Chapter Seven
Superior Beings
There was a small task force was stationed around Gibbs' hospital bed, beside him stood Fornel his fingers skimming over the latest file that had come in on Atalo. Gibbs stared straightforward the information literally in his lap had sent him into one of those Gibbs meditative states as he concentrated on what the reality of the information meant. What he had just read showed that the DiNozzi business was up and running again, except instead of aiding the Baldasarre family they were impeding it by stealing from it. With a growl Gibbs refocused his attention at Fornell, "If this is correct Tobias, this hit didn't occur because of me it occurred because of a blood feud."
"Jethro, I wish I could tell you that my intel was incorrect, but that is straight from the horses mouth. Dominic Baldasarre was very cooperative after your Director there interrogated him." Tobias smirked at Gibbs before leaning back against the wall and placing his folder down. "We do have several leads on where your agents are Jethro, but none of them are substantial enough for us to get anywhere with. And forensics is practically useless if we don't have a..."
"Body, Tobias? I know you need some evidence before you can locate my men but the best I can give you is what I already have. If this is a blood feud, I can guarantee that the rest of Tony's family is in peril."
"Yes, but the DiNozzo's have slid below our radar. Even NSA can't find a trace of anyone but young Anthony. And he is the missing one."
"I have a source Jethro that may be of use to you and Tobias here."Ducky spoke up after he made his presence known by a short cough.
"Let's hear it then Ducky." Gibbs spoke slowly, putting emphasis upon each word as he moved into a sitting position upon the bed. He was due to be released soon, pending a psychological evaluation that he thought was for the birds. But the director was adamant about it so he would do it, of course with some bitching along the way.
"Well you see Jethro, in my early years I was quite the lovebird you could say. I remember my freshmen year at Cambridge, there was this magnificent beauty named Sereinia..."
"Duck, the point."
"Ah well, you see I courted this little lass named Telyn Hamish. A welsh lass that ended up becoming..."
"The second in command of NSA's tactical units. Doctor Mallard, now why did we not know this about your past?"Tobias asked with a slight smirk as he crossed his arms before him.
"Ah, Tobias not all things can be found in a file. For instance passion, and a summer fling are off limits to the likes of you." Ducky smiled and waggled a finger at the FBI agent before looking back at Gibbs. "I will call her, see what she can turn up. Generally she is very resourceful." He gave a soft wink at the last word before exiting to room to make his call.
Gibbs just shook his head, "That Ducky, always has some sort of trick up his sleeve."
"And I thought you were the silver-haired fox Jethro." Tobias stated with a brazen sense of sarcasm before planting himself upon Jethro's bed. "Jethro, I know you don't want to talk about this but there is a very real chance that we might have already lost DiNozzo and David." As he said Tony's name he used the correct pronunciation making it sound like DiNotso, an affectionate term he used when referring to the younger agent.
"I know Tobias, but regardless I can't leave them alone out there. They are my men we are talking about, semper fidelis means more than a motto Tobias. It's how I live, since Madison and her mother..."
"I know Jethro...believe me I know." Tobias spoke gravely, he too had an agent's life on the line and the fact that his man had not yet sent a transmission about the situation they were in worried him greatly. The man's name was Jonathon Kaidaramos, Italian of course, but he had a family to go home to a wife and three young children. In Tobias' heart he felt for the worst, but before they lost transmission the news had been good. Both David and DiNozzo were still alive, but that was days ago.
Tony's body was still suspended in air, his breathing short and shallow as he focused merely on remaining alive. It had been a day since they had taken him away from Ziva, well not a day really more along the lines of 26 hours; 29 Minutes; and 2 Seconds. Yes he had kept count that exact, even when after refusing to answer Atalo's questions again he found his body being scrapped with dry sponges pulling the flesh off and leaving raw redness behind. However, Tony's will was fading with each new little torture that they inflicted upon his weakened body he was beginning to lose the battle a little more.
Noise came to Tony's sensitive ears, metal against metal the sound of the door to the water room sliding open. Pain settled into his closed eyes as he slowly forced them to open, the light shone into them causing images to flare and blur away. He blinked several times before regaining focus and seeing that before him stood two men. One reached up to undo the handcuffs that fastened him to the ceiling, while the other one stood there with his arms crossed across his gut. Tony's body fell to the ground, his injured shoulder slamming into it first before the rest of it landed. Pain seared through every piece of his flesh, and for a moment he lost all conscious thought to the pain that rose there.
Two strong hands gripped his battered body and drug him along the floor, the smooth coldness of the floor sent chills up his body. Causing further pain in his spine, and then that metal on metal noise echoed once more loudly. His body was picked up off the floor and thrown, air hit his raw skin and he grimaced before landing hard upon the ground. Pain instantly racked his body, making him tighten every muscle he had to curl him into the fetal position. The door closed, that heavy metal on metal noise signifying the end to his suffering for now at least.
"Tony?" Ziva spoke in disbelief as she saw the shallow breathing of her partner, she was amazed to see him alive with the sounds she had heard coming form the room opposite her. She crawled towards him, her eyes taking in everything about his current state. There was burnt flesh on his sides and chest, she sighed gently and stroked his cheek. He shivered and pulled away from her touch. "Shh Tony it's me, it's Ziva."
"No...no more Atalo...I'll tell you everything if you just...please no more..." He thought she was Atalo, with a soft sigh she moved forward again and placed her hand upon his cheek cooing gently.
"Tony, come out of it. It's Ziva, I've been right here waiting for them to bring you back." He shivered again and she tried something new, her hand slapping the back of his head rather roughly. A true Gibbs smack if ever there could be one that he did not do himself, Tony's eyes blinked open slowly before they focused upon her.
"Ziva?" He spoke weakly, his body was screaming at him begging for him to let go and just give up in this world. And then he felt her fingers caress his cheek and he couldn't help but lean into the gentle touch. "Ziva...promise me one thing." He spoke softly, his voice a faint memory of what it had been.
"Anything Tony."
"Don't let me end up like him..." and he pointed one of his fingers at the dead and decaying agent against the back wall. "Don't let me die without anyone to care about it when it happens...I don't want to be another nameless face in death like I was in life."
"DiNozzo, you aren't a nameless face in life. You should never think that, if anything you have more of a name than half the people I've ever chased."
"Thanks Ziva, but you don't understand. My whole life I have been living invisible, I exist and at times when I pop up with a smart remark or my witty banter I can be seen. But for the vast majority of this pathetic excuse for a human being's life, I have been completely invisible to everyone."
Ziva shook her head gently as Tony let his body relax into a dreamless sleep, she leaned forward kissing his forehead gently. "Tony, if your existence is to be pathetic, then what do the rest of us have?"
