So it looks like people took my plot twist at the end of Chapter 25 rather well. Looks like I actually DO have a chance of this working out.
A word of warning: This story is going to make a LOT more sense if you're also reading EOA along with it. I'll give more info below. For now, enjoy.
New York's JFK International Airport was a bustling nerve center of arrivals and departures. Loves ones separated and united all under the watchful eye of the attentive airport security. Standing next to one of these guardians was a man, well into his grey years, watching a young woman and two younger men argue with several more members of security.
"I'm sorry about the mix-up Special Agent Gibbs." The security officer told the man.
"I told her to leave her gun in her luggage." He replied, smirking to himself as the drama unfolded.
"I'll have this taken care of immediately." With that, the man departed, leaving Gibbs to amuse himself watching his three junior agents dig themselves farther into a pit.
"Gibbs, we got the stuff!" Turning, he saw a young woman running toward him. She was wearing so much metal, she could have set off any one of the metal detectors in the airport by looking at her. Her black cotton top and leather pants gave off an aura of darkness and depression. However, she quickly jumped up and wrapped her arms around Gibbs in a rib-cracking hug.
"You seem unusually perky today Abby." Gibbs joked as she dropped back to the floor.
"Yes, Abigail insisted on helping seven different ladies find their luggage before we claimed ours." From behind a large cart; stacked high with luggage, came the voice of a distinguished British man.
"Oh come on Ducky that one with the blue scarf was totally in to you."
Gibbs walked over to the cart, guiding it out of the hands of the older man who was pushing it. "You really think that's a good idea Ducky?" He asked, taking control over the luggage cart.
"Jethro, just because I had a heart attack does not mean I cannot perform simple manual labor." He adjusted the wide-brimmed hat perched on his head and took the cane hanging from the cart handle.
"Just try to take it easy."
"Yes, if one more person tells me that, I think I just might take a page out of that Dexter character's handbook." He replied, leaning on his cane.
"Since when do you watch Lifetime?" Gibbs asked his old friend as the three junior agents were released from airport custody.
"I don't. However Abigail certainly does. She was talking about it during the flight." He sat down on a bench. "Among other things of course."
The perky goth in question started bouncing on her toes. "I'm so excited!" She announced. From her wide-eyed stare to the manic grin on her face, the statement was highly unnecessary. As a direct contrast to her energy and enthusiasm, the three junior agents looked tired and irritated.
"One of those guys wanted to do a cavity search on me!" One of the men announced.
"Come on Tony, you know he wasn't." His companion told him.
"McGee, did you not see the look in that man's eyes," he whined. "I could see him snapping those rubber gloves."
"DiNozzo," Gibbs walked up to his underling. "What am I going to ask you to do?" "
Stop complaining and go pick up the rental cars?" He suggested. Jethro flourished with his hand, sending the Italian agent scurrying off toward the rental counter.
"So Ziva, did you meet any cute security guards?" Abby asked, handing the former Israeli agent her luggage.
"Not what I would define as 'cute'. But I think one of them enjoys coleslaw a bit too much."
McGee began snickering as Gibbs began walking toward the exit. "Get used to it Ziva, we're in New York now."
"I still don't understand why we are being assigned to this case? I mean, was there a group of shore-leave navy officers caught in the blast?"
"No, but something tells me we'll find out the answer soon enough."
Gibbs and his team made their way through the crowded airport and out into the open air. The mid-March chill made them close up their jackets as two sleek black cars made their way toward them.
"You like?" Tony stepped out of one of them, while an attendant handed him the keys to the other. "Nothing like a pair of Dodge Vipers to start a new case in a new city."
"Oh my god," Abby declared. "First of all, what exactly made you think this was a good idea?"
"Two words my dear Abbs: Unlimited Budget."
"That's for the investigation DiNozzo." Gibbs declared, loading his bags into the trunk.
"So, we write it off as a necessary expense."
