Chapter XIV: Another Name for Treason

Alex Shepard was slowly waking up from the sedative that the doctors had given her at Bethesda. She remembered little from the past few days. One of the last things she remembered before blacking out was seeing her dad and him telling her that she was going to be alright. She didn't know how long she'd been out cold, but she could tell that she'd been out long enough for her leg to be set in a cast. She also unfortunately had an itch on her leg. When she started to move around, the nurses at the station noticed this, and contacted the doctor. After about three minutes, the doctor walked in. He gave her a patented grin.

"It's good that you are finally awake Miss Shepard, we were beginning to worry about you. You have a severe leg break; you'll be in a cast for about four months, in a boot for an additional month and a half, and physical therapy for six months after that. You are a lucky girl. Jumping across that chasm was not the best thing that you could have done. Your father has been rather impatient; we had to make him leave so that we could get our work done."

"How long was I out?"

"For about a day and a half"

As the doctor went on, Alex thought back to the day before. She remembered practically nothing. She remembered as she was floating in and out being in a room with the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, and for some strange reason Teddy Roosevelt. It was like that Diet Doctor Pepper commercial where everyone didn't believe that a diet soda could taste good. It must have been the painkillers that had been making her hallucinate. She also had another "visitor" while she thought she was hallucinating. It was the person she'd wanted to see most. Her mother visited her.

"I see that you've been saved. Good"

"Okay Mom, I'm on painkillers. I'm pretty sure that you are a Vicodin induced hallucination"

"You know when I visited your father; he said the exact same thing. The doctors are worried about you; you haven't come out of your delirium."

"It's not for the lack of trying, Mom. Why did this happen to me?"

"Your father and I got those Russians angry about eleven years ago. We put several of their leadership in the ground. I know that Yuri told you this. They always wanted avenge what we did to them, and killing me was a part of that. You need to come out of this state Alex; you need to help put the man that set you up behind bars."

"But if I'm not in this state, I won't be able to talk to you."

"You'll always be able to talk to me. You just have to listen carefully for the answers".

Alex then returned to the present. The doctor was still yakking. She wanted to get out of the hospital as quickly as she could.

"Hey Doc, when can I leave?"

The doctor rolled his eyes. He'd been warned that once she was awake, she would start nagging about wanting to leave.

"You can leave when your father gets here. The nurses are calling him as we speak."

"Can't I get dressed into some decent clothes?"

"Not until your father gets here. He's bringing you some clothes."

Alex fidgeted nervously. She'd never talked with her dad as her dad. What would they talk about?

Gibbs drove like a maniac. What would normally be a half hour drive took him about fifteen minutes. He was also nervous about what they would talk about. He figured she was every bit as nervous as he was, if not more so. As he got to the hospital, he barged into the elevator. There was no one else in the elevator, which was a good thing. He fumed that he hadn't shot Yuri. He had wanted to so badly. But he had not wanted to. Living knowing that he'd failed was worse than death. He got to Alex's floor. The doctor looked somewhat harried. Gibbs smirked. Alex was definitely awake and causing grief.

"Hey Doc, how's she doing?"

"Your daughter is doing just fine, considering. No sooner had she woken up, she immediately began bugging me about leaving. She's been nagging for decent clothes. Her room number is 327, why don't you bring her the clothes you brought her; we have some paperwork that you need to fill out."
Gibbs went to Room 327. Alex was sitting up, reading a book that she'd most likely conned a nurse to get her. His question about whether she'd be in crutches or not was answered. He noticed a pair of crutches next to her bed.

"Practiced on them yet?"

"I have been practicing for the past half an hour. They aren't as hard to use as they look. May I have my clothes please?"

Gibbs handed her the clothes. They were an NCIS T-shirt and a pair of jeans. She took them and nodded her thanks. She then said,

"Can I get dressed now Dad? You do have paperwork to do."

