Chapter 11

"Yes, sir," Vance said in resignation. "I understand."

"Do you?"

"Yes."

"Will you comply?"

"Of course."

"You realize that these orders come from the top?"

Vance smiled grimly. "If they weren't, you wouldn't find me capitulating so easily."

The SecNav smiled back, just as humorlessly. "No dragging your feet on this one, Leon. They want Linda Kionen and they want her now. I want the arrangements made and executed today."

"Understood."

"Today, Leon. No delays."

Vance nodded and made the cutoff signal. The SecNav's face disappeared and he shook his head in disgust. He was a political animal himself, had to be to have the job he did...but this pandering to a criminal because of the knowledge she probably possessed turned his stomach. If ever there was a deal with the devil going on...

"Sir?"

"Yes?"

"We have a call coming in from the FBI."

Vance sighed. He should have known they would be waiting for the sign.

"Put them through." He straightened, fixed a bland expression on his face and waited.

"Director Vance."

"Director Thompson," he said evenly.

"We need to arrange for the transfer of your prisoner."

"Yes, we do."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

The elevator doors opened, and Linda was led, handcuffed, through the bullpen, past the desks of the MCRT. Tony and Ziva glared at Fornell and Sacks as they conducted her away from any chance of facing justice. To their credit, they moved quickly and they didn't try to gloat. They knew that they were being forced to help a person escape punishment. As a willing informant, she'd be coddled. No jail time. No trial. Metro had already been glad-handed...but since they weren't fighting for justice for one of their own, they hadn't put up much of a fight.

What Linda thought about all of it was unknown. Her expression was almost serene. They waited for the elevator, and when it opened Gibbs was there.

"Leaving us, are you?" he asked, his voice just above a whisper.

"Looks like it, Agent Gibbs."

"Step aside, Gibbs," Fornell said. "No point in putting it off. You know that."

"Enjoy your stay with the government."

Now, she smiled. "I'll revel in every minute...no matter how long...or how short those minutes may be."

"Let's go," Sacks grumbled and urged her forward.

Gibbs moved out of the way and watched the doors close.

"This is not right, Gibbs," Ziva said.

"This sucks, Boss."

"Nothing we can do about it," Gibbs said in the same soft voice.

"Doesn't mean I have to like it."

Gibbs turned around and faced his team and then glanced at Tim's empty desk.

"Don't like it," he said, and now they could see that his soft voice was to control the fury expressed in his clenched jaw and fiery eyes. "But in the end, we don't have any other choice but to accept it."

"We all knew this would happen," Vance said, unexpectedly joining them. "Once it became clear just what she could offer, there was no way we'd be able to do what we wanted. NCIS doesn't have enough clout for it."

"Yeah, and how long did it take you to roll over, Director Vance?" Gibbs asked.

"Until the President ordered me to give her up, Agent Gibbs," Vance said, sternly. "You are not the only one disappointed in how the system works...but you should also be fully aware of how it works."

"She is too confident," Ziva said. "I do not like this."

"Yeah," Tony agreed. "The way she moves, the way she talks. She knows what she can do and probably has loads of plans. She got into NCIS as an employee! I wouldn't think that she'd give up so easily. Why would she? Why would she need to?"

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Tim opened his eyes, feeling the pain in his chest, in his throat, but at least more aware than he'd been before. The oxygen mask was still on his face. He still didn't like it, but this time he recognized its necessity.

"Tim! Oh, honey, I'm glad you're awake."

Tim moved his head, slightly embarrassed that it flopped a little. He still didn't have much control over himself. His body was taking a lot longer than his mind was to bounce back. Moving seemed really hard.

"Hey...Mom," he said in the same breathy voice that seemed to be all he could manage.

"How are you feeling?"

Tim closed his eyes tiredly and shook his head. There weren't words (or breath) to describe how he felt right now. A light hand brushed the hair from his forehead.

"Don't worry. I'm not expecting anything. I'm just glad you're all right."

"Dad?" Tim asked, breathing because he couldn't stop, but feeling the pain.

"He'll be here soon. He just went out for a moment."

A tear escaped from his eye.

"What is it, Tim?"

"Hurts. Hurts to breathe."

Tim felt a hand slip into his.

"I just called for your doctor. He'll be here. In the meantime, feel free to squeeze my hand as hard as you want."

Tim tried to squeeze her hand, but he couldn't manage much force...nor could he stop the tears.

He heard the door open.

"He says it hurts to breathe."

"All right. Tim, do you remember me?"

