Title: The Pashtun Candidate
Author: Jasmine
Date: 3/26/2012
Universe: NCIS Season 5
Warning: None
Rated: PG
Summary: Tony is identified by a terrorist group to carry out its nefarious plans against the US, and specifically Gibbs.
Disclaimer: I don't make any money off this. All credit goes to CBS, D. Bellisario, NCIS, Mark Harmon, and anyone else who should be credited. This story is very loosely based on the book, The Manchurian Candidate, by Richard Condon.
Chapter 1
Somewhere in the hills of Afghanistan…
The tall figure moved gracefully in the shadows of the cave. His hands were tightly clasped behind his back, evidence that he was deep in thought, or perhaps irritated. It was difficult to tell sometimes. "I want a US agent that I can turn."
Whenever the al-Qaeda leader lowered his voice, his underlings steered clear of him, but in the deep recesses of the Afghan mountains, there was nowhere to go. One of the younger, and still as yet ignorant, Turban clad men replied, "Forgive me, Al-Awlaki, but since our attack on the United States, it's been particularly difficult to recruit Americans."
The older man lowered his head and glared at the man's youthful petulance, more evidence that he was controlling his often violent temper. "I don't want excuses. I want action. Find me a man who will betray his country—Get me a name." Al-Awlaki, the al-Qaeda leader, whose full name was Abu Yahya al-Awlaki, turned away and left the small area, stooping low to clear the jagged opening. The remaining men sat motionless on the ground of the rock strewn cavity. There was an uneasy silence as each tossed a furtive look at his neighbor, wondering which one of them was going to die for their perceived insolent behavior. By the time Al-Awlaki returned, someone had better supply him with a name or one of them wasn't ever going to see the light of day again. Of that they were certain.
The elderly leader was revered and feared, and he never left a meeting without reminding each of the recruits that their role was to die for the cause. And it was times just like this that he demonstrated the group's fundamental philosophy towards martyrdom. But even though they chanted and hollered their allegiance to Allah and the cause, there wasn't a man among them who really wanted to die.
Which is why the next voice was like hope unleashed. One diminutive member of the terrorist group meekly offered, "I might know someone."
Ears perked up. Eyes brows raised and heads turned. All they needed was a name. An American name. It would condemn the man to death, but this was war and better some American die than someone currently seated on the rugged dirt floor of the cave. And in the remote chance that the man could be turned, he just might prove to be an invaluable asset in their war against the imperial and arrogant West.
"Are you sure?" one of the elders said, knowing the ramifications of false leads and misinformation.
The small man nodded, "I am sure."
His words were at odds with his appearance, then again, his appearance was at odds with his participation in the group. But they had a man and right now that was as good as an oasis in the middle of the Sahara. Eagerly, they summoned their leader back.
Abu Yahya al-Awlaki entered the cave. His larger than life frame blocked the only opening and he no longer whispered. His deep baritone voice boomed inside the small area, "You have a name?"
"Yes," Assef, the small man with the thin beard and pointy nose, nodded. He was well aware of what al-Awlaki was capable of doing and had seen his wrath on only one other occasion, but it had left an indelible print on his brain. "I know of a man who is strong willed, trusting of few, and highly intelligent. If we could turn him, he would be a most useful ally."
"Who is this man you speak of?"
"He came to my attention during a murder investigation aboard a navy cruise ship. One of the men in my cell reported him to me. I think he's a good candidate for our newer methods of brainwashing. And if not—if our methods prove too much for him, then at least we will have eliminated a potentially dangerous opponent."
"A name?"
"His name is Anthony DiNozzo, and he works for NCIS."
Chapter 2
Tony rolled over in bed. 'Why do I bother sleeping anymore?' he thought to himself. He felt lousy and didn't understand why. He kept a busy schedule, worked out, and was even trying to eat a little healthier, but none of it was having a very positive effect on him. It was seven o'clock in the morning and he'd slept through his alarm. If he thought a shower would make him feel better, he'd eagerly jump out of bed and take one, but he knew from experience it wouldn't.
So far only Ziva had commented on his tired and listless eyes. Of course she would. She noticed every detail about him lately. He looked over at his ringing phone and knew who it was before he answered, "Yeah."
"Did you sleep through your alarm again?" she chastised.
"Yeah."
