ACT 1




Chapter 1:

2355

Gibbs sat annoyed on his coach. The news paper in his hand he had forgotten ages ago. All his senses were on the door. Every sound, every change of smell in the air, every shadow. He noted everything but nothing hinted to Tony's arrival.

„I'll be there at 8 latest."

He had said. Now it was nearly midnight and hell, where the hell was he? In the last year, the year since he had this thing with Tony going the other man often was late. Once or twice he also had forgotten to come over, but never he had said „I'll be there at 8" when he had left the office at 6 PM and didn't show up at all.

Maybe he had fallen asleep on his coach again, but it neither was a hard case nor had he had sleepless nights, no good explanation for a nap. Gibbs stood up and walked up the stairs, slowly still noting every sound.

He looked at his alarm clock. It was just about to change.

2359...0000

„RRRRIIIIINNNNGGGGGG!"

Gibbs turned and headed for the phone. Sure it would be Tony, telling him how sorry he was. Oh, Lord, this time he had fucked up!

„GIBBS?!"

He yelled annoyed.

„Hello, Agent Gibbs."

His breath stopped for a moment. This wasn't Tony, actually he didn't knew the voice but who should call him at midnight?

„Not very chatty, aren't you? Well, I just wanted to tell you that your little toy has exactly 24 hours to live. Actually it's 23 hours 58 minutes and 2, 1, seconds."

Gibbs looked at the clock. 0002.

„Exactly at midnight tomorrow he's dead, and you can do..."

Gibbs snorted annoyed.

„...nothing."

There was a silence.

„Why do you tell me this? If I can do nothing?"

„It's more fun for my master to see you trying. I'll see that you get his body. Don't bother with an autopsy, you'll get a tape of it."

Then there was only the peep after the line was cut. For a second, or two, maybe it even was a minute, who knows, Gibbs couldn't move. Normally his first move would have been to call Tony but there was no reason why he shouldn't believe the voice.

Next step, Gibbs. Office, call McGee, Ziva, Abby. Ducky, maybe. Anyway, office, move your feet, move your fucking feet.





All of them sat unmoving in Abby's lab.

„Any suggestions?"

Gibbs finally asked. But nobody even breathed louder.

„Jethro, I don't like it that I have to say it, but I think you don't tell us everything."

Ducky said and Gibbs shot him a look. Of course he didn't tell them everything. He hadn't told them that the dirtbag had called Tony „his little toy" and that he had expected Tony to come around for a night full of sex.

McGee, Ziva and Abby looked confused.

„Jethro, they need to know. We have to keep every option open."

Gibbs sighed, he tried to think of a good way to tell them.

„Tony,...and myself...we....we were seeing eachother."

McGee's mouth fell open and Abby seemed as if she would pass out, but Ziva didn't understand.

„So? I saw him, too."

Abby frowned and turned to her.

„Ziva, they were seeing eachother, as in they were dating."

Ziva's expression changed suddenly.

„Oh...ohhhh."

Gibbs nodded.

„So, now you know. Any suggestions?"

„What's your gut telling ya?"

Abby asked hopefully.

„That Tony's in the hands of a fucking dirtbag!"

Gibbs yelled and McGee and Ziva jerked.

„Ok, not really a big help."

„And that he's doing it for somebody else."

Gibbs said calm again. Abby looked sad at him.

„Somebody wants to see me trying to safe him. He said it's more fun for his master to see me trying."

Noone knew what to say. Gibbs seemed to be far away in his own thoughts. Not even Ziva had the gut to ask him for possible suspects.

„Ding!"

Abby looked at her computer.

„Abby couldn't you turn that off?"

Ducky asked. But Abby opened the E-mail she had recieved.

„It's from Tony!"

She yelled and Gibbs was at the monitor before anybody else.

„Cold. Dark. Tony."

Gibbs heart felt as if it was about to explode.

„Can you..."

„Track it down? I'll try. But Gibbs..."

„What Abby? What?"

„Don't you think that it's what the kidnapper want? I mean, Tony is kidnapped but sents us an e-mail. Maybe it isn't even from Tony."

„I know Abby, but it's the only thing we have."

Abby nodded and Gibbs headed for the bullpen but he turned before he was at the elevator.

„And Abby, if there's coming more..."

„I'll sent it up to you immidiatly."

Gibbs nodded and went.




He looked at his watch. 0059. Then he started a countdown on his computer.23 h 00 min 03 sec...23 h 00 min 02 sec...


