Part 30
Jethro Gibbs wanted answers and unfortunately, Director Jenny Shepard was the only one who could give him those answers. He was still uncertain as to the depth of her involvement in Tony’s disappearance and subsequent torture, but he would soon discover exactly how much she knew. Rage was erupting from the volcano within him and he was not sure that he was going to be able to contain his anger; this time he would make sure that Jenny was held accountable for using DiNozzo as a pawn in whatever sick game she was playing.
He opened his front door and with a slight nod of his head, silently ordered Abby and Jimmy back inside to stay with Tony. As soon they were alone, he turned his attention to his former lover as she shifted uncomfortably under his scrutinizing gaze. In two purposeful strides, he had closed the distance between them forcing her back against the railing. Gibbs clenched his fists, resisting the urge to go against his principle of never hitting a lady. Jenny had dared to cross that line and once again, DiNozzo had been the one to suffer the consequences.
“Is Tony all right?” she asked, attempting to act as normal possible.
“Cut the crap, Director,” he snarled. “You’re not worried about Tony; you came here with your own agenda.”
Gibbs observed Jenny visibly bristle at his accusation. “I think I need to go.”
“Not until I get some answers. You came here to find out something, what was it?”
“I came to check on the welfare of one of my agents, Agent Gibbs,” Jenny sharply countered.
“Then why did you need to speak to him in private?”
“Why are you interrogating me?”
Sensing her defensiveness, Gibbs continued to relentlessly press her for details regarding Tony’s disappearance; he owed it to DiNozzo to find out the truth.
“Because I think that you know a lot more than you’re telling,” the team leader shot back. “When I got here, DiNozzo was in the middle of a flashback and it took a hell of a lot more than a simple how are you feeling to trigger it!”
Jenny started at him, her green orbs mirroring his harsh glare. “I really need to go.”
Gibbs grabbed her by the arm, refusing to let her leave. “We’re not done yet. Not by a long shot.”
He tightened his grip as she attempted to pull free. “Have you lost your mind?” the Director challenged.
“Not yet, but keep lying to me and I won’t be responsible for my actions.”
Their faces were mere centimeters apart, his hardened expression a representation of the anger and frustration building up inside of him. “I’m only going to ask you this once, so you better listen close,” he warned. “Is Trent Kort the second man that Tony keeps referring to?’
“Trent Kort?” she echoed. “Tony must be confusing his returning memories with his past encounter with Kort.”
“Don’t go down that road, Jen. You better level with me!” Gibbs growled. “Tony had a flashback and placed the voice with the image of a man pinning him against the elevator and we both know that was Kort.”
“Let go of me!” Jenny pulled her arm free and ended up half falling into the nearest rocker.
“I want answers, Director!” He was no longer trying to hide the wrath that was consuming him like an inferno. “Was it Trent Kort?”
Gibbs knew her better than she knew herself and he could tell by her silence that she was trying to figure out her next move. He would not allow her to shift the blame elsewhere; DiNozzo was missing almost a year of his life and she was partly, if not entirely, to blame. “I’m waiting for an answer, Director Shepard.”
“Yes,” she sighed. “It was Trent Kort, but…”
Gibbs rose to his full height and slammed his fist against the post. Ignoring the pain now shooting through his arm, he began to pace, his growing hatred of his ex-partner fueling every step he took. “And what’s your part in this whole nightmare, Jen?” he demanded to know.
“Jethro, this is all a misunderstanding and…”
He stopped in mid-stride and whirled around to face her. “A misunderstanding? I don’t think that this qualifies as a misunderstanding. You knew where Tony was this whole time and you did nothing to help him! What were you after, Jen? Were you punishing him because of the Frog? Was nearly getting killed and losing Jeanne not enough penance to suit you?”
“You don’t understand!”
“What I don’t understand is how you can in stand by and watch a good man being put through hell when you could have put a stop to it.”
She rose from her seat; her determined gaze a reflection of the fury that was building up inside of her. Gibbs knew that if he kept pushing Jenny that she would eventually supply him with the answers he so desperately sought. “That’s where you’re wrong, Jethro,” the Director informed him. “My hands were tied.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really,” she sneered. “It was either work in conjunction with the CIA or end up attending Tony’s funeral. I went with what I believe to be the lesser of two evils.”
“There was a threat on Tony’s life?”
“Yes.”
“And you didn’t think I should’ve been made aware of this?”
“Like I said, Agent Gibbs, I did what I thought was the best for the agency and for Tony.”
The team leader shook his head in disbelief. How could she do this to Tony? “I’m sure you did. You’re always putting others first.” Venom was dripping from his words and he could only hope that she could feel the sting. “So Director Shepard, tell me how DiNozzo being tortured for months, losing his memory, and becoming an alcoholic was the best overall solution; right now, I’m having a little trouble seeing it.”
“It’s complicated.”
