"What Had To Be Done"
-Chapter Eight-
The team met outside the courtroom now, as everyone had been released for a short break, and the first they did was turn to Ducky. The aging M.E. had been able to hold back the tears that he had been fighting since he'd first been asked to give testimony on the stand.
"Ducky?" Abby asked slowly, as she approached the older man--who was now standing in front of a vending machine just down the hall from the courtroom. "Are you alright?" she asked, that genuine concern that she always had for her friends more than evident in her voice.
"I never told him--" the old man began to say quietly, but then he stopped short.
"Yes?"
Ducky looked up at Abby with sad eyes. "I never told him how proud I was of him--I never told him that he was like a son to me..." then suddenly the old man broke down right there in front of Abby.
Abby stepped forward and wrapped her long arms around the old man and hugged him as tightly as she could--without hurting him of course--and did her best to comfort him. "I miss him too Ducky." she said quietly, a few tears forming in the corners of her own eyes.
McGee nervously kicked his shoe against the bathroom floor as he stood, leaning against the wall, waiting for Tony to finish with his business.
"Look, Tony--I-I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier." McGee said quietly, bowing his head down.
"What's that McGoo?" Tony called over the stall door.
"I said I'm sorry," McGee repeated, slightly louder this time. "You know--for snapping at you in there."
"Oh," Tony replied. "Don't sweat it McGee--at least you didn't KILL anyone." he said, half-jokingly.
There was a silence that followed Tony's words where neither man said a single word for what seemed like forever--until Tony finally spoke up, a little more serious at that point.
"Look McGee--this whole thing has us all shook up in one way or another," Tony said, as the sound of a toilet flushing threatened to drown out what he was saying. "We just have to roll with it ya know--try not to let it get to us."
The stall door opened, and Tony hobbled out--rather slowly--and headed towards the sink(s) to wash his hands before heading back out of the bathroom.
"Tony--" McGee began, raising his voice a little so that he could be heard over the noises that the sinks made. "Vance came to my apartment last night."
Tony turned the sink off, gave his hands a few shakes over the sink, and pulled a couple of paper towels down off of the nearby rack.
"Why?" Tony asked.
"He told me that in order to keep us all together, ya know within the agency--he has to separate us." McGee admitted to the slightly older man.
"Separate us?" Tony repeated the words, slightly confused.
"Yeah--you're getting a new team, Ducky's already resigned, Abby's being replaced by someone else, and they're sending HER (Abby) to L.A.--" McGee shook his head as he tried to continue.
Tony was now looking more serious than he'd ever looked before--probably in his entire life. "Really?"
"Yeah--but that's not all," McGee admitted. "He said he doesn't know, yet, what he'll do with Ziva--and...I'm being transferred back to the 'Cyber Crimes Unit'." he added, rubbing his face with his hands wearily.
"For how long?" Tony asked, seriously, and somewhat in shock.
"Don't know." McGee replied. "And neither does he--he's only doing it to satisfy the Brass."
"That's insane--" Tony spat. "--He can't do that...I mean--what the hell did YOU even do?" he asked, meaning the question to be, more-or-less, rhetorical.
--McGee's FLASHBACK #1--
NCIS HEADQUARTERS--2:00 A.M.
There was a ping, and then the elevator doors opened and McGee stepped out--heading in the direction of the bullpen. To his surprise the whole room was buzzing way more than usual (or more than he expected)--especially when it was so early in the morning.
He was dressed in rather casual attire--on account of Gibbs told him not to dress up just to get down there Pronto--and seemed somewhat confused and bewildered at the sight that he was seeing as he rounded the corner into the bullpen.
Tony was already at his desk, dressed in an NCIS jumpsuit, and phone in his hand--talking with someone on the other end, and doing so with a rather agitated tone to his voice.
McGee stopped short, in front of Tony's desk, and waited for him to finish his phone conversation.
"No. I'm sorry I can't say 'anything' definite at this time. NCIS is currently heading the investigation...and handling it as best as it can at this time." Tony was saying into the phone. "Uh no, sorry--no comment at this time--no, no that's--that's not--that's not what I--you know what," Tony, by now, seemed to be getting more and more upset with whoever it was that he was talking to on the phone.
