In Too Deep Chapter 4


The sudden pain across his face jerked him rudely from the darkness that held him and he attempted to pull away from the next blow before he was even fully aware. His head whipped to the side as the next punch struck him drawing him even faster from the state of semi consciousness. Tony became aware of the coppery taste of blood now invading his mouth combined with the dizziness and nausea that he was experiencing to make him gag as his eyes snapped open in confusion.


"Well, the undercover Pig is finally awake!"


Tony blinked as he tried to focus on the face that was only inches from his own, desperately trying to remember the circumstances that had landed him in this position. His last memories were of a dark crowded nightclub and chatting to a young blonde woman…Blonde woman…the suspect. Slowly the details of the case came back to him but he found he had no recollection of leaving the nightclub or of the Neanderthal that now stood grinning only inches from him holding something in his hand. Tony stared intently at the object and his chest tightened as he recognized it as his video camera and mic. ‘DAMN! Gibbs, now would definitely be a good time to come to the rescue'. The thought flittered through his mind as he struggled to maintain a neutral look on his face.


The man smiled benignly as he stepped back and watched the cop's face. The cop was good at showing no facial response to his find but he saw the small flash of fear at the sight of the items in the dark haired man's eyes. He stared into the cool green eyes that watched his every move, before he suddenly sunk a hard punch into his victim's midriff, causing the man to gasp in pain as he doubled over as far as his bonds allowed him to. "So Pig, you were trying to set us up. I guess you want to know why we are doing this?" He grinned again as he punched the cop again, "This is for fun!" The reason given was accompanied by more punches as the laughter rang loudly in loudly in Tony's ears. "This is all a game and the rules just changed!" He laughed more as he continued the beating, not stopping till his victim finally sagged unconscious on the chair, held upright only by the ropes that bound him.


Laughing Paul Harding wiped his bloodied hands on his pants leg and grinned at the unconscious man for several minutes before turning back to his companion. "This is going to be a blast!" He said excitedly as he pulled a small flat metal box from his pocket. Opening it, he took a small pinch of the white powder within and quickly sniffed it deeply, closing his eyes at the almost instant rush the drug gave him.


The woman watched him before reaching for the container as it was offered and snatching it from his hand, greedily inhaling the drug herself. "I hope he lasts longer than the others!" she murmured dreamily as she followed her companion from the room, "It ruins the fun when they die so quickly. I thought marines are supposed to be tough!"


Slamming the door closed behind them as they left the room, Paul turned towards her and gave a smug grin. "Don't worry - this time it's going to be even more fun. We're gunna play a little game of cluedo with his buddies and we will use pictures and videos of him as our clues!" Images of little pigs running around in circles looking for their friend flittered into his drugged mind and he giggled hysterically, thinking of how soon he would have fun making their victim scream.



NCIS NCIS NCIS


Gibbs stood in front of the plasma screen and stared at the photos of the bartender and the owner of the bar as McGee continued with his background report of the two men.


"The bartender is Michael Wellings, thirty-six years old, born and raised in D.C. He has worked as a security guard and a bartender in various clubs since the age of eighteen. Had one conviction of assault in 1992, stemming from a fight with a customer in the nightclub he was working in. Busted the guy's nose after the guy refused to leave when asked. Did a year in prison. No further trouble since his release. He has been bartending at the Flamingo Nightclub for the last three years. I spoke with the other bartenders and they all said he never left the bar tonight. One bartender confirmed his story about the woman and the bottle of bourbon. I asked if it was unusual for someone to bring their own alcohol and he claims it happens all the time. With the prices they charge for drinks in the nightclub, he'd bring his own too."


Gibbs' grunted and took another sip of his coffee. "What about the owner?" He demanded.


McGee glanced back down at his notes before looking nervously back up at Gibbs. "Um… He was a little harder to get info on, Boss. What I have is still fairly sketchy."


Gibbs stared at him hard. "How sketchy, McGee?" He asked quietly and Tim McGee shivered at the unmistakable anger in the soft tone.


