Hi Everyone! I'm back it's been a little while i know but here is the next chapter
Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS but anytime Tony has to sell himself into Slavery i would happily own him... Okay moving on...
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Now without further to say i present the next chapter!!!
Don't Say A Word
Chapter One: The Girl
Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs strode into the Bull Pen earlier than his usual appearance and was vaguely impressed to see that his Senior Field Agent, Tony DiNozzo was already there working quietly at his desk. Gibbs glanced at the clock. 6.30 and he looked like he'd been here a while.
It was a well known secret that Tony was often seen at the office in the dead hours of night when everyone else had gone home and as Gibbs had often commented Tony did do his best work at night. "Early start DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked. Tony didn't even blink, didn't even look up at Gibbs, Gibbs wondered if he was losing his touch or Tony was getting better. He knew it was probably the latter. The times he could shock Tony were now few and far between.
"Usually is Boss." Tony said quietly. He looked up from what he was typing. "Besides I'm on call tonight so I wanted to get up to speed." Gibbs knew he shouldn't he surprised by that statement but he was. In truth though he knew Tony's work ethic was as dedicated as his own.
Gibbs chose not to comment further since they hadn't had a case yet he sat down behind his computer and powered up. He wasn't known to be adapted to the technological world, and made a habit of relying on his younger agents to navigate it but he knew enough to survive.
Usually anyway.
Since they had yet to catch a case it meant a morning of boring paperwork though it also meant they had time to go over the cold cases and the ones that couldn't be solved at the time. Just because there wasn't an active case yet didn't mean they couldn't do their job.
Gibbs pulled up his email and was surprised to find an email from an old friend sat at the top of his inbox. He and General Jonathon Blake were Marine Buddies and Jon was one of the few friends that remained in the service and the only one still based in DC.
Gibbs smiled as he pulled up the email expecting it to be another progress report on how Meredith his daughter was navigating the Navy. But frowned when it was none of that. In fact it had Gibbs' back up as he read it. It had all the correspondence of friendly jumble but that was what was wrong with it. He and Jon had never been that way, their friendship was true but their correspondence was always to the point.
They saved their stories and their news for when they got chance to meet up. Not that that was very often these days, active cases and Jon's own time sensitive work meant that their time together was few and far between though Gibbs had made it to Meredith's graduation.
It was starting to remind him of the letters and notes they used to write when they wanted to speak in plain sight. Quickly Gibbs' read the email again playing the game they used to play using the second word as the key as it appeared Jon hadn't had more time to lace it intricately using letters as they key.
Once he'd sorted through the email it was amazingly straight forward and the words hit Gibbs like a tonne of bricks.
Gibbs,
Really need help here
Got twenty four hours to catch a break
Some bastard has got Merry
Demanding three million dollars
Payment or my daughter dies
Jon
Gibbs stared at the computer, surely he was reading this wrong? He thought of Meredith and the last time he had seen her, she'd demanded his presence at a party because she had just made junior sister. At twenty six Gibbs decided that was an achievement she was more her father's daughter than she knew.
If Jon had emailed him that meant there was the general contact anyone and she dies. So Gibbs replied in kind disguising his questions in the jumble of words and hit the send. He hoped Jon had been waiting for his reply and he would email back quickly.
His questions were specific, what were they asking for? How long had she been gone had they let him speak to her? These questions were important as the answers could determine the outcome of the exchange.
Ten minutes later and two cups of coffee later his inbox announced the arrival of an email Gibbs spent no time pulling it up.
Again he used the code and the answers looked at him.
Spoke to her they definitely got her
She seems ok
Must have grabbed her from work they haven't seen her since yesterday
Three million dollars half mine half my superiors
Twenty three and a half hours remaining of the deadline
They say they're watching me but I'm not sure how
If those bastards hurt my daughter I will not be responsible for my actions
Jon
Gibbs looked up from his computer as Kate and McGee sat down at their desks. "Okay we have a case." He said quietly but clearly. Three heads looked up at him. "It's an important case but a sensitive one." They nodded.
