A/N: This is in response to a challenge from SciFiGirl1. Hope you like it!
"Whaddaya got, Duck?" The words, so familiar, were strangely comforting. Gibbs was back. He would argue that he'd never been gone, but the team knew better. He hadn't really been with them since Ari had come into Autopsy. Now, with Ari dealt with, Gibbs was back.
"It's not pretty. This one," Ducky indicated the body on the right, "has been identified. Marine First Lieutenant Daniel Johnson. He was apparently stabbed in the gut, just below the ribcage, and...gutted," Ducky accompanied his speech with a small reenactment. "Quite unfortunately, this was done pre-mortem."
"Is that what killed him?"
"Eventually, yes. But it's more complicated than that. Before he was disemboweled, the poor man had his eyes gouged out, his feet sliced to ribbons, and his nose cut nearly off his face."
"Rage or ritual, Duck?"
"Apparently ritual. This was all done very deliberately. The killer didn't do anything that would kill the lieutenant before he was done. The strange part is, the killer was extremely careful not to interfere with identification. The hands are completely intact, except for chafing where he was tied. He was found with his dog tags on him. It's as if the killer wanted us to know who he was."
"Thanks, Duck. What about the other one?"
"Ah," Ducky moved over to the other table. "He hasn't been identified yet. Almost identical to the other fellow, except his fingers were cut off. This one wasn't supposed to be identified."
"DNA?"
"Abby's running it now. So far, no hits."
"Ducky," Tony broke in for the first time. His voice was oddly strained. "Does he have a tattoo on the back of his neck?"
Ducky gave him a strange look. "Why, yes. It's an -- "
"Eagle. With cuffs in one claw and a gun in the other." Tony was definitely not looking good now.
"Yes," Ducky said curiously. "How did -- "
"Hey, DiNozzo, you okay?" Gibbs interrupted, noticing Tony's face. Tony tried to nod, but suddenly ran from the room. They heard him retching outside and followed quickly, worried.
"Tony!"
"Tony?"
"DiNozzo!"
Tony turned, wiping his mouth. Trying unsuccessfully to mask the anguish and embarrassment on his face, he spoke in a hoarse voice. "His name is Jim Foley. He," he took a ragged breath. "He was my partner. In Baltimore."
"Oh, Tony." Ducky was the first to speak. "I'm so sorry."
Kate was slower to recover from the shock. "Tony, I'm...sorry."
Gibbs, ever taciturn, settled for a consoling clap on the shoulder. Tony gave a small nod of thanks to each, clearly struggling not to break down.
Uncomfortable with the silence, Gibbs reassumed command. "DiNozzo, I want you to take the rest of the day off." Giving Tony a look to silence his protests, he continued. "I want you to go home and rest. Do not drink. And then I want you to come back in the morning. You got that?"
"But, boss -- " Tony made one last half-hearted attempt at protest.
"No buts, DiNozzo. That was not a suggestion. Go. Now."