Author's Note: Updates may take a little longer because of the research this story requires but I'll try not to leave you guys hanging for too long.
Breach
Chapter One: Something Bigger Than Yourself
Gibbs did his best to readjust his gear in the confined quarters of the plane. To say he was uncomfortable was an understatement. He was cramped and unable to move, bogged down with eighty pounds of gear and surrounded by the team of soldiers he'd be jumping with. They'd left the forward operating base thirty minutes ago. It had been thirty minutes of sitting on jump seats in the back of a turbulent airplane, thirty minutes of breathing pure oxygen to prepare their bodies for the HAHO, high altitude – high opening, jump that they were getting ready to perform and thirty minutes of pure adrenaline coursing through their veins as they prepared themselves mentally for their mission. They had fifteen minutes to go.
A week ago Gibbs had been sitting at his desk at NCIS, working hard on wrapping up case reports from the case they'd just closed before they were assigned another one. His former CO from the Corps had come to him along with Skip Dawson, the team leader of SEAL team five. Gibbs still held the sniper record for longest confirmed kill by a couple hundred feet and they needed him to deliver a kill shot from even farther away.
No doubts had crossed his mind; not a 'you're too old' or a 'you haven't done this in over a decade' or anything else. His country had called on him, they needed him and 'yes' was the only answer he could give. He'd been read into the program, shipped down to Virginia Beach to join up with the other SEALs on the team, gone over plans, spent some time at the shooting range and practiced a jump before spending hours on a cargo plane headed for the Afghanistan. Their mission would take place in Pakistan but the goal was to get in, complete their task and get out before anyone knew they were there.
Now Gibbs found himself in another plane, waiting for the alarm and those two words that would get his adrenaline pumping even more: hook up. Xander Moore, the SEAL sitting next to him, whacked his leg and gave Gibbs a thumbs up when he looked at him. Their eyes were covered with goggles and noses and mouths covered with masks delivering oxygen but Gibbs knew the kid was smiling. The kid was always smiling. He returned the gesture then went back to quiet reflection.
When he'd been in the Corps, he'd always used the journey to his destination to go over the mission. This one was one of the most important missions he'd ever been a part of. They were tasked with killing Omar Nadhir, a terrorist who was reportedly planning the next 9-11. That was all the information the CIA deemed the SEALs needed to know.
Fifteen minutes later they were in the drop zone. The alarm sounded, the only thing they could really hear on the noisy aircraft, and they each pulled the man sitting across from them up, standing on their own in the process. They waddled to the door and waited as it opened. Gibbs was the fourth in a six man team.
The jump was the part he was most concerned about. After clearing the plane they'd open their chutes then form a stack and float the remaining thirty miles to their destination. Stacks were tricky and usually practiced by the team multiple times. Gibbs was the newby to this team and had only had time to practice it once. He was a quick learner though, dedicated and determined. He would not let his team down.
The soldier at the door of the aircraft sent the men out one by one, none of them hesitating despite not even being able to see land below. Six chutes opened in the dark night and they got into formation. Skip Dawson, the team leader and one at the bottom of the formation, used a compass to keep them moving in the right direction. There was no moon light and the plane had been flying high enough and far enough away that the enemy wouldn't be alerted. A psychic couldn't have even predicted their presence.
As they neared earth, they scanned the ground beneath them with lasers that could only been seen using the night vision goggles they were wearing. The countryside was vacant. After landing they had about an hour to make it a little less than three miles to the compound Nadhir was hiding out in. So far everything was going as planned but the team knew better than to start getting too cocky.
The team spread out just enough they could land without being on top of each other and immediately scanned their surroundings for threats. "Clear" rang out six times in everyone's earpieces and they lowered their weapons so they could take care of their chutes and rearrange their gear.
Skip did a quick check on his team and within minutes of landing they were ready to continue. "Let's move," he said.
"X-Man, you okay?" Gibbs asked when noticed Xander limping. The two were buddies and it was their job to look out for each other.
Xander nodded. "Yeah, man, landed in a pothole and twisted my ankle. I'll walk it off."
Gibbs nodded, knowing any one of them could've broken a leg and still continued on the mission. They were all a part of something bigger than themselves. That's what set them and all other soldiers apart.
When they were about halfway to their final destination, Skip was notified by the command post that the weekly, middle of the night summit at Nadhir's compound had just started. They were watching via drone and relaying information to the team on the ground.
Fifty two minutes after starting the 3.4 mile hike, the SEALs arrived at their intended location in the hills surrounding Nadhir's compound. Three teams of two fanned out, two of them to provide cover and one, Gibbs and Xander, to get ready to take Nadhir down. After a failed raid on the compound a week prior, the terrorists were on high alert. Sniping the leader from nearly two thousand yards away was their best bet and safest option.