He put Merry's picture up on the plasma and thought he saw something flit across Tony's face before it became neutral again. "That's General Blake's daughter." McGee said looking at the picture. Gibbs looked at McGee surprised. "I was in Norfolk and hurt on a case they transferred me to Bethesda she's a nurse there. A Captain."
Gibbs nodded. "Yeah she is. She's also in a lot of danger General Blake contacted me a few moments ago he's been contacted with a ransom demand. "Ransom?" Kate asked. "Three Million." Gibbs said. Kate's eyes bulged. "How the hell is he meant to get that amount of money?"
Gibbs smirked. "Three Million is hardly worth bothering about for General Blake it's the fact they want it in twenty-three hours and not only that they want half from the government vault."
"That might be difficult for him to get hold of." Kate said taking notes. Gibbs shook his head, "The last time I spoke to General Blake he was the head of Special Ops and had clearance for above top secret it would be easy for him to get hold of the money though the problems will come when he needs to get hold of it in one go which is what will give us the leverage we need."
"We need to find out how he is being watched and we need to get our own eyes and ears in there." McGee nodded heading towards his desk. "I'll start setting up the sullivance equipment and we'll try and set up a hack on the phone line." Gibbs nodded and then had a thought. "Go and see if Abby can help you."
McGee nodded and headed out towards the lab. Gibbs turned towards the remaining agents "Boss I'll go through Captain Blake's history to see if I can find anyone she had a problem with."
Gibbs nodded pleased with Tony's insight. "Kate you're with me we're going to pay General Blake a visit." Kate nodded grabbed her gear and followed Gibbs out into the hall and down to the garage.
Tony watched them go and cursed before pulling out his cell phone and speaking into it. As he was speaking he accessed the computer and subtly pulled Meredith's military file. He had to be discreet putting in his password followed by the code for sensitive. It allowed him in and again he was looking at the face of Captain Meredith Blake in her military uniform.
He scanned her records and realised that there was a gap in her schooling records between her being 16 and 18 from which she seemingly appeared out of nowhere joined the Navy, got her Nursing degree and never looked back.
That two year gap had Tony's heart beating a little faster he'd seen a gap like that in a record once before and it hadn't been because they had taken a Gap Year. It was something he would have to investigate but first he was going through her file to see if there were any other reasons she could have been taken.
What he found had him frowning in frustration. Her file suggested that there was no reason for Meredith Blake to have been taken she was a good officer and her commanding officers had nothing but good things to say about her.
Tony felt like hitting his head against his computer screen in frustration he didn't want to have to do this, he didn't fancy having to explain this to Gibbs, but he didn't see that he had a choice.
He took a deep breathe took out his phone and hit the speed dial. He only had to wait three rings before someone picked up. "Tony what is it?" The voice on the other end asked. "I got a problem." Tony said in a low voice. "What kind?" The voice was instantly on edge.
"The kind that is likely to blow our cover." There was a short silence and then the voice said, "How bad." "Really bad." "Can you say anything?" "Meredith Blake." Tony said quietly into the phone.
There was a harsh intake of breath on the other side of the phone. "Is she okay?" "No." Tony said. "I can't tell you more than that. What I can tell you is that this case could blow our cover wide open."
"Damn it Tony!" The voice on the other end of the phone snapped. "Is she alive?" There was a shake in the voice now. "Yes. As far as I know." Tony said. That seemed to give the person on the other end of the line the strength he needed.
"Okay go to Fornell and then help them as much as you can. I'll be in Washington in six hours." Tony didn't ask how that could be possible, he knew better than that. "Okay." "Be careful Tony." The voice said before disconnecting.
Tony knew he had broken about a million protocols making that call but it had been needed and if his hunch was right then he might need help as this case progressed. He stood and went in search of FBI Agent Tobias Fornell, the one person that knew more about Anthony DiNozzo than anyone else excluding one other.
Jethro knew he had to treat this interview with care. he wasn't sure how good the suviallance on Jon's office was and he wasn't sure how much the kidnappers knew about the man they were trying to blackmail and threaten.
He couldn't risk them hurting Merry if they realised he was here and realised who he was. So before he had left he had donned his Gunny Uniform once again and forced Kate into a uniform in order to get Jon's attention.