"I'm--sorry M--I'm going thr--tunnel--signal fa--call dro--" SLAM! Tony slammed the phone down onto its base, loudly and angrily, his face already having turned a certain shade of red as well. "And good DAY to you SIR!" he yelled angrily at the phone (referencing Gene Wilder from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in his momentary fit of rage).
"Everything okay there, Tony?" McGee asked.
"No, McGee, everything is not okay!" Tony shouted back, his anger from the telephone conversation inadvertently carrying over.
"Gee, sorry I asked-" McGee started to reply.
"Sixteen people are dead, Congressman Ferrell's party was ruined, and on top of all that--the media is nipping at our heels like a pack of yapping hell hounds!" Tony fumed.
"Wait--Sixteen people are--Tony what happened out there?" McGee asked, slightly confused, bewildered, and shocked.
Tony began to settle back down, realizing that McGee did not know anything yet. "Sorry about that." Tony apologized.
"Oh, good--Ziva's back." Tony said, as Ziva strolled up to her desk, also wearing an NCIS jumpsuit, and carrying two medium-size paper sacks with her. "Ziva, why don't you fill McGee, here, in on what's been going on in the last few hours."
"Sure. Why not." she replied, as she set the two sacks down on her desktop.
Ziva explained the whole thing to McGee in less than just a few minutes flat, after which McGee just stood in silence for a few moments thinking to himself in silent-shock.
Just then Gibbs came around the corner into the bullpen, dressed in a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, and a gray sports coat. He also carried two gym bags with him. "DiNozzo. David. Go change--Now." Gibbs said, as he tossed one gym bag to each team member. "Then take your other stuff down to the lab." he added.
"Thank you Boss--you're a life saver, ya know that." Tony said, grabbing the bag in mid-air, and then standing up from his desk.
"Thanks." Ziva thanked her boss for the change in clothes.
"He filled in yet?" Gibbs asked, referring to McGee, as he passed McGee and headed for his own desk.
"Yep." Tony said, as he passed by Gibbs' desk on his way towards the restroom to change with Ziva following suit behind him.
"Good." Gibbs replied, sitting down in his desk chair. "McGee--get to work." he said pointing towards McGee's desk.
"Yeah. Sure thing Boss." McGee said, slowly, as he began to make his way to his own desk. "What exactly am I working on?"
"Its all on your desk McGee." Gibbs replied, somewhat coldly. "Run everything through the system--I wanna know what's real and what's not--and I wanna know it 'Yesterday'." he added, as he turned to face his own computer screen.
McGee plopped down into his desk chair, several thick file folders stacked up on top of each other in the middle of his desktop. "So, Abby's in the hospital..." McGee muttered. "H-How's Ducky and Jimmy--are they-?" he started to ask.
Gibbs spun around in his chair to face McGee across the bullpen. "Didn't those two tell you anything!?" Gibbs snapped, unhappily. But then his demeanor changed, somewhat quickly, as his face fell somber.
"Sorry Tim." Gibbs apologized to McGee. "McGee...Palmer didn't make it--he's-" Gibbs explained quietly, shaking his head a little bit.
McGee looked really shocked at hearing that Jimmy Palmer, Ducky's assistant was 'DEAD'. And he sat in silence for the next few minutes.
Tony and Ziva strolled back into the bullpen a while later, enjoying being out of the ridiculous-looking jumpsuits they had been forced to wear before, and into a fresh change of their own clothes.
"Oh, that feels so much better." Tony said, as he plopped back down into his own desk chair.
"Indeed it does." Ziva chimed in, following suit.
"Oh, Boss." Tony said, almost forgetting what he had been thinking about just a few seconds before. "Abby said to ask you where your stuff was at." Tony said, relaying the message that the Young Goth Forensic Specialist had given him to deliver to their boss.
"Abby?" Gibbs said at once, confused. "Abby's HERE?" he said, his voice rising a little bit.
"Yeah--you did not know?" Ziva asked, somewhat confused, for she thought that Gibbs already knew.
"Damn it!" Gibbs swore out loud, as he jumped up from his desk and headed off towards the elevator.
"Uh Boss, where are you-" Tony started to ask, but then immediately shut his mouth as quickly as he could.
