Title: War Games
Author: MeriSalope
Rating:
Disclaimer: 'Scarecrow and Mrs. King' is the property of Warner Brothers and Shoot-the-Moon Productions. 'NCIS' is the property of CBS, Don Bellisario, and a few others. I make no money from the story and no copyright infringement is intended.
Time Frame: post Season 2, NCIS; post series Scarecrow & Mrs. King
Author Note: This is an AU crossover piece as none of what follows could possibly happen on NCIS considering Sasha Alexander is sadly no longer a cast member. I am not a huge fan of Caitlin 'Kate' Todd's death but have grown to like Ziva David over the years, so I'm doing what I can to give them both a sensible tale. There is an AU prequel posted on the SMK page called 'First Encounter' which takes place in 1984 and is primarily SMK'centric. It explains the rapport Gibbs has with Amanda (King) Stetson, but isn't necessary to read before 'WarGames'.
Considering SMK established the fact Station One is used by more than just the Agency, it makes perfectly logical sense to me to utilize it in this fashion. The Agency (think CIA & FBI combined, with less police-type work and more espionage, only far more secret) is also a perfect career move for Kate Todd. She attended law school (one year), pulled Presidential detail w/ the SS (5 years, I think), & worked the MCRT (2 years). After all, to quote Gibbs, one doesn't waste good.
Comments & critiques are very welcome. I try to answer everyone and believe it's only with the reader's help does an author create a believable retreat from reality.
*/*
MONDAY
"We're doing what?"
"It's a training exercise, Agent Gibbs. The MCRT needs to work more effectively as a team, and this is the best way to achieve that goal. Station One has been used many times over the years for more than just a potential sounding ground for new federal recruits. Your new Mossad liaison officer is not melding quite as well as I'd like." SecNav stated his reasons calmly, knowing full well his words were not going to be well received by the Major Case Response Team's leader.
"Respectfully, Mr. Secretary, I don't believe spending a week playing war games will help Officer David. To be perfectly honest, I don't know that she won't accidentally kill a member of my team. I'm sure there has to be a better way-"
"Agent Gibbs, my decision has been made. You and your team will report to Station One tomorrow morning at 0700. You will remain on the training grounds until the games are complete, and you will bring all your team back safe and sound. Is that understood?" Phillip Davenport's voice was implacable and it was quite obvious he wouldn't be persuaded to change his mind.
"Sir, I would like to go on record and state this is a very bad decision." Gibbs matched his tone to that of the Secretary of the Navy. Yes, he'd do what was required – but he didn't have to like it.
"Your objections are noted, Gunny. And overridden."
Special Agent Gibbs scowled and spun on his heel, barely refraining from slamming the door as he left the director's office. War games, with an assassin, this wasn't going to be pretty. He hoped he'd still have a team left by the end of this foolish little team building exercise. Damn he needed coffee!
"Well, that certainly went well."
"Mr. Secretary, Special Agent Gibbs didn't hand you your head. It went far better than I anticipated it would." The newest NCIS Director leaned back in her chair and shook her head. "Believe me, it could've been much worse."
Gibbs paused at the top of the stairs leading down from the mezzanine, looking down at his team in the bullpen for a moment. I'm taking a cop, an assassin, and a geek out to play war games. He just shook his head and continued down the open staircase. Even as a joke it didn't sound like there was going to be a happy ending. In reality, this could only lead to nightmares.
*/*
Amanda Stetson dropped her head to the desk after she hung up the phone. NCIS was going to come play in her back yard. Not even bothering to look, she fumbled for the desk drawer and pulled out the bottle of Excedrin. This was shaping up to be an extremely long week.
She remembered when Anthony DiNozzo first came through. Unbelievably, he was even more of a scoundrel than her husband in his heyday. It had been all she could do to keep Lee from shooting the young DiNozzo... and her husband had only been visiting that day. She didn't even want to know who else was on the team.
*/*
"We're taking a field trip, Boss?"
"Yeah, DiNozzo. We're going back to Station One."