They strode into the office together and stood in front of the desk. "Gunny Sergeant Thomas Hughes reporting to General Blake as he requested." Jethro said. The lady at the desk looked at Kate. "Liutenant Kate Todd." She said looking straight ahead.
The girl looked at them and then buzzed their names through a few moments later General Blake appeared. To the outside world he looked calm and collected and completely at home in his office but Jethro had known his friend too long and could see the toll this was taking on his friend. He was a good actor they had, had to be in the Marines but Jethro knew he was worried for his daughter. As Jethro was worried for his God-Daughter not that he was going to let anyone know that.
"Gunny right on time as usual." Jon smiled. "Liutenant." He nodded his head in Kate's direction and looked at them both. "I trust you got my note?" He asked lightly. "Yes and I'm here as required sir." Jethro said. "I need your codes for the vault so how about we head this way. Both of you." Jon said in a no nonsense manner. Kate put her hand in her pocket and pulled out a slip of paper and a key. "These are my codes Sir." Kate said as Gibbs had told her too. Her job now was to bug the general's office herself and to try and find out any information.
"I must return to work I only received a half hour break." The general nodded taking what she offered and put them in his pocket. "Always appreciated Liutenant you may go." Kate nodded and turned and left.
Jon looked at Jethro and then said, "Follow me Gunny." Jethro kept step with his friend and Jon came to a door and used his security pass to open the door to open it once it was shut Jon turned and looked at him.
"What the hell is going on Jon?" Jethro asked. "I have no idea." Jon said pulling a hand through his hair. They've definitely got her through he pulled out a file that seemed to have been hidden in plan sight. "They sent me photos and I've spoken to her. She seems calm but they mean business if I don't get this money my daughter will die."
"Like hell she will." Gibbs said getting annoyed. No one touched what he deemed his. No one. Gibbs took the file and said, "When they ring again, because they will I want you to record their voices. Now tell me, how did Merry sound? What did she say?"
Jon smiled despite the situation "She sounded like Merry, scared but calm." He took a deep breath. "She told me she was fine and then she said, I guess I've crashed and burned Daddy but I'm not going to be able to walk away from it. Not like you."
Gibbs felt as though those words held some significance but he couldn't place them. They seemed to be an odd phrase to use but he would work it out later. Right now he needed to keep his friend calm and he needed to visit the hospital looking for his God-Daughter.
"I'm heading over to the hospital you get another call you email me okay?" Jon nodded. "I'm not an NCIS Agent Gibbs but I know how these things work. I'll try and stall the money you find my daughter."
Gibbs nodded. "I'll keep you posted keep it together sir." Then he left heading back to the car. Kate was waiting for him. "I planted the camera." Gibbs nodded. "We're heading to Bedesda." She nodded.
"I thought this was low key." Gibbs nodded. "It is. But no one is going to object to me looking for my God-daughter." With that he hit the gas pedal and Kate tried to pretend that being thrown back in her seat hadn't bothered her.
As for Gibbs' last statement she figured it was easier to pretend that she hadn't heard it. It would get them the information they needed Kate didn't think she wanted to know whether it was true or not.
Somewhere Underground…
Merry Blake glared at her captors. "People are going to be looking for me. I can't just disappear off the face of the Earth you know." "Your daddy will keep mouths quiet if he knows what's good for him." Martina snarled.
"He may," Merry acknowledged may rip you apart when he finds us. She thought. "But that will only work so long. I know there is more than money in this." "You know where the twins are Merry." Was all she said.
Merry snarled. "They're dead!" She felt like screaming but she would not loose her cool. "And it's all your fault." She said her voice screaming. "Ahh… but we know different." A new voice entered the conversation and Merry almost snapped her neck she turned her head so fast. But she couldn't see anything thanks to the blind fold.
Merry struggled against the bonds holding her in place but as before they didn't give at all. "And this plan will bring them too us."
"You're crazy." Merry said her panic morphing into full blown fear now as she sat in the dark. "We shall see. We have twenty hours before the deadline is up pray your father pays his debts."
And then Merry was left alone in the dark again praying that her father had got the clue she had given him in plain sight because she wasn't stupid they'd let her see their faces they weren't about to let her go. It was up to her father now.
