Nocnitsa's Field

WEE fic for fictionnaire

Prompt: Pripyat, Chernobyl. Hashima Island, Japan or even The Abandoned City Hall Subway Stop in New York, U.S.A are abandoned cities and locations. Almost like ghost towns and often been a tourist attraction. What happens when the NCIS are called into an abandoned city to solve a crime and catch a killer? How do they react to the general eeriness of it?

Rating: FR-15/T

Genre: Mystery/Supernatural

Summary: A case leads the team to an abandoned town in the American Heartland.

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters are the property of their respective copyright holders. No infringement intended. The original characters and places mentioned are the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to those living, dead, or undead is completely coincidental. Special thanks to thecookiemomma for the beta.

"The sight of such endless avenues of fishy-eyed vacancy and death, and the thought of such linked infinities of black, brooding compartments given over to cob-webs and memories and the conqueror worm, start up vestigial fears and aversions that not even the stoutest philosophy can disperse."
― H.P. Lovecraft, The Shadow Over Innsmouth

Chapter 1

Lonnie Dunn let the beam from his flashlight sweep over the cavernous space, noting that nothing was amiss in the empty building before closing the door and moving on to the next stop in his patrol. At the adjacent building he repeated the process, finding a similar lack of eventfulness, and continued on.

When he reached the last building Lonnie paused for a smoke break. After checking to make sure he was alone, he removed a slightly crumpled pack of Camels from his pocket and tapped the pack against the palm of his hand several times before extracting one of the cigarettes and putting it between his lips. He dug out his lighter and applied the flame to the tip of the cigarette, pulling the resulting smoke deep into his lungs before he leaned against the door and sighed. While not the worst job he had ever worked, nighttime security for a group of nearly abandoned warehouses was also not the most exciting thing he could be doing with his life. Maybe it was time to finally finish his degree and get a real job…

After satisfying his nicotine fix, Lonnie stubbed out the cigarette on the sole of his shoe and flicked the butt into the weeds between the two closest buildings. He took one more look around before he stuck his master key into the lock and opened the door, wincing at the shriek made by the rusted hinges.

Lonnie always saved this building for last because it took longer to search, and occasionally he would find things out of place here. It broke the tedium somewhat when he did but usually it was something minor: a broken light fixture finally succumbing to gravity, an errant critter using one of the rooms as a new den, or a broken window caused by the previous night's storm. Nothing worth calling the police over and, in the case of storm damage, usually an easy fix.

In the first pass of his flashlight, Lonnie caught a flash of something light-colored in the far corner of the main room, just visible in the shadow of a doorway. He advanced carefully, not wanting to startle something living from its new nesting place. As he approached he saw the object was a shoe and soon he realized that it was not empty. He paused to take a deep breath and prepare himself for what he might see before advancing to the spot where the object lay. He slowly shined his light into the room and felt hot bile rise in his throat as his fears were confirmed. Sincerely wishing that his shift had been routine, he pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed a familiar number.

XXX

Tony stepped out of the elevator and almost collided with Gibbs. He quickly stepped back, noticing McGee as well, and asked a question to which he already knew the answer.

"Call out, Boss?"

Gibbs gave him a very clear ya think? look before answering. "Navy Captain, warehouse in Anacostia."

"Got it." Tony backed completely into the elevator and was soon joined by the other two men. "Guess we'll be doubling up on this one. When's Bishop getting back?"

"Next week," McGee offered.

"Guess we can stick her with the paperwork." Gibbs turned to glare at him. "Just kidding, Boss."

"Special training workshop wasn't her idea, DiNozzo," Gibbs replied as he pressed the button for the garage. "You'll live."

"Right…"

No more was said until they reached the scene, a complex of dilapidated buildings near the river. Gibbs and the other two agents ducked under the police tape and headed for the last building where a man in a security guard's uniform and another man in a suit were waiting for them.

"Agent Gibbs? Detective Nick Vega, Metro Homicide, and this is the guard who found the body, Lonnie Dunn."

"What can you tell me about the scene?"

"Not much. Looks like a dump site, no sign of a struggle around the body."

"Security cameras?"

"Broken," Dunn replied. "That's why I'm here. I make the rounds every three hours, check each building for signs of intruders or damage. We've had some problems with squatters in the past, but… This was the last building of my first round of the night. I checked the perimeter but I didn't see anyone else around. There's another guard who patrols during the day, but he didn't mention anything."

"Name?"

"Uh, Ellis. Austin Ellis. He should be here in a few minutes."

"Let me know when he gets here, Detective Vega."

"Will do."

Ducky and Palmer arrived just as they reached the door to the building and Gibbs waited until the two men joined them before stepping inside. The space was nearly empty, save for a few broken palates, fallen light fixtures, and wind-scattered newspapers. In the far corner another uniformed officer stood a few feet from a doorway where they caught the first glimpse of the body they had come to retrieve. The officer nodded and stepped aside, allowing the team to enter the room.

The body lay just inside the door, on its back, with one arm flung to the side and the other crossed over its chest. He was older than their usual victims, as evidenced by greying hair and deep wrinkles around his eyes. The man's eyes were wide open, his face a rictus of terror, and there was a hint of blood under the body.

"McGee, shoot and sketch. DiNozzo, bag and tag."

"On it, Boss."

The two men began their tasks as Ducky crouched down next to the body. McGee took a few photographs before Palmer handed over the liver probe. After carefully raising the dead man's shirt, Ducky inserted the probe and waited until it beeped.

"Well?" Gibbs barked as he leaned over Ducky's shoulder.

