Chapter 5
Tony's immediate feeling when he awoke was relief. Relief that
he was alive, but this feeling soon turned to despair as he realized what being alive meant. It meant he could be forced to endure all of that torture again. His beaten body slumped against the bonds that were tying him to the chair as he contemplated his situation. Part of him, the normal strong part, was overjoyed at being alive, but his weaker side would almost welcome death. His eyes snapped open and he found himself face to face with his captor.
"Good, you're awake," he said simply. He placed a laptop on the table in front of Tony and after the push of a button, moved behind his prisoner. The laptop flickered to life, and on the screen a video began to play. Unable to tear his eyes away, he watched with growing anger as Jennings tortured Abby. He flinched at her scream as blood came seeping out of her side, and gasped as Jennings made a final blow, breaking Abby's wrist before knocking her into unconsciousness, or, for Tony couldn't tell, killing her.
Twenty minutes had passed before the team congregated in the bullpen.
"I narrowed our search down to these two apartment buildings," McGee was reporting, "they're abandoned, but according to police lots of people break in and use the place for shelter."
"Michael Jennings had a brother, Mitchell. He drives a blue ford pickup, which was last spotted in the same area as those apartments," Ziva added her bit of knowledge.
"You waiting for an invitation?" asked Gibbs, already halfway to the elevator. They both grabbed their guns and rushed after him.
It was about a half an hour drive, during which all three agents were silent, lost in thought.
Gibbs was taking the loss of his agents hard. He knew that Jennings would kill them unless they got their in time. He might have already done it. It was times like this when Gibbs felt like the father of a family of teenagers, always getting them out of trouble, but hopefully he'd be able to get them out this time. He already felt he had let them down, he couldn't bear to lose them forever.
The newest member of the team stared tiredly out of the window. Ziva's face was blank, a mask, shielding the sea of emotions rolling around inside her. Abby hadn't liked her when she had first arrived. It was understandable, Kate had been her best friend, after all. She couldn't even imagine someone else being in the forensic lab, though. It wouldn't be the same. Tony on the other hand, well he was a pain in the ass, but without him the team would be nowhere. His sharp wit was a small price to pay for his other detective skills.
Tim too was thinking about Tony, whom he looked up to like an older brother. Sure Tony sometimes, well all the time, tried to make McGee's life hell, but when things got bad, he was always there watching his six. As for Abby, she felt like his own little sister, cute and playful, but in a dangerous kind of way. If he lost either of them he wasn't sure his life could go on.
McGee grabbed the O.S. (Oh Shit) handle as Gibbs sped round another corner without even slowing down. If Tony had been there he would've complained, but McGee didn't say a word. The sooner they got there the better. The bigger the chance that they were still alive. Although it could already be too late, he shuddered and couldn't bear to think about it. All though now isn't the time for thinking, he thought as they pulled up to the first building, but for action.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Tony is made to relive Abby's pain also, and help is on their way. But will they make it in time?