Disclaimer: I do not own the characters to NCIS. They are owned by CBS. I'm placing this at Season 3, but it's been a long time since I've seen that season, please forgive me if I've overlooked anything and point them out in a review. I hope to make a few more chapters to make this feel like an entire episode. Enjoy.

Taking the keys to their vehicle DiNozzo and McGee headed out of the office leaving Ziva with the timid Salvador. They were able to gain a new piece to the puzzle from him, there was a lot of conflict between him and the victim; Zimmerman, so Ziva was left trying to discover what else was into the shadows. For DiNozzo and McGee, their next stop was the local JAG office on base. Just as they left the parking lot McGee's phone rang, and the ID read 'Abby'. "What do you got for me, Abby?" he asked while putting it on speaker phone.

"Sad news, I'm afraid" the tech replied as her dark rimmed eyes stared at the words spelled out on her monitor. McGee's heart sank at those words, fully expecting them to be that their victim passed on, instead it was, "I ran through his files and I did find that he went to the JAG office. He and Amaya and Brannan went there over the course of four days, but Zimmerman filed the most with a Lt. Calvin Simon. Also I ran through his personnel file and found that Zimmerman is an only child and his parents died when he was eighteen, after he completed Basic training."

"Oh geez" McGee sighed, closing his eyes. If he were to go, then the family would go with him.

"Yeah, I know. Sad," Abbie continued, "Like any smart guy he also has his life insurance policy at two-hundred-fifty grand! Get this, the recipients are both…."

"Lieutenants Amaya and Brannan" McGee replied.

"Right on the money" she smiled.

DiNozzo lifted an eyebrow in surprise. The case was steadily increasing in interest. Now he was eager to find out what they would uncover at the JAG office. "Okay, Abby. Thanks. Have you heard anything on Zimmerman?" Tony enquired.

"Nothing yet. He's still in surgery" Abby replied, "Oh! There is one thing; where are all of those pictures that you took from his apartment?"

"They're on my desk, why?" McGee replied.

"Just curious" she smiled with her bright red lips. Hanging up, McGee knew what the goth techie was going to do and didn't bother with trying to stop her. All DiNozzo could think about was what the next chapter would be. To him, it was becoming a spine tingling thriller novel.

"This is interesting, Probie. Our victim has a life insurance policy and has two women on them. Life insurance is one of the main causes for death. Quite the irony really, when you think about it" Tony said as his eyes looked out of the windshield, sunglasses on to protect his eyes from the bright sun.

McGee didn't think so. "I didn't get that from Brannan," gripping the steering wheel firmly as his thoughts and feelings from that video meeting came back. "She seemed to care for Zimmerman, and was torn up when I told her the news"

Nodding to this Tony said, "She could be a good actress" then turned his head towards his partner, a smirk on his lips, "What did she look like? What was her hair color? What did her voice sound like?"

"Amber" McGee sighed in irritation, "And she looks just like the portrait and had a bit of a mid-west accent to her voice."

Flaring an eyebrow DiNozzo was impressed, "If he makes it, maybe I should hire him to do a few for me"

"That's low, Tony" McGee sighed.

"I'm holding out that he makes it" Tony scoffed, "I'll keep him employed."

This argument went back and forth during their ride to the JAG office, even all the way to the front door-and up to the reception desk where the secretary asked them, "Can I help you?"

"I'm Agent DiNozzo and this is Agent McGee of NCIS" both of them showing their badges and identification cards. "We're looking for a Lieutenant Calvin Simon."

"I see. What's this about?" the woman asked.

"It's about one of his cases for a Petty Officer Zimmerman" McGee said.

The woman nodded and picked up her phone and called for the young lawyer who appeared before the two agents in mere moments. He was tall, trim, well built with his pressed service khaki uniform with close cropped butter colored hair and bright blue eyes and rounded chin and smooth face. "Can I help you gentlemen?" he asked with his hands clasped together behind his back.

"Yes, DiNozzo and McGee" Tony said, again showing their ID, "NCIS" and that made his eyes widen. "We're here because one sailor, a Petty Officer named Zimmerman, has filed a couple of complaints about his command with you."

"Yes" the officer nodded lightly, "he has, but I don't think I can talk about it…"

"Sir, I'm sure you've heard about the sailor shot in the park today" McGee said trying to keep his simmering hatred under control, "That was Zimmerman and we think it has something to do with his complaints. Can we talk in your office?"

The officer led them into his office and sat down behind his small wood desk, his face long and wide as he looked at the two agents who sat down before him. They sat rigid with their hands on the rests, feet together and eyes staring holes through him, trying to get a rise out of the man so that he knew that there was no bullshitting here. There was no time for it.

"What can you tell us about his complaints?" DiNozzo asked right up front, removing his sunglasses and pocketing them inside his jacket.