Gibbs got her hint. He left the room to go do the paperwork. Alex proceeded to struggle into the jeans. They were hard to get on over her cast, but after about 10 minutes of squirming, she managed to get them on over her cast. The shirt was easier to get on. Just as she finished up getting her stuff together and was getting onto her crutches, he dad walked in. She smiled at him, and said

"Let's go home"

After a very tense drive back to the house, Alex went into what would appear to be her room. Gibbs and Ducky must have already gotten her stuff from the school and Ducky's place. She hobbled around getting her belongings to where she thought that they should belong. She sensed that her dad was at the doorway.

"Do you like it? Ducky and I brought your stuff here."

"It's terrific, Gibbs. I like it here. When can we get the person that set me up for this?"

"You should probably rest, Alex."

"I've rested for a day and a half. I want to do something, or I'll get stir crazy. And Ducky says that I'm worse than mom was."

Gibbs had a look of shock on his face. He didn't think that there was anyone worse than Jen when it came to getting stir crazy, but if there was someone that was worse than her, her kid could most likely manage it. He shook his head. Their kid could probably manage it.

"Okay. Let's get to NCIS."

Back at NCIS, Gibb's team was working around the clock to find out who'd engineered the kidnap op for Alex. The director had given Gibbs a direct order to stay with Alex for the next week. But McGee and Ducky had a feeling that the pair would show up at NCIS. As suspected, Gibbs and Alex turned up at NCIS. Right after McGee found the name for a Lieutenant Commander that would've had access to the school.

"Hey boss, there is a Lieutenant Commander Eric Walker who is a trustee at Hawker Hall. I can get a picture to see if we can make an ID."

"Then do so, McGee."

As the picture came up, Alex's eyes darkened. She recognized him. She said a few things in Russian that should never be translated.

"I take it you recognize him, Alex", stated Gibbs after he gave her a look that would've melted lead.

"Remember that kid that you kept me from murdering?"

"That kid is kind of hard to forget. Why?"

"That's his uncle."

"Uncle? I thought that his last name was Carmichael", said DiNozzo.

"He's his mother's brother."

Gibbs grinned evilly. He remembered Jen mentioning that her father had had a Commander Greg Walker put up for Court Martial. His son's name had been Eric. She'd met him after college but before she went to NCIS. He tried to hit on her, but she was immune to his charm. She wasn't a sucker for dress whites.

"DiNozzo, David go pick up Walker and bring him in for questioning"

After they left, he noticed that Director Mackenzie saw him and walked towards her office.

"I thought I told you to stay with your daughter and not come in for a week."

"You only said stay with my daughter; you failed to specify that I was not to come to work. Besides, Alex helped us with a possible ID. A Lieutenant Commander Eric Walker is a trustee at Alex's old school and has a possible grudge".

"What's the grudge, Agent Gibbs?"

"The then Captain Jasper Shepard put the Lieutenant Commander's father up for a Court Martial. The grudge was furthered when Walker was a Lieutenant j.g. and he met Jen… I mean Director Shepard before she was at NCIS. He was used to having his dress whites help him with the ladies, I'm sure you know how well that works for some people. But as Director Shepard put it, she was not a sucker for dress whites. She also didn't like him very much. So, along with the grudge that his father ground into him for her Colonel Shepard, he now had a grudge of his own; no matter how petty."

"So he had Alex kidnapped to exact revenge on the Shepards? How did he have contact with the Russians?"

"McGee figured that out. Walker had gambling debts, ones that were involved with the Russian mob. When the Vor e Zakone found out about Alex, they told him that they'd forgive him his debts. All he had to do was give them the access codes to get into school grounds and a diversion so that they could snatch Alex. He tried to kill two birds with one stone, settle his gambling debts and settle his family's score. We have proof of his connections to the Russian mob. All we have to do is interrogate him."

"You cannot interrogate him Gibbs; you are too emotionally invested in this case. Agent McGee will interrogate him once he is brought in. You and Alex can watch, but not interrupt. Do you understand me?"

"Yes Director."

