Gibbs stepped through the door of his house and began striding towards the basement but just as he was gooing past the kitchen he paused, something had caught his eye. He urned around and frowned, sitting on the table was a laptop next tp which lay a mobile, he crossed the room towards it,glancing round as he went for any other sign of an intruder. He reached the table and frowned again, reaching out tentatively to pull the computer open. Nothing happened-he stared at it hoping it would magically spring to life. It didn't so he bashed a few buttons, his general fall back action when it came to technology and this time it worked as an image flashed up onto the screen. It showed a dingy, squalid room-the only light in it came struggling through a high and filthy window. The weak grey light was enough to highlight the silhouette of a figure in a chair, their head was hanging limply down, matted dark hair sticking out wildly in a messy halo. Gibbs sank down into a chair, his stomach sinking as he recognised the hostage.
"Look up, look at the camera you dog" a malicious voice slithered out of the speakers but prompted no response from the limp figure. There was rustling sound before a small metal plate was flung through the air, striking the dark head with a loud twang followed by the sound of two cruel laughs but still the head didn't rise. One of the laughing men cursed and strode towards the chair, roughly grabbing a handful of dark hair, forcing the head back. Even though Gibbs had long since worked out it was Ziva it still caused his stomach to turn, especially now he could see her face; or what was left of it. The whole left side was a swollen, pussy mess-the eye forced shut by a huge red lump underneath it. Her right eye was at least open but it was staring blankly ahead, completely devoid of any emotion. Gibbs breaths began heavier as the horror of the situation became clearer, he examined every inch of her battered face, dried blood was left in the trails it had left as it ran from her nose to her mouth; the mouth itself was a bloody mess of open cuts which were oozing a mixture of bright red blood and pale yellow pus. The two men were laughing and joking, the one behind the camera zooming in close to her face while the other pushed his fingers deep into her cuts, snorting when she winced. The camera panned out again and the man grinned and said something, again in a language Gibbs didn't recognise, which cause the other to laugh and make encouraging sounds. The man's hand ran down her chin, then her neck before reaching her chest. He dragged it across her breasts, smiling and hissing insults at her the whole time before he shoved it up under her top, kneading them roughly under the fabric. Ziva didn't react and continued staring blankly ahead-straight into the camera, Suddenly there was the sound of a door creaking open and more rapid conversation which Gibbs didn't understand. Once the newcomer had finished talking the man started pulling his hand out and said,
"Here that? Jibrell said it is time for you to be alone, to have enough time for you to decide to tell us everything you know about NCIS. Five days this time Do not worry though, we will have lots of fun later," as he said fun he shoved his hands down her trousers, squeezing hard before leaning his face towards her and pushing his slobbery tongue across her ear. His friend laughed as he stood up and began walking back towards the camera before abruptly stopping, spinning round and punching Ziva so heart across the head her chair fell over, hitting the floor with a crash. This was followed by an eruption of laughter as the three men exited the room. The angle at which the chair had fallen meant Gibbs couldn't see Ziva's face, but he could here her spitting out her blood. The screen went black and Gibbs sat back in his chair, a cold sweat ripping across his body. He stared at the blank screen in a daze for a few moments until thoughts began racing through his head. All this time she'd been there, enduring unimaginable pain and humiliation for him and his team and he had been about to replace her, consign her to memory. He was just about to start formulating a plan when the mobile phone rang and he instinctively answered it and an unmistakable drawl met his ears,
"Gibbs? I trust you have watched the DVD."
"Eli?" he replied, confused for a few moments before demanding, "Where's Ziva?"
"Ziva is fine, well she is here."
"Put her on."
"I am afraid I cannot do that."
"Why not? Where is she?"
"She is asleep which has become a rare occurrence. I will not wake her." Eli insisted, before continuing, "Anyway Gibbs, you and I have much to discuss."
"What?" Gibbs asked, frustrated that he didn't understand what was going on, wanting the facts as fast as possible.
"Your Director." Eli answered.