McGee shifted nervously from foot to foot and shot a quick glance towards Kate, hoping for support. Kate nodded encouragingly towards him and he took a deep breath before clearing his voice and beginning the report. "Ummm… The owner of the nightclub was a little hard to track down at first through records, he has the nightclub listed under a business but I was able to discover that the owner is a Benjamin Hardy, forty-nine years of age, address and whereabouts presently unknown. He was born in DC and moved to Canada for several years back in the ‘70's, from Feb '72 til Nov '79.


After returning to the states he started several small business but each one went belly up. He bought the Flamingo Nightclub about a year ago. Paid cash. He was heavily involved in the running of it until about six months ago, than he seems to have vanished."


"What about the apartment that the corridor leads to, McGee? The bartender said he owned it."


McGee nodded, "He does Boss, came as part of the sale of the nightclub but as far as I can see, he has never lived in it. It has been pretty much vacant for the last twelve months."


Gibbs just nodded silently at the information before he turned to Kate.


"I believe that the woman doesn't operate alone in this. There is two, possibly three, accomplainaces. The severity of the beatings inflicted on each victim has increased, as has the drug usage. Almost as if the perps are getting some pleasure and power at taking control of their victims so quickly and dominating them.


Each case has been more severe than the last in terms of the types of torture inflicted. The first victim, Private Joe Mann was beaten mainly with fists. The second victim, Sergeant Tom Hughes, was beaten with fists and Ducky says possibly a baseball bat but the cruelty steps up in a bigger notch with victim number three, as yet unidentified. He was not only beaten but also endured electrical shocks. The latest victim, Lieutenant Paul Evans was beaten and shocked. The last three victims were drugged, possible to cause hallucinations in an effort to torture them more, rather than to control their behavior.


They are on some type of power trip, possibly targeting Marines because of the marine reputation of being tough. They are slowly getting worse and the chances of a victim surviving a kidnapping with them now are extremely slim."


Gibbs' face grew grim. "We are going to find Dinozzo and bring him back alive!" he vowed. "I want the two of you back out there. I want you to find anyone who might have noticed Tony and the girl leave."


Both agents nodded and turned , hurrying away, aware that the nightclub had been full and interviewing everyone was going to take the rest of the night.


Gibbs sighed and hit the key on the computer, bringing up the video of the woman Tony had been talking to at the time of his disappearance. Something caught his eye and he leaned closer to the screen and squinted, staring at what looked to be a brown strand of hair that suddenly fell onto her face, watching as she quickly pushed back. Quickly he pulled out his cell phone and hit the speed dial to the lab, only allowing Abby to answer before snapping, "Abs, I need you up here now to look at something!"


He snapped closed the phone and stepped closer to the screen as he hit the button to rewind the video. "So you're wearing a wig!" He muttered, staring at the laughing woman on the screen.


NCIS NCIS NCIS


Consciousness came back slowly and painfully. Tony Dinozzo sat motionless for several minutes, willing the pain that seemed to emit from all parts of his body to subside to a more tolerable level. Snippets of memory slowly began to return and he gulped as he remembered the image of his mic and video camera being dangled in front of his eyes. ‘DAMN! Gibbs' is gunna be pissed.'


The thought passed unhappily through his mind as he tried to remember how he had managed to screw up so badly. He shook his head in frustration as his memory continued to come up with a black hole after he had entered the nightclub. Realizing that this was not getting him out of his current situation, Tony began to concentrate on how to free himself or at least to let Gibbs know where he was.


Trying to block out the pain that seemed to radiate throughout his body, Tony began to take a silent inventory of his injuries and his predicament. His face and body ached, probably a result of the beating he had endured when his surveillance equipment was found. He was sure that he had a couple of cracked ribs and a possible concussion. A quick tug on his arms confirmed that the ropes that bound him were tight and his ankles were also bound to the chair.


He frowned at the small uncomfortable budge in his back pocket and a small laugh of disbelief escaped from his lips. Whoever was holding him prisoner had been sloppy in their search, if they had indeed searched fully at all. The telltale bulge told him that he still had contact with Gibbs and the rest of the team. These amateurs had left him with his cell phone.