Tim opened his eyes. "Doctor?"

"Yes, I'm your doctor. That's good. Chest pain?"

Tim nodded.

"Okay. Getting the right dosage for these kinds of things is hard and we'll increase it a bit. I'll get a nurse in to check on the chest tube, make sure no clots are forming. Is it hard to breathe, besides the pain?"

Tim inhaled. There was a slight resistance to deep breaths but nothing extreme.

"Not...really...just hurts."

"Okay. Don't worry. We'll find that happy medium between managing your pain and helping you stay aware."

Tim simply laid his head back and looked at the ceiling. It was easier than trying to focus. He could feel the holes in his body from Linda shooting him.

"It's all right, Tim. We're here."

"Dad," Tim said. "It hurts."

"It won't soon."

Tim nodded and closed his eyes again, trying not to cry...mostly because that would hurt more. After a few minutes, a nurse came in and increased the dosage of his analgesics. Then, she checked his vitals, his oxygen intake, his chest tube. No new clots were visible, and that was a relief for them all...particularly when, after a few more minutes, Tim felt the pain lessening. It didn't go away completely, but he found it much more tolerable. Breathing wasn't so much of an agony. He didn't know how much time had passed from when he'd awakened, but he didn't care. He knew that Linda had been captured, that he had related what he knew. Now, he just wanted to focus on living...breathing. Time didn't matter. His part was over.

As he opened his eyes and gave his parents a teary smile, he thought that the one thing he wanted now was to ask Linda if she had really felt bad about shooting him. It didn't really matter whether she did or not, but he had been taken in...again...and that person had tried to kill him...again. He wanted to know if there had been anything real.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Linda sat in the car and smiled congenially at Sacks.

"You don't seem worried," he said.

"I'm not. Maybe you should be."

"Why do you say that?" Sacks asked, straightening slightly in his seat.

Linda just smiled and looked out the window. When the car began to slow down for a red light, she took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen, but if I'm not mistaken, the ride is just about over."

"Wha–?" Fornell didn't even have a chance to turn around in his seat.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Tim fell asleep not long after the nurse adjusted his dosage. It was a relief, and he was happy knowing that his parents were there.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Vance hung up his phone and sat back in his chair, almost in shock. He allowed himself a minute to collect himself.

How could this have happened?

How could we have been so stupid?

How did she anticipate this?

The questions ran fast and thick until he put an end to them and stood up. It wasn't time for those questions. His position was such that showing up at the developing scene would be the right thing to do...and he would take his MCRT with him. They would need to be there, if only for their own sake and not for the sake of those involved.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Linda ran through the streets. She had long since left her surviving compatriot behind. He'd show up...another corpse. How many tears would be shed for him? Who knew, certainly not Linda...and she didn't much care either. She had a timeframe to follow, only so much time until her desired destination would no longer be viable.

They hadn't found her hiding place either which was even better. It would stay secure. If she played her cards right, she'd be able to do it all and be out of Washington DC before the sun set.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Tony got out of the car first and looked around at the carnage. It was like the street had been transported into a war zone. Shattered glass, scraped up car doors, a crumpled grill.

"Hey, is that Fornell?" he asked as an injured man was loaded into an ambulance.

"There is Agent Sacks," Ziva said, pointing to another ambulance where the FBI agent was sitting getting onsite treatment. His eye was black and he had blood on the collar of his shirt. Another agent was getting checked out...by an ME. He was dead.

"What happened?" Tony asked.

"She said the minutes might be short," Gibbs said.

They walked over to Sacks. He grimaced as he saw them approach.

"Don't even say it," he said. "If you're here to gloat, don't bother."

"What happened, Agent Sacks?" Vance asked.

"I don't even know. One minute we were slowing down for a red light, the next minute..." He pointed toward the body and he flushed a little when he noticed that his hand was shaking a bit. "...Agent Jordan hit me right in the face. I blacked out. When I came to, Linda Kionen was gone. Jordan was dead and Fornell was..."

"He going to be all right?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah. Two gunshots, one grazed his head, the other got his shoulder. They think he's going to be fine, but he was out when I came to. Agent Druer was gone, too. I think we have to assume he was in on it."

"You sure?"

Sacks nodded and then winced. "Druer and Jordan were replacements. They volunteered. We should have been more suspicious. We weren't."

"Did you have any reason to be before this?" Tony asked, sounding almost sympathetic.

Sacks raised an eyebrow at Tony's tone.

"Only in hindsight. Nothing at the time." He sighed. "So much for a quiet transfer."