"Well, we got a murder to solve if you're not too tired to join us."
"I'll meet you there." He took down the location and hung up. He didn't look forward to explaining to Gibbs why he was late, but he'd worry about that after he pulled his lifeless body out of bed.
The only saving grace of the morning was that the crime scene was fairly close to where he lived. He parked next to the NCIS truck and pulled his aching body from the driver's seat.
"Nice of you join us," McGee said, enjoying the opportunity for a little light hearted teasing.
Ignoring the comment, he addressed Gibbs and said, "Sorry, Boss, won't happen again."
Gibbs gave him the once over, making him feel uncomfortable, and then, without saying another word, walked away. If Gibbs had noticed anything unusual, he didn't show it. But it was Gibbs, so it was most certain that he noticed something.
"Do I look that bad?"
Ziva answered, "Yes. What are you doing at night? Nevermind—don't answer that! I do not want to know."
"I'm not doing anything. If I were still dating Angela, I might give a different answer, but I'm not! And I'm not doing anything that's unusual. How bad do I look?"
McGee held up his camera and snapped. The flash temporarily blinded his colleague. "Here, you can judge for yourself."
Seeing the bags under his eyes, he pushed the camera away. "Funny, McPhoto. Fill me in, will ya?"
McGee enjoyed seeing Tony out of sorts. The man who was always in control, the man who always looked like he stepped off the cover of GQ, the man who was always quick to point out other people's flaws was in a funk, and that pleased him to no end. "Sure thing, Tony. Petty Officer Trevor MacGreggor was found dead this morning by a passerby. Single gunshot to the chest, no witnesses."
"That's it?"
"Yeah, Tony, that's why they call us out here when they find a dead body. So we can fill in the blanks and figure out what happened."
Tony narrowed his eyes at McGee's newfound sarcasm. "Have some sympathy for me, Probie. I'm not feeling myself lately."
"Like you had sympathy for me last month when I had the flu?"
"That was different. We needed you around to do computer things. I had to pick up the slack."
"DiNozzo!"
"Right here, Boss!"
"Canvas the area. Ziva, go with him."
"Sure thing, Boss!"
Tony gave his colleague a quick sneer and headed across the street to the nearest apartment complex. Ziva followed behind. Once they were out of earshot range, Tony said, "He must not trust me to go alone."
"Perhaps he thinks you will scare the residents with the way you look."
"Me? Since when have my looks scared anyone?"
"Since you started looking like you haven't slept in weeks."
Tony rubbed his eyes. He felt like he hadn't slept in weeks, but he was usually pretty good at covering up such weariness, but this… this was something more than just fatigue.
Ziva observed him, waiting for a response and when none came, she furrowed her brow, perplexed by his behavior.
Chapter 3
Tony rolled over in bed. "Shit," he said out loud and to nobody but the empty walls. He felt awful and he even considered calling in today, but he'd never hear the end of it if he did. Whatever bug he had, it wasn't going away and he thought it might be time to see a doctor. He looked at his alarm. Eight o'clock! Damnit. He pulled his body out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. His mind was fuzzy and he stood in front of the mirror a full minute trying to figure out what to do next. He had to consciously think about his morning routine because things weren't coming to his head quickly, or for that matter, in any order.
First shave. He found his razor and completed the task. Next shower. He took a cold one hoping it'd wake him up. It didn't. Dry off, brush teeth, get dressed. Damn, he thought. Since when did a morning routine require so much thought?
That was going to be the least of his worries when Gibbs got hold of him. He sat down hard in the driver's seat of his car and began to pull away when he realized he had forgotten his backpack and gun. "Oh my God," he said out loud, again, and to no one in particular. This would make him another ten minutes late, but in the context of Gibbs, ten minutes might as well be two hours.
He made it to the navy yard in record time and hurried off the elevator, pleased to discover that his boss wasn't at his desk, not so pleased to see that his co-workers were.
"Nice of you to come in today," Ziva said.
McGee continued, "It certainly is. We gave Gibbs an update an hour ago, so he's eager to hear your part."
"Not now, McPunctual and Miss Perfect."
Ziva smirked, "If not now, then when? Perhaps you would like us to do your job for you?"
McGee grinned at Ziva and added, "Like he had to do for me last month?"