"To find out why a member of my team disobeyed a direct order!" Gibbs shouted as he slapped the button on the wall just to the right of the elevator.
-Chapter Nine-
"Abs!" Gibbs bellowed from the down the hall. Abby heard the anger in Gibbs' voice, and knew instantly what was coming.
Gibbs marched through the door glaring at her angrily, his steely-blue eyes burning into her soul as she stood their in front of her workstation.
Abby was so nervous that her frantically beating heart made the throbbing in her head even worse. She had left her hair hanging straight down because of the bandages that the doctors had wrapped around the wound where she had hit her head.
"What, no Caf-Pow?" she said half-heartedly joking.
"What are you doing here?" Gibbs asked coldly, now standing just mere feet away from Abby.
"Gibbs--don't-don't look at me like that." she insisted quietly, wanting to turn her head away from him, but unable to do so.
"Answer me." he said, his voice still just as hard as it had been the first time. "What the hell are you doing here!?" he shouted as he stepped forward--closer to her.
"I-I-I couldn't stay there." she started to explain in a weak voice.
"I gave you a DIRECT order!" he growled.
"I know--but you need me here." she insisted, trying to make herself louder.
"I need you back at the hospital resting--you hit your head, and you were shot." he said, pointing out her injuries.
He opened his mouth to speak again, still seething with anger, and then he realized that she had closed her eyes--she was shaking all over. His demeanor changed almost instantly, and his 'fatherly' side came out.
"Abs," he said softly, as he put his arms around her and pulled her close. "I'm sorry." he whispered in her ear.
"Don't be," she whispered back, basking in the warmth that she found--as she always did--in the arms of her silver-haired boss. "You're just scared like everyone else--its normal."
"Kate, Pacci, Jenny, Palmer--" Gibbs named each member of NCIS that they'd lost in the past few years.
"You did everything you could--in every case--nothing you could do differently would change the outcome." Abby said, trying to comfort her boss.
"It has to end Abby...it has to end somewhere." Gibbs said quietly.
"Look Gibbs...there's a ton of stuff to go through here," Abby started, as she pulled away from Gibbs and headed, walking with a slight hobble, towards her work table. "And I doubt that you'll be able to find someone else who can do what I can--faster, and might I add, as accurately as I can."
Gibbs nodded. "You're right."
"Now, if you'll please, I-I have work that needs to be done." she insisted as she started picking through the massive amount of evidence strode out across her work table.
"If you start feeling anything--other than good--you go straight back to the hospital...Promise?"
"Promise." Abby replied, without looking up.
Gibbs stood silently for a few moments just watching Abby separating the evidence bags into smaller, more organized piles; but then suddenly one bag in particular caught his attention. The label on it read: 'Congressman Carter Harrison'.
Gibbs swooped in and plucked the bag out of the pile just before Abby's hands could reach it. "This bag," Gibbs said holding it up for her to see. "Top priority."
"Right." Abby replied, as she took the bag from Gibbs. She did recognize the name on the bag, and she also remembered her conversation with Gibbs before the whole shootout at the party began.
The 4 or 5 hours practically drug on forever for the members of Gibbs' NCIS team as they sifted through every bit of evidence at their fingertips. Vance popped in to check on their progress at about the 5:30-6:00 time margin. He and Gibbs now stood inside a stalled elevator car talking, in the dim light, in private.
"Where are you so far?" Vance asked, seriously.
"How far do you want us to be?" Gibbs asked, folding his arms across his chest.
Vance shook his head.
"Terrorist act or not, Gibbs?" Vance asked, now being more specific about what he was looking for.
Gibbs shook his head. "Nope. Don't think so." Gibbs replied.
"So, this is homegrown then?"
"Yeah. Possibly, but this wasn't planned by a bunch of rednecks Leon." Gibbs explained.
There was a brief silence during which Vance considered Gibbs' words carefully.
"Let me get this straight, Gibbs. You're saying you think this came from the 'Inside'."
Gibbs gave a small grin. "Yep. Bout the size of it."
"Great. I'm sure you also have a suspect in mind as well." Vance said, not liking where this conversation was going.
"Hmm." Vance huffed, a little agitated at this point. "Don't tell me--its probably better if I don't know."
