A Life Saved, A Rift Unhealed

[Braddock Mall Parking Lot]

The sound—a faint thud followed by a barely audible, muffled cry. His enhanced hearing, an ability he had long learned to control, allowed him to pick it up from nearly a hundred yards away. Alex zoned in, and he recognised the voice.

'Wilkerson.'

Keeping his expression neutral, he stood by the car, deep in thought. Alex didn't want to raise suspicion or make it obvious that he had just heard something only someone like him could hear.

"What's the hold-up?" Ziva asked, her tone laced with her usual edge of sarcasm. "If you're that scared, I'll try to drive slowly."

Alex shot her a dry look. Wilkerson wasn't far away; she was trapped, and Alex had to lead Ziva to her without revealing how or why he knew. He had to be careful—Ziva had shown time and time how troublesome she could be; if he gave her an inch, she most definitely would take a mile.

"Ziva," he began, trying to sound thoughtful, "think about it for a sec. We know Wilkerson's likely trapped inside the trunk of a car. And look around us…"

Ziva raised an eyebrow as she turned her head toward the mass of parked cars. "We're surrounded by cars," she finished, nodding in agreement as the realisation hit her.

"You think she could be locked in one of these?" she asked, her voice now more serious.

Alex nodded slightly, masking his urgency. "It's a logical approach, given that she was last seen here as seen in the video message she recorded...it sounds like she was waiting for someone. I think the meet-up didn't go smoothly, and she ended up in the trunk of one of these cars."

Ziva nodded. "Makes sense. But how do we narrow it down? There must be hundreds of them. It's impossible to go through them on by one."

Alex glanced around the parking lot, pinpointing the exact vehicle from where he had heard the noise. He kept his gaze steady, never betraying the fact that he already knew which car to check. The sound came from a car on the top floor, and currently, they were on the third floor.

"Look for cars that are parked alone, away from other cars. We will split up and cover more ground," Alex suggested, gesturing casually toward the cars lined up on his left. 

Ziva agreed and moved off, her eyes keen as she started inspecting the vehicles on her side. Meanwhile, Alex walked toward the cars that were parked alone and away from other cars. 

*thud*

There it was again, softer this time. He could feel it in his bones now, that innate sense of urgency kicking in. Alex's instincts were screaming at him—Wilkerson was in there. Alex hated this; when he was on active duty, for almost all the mission, he was alone with Kai, so he didn't have to worry about things like these, about being discreet or being discovered.

He glanced over his shoulder, confirming Ziva was still preoccupied with her search on the other side. He moved quickly but subtly, running his fingers along the car's trunk, pretending like he was checking for any signs of forced entry or tampering. They went through each floor, checking the isolated cars. And finally, they reached the top floor.

Ziva suddenly reappeared at his side, her gaze sharp. "Find anything?" she asked.

"Not yet," Alex replied, keeping his voice even." Alex, this might have been a waste of time, and the commander's clock is ticking. Maybe we should call this off and get back to HQ with the camcorder."

"Maybe.... but we've come so far, so let's see this through", said Alex as he subtly directed her towards a dark blue sedan at the corner of the lot.

Just as Ziva walked past it it made a low thud. Ziva stood right on her tracks and placed her ears on the rear of the car. 

*THUD*

"Alex." she called out. "Found something."

Ziva, pulling out her lock-picking tools, got ready. "I'll open the trunk."

Alex stepped back, giving her space but focusing on listening for any more signs of distress inside the car;

'Wilkerson seemed alright.'

Ziva worked quickly, her hands skilled and steady. After a few moments, there was a faint *click* as the lock gave way.

Alex stepped forward and lifted the trunk. Inside, curled up and looking dishevelled but alive, was Commander Wilkerson. Her face was pale, and her eyes wide with a mixture of relief and exhaustion. She blinked, momentarily stunned to see Alex standing above her.

"Lt. Bishop?" she asked, her voice hoarse, as though she couldn't quite believe what she was seeing.

"Cmdr. Wilkerson," Alex said calmly, despite the racing thoughts in his head. "You're safe now. We're taking you to a hospital." Alex gently let her sit on the floor.

Ziva, who had crouched next to Wilkerson, checked her pulse and made sure she was stable before glancing up at Alex. "She looks exhausted, and there are signs of dehydration but no serious injuries from what I can tell."

Wilkerson nodded weakly. "I've been in here for hours... He—" she paused, closing her eyes for a moment as if trying to regain strength. "He...locked me inside."

Ziva looked up at Alex, her face grim. "We need to move. Fast."

"Agreed," Alex replied. He carefully helped Wilkerson stand up, supporting her as Ziva opened the back door of the Charger. They helped her into the car, laying her across the backseat.

"Call Gibbs and let him know I will drive," Alex said, sliding into the driver's seat. The phone barely rang twice before Gibbs answered.