"Not a lot of wind tonight," Xander said. He was also a sniper and was set up not far from Gibbs. Usually only one sniper was used but due to the importance of this mission and the sheer distance of the shot, they were using two in hopes of doubling their chances.
"I know luck is for the unprepared but if low wind means we're lucky, I'll take it," Gibbs said.
"How we doing?" Skip asked over the comm.
"Got the compound in my sites," Gibbs replied.
"Ditto," Xander added. "Waiting for the summit to finish and Nadhir to show his ugly mug."
"Good," Skip said. "All's clear back here."
Bravo Team, which was Skip and Spence, were behind the snipers and to the left. Charlie Team, Willy and Bates, were behind and to the right while Alpha Team, Gibbs and Xander, were waiting to take out their target. Al-Qaeda had increased patrols after the first failed raid but in their arrogance, they'd decided not to move their leader. They figured if the Americans had failed at their first attempt, Nadhir was untouchable and there was no need to move him.
Skip reported back to the command post that they were in position then they hunkered down to wait. The summits usually took anywhere from an hour to four. The SEALs were hoping it would be shorter so they could get out of there before daylight. If they didn't, they'd have to wait until the following night to be extracted. It was dangerous enough to fly a helicopter into that area at night; it would be guaranteed death in daylight.
"Anybody else gotta take a leak?" Xander asked into his comm.
"Hold it," all of his teammates groaned while Gibbs just shook his head and smiled.
Xander was definitely the class clown of the group. He kept things light and fun which was priceless stress relief in their line of work. He actually reminded Gibbs a lot of Tony. With his jet black hair, grey eyes and bodybuilder physique he looked nothing like Gibbs' agent but they shared a similar personality which helped Gibbs feel right at home with the team.
He would never admit it out loud but he missed Tony. He missed the others too but he missed Tony the most. The reason for that was a little troubling to him and something he didn't really want to give much thought to but he couldn't deny wanting to get home to see Tony's bright, happy eyes and smiling face… and head slap him for his next wisecrack. Gibbs took a deep, even breath and refocused on his task.
Three long, quiet hours passed before the excitement started.
"I've got movement," both Gibbs and Xander said at the same time.
"Wait till you have a clear shot then take it," Skip replied. "Charlie, how we lookin' over there?"
"Still clear," Bates replied.
"Bravo clear," Skip reported. "It's all you, Alpha."
Gibbs and Xander watched as Nadhir stood in the middle of a group of people, chatting. They knew if they took the shot and missed, the terrorist would run for cover and they'd lose their opportunity. The sheer distance was enough to make it an impossible shot, there was no way they'd be able to hit him if he started running.
"Come on, you bastard," Xander whispered.
"Patience," Skip reminded.
After a brief conversation, the group broke apart and Nadhir headed off with only a few body guards.
"Ready G-Man?" Xander asked.
"Count us down," Gibbs said looking through the scope of his rifle.
"Three… two… one," Xander said.
Both shots were virtually silent. Gibbs and Xander watched as their target fell to a lifeless heap on the group and the bodyguards dropped to his side. It was clear from their actions that the al-Qaeda leader was dead.
"Target down," Gibbs said, his smile evident in his voice.
"Good work, boys," Skip said. It wasn't a perfect takedown in that the SEALs didn't get to take pictures and DNA to confirm their target's identity but it was very clear he was dead and the intelligence and surveillance they had were top rate. They were willing to say with 99.9% certainty that Nadhir was dead.
"Cool thing about this, G-Man, is that when you get back to the US this'll be all over the news," Xander said.
"Let's get outta enemy territory before we start celebrating," Skip said.
"Is command gonna extract us tonight?" Xander asked.
"Still waiting for confirmation," Skip said. "Let's start heading to the rendezvous. Won't be long before this hill's flooded with al-Qaeda looking for us."
They hadn't been walking very long when they got their answer. "Extraction has been deemed too dangerous," command reported to the SEALs over the comm. "By the time we could get there, dawn would be breaking. Standby until dusk."
"Standing by," Skip said. He looked at the faces of his men and smiled despite their predicament. After killing the terrorist, nothing was going to get them down. They had enough food and water to get them through the day and even though al-Qaeda was roaming all over the countryside, they knew they could find a cave to take cover in. They'd make the best of what they had. It's what they did every day.
The SEALs moved through the countryside using the last little bit of darkness as added protection. Night vision goggles and lasers lit up the land while everyone's ears were acutely tuned to any noises that would warn of impending danger. They'd all studied maps of the area and were familiar with their surroundings.
