Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or any of the characters from the show, I'm just borrowing them.
Warning: Some light bad language ahead.
Undercover
Tony wouldn't stop fidgeting and it was driving Ziva up the wall, or was it up the pole? She could never remember that one. Sure they were all feeling nervous, but everyone else was managing to funnel their energy into being productive, not being annoying. OK, it's not like McGee was the best suited for an undercover operation. He was far too...well... nice at the heart of it. But the operation had called for a hacker, and not just any hacker, but a hacker who could hack the CIA in an evening, which apparently had led to Timothy McGee being the main candidate and the rest of them sat here as his support. During the initial briefing she had been willing him to say no, to stammer and apologise, but of course he hadn't. He had to prove himself and when had he ever refused an order before?
She looked around the dingy room they were currently sitting in. Surveillance equipment and intel was in various piles on the floor and work benches, with an uncomfortable mixture of FBI and NCIS personnel monitoring it all. Tony glanced up at her from his spot in front of the monitors, meeting her gaze he gave her his DiNozzo's-patented-reassuring smile and with a jolt Ziva realised she had just spent the last five minutes nervously fidgeting. She stood and walked over to the windows, lifting the net curtain to the side she looked out just in time to see McGee step out of a taxi across the street.
"He is here." She announced to the room. Everyone instantly stopped what they were doing and turned to the monitors. Ziva turned back to the window and watched her teammate pay the driver. Just like the time they had sent him to a drop off as Kirby, McGee was wearing a lurid Hawaiian shirt under a scruffy blazer over jeans, and also just like then, he just looked like a very uncomfortable Special Agent Timothy McGee in a bad Hawaiian shirt. Ziva felt a cold feeling of dread in her gut. She should have said something to Gibbs, stopped this terrible idea. Tim's feelings might have been hurt but at least he wouldn't be walking to his death.
"Jeese look at him." One of the FBI agents said, "He has done undercover work before right?" Looking around at the NCIS agents he rolled his eyes. "Well this is going to be short, better gear up and get ready to save his ass."
"Hey!" Gibbs cut in before Tony and Ziva could. "Shut up and get us all coffee. Black no sugar." The agent opened his mouth to argue but Gibbs' glare sent him out of the room.
Tony sighed, the uncomfortable atmosphere in the room had only gotten worse. He looked over at Ziva who seemed to be determined to avoid his gaze. Ah Probie, he thought, please do OK, you don't have to be amazing, just get in and get out again. Then we'll all sit down and have a chat about how we're never going to do this again.
The parabolic microphone beeped and a sharp knocking could be heard. Tony's eyes fixed onto the monitor. The dirty wooden door McGee had just knocked on was like ten others on the street. Squashed in between an electronic store and a greasy cafe, this one didn't just hide dirty bed-sits, lonely pensioners and poor students. This door was apparently the entrance to a crime organisation that had started branching out into trading with terrorists. The door swung open and a huge man appeared, Tony winced at McGee's nervous cough. "I'm Harper Collins." McGee said, "Jonah said your boss needed my help with something." The man didn't say anything, just stepped back to allow McGee to pass him and disappear into the building.
Everyone in the surveillance room held their breath. The two cameras were panned across the windows of the opposite building searching for any movement.
"There." Ziva said, "The third window from the right on the second floor." The focus fluctuated and then Tony and Gibbs could see the big man from the door stride across the frame and gesture to something. McGee also appeared and the two started to speak to each other.
"Where's the sound?" Gibbs growled. An agent immediately scurried to re-adjust the forgotten parabolic microphone.
"I don't understand." McGee's voice sounded strained through the monitor's speakers.
"Think of this as an entrance test Mr Collins." The big man replied. Gibbs leaned closer to the screen squinting to make out McGee's features. Relax McGee, he thought, trying to will his agent into looking less like a rookie cop on an undercover mission and more like the arrogant computer hacker he was supposed to be.
McGee sat down facing the window and frowned downwards at something in front of him. "Ha!" Tony said happily, "That's his concentrating-on-some-computer-thing face! Must be one on the table he's sitting at."
"Send an alert out to the agencies." One of the senior FBI agents said suddenly, "Whatever this test is we can't have him compromising any operations."
"Don't we need to him to get in? Wasn't that the whole point of sending him in there?" Tony demanded.
"The agencies are already aware of the situation. McGee will get in and he won't compromise anything." Gibbs said firmly "Everyone just needs to calm down and trust him." Tony and Ziva felt the sting of that last comment as much as the FBI did.
"Erm..." McGee's hesitant voice came over the speakers "I'm afraid I still don't understand." The big Man rolled his eyes and stepped up behind McGee. Everyone in the room tensed as the man leaned right over McGee to stare at whatever was on the screen in front of them. Calm down and trust him, Tony repeated Gibbs' words in his head, but was still shocked to see that the big man's face was slowly transforming from annoyance to surprise.
McGee's face still held a look of confusion. "This is a real job right?" He asked. "If this is some pissy joke of Jonah's, I'll kill him."
"You barely touched anything." The man said, glowering over McGee.
"Erm...why would I have to?" He asked. "The servers aren't really protected, most people think of them as public access." Everyone in the surveillance room jumped as McGee suddenly started laughing. "This is really all you wanted?" He asked, as the big man stepped back. "I can't believe I was actually worried about this. Hell this'll be the easiest money I ever made. Lead on to the next test, will there be cake?" Ziva blinked in surprise, she had never heard arrogance like this from McGee.
