"So, what's your superpower, McGee? Can you fly? That would be cool, or maybe you have laser vision?" Once he got over the shock of their Superhero's identity, he was back in full swing.
"I don't know, Tony."
"What do you mean, you don't know? What kind of powers did your parents have?" DiNozzo was circling McGee as if he expected to see something develop on him while they talked.
Tim sighed and let his chin drop onto his chest. It was obvious that DiNozzo was not going to let this go without an explanation. He raised his voice to be heard by everyone in the lab.
"Okay, guys, I'm only going to explain this once, so listen up. I don't know what kind of powers I'm going to have. They put an implant in my head when I was born to prevent them from developing. I've never met my biological parents, because when the Supers were neutralized, they weren't allowed to keep their children. Tomorrow they're going to remove the implant. If I survive, they don't know how long it will take for my powers to emerge. Right now, you know as much as I do about what I'll be when this is over."
Tony had stopped laughing. "What do you mean 'if you survive', McGee? How successful are they at removing these implants?"
"We'll know tomorrow." McGee was working at the computer as he talked. Abby grabbed his arm, stopping him for a moment.
"Wait a minute, Tim. Just how many of these implants have they removed?"
McGee squeezed her hand before removing it, so he could continue working.
"By tomorrow night, including mine, they will have removed one."
"One? One?" DiNozzo stared at him "You're the guinea pig?"
"The proper term is experimental research subject." It might have sounded flippant, but anyone looking at McGee would know he was very serious. "Boss, I need you to put your personal information in here."
Gibbs stood in back of him, looking at the screen. "What is all this?"
"I'm transferring all my assets and funds over to you. Remember, I'm not allowed to own anything or to have any access to a bank account."
"Why is that, McGee? I am sorry, but I do not understand. We did not have Superheroes in Israel even before the uprising."
"Some people believe that Superheroes have a genetic drive to help people, but others think that we can't be trusted with our powers, that we'll be tempted to use them for our own gain." A few more clicks of the mouse and Gibbs was now the proud owner of a large portfolio of stocks and bonds.
While the rest of the group stewed on what he had said, McGee gave Ziva another tidbit of fact. "Israel did have Supers, but Mossad didn't play nice with them. Eventually, the UN wouldn't let them have any more."
"Wow." Suddenly being a Superhero wasn't quite as cool as Tony thought it was going to be. "Are you still going to write books?"
"That's up to Gibbs. All decisions of a personal nature will be made by my handler from now on." Tim waited, knowing where DiNozzo's mind would go next.
"You mean he has to approve who you date?"
Gibbs looked flustered at that piece of news. "You're a big boy. I think I'll let you handle that one yourself, McGee."
"Doesn't work that way, Boss. The details have to be on the weekly report."
"Details, oh, that's going to be good." Tony started laughing. "You want me to proofread those reports for you, Boss?"
*Whack*
"That would be a no, DiNozzo."
---NCIS---
Gibbs was furious as he slammed the Marine against the wall and twisted his arm up behind him. "You want to explain to me why Agent McGee's plasma TV is in your car instead of the moving van?"
"Sorry, sir, I just thought…" The corporal looked to his commanding officer for help, but the man was not going to go up against Gibbs.
"No, you didn't think, that was your problem." Gibbs tightened the handcuffs until he could hear the bones grinding in the man's wrists. He called in for a prisoner transfer as he glared at the rest of the moving crew. "If any of you yahoos even think about helping yourself to Agent McGee's belongings, I'll authorize him to use you as target practice. Do I make myself clear?"
The muttered yes sir's told him his point had been made, but Tim pulled Gibbs off to the side to make a point of his own. "It's not a crime to steal from a Super, Boss. Remember, I no longer own anything."
Gibbs thought about it as his anger grew. The idea that a member of his team would now be considered somehow less than human riled him in a way that he never thought possible. "Everything that was once yours is now mine, right?"
McGee nodded and the corporal looked pleased that he was going to get out of this, but Gibbs pressed him back against the wall again. "Well then, Corporal Stenholm, would you like to explain why you were stealing from me?"