While Tony just grinned, Tim McGee paled. He remembered his first and only attempt at Station One. It hadn't been pretty. Matter of fact, the instructor had compared his progress to some King woman and only shook his head. He had barely passed; actually he had only made it because he'd managed to save a fellow student's life. The computer geek looked at Gibbs, and the pleading words just died in his throat completely unuttered.
"We're all going. Go ahead and head out for the night and meet me back here at 0530. We're riding together." The team leader's flat voice offered no possible way for McGee to wiggle out of this new assignment.
"Excuse me," Ziva David sat at Kate's desk, looking puzzled. Her Israeli accent was strong but easily understood. "What is Station One?"
Tony was jubilant, "Well, Miss Dah-veed, this is actually right up your alley. Station One is a training ground for all the federal law enforcement agencies. Every new trainee has to pass through those halls before being allowed to venture further into the FLETC training programs. The woman in charge is a real hottie, even though she's more Gibbs' age than mine. That Stetson woman is prime- Won't happen again, Boss."
A dull thunk brought his words to a quick halt, and Tony rubbed the back of his head. "Boss, one of these days you're going to give me a concussion."
"We can only hope, DiNozzo."
"Yeah... c'mon, McProbie. I'll give you a ride home so you don't have to wait for the bus." Tony DiNozzo almost bounced in his excitement. Too many days of working cold cases made the hyper man antsy, and, well, wishing for a new case meant someone usually was dead. Station One would be an excellent way to use his buoyant energy.
McGee gathered his things while shutting down his computer slowly. At least Tony was excited. The youngest member of the MCRT wondered for a moment if there would be time to call HR so he could check on his life insurance policy before they left in the morning. Somehow, he had a feeling the information might come in useful. War games with a psychotic assassin, his grouchy sniper of a boss, and DiNozzo. This just wasn't going to end well.
The team cleared out quickly while Gibbs slowly gathered up the reports from their last case. He'd drop them off to Records on his way to see Abby. Knowing he was going to be gone for a complete week, he was going to make the rounds to reassure himself the place would still be standing when he got back. Call him crazy, but things always seemed to go to hell not long after he took time off. Not to mention, Abby wasn't all that comfortable with Jen yet. She was certain to see this as a betrayal.
A throbbing pulse filled his body once he stepped off the elevator onto the basement level. The drums were so loud he couldn't even hear them, although the very walls themselves seemed to be moving in time. Probably deep in a cold case of her own, the forensic scientist wasn't going to be very pleased about his team's impending excursion. The Caf-Pow in his hand might sweeten the news.
"ABBY!"
Protectively covering his ears, Gibbs made his way to the stereo quickly. The sudden silence seemed to leave the room almost airless, and the conservative man shook his head to make sure her music hadn't actually deafened him as he'd long feared.
"Hey! That was the best part! What are you doing down here, o fearless leader? I don't have anything for you." A cheerful smile and twinkling peridot eyes were the only thing Gibbs could see as Abby bounced about her lab in a bright yellow HazMat suit.
"Abbs, why are you wearing that? Why didn't you sound the alarm?" Worry filled the man's voice as he leapt for the button to activate the containment fields for the forensics lab.
"What? No! Wait! Stop, Gibbs!"
His hand hovered over the button, he turned back to see her popping the seal on her suit.
"I'm fine, Gibbs. I'm trying out the new suit sent over from R&D. They're trying to make these things more maneuverable. Honest. Take a deep breath, bossman."
"Abby, one of these days you might be the death of me." The silver-haired man grouched.
Bouncing over, the effervescent woman placed a kiss on his cheek, leaving behind a shining black smudge on his care-worn cheek.
"A whole week?"
"Yeah, SecNav didn't exactly give me the option."
"You're just going because of her, aren't you? Man, I wish Kate hadn't left to work with the Agency. You guys never had to do stupid stuff like this when she was still part of our team."
"Abby..." Gibbs' low voice was dangerous. Kate was a forbidden subject, as Abby well knew. Kate's leaving wasn't exactly a betrayal, but he definitely hadn't been in favor of the career change.