"Plausible Deniability. Good thinking Leon." Gibbs remarked, with a slight grin.
"Just know this Gibbs." Vance said, putting his hands on his hips, seriously. "If you're wrong about this, or break one rule too many--I won't be able to help you."
"Understood." Gibbs replied, as he reached a hand over and pushed the Start-Up button to get the elevator moving once again.
A few minutes later Gibbs rounded the corner back into the bullpen. Tony and Ziva had just returned from a round of questioning witnesses and the like; and Tony was so ready to sit down in his comfy desk chair for a little while.
"Did I say you could sit DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, as he entered the bullpen.
Tony quickly jumped to attention at his boss' words.
"Fill me in." Gibbs commanded.
Everyone gathered around the plasma screen as McGee transferred the data from his computer to the screen.
"Carter Harrison, age-"
"No one cares how old the guy is McGee." Tony said, snatching the remote from McGee, and clicking ahead to the good stuff.
Ziva rolled her eyes at Tony.
"It turns out that you were right boss--we had to dig deeper than usual," Tony explained, with a smirk.
"And by 'We', I'm assuming you mean 'Me' right Tony." McGee pointed out, interrupting Tony mid-sentence.
"Yeah, whatever Mcflower Power."
"Anyway, like I was saying, we were able to find one link between the gunmen from last night and Congressman Harrison."
"Yeah. Just one DiNozzo?"
"B-but its a good one Boss--trust me." Tony remarked, with a playful grin.
He clicked the button on the remote and documents that resembled bank statements and what not.
"It seems our gunman were hired by someone on the inside." Tony added.
"But one thing still bothers me though," Ziva interjected. "If Congressman Harrison is the one who hired those men, then why did he, himself, get shot?"
"Good question." Gibbs agreed.
"You two just got back from questioning people right?" Gibbs asked.
"Yeah."
"Did you question HIM?" Gibbs asked.
"Yep, sure did--he was rather cool about the whole thing." Tony explained.
"Except, remember, when you mentioned that Gibbs was heading up the investigation." Ziva pointed out. "He seemed, I don't know, a little tense."
"I'll bet he did." Gibbs remarked. "Anything else?"
"Uh--yeah," McGee said, thinking for a moment, and then taking the remote back from Tony and clicking forward a little bit more. "The eight Congressman that were killed last night all have something in common--This." McGee said pointing to the document that was now displayed on the plasma screen.
"They were all major opposition to a bill that is currently under a lot of discussion right now." McGee explained. "See, if the bill goes through it will allow vast amounts of government funds to be appropriated for a new Defense Contract."
"And it just so happens that our friend the Congressman was pushing very heavily for this bill to pass." Tony added.
"Why?" Gibbs asked, looking from Tony to McGee.
"Well, he and, get this, his business partner--Admiral Joseph Rucker--owned a company together that specializes in Military-Grade Weaponry production--if the bill goes through, and they get the contract they could stand to make millions of dollars in profit alone." McGee explained.
"But then why did he kill Rucker?" Ziva pondered aloud.
"Don't know." Gibbs answered quietly.
"But," Tony chimed in, with an unusual grin spread across his face. "I know where we might look for clues." Tony added.
"Where?" McGee asked, somewhat surprised.
"Well, apparently there have been some 'mishaps' over at Zena-Corp, that's the name of Harrison and Rucker's company, and because one of the unfortunate casualties just happened to be the son of another prominent Congressman--the FBI was ordered to open an investigation there." Tony explained.
"Nice work DiNozzo." Gibbs said, turning away from the plasma screen. "Ziva, whatever happened to that sailor that was supposed to come see us?" Gibbs asked.
"Never showed." Ziva replied, as she headed back towards her desk.
"Well, find him." Gibbs commanded her.
"McGee, can you get me the financial records for 'Zena-Corp'?" Gibbs asked.
"Not sure, but I can try." McGee replied.
"Good. Get on it."
"DiNozzo, put a security watch on Harrison--he should still be at the hospital." Gibbs instructed Tony.
"On it Boss."
"What about you?" Tony asked, as he plopped down into his desk chair. "What are you gonna do?"
"Gonna have a chat with an old friend--thanks to you." Gibbs replied, as he turned and headed for the elevator.