“I think I can probably follow your reasoning. Start explaining,” the former Marine insisted. Gibbs was rapidly growing tired of the runaround that Jenny was giving him.
“I wasn’t brought into the equation until after Tony had been missing for a couple of weeks. The CIA had enlisted Steve Burgess, who was simply nothing more than a mercenary for hire, to capture Tony with Trent Kort overseeing the entire operation. There was some concern that La Grenouille had provided Agent DiNozzo with some information that could be damaging to Trent Kort and the CIA had to make sure that the information didn’t get into the wrong hands.”
“So instead of simply asking Tony, they tortured him,” Gibbs scowled. “That doesn’t make a lot of sense, Director.”
“Trent gave me his word that Agent DiNozzo’s life would be spared.”
“And you believed him?”
“Yes!”
“I guess you think that I should thank you for the fact that Burgess didn’t kill him,” the lead agent grunted. “Instead, you let them nearly destroy his mind and that’s almost as bad, Jen. He was tortured! Why? They made him believe that I wasn’t looking for him! Why? You better come up with a good answer because you’re not going to be able to hide behind that chair again!”
“The CIA didn’t want Agent DiNozzo to have any memory of the interrogation.”
“And I guess Kort authorized Burgess to use any means necessary.”
Jenny’s silence spoke volumes of her guilt. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I only saw Tony once during the time that Burgess had him. I can only assume that things got out of hand.”
Gibbs clenched his jaw tightly causing the vein in his temple to throb. “Out of hand? I think that’s a bit of an understatement.” He was momentarily taken back by her inadvertent revelation. “Wait a minute; you saw him?”
She swallowed hard. “Yes,” Jenny reluctantly reiterated.
Unable to trust his voice, Gibbs pinched the bridge of his nose as he realized that Jenny had ultimately betrayed not only Tony, but him as well. Despite her claim that she was simply following orders, it was evident that somewhere along this twisted path, she had lost sight of her humanity and unfortunately, the man that he thought of as a son was the one to pay the price.
Disgust was the only word that could adequately describe his feelings towards his former partner and lover. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that she was already constructing a plan to cover her tracks, but this time, she would not get away with her treachery.
When he was finally able to speak, he didn’t bother to hide his displeasure with the Director. “You saw him and knew what they were doing to him and you walked away?”
“I had to.”
Gibbs’ volatile temper exploded. It didn’t bother him that he was now receiving strange looks from a few neighbors that were passing by; he wanted Jenny to feel the full force of his wrath. “I don’t believe you! You have no idea of the hell Tony’s been through!
“Do you have any idea of what it’s like to have your identity completely taken away from you? He’s trying to piece his life back together based on bits and pieces of images that he doesn’t understand while staying sober and it’s all because you kept your mouth shut! You know something, Jen? I think that part of you was glad to see Tony gone so you wouldn’t be reminded of your failure with the Frog!”
“That’s not true!” she argued.
“There’s no excuse for what you’ve done! You condemned DiNozzo the moment you turned your back on him and walked away.”
He saw the angry tears that threatened to fall down her cheeks, but they would not sway him from his attack. She was going to answer for the needless agony that Tony had endured and he planned on being judge and executioner.
“Maybe you should keep in mind, Agent Gibbs, that Tony isn’t completely innocent in this,” she pointed out.
“He’s not going to be your fall guy again.”
Gibbs was more than familiar with the silent challenge Jenny was issuing when she crossed her arms and held her head up proudly; arrogance and defiance were radiating from within her core. “Tell me, Agent Gibbs; do you know what happened to Steve Burgess?”
The team leader’s gaze narrowed until his own eyes were shooting daggers through what was left of the Director’s heart. It was obvious from the hidden accusation that she was still in contact with Trent Kort; how else would she know that DiNozzo had killed Burgess? “I don’t think you really want to go there.”
“I will if I have to.”
He wasn’t surprised by her threat. A grim smile briefly danced on his lips. “Is it the thrill of the power that comes from sitting in the big chair? Is that what makes you think that you have the right to ruin people’s lives?”
“Stop being so melodramatic, Jethro,” she taunted. “It really doesn’t suit you. Just like you, I’ve always done what I’ve had to in order to survive.”
“You’re nothing like me, Jen. You crossed the line and you’re going to have to answer for what you’ve done.”
“And Tony will have to answer for what he’s done.”
“The bastard deserved to die!”
“Murder is murder.”
“You ought to know.”
The sound of his cell phone ringing prevented him from having to hear her retort. “Gibbs,” he snapped.
“You need to back off, Gibbs.”
His body tensed at the sound of the Kort’s voice. He was now talking to the man that had been responsible for turning DiNozzo’s life upside down. “You son of a…”
“It’s nice to see that you haven’t forgotten me, Agent Gibbs. I have a few things that I need to discuss with you.”
“When and where?” the team leader impatiently inquired.
