Siren Call
Chapter 1
The elevator doors slid open and Tony strode through them on his way to the bullpen. Seeing that there was only one other occupant to witness what he was about to do, Tony grinned and started to sing.
"Good morning! Good morning! Good morning to you! Good morning! Good morning! Good morning to you! Our day is beginning, there's so much to do. Good morning! Good morning! Good morning to you!"
As he finished his performance he took in his teammate's reaction, his grin broadening at the expression on McGee's face. The younger man clearly thought Tony had lost his mind, but beneath the surface annoyance and amusement fought for control. After a brief moment, he raised his hands from the keyboard and gave three slow, very sarcastic claps. Tony bowed deeply in return and walked to his desk where he sat down and turned to face McGee, still grinning.
"Dare I ask what has you in such a good mood?"
"Why wouldn't I be in a good mood, McGrouchy? It's a beautiful summer morning, and-."
"You're trying to distract me, aren't you? From remembering the date."
Tony winced. "Guess it didn't work, did it?"
McGee shook his head and returned to his work, leaving Tony with the unfortunate experience of remembering what had happened and wishing he could forget himself.
It had been exactly one year ago that he and Ziva had been sitting in the bullpen, restricted to desk duty while Gibbs and McGee had been on assignment aboard a research ship, when they learned that ship had been blown up and sunk by one of the crew members. A day later they learned that the crew had been rescued from the ship's lifeboats but Gibbs and McGee had not been with them.
They were told by the ship's captain that both men had gone overboard and were believed to be lost at sea - a belief that the team held for four months until the two men had managed to escape the island where they had been stranded. The boat and crew that had rescued them after the ill-fated Raptor had gone down had been lost when they were later stranded and Tony knew McGee still harbored guilt over those unfortunate good Samaritans.
A couple of months after his return to NCIS, McGee had received another blow. The remains of his sister, Jana, of whom the team had only recently become aware and had vanished nearly twenty years prior, had finally been found and identified. Ever since the funeral Tim had not quite been himself. He was even more reserved than he had been before the whole 'lost at sea' fiasco, and had withdrawn from all of them, with the exception of Gibbs. Tony knew they spent time together, playing chess or checkers with pieces that had not been purchased but rather made while they were on the island. Tony had witnessed a few of these sessions, but neither man spoke much. McGee had seemed to need the silence, which Tony recognized as the kind of support only Gibbs could provide.
Tony was pulled from his musing by the arrival of the team leader and tried to cover his distraction.
"Good morning, Boss."
Gibbs eyed him silently for a moment. "What, no serenade?"
Tony sputtered and McGee chuckled, which he quickly covered with a cough as Gibbs turned his attention his way. Gibbs smirked and sat down at his own desk, signaling the others to get back to work. The fourth desk remained empty, since Ziva was out on vacation, and the group worked their way through a stack of cold cases as they waited for a call-out. When Gibbs' phone rang, both men raised their heads expectantly as he answered.
"Gibbs." He listened, his expression darkening. "We'll be right up." He hung up the phone and turned to McGee. "Director wants to see us in his office." Tony and McGee both stood, ready to follow Gibbs up the stairs. "Not you, DiNozzo."
"Boss, what's this about?"
"Special request, McGee. That's all Leon told me."
Tony's gut clenched. Something told him this wasn't going to be a simple meeting.
"Boss?" Tony tried to keep his voice calm, but he knew Gibbs had picked up on the stress he couldn't hide. He gave Tony an understanding nod in an attempt to soften his reply.
"Get back to work, Tony. Come on, Tim."
After a glance at Tony that told the senior agent all he needed to know about the apprehension McGee was also feeling, the two men headed up the stairs to the director's office. Tony stared at the balcony, wondering what sort of special request the director had for the rest of his team, and why the idea filled him with overwhelming dread.
XXX
Gibbs didn't bother to knock before he opened the door to Vance's office and stepped inside, followed closely by McGee. Vance was standing behind his desk, as expected, and the presence of another person in the room was also expected but Gibbs paused in surprise when he realized who it was.
"Captain Aherns."
The man rose from his seat at the conference table and offered his hand, which Gibbs and McGee shook in turn.
"Agent Gibbs. Agent McGee. It's good to see you again. I never got a chance to thank you in person for what you did. We would have lost much more than just the ship if it hadn't been for you."