"Tony, did you factor in the possibility that New York City traffic will not allow you to use these cars to their maximum effect?" Ducky asked as Abby took his luggage from him.
"It's alright Duck, I'm driving." Gibbs walked up to Tony and took the keys from his hands, tossing one set to McGee. "Tony, Ziva, you two are with me. McGee, take Abby and Ducky to the place they set up for us."
"Hey, but, McGeek gets to drive?"
"You have been punished for your hubris." Abby cackled as she hopped into the passenger-side seat of the second car.
"Sorry Tony." McGee vanished into the driver's seat and pulled away. Tony watched his partner drive off, looking like a child who was just told the truth about Santa.
"Don't feel so bad Tony," Gibbs told him, patting him on the shoulder. "Ducky's probably stared a lecture about Greek mythology by now."
"But I wanted to drive." Was all that he was able to stammer, before Ziva forced him into the rear seat of the first car.
()()()
"So Gibbs, what do we know?" Reflections of halogen lights streaked off the Viper's glossy hood as they made their way through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. Thanks to a properly programmed GPS, they were able to navigate off the Belt Parkway relatively quickly; avoiding the tedious loop around Brooklyn.
"Two days ago, around twenty-one-hundred hours, a series of bombs were detonated in a hotel in downtown Manhattan."
"Casualties?" Tony asked, hunched over in the back seat.
"Thankfully light. Two chambermaids were found dead in one of the rooms the bomb went off in, two more suffered from smoke inhalations, and a fifth was found dead in a storage closet on the same floor. About a dozen guests were treated for smoke inhalation, burns, and shock."
"How many bombs went off?" Ziva asked.
"Three in total, with two more found undetonated on the same floor. The weird thing is that the bombs were planted in unoccupied rooms."
"So possible collaboration with the staff?" Tony inquired.
"The NYPD is handling the grunt work. The good thing about this case is we'll have the full cooperation with the police."
"Yeah and if you'll believe that, I've got the deed to the White House in my back pocket." Tony grumbled.
The tunnel opened up into the daylight of downtown Manhattan. Tall skyscrapers twisted their way skyward, closing in on the pedestrians and cars below. At the turnoff onto the main street, a cop was motioning cars to the left, away from a large barricade stuffed with personnel. Gibbs pulled up to him and rolled down his window.
"Street's closed for police investigation sir." He announced, tilting back the brim of his cap.
"I'm Special Agent Gibbs. My team and I are heading this investigation." He pulled out his badge and displayed it to the officer.
The man's radio squawked twice, prompting him to pick up his mic. Behind him, a queue of cars began forming; horns honking and profanities shouting.
"Does anyone in this city know the meaning of patience?" Tony asked.
"Most New Yorkers don't know the meaning of the word," the police officer leaned back to Gibbs' window. "You're clear to go through. A Captain Black is waiting for you."
"Thanks." Gibbs rolled up his window and drove through the barricade.
The hotel in question originally looked like another part of the façade of buildings that lined the street. However, three floors up, the windows were blown out with large scorch marks winding up toward the fourth floor. Police officers and rescue workers scurried around like worker ants in front of a destroyed nest. At the center of it all was the same man who had informed Gibbs of their reassignment.
"Captain Black?" He called, stepping out of the Viper.
"You made good time." Black walked over and shook Gibb's hand.
"Used to traffic problems," he stated. "This is DiNozzo and Ziva."
Black greeted the two. "I take it you're eager to get started?" Black asked, before leading them into the hotel.
"The New York City Police Department is familiar with the inner working of the magic parts of the city, what few there are," Black began. "While the force has few mages on staff, the better half of the force is trained and equipped to handle a large number of magic-based threats."
"If that's the case, then what are we doing here?" Gibbs asked. Black smirked as he called the elevator.
"Simple. Your team has handled cases far more complex than most agencies would normally be equipped to tackle. There's a very big chance that there's more than a handful of mages with mouths bigger than their skills. Something smells fishy."
