“I don't see how this could have happened, sir. There are protocols that must be followed,” the principal protested for what seemed like the hundredth time, “We don't just let any old person waltz into our school and waltz out with a child that's not their's.”
Fornell finally turned away from the security video playing on the screen at FBI Headquarters. “Well, obviously, your imbecile of a secretary didn't follow your precious protocols, did he now? And you know why? 'Cause he was thinking with his balls instead of his brains.”
Leaving the man to sputter in indignation, he turned back to the screen, which was once again showing a dark-haired young woman lean on the desk and address the secretary. You could clearly see the man was concentrating so fully on the view that he barely glanced at the note she handed him or at the telephone as he called Emily's classroom. Neither did he notice the look of confusion on the little girl's face as the woman led her away. Fornell noted vaguely that she made sure to give a final twitch of her hips as she walked out the door, towing his helpless girl after her. Probably to keep him from thinking to much about anything else for a while. That way she could be far away by the time someone figured out something was wrong, he thought spitefully, and it worked to. He was still daydreaming when I came in three hours later.
“Besides, she's not just any old person,” he muttered more to himself than to the principal, who was now trying to think of ways to salvage his reputation.
“Sir, do you recognize the kidnapper?” asked the video/audio tech.
“Yeah, I recognize her all right,” he mumbled, “And I recognize what she's capable of as well.” He'd only caught a glimpse of her once almost exactly three years ago, but he had never forgotten her face, nor the look she had sent him as she watched him lead away her older brother. It had been clear to him then that she had vengeance on her mind. But after a while he'd let that thought, that fear, fade into the background of his mind, replaced by more immediate concerns. But the image was always there waiting, silent except for a few nudges in the rare moments when he let his mind stray too far from the present. Just as she herself must have been waiting, patient as she looked for vulnerabilities in his life, waiting for a single moment of weakness on his part.
Suddenly he turned around and stalked out of the lab, ignoring the protests of the principal, the lab tech, and his supervisor. Giving a moment of thought to his situation he turned around to confront his supervisor, “I don't care what you say...” he began.
The older man cut him off, “I know you better than that, Fornell. I haven't even bothered considering ordering you off this case,” he said in resignation, “However, you can't do this alone. I am ordering you to take a couple of agents with you.
Fornell sighed, “That's fine as long as I get to chose the agents myself,” He wasn't going to let his daughter's fate rest in the hands of some half-witted, straight-laced, fool of an agent.
“Take whoever you need. Where were you going in such a hurry anyway?”
“NCIS Headquarters. I need to talk to Gibbs.”
His supervisor blinked in surprise, “What does Agent Gibbs have to do with this mess?”
“Oh, just about everything,” he tossed over his shoulder as he walked out the door.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.