McGee shifted uncomfortably and nodded after only briefly meeting the man's gaze. Gibbs knew his agent still carried guilt over the sinking of Ahern's ship, believing that if he had been faster in uncovering the bombing plot the tragedy would never have occurred. Gibbs decided to make this meeting as brief and painless as possible for the sake of the younger man.
"Director Vance said you need our help."
"I did. Maybe we should all sit down." Vance moved to the head of the conference table while Gibbs and McGee sat across from Captain Aherns. The man was clearly struggling to maintain his veneer of professionalism and it was obvious that something had him spooked. He cleared his throat several times before he finally started to speak.
"After the Raptor went down, my command was heavily scrutinized. Finally the investigation cleared me of any fault and I was assigned to another research vessel, the Cerberus, which would take over the Raptor's mission...in that same area of the ocean."
"The Bermuda Triangle."
"Yes."
"And I take it the mission hasn't gone as well as you hoped," Vance prompted. Aherns chuckled mirthlessly and shook his head.
"Two weeks after we left port, one of my sailors went missing." He removed a file from his briefcase and slid it across the table to Gibbs. "Petty Officer 3rd class Bradley Hawkins, electrician's mate. It was his first off-base assignment, but he impressed the Chief Petty Officer who worked with him with his work ethic, CPO Theodore Bailey. He was the one who reported Hawkins missing the morning after we passed through a storm. Rough seas, inexperienced sailor, so we believed it was an accident which we reported."
He pulled out a second folder. "Three months later, Senior Chief Petty Officer Scott Hamlin, culinary specialist. Reported missing by the Quartermaster, Master Chief Petty Officer Matthew Turner. Also the morning after a storm, but Hamlin was on his fourth tour. We had no reason to believe he would have been careless enough to have fallen overboard. Turner spoke with his crewmates and they did not know of any reason that might cause him to...jump."
"Any connection between the two men?" McGee asked, earning a brief nod of approval from Gibbs.
"None. Other than in the mess, I don't believe they ever interacted."
"How many crew members on the ship?"
"Eighty-five crew. Well, eighty-three now. Eight...seven officers and two civilian scientists." The flash of sadness that crossed Ahern's face was brief but intense. "Which brings me to the latest disappearance." He pulled a third folder from his briefcase and handed it to Gibbs. "Lt. Commander Caleb Seegar, my second in command, failed to report to the bridge three days ago. We searched the ship and found no trace of him. He's a fifth generation Navy officer with an exemplary record and he's one of the best officers with whom I've had the pleasure of serving. He was due for promotion at the end of the year. He'd have no reason to…"
"Understood. I take it there's no connection between Lt. Commander Seegar and the other two men?"
"Other than his commanding role, no."
"Do you know of any animosity between any of the men and other members of the crew or officers?" Vance asked.
"No. I run a tight ship. Any clashes between crew members are dealt with quickly and fairly. I've seen no evidence of tension, other than the normal flares of temper you'd see on any ship, and none of those men appear to be the type to hold a grudge." He studied Gibbs' expression and sighed. "But that's something you'd have to investigate, isn't it?"
"Did any of the crew or officers serve under you on the Raptor?"
"Three crew, including the Quartermaster and one officer."
"Any connection between them and the missing men?"
"None of which I am aware. And before you ask, there was no apparent resentment from these men in regards to being assigned to my command again. That was something that was determined before they stepped foot on the Cerberus."
"Good to know, but I was wondering if they would have a problem with us being the ones to investigate again."
"I doubt it. One of the enlisted men, Petty Officer Haywood, was quite impressed with Agent McGee's skills. He made that clear to me after the Raptor went down that he didn't blame either of you for what happened. He seemed sincere in that belief."
"OK. Do you think the men would be willing to cooperate with us again?"
"I believe so, yes."
"What are you thinking, Gibbs?"
"I'm thinking that we might need someone else. Someone that the men might be more willing to talk to than a couple of NCIS agents."
"Someone undercover, you mean."
"Yes."
"Do you have someone in mind?" Aherns asked.
"Another agent on my team."
"And is he competent undercover?"
Gibbs smirked. "He can be."
"You want to send DiNozzo in?"
"You really think we'd keep him from going this time, Leon?"
"I suppose not. Very well. When would my agents need to be on the ship?"
