Part 3

Charles Sterling was feeling very satisfied with himself at the moment; for once, everything was going his way and in just a couple more days, he would be out of the country and well on his way to forging a new life for himself. He hadn't decided where he would go, but as long as he was away from Washington D.C. and NCIS, it really didn't matter. What did matter was that Tony DiNozzo was spending life in prison, providing he actually lived that long; thanks to a plan that he perceived to be pure genius, Charles had managed to make sure that the evidence had been very condemning, resulting in a guilty verdict from the jury.

It had been difficult to disguise his sheer pleasure when Abby had returned from court and informed him of the verdict; she and the rest of the team had been devastated that Tony had been found guilty and he had outwardly mirrored their sorrow and concern. Personally, Charles believed that he should have earned an Oscar for his performance but alas, his acting accomplishments would have to be acknowledged another time. He had beaten Abby at her own game, in fact, he had beaten them all and had emerged victorious; Tony DiNozzo would never again taste freedom.

His triumph had been even sweeter when he learned that DiNozzo had refused to see anyone after his sentencing. According to his brother-in-law, Carl Banks, who was a guard in the prison, Tony had almost taken up the lifestyle of a hermit, preferring solitude to interaction of any kind. DiNozzo was usually either in solitary or the infirmary and neither of those places were conducive to conversation or forging alliances. Everyone knew that Tony was a former cop and wanted to make his life as miserable as possible and according to his source, the inmates and the guards were doing everything in their power to make sure DiNozzo suffered.

Charles wished that he could be there to watch the man that he so desperately despised endure the torment and pain that was constantly being inflicted upon him. One of these days, Charles wanted to be able to stand in front of Tony DiNozzo and tell the former agent that he was the one responsible for ruining his life; he knew that day could never come, but Charles could still dream. It troubled him that no one would be able to appreciate his superb brilliance but he forced himself to be content to bask in his private victory.

Glancing at his watch, he knew that he would soon be receiving a call from his brother-in-law to provide him with a daily report; nothing made his day more than hearing about what kind of pain had been inflicted on his nemesis. Carl had told him that he had plans for DiNozzo and that if everything went according to plan that Tony would be in a world of hurt and Charles couldn't wait to find out the details. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that former Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo deserved every bit of agony that had been and would be dealt to him; DiNozzo would regret the day that the former agent had crossed his path.

He figured that he had a few more minutes before Carl called him, so he sat down in front of his computer and began to write his letter of resignation; his job at NCIS was complete and he was ready to move on. Charles had grown tired of watching Abby run test after test, often redoing them several times; although she had yet to find anything that would prove Tony's innocence, he had decided that he wasn't going to stick around any longer than necessary. Abby was extremely smart and given time, she would figure out that he had purposefully sabotaged some of her results and he didn't want to be around when she finally realized what he had done. A smile danced on his lips; part of him wished that he could be around when Abby had to admit that he had outsmarted her, but once again, he knew that was impossible. He would be taking too great of chance by staying and he was not one to take uncalculated risks.

It only took him a couple of minutes to type out his resignation. As he hit the button to print out his letter, he quickly addressed the envelope to Director Shepard and put a stamp on it so he could drop it off at the post office. By the time that the Director received it, he would be on a plane, on his way to his new home. He wasn't sure where he was going to put down stakes, but that was a decision that he didn't have to make right now. The one thing that he knew for certain was that from now on his life would be easy sailing and he could live his life to the fullest knowing that he had successfully destroyed the man known as Tony DiNozzo.

"What can I say?" he mumbled to himself. "I'm just…I'm just brilliant."

The sound of his phone ringing interrupted his moment of self-adulation. Charles figured that it was Carl, but habit forced him to look at the caller ID. When the name of Abby Sciuto appeared instead, he briefly panicked as he wondered why she would be calling him; the renowned scientist had never felt the need to call him before when he was working for her and Charles had a feeling that this wasn't a social call. He allowed his answering machine to pick up and he listened carefully to her message.