Tony carefully maneuvered his hands, attempting to reach his back pocket and begin the slow and delicate process of trying to remove his cell phone without dropping it. His fingers seemed uncoordinated and it took several attempts as he bit hard on his bottom lip and closed his eyes in intense concentration, breathing a sigh of relief as the phone was freed. He quickly opened his eyes and glanced back at the door as he flipped the phone open and carefully felt for the first number button on the speed dial. Finding it, he depressed it and listened as the soft click indicated the call was connecting and the reassuring ringing at the other end of the line reached his ears.


NCIS NCIS NCIS


Gibbs took a long sip of his coffee before placing the cup back on the table and staring at the dark silent desk in front of him. All leads to Tony had so far fizzled out to nothing. Abby was reviewing the video of the woman, trying to confirm if indeed she was wearing a wig. He sighed considering reaching for his phone and calling her in an effort to speed things along. He leaned his head back tiredly and closed his eyes, his body exhausted but his mind active as he reviewed all the aspects of the case so far.


The ringing of his phone interrupted his thoughts and he snatched it up and snapped it open savagely. He froze momentarily, almost not trusting the Caller I.D as it flashed - DiNozzo.


Recovering quickly, Gibbs hit the talk button and answered - not in his usual fashion. "Tony, are you okay? Where the hell are you, Dinozzo?"


"Boss, I think I screwed up!" Tony's faint voice floated into Gibbs ear.


"No Tony, you didn't screw up! We're going to get you out of there!" Gibbs placed the phone between his head and shoulder as he desperately tried to type in the commands into the computer required for the search, as he continued to try and reassure his agent. "We're coming for you, Tony!"


"They're coming, Boss!"

Gibbs' heart began to beat wildly in his chest as he heard a door slam somewhere in the background and an ominous voice laugh. "Time to have some fun! See this, it will send you on a fun trip without you ever having to leave the room!"

"Tony, we're going to find you! I want you to hang on. Don't do anything that might antagonize them! I'm trying to get your GPS location now so don't hang up!" He whispered softly, knowing with Dinozzo's sensitive hearing that the young man would hear.


NCIS NCIS NCIS


Tony's eyes grew wide in fear as he watched the man approach with a syringe full of drugs - ‘Phencyclidine. It had been used on all of the previous victims.' The thought slipped through Tony's mind as he began to struggle in an attempt to stop the injection but the Rohypnol he had ingested earlier to drug him enough for the kidnapping and the beating he had received upon first regaining consciousness had weakened him. He was quickly grabbed and held firmly still, unable to prevent what he knew was about to happen.


"What the hell! He's got a damn phone!" The strange enraged voice echoed into Gibbs ear and he held his breath as he hit keys faster. He swallowed back an angry shout as he heard the distinct sound of flesh hitting flesh and the unmistakable moan from Tony. "Damn it, this damn cop has managed to make a damn call!" The angry words were silenced by a loud click and the sound of disconnection.


Gibbs stared at the small phone in his hand before turning towards the flashing computer screen that said the trace was not completed. He growled in frustration and fear. Then he threw the phone onto the table, shattering it on impact as he turned and kicked the chair. He stood motionless for a mere moment before he reached into his desk and pulled out the second cell phone Tony had began to leave in cases when he smashed the one he was using. Flicking it open, he pressed a button, waited a moment before speaking. "I want you back in the office NOW!" was all he said when the phone was answered before he hung up and repeated the call to McGee.


NCIS NCIS NCIS


Snatching the phone out of the cop's hands, Harding quickly disconnected the call before he turned and angrily backhanded the defenseless young man across the face, causing both the cop and chair to topple heavily to the ground.


"I thought you searched him!" Kiki screamed angrily as she watched Harding kick the cop angrily before he began to search through the man's pants pockets.


"I thought I had!" The angry man shouted back, his own annoyance at the oversight spilling into the roughness he used through the second search, pulling a wallet form the back pocket. "I don't see you searching!" He snapped, throwing the wallet at her. "What's wrong, scared you might break a fingernail?"


"Hey don't take your blunder out on me!" she grumbled back as she opened the wallet and stared wide-eyed at the badge and I.D Card. "He's no cop, he's NCIS. Special Agent Anthony Dinozzo!" She read before looking up with fear in her eyes, "Damn, they are worse than cops. They never give up!"