The elevator clanged open. "Now, when you say 'magic-based threats,' what exactly does that mean?" DiNozzo followed them into the elevator. "I mean, we talkin' Death Eaters, necromancers, World of Warcraft geeks?"
"You think too small Special Agent DiNozzo," Black scoffed. "In the four years I've been dealing with these types of cases, I've seen demons, shadow ninjas, talking masks, and stones that could give you powers that would make Superman green with envy." Tony looked at Ziva, as if trying to decide if he was kidding or not.
"Again, what makes you think we're equipped to take on this case?" Gibbs asked as the elevator opened up.
"Your team will have six magic specialists on-hand to help with any of the wizard work as they call it. Four of them are already here, and I'm having the other two flown in from San Francisco."
"Beach bums?" Ziva inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"I'd be careful David, these two are from my old team. I've seen them pack more firepower than an Abrams."
"Well Captain, if you'd kindly take us to these specialists, that'd really make my day better." Gibbs told him.
"Right this way." Black guided them over to a door, roped off with 'Caution' tape.
It was the first time in a long while that Gibbs could say he was officially taken by surprise. When Black opened the door, inside were two young men, barley into their twenties. One of them was dressed in a dark red polo shirt and tan slacks while the other preferred the casual feel of jeans and a pullover Yankees sweatshirt. The surprising thing was what they were crouching over. The one in the sweatshirt was kneeling over a glowing circle of light on the floor, saying a list of numbers that his companion was writing down on a pad of paper. At the center of the circle was a straight sword laid in a cross with its sheath bisecting it. Black cleared his throat and the two of them looked up.
"Gentlemen, this is your new team leader, Special Agent Jethro Gibbs."
"That." Tony was the first to find his mouth. "That was magic?"
In spite of what Captain Black had told them, none of the team, save for Abby, really believed that they would be working with people who used magic.
"Just a simple forensic array," the one in the sweatshirt announced. "The cops came through here already, got all the evidence they could find."
The red polo one closed his notepad. "We're trying to get the frequencies of the spells that were slung in here."
"Ok stop for a second." Gibbs held up his hands. He hated being put in positions like this. He had no control. "First of all, who are you two."
The Yankees fan held out his hand. "Name's Jason Silverberg, magic P.I. My friend here's Robert Jackson."
"I specialize in magic arrays. Jason does the forensics."
"Ok." Gibbs shook Jason's hand. "What exactly are you two doing again?"
The two of them exchanged glances before Robert decided to explain. "Eye witnesses report seeing strange lights coming from this room, not long before the bombs went off. Unlike the other rooms, this one was occupied."
"Two Japanese boys here on exchange, to be precise." Jason picked up the narrative. "Though we can't confirm they were even in the room at the time. Right now we're trying to get information that will let us recreate the spells that were used in the fight."
"Wait, spells?" It was then that Gibbs saw long scorch marks on the walls and bedspread. The sliding door out onto the balcony was shattered with the concrete floor cracked in several places.
"We've collected evidence of some summoning magic in the rooms where the bombs went off."
Gibbs began to process what they were saying. "So what is it you're looking for? Burn analysis, spell trajectory?" Was this even happening?
"Spells leave residual magic in the areas they were cast. It hangs around for days, and if you know what to look for, you can re-create them."
Robert motioned to the notepad in his hand. "The array Jason was using gave us the frequencies of the mana wavelengths in the room."
"And I suppose that is all you need to tell you about this little wizard's duel?" Ziva asked, possibly a bit more snidely than she meant to.
Jason furrowed his brow at her remark but didn't say anything. "It was the last bit of info we needed. Now we just need to run the right calculations."
"Boss, are you taking this seriously?" Tony whispered.
"Just roll with it DiNozzo."Gibbs replied back. "I was told there were four of you."
"Yeah, they're coming soon." Jackson told him, picking up the sword and sheath; returning the blade to its scabbard. With a twist of the handle, the sword had been concealed as an old-style wooden cane; not unlike one used by a famous loud-mouthed doctor.