Chapter 2:

Gibbs tapped his fingers on his desk. Ziva was checking on everybody with a grudge on Tony, again. McGee was down with Abby trying to track down the email. Then it hit him.

He pulled the keyboard closer and opened a new email.

„MSN Messanger, can you open it?"

He sent. Then he opened his own messanger.

„User Tony online."

He did a double click and a window opened.

„Tony?"

„Gibbs?"

„You're alone?"

For a moment there was no answer. He took the phone and told Abby that Tony was online talking to him.

„Yes."

Came Tony's answer. He had to believe him.

„Tony, what can you tell me about where you are?"

„Nothing."

Gibbs sighed. Normally that would earn a head slap.

„Urge to slap me?"

Gibbs couldn't surpress the laugh and Ziva looked surprised at him.

„It's dark here. I have about, well, two on two meters, and it's about two meters high."

Gibbs rubbed his hands over his face. This was not a normal room. It was a box.

„There is no light. And it is cold. All I have is this laptop."

„Is there air?"

„There are holes. Jethro?"

Gibbs swallowed at the use of his first name.

„You have any idea where I am?"

Gibbs shook his head.

„No, Tony. Please, tell me everything you know. Tell me exactly what happened."

Again it took some time before Tony answered. Gibbs saw that he was typing so he waited, what nearly killed him.

„I went home at 6 PM. I entered my apartment, went under the shower..."

Gibbs thought that he didn't need it that exactly.

„...it must have been 7 when I dressed and stood in front of my fridge."

Gibbs waited but there wasn't coming more.

„And then? What happened between 7 and midnight?"

„I dunno. I can't remember anything until I woke up in this, well, box(?) and all what was there was this laptop. That was around half past midnight."

Gibbs looked at the countdown. 22 h 39 min 45 sec...

„Tony, I want you to keep contact with us, ok?"

Then he thought again. Abby was right. How did he know that it really was Tony.

„Tony, what did you call me that night we did it the first time?"

First there came a smiley.

„I called you alot of things."

Gibbs was tempted to type „correct answer" but he need the one nickname.

„Was that the wrong answer, pesciolino d'argento?"

Gibbs smiled.

„Good to know it's you."

„I never told you what pesciolino d'argento means, right?"

„No, I just know that argento means silver."

„ ;-) Yeah, but pesciolino d'argento means silver-fish."

Gibbs‘ smile vanished.

„You called me silver-fish when I was *in* you?"

He could hear Tony chuckle, he would swear if he had to. That was his Tony, joking in such a situation. Wait, HIS Tony? Yes, he slept with him, but more?

„Yeah, well. Silver hair and a boat? Anyway, did I mention that I sit in a box?"

Gibbs sighed again.

„Em, Pesciolino d'argento? Could I talk to you?"

Gibbs span around and saw that Abby couldn't quite hide her grin while McGee looked extremely ashamed.

„I wanted to make sure that it's him."

„Yeah, noone else would ever call you Pesciolino d'argento!"

„Who called you silver-fish?"

Ziva asked and came over.

„You also talk Italian?"

„A bit."

Gibbs swallowed down every bit of the urge to shoot all of them only because they knew his secret nickname.

„Abby, you found Tony?"

„No, not even the slightest hint of him."

„But he is on!"

„I know Gibbs. But who ever has him they know how to hide."

He looked at the monitor.

„Tony, Abby can't track you down. You have any idea who could have done this?"

„Don't you have the list anymore?"

Gibbs felt the cynism even through the computer. Of course they still had the list from when Tony was framed for murder.

„Nobody new?"

„Not that I'm aware of."

Abby went back to her lab and McGee was on his own computer doing whatever he was doing.

„Ziva, anything?"

Gibbs asked but he didn't really hope so he wasn't very disappointed when she shook her head.

A new message of Tony arrived.

„Abby, could you give me a minute with Gibbs alone."

Gibbs smiled. He knew the Goth would do as Tony asked.

„You told them, I guess."

He asked after a few moments.

„Yeah."

Tony's avatar changed and showed the only picture of him with Gibbs.

„You remember when Kate made this photo?"

Gibbs did remember. It was the day when Tony returned from sick leave after the Y.Pestis, a day before Kate died.

„For me it was always more, Jethro. I know I never told you, and maybe it's not the right time for it, but it's more than sex, at least for me."

Gibbs sighed.

„For me, too, Tony. For me, too."

„Thanx. Means a lot to me. Good to know that it's mutual."

Gibbs fought back the tears threatening to overwhelm him.

„Tony, there is no need to say good bye! You got me?"

„Jethro..."

