Tag to Silver War in this chapter
xxxxx
Tim and Ellie scrutinized every inch of their prison, finding no means of escape. They even considered crashing through the window for hopes of freedom but they both freely admitted to each other that they were each overwhelmed with an image of being showered with rapid bullet fire once the sound of splintering glass claimed their captors' attention.
Tim was hopeful when he discovered a thick, straight, steel bar used as a makeshift clothing rod in a closet. It took a while before he was able to extract it from the walls that held it in place. Once he got it out, he found it large and awkward to handle, let alone to use as a weapon but knew he was capable of doing some serious damage with it and it might be their only ticket out. "Hey, considering its long length, maybe I could take out two...maybe three guys at a time."
"If you take out that many of those big, hairy men at once, I for one will be very impressed and forever in your debt." Said Ellie.
Tim gave her a hopeful smile.
xxx
Ellie forced her eyes open when she heard a soft snore from McGee's direction, who sat beside her, also leaning against the wall waiting for any sign of the men who captured them, to enter the room. "Tim. I'm sorry, but you have to wake up." She gently shook his shoulder.
Tim startled, looking at her through half closed lids. "I'm...awake."
"What are they doing? We've been here forever and they don't even check on us? Do you think they have cameras set up in here and are watching us?"
"I didn't see any." Tim rolled his neck creating popping sounds as he tried to stimulate his senses. "How you holding up?"
"I'm a basket case... beginning to unweave."
"Good metaphor." Tim yawned.
"Could we talk to occupy our time? I don't know how much longer I can take this."
"Sure."
Ellie folded her arms in front of her chest, enthusiastically turning towards him. "So, Tim. Are you going to marry Delilah? And...Have you told her you loved her yet-"
"Huh?"
"Do you plan on having kids? Me and Jake do-
"Uh, Ellie."
"I think you both make a great couple-"
"Wait, Bishop. Let me start, okay?"
"I'm sorry. I'm just a real sucker for a good love story." She snorted then leaned back as her shoulders relaxed a bit, "Okay. Shoot."
"Uh, so how does Jake like the fact that you have become an NCIS agent?"
She sighed as she brought her gaze to the ceiling, "Well...This little incident should answer that question. He was good with it, but... up till now? Not so sure."
"Oh yeah. This probably won't go over so good. Uh, how do you like being a probie?"
"Except for all the hazing I get from you, two? I like it." She eyed him with a slight amount of contempt but quickly shrugged it off with a kind smile.
"Yeah, I know what you mean. Boy, did Tony and Kate haze the crap out of me when I first started."
"As bad as you do to me?"
Tim blushed, then became playfully defensive. "Hey, I've been easy on you compared to what I went through."
"Really?" Ellie gave him a skeptical glance.
"I was hazed for years! Tony was relentless and Kate, well...she sometimes teamed up with him. I suppose it was because I was younger. But, I stuck through it and am now grateful."
"What? For the hazing?"
"Not for that. I'm glad I learned how to stick up for myself. And you may not know this but, Tony has matured a lot over the years. He's a good guy and I'm glad we're still together...you know, got each others' backs."
"I hate that I missed so much. Ten years is a long time. You guys have been through a lot together. If it doesn't break your relationship it can make you very close. I suppose I envy that about you, two. You know each other so well."
"Yeah, I suppose we are pretty close. I sure hope he's okay."
xxxxx
"Just let me know when you're finished." The bank associate left them in the room to look over the contents of the security box issued to the dead petty officer. After inserting the key then turning it Tony opened the lid. Inside was a laptop. He removed it, gently placing it in the security briefcase, issued from NCIS, locking the case to his wrist with the handcuff.
"Looks like any other laptop. But, what do I know? That's McGee's expertise." Commented Dornie.
Tony sighed, looking at Dornie with a frown. "Yeah, it is."
Dornie acknowledged his remorse with a long intake of breath. "Well, that's all that's in there. Let's get this back to Miss Sciuto, ASAP."
"Yup." The weight of Tim and Ellie's disappearance was distracting Tony from any unneeded conversations. Wise cracks and jokes were scarce and his overwhelming worry was keeping his thoughts glued only to the immediate solution to Tim and Ellie's recovery.
They were buzzed out of the room then exited the bank, squinting against the strong sun. They continued towards the sedan parked in the parking lot next to the bank, only for their paths to be blocked by two big...burly guys that Tony instantly recognized. "I knew it." He whispered with hindsight.
"What? Were your suspicions correct, Tony? What's happening?" Abby babbled questions to Tony in his earwig, but he was unable to answer her, not wanting to reveal his advantage to the men confronting them.
"I advise you to come with us if you want to ever see your two agents alive again."
"Dammit." Abby cursed, having easily heard through the convenience of the earwig in Tony's ear.
Tony was more than willing to comply. "I have the laptop, and I will not unlock it from my wrist." Tony nudged his head in Dornie's direction, "Let him go and I'll gladly come with you."
One of the men referred to the other. "Did you bring the ax?"
Tony looked at his own wrist, his complexion becoming an instant shade of white.
The man, alongside the other that was asked, checked his pockets, "Uh, no. I guess I... forgot it again."
"What is wrong with you Herb-" The big sweaty man, shook his head in disgust towards his partner then glared at Tony. "Come with us, now!"
