Chapter 22: Captured
Tony is slammed into the ground by Ziva. She lay still on top of him; her breath held. A large crate blocks any view of them from the front door of the warehouse.
The sound of bodies dropping can be heard throughout the warehouse.
Footsteps. Laughter. More footsteps. Growls.
Guns are held by five men; Michael as their leader. They begin to open fire in each direction of the warehouse.
Tony clutches Ziva and rolls over, pushing her underneath him. She fights against him and his body until she is able to roll him on his back, climb on top of him, and be his shield.
"Not going to let me die a good man, are ya?"
"Shut up, Tony." She catches sight of his wounded hand. "The wounded need protection."
His eyes are glossy. A sense of fear can be seen through his smoldering eyes. This operation is one he has never been a part of…one he has only seen in movies.
"There's nothing to be afraid of, Tony. If given an option I will trade my life for yours."
He does not like her words, and so he grimaces.
A bullet flies past them. It's range closer than the others before. Tony opens his eyes fully and notices two men standing above them.
"Get up." One orders.
Ziva looks back to Tony, but can not say anything.
Two pairs of strong hands grab a hold of them both and begin to drag them to the center of the warehouse. Michael is there, waiting for them as he knew he would find them.
Ziva looks by his feet and sees their teams' dead bodies, except for Lior, laying before them. Some with knife wounds, other with bullet wounds. She feels a weight on her heart and Tony feels queasiness in his stomach.
"Here." Michael orders his men.
Ziva and Tony are grabbed by the back of their heads, their keepers push them to the floor with a fistful of their hair. Their knees smack into the cement with a force strong enough to break them. Tony groans. A slight basketball injury from his past comes back within seconds to haunt him. Ziva turns to him, wanting to reach out to him, but knowing if she does he will pay for her mistake.
Michael falls to his knees and covers her mouth with his. She lets him, knowing she owes him regardless of everything.
When he pulls away, he smacks her. She regains her composure quickly and reaches out to punch him across the face. He lets her because a part of him still loves her.
Tony watches; his gut continues to twist. He can see their love, it is sick and twisted.
Ziva looks to him and catches his expression before he is able to hide it. Her own gut twists in shame. His thoughts reaching her brain process completely. He is thinking wrongly of her and Michael, but she has no time to explain.
Michael punches Tony because he can. They are not restrained, but the guns trained on the back of their heads is enough to make them take whatever pain is inflicted on them.
"…we're not getting out of this one, Ziva." Tony mutters, but does not face her.
Michael stands, withdraws his knife and begins to pace before them.
"You have hurt me, Ziva." He centers on her, then continues to pace. "You have taken my heart and you have thrown it away."
"I wasn't aware you had one." Tony interrupts.
Michael stops, but does not turn around to face them. Instead, he gives a sideways glance to one of his men, and soon the sound of a knife ripping through material is heard.
Blood gushes from Tony's left shoulder. It soaks through his shirt and it seeps through the tear in it. The blade is covered with his blood. The man steps around him and shows him the knife before he smears the blood all over his face.
"One more intrusion and you will be unable to speak, Agent DiNozzo." Michael warns him.
Tony feels the burn of the open wound and the dripping of the warm liquid.
Ziva whips around to face Michael.
"Tell me Michael-what is it that you want?" She is alive and frantic.
"The only thing I ever wanted from you Ziva was your honesty and your love."
"I gave-"
"You gave me nothing!" He hollers at her. "Your love was a lie and your honesty never existed!
"There are things you would have never understood, Michael." She inhales sharply. "Things I promised to keep to myself. Things I did not want anyone to know."
He signals to the same man and soon Tony is face down on the cement. Three slashes to his back soak the rest of his shirt with his blood. The burn makes him shiver, but he does not cry out.
"The more you lie, the more he pays, Ziva."
"I am telling you the truth!" She tries to stand, but is forced down by another man.
"Why have you come for Agent Gibbs?"
His question makes her fall back.
"ANSWER ME!"
"I'm here to help Tony-that is all."
"Ziva…" Tony's quiet voice can be heard from below her. "…be honest…"
Tears form in her eyes as she sees his helpless eyes.
"…I owe it to Agent Gibbs…" She swallows; her thought tight with emotion. "…I owe it to Agent Gibbs…because he did for me what no one else ever would."
This intrigues Michael, but it also angers him.
"He lied." She swallows hard, again. "…he lied for me. He took the responsibility for the murder of my brother when I…" She looks quickly to Tony who is trying to keep his senses in order. "…I killed him." Her eyes turn to fire and hatred, and she turns to look at Michael. "I killed Ari."
Michael leans forward as if he is about to be sick. He swallows hard. The new-found knowledge of Ziva's attachment to Gibbs makes his stomach burn like volcanic acid.
"You sold yourself to the devil, Ziva-to the Americans." He shudders in disgust. "You murdered your own flesh and blood."
"Ari was out of control, Michael. He had no right to do what he did…he killed one of their team mates."
"You haven't the right to judge him, Ziva." He points his finger at her.
"He was out of control." She stands by her opinion.
Michael raises his hand and opens his mouth, a raging order ready to rip through him when someone on the opposite end of the warehouse opens fire.