Chapter Ten
In the Sub-basement, we cross the hall into the lab and Gibbs fixes us with a frightening scowl. Tony offers Gibbs the coffee and he snatches it in a foul humor. I offer the goth her Caf-pow, and am startled when she fixes me with a cold glare.
"We brought you a..."With surprising speed, Abby slaps the drink out of my hand. The plastic shatters against the concrete floor, releasing a lake of sticky red liquid.
"What the hell, Abby?" I ask sharply.
"That's a good question, Cameron," she responds angrily. McGee starts for paper towels, but is frozen by a sharp look from the forensic scientist. I look from Abby to Gibbs. He's pissed off, and not at the case. The hard look in his eyes tells me I'm the target of his anger as well. Flicking a glance to Tony and McGee, I see that we're all about equally confused.
"The two of you obviously have something to say… so say it." I say with more of an edge than I intend.
"Play it, Abbs." With a last murderous glance, she turns to her computer and plays the file. In the window, a black ribbon has a green line through it, and the line jumps in time with something that sounds like footfalls. One person crosses a room, passing close to the recorder and moving away. The green waves note this.
"I need some information." Director Vance's voice comes from the speakers. I recognize the conversation I had just told Tony about. I look at him, and he doesn't look surprised. He knows to expect my voice in reply.
"Yes, Director. What did you need?" My voice responds.
"Things… come to light." The sound pops and cracks for a few seconds, obliterating anything between "things" and "light". My head snaps up, I realize that I'm in a world of shit.
"I… I don't understand," the audio distorts again, "just doing my job."
"Not what I heard…"
"They don't seem to like me very much." I cringe as I hear the way this conversation is being manipulated.
"Make yourself more likeable."
"What?"
"Let me put it this way Hall, I have the authority to recommend you for a meritorious service award any time I feel like it. I could feel like it in the very near future." I start thinking of all the ways that I'm going to fuck up whoever made this lovely little re-mix.
"I deserve an award," my voice says. I finally speak up. Abby pauses the audio.
"This isn't the way the conversation went. I'm being played…" Gibbs gives me a "zip it" gesture. Hitting play, the conversation picks up again.
"Agent Hall, continue to work out of this office. You'll be qualified before you know it." I wonder what the hell is going on. The whole tape sounds like the Watergate tapes… no one uses an analogue recorder anymore. You can barely buy micro-cassettes. Whoever did this isn't very smart.
I gauge the reactions, Gibbs is impassive as ever… Abby's pissed… McGee is stunned… and Tony…
Tony looks blank.
"This isn't what got said," I try again, "Someone is cutting and pasting together what they want you to hear. Why else would it sound like something out of Watergate?"
"You deny saying what's on this tape?" Gibbs asks.
"No. I deny saying it in the order it's been presented to you."
Pacing across the room, I look out the window and try to sort my thoughts out. Of all the situations I could have been prepared for, this had not been on the short list… or the long list… or the fucking master list. Someone is sabotaging my position within the team. It's stupid and pathetic, because I'll be bumped to another team soon if this Officer David wants her position back.
"Director Vance wanted me to spy," I turn around and face them, "on Agent DiNozzo."
"Tony," he corrects.
"Why trust me?" I ask, stepping a couple of steps closer.
"I don't… I just don't have a solid reason to believe you lied to me."
"Lied to you? What are you talking about?" McGee looks back and forth between Tony and I.
"When we went for coffee, McDork… she told me Vance was very interested in our working relationship with Ziva. Particularly my relationship with her."
"And?" Gibbs prompts.
"When I refused, he told me he had the power to send me back to Everett and that if my attitude didn't improve, he might feel like it 'in the near future'."
"Now that I believe." Gibbs says.
Abby makes a face, and Gibbs leans over to whisper in her ear. The look changes, but only a fraction. He kisses her on the cheek and starts for the door. Tony, McGee and I follow. At the elevator, I open my mouth to quip, "I've worked here less than forty-eight hours and already someone's out to get me." We board the car.
Hitting the sub-basement button, Gibbs turns to me, "You work for me, you get used to pissing people off."
"Sounds like a nice relaxing hobby." I say, as the doors slide closed.