Lieutenant Commander Eric Walker had been "asked" to come to NCIS HQ for questioning. He had no fear. He'd covered his tracks. Of course the two agents that had picked him up were rather confident. They'd dropped him off in an interrogation room. He hadn't heard that the kidnap had failed yet. He also didn't know that Alexandra Shepard was alive and had already identified him. A young agent came in and shut the door.

"Hello. I am Special Agent McGee. We just need you to answer a few questions."

"Ask away Agent McGee."

"You had gambling debts, correct?"

"Is this just about my gambling? Cause if it is, NCIS must have nothing better to do than to check up on my bank account. Besides they've been settled."

"How so Commander?"

"I paid my debts and I got something in return."

"Do you know an Alexandra Shepard?"

"No I do not. Why would I know a ten year old bastard?"

"Who said anything about her being ten years old and illegitimate? All I gave you was her name."

Walker froze. He'd blown it. He would try to bluff his way out.

"Uh, she goes to school with my nephew. He told me all this. Besides, she's dead isn't she, the Russian mob captured her?"

"Now how do you know that? You'd only know that if you had something to do with her kidnap"

Walker mentally hit himself. McGee smirked.

"I think that we have enough information now. Lieutenant Commander Eric Walker, you are under arrest on the charges of: Accessory to kidnap, conspiracy to kidnap, depraved indifference, felony murder, conduct unbecoming an officer, and suspected treason."

Behind the one way glass. Gibbs and Alex smirked. They'd gotten the SOB that helped the Russians do this to her. Now there would be an Article 32 hearing about whether there would be a Court Martial. Given the evidence, there would most likely be one. Alex turned to Gibbs.

"Dad I have a confession to make."

"What is it Alex?"

"I'm scared of being in front of large crowds of people"

Gibbs smiled lightly. Of all the things his daughter could be afraid of, she was afraid of public speaking.

"Hey Alex, I'm sure who ever is going to be prosecuting this case can give you some pointers."

"Who's going to be prosecuting him?"

"I don't know. Whoever Admiral Chegwidden wants to prosecute"

The next day, Admiral Chegwidden got the formal charges for Lieutenant Commander Walker from NCIS. It was a long list of charges. He already had made up his mind as to who would prosecute and who would defend.

"Petty Officer Coates, tell Captains Rabb and Turner to report to my office immediately. They have a new case I want to discuss with them."

He waited for about three minutes before the two captains came.

"At ease Captains, you have a new case. It's the Walker Court Martial. Captain Rabb you'll be prosecuting; Captain Turner, you'll be defending. This one is going to be an interesting one. A former Lt. Commander has a whole mess of charges up against him, and the evidence against him is strong. He aided and abetted a kidnap, committed felony murder, depraved indifference to the well being of three minors, and is also suspected of treason. Here are the names of the girls that were kidnapped."

The two captains looked at the names of the girls and their ages: Arianna Pryce, sixteen, Elena Ramirez, twelve, and Alexandra Shepard, ten. They were also all willing to testify for the prosecution. Turner knew that he would have an uphill battle under the best of circumstances.

"So which one was the reason for the kidnap?" asked Turner.

"Alexandra Shepard. Apparently her parents got the Russian mob angry at them, so she was kidnapped as revenge against her father."

"Who's her father?" Turner asked again.

"NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs is her father. Of all the kids the Vor e Zakone could have kidnapped, they picked the worst kid. You guys have your files. Commander Roberts and Lieutenant Vukovic will be second chairing for the prosecution and defense."

The two captains walked out and went to their offices. Rabb knew that he was lucky that no one knew that he knew of the case before today. It was convenient that your wife was the director of NCIS. While he was reading the brief, Turner poked his head in.

"You want to make a deal?"

"The death penalty is off the table if your client confesses to everything."

"That's not much of a deal Captain. Isn't that overkill?"

"Not for what he's charged with. If he doesn't deal out, and he probably won't, he'd be lucky if he just got life imprisonment."

"No deal, Captain".

"See you at the hearing".