Chapter 4:

Tim's apartment was crowded, to say the least. Tony, Ziva, and Jimmy sat squished together on McGee's small couch. Abby sat in the reading chair across from them with Jethro (The dog) sprawled on her lap with his head hanging off the arm rest. Ducky sat on the desk chair which had been moved away from the desk and next to the couch while Gibbs stood in front of the bookshelf across from Ducky. Tim stood with his hands clasped together in the entry way created by the bookshelf and the wall. With each person in the room giving him expectant looks, he took a deep breath and began his story.

"My parents were not the most loving people. My mother ignored me and my father loathed me, although they absolutely adored my sister. Anything less than perfect was unacceptable with my father. The only reason he kept me around was so that I could carry on the family tradition of being a naval officer but, when he found out that I had couldn't stand on a boat for more than five minutes without getting sea sick, there was no more reason to keep me around as I could never be in the navy. So, my parents disowned me. They threw me into foster care, the bad kind, and left me to fend for myself." Tim stopped, and took a long, deep breath. trying to calm his nerves as he began his tale.

"What does this have to do with our Vic." Gibbs commanded, he felt sorry for the man's childhood but, they had a killer to catch and this was slowing them down.

"Everything." He responded coldly.

"Timothy, please continue. I know this must be hard for you to tell but, you will feel better once you've told us." said Ducky, his psychiatrist side coming through. Tim nodded, "I will continue when all of you promise not to interrupt until I have finished my story." he eyed all of them, each nodding their heads to him, even Gibbs gave him a quick nod.

"Foster care was a ruff place. The other kids and I were beaten frequently, forced into silence, starved, and were kept in windowless rooms all day so that we never saw the sunlight. But, they didn't keep very good track of us. One day, I found my chance to run. So, I did. I was eight at the time and had been living in New York City. An easy place to disappear, too. No one would miss me and no one would care. I took any chance for money I could find. I... entertained people if they paid me enough, jacked tires, and would pickpocket if I ever ended up in Time Square during tourist hours. I did all that for the better part of two years before I got caught jacking the tires off a particularly sweet ride in an alleyway. I was caught by the owner of the car, a man named Brick. But, instead of sending me to the cops like any normal person, Brick took me in as his own. Turns out there were dozens of kids and teens like me, street rats, and they had all joined together to create a... a... group called the Slabs. This is where Damian comes in. I met Damian and another boy named Marcus during my time with Slabs and we became brothers in everything but blood. We did everything together and life was good for once but, everything changed when the Mortars attacked. The Mortars were another group of slightly more vicious street rats who served under a man named Kevin Mortar. Mortar and Brick, who was our leader, had a history. A gruesome and violent history. But, this time when the Mortars attacked us, Kevin killed Bricks dog..." Tim paused, seemingly deep in thought. Abby looked like she was deciding between being angry or sad that a dog had died in the crossfires of human conflict. Tim broke free of his thoughts before continuing.

"After his dogs death, Brick became a little bit... disturbed. He was obsessed getting his revenge against Kevin, and even thought about asking for the help of Mad Mike to get it. Mad Mike was the leader of the third and final group of street rats, the Blood Shots. The Blood Shots are completely insane, filled only with the most traumatized and violent orphans. A year after his dogs death, Brick did go to Mad Mike for help, and was promptly rejected. So, Brick came up with a plan. He sent Marcus, Damian, and I to flush out Kevin so that Brick could get to him while the others took over Sawtooth Cauldron, the Mortars hideout in Queens. The three of us had sneaked past the guarded levels of the building and were facing Kevin when Damian betrayed us. He walked right up to Kevin and started fighting against us. He turned his back on us without a second thought. Now it was two scared 15 year old kids trying to get a 25 year old man who had been trained to in martial arts, with backup on the way, to retreat while our brother fought with him. We were outnumbered and outmatched. The only real damage we were able to do was when we destroyed Mortar's prized buzzard (a helicopter like machine). He vowed revenge against us and we only barely escaped with our lives and made our way back to Thousand Cuts, the Slab camp in the Bronx. Although, before we left, I had been able to get a shot through Damian's leg during the fight as payback before Marcus and I made our escape. After we got back we found out the Mortar had known about our ambush for days. Damian told him everything and because of him, 26 kids had died in the raid. Marcus and I didn't take that very well, so, we left. There was just too much pain in New York. I escaped to virginia by sneaking bus rides, and occasionally hitch hiking. Marcus went to find his grandfather, Charles Roland, who gladly accepted him. I found penny, went back to school, got a couple degree's, and joined NCIS." Tim finished. He looked at everyone before Tony made the comment,

"Ookay, that's horrible and all but, earlier you said that this guy, Kevin, killed Damian. How do you know?"

"I know because three months after I left I got a call from Brick saying that Damian was on the run because he had outlived his use as a spy for Mortar because no Slab would ever trust him again. The only thing Damian was now, was a loose end. Marcus and I were furious, so Brick set Dami's status as 'kill on sight'. meaning that if any Slab see's him around, kill him. So he was on the run from both the Slab's and the Mortar's. Slab's kill quickly, quietly, and always dispose of the body. Mortar's are careless, and the only one who ever slashes the throat of his victim's is none other than Mortar himself."

"That explain's his constant moving" said Ziva, recalling that Damian had lived in ten places in ten years.

"So, what now?" asked Jimmy, giving everyone a nervous look.

"Now, we find Mortar. He's smart and he wants revenge for the last time we met. I also know exactly where to find him. I would need to talk to Brick, who I will be meeting at a coffee place tomorrow morning, before we go after him. If you want to arrest Mortar, you need to come with me when I take him down." Tim said. Gibbs nodded and said seven words.

"Rule Thirty-Eight: Your Case, Your Lead." and for the first time that day, Tim smiled.