Rough Past *NCIS fanfiction*

Chapter 10

*9:00 am*3rd person P.O.V*

The team all sat at their desks trying to focus on their work. Though they could not help, but look at Alex's empty desk. Tony couldn't take it anymore. He got up and walked over to Alex's desk. Ziva and McGee watched as Tony searched her desk.

"DiNozzo, what are you doing?" Gibbs asked appearing in the bullpen.

"There's a reason she's not here, Boss." Tony said still searching.

"Yeah, her brother just died." Gibbs said walking up to him. He picked up the papers Tony knocked off.

He froze. "DiNozzo, stop."

Tony didn't stop.

"Tony!" Gibbs handed the paper to Tony and jogged to the elevator. The rest of the team followed knowing something was up.

*Alex's Apartment*

They all jogged up the stairs and started towards Alex's apartment door. Something was wrong. They could sense it.

Gibbs pushed open the already open door. They all had their guns ready.

"Is Alex a slob or is this place a wreck?" Tony asked trying to lighten the mood. Everyone glared at him.

"Call Ducky." Gibbs said after checking the pulse of the man on the floor.

"What happened here?" Ziva asked.

Gibbs looked around the trashed apartment. "Someone knew what she had."

McGee and Ziva exchanged looks. McGee spoke. "What did she have?"

Gibbs stood at the desk in the living area. His eyes glued to the broken flashdrive. He wasn't an expert with technology, but something told him it wouldn't be working anytime soon. "A flashdrive." He stated as he moved to the window.

McGee came over to the window and swabbed the blood on the window and window sill. "I think it's safe to assume this isn't the attackers blood." He put it in an evidence bag. "I'll have Abby run it just in case."

"You do that, McGee." Gibbs said climbing unto the fire escape. He followed the railing since it was stained with blood. The trail stopped at the ladder, still two stories from the ground. He scaled down the ladder noting there was only blood on the first few rungs.

On the ground sat Alex's cell. Still intact but discarded by Alex's attackers. They did not want to be followed. Who would? DiNozzo came down the ladder and bagged and tagged the mobile device for his superior. "What do you think?" Tony asked looking around the alley.

"There was more than one guy. Two or three, I'm assuming since she fled. Maybe more, we can't know for sure. She got onto the fire escape and undid the latch to the ladder. Blood stopped the first few rungs, so something happened to make her fall." Gibbs said while looking at the fire escape. Something caught his eye.

"Pushed or maybe slipped?" Tony asked. "What's that?" He asked Gibbs, who was holding a golden heart-shaped locket.

"A locket, but she never wore this..." Gibbs said more to himself then Tony.

"Maybe it's not hers?"

Gibbs opened it and sure enough there was a photograph of a woman who looked just like Alex only older on one side and a photograph of three kids on the other. "It's hers DiNozzo. No mistake about it." He closed it and handed it over. "Have Abby check it for prints."

*Alex's P.O.V* Unknown time/location*

I woke up in a dark room. At first I assumed the power went out again, but the memories from the night before flooded my head. My arms felt numb, they were cuffed behind my back. A deep bruise had formed on my shoulder and collar bone. Great.

I tugged at the cuffs and hissed as pain shot through my entire arm.

"Look who woke up."

I searched the room frantically for the source. A man stepped out of the shadows a smile playing on his lips. I tried to speak but my throat was raw.

"Sh..." He said pressing his finger to my lips. "Save your energy, You'll need it later..." I bit his finger. He hissed and punched me across the face.

I smirked. "I-is that a-all y-you got?" I croaked. That remark got me a punch to the stomach. Air escaped my lungs and he prepared to strike again. I braced, but it never came.

"Stop it!"

I looked up to see a second man.

"You won't get answers that way." He said coldly.

The first man glared at me. "I don't want answers, yet..." He turned away and stalked off.

The second man looked at me for a moment. "You'll get your chance with her after we get what we need." He waited before continuing. "What we are gonna do to you later is gonna make you wish you were dead." With that said he struck me over the head.

*Some time later*

Pain seered through my stomach, shocking my awake.

"Good morning." The second man said bouncing a bloody blade in his hand. What the hell? A confused look crossed my face, making him smirk. He slashed the blade across my bare stomach, all I was wearing was my black suit pants and sports bra. Six long gashes ran across my abdomen.

"You're a heavy sleeper." He said with a grin.

No, I was knocked unconscious.

"Screw you." I replied bitterly.

He slapped me across the face. "That wasn't very nice." He took a step back. "I need you to behave. We have work to do." He disappeared into the shadows.

There was a faint beep. A square light source? A computer? My eyes were too foggy to tell. I blinked. Trying to clear them. The square light source was a small laptop. White letters were displayed across the screen.

Connecting...

Connecting to what?