Collateral Intentions
"Ari has been declared off-limits. NCIS will have no further involvement in the case." in the dimly lit room of MTAC 2, men could be seen discussing.
"You're kidding, sir." Senior Special Agent Gibbs agitatedly responded.
The man's anger was justified. He almost lost his team today because of Ari Haswari, and just a few hours before, the perp in question bombed a crowded coffee shop and not to mention the murder of 2 US Navy Lieutenants.
"I've also been ordered to place you under protective custody for your own safety." sternly said Director Thomas Morrow
"Meaning, for Ari's?"
"Take it for what it is. A direct order, Agent Gibbs. And you damn well better follow it to the letter."
"Yes, sir."
"I'd also like to take this opportunity to offer you my resignation, sir."
'Like hell, you are side-lining me, Morrow.'
"And I will accept it after you've completed your current case."
'Two can play at this game Jethro.'
"....."
"Have you found any evidence connecting Ari to the murder of our two Naval officers?" inquired Director Morrow.
"No, we haven't, sir."
"I will now hand you over to our federally certified protective custody expert, Agent Todd." Morrow continued
"I hear she used to protect the President.
You should be flattered."
Gibbs lightly smiled at that.
"And just to be sure, Lieutenant Alexander will be added to your protection detail."
And like that, the smile went away.
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At the Bullpen, Agent Kate Todd quickly got into her assigned role and instructed the rest of the team on what to do. But Special Agent Tony and Special Agent McGee were a bit distracted because of the elephant in the room, named Alex, who settled into seat next to Agent McGee's cube.
Just after coming from MTAC, Kate introduced the team to Alex. She only told them his name and that he would be protecting Gibbs as she also didn't know anything else either.
...
After Gibbs was told he would have an added security detail, he argued with the director for a good half an hour. Gibbs wasn't what you call reserved or shy. He spoke his mind no matter who stood in front of him. But eventually, the Senior Special Agent reluctantly had to agree to the 'suggestion' of Morrow
...
"I do not need an army of agents to watch me all night. Go get some sleep. I won't be leaving the building."
"With all due respect, We'll be staying, Sir." Even though it was Kate who said it, the entire team unanimously agreed.
A few hours in, they were fast asleep in their seats except for Gibbs. He smirked, checking upon the loyal 'minions' who were supposed to protect him. But, in their defence, it's been a hectic day them with getting blown up and everything.
He continued walking and stood next to the desk to the left of Agent McGee's ;in front of Lt. Alexander Bishop.
Gibbs squinted his eyes, checking out the guy. Alex's eyes were shut, and his chair reclined back. He wore a black varsity jacket with a white Tee and black denim jeans. He looked about 188 cm tall and had an athletic build; Alex had a defined jaw and stubble and looked like he was in his early twenties.
'A little too young to be a Lieutenant.'
"That must be the famous Gibbs stare," said Alex, his eyes still closed with a light grin.
"Get up. Let's take a walk, Lieutenant."
"Yes, Sir."
He opened his eyes and sat up, adjusting his posture. He followed Gibbs as they walked through the dimly lit hallways of the NCIS headquarters.
Gibbs finally broke the silence. "You've been assigned to protect me, Lieutenant Alexander. What's your background?"
Alex glanced at Gibbs, his expression serious. "Navy, Special Ops, Sir. 7 years in service. I mostly deal in search and rescue operations, but I am trained to handle situations like these as well."
'Vague answers.'
Gibbs nodded. "I appreciate your dedication to the job, Officer...But I don't need babysitting. I can handle myself."
Alex's gaze remained steady. "Respectfully, sir, it's not about your capabilities. It's about following orders and keeping you safe. We all have our roles to play."
Gibbs grunted.
He had always been a team player, even if he didn't always show it and sometimes even though he didn't like it. He respected the chain of command and knew the importance of having someone watching his back, especially in times like these.
As they reached the end of the hallway, Gibbs turned to face Alex. "I don't like being coddled."
Alex smiled with a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Understood, sir. I'll keep that in mind."
With that, they made their way back to the Bullpen, where the rest of the team was starting to wake up.
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On, May 24, 2005, the day before, 2 US Navy soldiers were allegedly killed by Ari.
Lt. Curtis Janssenand and Lt. Dean Westfall. The team has been investigating the connections between the perp and victims, which finally led them to Danborn Avionics.
The team head to Danborn Avionics, a defence contractor where Lt. Westfall was involved in a project related to modular UAVs or drones. They met up Rex Eberlee, their contact at the company, who informed them that Lt. Westfall was removed from the security system the previous evening.
Tony asks Eberlee if there is a possibility that one of the UAVs is missing, but Eberlee insists they only have one. Curious about the security measures, Kate inquires if any fingerprint or palm ID systems are utilized. Eberlee hesitates and asks why she wants to know.
Tony reveals that Lt. Westfall's killer took his hands, shocking Eberlee, who claimed he didn't know anything regarding that. Eberlee then explains that the radio flight controls of the drones rely on biometrics and that Lt. Westfall's information was present in the system.