„No! I gave you an order! When you were in the hospital!"

„Jethro..."

„And it still stands!"

„JETHRO!"

„You will not die, Tony! Not now! Not now that I have you..."

Before he could press enter there was a new line from Tony. Then the window showed „Tony maybe will not answer because the user seems to be offline."

But Tony's last words still stood there. Two sentences. Nothing more.

„I love you. They're coming."

His gaze landed on the countdown. 22 h 00 min 05 sec...


Chapter 3:

For several minutes Gibbs didn't react at all. He just stared at his screen.

„Come back. Come back. COME BACK!"

He yelled and McGee and Ziva turned to him. McGee was at his side stopping him before he could throw the monitor off the desk.

„Gibbs, calm down. Calm down."

Gibbs pushed the younger man away from him. That was it. He would do a list of his own. With every fucking name on it.



Chapter 4:

20 h 59 min 30 sec...

He put down the pen. It was a fucking long list and it still wasn't complete. Half of the names he had already crossed out because they were dead or in jail.

„You know, it could be somebody who's in jail. At least „the master" could be in jail."

Ziva said but Gibbs waved it off.

„No. It must be somebody who can actually see me somehow. Or at least see Tony. It must be somebody who wants to see me suffer but doesn't want to make his own hands dirty."

„Ex-wives?"

Ziva suggested and Gibbs shot her one of his best glares.

„FBI?"

McGee said and soon Gibbs knew how Tony had felt when they were suggesting him who could frame him. And just like Tony, he had many people with grudges.

Somebody with grudges, somebody who knew about him and Tony, somebody cruel enough to get him on that way.

20 h 00 min 03 sec...

ACT 2


Chapter 5:

The sun was raising slowly over Washington DC but Gibbs didn't saw the beauty of it. He saw nothing but red in the sky and at the moment red only meant blood for him.

It was pretty exactly a year ago that Tony had blood on his face. A year ago that a good friend had died right in front of him, because of him.

A year ago, Ari would have been number one of his list, excepts that Ari would have told him that it was him, but Ari was dead.

A year before that he had the chance to kill him. He had his gun, Ari was there, but he didn't do it. He couldn't do it and it cost him a friend. Could it be that somebody he couldn't kill would now kill Tony? Did another friend, no, lover, no, love had to die because he hadn't enough courage when it really was important?

He looked up and there the sky was still dark blue, the same blue Tony's eyes sometimes had. Of course Tony's eyes were green-brown like a forrest, Gibbs knew that pretty well, but sometimes,depending on how the light was falling on them and the ankle he looked at them, they seemed to be blue, the same blue the sky had right now.

„Gibbs?"

Abby's voice was low and faint. He didn't want to respond. He knew from her tone that it weren't good news. She wouldn't tell him that they could track Tony's signal down and find him, safe him.

„Gibbs?"

She asked again. He didn't turned from the window but sighed.

„What Abby?"

„We got an email from the kidnapper."

„So, what does it say?"

He turned around finally. She could tell he had cried but she didn't mention it with one word.

„We thought you want to open it."

He went to his computer and opened the mail. Then he read out loud.

„The box your friend is in is exactly two meters high. It has a volume of 8000 litre. The second the 24 hours are over it will be fill with water. Until then there will be 320 litre of water in it every hour."

Gibbs buried his face. They were about to drown Tony and he could do nothing against it.

„Gibbs, that means in hour 23 there will be 6400 litre, that means the water will be 1.6 meter high."

„So, Tony can still breath when the water is that high."

Ziva said as if they could take a breath.

„Yeah, it's low enough to breath but high enough to panic."

Gibbs said annoyed and finished for McGee.

„Tony will think he has more time and then they will fill it up. The last 1600 litre in a few seconds."

„So, they'll surprise him."

Abby said shocked. Drowning is always a terrible death, it takes you minutes. First there is no air. Then your lungs fill with water. Tears came to her eyes. Tony will suffer not only from the death itself but from the knowledge of what's coming.

19 h 00 min 12 sec...

Chapter 6:

His list didn't brought him any further. There were still too many people.

He smelled fresh coffee and looked up. Ducky stood in front of his desk.

„I thought you would need one, my friend."

„Thanks, Ducky."

He gratefully took the cup.

„You only have names of those you arrested."

The older man said looking down at the list.

„Nope, also those I pissed off."

Ducky smiled.

„Yes, but what about those you hurt."

Gibbs looked at his friend.

„Ducky don't you think that list is long enough?"

But he knew Ducky was right. He had to think of everybody.