“Where you found the body of Steve Burgess,” Kort replied. “Come alone. I really don’t think you need to involved Director Shepard. I’ll meet you there in 4 hours with the answers that you’re looking for.”
“Why not now?”
“Because I’m going to be tied up with a little mess that needs cleaning up. Four hours and don’t be late.”
“I’ll be there.” Gibbs snapped shut his phone and slipped it back in his pocket. “I think you need to go, but don’t worry, I’m not through with you. In the meantime, stay away from Tony.”
“Who was that? Was that Kort?” she questioned, purposefully ignoring his instructions.
“None of your business, Director Shepard,” he fumed. “Now leave.”
“Jethro, I know you don’t believe me, but I really didn’t mean for Tony to get hurt.”
“Save your lies, Jen. I’m not interested.”
Gibbs watched her make her way to her car. As she pulled off, he blew out a frustrated breath knowing that he was going to have gain control of his raging emotions before he saw Tony. The sound of an explosion instinctively caused him to hit the ground as he shielded his head from the falling debris. Quickly pushing himself up off the porch, he ran to the curb and looked up the street to discover Jenny Shepard’s car in flames.
He scrubbed his face as he stood unmoving as the car continued to burn. There was no way that Jenny could have survived that blast and Gibbs couldn’t help but wonder if this was the mess that Kort referred to as to having to clean up. A lump formed in his throat at the possibility of Trent targeting anyone that he considered to be a danger to him; if that was the case, it meant that Tony was in danger.
Pulling out his phone, he called McGee. “McGee, you and David get to my house asap!”
“Is everything okay, Boss?” McGee asked.
“No.” Hanging up, he started to call 911 when he heard the sound of sirens turning down his street. He knew that there was no way that the fire department could have arrived so soon after the explosion unless someone had called it in before it had actually happened. There was no question as to who was responsible for the explosion; Kort wasn’t someone to trifle with and he had just sent a reminder to everyone involved in this nightmare.
His front door flew open as Tony ran out of the house with Abby and Jimmy on his heels. Gibbs caught the younger man before he could catch a glimpse of the devastating effects of the explosion. “Let’s get you back in the house, Tony,” he quietly urged.
“What happened?” DiNozzo wanted to know. “The whole house shook and…”
Knowing that there wasn’t any use lying to DiNozzo, he patiently answered, “I’m not sure. Jenny had just pulled away from the curb and then her car exploded.”
Tony pulled free and stared at the organized chaos in the street as the firefighters scrambled to extinguish the flames. Gibbs placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and guided him back towards the house. “Come on Tony, there’s nothing you can do here.” DiNozzo didn’t resist his efforts and allowed the team leader to usher him back into the relative safety of the house.
“Abby! Palmer! Get inside!” he ordered.
“But shouldn’t we do something, Gibbs?” Abby nervously asked.
Gibbs glanced over his shoulder and shook his head. “No. There’s nothing we can do. It’s all being taken care of.”
He maneuvered Tony over to the couch and shoved a glass of water in his trembling hands. “Drink this,” he gently ordered.
DiNozzo took the glass but stared straight ahead, obviously not caring that the water was sloshing out all over him. Gibbs sat on the table in front of Tony and placed his calloused hands on top of his in an effort to still them. “You okay?”
Tony shook his head. “I don’t know,” he rasped. “I…keep seeing things; remembering I guess.”
“What kind of things?”
“It’s all mixed up and I can’t get it straight in my mind.”
“It’ll come in time,” Gibbs assured him.
His gaze was fixed on DiNozzo as the senior field agent closed his eyes. It broke his heart to see the inner struggle of the younger man as he tried to piece together the missing pieces of his life. He knew that Tony more than likely was experiencing mixed emotions from his encounter with Jenny and her subsequent death, but he hoped that DiNozzo would remember that he didn’t have to try and sort through them alone.
Tony’s voice was barely audible. “You keep saying that but how much longer do I have to wait? How…”
Tony pulled free of Gibbs’ grasp and cradled his head. His expression was a mask of agony and fear and the team leader wanted desperately to take away his pain. “Tony, what’s wrong?” he pressed.
Tears began to stream down Tony’s cheeks. Gibbs moved beside him and pulled him against his shoulder. “Talk to me, Tony.”
Gibbs’ throat constricted as he choked back his own sobs; Tony’s gut wrenching cries were tearing at his very soul. He nodded his approval as Abby sat on the other side of DiNozzo and gently rubbed his arm. After a few moments, Tony wiped the wet tracks off his face and mumbled an apology.
“You don’t have to apologize, Tony,” the former Marine said.
“I know, but it seems like all I can do today is cry like a blubbering idiot.”
“You’ve been through a lot. Tell me what’s going on in that head of yours.”
Tony met his gaze, his cheeks still slightly flushed with embarrassment. “I remember,” he whispered. “God help me, I remember everything…”
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