Biting hard on his bottom lip, he struggled to contain the scream that was caught within as the white-hot pain tore through his body, robbing him of his breath. He attempted to concentrate on the coppery taste of the blood that invaded his mouth from his now shredded lip, determined not to give them the pleasure of hearing him scream, let alone beg for his life.


The agony subsided for a brief moment and he slowly opened his eyes, ignoring the wetness of his own tears as he watched the blurry figures of his tormentors move away. He swallowed hard, reassuring himself that help was on its way. He knew that his team was searching for him, that they would soon find him. He had the training to endure the pain and the faith to know rescue was close at hand. He could tough it out till then!


The three men who had surrounded him moved away, laughing at his fortitude, enjoying the battle of wills that this had become. They had been raised with the stories that Marines were tough but this ex Marine had surprised them all! They jostled each other, taking swigs from the bottle of whiskey they shared amongst themselves as each suggested crueler and more sadistic ways to make him break, each man placing bets on how long it would take before he cracked or gave up.


Drawing a breath and steeling himself for what more was to come, Gibbs warily watched the three men return. The excited smiles upon their faces and the cold glint in their eyes warned the ex-gunny what ever was planned was not going to be pleasant. He felt the icy tendrils of fear tighten within his gut but he pushed it down, determined to endure what ever they attempted to throw at him, and determined that he would be the one to be victorious even in the face of defeat.


He didn't have long to wait! He allowed himself to internally acknowledge the terror that momentarily filled his being as he focused on the instrument the bigger man held in his hand. He gritted his teeth and felt his body tense up in anticipation as he watched helplessly as the small stun gun was pressed against his chest and the finger tightened on the trigger…


His world exploded into a world of agony, his body arching as the electricity arced through already bruised and damaged muscles, his breath torn cruelly from his lungs by a silent scream that intermingled with the delighted laughter that echoed in his ears. The ropes that had bound him so tightly to the chair now cut deeply into his skin, the knots only tightening at the sudden strain.


As quickly as the agony began, it ended, dropping his body back limply onto the chair, his muscles twitching uncontrollably as he swallowed the sobs of pain, ignoring the pain of the now raw throat.


The reprieve from pain was only brief, only allowing him to catch his breath before new jolts of electricity ripped through his body, each more intense and longer than the last. The time period between each jolt becoming shorter until he could no longer identify when one jolt stopped and the next started, his body convulsing uncontrollably even after his consciousness had mercifully fled.


Throwing the weapon in frustration and anger, the oldest of the three men turned back to their captive, grabbing him by the shirt collar and slapping him back to consciousness. "Why don't you break? Damn you!" He screamed into the bruised and battered face.


A small painful smile tugged at Gibbs' mouth. Ignoring the fetid, alcohol breath that almost caused him to gag, he licked his dry lips and whispered. "Never!"


With an enraged roar, the man raised his fist and punched the lead agent in the face, knocking the chair off balance and causing it to crash with its burden heavily to the floor. Drawing his foot back, he used all the force he could muster behind his kick to the helpless man's ribs. The small cry of pain that escaped the ex-gunny's lips no longer brought any of the men satisfaction as they turned and walked away.


Struggling to control the pain that radiated throughout his abused body, Gibbs closed his eyes. "Hurry, Tony, I don't how much longer I can hang on." He murmured as he allowed himself to drift into the darkness that promised some escape from his pain.


NCISNCISNCIS


Staring through the one-way mirror, DiNozzo struggled desperately to free himself. His own pain from the ropes that cut into him as he struggled to gain freedom was unnoticed as he endured the far more intense agony of watching the torture of Gibbs. His own throat was raw from his muffled shouts and pleadings for them to stop, unheard through the tape that gagged him.


Gibbs' whispered plea floated through the speaker that had allowed DiNozzo to hear every horrifying gasp and groan uttered by his boss. Tony's chest tightened with anguish and guilt as his struggle to gain freedom intensified. Gibbs was counting on him to watch his six and he wasn't going to let his boss down, no matter what price he would have to pay.

"Dat boss of yours is one helluva stubborn cuss, ain't he?"

The soft whisper immediately behind him made Tony jump. He struggled to turn towards the unfamiliar voice but only managed to turn his head enough to peer into the gloom, unable to see the speaker.

"Ya know, they ain't gunna stop until he breaks. They love ta see ‘em scream! But I got da feelin' that one ain't gunna give 'em the pleasure. I reckon he'll go ta his grave without beggin' once. Pity! Just a gosh darn pity! I love seein' marines cry like babies." The voice quietly taunted as the man stepped around the chair allowing his prisoner to see his face. "Ya know, I've been thinkin' maybe there is a way to break 'im, maybe da boys just ain't goin ‘bout dis the right way, maybe they should use somethin' dat would really hurt ‘im." He murmured as he stared at the bound NCIS agent in the chair. "Yeah, maybe we've just been doin' dis the wrong way." He muttered again as he leaned forward and roughly grasped Tony's chin, forcing the agent to look up into his face. "Maybe all we need is you!"