"We should have known that she would not give up so easily," Ziva said, repeating Tony's observation from earlier. "We, too, screwed up."

"Does the FBI want our help in tracking her down?" Vance asked. "I can have my teams who have been investigating her movements return to the task."

Sacks almost smiled. "You know very well that I don't have the authority to say anything about that."

"You're here. Do you have any objections?"

"I'm certainly not going to be running laps today."

"Or tomorrow," the EMT said sternly.

"Browbeaten to the end," Tony commented.

Thwack!

"Right, Boss. Bad timing."

"Well?"

"Go ahead. If you find Agent Druer, feel free to get rough. He must have been the one who shot Fornell."

"So noted."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Linda walked out of the bank. She'd modified her appearance only slightly, but with the hush-hush nature of her arrest and transfer, she didn't have to worry about being on television for a few more hours at least. The heavy combination lock in her pocket was a comforting weight. She had removed the data from inside it. She had to say it: her idea to hide the data inside the lock rather than inside the briefcase had been a stroke of genius. Even though they'd had it for years, they hadn't ever bothered to take the lock apart. Even a scan wouldn't have helped. It was lead inside, accounting for its uncommon weight.

There was one more destination. Through adroit eavesdropping on unimportant conversations, she had determined where Tim had been taken after she had shot him. One more place to go.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Hello, I'm a friend of Timothy McGee. Could you tell me what room he's in?"

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Lara looked around Dupont Circle. What street would she start down this time?

"Eenie, meenie, miney, mo," she said, pointing at the various streets.

Geri laughed at her. "Lovely and scientific, Lara."

"You have a better idea? Connecticut Avenue is as good a choice as any."

"Granted. After you."

They headed down the street, taking turns showing Linda's picture at every business to see if she'd been there.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"...and then Jenna told me that Prof. Jenkins had accidentally locked himself out of the room. The class waited for him for fifteen minutes and couldn't figure out why he wasn't there. I still don't know why he didn't just knock on the door," Sarah said, smiling nervously as she spoke.

"Too embarrassing...I guess," Tim said.

There was a soft knock on the door and then it opened. Tim's eyes widened and his heart monitor began to beep a bit faster.

"Hello, I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you. I wasn't sure if anyone would be here."

Sarah jumped up, not noticing Tim's reaction.

"Oh, you're not disturbing. I'm just boring Tim with school stories. I'm Sarah."

"I'm Linda. I'm a friend of Tim's from work. I was hoping I could stop by and chat with him on my lunch break...but I can wait and come back later..."

Sarah shook her head quickly. "No, that's all right. I'll just slip out for a few minutes. Be right back, Tim!"

Tim managed to smile, but he couldn't think of anything to say to warn Sarah that Linda was not a friend...not without putting Sarah at risk. She was gone in seconds. He knew that she wasn't excited about seeing him like this; so he didn't blame her for skipping out when the opportunity presented itself. She'd be better when he was not so weak...if he had the chance.

The door closed and they were alone.

"You survived," Linda said with a smile.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Ah, a bank! That's a good choice," Lara said. "You want to flash the photo or do you want me to?"

"You have have the honors," Geri said. "We need to find something soon. I'm getting tired of repeating myself."

Lara laughed and they headed into the bank.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Where would she go?" Tony asked. "She must have a plan for getting out.

Ziva hung up the phone. "That was the FBI. They found Agent Druer's body. He had been shot in the head."

"She doesn't think much of her colleagues, does she," Tony said.

"She shot McGee," Ziva said. "She does not seem to care about others."

Gibbs was staring at her picture on the plasma.

"It's not about caring," Tony said. "It's about planning for every possible contingency. It's too bad she's a bad guy...girl. She'd be great on our side."

"That often seems to be the case."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Tim pulled the oxygen mask off his face. "You going to kill me now? I can't...get away this time."

Linda shook her head. "No. Your coworkers already know that I shot you."

"Then...why are...you here?" Tim asked.

"I have something for you."

"What?"

Linda pulled the lock out of her pocket. "It's empty now, of course. I thought you might like to have it back. You did suffer a bit to get it and then to try and keep it. Think of it as a souvenir."

Tim looked at the lock. ...the wheel of numbers. He lifted his hand. It was still weak and shaking. The bullet had caused damage to more of his body than just his lung, and he had been fortunate that it had missed his spine. Linda put it into his palm and then closed his fingers over it.

"What...was in it?"

"Names."

"Names?"

"Our informants...like the two FBI agents whose employment ended rather suddenly today."