"Hey Chip, it's Abby; I was wondering if you could come in and help process some evidence. I'm really behind and need some help."

He barely heard the rest of her message as rage began to course through every fiber of his being. "My name is Charles! How many times do I have to tell you people? You need my help? I don't think so! Who do you think you're dealing with? I'm smarter than all of you! I managed to…" Charles abruptly stopped his rant and blew out a long breath; he then began to laugh, his previous anger all but forgotten. "Oh, Abby, I wish I could tell you how pathetic you and your friends are!"

The phone rang again but this time it was his brother-in-law. Still laughing, he answered, "Carl, it's good to hear from you! What's up?"

"Uh…are you okay?" the other man asked.

"I'm better than okay; I'm great! So, what's the latest?"

Putting the phone call from Abby out of his mind, he sat down on his couch and listened to the details of DiNozzo's latest troubles; he savored every morsel of information that Carl provided him with. As he listened, Charles couldn't help but think how good his life was and right now, he couldn't imagine how it could get any better.

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When Abby had informed him that she had found something, Gibbs had felt a renewed sense of hope and that had spurned a rush of adrenaline that he hadn't experienced in the while. He had listened patiently as Abby had explained how she had been reexamining the carpet fiber that she had pulled out of Tony's car; she had found traces of sweat on it and the DNA had come back as belonging to Chip. Abby had been surprised by the results; she had assumed that maybe the evidence had been contaminated and was going to run it again to see if the results were the same.

Gibbs took a sip of his coffee. "So were they any different the second time around?" he wanted to know.

"I haven't run it yet."

He had to admit that he was confused by the fact that Abby had yet to repeat the test; she was as determined as he was to prove Tony's innocence so there had to be a good reason that she was seemingly putting it off. "Why not?" Gibbs asked.

"I came early in this morning to run the test again," she began to explain. "I wanted to be sure because this is Tony's life we're talking about. I mean I failed him once and I can't stand to hit another brick wall. Tony deserves…"

"Abs!" he barked, the tone of voice sharper than he intended.

"Right." She took a deep breath and blew it out. "I need a Caf-Pow."

Gibbs held a cup up, just out of her reach. "Talk first," the team leader instructed.

"Okay. Like I said, I came in early to run the test again and I met Stan, the night security guard, and he told me something very interesting."

"And that would be?"

"Stan said that Chip came in last night and cleaned out his personal belongings."

"That's convenient."

"That's what I thought," she agreed. "So, I decided to pull the video and see exactly what Chipster was doing last night and I found something very interesting."

Gibbs watched the monitor as Abby queued up the feed. He watched as Chip put what the agent assumed was the man's personal items in a box; the agent noticed that he didn't have a lot of possessions but took great care in putting them in the small carton. Chip then walked over to one of the pictures that Abby had of Tony; she had decorated her lab with photographs of DiNozzo stating that she felt close to him even though he wasn't around. Sterling was talking to the photograph, his expression betraying Chip's obvious anger.

"What's he saying?" He knew that Abby's ability to read lips and that she would be able to tell word for word what Chip was saying.

"Well, right now, he's laughing," she observed.

Gibbs stared at the monitor as he listened to Abby quote the obviously troubled man.

"Well, former Special Agent DiNozzo," Abby repeated. "I guess this is so long; I wish I could say goodbye in person, but I can't. I'm leaving the country; something you can't do because you're in prison. I wonder if they'll ever figure it out. I wonder if they'll figure out that they've been beaten at their own game. I told you that one day I would get even with you and I did."

Abby grew silent. Gibbs pulled her into a comforting hug and placed a kiss on the side of her head. "Keep going, Abs," he gently urged. "What else is he saying?"