Tony's eyes grew wide in horror at the suggestion before defiance and anger replaced the look. Tony attempted to dive forward, ignoring the ropes that bound him tightly to the chair, as he threw himself at his tormentor. But the attempt was thwarted as someone from behind suddenly grabbed him, preventing him from reaching his objective.

The older man looked on amused. "Yeah, I think it's gunna be fun watchin him break over a young pup like you! And it's gunna be almost as much fun watchin' ya beg for mercy, Boy."

Determined that he was not going to allow their captors to use him as a weapon against Gibbs, DiNozzo began to struggle wildly as he was roughly grabbed and held then untied from the chair. Disappointed to find his hands were still trapped behind his back, Tony allowed himself to be lifted to his feet, waiting for an opportunity that he might be able to use to break free. His patience was quickly awarded when he felt the bruising hold on his shoulders momentarily loosen as his subjugator reached for his arm. Tony lunged forward breaking free of the restraining hands, slamming into the body of the man who had taunted him. The momentum carried both captor and captive backwards into the one-way mirror with enough force to crack the thick, reinforced glass. The two men crashed to the floor, leaving a bloodied streak that trailed down the glass and wall. Tony attempted to roll free from the limp body beneath him, while he still had the element of surprise on his side.

"What the Hell?" Leroy muttered as Tony broke free of his grip and crashed into his papa, knocking the older man to the floor in a bloodied heap. "You little…" He screamed as he ran forward and raised his boot back. Using all his weight behind his kick he drove his boot into the young prisoner's back as Tony rolled to his knees.

Unable to stop the silent scream that tore from his throat as his kidney erupted into a fiery pain that quickly radiated through out his back and body, driving the breath from his lungs, Tony fell back to the floor. He had no time to draw himself into a protective ball as he felt the rain of kicks and punches descend upon his body, striking him on the body, head and legs, until the agony of each blow blurred and seemed to morph into each other until he could not distinguish one new agony from the next. Unable to even have enough time between the blows to draw enough air into his lungs to cry out, he finally succumbed to the darkness that offered him a relief from his torment.

Rushing into the room Jed stared at the sight before him. His pa was sitting, dazed, against the wall as Leroy continually kicked and punched the motionless young NCIS agent huddled on the floor.

"Stop ‘im, Boy, before he kills da kid." His father gasped waving towards his brother.

Snapping out of his shock, Jed ran forward and grabbed his brother's arms, pulling him away from the bloodied form on the floor. "That's enough, Leroy, we don't wancha to kill the kid yet!"

Breathing heavily, Leroy raised his foot again, delivering another brutal kick to his helpless victim's ribs. "He hurt Pa!" Leroy protested as he felt himself being dragged as he fought against his brother's restraining hands, wanting to kick the man who had injured his Pa again.

"I know he did!" Jed acknowledged as he held tightly onto his brother as he began to patiently explain to the dim witted man, "And Pa will let cha whoop him good but not until he tells ya' ya can, understand?" When his brother failed to answer, Jed grabbed his shoulders and swung him around, forcing him to face him, shaking him as he growled almost viciously, "Understand, Leroy?"

"I understand, Jed, but he hurt Pa!" Leroy pouted as he dropped his eyes to stare sulkily at his feet.

"I know he did, Leroy and we'll make "im squeal like a pig soon ‘nough, I promise." Jed smiled warmly as he squeezed his brother's shoulder, "When Pa says so."

NCISNCISNCIS

Soft pain filled moans slowly filtered through the protective darkness and pulled him towards the surface, reawakening the white-hot agony that seemed to envelope every nerve within his body. He remained motionless for several minutes as he tried to remember what had happened, and the reason why he now felt such pain.

Jumbled images of being hit and punched intermingled with the haunting memories electric shocks flittered through his mind. Ignoring the pain he tried to search for more memories but the sound of a soft cry of pain from somewhere close caught his attention again. Aware enough now to realize that the moan was not his own, he slowly lifted his head and forced his eyes open, focusing on the blurry figure sitting opposite him.


He blinked several times, as he forced the blurry image into a clearer focus, his breath catching in his throat as he recognized the battered figure bound in front of him. "Tony?" The whispered name slipped through his tightened throat as he stared at the bloodied face and body of his senior field agent and the man he had thought would be his rescuer. "DiNozzo, are you alright? Come on Tony, talk to me!"