„Actually, Jethro, I would take extra special care with that group. Remember it is your life partner and not just a team mate who's in that box of death."

Gibbs frowned.

„First, don't say box of death, we're not dealing with Hitler. Second, Tony wasn't my life partner, at least not official, hell, nobody knows about it!"

„Jethro, I think especially you should know that only because you haven't told anyone it doesn't mean that nobody knows."

Gibbs nodded. Ducky was definitely right but where to start.

„It could be anybody, Ducky. There were a lot of women and men in my life I didn't exactly treat nicely, and the same with Tony, hell I wouldn't be surprised if we had slept with the same people. And anybody could have found out about us. When we were out of the office we weren't hiding, well we were but I mean, we didn't have escape plans and things like that so nobody would see Tony enter or leave my house."

Ducky patted Gibbs shoulder.

„I know my friend. But why don't you start with them near and then go further instead listing anybody with no end."

Gibbs nodded again.



Chapter 7:

18 h 58 min 29 sec...

For at least five minutes Gibbs had been staring at the countdown. They had absolutely no lead. Not a fucking thing. Gibbs thought hard. That wasn't possible. There never was the perfect crime in the entire history and there would certainly not be a cold case „DiNozzo" to be the first and he wouldn't wait until there was a murder!

Every criminal leaves traces. Nobody does vanish into thin air. And there it was. They haven't searched Tony's apartment yet.

„MCGEE!"

How could he forget that? He was working at NCIS for 21 years, he was winner of the „best Agent of the year" award seven times by now and he forgot to search the victim's apartment?



He looked at his watch. 7.23 AM. He had done a new record, from the office to Tony's apartment in 13 minutes.

The door was closed and locked.

„You want me to break it down?"

McGee asked when Gibbs stepped back.

„No need for that McGee, when you have a key."

Gibs said and took the silver key and opened the door.

„Yeah, right. I should have known that you have..."

„What? A key to my lover's apartment? If you've forgotten it, I have a key to your apartment aswell."

McGee looked at his feet in shame. Gibs sighed and entered the apartment.

„I want you to check the living room and I want everything! I take the kitchen."

McGee nodded and left. Gibbs knew that if they found something they would most probably find it in the kitchen but it didn't hurt to check the other rooms.

After 35 minutes they had looked for everything and everywhere. McGee had done all rooms but Gibbs stayed in the kitchen. He had to find something, no matter how small and unimportant it seemed.


Chapter 8:

17 h 59 min 49 sec...

„He said he was here. He said he was at the fridge and that's the last thing he can remember."

Gibbs said and McGee scanned the room.

„Maybe it's been cleaned. It seems too clean for DiNozzo."

Gibbs chuckled a bit.

„Nah, he has a maid. But I don't think it's been cleaned after the attack."

„Why?"

„There are finger prints on the fridge. The chair was moved. And..."

He stopped and looked at the sink.

„What?"

„The pan."

McGee looked at the pan in the sink.

„So? Tony probably had cooked."

Gibbs gave him a look.

„First, Tony doesn't cook. His maid cooks. But in the last two weeks Tony had never eaten at home, always at my place. Second..."

He took the pan.

„This pan is clean. Do you leave clean pans in your sink?"

Chapter 9:

„Dingdingding! We have a winner!"

Abby beamed when they entered the lab.

„You mean you actually found something?"

McGee asked surprised and Gibbs slapped him over the head.

„Finger prints on the pan?"

„All wiped away."

Abby answered.

„On the fridge?"

„All Tony's."

„ABBY!"

Gibbs said threatening.

„Ok, of the three million finger prints you brought me was one neither Tony's nor yours nor his maid's. It was on the kitchen table."

Gibbs gave her the Caff-Pow! but Ziva still didn't look convinced.

„As far as I know Tony didn't live like a priest. It still could be the finger print of one of his girlfriends."

„Or boyfriends. Or drinking partners."

McGee continued but Gibbs shut them all up.

„Why do you think there weren't any finger prints except mine, Tony's and the maid's? The maid was there on thursday, today is saturday.Tony hadn't been home since wednesday. Who do you think was there after Maria had cleaned up without Tony being there and leaving only one single fingerprint?"

He looked that annoyed that neither of them dared to say anything.

„So, you've got a match on it?"

„Yup. Michael Sellers, ex-Marine."

„Never heard of him."

Gibbs said.

„Maybe he has a grudge on Tony and the „master" has a grudge on you."

Ziva suggested and at first Gibbs thought about to shoot her but then, it made sense.

„What are you waiting for? Background check!"

