Thanks guys, I know, I like writing Tim and Tony better than these scenes but they have to be there.
Yeah, I'm such a weakling with hurting these characters. So it's more of minor to moderate whump than actual torture.
Chapter Seven
The elevator shuddered to a stop and went dim as Gibbs flicked the emergency switch on. He closed his eyes and rubbed his face. Then sighed deeply.
He cursed softly under his breath, him and his damn gut. He flipped open his phone and checked his messages. Still empty. He cursed again, angrily slamming the phone shut and balling his hand into a fist tightly around the phone.
Something was wrong, so very wrong. Had he sent them to a trap? To their untimely deaths? He was jumping to conclusions, never assume, double check. He reprimanded himself quickly and then flicked the emergency switch again. The elevator shuddered from the frequent abuse, but grudgingly started the trip upwards once more. Tense, Gibbs surged out of the elevator as soon as it opened to the bullpen.
"Ziva!" Gibbs didn't even wait until he had taken two steps from the elevator before calling out to her. Ziva jumped and then stood at attention.
"Gibbs?"
"Call Dinozzo." At the order she obediently sat down, picked up her phone and started dialing his number. Gibbs reached his own desk in a matter of minutes, took out his cell, once again, and dialed the number for Tim's cell. He held the phone to his ear and waited, listening impatiently to the dial tone.
"Hi, you've reached the cell phone of Tim McGee. I'm sorry, I can't answer at the moment, but leave a message and I'll get right back to you."
Beep!
"McGee, damn it! Never be unreachable! Call me back!" Gibbs retaliated upon his cell phone, violently disconnecting the call. He looked to Ziva who shook her head, her features now peppered with concern. Gibbs picked up his phone and dialed a different number.
"Abby's lab, what's your forensic conundrum or mystery?"
"Abby, trace Dinozzo and McGee's cell phones."
"Oh my gosh." Abby breathed from the other side of the line. "Gibbs, I was right wasn't I? Something's wrong, oh no, I knew something bad was going to happen today! See I had this dream last night and-"
"Focus Abbs!" Gibbs ordered, trying to not lose his temper. Abby's voice sputtered out; there was the sound of typing and after a few minutes-
"They're right in front of the relatives' house of your Petty Officer."
"Together?"
"Yeah. Gibbs?"
"Mmhm, Abbs?"
"Please, bring them home." Abby's plea was so desperate, so scared.
"I will, Abby." He gently placed the phone in the receiver and turned to an expectant Ziva. "Gear up." Ziva hefted her bag onto her shoulder and started for the elevators. "And Ziva," She turned. "Call the LEO's in Norfolk, tell them to get to this address, and to look for us." She nodded stiffly, keeping her emotions under wraps. Gibbs put on his firearm and grabbed his badge and then joined Ziva in the elevator. The door closed.
It often takes three and a half hours to reach the area of Norfolk from the Navy Yard.
Though this was Gibbs' normal driving, fueled by the determination to find his agents, the foreboding feeling in his gut and a fear he'd never admit to having. They arrived in just over one.
The local LEOs jumped back as the car barreled down the quiet road and then suddenly pulled up to the curb next to the police cars. Gibbs jumped out, clearly a man on a mission. Ziva followed a little more shakily, it was an example of how driven Gibbs was, that his driving had shocked even Ziva. She swallowed and followed Gibbs to the chief officer and his subordinates. The man had obviously dealt with Gibbs before, and smiled slightly as he marched over.
"Should I arrest you now or later? You probably broke quite a few speeding laws on your way here." He raised an eyebrow at Gibbs. Gibbs stared grimly at him. The Officer gestured to the empty car parked a little further down the street. "Is that your men's?" Gibbs nodded tensely.
"Ziva. Call Dinozzo." At Gibbs order Ziva pulled out her cell phone. The entire company jumped as a ringing sound came from the grass a few feet away. Gibbs followed the sound and then knelt down into the grass. Tony and Tim's cell phones. Damn. "You have officers surrounding the house?"
"Just waiting for you Gibbs. They're your men." The Officer gave him a sad smile, as though he was already anticipating the worst. Gibbs and Ziva unholstered their weapons and followed the Officer up to the house.
"Hold on, do you have a warrant?" The Officer turned to Gibbs, who simply walked up to the door and twisted the knob. It turned all the way.
"Sometimes we get lucky." The Officer opened his mouth but was too late to object. Gibbs had turned, held up his weapon, and with Ziva close behind, entered the house. The Officer cursed softly.
"All officers enter the house, remain wary. Be careful." He spoke in a hushed tone, into his radio and then he himself slipped into the house.
"Clear!"
"Clear!"
"Clear, there's nothing here, Agent Gibbs. Not even your men." The Officer sheathed his weapon. Gibbs looked helplessly around, as if Tony would pop out from behind a chair, or Tim would walk in from the kitchen, an annoyed expression on his face.
"Gibbs!" Ziva's voice called urgently from the living room, Gibbs practically ran to her. She pointed breathlessly to the carpet. "There is glass fragments and...and blood." Small spots of blood were dried into the carpet.
"Hey! You should see this." The Officer walked toward them from the kitchen. "There's a whole lot of blood in there." He stuck his thumb to the kitchen; his face a shade paler than it had been before.
"Ziva, take samples of the blood." Gibbs ordered. Another detective appeared through the back door.
"Sir," Gibbs shot the young man a withering look, his eyes widened in surprise. "There's a large barn, a few yards back." Gibbs looked to Ziva, who nodded to him, and packed away the samples in her backpack. He could see the anger in her eyes. The ferocity. They quickly followed the young man back through the neatly cut lawn and beyond the tree line. A large barn stood off to one side. Gibbs felt his heartbeat speed up and adrenaline pump through his veins. He saw the recent tracks in the dirt, the evidence of something being dragged, the scrapes where the doors had opened. So close. Gibbs charged into the barn, his gun trained in front of him.
Nothing. There was completely and absolutely nothing. Just a bit of stale hay on the floor and nothing else. He heard Ziva sigh in disappointment besides him. They had lost Tim and Tony. Gibbs almost jumped as his phone rang.
"Yeah?"
"Gibbs! Did you find them?"
"Abby," Gibbs wearily rubbed his face. "Do you have anything of value to tell me?"
"Oh no, you didn't find them."
"Abbs, please."
"I was checking into the bank records of the Brents, a few years ago they built a storm cellar under their barn, actually they hired someone to do it-"
"There's a cellar under the barn?" Ziva turned at Gibbs exclamation; understanding dawned on her face immediately. She started scanning the floor, brushing away straw. Until she hit a metal door.
"Gibbs!" She yelled, her voice echoing around the barn. The Officer ran over and began uncovering the door.
"Thanks Abbs." Gibbs hastily hung up and ran over to Ziva. He knelt down and hoisted open the trap door, Ziva then took out her flashlight and gun. "Ziva, be careful." She gave him a sly look and slipped effortlessly into the hole. Gibbs followed, the Officer then dropped in after him.
The three made their way down the dark hallway, shining their flashlights down into the black abyss. Finally they reached a solid door. Swallowing back fear and excitement, Ziva swung open the door.
There, in the middle of the room, illuminated by the light of their flashlights, lay two unmoving bodies and a small pool of blood.