Tony could usually brush off their comments, but for some reason, they were annoying him today. "I said, 'Not now.'"
Abby came into the bullpen and stood, waiting expectantly to be noticed.
"Can we help you?" Ziva asked.
"Do you see these hands?" she said, holding them out.
"Yes."
"Do you notice that they're empty?"
McGee answered slowly, "Yes."
"Do you know why they are empty?"
Tony felt the aggravation rise deep from within his belly. He couldn't take this, not this morning. He had no time for riddles or puzzles or simple questions. He wanted quiet, he wanted to be alone, he wanted to begin working, but his brain just felt muddled, and he wasn't in any mood to be playing games. He tried to ignore the conversation.
Ziva shook her head, "I have no idea."
Abby placed her hands deliberately on her hips and replied, "They are empty because I don't have any evidence to analyze. I don't have any foreign substances for my mass-spectrometer, nor do I have any particulates to ponder. Gibbs comes to me for answers and I have nothing to work with. Ergo, I have no answers for him."
Tony rubbed his temples. The head ache that never seemed to go away but never seemed to get worse just got worse.
Because he was still enjoying this newfound unkempt demeanor of his colleague, McGee sauntered over towards Tony's desk and with boyish delight answered Abby. "You should really bring all your complaints to the senior agent, aka Tony. He'll—"
McGee was stunned when he found himself flattened up against the filing cabinet staring into the unfamiliar eyes of his friend.
"You care to spell out your problem?" Tony hissed.
"I'm—I'm s-sorry, Tony! I didn't mean anything—."
"—Put him down!" Gibbs toned.
Tony suddenly became acutely aware of his surroundings. It seemed like his world just up and froze; a freeze-frame of the exact moment in time when he had lost his senses. He backed away from McGee, barely able to look him in the eye long enough to offer an apology, a direct result of being overcome by a strong feeling of remorse. "I'm sorry, Tim. I..uh… I'm sorry." Confused, he looked around at his desk. "I need to finish the… the…case."
Only Gibbs seemed to have control of his lower jaw because Ziva, McGee and Abby were wide-eyed with disbelief at what just happened. So were the other NCIS employees who had stopped mid-stride and mid-sentence to stare at the extremely uncharacteristic behavior.
"Tony?"
But Tony didn't hear his name, or if he had, he didn't react to it. He focused instead on his desk and the computer screen. On top of just plain feeling like crap, he was now embarrassed and confused, two emotions he rarely felt. "Maybe I should go home… I'm not feeling too good." But even that thought caused him pause, as if he were trying to figure out how to go about doing it.
McGee straightened his tie and looked at his boss, wanting to say something but not sure if what he'd say would send him off again. Gibbs ticked his head and Tim returned to his desk, keeping a wary eye out for any sudden moves.
"Tony?" Gibbs repeated.
"MacGreggor is from Ohio, Boss, stationed on the USS Marshall…" Tony said, trying hard to remember the details of their latest victim. Rubbing his forehead, he continued, "He—"
"—Tony?" Gibbs said with a little more force, finally getting the attention of his agent. "Come with me."
It took him a full minute to register the request and Ziva couldn't decide if he was blatantly disregarding Gibbs' order or trying to understand it. She almost told him to stand up and follow Gibbs, but he eventually did that on his own.
Abby watched him disappear around the corner, and then looked from Ziva to McGee and back again, "What was that?"
McGee shook his head, "I have no idea. If I thought I was going to piss him off like that, I'd never have teased him."
Ziva disagreed, "It is not your fault, McGee. Something is going on. He is not acting like himself."
"Are you okay?" Abby asked, touching Tim's arm.
McGee brushed it off, "Yeah, I'm fine. I wish I knew what was wrong with him, though."
"No kidding," she said.
Tim was impressed with himself for maintaining an air of control, but the reality was his insides were roiling. He concentrated on his computer, hoping he could hide his emotions from the scientist.
TBC
As always, if you can find the time to comment, I'm always appreciative. Shouldn't be too many errors in this as I've read it several times, but if you find something, please let me know. ~~Jasmine
NOTE: is acting strangely. I'm having to resubmit this Chapter because the summary was cut off. Also, many of the reviews are coming in truncated. If anyone knows why or has seen this before, let me know. Thanks to those who have already reviewed!