15 h 00 min 39 sec...



Chapter 10:

Start near and then get further. Gibbs thought about what Ducky had said but he still didn't knew where to start. To go through a list by exclusion would be the easiest way but not the fastest and time was running away.

He hadn't had anybody else than Tony for eleven months. After Kate's death they hadn't lost much time before jumping into bed together and for Gibbs it always was one and no other, no matter how loose the relationship was.

„Ding!"

He looked at his screen and saw the MSN Messanger blinking.

„Tony is online."

He quickly clicked it on.

„Tony?"

„Gibbs, you have to find me!"

„What do you think we're doing? Sipping cocktails in a beach bar?"

„There's water, Gibbs!"

„I know Tony. Stay calm!"

„You know? How do you know?"

„They mailed it. They told us that they will insert water."

„Did they say how much?"

„Every hour 320 litre, that means in..."

he looked at the countdown. 14h 15 min 29 sec.

„...about 13 hours it will be 1.6 meters high."

„13 hours? So I have about 13 hours to live? Great! Thanx for the news!"

„You won't be in there then! We have a name, you know a Michael Sellers?"

For a moment there was nothing. Gibbs feared Tony could be off again but then an answer came.

„I never heard of him, I think. But Gibbs, it's a woman! She talked to me!"

Gibbs took a deep breath.

„You know the voice?"

„No, but all sounds are strange in here. It could be that I know her."

Gibbs nodded. Ok, the master is a mistress. And the handyman is Michael Sellers. Now they had to find out who the bitch was and where they kept Tony.

Before he could write anything else Tony was off again.



Chapter 11:

13 h 46 min 17 sec...

„Ziva, that's not good enough!"

Gibbs said annoyed. Sellers was a Marine, Petty Officer First Class, thrown out after three written repriments because of violence.

„I want to know everything about him, I even want to know in what diapers he had a shit! And in what diapers his parents had a shit if you can't find something useful!"

He took the phone.

„Abby, anything new?"

„No, bossman, absolutely nothing. Except..."

„Except?"

„I just recieved an email. Wanna come down before I open it?"

Gibbs didn't hear the last sentence since he already was on his way.down.



Chapter 12:

12 h 58 min 37 sec...

„Ok, what have we got...em..."

Abby opened the email. It only contained a link. She clicked on it.

„A wep cam video."

She said reading the file name.

„Go ahead."

Gibbs said. He knew it would be a video of Tony.

And it was. There was the box, a glass cube, and in there was Tony. The water was already nearly at his hips.

„They took him the laptop."

Gibbs said. It was all he could say. The camera wasn't close enough to see Tony's expression but Gibbs could tell the younger man was shivering.

„Get everything you can from that video. Maybe you can find out where that is."

„How should I find something?"

„There's a window."

Gibbs said and pointed at a corner of the screen.

„Maybe you can see something if you zoom. Just try it, Abby."

He said and left the lab. He was tired of this. He was tired of safing Tony. He knew he wouldn't leave that man but this time it would have consequenses, he just couldn't say which just now.






„What was it, boss?"

McGee asked when Gibbs sat behind his desk.

„A video of Tony."

„How is he?"

Gibbs shrugged.

„The water is at his hips. More I can't tell you."




„Gibbs!"

Ziva said. She stood directly in front of his desk.

„What, Ziva."

„We should get down to Abby's lab."

„Ziva I told you. I want you..."

„We really should get down there, right now!"

Ziva insisted. Gibbs eyed her for a moment and she raised her eyebrows to emphasize what she had said.




„Ok, Ziva. And why exactly had we to get down?"

Gibbs asked more than annoyed when everybody was in the lab and the doors where closed.

„I found something very interesting about Michael Sellers. His mother, Irene Sellers got divorced from his father Andrew Sellers when he was three."

„Sooo?"

„His mother married again and had a daughter."

„You're implying that this half sister is the mistress?"

McGee asked.

„Why?"

Gibbs finished McGee's thought.

„His mother married Carl Sheppard, and his half sister is Jennifer Sheppard, our Director!"

McGee and Abby stared unbelievingly at her. But Gibbs‘ mind was running fast. It made sense, suddenly. All what had happened. Director Morrow leaving, Jenny getting the job, Tony being framed for murder by a collegue...

„Jenny wants to get rid of Tony."

12h 00min 05 sec...12 h 00 min 04 sec...12 h 00 min 03 sec...12 h 00 min 02 sec...12 h 00 min 01 sec...12h 00 min 00 sec...




END OF PART 1 TO BE CONTINUED