This was like something out of a movie, Tony DiNizzo thought to himself. A very bad movie and he was the unnamed extra who ended up getting killed before the second act.
It had been two days since he and McGee were surprised by five gun-wielding, masked men. McGee had gone down almost immediately. Tony closed his eyes, not wanting to believe that the younger agent was dead. No, Probie would survive, he had to. Tony had pushed their prisoner to the ground and tried to get to McGee when he was shot in the shoulder. As he lay on the ground, stunned, he was struck by a rifle butt. The next thing he knew, he was in the back of a sleek car, tied up like a Christmas turkey, his shoulder crudely bandaged. There was no sign of McGee or Pearson.
The men that had taken him looked like they were auditioning for Men In Black 3; they wore black suits and stylish sunglasses. When Tony tried to say something, he was abruptly gagged and shoved further into the back seat. They drove for what seemed like hours, until they came to a crossroads out in the countryside. Waiting for them was a scruffy crew of men, dressed in a mixture of stolen army uniforms and local clothing, heavily armed with what looked like contraband weapons. After some spirited haggling, Tony found himself being dragged out of the car and handed over to the leader of the other group. The sedan headed back toward the city, leaving the hapless agent in the hands of the rebels.
"He's pretty!"said one soldier, putting his hand under Tony's chin and examining his face. "Maybe we could keep him as a mascot?"
Another man scoffed, "You need a woman, Manuel, you're ready to hump anything right now!"
The other men started examining Tony, causing him to struggle, despite the disadvantage of being tied up. The leader of the group fired a gun into the air, freezing all action.
"Enough!" he yelled, "We take him back to camp, rest up for a few days, then go to the coast. We can sell him to the slave traders."
Manuel looked hopeful, "Can we test the merchandise? Make sure he's got all the proper parts and holes?" The other men snickered.
The leader looked disgusted, "No. We can get a better price if he's a virgin."
Another man spoke up, "How do we know he is?"
"They can test him when we get to the coast. At least we can assure them that we didn't touch him."
Tony sighed inwardly in relief. He was afraid he was going to be used as an outlet for sexual frustration, and that definitely was not something he wanted to experience.
The ropes and gag were removed and his arms were pulled behind him, his hands bound tightly. A rope was looped around his neck. The leader put his face five inches from Tony's and said, in thick-accented English, "You will not fight us or you will get hurt very bad." To prove his point he backhanded the bound agent, causing Tony's head to snap back and splitting his lip.
Okay. This was not good. Tony shook his head slightly until it cleared. One of the men picked up the rope that was looped around Tony's neck and started walking, leaving Tony no choice but to follow meekly.
After a few miles, Tony's head was pounding, his shoulder was on fire, and he was burning up. His mouth was dry and he found himself stumbling along, unable to walk straight.
"Can I have some water?" he called out to his captors. He didn't want them to know he could speak and understand Spanish; he needed some advantage.
The group stopped and talked amongst themselves. One man brought a canteen over to Tony and let him drink a mouthful of water.
"May I have some more?"
His request was answered by a fist to the stomach, causing him to vomit the water he had just consumed and eliciting laughter from the other men. Tony had fallen to his knees when he was punched and now the rope around his neck was pulled as the group started walking again. Unable to pull himself up onto his feet, Tony found himself being dragged for several feet, the rope tightening around his neck until he couldn't breathe.
"What are you doing?"exclaimed the leader angrily. "We need him alive, you idiot! The traders will not pay for a corpse."
He bent down and loosened the rope; Tony lay on his back, gasping for air, his head spinning. Rough hands yanked him up to his feet and he was pulled down the rutted track, stumbling occasionally. Finally, unable to stand up straight, Tony fell to the ground, his eyes closed in pain, perspiration soaking his clothing. The wound on his shoulder was bleeding again, staining his shirt a dark brownish red.
"We'll rest for an hour,"declared the leader. "Bastien, clean his wound and give him some water. He's no good to us if he dies out here."
Swimming in a haze of pain, Tony felt himself being turned over, his shirt pulled away from the bloody bandage on his shoulder. He moaned in pain and tried to move away as rough hands prodded the bullet wound. A cry was torn from him as some whiskey was poured on the open wound and he slipped into oblivion, not feeling the rough ministrations of his 'nurse' as his shoulder was re-bandaged.
After an hour of restless sleep, Tony was slapped awake and pulled to his feet. He stood there, swaying slightly, as his captors prepared to continue their trek.
Tony walked on in a daze, his feet sometimes catching on a stone, sending him stumbling. He fell several times, adding scrapes and bruises to his growing catalog of injuries.
The group eventually came into a clearing, where a camp had been set up. The men in the camp greeted the travelers like long-lost friends. Tony was pulled to the center of the camp, his legs were struck from behind and he landed hard on his knees. The leader came up and pushed Tony's head down, forcing his forehead to the ground.
"You stay down until we move you," he growled. "You don't try to get up or I let Manuel use you like a woman."
Even though Tony knew the man wouldn't let his "merchandise" be damaged, he stayed still. It seemed the guerrilla was determined to keep Tony's honor intact, but had no problem with inflicting pain in other ways.
Tony managed to find a comfortable position, grateful that he was a bit more flexible than he thought. He closed his eyes and tried to let his mind drift, but he couldn't calm his fears. He hoped Gibbs was looking for him, along with Ziva. Between the two of them Tony knew they had the experience and know-how to find him, but would they be in time? Would they even be able to try?
He sent up a brief prayer for his rescue and McGee's well-being. Silent tears leaked from his closed eyes, as he tried to banish his fears.
Author's Chapter Notes:
A mission to South America turns into something unexpected.
Chapter End Notes:
The characters in this story belong to Bellisarius Productions and Paramount, except for the original characters. No copyright infringement is intended. This story is for entertainment purposes only; no money is being made. Huges thanks go to Rinne, who makes me look smarter than I am by clearing up my bad punctuation and asking me questions when the story doesn't make sense. She also helps when I just don't know how to get from Scene A to Scene B. hugs to Rinne.
A/N: Spanish is indicated by italics.
A/N: Spanish is indicated by italics.