"Talk to me, Ziva."

"We found Wilkerson," She replied, his voice steady. "She's alive, but she's been trapped inside a trunk for hours. Looks like she's dehydrated and exhausted, but nothing life-threatening. We're taking her to the hospital now."

Gibbs's voice was as sharp as ever. "Good. I'll inform the team. Get her there safe, and keep me updated."

"Got it," replied Ziva before ending the call.

Alex drove fast, a little over the speed limit but he maintained the equilibrium of the car.

"You hanging in there, Commander?" Alex asked, glancing back at her.

Wilkerson gave a weak nod, her voice barely above a whisper. "I...didn't expect...to see you, Bishop."

"Surprises are kind of my thing," Alex replied, keeping his tone light, But his tone lacked the usual mannerism.

Ziva glanced at Alex briefly, a flicker of curiosity in her eyes at their exchange, but said nothing. He focused on the road as they sped toward the hospital.

Minutes later, they arrived at the emergency entrance. Ziva jumped out and flagged down medical personnel while Alex carefully helped Wilkerson out of the car. A few medical personnel rushed over, quickly putting her onto a stretcher and wheeling her inside.

As Wilkerson was taken into the hospital, Alex and Ziva exchanged a glance.

"Well," Ziva said, "That was quite the rescue."

Alex nodded. "Yeah. But we still need to figure out who she was meeting and why they left her like that." They had Wilkerson, but the mystery behind her abduction was far from over. 

"But good job finding her," said Alex as he patted her hair.

Ziva karate-chopped his hand and shot Alex a knowing look. "And don't think I've forgotten about that other conversation we were having."

Alex smirked and whistled, deflecting as usual. 

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[Conference room, NCIS HQ]

4 people were gathered around the table of the conference room. Gibbs, Kate, Cmdr. Amanda Wilkerson and her CO, Paul Martino. The rest of the team, including Alex, were waiting at the Bullpen.

As soon as she was well enough, Wilkerson came to NCIS HQ to give her official statement.

For the last 2 years, she has been a part of Perverts Brought to Justice(PBJ), an organisation dedicated to assisting law enforcement in tracking down online paedophilia by monitoring suspected abusers. A few weeks back she came across an online pervert who called himself, "Fleet Captain". They talked on the web through an internet messenger. Unlike the other run-of-the-mill pdfiles, this guy was good with computers, really good. He rerouted his IP address across different servers across the continent making it impossible to track him down. So Wilkerson agreed to meet him in person to gather more info.

Wilkerson cleared her throat, her voice still raspy from her ordeal. "By this time, we had been talking for weeks. 'Fleet Captain', he was... methodical and had the technical skills to evade us, rerouting his IP through servers all over the continent, making it nearly impossible to track him down."

Gibbs narrowed his eyes, his voice low and sharp. "And you thought meeting him in person, alone, was a good idea?"

Wilkerson flinched slightly at the reprimand but straightened up. "I didn't want to involve anyone else. I had been on this case for weeks, tracking this monster. I needed to bring him down. He agreed to meet at the Braddock Mall. It was supposed to be simple. I'd confirm his identity and report him to law enforcement."

Kate leaned in, her expression concerned but practical. "But something went wrong, didn't it? What happened when you met him?"

Wilkerson sighed. "I made a mistake, and he spotted me. When he saw me, he hesitated for just a moment. I thought I could bring him down. But then—" She paused, closing her eyes as if reliving the moment. "He attacked me. That took me by surprise, I expected him to flee. Before I could react, he overpowered me, and the next thing I knew, I was stuffed in the trunk of his car."

Kate exchanged a glance with Gibbs before asking, "Can you describe how he looked? Anything that stood out?"

Wilkerson nodded, her voice steadying. "White. He wore a hat. Maybe early or mid 40s. Clean shaven. Dark hair, about 6 feet tall, fit. He looked harmless, like a typical suburban dad, but I could tell who he actually was. No matter how much they try to hide it, these people...they have a certain look in their eyes. Sadistic and unapologetic. "

Gibbs had a stern look in his eyes. "You should've called for backup, Commander, Or better, stayed away from the whole mess. This is a job for law enforcement. Going in alone was reckless. It almost cost you your life."

Wilkerson looked down, her hands fidgeting. "I know. I thought I could handle it. I've been handling these kinds of ops for years. I just—"

Captain Martino, who had been silent until now, stepped forward, his voice hard and cold. "This isn't just about you, Amanda. You put the entire operation at risk by going rogue like that. This isn't a game, and you should've known better."

Wilkerson's face hardened, her eyes meeting Martino's. "I was trying to protect kids, Captain. That's the endgame, right? Stopping monsters like him."

"Not at the cost of your life," Martino shot back. "Or the integrity of our mission."