"Yes sir. I understand that sir but-" Vance was saying into his desk phone.
Vance had been taking a lot of flack since news of the incident at the Congressman's Birthday party had gotten out. He'd been dealing with it for the last handful of hours, and it did not seem as though handling it was going to get any easier.
He scratched his head as he listened to the voice on the other end of the line drag on and on with a list of demands a mile long.
"Yes sir. I'll have a talk with Agent Gibbs right away." Vance assured the man on the other end of the line.
"Yes sir, you too. HmmHmm. Bye."
He finally hung up the phone, and let out a deep, and long held in sigh as he thought about what he had just discussed with the Secretary of the Navy, and also about what he was going to have to do next.
The day was slowly beginning to wind down by now, and the sky outdoors was beginning to look a little bit overcast--especially here in the park. There two or three couples out in the park as well, one of the couples even had a little girl with them and a family dog as well.
Gibbs smiled as he watched the little family play and have fun together, as he sat there waiting on the park bench.
"I hear we're supposed to expect a little rain." a voice said from behind Gibbs.
"Yep. Heard the same thing too." Gibbs replied, without looking back or moving.
The man walked around and took a seat next to Gibbs on the park bench. The sharply dressed, and slightly balding man was none other than FBI Agent Tobias Fornell.
"Jethro." Fornell said, as he noticed the family that Gibbs was watching.
"Tobias."
"So. How are things down at the office?" Tobias asked.
"Horrible." Gibbs said plainly.
"Figured as much." Tobias replied, shaking his head. "So what say we cut the chase."
"Sure, Tobias, why not."
"Okay," Tobias replied. "Why am I here Gibbs?" he asked, seriously.
"I need a favor." Gibbs said plainly.
"Sure. You always need a favor."
"Why do you have to say it like that, Tobias." Gibbs replied, looking over at his 'friend'.
"Because, Gibbs, everytime YOU need a favor--I always end up with the short end of the stick." Tobias explained.
Tony was gathering up his things, and getting ready to head back over to the hospital to check on Congressman Harrison--and at the same time chatting on the telephone.
"Well are you sure?" he asked the person on the other end.
"Okay, I know. But could you go check again. Please. Thank you."
Beep. Beep.
"Damn." Tony swore under his breath. The last thing he needed was to have to take another call while he was already in the middle of one phone call.
He pressed the button to switch the phone lines over--even though it was rather reluctantly. "Hello. NCIS, this is Special Agent Anthony--"
"I know who you are Special Agent DiNozzo." the voice on the other end said, cutting him off mid-sentence.
"Who is-?"
"Congressman Harrison of course my boy." the man said, re-introducing himself. "I hear you people are looking for me. Well I should warn you--I checked myself out of that God-Forsaken hospital hours ago."
"Really." Tony remarked sarcastically.
"Listen, I have a, uh, well a-a proposition that I think you ought to consider."
Tony listened closely to what the man had to say; but after a few minutes he was starting to not like where this guy was going with his so-called
'proposition'. "Never." Tony growled, in a hushed voice.
"Look son, either you stop Agent Gibbs, and shut down the investigation--or kiss mis David goodbye." the man threatened him.
Tony's jaw tightened as he mulled things over in his mind. On one hand he would never betray Gibbs, but on the other he was in love Ziva David and did not want to have to see her deported back to Tel Aviv--especially after she had worked so hard to become an official American citizen.
"I'll tell you what son, I'll let you think it over for 'a little while', but then after that--Times up. I'll be staying at the King's Cross Motel--I'm sure you know where that's at--so when you're ready to talk-"
"Yeah I got it." Tony replied, gritting his teeth for every word.
And then with that the man hung up, and then so did Tony.
"Something wrong?" Ziva asked, noticing the look on Tony's face from behind her desk.
"No-no everything's fine." he replied, standing back up and grabbing his coat, badge, and gun.
He walked around his desk, and then stopped right in front of Ziva's desk on his way to the elevator. "I promise--Everything will be fine." And then with that he took his leave.
.........To Be Continued in Part Four.........
Author's Chapter Notes:
Gibbs and the team are now dealing with the loss of one of their own...One of the other team members is threatened...Another will fall...and a tragic secret is revealed...