"Well, what I can say is, Zimmerman came to us several-no-nearly a year ago complaining about his entire command. There were two women with him, two lieutenants" leaning back in his chair and glancing up at the ceiling the names didn't come to him, but the agents held quiet until it came back, "Oh! Yes. Brannan and Amaya. They were with him" drawing a deep breath, Simon turned in his swivel chair, stood up, and proceeded to a tall filing cabinet behind him, "What happened was a writing session over four days at five-hours a day! He spelled out everyone offense and identified every person, including his commander named Tanner and another, a Petty Officer Salvador."

Struggling to take out the files Simon slid them out in both arms and slid the drawer shut with his shoulder and dropped them on the desk with a heavy thud. Both agents looked at them with awe. There had to be over a hundred pages each in three files, one marked 'Salvador' the other 'Tanner' and the other 'assorted'. Sitting back down Simon bit his lower lip before speaking again, "Yeah. As you can see, Zimmerman...is quite the writer. Brannan and Amaya also wrote some corroborated statements. I have them in separate files" gesturing with a thumb over his shoulder at the filing cabinet.

Picking up the papers and thumbing through them, there were countless pages, "Geez, all of this came from one man?" McGee whispered.

"Yeah-Yes," Simon nodded, "He was quite articulate in his complaints and he spelled out was a 'toxic' environment with many sexual harassments, favoritism, forced transfers, and also promoting a male dominated unit. Seems that Tanner didn't like anything being remotely 'gay' and even objected to the color pink, saying that it was 'a weak color'."

Carefully scanning the words, all hand written by the sailor, McGee's lips began moving, "17 December 2005 at the unit's Christmas Party-Petty Officer Salvador approached me in the building's front office, "Why did you rat me out?" he asked after I filed a complaint to Commander Tanner about his arriving to work intoxicated..."

Simon nodded, "Yes, I remember that one. I had Commander Tanner come in for a sit down. At the time, this Salvador hadn't been disciplined yet. He was pressured to act"

"What kind of punishment did he end up getting?" DiNozzo asked waiting to hear this. This had to be good.

"An Article 15" Simon said.

Article 15; Non-judicial punishment. Punishment was metered out by the commanding officers as they saw fit. That could range from, half loss of pay for two months, loss in one pay grade, confinement to the barracks or to the base for the same amount of time, and/or extra duty for two months. There was also reprimands, a letter of admonishment that would go into his personal file that would be seen by his command as well as the promotion boards. It wasn't an immediate denial of promotion, but it would be noticed.

"What did Commander Tanner end up giving him?" DiNozzo asked when he noticed that Simon was slow to respond. His chin dipped and his eyes flicked towards the black computer screen then back at his lap. "Lieutenant?"

Lifting his head slowly the JAG officer sighed, "He was given a verbal reprimand"

The agents nearly dropped the papers in their hands. That was it? Of all of things Salvador had done, the only thing given was a stern talking to?! McGee thumbed through all of the other complaints and asked, "What about all of these? Was anything done about these other complaints? I mean, you got here where someone stole all of his art supplies from his work area. Another here where someone broke into his locker and stole his gear and Salvador was seen by Zimmerman burning them in a barrel!" finding another one that caught his eye he lifted it up to the lawyer, "This one here, Salvador and a couple of his friends persuaded him to go to a bar off base where they racked up a bar tab and then abandoned him there. The bill was over $200!"

Again Simon was slow to respond. All of this, the pointing out of each case was making him nervous. He had read each of the pages, he had read them all again and again, and had hefted them about, but he knew that the answer for the agents was not what they wanted to hear, "Nothing" saying it in nearly a whisper.

"What was that?" DiNozzo asked.

"Nothing. Nothing else had been done" reaching forward and touching the pile labeled, 'Salvador', "That was supposed to be the start" he said tapping the surface of the envelope with the tip of his index finger.

"That was nearly a year ago. Why did it take so long?" McGee said holding up all of the papers.

"I'm sorry, but I have forty courts-martials and another…."

Holding up a hand to quiet the man, "You were busy, we get it" DiNozzo said sternly before rising up from his chair. Flicking his wrists to drop the cuffs of his jacket and pulling out the sunglasses from inside his jacket pocket, "Tell me, lieutenant, your next court case, what did the defendant do?"

"Stole a pocket knife and some perfume from the BX" Simon sighed.

"Ah" nodding his head, "And the one after that?"

"Didn't pay back a loan and lost some sensitive items" his head now lower than before.

"Oh, I see. So, you're saying a couple of guys with sticky fingers have priority over an entire unit that has gone to hell? And, the man who has filed these complaints is facing retaliation. But that's okay," waving a hand down lower just above the surface of the cluttered desk, "You go ahead and deal with your little thieves. We'll take care of your little problem. You don't seem to be bothered by it" that was when he donned his sunglasses, turned, and marched out.

Taking all of the paperwork the two stepped out the building with their minds seared with rage. "When Zimmerman filed his complaints he painted a target on his back" McGee said, "We opened up a whole new can of worms. Each person listed here is a potential suspect."