While the conversation unfolds, Gibbs uncovers a nearby tarp and questions Eberlee about what is underneath. he responds that they are obsolete, non-operational target drones. However, Gibbs notices that one of them appears to be missing. This revelation confuses Eberlee, who explains that it would require a team of engineers and a radio controller to get an old drone functioning.
Gibbs deduces that the bad guys likely have Lt. Westfall's controller and are involved in some suspicious activities involving the stolen drone. It becomes evident that there is a VERY SEVERE security breach, and Gibbs and the team must now delve deeper into the investigation to uncover the identity and motives of these individuals.
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...Gibbs talks to Fornell about Ari, who reveals that the FBI has known about Ari being in the country for a week, but only recently discovered his secret mission. Gibbs wants to take down Ari, but Fornell disagrees, saying that the FBI can handle it. Gibbs points out that the civilians at the coffee shop, who Ari tried to kill, might have a different opinion.
From Alex's perspective, it was pretty obvious that Gibbs was out for blood and didn't want to back down...
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In Abby's lab, Kate and Gibbs were called here as Abby discovered something Alex as the security detail tagged along
"Who are you?" asked Abby glaring.
Alex chuckled lightly. "I'm Lieutenant Alexander Bishop, ma'am. I've been assigned as Agent Gibbs' protective detail."
Abby raised an eyebrow. "Oh, Gibbs has a bodyguard now? That's fancy. Well, nice to meet you, Lieutenant Alexander Bishop. I'm Abby Sciuto, the forensic specialist for NCIS. And DONT call me ma'am."
'Touchy'
"Copy that, Abby."
"Focus, Abby." interjected Gibbs. "there's been a severe security breach. We need any and all information you can give."
"Right." with that, she started the debriefing.
Abby explains that the stolen drone is remotely controlled by a radio transmitter.
She also inform them that should be able to disable the drone even after it launches by using another controller, but they would need to be within a 40-mile range to disrupt the signal.
While this was happening, Tony and McGee analysed security footage from Danborn's place, focusing on the drone thieves. Tony recognizes one of them, specifically the terrorist, who kept touching his shoulder. Gibbs recalled shooting Ari in the shoulder and identifies him as the same person. Tony realizes that this individual is not just searching for an al Qaeda cell.
He is running it.
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MTAC
Gibbs pushes Fornell for information about Ari's location, but Fornell insists that Gibbs should stay out of it. However, Gibbs knows more than Fornell and reveals the plot. He asserts that Ari is playing the FBI.
"He's no double agent. He never has been. Where is he?" Gibbs all but roared.
"All we've got is an encrypted spook cell phone number," said FBI Senior Agent Fornell who was finally starting to realize things were getting out of hand and fast.
"Call. him. NOW."
"Well, you can't trace it from here, Gibbs. We weed NSA's help"
"I've got two NSA satellites in range for the next five minutes, Gunny." An NSA tech appears on the MTAC screen with two available satellites in range. If nothing, Gibbs was thorough.
"What's the number, Fornell?"
"Are you sure about this?"
All he got for the replay was a stare
"Patching it through now." NSA operator said
"Are you sure he's gonna answer Gibbs?"
"Put my name on his caller ID. He'll answer."
(DIALING)
(CELL PHONE RINGING)
"Special Agent Gibbs, now, how did you get this number?" The villain finally makes his entrance.
"I pulled some strings."
"Yes, your friend Fornell. I imagine he's there with you."
Gibbs tells Ari that the next time they meet, there won't be anybody to stop him from killing Ari. The NSA tech completes the trace, and Gibbs hangs up. Ari is outside of Norfolk, and they've isolated him down to a two-block radius.
"What the hell is he doing in Norfolk?" asked Fornell
but the NCIS agents, along with Alex, have already left MTAC.
As the team piled into the sedan, Gibbs and McGee took the front seats with Gibbs driving.
Tony's hand accidentally brushed against Kate's 'chest' area. He quickly pulled his hand back, a sheepish grin spreading across his face.
"Oops, sorry about that, Kate," Tony said, trying to suppress a cheeky smile,
Kate rolled her eyes and playfully smacked his arm. "Watch where you're putting those hands, DiNozzo."
Gibbs, sitting in the driver's seat, sighed.
Tony turned towards Alex.
"We haven't properly introduced ourselves. Hi I am very special Agent Antony Dinozzo,"
"Nice to meet you, very Special Agent DiNozzo. I'm Lieutenant Alexander Bishop, but you can call me Alex. I've heard a lot about you from Director Morrow."
Tony grinned and shook Alex's hand. "Ah, so you've heard the legendary tales of DiNozzo. Well, I hope I live up to the hype." Gibbs glanced at them through the rear view mirror.
"Less talk, more focus, DiNozzo."
"Yes Boss."
Tony straightened up and turned his attention back to the road ahead. The team was now on their way to Norfolk, determined to track down Ari and put an end to his dangerous game.
On their way, McGee is trying to figure out how to disable the drone, but he doesn't feel confident about it. Tony mentions that NCIS Agent Paula Cassidy is back in town after her assignment at sea he further points out that Paula is back because the entire Marine Amphibious Strike Group is returning from the Gulf today. McGee doesn't believe that the drone can cause much damage to a Navy warship, but Gibbs then theorized that the pier will be crowded with families, making them the target.