Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any of the characters
this is the first time I've written a fan fiction so if you read it it would be nice to have some feed back... I'd like to know what you think of it!
Chapter 1
"So? What do you think happened?" Kate heard Tony's voice come up from behind her. She looked at him, her mind had been elsewhere when he asked her the question and she now tried to focus on what he had said.
"Oh. Well it's hard to tell," Kate started, "I'm not Ducky but it looks as if he was tortured. The marks on his neck make it seem like he was burnt with something… but who would want to kill an ex-marine stuck in a wheel chair?"
Tony and Kate were the only ones at the scene. Gibbs and McGee were off interviewing the general who had over seen the marine's training and commanded him in the op. that left him paralysed from the waist down. Kate and Tony were waiting for Ducky and Palmer to take the body back to NCIS for an autopsy. Tony sketched while Kate examined the area trying to find a clue to what happened; so far their search was in vain. Kate sighed as Tony walked up next to her.
"This might be a hard one." Tony said looking down at her.
"Always ready for an adventure." Kate said smiling up at him.
Suddenly a gunshot rang out and hit the wall next to them. Tony reacted instantly jumping on top of Kate, covering her from any more bullets. Tony looked around and heard rubber screech on pavement as a car pulled onto a road to fast. Whoever had been firing the gun, they were gone now.
"You hit?" Tony asked Kate, breathing hard from adrenaline, concern in his voice.
" No. I'm alright." Kate said. Tony looked into her eyes trying to make sure she was telling the truth. Kate felt his warm breath on her face. "You two alright?" Gibbs' voice came from behind them.
"Fine boss, some maniac tried to shoot us." Tony said, helping Kate to her feet.
Kate was bright red and Tony was attempting to regain his cool, (it wasn't working)
"Ok. DiNozzo get some help, your losing a lot of blood from your hand." Gibbs said handing Tony a bandage. Tony looked down at his hand and figured he had cut it somehow in the act of dodging bullets. Fifteen minutes later Ducky and Palmer finally arrived and took the body back to NCIS, Palmer had, yet again, gotten them lost. Somehow he had managed to mistake highway one, for highway five. Ducky got into the drivers seat (after giving palmer a serious lecture on the importance of map skills) and started the car. Gibbs nodded to them and they drove off. Gibbs got into his car and waved the rest of the team over. Kate hopped into the front seat and Tony lay down in the back, McGee sat with him trying to stop some of the bleeding from his hand. Fifteen minutes later Kate heard a grunting noise coming from the back seat, she turned around.
"What the…?" She looked at McGee. He had more blood on him then Tony and the bandage he was holding had somehow ended up wrapped boa style around his neck, Legs and torso, Tony held the end in his injured hand. Kate couldn't help it she started smiling, McGee was attempting to unwind it from his legs but was having issues seeing as a section kept falling in front of his eyes; Tony slowly grabbed his camera and quickly snapped a picture of McGee,
"Cheese!" he yelled.
"Hey!" said McGee, flailing around trying to loose the bandage. He ended up even more tangled then before. After McGee started winding the bandage around Tony to try to get it off him… Tony had had enough.
"Give me that!" Tony barked at McGee.
"What?" McGee said; squishing his nose up to keep the section out of his eyes. Tony thought he looked a bit like an Egyptian mummy…. This should be funny…Tony thought.
"Here we go…" Kate said to Gibbs, after she saw that look in Tony's eyes. Gibbs shook his head. Tony gave his end of the bandage a tug; McGee crashed to the floor. "Ouch…."
Tony smiled.
His hand still hadn't stopped bleeding so Kate took over. Grabbing the bandage she expertly wrapped it around Tony's hand military style and clipped it with her hair clip.
"Thanks." Tony said smiling as Kate used a towel to get the blood off her hands.
"Anytime." Kate said smiling back.
"Hey that's what I was trying to do!" McGee said
"All in time Probie" said Tony, "All in time."