"Why?" Tim asked. "Why give...me this...thing? Why come here?"

"Believe it or not, Tim, I was glad you survived, even if it complicated my escape plans. It gave me a chance to thin the ranks a bit, and make my case a lot more strongly. I wanted to see how you were doing before I left."

"You...think you'll get away?" Tim was feeling a little lightheaded from all the talking and shallow breathing he was doing.

"I know I will. They might think of coming here, but not just yet. I have time."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Yes, she was here. She's been a customer for about three years. She came in less than an hour ago," the manager said. "Why?"

"She's wanted for murder," Geri said seriously.

"What?"

"She's wanted for murder," Lara repeated. "And attempted murder and treason. She's not a nice person."

"Can we find out what she did here, please?"

"Of course! Of course! Anything to help."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Okay, so she didn't have the lock on her when Lovitz' team picked her up," Tony said. "That means she either passed it off to someone or else..."

"Or else she put it in a safe deposit box that she has already come and emptied," Gibbs finished, having hung up the phone.

"Or that..."

"They found her?" Ziva asked.

"No. They found where she went. She had a safe deposit box at an HSBC Bank near Dupont Circle. It was emptied about an hour ago."

"So...where else would she go?"

"She needs to escape. She must have a plan for that, but she could not put it off for long," Ziva said. "An hour...she could be well away from here."

Suddenly, Tony sat up. "...or getting rid of any witnesses. McGee."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"What are you...going to...do now?"

"Now? I'm going to leave. I have places to go."

"What...about Sarah?"

"She has nothing to fear from me unless she tries to stop me from leaving. Since you were smart enough not to let her know who I am, that won't be an issue."

Tim looked at her and asked the one question he really wanted answered. "Was...it...all an...act?"

Linda stood up and walked to the door without answering. Then, she paused just before opening it. She turned around.

"Tim...the thing about my job is that you don't act. You be. I've rarely lied about enjoying someone's company. You and Abby were...people I could have been friends with...if I hadn't been forced to shoot you. I don't pretend to be something I'm not. I'm very good at what I do...no matter what that might be. I'm good at it. I was a good assistant for Director Vance. I am an even better..." She stopped and smiled. "...let's just say I'm even better at my real job. I intend to make sure that continues. It was nice to meet you, Tim. I hope your recovery is swift."

Then, she was gone. Tim's hand clenched around the small combination lock as he breathed too quickly and strained his weak lung. He tried to control himself. He hadn't been that scared when he had first seen Linda...even when she'd had the gun and shot him.

He forgot to move the oxygen mask back in place.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Tony, Gibbs and Ziva ran into the hospital, guns drawn, through the halls to Tim's room. Sarah stood up in the waiting area, shocked, but they couldn't stop to assure her. They didn't know if they could anyway.

The door to Tim's room was closed. Gibbs nodded to Tony and Ziva who took up flanking positions.

Gibbs counted down silently and then they threw open the door. Tim was on the bed, oxygen mask around his neck, breathing loudly and painfully. His eyes were tightly closed and he was whimpering a little. Gibbs gestured for Tony and Ziva to check the bathroom. He holstered his gun and moved quickly to the bed.

"McGee?"

"Boss?" Tim gasped out.

Gibbs pulled the oxygen mask back over Tim's nose and mouth and then put an arm around his shoulders.

"Breathe slowly. It's okay."

Tim was wheezing into the mask.

"Slow. Calm down, McGee. It's all right. You're all right."

"All clear, Boss," Tony reported.

"Was she here, McGee?" Ziva asked.

Tim nodded as his breathing slowly began to calm.

"Came in...left..." His muffled voice gasped out.

"It's all right," Gibbs said again. "You're fine."

"McGee...what is that in your hand?" Ziva asked.

Tim lifted his hand and shakily relaxed his fingers.

"That is..."

"...the...lock."

"Why did she give it to you, Probie?"

"Keepsake. She said." Tim took a deep breath and then winced. "She said there were names inside it, but she'd...taken them out."

"We never thought to look there," Ziva said.

Tim shook his head.

"She's gone?"

Tim nodded. "She got away."

"It looks that way, but we'll find her."

Tim smiled unexpectedly and pulled the mask from over his face.

"No, Tony... Linda got away. The case is over."

"Are you sure, McGee?" Gibbs asked.

Tim nodded, feeling suddenly very, very tired.

"What she wants to do...she does. She wanted...me alive. I am."

"Now what?"

"I'm going to sleep," Tim said and closed his eyes.