McGee was sitting on the chair in Gibbs' living room, taking in Tony's ashen complexion and tired looking green eyes.
He had put the recorder on the coffee table, not having turned it on yet until Tony was ready.
Tony was sipping some water while Gibbs came to stand and lean on the edge of the couch, perching on its arm.
"Okay, Tony, you think you can do this?" McGee asked gently.
Tony nodded and looked down for a moment, "I'll do my best, McGoo."
McGee was inwardly thrilled, just to have Tony use any of the normally offensive nicknames.
McGee opened up a file, with some forms, and had Tony sign them, and then turned on the tape recorder, stating the date and time of the interview.
"Okay, Agent DiNozzo, can you start with when you made contact with the suspects?"
They watched as he looked at the table and took a breath.
For Gibbs, it sent him off in his mind, remembering when Jarvis had brought Tony in directly from Sardinia.
"I had a feeling, that whoever it was that tried to grab me, in the morning, was gonna' try again. And…I didn't want to just sit around…waiting for that to happen."
Gibbs bit his tongue.
"I…ah…" he eyed Gibbs cautiously, "borrowed a weapon from Agent Gibbs, since I was not at home for access to my private weapons."
McGee knew that Tony was not allowed a service weapon right now, until he passed psych…but personals were a different matter entirely.
"Then…I decided to just take a look, around the area, but I went out back, because I thought I'd have a better chance at surprising someone if they didn't know I left the house."
"Was a surprise to the protection detail too, DiNozzo," Gibbs said in a low, irritated tone.
Tony's eyes widened just for a second, before he smiled just a little and continued.
"I found a white van, parked around the corner, and a man inside discussing my, ah…kidnapping. And how they were going to try and do it. I disarmed him. And got him to take me to the location…of the man who wanted to get me." Tony paused now, rubbing his head for a moment.
"On the way, I called Agent Gibbs, for backup. When we arrived, there was a second guy, who I assumed had been the other one sent to kidnap me. He was originally outside Gibbs' house, where I was staying, when i caught his cohort in the van. I thought we'd left him behind, but he must have gotten a cab…or stolen a ride, because he was there. He had his gun on me just after we parked the van, and then I was outnumbered. So…I gave up the sidearm, and the one we know now was Tilson, dragged me out of the van."
"The other one -?"
"Was Stern. And we know from what you dug up today, that this was not the first rodeo for either one…"
"And," McGee asked for the benefit of the recording, "did Stern tell you who it was that ordered your abduction?"
"Yes," Tony took a shaky breath. "Trent Kort." He said the name like it was a bad taste on his tongue.
"And then what happened?" McGee asked.
Tony thought for a moment.
"Stern…he wanted out. He knew I had backup coming. He told Tilson he wanted to off me there, and split, so I couldn't be a witness."
Tony got quiet for a moment, shifting a little in his seat, then rubbing his eyes.
"Do you need a break?" McGee asked with concern.
Tony shook his head no.
"Apparently, Tilson was more afraid of the wrath of Kort…so…he shot Stern…while his back was turned. Nice guy." Tony unconsciously picked at the piping on the couch. "I tried to break free while Tilson was distracted with killing Stern, but it…ah, didn't work out to well."
"Ya' think?' Gibbs said under his breath.
"He popped me in the jaw with the butt of his gun. And then pretty much dragged me into the storage facility."
Tony sat back now, rubbing his palms a little on the sides of his jeans.
"He took me to the end of the hall, to the locker where…Kort was…"
Both Gibbs and McGee saw the tension building in their friend.
"Tilson, sort of…threw me down on the floor. And they had a short exchange. Kort was angry they had screwed things up by getting caught…Kort…shot Tilson at point blank in the head."
Tony reached to the table for the water, glass shaking a little in his hand, as he brought it to his lips, and put it down after taking a sip.
He looked at McGee for a moment, then down again.
"Kort…told me…he…was going to…" he swallowed, and heard the faintest of the whispers start. He shook his head, trying to block them.
"Tony…" McGee said, worried, while Gibbs also tensed slightly.
Tony held his hand up, for a moment and then continued.
"He was going to use me as a weapon by trying to brainwash me, with…the same…tools Stratton used." He felt dizzy now.
"But there was no time for that…he knew you guys were on the way…so he…went to the table, and got a syringe…to knock me out with."
"Did he tell you how he was going to utilize you ?" McGee asked, hating himself for having to say it.
"No."
Tony was trembling. They could see it clearly.
"What …happened next?"
"I…" he blinked a while, mouth open slightly, trying to put it together in his head…but the damned whispering voices were getting so loud.
"Tony," Gibbs called his name.
"I…saw Kort…"he said, looking around the room, trying to get it clear in his mind, "but…then…I dunno, I got confused…"
"We found you…Tony, next to Kort, dead with a metal poker in his head…" McGee wanted him to remember. "Do you recall at all what happened?"
Tony stood up on shaky legs, needing to pace, trying to escape the voices somehow. He took a few steps to the middle of the room, Gibbs and McGee both eyeing him warily.
He paced back and forth, seeing the moment it had happened – Kort morphing into Stratton…he knew now it had been a hallucination…but how could he explain it? Would the truth put him off the job permanently ? Should he just lie and fill in the blanks?
He was trying to gather the words, when Ziva walked in.
She saw Tony first…and smiled.
And then she saw Gibbs and McGee, and the recorder.
She looked at Tony, and asked, "Is everything alright?"
Tony stopped and looked at her for a moment, and then let out a bitter laugh.
"Oh," he said loudly,throwing his arms up in the air, "it's better than alright, it's perfect! I've lost my freaking mind! But – things are great."
She just looked at him, as he stopped dead in his tracks.
He looked away from them, and took a deep breath , rubbing his face.
Gibbs nodded at McGee to turn off the recorder. "We'll come back to it later."
McGee immediately shut it off.
Tony 's brow furrowed, as he became even more distraught at the idea he was screwing up on McGee, not just getting it done and over with.
They were afraid to approach him…except for Gibbs.
"Tony-" he said, putting his hand out to touch Tony's shoulder…
"No!" Tony twisted away from him. "Don't," Tony looked at him, pained, "I …need to take a walk." He quickly strode out of the house, the storm door slamming shut behind him.
"Shouldn't we-" McGee began.
"No," Gibbs shook his head and sighed. "He needs to get some air. He's had enough of for now, I think. We have to let him process some of this. He'll come back."
"What about…the statement for the Director, Boss ?" McGee asked.
"I'll get it done. Maybe even with Doc Cranston helping. Leave it with me McGee. I can handle Vance."
"Is it going to help, Gibbs? Tony seeing Doctor Cranston?" Ziva asked him, staring off in the direction Tony had gone.
He sighed again. "Let's hope so."