"Really, Jethro, have some patience," the M.E. admonished. "I'd estimate the time of death between eight and twelve hours ago.

"So sometime between 2030 and 0030. Thanks, Duck. Cause of death?"

Ducky check the man's face before he eased the body onto its side and pulled the shirt up further. "Single gunshot wound, small caliber, and considering the small amount of blood I'd say death was almost instantaneous. Livor mortis indicates he was put in this position shortly after death." He checked the man's hands and arms. "No signs of a struggle. I'll have Abby run a tox screen for sedatives. If he was drugged he wouldn't have been able to fight his attacker. Bag his hands, Mr. Palmer, and we'll do a closer exam when we get him back to the Yard."

"Yes, Dr. Mallard."

Gibbs watched as McGee moved the dead man's thumb onto the portable scanner.

"Captain Sherman Daniel Welsh, aged 61. Assigned to the Naval Research Lab since 2005." McGee scanned down through the available information. "Before NRL he served aboard the USS San Juan as an engineer."

"Submariner. What was he doing at NRL?"

"Classified. Guess I know what I'll be doing when we get back."

"Found a couple of footprints by the window," Tony called, and McGee headed over to document them. "Looks like it was pried open."

"Captain Welsh doesn't look like he's been climbing through windows. Any other signs of break-in?"

"Still looking, Boss." Tony moved to the back of the warehouse, checking for signs of the intruder. Finally he found a door that looked like it had been jimmied. He called McGee over to take pictures.

"Guess the guard wasn't as thorough as he should have been." After checking door for prints, they eased it open to find the area beyond overgrown with weeds and full of debris. A path through the weeds was visible and the two agents started to follow it. It ended at a fence that ran along the river, but a quick scan revealed a place where the fence had been cut, and on the other side was a footpath down to the water. McGee reached for his phone.

"Boss? We found the egress point. Looks like they came in via the river." He scanned the area. "I don't see any security cameras for any of the other surrounding properties."

"Canvass for this one is going to be fun," Tony muttered.

"Yeah. Guess we know what you and Gibbs will be doing."

"So much for an easy week."

XXX

Several hours later Tony and Gibbs returned to the Yard, frustrated by the lack of witnesses to the previous night's events at the warehouse. When they reached the bullpen McGee's desk was empty so they headed down to the lab. Tim was sitting by Abby's workbench, typing furiously on a laptop. He looked up as they entered.

"Got something, Boss. I spoke to Welsh's team at NRL. He was due to retire next month, and from what I gathered he wasn't very happy about the situation. According to his second in command, Welsh claimed he still work to do, and that he wanted to 'find the culprit' before he left."

"Culprit?"

"Apparently some information had gone missing on his watch, and he was running an investigation to find who was responsible. I've been running through the data on his work computer, and he had a short-list of suspects."

"Well don't keep us in suspense, McGee."

"He was watching three of his team: Petty Officer Sheila Ortiz, Lieutenant Bryan Sharp, and Petty Officer Konrad Bartek." McGee tapped a few keys. "Sharp and Bartek didn't show up for work this morning. I've put in for warrants for their computers, but NRL isn't being too cooperative."

"Like that's ever stopped you before, McGee."

"What do you think I'm doing now, Tony?" Tim replied with a slight smirk. "I've been checking their finances, and both are living a bit above their pay scale. No hits on the credit cards since last night, and I put a BOLO out for both of their vehicles. No hits on those yet, either." A beep sounded from the computer behind him and he quickly turned to read the screen. "But Captain Welsh just purchased a tank of gas in at a station in Ely, Iowa, right outside the airport."

"Iowa? Why the hell would anyone go to Iowa?"

Tim tapped a few more keys. "Bartek is from there..."

"So he steals Navy secrets, kills his boss, and then heads for the old homestead?"

"Looks like it."

"Boss, are we going-?"

"Maybe. Anything else?"

A few more keystrokes and another screen popped up. "Got Bartek's email, Boss." Tim scanned through the list and paused. "This is from a VPN." Tim opened the email, only to find it encrypted, and after a few moments had revealed the message. Saturday.

"Well that's not real helpful," Tony remarked. "What's so special about Saturday?"

"He replied to it." He checked the Sent folder and soon found what he was looking for, taking a few more moments to decrypt it. "Nocnitsa's Field. Huh." He started another search as Abby emerged from the Ballistics lab.

"Gibbs, I got a match on the bullet. The gun's registered to-"

"Konrad Bartek."

She sent him an annoyed look. "No, Sherman Welsh. Someone shot him with his own gun."

"Doesn't help much, Abbs."

"This might, Boss. Nocnitsa's Field is the local name for a...cemetery outside an old state prison in Bardo, Iowa. Could be a meeting place."

"All right. DiNozzo, see what else you can find about Bartek and this Noc-whatever place."

"On it, Boss." Tony headed for the elevator.

"McGee, figure out what Bartek took, and who might be interested."

Tim just nodded and returned his attention to the computer.

"Anything else for me, Abbs?"

"Still working on the trace, Gibbs. One set of footprints matched Welsh, and the other set was from the same make of standard Navy uniform shoe, but a bigger size."

"Pull up specs on Bartek, see if it could be him. I need to go talk to Vance."

"Are we going after Bartek, Boss?"

"That's why I need to talk to Vance, McGee."

"Understood."

Gibbs left, and McGee continued to work on the data. After several minutes, he froze. "Oh, crap."

"What?"

"I know what Bartek took, and if he's selling this… We definitely need to go after him." He jumped up and ran for the door, only to be met by Gibbs.

"Boss, we-"

"Pack your bags. We're going to Iowa."

TBC...