---NCIS---
"Are we ready for them?" DiNozzo looked around Gibbs' house as he heard the truck backing into the driveway. Gibbs had sent the rest of the team to prepare his place for the new occupant. One side of the living room had been cleared out to make room for McGee's computers and typewriter and the guest bedroom was empty and ready for his bed. The Marines quickly stacked McGee's belongings in the middle of the living room before hurriedly departing, so Palmer helped Tony lug the mattress and box springs up the stairs and set it up. By the time they were done, Abby, Ziva and McGee had the computers set up and the TV mounted on the living room wall. Tony, of course, had a DVD in his car for the group to watch while they wiped out six extra large pizzas courtesy of Ducky and Vance.
Gibbs had to grin at how the beers became ice cold, but he didn't say anything to the others as the group began to wind down. Ducky was the one to turn the conversation to a serious nature. "We are to be at Bethesda at 0500, Timothy, are you ready for this?"
"Would it matter if I wasn't?" Tim watched the condensation run down the side of the bottle in his hand. "There's no point in putting it off. The last thing I want to do is give Kort more ammunition to take me from NCIS." He looked up at Vance, who nodded in understanding.
"I'm taking your team off the active rotation for a few weeks until we know what's going to happen with McGee." If the group was expecting Gibbs to object, they were mistaken.
It was almost midnight before Gibbs was able to close the door behind the last of the team, locking it for the first time in years.
"Boss?"
"I had to wrestle a Marine to get that television; I'm sure not going to lose it to some neighborhood punk." It was the right thing to say as McGee grinned and shook his head, before handing a paper to Gibbs. "One more thing for you to sign, Boss."
"A DNR form? Tim, no, you can't be serious." Gibbs refused to take the page.
"It needs both of our signatures." Tim rubbed his forehead as he explained. "If I'm that badly damaged tomorrow, well I'd rather be dead than one of Kort's experiments."
"I'm not going to hand you over to him, no matter what."
"Boss, you won't have a choice. Any Super that becomes too badly damaged to be effective out in the field is immediately turned over to the research division." Gibbs didn't have an answer as he signed the Do Not Resuscitate order.
---NCIS---
The team, along with Vance, arrived at Bethesda the next morning to support McGee. Even Tony was serious as they sat in Tim's hospital room. Ducky walked through the door accompanied by the neurologist sent by Homeland Security. Everyone other than Gibbs was chased out while he was examined by the two doctors before a nurse prepped him for the procedure. A small patch on the back of his head was shaved and, much to his embarrassment, a catheter was placed before he was wheeled into the operating room.
Wearing a gown, mask and gloves, Gibbs was allowed to be in the room, much to his surprise. The first thing he noticed was a lack of anesthesia equipment. "Is he going to be awake for this?"
Ducky tried to reassure him. "He'll be given a local, Jethro. They tell me that he won't feel anything." Gibbs was anything but reassured as he watched several big, burley orderlies tightly strap McGee face down on the tipped surgical table. Once the local was given, a chair was rolled in for Gibbs so he could be where McGee would see him.
Gibbs would not have considered himself a squeamish man, but watching the probe twist and turn as it entered Tim's skull was almost more than he could take. As he was encouraged, he kept up a stream of chatter to distract McGee as much as himself. He knew the second they grasped the implant, as that triggered a seizure. It took almost an hour to pull the implant out of Tim's head, an hour that was made even longer by the half dozen seizures he suffered.
Once Tim was moved to a recovery room. Ducky chased Gibbs out for some fresh air, and Vance met him at the door. "Jethro, I'd like you to meet Hetty Lang from the Office of Special Projects out in Los Angeles."
"Vance, this really isn't a good time."
The Director ignored his plea for privacy as he continued. "The OSP will be coordinating McGee's transition and your training." The tiny woman looked him up and down through her bifocals.
"So, you're the one our Timothy has chosen to be his handler. I would have preferred one of my boys to fill that role. Well, I suppose you'll have to do."
"You know McGee?" There was something about her that made Gibbs want to step back, but he held his ground. "He's never mentioned you and you weren't there when we were at OSP a few months ago."
She waved her hand at him. "Of course I was watching you. Leon was convinced that Timothy would choose you when the time came." She smirked at him. "We will get to know each other very well, Jethro Gibbs."