Dornie was clueless to what Tony had planned beforehand to backup his suspicions he was feeling before leaving the navy yard, so the young agent shoved one of the burly men away from Tony, knocking him off balance, as he unholstered his weapon, "You can't just abduct an NCIS Special Agent! I'm taking you both in!"
"Dornie! I got this. Let it go." Tony instantly wished he had given Dornie a heads up, letting him know that there could be a slight possibility this could have happened...but he really didn't think it would have happened. Dornie looked at him puzzled, then set forth his intentions, cocking his gun while aiming. "NCIS! Drop your weapons and hands up!"
One of the men approached Dornie but Tony stepped in front of him but was brought down to the sidewalk, hard. Tony lay on the concrete, watching as the man's large, size 12, landed on the edge of his jacket, right where Abby had recently secured the tracking device. He sighed, rolling his eyes.
"What happened, Tony? We lost your signal!" Yelled Abby in his earwig.
"Yeah...Figures...Dammit." Tony spoke quietly. Before he knew it, he was hauled up by the collar of his jacket and thrown into the back of a van.
xxxxxx
FLASHBACK (An hour ago)
Tony sauntered into Abby's lab, finding her in front of her computer pecking away at her keyboard. She was in high-heeled boots that ran up the length of her calves to her knees. How she stood, all day wearing shoes like that were a complete mystery to him. "Abby?"
"Uh, yeah Tony?"
"Remember that case with the marine staff sergeant we had to investigate that was found buried in a casket?"
"Yuh, huh." Abby gasped, as she slowly turned to face him. "I remember. And Tim and Ziva were confronted once they left the bank with the contents of the security box. They were threatened with guns, then the culprits took the items of the safety box from them they were sent to retrieve."
"Do you think that sounds a little familiar?" Tony saw a light in Abby's eyes grow brighter. "I for one wonder if that was why I wasn't abducted along with Tim and Ellie and that's why they-"
"Left you the key! What should we do? Did you tell Gibbs?"
Tony shook is head,"Well, how I see it, I can go to the bank prepared, just in case they do show up. If you give me some kind of tracking device that can lead us right to Mcgee and Ellie, that would be a great outcome to a simple hunch...if that was to actually occur. I could locate them, Gibbs could come and take down, burly, sweaty stinky guys and we could get our little Timmy and Ellie back. What could go wrong?"
Tony looked at Abby with a smugness that even made Abby grow leery. "Of course, something could go wrong, Tony. God is not a fan of haughty attitudes. You might want to adjust the smugness in your approach to your plan. You're just asking for trouble." Tony rolled his eyes turning away with a grin.
END OF FLASHBACK
xxxxxx
"Abby! I came right here from the airport! Have you heard anything on Tim yet?" Delilah rolled her suitcase into Abby's lab then darted over to her.
Abby turned from her computer to find a frayed Delilah; no make-up, wearing a wrinkled pair of jeans and a solid, white t-shirt. Her hair did not looked combed, but was tied up in a folded ponytail. Her eyes were red and puffy.
Tears stung the back of Abby's eyes as she tried to muster a strong face for Tim's long-distance girlfriend. She grasped Delilah's upper arms, warmly then they hugged. "I wish I could tell you something. I'm so sorry."
Delilah brought a crumpled tissue to her nose.
"But things are happening, Tony is investigating a clue from the crime scene; a key that belongs to a safety deposit box. He got the idea to wear an earwig and a tracking device because...of a hunch he had. Believe me, it's a long story, But anyways, unfortunately it seems that Tony was just abducted by the supposed men who kidnapped Tim and Ellie."
Delilah could hear the sounds of shuffling and yells over the speaker of Abby's computer. "Oh no! That's terrible!"
"I know, but this is what he was hoping for so we could locate them. I hope nothing happens to Tony in the process. It's all unraveling now. I have to let Gibbs know. He is not going to be happy about this."
"Why?"
"We kind of went behind his back. Tony had a hunch he might be approached by these men but really wasn't sure. He was willing to be taken so he could locate Tim and Ellie wearing a tracking device securely hidden in his jacket. But, for some reason the connection has just been severed. I don't know what happened but I can still hear him. If he could tell me some kind of clues on how he gets there that would help us recover Tim and Ellie, well...and himself."
Delilah's eyes filled with tears, "That was so brave of Tony to do."
Abby placed a firm hand on Delilah's shoulder. "He is willing to do whatever it takes to get them back. Believe me, Tony loves Tim... like a little brother."
"Thank God, he does." Delilah smiled as tears streamed down her face.
xxxxxx
Voices and footsteps had Tim and Ellie scurrying to opposite sides of the door when they heard the men approaching. Tim had the steel rod in his hands, ready to inflict a large amount of great pain to the first person to enter the room. They both kept each others' gaze as they heard the distinct sound of a key in the doorknob. Tim continually twisted his grip on the rod, nervously nodding to Ellie to assure her he was prepared for their entry. The door opened and Tim waited to see a body cross the threshold, before his arms swung back ready to swing. Two men entered, the first hit squarely in the nose, with the thick steel, crying out in excruciating pain as the second man ducked, missing the strike.
Tim realized Tony was the other man. "Tony!"
Tony's eyes greeted Tim's, wide open in shock, as they both brought their attention to the man holding his nose, screaming, blood pouring from his clasped hands as he swayed on unsteady feet. "You're gonna die for that!"