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When they arrived back at NCIS Tony went down to see Ducky about his hand and to get a proper bandage on it. Kate went down and sat at her desk sighing as she started looking over the three boxes of anything and everything related to the murdered ex-marine. There was nothing different about his work. It was consistent and neat and the worse he had on him was a couple speeding tickets from before he was paralysed. Everything seemed normal, he had passed all his training the first time through not needing to take anything twice, (a little odd Kate thought, but not unheard of) and he was despatched as an active Marine almost directly after his training; But only three months into he career he was shot in the back, severing the nerves in his spinal cord leaving him paralysed from the waist down for life. After he was shot he started working in the kitchens on base little jobs at first, he wasn't ready to retire and they were short on staff in the kitchen; gradually everyone realized he was a fantastic cook and 5 months later he was running the kitchens, lead chef. Kate was about done with the first box by the time Tony came back.
"How is it?" Kate asked, nodding at his hand.
"Ah no big deal, just a bit banged up." Tony said looking at his hand.
The next few hours went by slowly with no leads on the case. Kate and Tony finally gave up with the files and went down to see if Ducky had any insights and to find out the cause of the marines death.
"Yes, well, hmm… the cause of death was strangulation. You see the bruises around his neck? The pattern indicates a rope was used, but the interesting thing is that the marks have broken the skin slightly more then a rope would… which leads me to believe it was not a rope…. But plastic coated cord wire.
"That's what I thought was a burn mark, and it was in a way… a rope burn." Kate said.
"You know there was a case I saw way back when I had just started working here…" Tony and Kate had the same message plastered across their foreheads; here we go again…
Ducky ignored them and carried on, "What we found out in the end was the main users of wire rope (as its called) is the military, specifically the Navy. Wire can sometimes be more efficient on boats then rope."
"That gives us a lead Ducky, a lead on the murder weapon. We still don't have suspects… or motive, he has no wife so he couldn't be cheating on someone and I doubt he was having an affair with a married women, and he has a clean record so, like I said, I cant find any motive." Tony said thinking it all through.
"I don't think were dealing with rage Tony." Kate said "You know there's a saying… a marine says more at a meal then he does in a lifetime. Cooks hear things; maybe this one…"
"Heard the wrong thing" Tony said.
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"This man knew something. Now the question is, what it was and whom he heard it from. A terrorist from another country seems unlikely, but the Navy's hardly glorious. Maybe we're dealing with an Americans grudge. Against their own country." Kate finished. She thought this might be getting them somewhere.
"You think it's the same guy that shot at us?" Tony asked.
"Well, who would unload a whole round of bullets at two federal agents unless he had something against us, or our country?" Kate said sitting at her desk.
Just then she noticed McGee typing super speed on his computer.
"You got something Tim?" Kate asked walking over to him.
"Um… well I think, ah… hang on… yes." Tim said his bottom lip quivering, " I think." He added as an after thought.
"Well probie, care to tell us?" Tony said a totally fake expression of glee plastered on his face.
"Erm, right, of course. All military grounds have satellites pinned on them, you know in case of attack. I just got into the system and look over our victims navy base to see if I could find any leads on our killer." Tim said looking intently at his computer.
"Good work McGee." Gibbs had walked up behind them.
"Thanks boss," Tim said a smile playing on his face.
Gibbs nodded and then walked away.
"Don't let it go to your head…" Tony said walking away.
"Don't listen to him Tim, you did a good job." Kate said patting Tim on the shoulder.
"Thanks Kate." Tim said smiling honestly now. Tony glared at him.
Once Tim had downloaded satellite footage from the last two days he showed it to the rest of the team. They saw a black SUV pull out from the base in a rush about the same time the victim was murdered.
"Damn, that's from a sat?" Asked Tony.
"This base is one of the biggest in the country." Said Tim, "If you can get a 1,000 ft high view of anywhere in the world on Google Earth, you can get right up close and personal on the base. They have the newest sat's in orbit.
"Nice" Tony added with a whistle. Gibbs walked in closing his phone as he finished a call. His jaw was set square.
"What is it?" Kate asked.
"Just got news that another marine that had worked with our first victim has gone missing, a search of his apartment shows he was taken by force."
"So our cook told someone else what he knew." Said Kate
"Any idea who took him?" Tony asked
"Not at the moment, there was no ransom and it looks like they were wearing gloves. Abby's running some tests right now" Gibbs said. "We got a suspect though, not sure if he plays into anything but its all we got at the moment, I want you two to trail him, here's his info, he should be driving a red sedan."
