"You're supposed to be resting." Abby divided her attention between the tests she was running for Balboa's team and the restless McGee wandering around the temporary lab she had set up near autopsy.
McGee slumped down on a stool and started playing with the computer mouse. "After everything that's happened this morning, could you take a nap right now?"
"Well, no," Abby stopped what she was doing and came over to stand next to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "But you really got slammed pretty good this morning, and Tony said that yesterday was even worse. Plus you were up all night building that scanner. You've got to rest now while you can, because I don't think this is over yet." She started to rub his neck, knowing how much it always relaxed him.
His head hung down under her careful ministration as he admitted the problem. "I know, Abby, I just can't turn my brain off is all. I've got so many ideas and questions I need to research and now I'm trapped here with no way to get the information I need."
"Did you try running a search?" As soon as she asked, Abby knew it was a silly question. McGee could find information on the computer that no one else could. Tim was too much of a gentleman to remind her, though.
"Yeah, the information online is not detailed enough for what I need. What I need are the books." He picked up a handwritten list. "These will just barely scratch the surface, but the rate things are going, it'll be days before Gibbs and Ducky let me out of here to go to a bookstore."
Abby took the list from him. "I'll make you a deal; you rest, I mean really rest, for a few hours and I'll talk Gibbs into sending someone out to get these books for you. Is that a deal?"
Between the persuasion and the exhaustion, Tim found himself agreeing and quickly tucked in a blanket on the futon Abby had retrieved from her office. Once she was sure he was deeply asleep, she headed upstairs with the list.
---NCIS---
Up in MTAC, Jenny Shepard glared at the split image on the large screen. She had hoped to speak with Admiral Morshower, without Galloway getting involved but today was certainly not her day. There was something about the man that set her teeth on edge. Even Ratchet seemed to not trust him. Galloway interrupted every attempt she made to get information with questions of his own. She kept her answers vague and generic to protect her people. "Director Galloway, Admiral Morshower, we are operating blind here. Every attempt to gather info has been stalled by somebody. All I can tell you at the moment is that the Autobots seem to feel they need to protect this agency and our people. Until somebody convinces me otherwise, I am going to have to trust their judgment on the matter."
The Admiral seemed pleased with her stance, while Galloway was livid. "Why didn't you tell me any of this when I was at you office this morning? What game are you playing, Ms Shepard?"
"It's Director Shepard, and we weren't attacked by Decepticons until after you left the building. Perhaps I should be asking you how they managed to get into both my private office and our lab while you were here."
Morshower leaned into the camera on his desk, making his image zoom in to MTAC. "How many Decepticons? Was it an organized attack?"
Jenny debated how much to tell them. "Four so far. The one in my office attacked as soon as Director Galloway and his party left and the others attacked as soon as they were detected."
"Detected, how?"
"Don't discount my agency and my people, Director Galloway, they may surprise you. Now, whatever is going on, my people are obviously right in the middle of it. So, I am going to ask one more time – what is going on?"
Galloway's protests were shot down by the Admiral. "No, they have a right to know. I will make sure you are given the authorization to read the complete files, but for now the most important thing is that there was a recent large scale attack by Decepticons in Shanghai. One of the Decepticons leading the attack was destroyed, but he had a message for us."
Jenny glanced over her shoulder at Gibbs and Fornell. Their expressions told her what she already knew; this was going to be bad. "What was the message, Admiral?"
He played the recording, explaining that it was made by one of the Autobots at the scene. "The Fallen….. shall rise….. again."
"What does that mean, sir?"
Morshower had a sour look on his face. "We were hoping you could figure that out for us, Director Shepard."
---NCIS---
After depositing the pieces of the attacking lab equipment in locked evidence boxes, DiNozzo was grateful to return to the relative safety of his desk. Safe may have become a relative term, but after spending twenty minutes poking at his office supplies he was reasonably sure they were just that – office supplies. Across from him, Ziva rolled her eyes.
"I do not think your stapler is a Decepticon, Tony." Despite her bravado, she had spent almost as much time as her partner had poking the items that littered her desk.
"Yeah well, between McGee's phone with the apps from hell and the killer caffeine jolt from the espresso machine in Director Shepard's office, excuse me for being cautious." He sat up straight and looked past Ziva as a visitor walked into the bullpen. He recognized her as the beautiful blonde assistant that arrived earlier with Galloway. She smiled at his response and walked directly up to him as he stood.
"Agent DiNozzo, it's so good to see you again, do you remember me, I'm Alice?" She held her hand out for him to take.