"Come on Tony, open your eyes and talk to me!" Gibbs commanded as he struggled against his bonds, "DiNozzo, open your eyes!" His whispered demands were answered a moment later when Tony softly moaned and slowly lifted his head from his chest.

"B…Boss?"

"Yeah, DiNozzo, it's me. " Gibbs answered softly as he tried to visually examine the younger man for injuries through blurry eyes as Tony's head slowly dropped back limply onto his chest. "Tony, how badly are you hurt? ... DiNozzo, answer me!"

Gibbs' order for an answer filtered through the darkness that offered escape from the pain that seemed to reverberate through his entire being. Forcing himself to a new pain filled level of alertness, Tony drew a shallow breath, wincing before he answered, "Think that big ape…broke a …couple of ribs… Boss… hurts to breathe… Head and back…hurts too…think he got…a few…good kicks…to my kidneys…How ‘bout …you?"

"I'll live." Gibbs growled, "How the Hell did they grab you?"

Tony lifted his head, swallowing a moan, as he looked into Gibbs' face defiantly "Your mic and transmitter failed…They made their move …before I…could warn…you … Someone had ...to watch your… six… …tried to follow… I musta… let ‘em get… the drop on me…" Tony mumbled as his head slowly dropped onto his chest and his eyes slowly began to close. "Guess that wasn't… the smartest move…" He breathed out

"Ya think, DiNozzo!" Gibbs murmured quietly, shaking his head at the man sitting opposite. "Tony, I need you to hang on till the others get here, understand? They want us to break but we are not going to let that happen. Remember Rule 1- Never surrender."

"Rule 1 … Never surrender." Tony whispered as the darkness claimed him.

Gibbs smiled, ignoring the pain of his own injuries, "That's right DiNozzo- Never surrender."

"Definitely not the smartest move for a Marine, hey Gunny?" The soft laughter filled question from somewhere in the shadows startled the NCIS Agent but he refused to react to the taunting voice as it continued. "But then again I forgot, your boy isn't marine material, is he? He was just a lousy cop from Baltimore that you recruited into NCIS, isn't he?"

Gibbs tensed as his tormentor stepped from the shadows and stood behind Tony's limp form, his hand gently caressing the back of Tony's head as he spoke. "But even though he's just a lousy Baltimore cop wanna be - he's gunna be the one to make you break!" He grinned as surprise flickered across Gibbs' face. "Did you really think that we didn't know who you were or what you were up to tonight, Agent Gibbs?" he laughed. "Of course we did! We have been watching you since the first day you were on the case! You and your NCIS puppies!" With a sudden viciousness, he grabbed a fistful of the young agent's hair and jerked Tony's head up, causing Tony to moan and weakly struggle against the harsh mistreatment as he grinned. "Do you really think he can follow your Marine rules? Rule 1- Never surrender, hey? Its gunna be fun watching you break a little each minute, watching you beg to make us stop! By the time the night is over Gunny, you are gunna be crying like a baby and your boy here is gunna be begging us to let him die!"

"It's me you want to break, not him!" Gibbs hissed through swollen lips, "Or don't ya think you and lackeys can break a mere Gunny? " Gibbs taunted back.

Jed growled as he flung Tony's head forward, releasing the young man's hair and allowing Tony's chin to slam heavily onto his chest before he pushed past and rushed across to his second captive.

Biting down on his bottom lip, Gibbs refused to allow the scream of pain from escaping as the enraged man grabbed the front of his shirt and shook him violently.

"You think you are so tough! That you Marines are something special, don't cha! The Marines think they are something special- too good for lowly hicks like us ta join. Well tonight, we're gunna show you just how tough Marines really are. Tonight you are gunna be crying like a baby, begging for us ta stop! And ya boy is gunna help us do it!" Jed yelled into Gibbs face before he shoved the NCIS agent backwards causing the chair to rock unsteadily under the abuse. "Ya gunna break before ya die tonight, Gunny! And so is your boy!" Jed screamed as he stormed out of the room and slammed the door closed.

Trying to think through the agony flared through his battered body from the latest abuse, Gibbs' jumped a weak whisper floated across the small space that separated him from DiNozzo.

"Rule 1…Never… surrender…Right Boss?" Tony murmured, watching him through swollen eyes.

Gibbs nodded, "That's right, DiNozzo, Rule 1- never surrender!"

Tony's sudden laughter ended with a cough.

Gibbs frowned, "Do you think the Marine Rules are funny, DiNozzo?" he demanded.

"No… Boss,' Tony manged to gasp as he struggled to regain his breath, "It's just …that I…thought…Rule 1…was Never let…suspects…stay together…"

A small smile crept onto Gibbs' lips. "Rule 1 is that too, DiNozzo!" he whispered.