She pulled from his embrace and rewound the video a few seconds so she could pick up where she had left off. Clearing her throat, she continued. "I still can't believe that you didn't remember me; I thought about you every day for a lot of years. One of these days, right before you draw your last breath, I'll make sure you know who put you in prison. Guess I better go, but don't worry; take care and keep thinking positive. Maybe I'll send you a postcard."

"He's laughing again," Abby quietly stated.

Gibbs' rage was quickly rising like floodwaters threatening to bust through a levy. He handed Abby her Caf-Pow as he continued to stare at the screen. The team leader had seen and thanks to Abby, heard enough that he wanted to question the young man. If Charles Sterling was in any way responsible for the hell that DiNozzo had been through, the former sniper wouldn't be responsible for his actions. Hiring Chip had been Jenny's idea, despite the livid protests from him and Abby; could Sterling's employment at NCIS been part of an elaborate set up?

Gibbs didn't want Chip to know that they were on to him so he had instructed Abby to call him and see if he would come into work. Judging by the message that she had left her former assistant, Chip wasn't answering his phone; he quickly called Ziva and McGee to go to Sterling's place and pick him up. They obeyed without question and Gibbs knew that the two agents wouldn't dare return empty handed.

He gave Abby another quick kiss on her cheek. "That's good work, Abs," he said as he turned to leave.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to see Tony."

"He won't see you."

He detected a hint of sadness in her voice. Gibbs hadn't been the only one that Tony had refused to see; Abby had returned several times in tears, devastated by the fact that the man whom she considered to be closer than a brother, had denied her request to visit him. The lead agent had tried to tell Abby that she shouldn't take it personally; Tony didn't want anyone seeing him behind bars and had relieved them of what he perceived to be a burden. His words had done very little to soothe her frayed nerves; Gibbs had to admit, he didn't believe them either.

"He'll see me."

"What makes this time any different?" she wanted to know.

"Because this time, I'm going over DiNozzo's head."

He strode across the room and towards the elevator. Gibbs felt a new sense of determination and he was not going to be deterred from his purpose. Tony deserved to have some good news and he was going to be the one to deliver it. He realized that he probably should have something more concrete, but at this point, it didn't matter; it was a glimmer of hope and he was going to hold on to it for all he was worth.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The sound of gunshots rang out in the courtyard and his attackers scattered. Tony could hear the chaos around him as the guards ordered the inmates back to their cells for a lockdown. He certainly hoped that they didn't expect him to follow their orders because at the moment, moving was out of the question; actually he wasn't so sure that breathing was going to be possible for much longer. The pain coursing through him was unbearable; Tony felt like he was on fire and there wasn't anyone around to extinguish the flame. As darkness began to envelop him once again, he realized that it was beginning to look like he wasn't going to have to worry about spending the rest of his life in prison

He was suddenly rolled over onto his back and he felt his hands being released from the bonds. The flurry of activity around him caused him to panic and he began to struggle against the hands that were apparently trying to help him. Tony cried out in pain as the slightest movement sent shockwaves of agony coursing through his body; he couldn't stop the tears streaming from his swollen eyes as the guards pulled away from him and stood helplessly by. He could barely hear the hushed conversation around him, but he could sense that he was in serious trouble.

Within a few moments the staff from the infirmary were shoving past the guards and kneeling beside him, asking him questions that he couldn't answer. Tony finally heard the doctor order a chopper to airlift him to the hospital. The fact that he couldn't be treated in the infirmary confirmed the direness of his situation; he was dying and truthfully, he didn't care. It might be the coward's way out, but at least he wouldn't hurt anymore.

Tony heard Dr. Tyler, the physician who usually treated him whenever he ended up in the infirmary, call out to him; the older man's voice betrayed both fear and concern. "DiNozzo! Can you hear me?"

A strangled gasp was the only reply he could manage. It was getting harder to breathe and he was reminded of the last time that he was fighting for every breath; Gibbs had ordered him not to die and he hadn't dared disobeyed a direct order from the team leader. Of course, Gibbs was no longer his team leader and he didn't have to obey him, but for some reason he still didn't want to disappoint his former mentor.