"I know! But I still don't have to like it!" Abby pouted as she flounced over to her chair. Bert, the stuffed hippo Kate had given her last year for Christmas, made a rude sound as she hugged him close to her chest. She had hoped Gibbs and Kate would get things fixed between them, but it wasn't looking like it was going to happen anytime soon.
"I'll be back in a week, Abbs. Just think of it as a vacation."
"Then you'd better bring me back something. And you'd better take care of McGee. I don't like the way Ziva looks at him."
"Don't worry, Abbs, I never leave a man behind." Dropping an affectionate kiss on his favorite lab rat's forehead, he turned his heel before heading out the door again. He could hear her sucking on the straw of the caffeine infused super-sized beverage he'd left sitting next to her computer.
Seconds after leaving the lab, the walls began to pulse and throb again. Gibbs only shook his head and double-timed it to the elevator. It was a good thing the floor above was storage. It had been offices at one point, up until Abby had started 4 years ago and drove Accounting mad with her speakers. Morrow, the former Naval Criminal Investigative Services director, had the choice between keeping his prize scientist happy or keeping the bean-counters sane. Needless to say, Accounting was overjoyed at the thought of being on the second floor at the opposite end of the building. They'd even volunteered their weekends to help maintenance get the entire department moved as quickly as possible.
A quick jab of a button had the man stepping out towards Dr. Mallard's cold silver tables. Not surprisingly, the ME was in the midst of a rambling story as his eager new assistant weighed what looked like a liver and spleen. At least some things never changed. Ducky, as Mallard was known to his close friends, was always one to share his experiences with a captive audience... that audience wasn't necessarily always still breathing.
"Hey, Duck."
"Ah, Jethro. What brings you down to visit our young Petty Officer Jackson?" Kindly blue eyes smiled towards the fit middle-aged man as he leaned against an empty autopsy table.
"Just letting you know we won't be around for a week and asking that you keep an eye on Abby."
"Oh? And to where might 'we' be venturing, Jethro?" Ducky's soft Scottish brogue was musical in the frigid air of his morgue.
"My team is heading over to play war games at Station One per SecNav's 'request'. Run interference between Abby and Jen, will ya?"
"I see, and yes, I can quite understand the need for that. Our Abigail has yet to see eye to eye with Director Shepard. Of course, you know you can always count on me. Station One, you say?" Ducky cast a mischievous eye towards his young assistant. "Would you be taking my Mr. Palmer with you as well?"
Jimmy Palmer swallowed suddenly while looking for a place to disappear. A medical student, he had only been working with Dr. Mallard for a short time and Agent Gibbs still made him very nervous. Just the thought of playing war games with the older man was enough to chill his soul.
Jethro Gibbs nodded solemnly while a playful glint shone in his electric blue eyes. "Not this time, Duck. I'm gonna have enough to handle keeping DiNozzo alive, although I might kill him myself before Ziva has a chance."
The men exchanged grins as Jimmy gave an audible sigh of relief.
"In that case, please make sure his donor card is up-to-date? It would be a shame to bury such a healthy set of kidneys."
*/*
Amanda Stetson parked her Jeep in the driveway and just sat for a moment. NCIS was coming to play at Station One, and they weren't the normal agents she was far more used to seeing. A cop, a retired sniper, a computer geek, and an assassin. And, of course, that was far from all. She was also getting a training group from the Agency as well. She'd heard stories about Jethro Gibbs over the years, although she'd not met the man personally. More than once Lee had come home cursing his name. Apparently he was as much the hot dog as her husband had been in their Agency days.
Giving a sigh of resignation, she slowly gathered the files resting in the passenger seat before snagging her purse. She had a lot of reading to do tonight before her guests arrived in the morning. At least it was Lee's night to cook.
"Hello, sweetheart, how was your day?" A smiling Lee Stetson dropped a soft kiss on his wife's cheek. They may have been married for 20 years but he never tired seeing her come through the door at the end of the day.
"Oh, you know. Getting ready for the next group to come in and make a mess of my obstacle course. How about you?" Amanda settled her burden on the kitchen counter before immediately toeing off her shoes. At least she could wear comfortable ones now. It would be rather foolish to run about her training yard in pumps.
