abuse of a child, McGee returned to the bullpen, intent on tracing the link. His fingers typed frantically as he set up alerts, programmed software, and searched through lines and lines of code for anything which would provide a lead.

Down in Abby's lab, Gibbs, Ducky, and Tony gathered around the plasma screen on the back wall, each lost in his own thoughts. Three pairs of eyes watched in hatred as Dixon released Mia from her restraints and dragged her out of the chair. The child stumbled, agony spiking in her injured knees as she was forced to stand. Grabbing her by her upper arms, Mia's father bound her wrists behind her back.

"Let's start this over." Dixon sneered, ripping the blindfold off and tossing it aside. "Thought I'd never find you? That just because Agent Gibbs had 'rescued' you, that all this would stop? Did he promise to protect you, keep you safe?"

Gibbs' heart squeezed in pain as he picked up Mia's stuttered confirmation of his promise. He watched as she dutifully kept her gaze low despite her father pacing slow circles around her.

"Well, he lied." Dixon continued, noticing and pointedly ignoring the tear which slipped down his daughter's cheek. "He's not here. Didn't even try to stop me when I came to get you."

Mia's captor looped a rope between her bound wrists, threw the end over a hoop in the ceiling and pulled it taut.

"In fact, Daddy Gibbs is watching you right now. The camera has been on for hours, and he isn't here." He informed her, motioning to the camera silently observing everything from the corner. "He's probably sitting at his desk, coffee in hand, thankful that he doesn't have to deal with you anymore."

With that, Dixon dragged the rope through the hoop, smiling as the child leaned forwards to take the tremendous pressure off her shoulders and stop the bones in her forearm grinding together. It was a position Gibbs was not unfamiliar with, having seen prisoners of war suffer it, but this was extreme. This guy was out of his mind!

By the time Dixon stood back, tying the rope off, Mia was on her tip-toes, shoulders stretched to the limit and threatening to dislocate should she put her heels down. Her face ashen, she alternated between gasping and gritting her teeth, eyes squeezed shut. Her father observed for a few seconds before smiling at the camera and leaving the room.

"Back soon. Duck, call me if anything changes." Gibbs left the room, his face darker than the medical examiner could ever remember seeing it.

"Oh, Mia. How have you managed to get this far?" Ducky murmured, his eyes never leaving the screen.

"He's gonna break her, Ducky. If not physically, then through mind games." Tony said, sadness lacing his normally-exuberant tone.

"Anthony, look at her." Ducky instructed, watching as the agent followed his directions. "How many people, soldiers, federal agents, Marines do you know who could suffer the agony she currently is, without making a sound? She is a very strong little girl. We can only hope that she can continue to be strong until we find out their location."

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By the time Gibbs stepped out of the bathroom, his stomach considerably emptier than it had been before, his rage had only multiplied. The image of Mia suffering had engrained itself into the backs of his eyelids, a constant reminder that her time was running out. Without a second thought as to who was around, Gibbs thrust his fist into the brick wall lining the corridor, over and over and over.

Panting with the exertion, the lead agent pressed a handful of paper tissues against his knuckles and made his way back to the lab.

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"Tell me you know the location, McGee." Tony almost pleaded.

McGee looked up at the agent, stunned at his colleague's use of his actual name, not some witty variation. As soon as he saw the desperation written in Tony's eyes, however, Tim decided to drop the issue.

"I'm running software to try and trace the link, or the email itself, but Dixon must have some sort of computer tech knowledge. What I can say is that the video footage is not pre-recorded." McGee explained.

"So, we're watching a live feed?" Tony asked. "Can't we hack into the feed? Get a location that way?"

"Oh my God, that could actually work! Need to go down to the lab. It'll be faster if Abby helps." McGee stood so quickly, his chair flew into the partition between the offices, but neither agent noticed in their hurry to reach the elevator.

Minutes later, the lab was filled with the sound of frantic typing as Abby and McGee raced to hack into the live video feed. Gibbs, one hand bandaged, and Tony maintained their self-appointed positions watching the little girl on the screen.

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Mia was struggling. The burning pain in her shoulders was relentless and there was nothing she could do to ease it. Kept on her toes, there was no option of switching from one foot to the other in order to relieve the strain in her knees, lest she lose her precarious balance.

Feeling desperate, she wondered if it would be better to let herself drop quickly. Yes, her shoulders would be damaged, it wouldn't have been the first time, but it would ease the growing agony in her legs. Having been forced to sit for hours, the previously-sutured skin had split with the pressure and she could feel warm fluid seeping through the thin material. Her father, on their arrival, had stripped her of all the medicated dressings and bandages, which only served to irritate the wounds more.

Of everything, though, the worst pain came from her thoughts. Was He right? Was Gibbs thankful that he had his life back? It made sense. He wouldn't have to be bothered with a useless child, her need for almost-constant reassurance, and the never-ending setbacks. He didn't deserve it. She had been lucky. She had had the chance to be integrated into a different life for a short while but, ultimately, according to Him, this would always be where she belonged, what she deserved...

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