He didn't flinch when he felt the IV canula inserted into his hand. The pain that was raging through every fiber of his being was quickly consuming him as he begged for the void of darkness to swallow him up; Tony was so tired of hurting and he would welcome a journey into oblivion but he was unable to take that first step because Dr. Tyler wasn't willing to let him go.

"DiNozzo! DiNozzo! I need you stay with me!" Tyler ordered.

"N…no," he moaned. "H…hurts."

"I know that. I need you tell me where it hurts."

Tony figured it would be easier to tell him what didn't hurt but that was impossible; there was no way in hell he could pinpoint any one place that wasn't causing him excruciating anguish. Why couldn't the doctor just leave him alone? Tyler had never been this concerned about him before

and he couldn't figure out why the doctor seemed to care about him now.

"DiNozzo! Answer me!"

He began to cough; his blood spattered his lips trying to suck in air. Tony knew enough to know that he was drowning in his own blood; he could no longer fight against the pain nor did he want to. As he fought for his next breath, he allowed himself to slowly succumb to a state of blessed unconsciousness. Tony was vaguely aware of the further life saving measures of the doctor and his team nor did he seem to hear the arrival of the chopper that would whisk him away to the hospital. He sank deeper into the state of unawareness, realizing that he longer had to deal with the pain and more importantly, he didn't have to remember everything that had just happened because remembering was the last thing that he wanted to do.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Gibbs was more than frustrated; he was genuinely ticked off. He had been denied access through the prison gate because of some riot that had occurred in the courtyard. The guard had informed him that the compound was on lockdown and they were waiting for a flight for life chopper to arrive; apparently one of the inmates had been critically injured and was going to be transported to the hospital. The guard wouldn't tell him the name of the inmate who had been hurt, claiming that he didn't know, but Gibbs' gut was screaming at him; he knew exactly who was being put on that chopper.

The team leader leaned against his car and watched as the chopper touched down in the courtyard. Within five minutes, the helicopter had lifted off again and was heading towards the hospital. Gibbs quickly deduced which trauma center that the pilot would take the prisoner to and got in his car and began to weave his way through traffic, hoping to get there right after the chopper; he wanted answers and he obviously wasn't going to get them from the guard at the gate. He had to know if Tony was the man who had been grievously injured; Gibbs wasn't sure what he would do if DiNozzo was hurt, but there wasn't a doubt in his mind that someone would pay dearly.

Within a few minutes, he arrived at the hospital; the chopper had already landed but he hadn't been far behind. Gibbs pulled into the closest parking place he could find and darted into the emergency room. He stopped at the front desk and asked the nurse if she knew the name of the prisoner that had just arrived.

"I don't have that information yet and even if I did, I can't release it," she testily replied.

"It's a simple question," he growled.

"And I gave you a simple answer."

Gibbs leaned forward, his icy glare clearly unnerving the nurse. He wasn't in the mood to argue with the woman, especially if it was Tony's life on the line. "Maybe you should go and try and find out something."

"I'm not promising anything," she replied as she went down towards the trauma room.

The team leader watched which room she went in; if he didn't get a satisfactory answer from the nurse, he would go seek his own answers. The not knowing was killing him; the thought that the injured man lying in that room could be DiNozzo was almost unbearable. Part of him wanted the nurse to come back and tell him that it wasn't Tony who had been hurt, but his gut was still telling him otherwise. Gibbs didn't want to consider the possibility of losing Tony just when it looked like he and the team were so close to clearing his name; he was beginning to wonder if Tony was right and the DiNozzo luck had truly run out.

All right! I know that this chapter has seemingly been a long time coming, but I do appreciate your patience and that it was worth the wait. My special thanks to AZGirl for helping me break through that brick wall that I had hit; just note that any remaining mistakes are mine alone. You my friend, are awesome! Anyway, thank you readers for your support and encouragement. I hope you enjoyed it!