"It wasn't too bad. I just finished reviewing a case from that transfer agent. She is working out well, and Francine seems to be pleased with her. Matter of fact, at lunch today she mentioned something about the woman possibly becoming her assistant. Seems Todd is working out well at the Agency. Surprisingly, that Gibbs character over at NCIS didn't exaggerate when he said she was capable. Actually, he may have down-played her talents."
"Speaking of your pal Gibbs, you'll never guess who my new guests are." Amanda sat on a barstool, watching her tall husband create one of his wonderful spinach frittatas.
"No!" Mirth warred with irritation as he expertly whisked the eggs before gently pouring his concoction into the skillet.
"Yes. His entire team, actually. I guess they replaced Kate Todd with a Mossad officer, and the group needs to work on team building exercises. I'm glad to hear Agent Todd is fitting in so well with the Agency. I was a bit concerned. She must be something pretty special for Francine to consider making her an assistant. I'm kinda surprised, though. Why is Agent Todd being sent back to Station One if she's transitioning so well?"
"She is? Francine hadn't mentioned that."
"Yeah. There's a team from the Agency coming as well. Ross, Sherman, Todd, and Meyers... or at least that's what my paperwork says."
"I don't know. But, I do know that I've not had a proper greeting yet, Mrs. Stetson. I slave over a hot stove for you, yet all you want to do is talk about work." Lee pouted playfully, and leaped out of the way when his wife swatted him. He was still as much the rogue now as he'd been when they'd met at the train station all those years ago. Her beloved Scarecrow, he never failed to make her smile.
Standing up, she slid behind him while wrapping her arms around his trim waist. She inhaled his musky scent and nuzzled into his back. "We can't have that now, can we?"
He turned in her arms with a playful smile, capturing his elusive brunette in his own as well. Whispering against her soft lips, he merely said "No" before sinking into a deep kiss which thrilled both of them to the tips of their toes. Dinner might be late tonight.
*/*
"Kate, may I see you in my office?" The elegant blonde woman walked quickly across the bullpen in Prada stilettos, heading for said office smoothly.
"Of course, Ms. Desmond." Kate Todd saved the report she was typing before following. While it wasn't terribly unusual to be called into the chief's office, there was generally a reason for it. She searched her memory, trying to think of anything she might have done wrong in the past week to warrant a potential discussion. Even though she'd been a part of the Agency for a few months now, Kate still missed Gibbs' much more straight forward approach to leadership. Failure to perform warranted a cuff against the back of the head; although she'd never received one herself, both DiNozzo and McGee had received the patented wake-up call on several occasions. No, Gibbs gave her the glare – maybe she didn't miss him quite as much as she thought. Desmond's sharp tongue was cutting, no doubt about it, but a glacial steel blue glare was far deadlier.
Francine Desmond settled behind her desk and looked out towards the bullpen. Ross, Sherman, and Meyers already knew of their new assignment but Todd had been making a drop when the order came down the chain. The Section Chief looked down at her flawless manicure for a moment, remembering the meeting she'd had with Tom Morrow regarding the young woman entering her sanctum. The former NCIS director had been adamant about Kate Todd joining the Agency rather than 'being assimilated into the FBI'. Well accustomed to navigating the shark infested waters of inter-agency politics, Francine had merely sipped her wine while waiting for him to continue his passionate yet well-thought out campaign to move the former Secret Service agent to her own well-oiled machine. Granted, Todd was apparently a gifted profiler but what did the Agency need with a cop? Some three months later, she made a mental note to send the man a bottle of Glenfiddich.
"Have a seat, Kate. I'm sending you as point to take part in a war game scenario at Station One for a week. Your team needs to report at 7 am."
"War games, Ms. Desmond? Sounds interesting. Who else is going?" Kate's dark eyes lit up with interest. It was apparent the brunette was eager to stretch her legs again. She would make an excellent point for the new task force the President was demanding. There hadn't been an official one since the Oz Network had broken up, and Kate Todd was far easier to deal with than Scarecrow and the Wizard had been. Women were far more logical than their testosterone-driven counterparts, after all.