"Of course I remember you Alice, and please, call me Tony." He gave her his most winning smile, ignoring the eye roll from Ziva who stood behind them. Ziva, however, would not be ignored.
"Excuse me, Alice, but how did you get in here? The building is still under a Bravo Delta Seven alert, all nonessential personnel has been evacuated." She crossed her arms and waited for a response.
"Director Galloway sent me." She dismissed Ziva and turned back to Tony. Her eyes watered as she bit down on her trembling lip. "He's my boss, but it's kinda scary here right now."
DiNozzo's never missed an opportunity to help a beautiful woman as he reached out and wrapped an arm around her. Don't you worry, stay close to me and I'll make sure nothing happens to you."
---NCIS---
Abby was waiting in the hallway when they exited MTAC. Jenny interrupted before she could say a word to Gibbs. "What's our status downstairs?"
"I've got a basic lab set up in a storage room right off of autopsy." She saw the concern on Gibbs' face and rushed to reassure him. "Don't worry, McGee scanned all the equipment before we moved it in. He also helped Ratchet and temporary repairs have been made so that the building is safe for us to keep working in."
Gibbs was only slightly relieved by her words. "I thought McGee was supposed to be resting?"
"He can't, that what I came to tell you, Gibbs." Abby's voice sped up and her pigtails bobbed as she spoke. "He says that he's got too much in his head to rest, too many questions."
Jenny tried to calm her. "I think we all have a lot of questions right now, Abby. I wouldn't worry too much about that." Abby shook her head and held the list up for them to read it.
"These are the books he wants for his research. He said this would just scratch the surface."
Gibbs whistled as he looked over the list and even Jenny was stunned as Abby continued. "The only way that I could get him to rest at all was to promise that someone would go get the books for him, the only way."
"I'm sorry," Jenny started to apologize. "We've evacuated almost everyone. I can't spare someone right now to go shopping, no matter how much he needs them."
"I can." They all turned and stared at Fornell. He just plucked the paper out of Abby's grasp. "I'm sure Agent Sacks won't mind getting away from the Yard for a few hours."
---NCIS---
Shepard, Gibbs and Fornell had just stepped into her office before an emergency call came in, sending them back to MTAC. This time, Admiral Morshower's was the only image on the screen and he wasted no time. "Do you know what the Allspark was?"
The FBI agent looked on blankly as the other two nodded. Morshower looked only slightly relieved as he continued. "The last remaining piece of the Allspark has been protected in a vault on the base at Diego Garcia. I just received word that it was stolen in a raid by Decepticon forces."
"What can just a piece of the Allspark do, sir?" Gibbs thought about that other piece still in McGee's possession. Ratchet had been adamant that the jar remain with the young agent.
"In the wrong hands, it could have devastating consequences." Morshower paused, studying them, before continuing. "I've been checking on you and your people, Director Shepard, and I like what I see. This is probably going to get a lot worse before it gets better and I don't think you should trust Director Galloway. He may have his own agenda."
"Understood." Jenny glanced back at Gibbs before continuing. "If another fragment of the Allspark were to be discovered, would the Decepticons go after that one as well?"
Morshower had heard the rumors and knew immediately what she was not saying. He carefully crafted his answer to reassure her without saying what he really needed to say. "They would tear this planet apart to find any surviving splinter of the Allspark. Anyone who could possibly have it would be in a great deal of danger. As soon as the situation on Diego Garcia is resolved, I'll send some friends to stay with you for a while, if that's all right. They can help with the," his pause was deliberate, "repairs you need. Until they arrive, try to keep your heads down."
"Thank you, Admiral." Jenny stood there even after the screen went blank, while Gibbs and Fornell stood there behind her. Fornell groaned. "Let me guess where that possible other fragment is, right?" He glared at Gibbs, blaming him for everything that had happened so far. "Is it ever easy with you people?"
Gibbs wasn't planning on giving him an answer, but Ziva's arrival meant he didn't even have to pretend.
"We may have a problem."
"Now what?" Jenny's question came before Gibbs could open his mouth.
"Galloway's aide is back. She's attached herself to Tony. She says that she is very scared to be here, but Galloway ordered her here. I do not trust her or her boss."
"Neither do I." The two women shared a look before she continued. "Stay close to them, Ziva. Let's see what exactly she's up to. Agent Fornell?" He jumped slightly as she addressed him. "See what you can find out about Galloway and what he's really up to. He's blocked our access, but maybe you can find something." She gave him that smile that was hard to say no to, but truthfully he couldn't walk away after his experience in the lab.