Kate intervened before the tension could escalate further. "Commander, Can you recall anything else before things went sideways?"

Wilkerson looked away, her voice quieter now. "I... didn't have time. He was faster than I expected. One minute we were fighting, and the next... everything went dark."

Gibbs leaned back slightly, scrutinising her. "You're lucky Bishop and David found you when they did. You had been trapped any longer; there could have been long-lasting repercussions."

Wilkerson nodded. "I know. I owe them."

Alex, who was sitting in the bullpen with the rest of the team, listened intently. Something about Wilkerson's testimony didn't sit right with him. He picked up on the slight shifts in her tone, the pauses in her speech and her heartbeat. She was lying—about something. But what, and, more importantly, why? Wilkerson wasn't the type to fabricate a story about someone being a paedophile if they weren't. That much Alex knew. So, what was she hiding?

He stared at the floor. The pieces strangely enough added up, and it troubled him. Whatever the truth was, Wilkerson's story wasn't as clear-cut as it seemed.

In the conference room, Gibbs spoke again, his voice low but commanding. "We'll run down every lead on this 'Fleet Captain.' But you won't get a free pass next time, commander; what you did was borderline illegal."

Wilkerson nodded, her expression solemn. "Understood, Agent Gibbs."

Gibbs gave her a long, hard look before standing. "Get some rest, Commander. We'll handle the rest from here."

"Since Cmdr. Wilkerson has been found; we will proceed with the transportation of Fuel-rods," said Martino.

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[Bullpen, NCIS HQ ]

Commander Wilkerson and Captain Martino descended the stairs, followed closely by Gibbs and Kate. The clamour of the office was hushed as the team sensed the undercurrent of hostility. Alex stood by his desk, his eyes already on Wilkerson and Martino. Even without any exchange of words they could tell there was bad blood between Alex and both Wilkerson and Martino.

Wilkerson's gaze met Alex's, and for a moment, there was nothing but silence—no words, just a quiet storm brewing beneath the surface. Martino, walking beside her, cast a cold, contemptuous glare toward Alex. 

Wilkerson turned toward Ziva, her expression softening slightly as she addressed her.

"Officer David," Wilkerson began, her voice still hoarse from her ordeal but clear enough. "Thank you for finding me. I owe you now."

Ziva, standing tall but humble, gave a small smile. "Just doing my job, Commander."

Wilkerson seemed to hesitate for a moment, her eyes flicking back to Alex before continuing, her expression hardening. She turned to face Alex fully, the tension between them thick as a wire stretched to its limit.

"You saved my life, Bishop," Wilkerson said quietly, her tone carrying the weight of history and unresolved bitterness. "But let's get something clear—this changes nothing between us. I will never forgive you for what you did."

Alex didn't flinch, his face impassive, though the words seemed to strike deeper than he let on. "And I don't expect you to," he replied evenly, his voice steady and cold. He didn't break eye contact, and neither did Wilkerson.

Martino, standing behind Wilkerson, glowered at Alex in pure contempt, but he kept his silence. It was clear his disdain ran just as deep, though the reasons behind it remained unsaid.

Without another word, Wilkerson and Martino walked past, leaving the bullpen in a silence that lingered even after they had gone. 

Gibbs, always sharp, broke the silence. "What do we have?"

McGee, who had been diligently working at his desk, quickly tapped a few keys on his keyboard and pulled up the necessary files. "Boss, I was able to identify 'Fleet Captain' from Wilkerson's data on her system. His name is William Lafferty, and he is forty-six years old. He is an IT consultant based in Georgetown. No criminal record, but his online activity fits the profile Wilkerson described."

"Apparently, the trunk inside which she was trapped in is this guy's car. Can you verify the owner of the car, McGee?" asked Gibbs.

McGee quickly typed, "The car belongs to William Lafferty, Boss."

" Guess That's all the confirmation we need," said Tony.

Gibbs' eyes narrowed as he absorbed the information. "Where is he now?"

McGee continued typing, his fingers gliding over the keyboard as he tracked Lafferty's movements. "According to his cell phone records, his last known location was his residence in Georgetown. The phone hasn't moved in over 3 hours."

"That means he's either holed up or preparing to run," Ziva commented, walking up behind McGee with a serious look. "Either way, we've got to get to him before he pulls another stunt."

Tony nodded in agreement. "A man like this doesn't just stop. If he's evaded detection for this long, he'll have backup plans."

Gibbs, always ahead of the curve, was already grabbing his gear from his desk. "DiNozzo, David, —gear up. We're going to Georgetown."

Tony and Ziva quickly moved, getting ready for the takedown.

"Good work, McGee," Gibbs said, his tone brisk. "Keep digging into Lafferty's online activity. I want to know who he's been talking to, where he's been, and what his next move might be."

McGee nodded, "On it, Boss."