"There's a cave about a half a mile from our rendezvous point," Skip said. "Let's check that out."
It wasn't long before exhaustion started taking over. Hiking several miles in the middle of the night carrying eighty pounds of gear and staying on full alert for the enemy nearby was taking its toll. As the adrenaline from their success started wearing off it was getting harder to find the motivation to continue putting one leg in front of the other.
"Are we there yet?" Xander whined playfully.
Without even thinking, Gibbs reached up and head slapped the man.
"Agent Gibbs," Xander said in shock, "you did not just do that!"
"Yes he did, X-Man!" Willy said around a fit of giggles.
"That's what I do to my second when his mouth gets in trouble," Gibbs replied.
"I've never seen X-Man shocked into silence before," Bates said. "Who knew there was somebody out there that could control that mouth of his? Would you care to reenlist and join our team, Agent Gibbs?"
"Traitors," Xander said, pouting like a toddler and looking like he might burst into tears at any moment.
"Aw, we still love you, X-Man," Willy said.
"No, no," Xander replied, barely able to keep the grin off his face. "You guys have made it very clear that you love Agent Gibbs more than me. I see how it is."
"We didn't want you to find out this, man," Bates said, clasping a hand onto Xander's shoulder.
"Look alive," Skip said. "We've got movement off to the east."
With weapons at the ready, the team continued on their way, cautious of the enemy nearby. After another hour of hiking they found the cave, reconed the area then settled in for the wait.
"I hate it when Gibbs leaves and doesn't tell us where he's going or what he's doing," Abby whined as she sat at Gibbs' desk.
"Me too," Tony said. "Do you think he's coming back this time? I mean, he has to come back, right?"
"He would not leave without telling us," Ziva said confidently.
"Problems?" Vance asked, coming to a stop in the middle of the bullpen.
"Yeah, where's Gibbs?" Tony asked. "He's been gone for over a week and hasn't called any of us. That's very unlike him. Plus, I've camped out at his house the past three nights and he never showed up."
"Jethro's not in town," Vance said.
"Well where is he?" Abby asked.
"That's classified," Vance answered.
"Is he in the country?" Tony tried, half wondering if the man had run off to Mexico again.
"Classified."
"Have you heard from him?" Tony continued.
"No," Vance answered.
"Is he okay?" Abby asked.
"I'm going under the assumption that no news is good news," Vance said.
"So he is somewhere doing something dangerous," Tony concluded.
"This is Gibbs were talking about," Vance said, "he's always somewhere doing something dangerous."
"Touché," Tony said.
"Get back to work," Vance said. "If I hear anything, I'll let you guys know."
"How long is he supposed to be gone?" Abby asked.
"He wasn't sure," Vance replied before heading back to his office.
After a long day of hiding out in the cave, taking turns resting and enjoying some bonding time, darkness finally came. The command post notified the SEALs that the chopper had just left. The group spent the next forty five minutes grabbing their gear and hiking the short distance to the extrication zone. Getting out was going to prove to be much more challenging than getting in mainly because of the noise the chopper would make and how close it had to get to pick the team up.
When they got word that the chopper was five minutes out, they did one last sweep of the area. Just as they were finishing up, right when they heard the helicopter approaching, they also heard the familiar sound of an RPG being launched. When the rocket propelled grenade made contact with the chopper, a fireball lit up the sky.
"Abort," Skip said.
The SEALs had already started vacating the open area, knowing they'd be sitting ducks if they stayed there. The missile had launched from not far away, al-Qaeda was close by.
"Shit," Spence grumbled. Cory Spencer was the most serious one of the group. He was a realist and a problem solver and though he enjoyed humor, jokes and pranks, missions weren't the time or place for games.
"Break left, break left" Bates said when he caught movement off to their right.
They weren't far from the hills but the whole area was suddenly teeming with terrorists. The terrorists would've easily been able to figure out that the Americans were nearby. They would've known the chopper they shot down was on its way to pick them up. There was a good chance they were listening in on their transmissions.
"Bates, watch out!" Xander yelled but before either of them could react, Gibbs had fired a round through two terrorists' heads.
"That was close," Bates said as they continued moving.
"Too close," Xander said.
"I owe you, Agent Gibbs," Bates said.
"Don't owe me anything," Gibbs said. "Look alive."
Just when the group was starting to wonder if they were going to make it through the night alive, they made it far enough into the hills that there were large boulders, bushes and trees to give them some cover. They bypassed the cave they came across, fearing it'd be too easy of a target.
Skip called into the command post for an airstrike to take the pressure off and within twenty minutes explosions peppered the valley giving the SEALs an opportunity to make their escape. They didn't stop for a break until they made it to the other side of the hill.
"Now what?" Xander asked.