"We're docked at Norfolk, with shore leave cancelled, for two more days. The crew is expecting replacements to join us before we depart, so Agent...DiNozzo?" Gibbs nodded. "Agent DiNozzo could join the crew then. If you wanted to give him a couple of days to integrate himself with the crew…"
"We'll follow a day or two later."
"Will that give him enough time to prepare?"
"He's familiar with the workings of a Navy ship, having spent time as Agent Afloat," Vance replied. "We wouldn't be sending him as an officer, so he'll be replacing your culinary specialist."
"Yes, that would work."
"In the meantime, Gibbs and McGee will be gathering background information on the rest of the crew so they'll be well prepared for the interviews they'll conduct. Is that acceptable?"
A flash of relief crossed the Captain's face. "Yes, that will work. Thank you." He rose and shook hands with the three men. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate this, especially after…"
"We're always willing to help," McGee answered, receiving a surprised look from Vance and an approving smile from Gibbs.
"Thank you. I best be getting back to my ship." He replaced his cover and left, leaving the three remaining men to sit in silence for a moment before Vance finally spoke.
"What are you thinking, Gibbs? These could just be accidents, you know."
"Or coincidence? No such thing, Leon."
"So I have been informed. I trust you'll have Agent DiNozzo ready in time?"
"Count on it. Come on, McGee."
Tim rose from his seat and silently followed Gibbs to the elevator. Once they were inside Gibbs flipped the switch and turned to his younger agent.
"Are you OK with this, Tim? You said you never wanted to get on a boat again."
McGee managed a weak smile. "Doesn't look like I have much choice. If there's something we can do to prevent any more sailors from going missing… Besides, how likely is it that we'd get lost at sea again?"
Gibbs chuckled. "Not very." He flipped the switch and the elevator started to descend again. "Time to break the news to DiNozzo."
XXX
"You're going to do what?" Tony stared at his Boss, hardly able to believe what he had just heard.
"What part of 'investigate missing crewmen' didn't you understand, DiNozzo?"
"Oh, I understood that part just fine, it's the part where you mentioned returning to the place where you were lost as sea for four months and believed dead by everyone else that I didn't quite get."
"Come on, Tony. What's the chance of lightning striking twice in the same place?" McGee tried to calm his partner, but Tony was having none of it.
"None, because the same place isn't there anymore. You can't seriously thinking of going back to the freaking Bermuda Triangle!"
"You're going, too, DiNozzo."
"I...what?"
"Undercover, as part of the crew."
"But why… You think they'll tell me stuff they won't tell an agent. And I can keep an eye on things from the inside."
"Got it in one."
"But… Damn it. At least tell me I'll be able to keep an eye on you as well."
"Always good to have an extra pair of eyes on a mission, Tony. And look at the bright side: you get to go undercover. You love going undercover," McGee offered.
"No, I really don't. Especially not…. OK, at least tell me I get to be an officer."
"Nope. Culinary specialist," Gibbs replied.
"Culinary… You want me to go undercover as a cook?"
"The position was open."
"Yeah, 'cause the last one disappeared!"
"You're aware of the threat. You'll be more alert to the danger."
"And lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place. Right."
McGee pulled up some documents on his computer. "I can help you get ready, Tony."
"I know how to cook, McGee."
"Actually, you'll be in more of a management role. Paperwork, preparing menus, organizing shifts…"
"Sounds like I'd rather cook." He studied McGee. "Are you really OK with this? I mean…"
"It's our job, Tony. Do you want to tell more families that their loved ones went missing?"
Tony winced at that memory. "No, I don't." He sighed. "OK, fine. Send me the information and we'll get started."
"On it." McGee's fingers flew across the keyboard as he started to fulfill the request. Gibbs tilted his head towards the elevator and Tony followed. Soon they were inside the metal box, stopped between floors, when Gibbs turned to his agent.
"Get your head on straight. You're no good for watching our backs or you own if it's not."
"Yeah, I know, it's just… I've got a really bad feeling about this, Boss."
Gibbs stared at him in silence for several moments before he sighed. "Yeah, me too."
"So what do we do?"
"Get in, figure it out, and get out as soon as possible."
"I can agree with that. But in the meantime?"
"Be careful."
Tony sighed in resignation. "On it, Boss."
TBC…
