A/N: Sorry! Sorry sorry sorry sorry! This chapter is over a week late and I'm still not completely happy with it. I've had terrible writer's block and broken plumbing and crazy busy work and... well, you know when everything just goes wrong at the same time?
It's just been one of those weeks. Many thanks to those who reviewed; hope you like this one too.
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Chapter 4: Negotiation
Gibbs scanned himself into the dim videoconference suite and found Morrow waiting, with only one tech operating the equipment for security purposes. The Director of the CIA, James Freeman, was already on screen and waiting for him. Gibbs assessed him in a glance; white, middle aged, designer suit, narrow set eyes, expression carefully blank; a born politician. Gibbs hated politicians.
"Special Agent Gibbs," said Morrow. "I take it there has been a development."
"Damn right there has," Gibbs growled, striding past him to confront the image. "Where is he?"
"To whom are you referring, Agent Gibbs?" Asked Freeman, coolly.
"You know damn well whom, Director," Gibbs all but spat. "Where the hell is my agent?"
"Special Agent DiNozzo is on a deep cover operation for us. Any information I release could compromise his safety."
"What operation?"
"Avery important and highly classified one. The only reason I'm talking to you at all is that I know you've figured out your man is alive, Gibbs. We've been keeping a close watch on your team."
"Should've kept a closer one on Tony. If this mission is so secret you had to fake his death before he could take it on, how did he manage to send us a coded email?"
"DiNozzo didn't send that message, Gibbs. We do know who did send it and where from; what we don't know is what most of it means."
"It means that Tony's in trouble; and I am still waiting for an explanation, here."
"DiNozzo's mission is complex. I can not read you in over an MTAC feed."
"Then do it in person."
"I can't. You don't have clearance for this, Gibbs..."
"And Ari Haswari does? A murderer, spy and double agent?" Freeman hesitated slightly.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, Agent Gibbs, but I believe you've been all of those things in your time. What makes you think Haswari is involved?"
Gibbs held up the email. "A White Whale told me. If DiNozzo didn't send this message, it must've been left as an SOS. Is he alive?"
"I really can't discuss this operation with you, Gibbs."
"And apparently, not with me, either, James," Morrow interjected. "You never thought to inform me before you kidnapped one of my best people?"
"Special Agent DiNozzo was given a choice, Tom; and he chose to serve his country by helping us."
"And you would have explained this top secret mission to him and just let him say no?" Asked Morrow disbelievingly.
"Up to a point, yes. Look, all this is irrelevant; I need to know what that message means, Gibbs."
"Tony's missing, isn't he?" Said Gibbs, slowly. "Something went wrong; and you have no idea where he is. You don't even know if he's dead or alive; and you definitely don't know if he's completed his mission."
The CIA Director's eyes flickered down. It was enough.
"Then you need my help. I know DiNozzo better than anyone else alive. If anyone can find him, it's my team."
"Absolutely not, Gibbs. Your team have even lower security clearances than you do."
"Yankee White is low-level clearance now?" Gibbs stepped closer to the screen. "How many people do you have who know how both Ari and DiNozzo operate?" He demanded. "You need our help, Director; and we need my Senior Field Agent back."
Two pairs of blue eyes locked across the video feed; if looks could fry pixels, there'd be smoking holes in both screens.
"All right, Gibbs," said Freeman, at last. "Get your team and all your gear to the Hoover building ASAP. I'll have a chopper waiting."
"The FBI are in on this?"
"No; they just look less suspicious than us meeting in one of our own buildings. We don't know if there's anyone else watching you. You'll be briefed when you get there."
"We'll be there. And your briefing better be damn good."
Freeman looked away from the steely gaze and made a cut motion to his tech without replying. Gibbs' cell rang just as the screen went dark.
"Gibbs."
"Boss, I got the location. The email was sent from an address in the Dominican Republic."
"Then you should pack a Hawaiian shirt, McGee. All of you have an hour to go home and get your stuff; we're moving out at 1000 hours." He snapped his phone shut.
"I'll leave Stan to cover the office, Director; but I'm taking Abby and Ducky. I have a feeling I'm gonna need them."
"I'll arrange for some forensic temps to fill in. Good luck, Special Agent Gibbs," said Morrow.
"Thank you, sir." The field agent turned towards the door.
"Jethro?" He hesitated. "Bring our boy home safe."
"I will."
Never have two words been said with such determination.