"Ok boss we're on it." Tony said grabbing his bag just as the door to the elevator that Kate was in closed.
"Damn!" said Tony. Kate's voice floated vaguely up from somewhere below him.
"Catch the next one…" She said. Tony looked annoyed; Gibbs smiled and waved at him.
"When u find something, call me." Gibbs called out as the elevator door closed.
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Once at the car Tony looked over at Kate who had been silent the whole time Gibbs had been talking.
"You alright?" Tony asked.
"Yes, just thinking." Kate said smiling but something just didn't feel right.
"Ok well I think I'll drive." Tony said getting into the drivers seat and when Kate didn't argue he knew something was up.
"Ok what's up?" Tony said quietly.
"I'm fine Tony. Really." Kate said.
"Ok then, lets hit the road." Tony said shifting the car into reverse.
Kate gave Tony instructions to the house. Along the way Tony looked over at Kate trying to make out what was wrong. He looked at Kate and noticed not for the first time how Kate's hair was really a dark auburn when the sun hit it. The car slowly veered towards the other lane.
"Tony! Look at the road!" Kate yelled as Tony pulled back onto the right side.
"Sorry thought I saw his licence plate." Tony covered for himself.
"Ok but from now on let me do the looking." Kate said.
"You got it." Tony said looking ahead.
About half an hour later they reached the house. There was someone just leaving.
"Is that him Kate?" Tony asked.
Kate looked at the picture several times.
"Ya, that's him," Kate said.
The man got in a car and drove off. Tony tailed him a few cars back. They followed him for half an hour before he turned into the parking lot of a small bar.
"Out drinking at 2:00 pm, not exactly a marines daily routine." Stated Kate.
"Exactly. Ready?" Tony asked Kate.
"As always," Kate said just as Tony's phone rang.
"Hi boss. Ya, we followed him to a small bar just outside of the city. Ok, right." Tony put down the phone as Kate and him walked into the bar. They saw the man sitting talking to another man in sunglasses and an expensive suit. Tony and Kate walked up to the top of the bar and ordered non-alcoholic drinks.
"What do you think?" Kate asked.
"I can't tell what they're talking about... Hold on I've got an idea." Tony said walking off.
Kate watched him slowly move up next to the men with his drink he stood there pretending to be getting a better view of an old Giants game. He tried to listen to what they were saying. Suddenly someone pushed into him and he fell forwards into the men.
"Damn it." Kate said quietly as she turned around.
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Tony reappeared by her side a few minutes later.
"We have to go." Tony said quietly in her ear.
"What happened?" Kate asked.
"I think they saw my badge." Tony said so quiet that Kate only just made out what he said.
Tony quickly paid for the drinks and they started to leave. They were half way across the car park when they realized they were being followed by the two men Tony and Kate started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. Tony glanced in his mirror, they were being followed by a black SUV.
"Lose them Tony." Said Kate, watching the black SUV behind them.
"I'm trying." Said Tony through gritted teeth. Kate fell sideways as he turned into an alley trying to throw them off. Tony slammed on the breaks as another black SUV pulled in front of them. "Shit!" he said as the original SUV pulled up behind them blocking their exit.
"Were trapped, gotta run for it." Tony said to Kate. "Ready on the count of one… two-"a gun went off and a bullet broke their windshield making glass shatter all over them. "Out, get out!" Yelled Tony as they piled out of the car and crouched behind it for cover. Tony's phone vibrated as he pulled his gun out and fired back. Kate hit a guy in the shoulder and he went down…
"Boss! We're under fire." Tony said to Gibbs before dropping his phone, more shots rang out, Tony and Kate fired back.
"Tony, there's an open door across the alley on your left, it's our best option."
"Right." Said Tony, "You go first I'll cover you." Kate nodded, counted to three and ran as fast as she could. Tony stood up and fired at the man in the suit, a loud blast went off and Tony saw Kate go down. He watched Kate fall to the ground , Tony turned catching a look at the pinstriped leg on a suit and a polished black shoe. He felt a striking pain in his head and he fell back against the car, everything went black.