"Just wait a second." The big man said pulling a cell phone from his pocket and walking away to talk to someone. McGee leaned back in his chair and looked around the room ignoring the team mates he knew were watching from across the street.
Tony turned to smile triumphantly at the FBI agents in the room. "There see? There's no problem." He declared. Gibbs decided to save his head slap until McGee could watch.
"Anderson is there." Ziva suddenly announced from her position at the window.
"What?" Tony asked his confidence already leaving him, "Why would he come here?" Anderson was technically the second in command of the organisation they were tracking. Although intel suggested the true leader was nothing more than a figurehead, with Anderson welding most of the power. It had apparently been with his blessing that the organisation had started appropriating and selling weapons and intelligence to terrorist groups planning to attack America and its allies.
Tony focused on the monitors. The second camera picked up a group of people who had apparently entered from a door at the back of the room. They stopped a short way into the room.
"Harper Collins." Anderson said, "You know? I had just about lost all faith in Jonah. He doesn't keep to agreed schedules, he's got strange ideas about hierarchy and well he just didn't deliver the goods." Everything about Anderson made Ziva anxious. She had met many men like him. They all had power and had all committed terrible crimes to achieve that power. The opposite of a man like McGee, she thought unhappily, again wishing her friend had never accepted the operation. "And then he ups and disappears and I hear rumours he ran off to the FBI to beg for protection. Can you imagine?" McGee didn't answer Anderson's question. Gibbs found himself leaning toward the monitor screen again. McGee wasn't even looking at Anderson. It looked like he was looking over his shoulder. "But," Anderson continued, stepping further into the room, "Thankfully he was just out finding his own replacement. How very convenient for everyone involved."
"Oh God, I'm Dead." McGee's voice had been so quiet the microphone had barely picked it up. But it was enough for Gibbs, Tony and Ziva to start moving to the door.
"Where are you going?" The senior FBI agent asked them. "I thought you told us to stay calm and trust him?"
"You heard what he said, what Anderson said." Tony replied. But Gibbs had relaxed his stance and was gazing at the monitors again. "He has an emergency signal if he wants us to swoop in and save him." The agent continued.
"But-" Tony's reply was cut off by Gibbs.
"He's right Tony." Gibbs said. He turned to one of the junior agents, "I want to know everything about all the people in that room."
"Well...Anderson-" She started.
"Not Anderson, we all know everything about Anderson, I want to know about the others."
"They are just lower level members of the organisation, they're probably there for security or intimidation."
"Probably?" Gibbs growled at her, "The FBI thinks I should bet my agent's life on your probably?" Gibbs turned back to the monitors, following McGee's gaze he pointed to a woman standing behind Anderson. "Start with her." he said.
There was a flurry of movement as the junior agents searched facial recognition and their intel for information on the woman. McGee had gone back to looking nervous and flinched when woman broke away from the group to step closer to him. Anderson lifted his eyebrows in surprise and glanced between them.
"You two know each other?" He asked.
The woman studied McGee for a long moment before turning to study whatever it was he had been working on. A slow smile spread across her face as she looked sideways at McGee giving him a wink. McGee frowned in return. She whipped around to face Anderson. "I can't believe it." She said. "Boss, you might have just been handed the key to the kingdom." Anderson blinked in surprise but looked pleased.
"This guy's got the skills then?" He asked.
"Oh yes." She smiled a Cheshire cat smile and Tony felt the hairs stand up on his neck.
"There isn't a lot of verified intel." The junior agent started talking as she typed at her laptop not paying attention to the action on the monitors. "Just fragmented records and interviews. She seems to be some kind of enforcer." She kept talking not realising everyone was staring at her. "Errr...she has a lot of aliases," she continued, "Charlotte Lawler, Christina Avers, Lola..." She stopped and stared up at Gibbs, "Lola McGee."
"Maybe he's forgotten the signal?" The senior FBI agent asked sounding a little frantic. But McGee clearly hadn't forgotten. He stood and turned his back to the window. "Sooo...?" He asked. "I got the job or what?"
Anderson thumped him on the shoulder and pulled him close. "Don't make Jonah's mistakes." He warned before releasing McGee and turning to leave.
Lola grabbed McGee's hand and started dragging him out with the rest of the group. "You better come along Harper." She said. "Don't worry, you're going to make some new friends." She glanced out the window as she said this, and Ziva couldn't help thinking that comment was aimed at them.
Everyone in surveillance watched as McGee disappeared out the door, the soft click of it shutting the last sound picked up by the microphone.
After a long moment Gibbs stood and turned to the senior FBI agent, "I suggest you pack up. Leave a couple of agents in case they return. We'll head out to wait for McGee at the rendezvous." He turned and walked from the room, Ziva and Tony close at his heels. No one said anything until they reached their car. "Find out how that woman knows McGee." Gibbs ordered.
Authors note: Hmm another one where all the action takes place on monitors, I guess I like separating the characters from the action and each other. Yep McGee's cover ID is a publisher, I thought that was the sort of joke the show might use, and I hope you all got the Portal reference. Hope you enjoyed reading. This was the start of the- lets-make-Lola-a-criminal phase; Let me know what you think.