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When Gibbs arrived back in the bullpen, he found a very pissed off Stan Burley waiting for him.
"What's going on, Gibbs? Can you tell me yet, since clearly even McGee is in on it?"
"We're going on a trip," said Gibbs tersely, sitting at his desk and rummaging for his keys.
"I gathered that; by the way the others scrambled home to pack after that phone call. Why are we going to the Caribbean, Gibbs?"
"You're not going anywhere, Stan. Director needs you to cover for us in the office." Gibbs had his drawer unlocked and began to load his weapon.
"So you're leaving your Senior Field Agent at home while you run off on some exotic top secret mission with a computer geek, one competent agent and two forensic techs?"
Gibbs holstered his gun and spare clips and rose to stare straight into his eyes. "You're not my Senior Field Agent, Burley; you're just TAD."
"This has to do with DiNozzo, doesn't it? Dammit, Gibbs; you need me..."
"No, Stan; what I need is for you to obey orders," said Gibbs, dangerously quietly. "Now, can you do that? Or do I have to send you back to sea?"
Gibbs counted silently in his head until Stan caved, as he knew he would. He'd only ever had one agent who could truly stand up to him.
"I can, Boss," said Stan, recognising a lost cause with a sigh around eight. Gibbs nodded slightly; it was a new record for him.
Stan followed as he headed for the elevator. "What should I tell people, Gibbs?" He asked, as the older man stepped in.
"The truth, Stan. You don't know anything."
And maybe, he thought as the steel doors sealed shut, that'll be enough to keep you out of the CIA and Ari's firing lines. I just wish I didn't have to put the others in it; but I daren't leave anyone behind. At least if I can see them I know they're safe; and DiNozzo needs all the help he can get.
Gibbs allowed his eyes to drift closed briefly.
Hold on, Tony; we're coming for you.
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The team sat silently in the FBI's tasteful executive briefing room, awaiting the CIA agents who were going to fill them in. They'd been there ten minutes already; and worse, Gibbs had finished his coffee.
Finally, an older man and an attractive brunette walked in.
"About time," grunted Gibbs.
"We were about to board a flight to the Dominican Republic when we got the call to come here, Agent Gibbs," said the man, annoyed. "I am Agent Fisher; this is Agent Boyd. Director Freeman asked us to fill you in on the mission and take you with us."
"Then talk," Gibbs commanded. "We're wasting time DiNozzo doesn't have." Fisher looked distinctly ruffled about being ordered around by a mere NCIS agent, while Gibbs just glared.
"Special Agent DiNozzo's mission was to gain the confidence of a half Italian drug smuggler named Carmine Fuentes," said Boyd, trying to defuse the tension between the pair.
"Why Tony?" Asked Abby. "I'm sure there's someone already working for you who can speak Italian. Why'd you have to take him from us?" Ducky put a comforting arm around her shoulders.
"DiNozzo was ideal for the task, miss Scutio; and the mission's importance meant we needed the best," Fisher informed her firmly.
"And I suppose our old friend Ari recommended him for old time's sake?" Gibbs interrupted.
Fisher shot him a glare and then uttered the next sentence in almost a whisper.
"Fuentes was being employed by Al Quaeda to help them smuggle a nuclear weapon into the US."
"Wow," said Kate, quietly, into the sudden ringing silence.
"I'm sure you now realise the reason for all the secrecy, Agent Todd," said Boyd. "DiNozzo had to get close to Fuentes in order to discover the details of the delivery. After spending some weeks in training, he was flown out to the Caribbean as part of a five man team."
"At first, it seemed to be going well. Agent DiNozzo quickly ingratiated himself with Fuentes and was actually on board his yacht, the Isabella, when it collected the bomb. The boat and DiNozzo were both well bugged; the team's computer expert was tracking them while the other three members intercepted the boat."
"And then?" Asked Gibbs.
"And then... we lost all of the tracking and recording devices at once, just as the vessels converged, said Fisher reluctantly.
"A jammer?" Asked McGee.
"We believe so," said Boyd. "About forty minutes later, we received the emergency code from Sigma Five, the land based computer expert. There's been nothing from any of our operatives since."
"It's likely that the other four are already dead," said Fisher. "And we have no idea where the bomb is."
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I know we already knew most of this from TLB; but it needed to be broken to the team. And they were always going to fight with the CIA.
I may rewrite bits of this if I have time; let me know what you liked and what you think I should change.