"Well where are they?" Gibbs asked, moving farther into the room. He passed a critical eye over the walls of the room. Each scorch on the wall seemed to be a near perfect circle with cracks in the center to indicate some sort of impact. "DiNozzo, look at this."
"Ok, this is new," Tony replied. "What happened in here, someone launching Hadokens?"
"Looks like someone was throwing around some Fire Arrow spells, but we can't be sure." Robert informed him as he placed his notepad in his jacket.
"Fire arrows?" Ziva asked. Captain Black grinned and leaned against the door. He was certainly getting his jollies out of this.
"It's a basic combat spell. Basically you're throwing fire at your opponent," Jason leaned on his cane. "And to answer your other question, the others should be by…"
*whump*
Instincts took over as DiNozzo drew his gun and whirled around. Someone was now standing on the balcony. He was tall wearing canvas-colored pants and a dark blue shirt. His wire-frame glasses glinted in the sunlight as Gibbs approached him, glaring down the barrel of his gun.
"Don't move." He barked.
DiNozzo and Ziva reached for their weapons, but Captain Black held up a hand. "Mr. McGrath, you certainly know how to make an entrance."
"I was told to keep out of sight sir." His reply was straight and to the point, leaving no room for misinterpretation.
"Where's Mr. Anuino?"
Suddenly a length of weighted chain wrapped itself around the railing of the balcony. It was pulled taunt as someone used it to swing up. Another figure landed next to the first, but this one was different. He pulled back the black hood of the cape he wore. Unlike the other three, he seemed to have a love of theatrics. The chain was attached to a small, one-handed sickle which he stowed in some sort of pocket inside his cape. His clothing underneath consisted of more dark colors: a blood-red long-sleeved shirt and black jeans topped with black boots of some sort. However Gibbs could tell that he wasn't just a goth or some depressed young man. From the glint in his eye to the cocky way he held himself, Gibbs could tell he was confident in himself.
He grinned like a maniac as he eyed Gibbs' gun. "Hey, didn't you say he was on our side?"
Gibbs did not take his eyes or gun off the two men on the balcony. However he did hear Captain Black groan and approach him.
"Mr. Anuino, I said it before, this is not a matter of 'sides'. This is Special Agent Gibbs. You four will be assisting him in the conduct of this investigation." Black patted Gibbs on the shoulder twice, which helped convince him to lower his gun. "Gibbs, this is Patrick McGrath and Kurt Anuino." The first one stepped forward.
"Patrick McGrath, NYPD; plainclothes division." Gibbs nodded in return.
"Name's Kurt. You're lucky man, Black's paying me plenty to do this." Again Gibbs nodded, though his gaze was firmer. He heard DiNozzo chuckle when he saw Kurt actually flinch.
"Gentlemen what exactly were you doing?" He asked.
"We were conducting recon in the general area." Patrick announced. His tone reminded Gibbs of marine cadets who just learned not to cross the drill sergeant.
"Someone said there were some people poking around here last night. They wanted someone to keep an eye out for anyone out-of-the-ordinary." Kurt waltzed into the hotel room, hi-fiving Jason and Robert on his way in.
Gibbs looked again to Captain Black. "I know they're young Gibbs, but trust me, these four are exactly what you need."
"I need more children like I need another hole in my head." Gibbs muttered. Still, he had a job to do.
And come hell or high water, it was going to get done.
Wow, I never thought I'd post this chapter TBH. Never figured I'd get this far in EOA. So let me explain how this works:
Parallel Investigations is within the Equal and Opposite Attractions universe. It is happening at the same time as EOA and there will be times when what happens here affects EOA and vice versa. Now both stories could be read stand-alone, but it'll make much more sense if both are read at the same time. Both stories won't update at the same rate, but if something big happens that affects both stories, I'll update both stories at once.
Well, leave me criticism if you hate it, or motivation if you like it.