a/n: and, in a grand finale, we see Gibbs finally get the upper hand.
Zabernism: (noun): the misuse of military power; syn: aggression, bullying
In a completely normal turn of events, Gibbs was keeping the whole team late on a holiday weekend – despite the fact that other federal agencies had received their complimentary hour of leave to start the holiday early.
Neither Ziva, Tony, nor McGee dared complain or grumble, though; they were wishing for their weekend and their time off, but to an extent they were just as bothered as Gibbs by the details of their current case – and they'd been hounding the details of it for what seemed like an eternity, but was really only a couple of days.
Desperate, certain members of the team had turned to unorthodox suggestions –
"I think we should watch the movie," DiNozzo said loudly, for the tenth time.
Gibbs gave him a ruthless glare. DiNozzo held his hands up.
"It's the same damn case!"
"What movie?" Ziva asked again – every time this came up, DiNozzo and McGee got into an argument, or Gibbs shut it down, and no one had ever gotten a word in to tell her what the hell –
"A Few Good Men."
Interrupting the group, the Director strolled in, stopping near Gibbs' desk with a short look around. Her gaze landed n Ziva.
"It's a film about the legality of Military authority and disobedience regarding it," she explained simply. She glanced at Gibbs. "SecNav wants an update on the Jack Nicholson case," she said, a little wryly.
Gibbs looked at her blankly. DiNozzo snorted.
"Jethro," Jenny said, rolling her eyes, "I know you know how Jack Nicholson is, and I know you've seen A Few Good Men," she told him. "Cut the crap. What's going on with this issue?"
For days, the team had been working to get to the bottom of a female Marine's unexpected and violent death at Pax River, three months after she'd come out boot camp at the bottom of her class. Three fellow Marines – male – had been arrested for her death, all of whom were top performers and medal winners, and all were refusing to acknowledge that they'd touched her, despite genetic evidence to the contrary.
The resemblance to the iconic movie was scary, though its nastiness was compounded by the fact that it was three male Marines on a female Marine.
"Did that Gunny order a Code Red?" Jenny asked.
Gibbs gave her an extremely annoyed look.
"There's no such thing as a Code Red," he growled.
Jenny gave him a comparably annoyed look.
"Those Marines are protecting someone. There's a redacted e-mail ordering something 'be done' about the woman, and those boys – "
"These aren't boys and girls, Director, they're men and women," Gibbs griped testily.
"The men aren't talking," Ziva said pointedly. "The Gunny says he told everyone to stay off the woman's case until it was time to administratively discharge her."
"And yet," Jenny said, raising her voice, "we have a dead eighteen-year-old who had spent a week crying herself to sleep," she snapped.
McGee leaned forward.
"I'm trying to track where this e-mail came from, but all computers were wiped," he said grimly. "It's just convenient that they were wiped the same morning as part of a routine clearing of caches."
"Almost as if the Gunny knew he'd never get busted," Jenny said, glaring at Gibbs.
"Why're you lookin' at me?" he barked.
"You were a Gunny," she said coolly. "If I find out you're looking the other way because of some misplaced military loyalty – "
"Ah, Jesus, Jenny," Gibbs growled, shaking his head. He rubbed his jaw. "'M tryin' to figure out how to nail the bastard to the wall – "
"This makes no sense," Ziva said abruptly. "Why bother with nailing the Gunny? We have the men who did it. We nail them."
"They were following orders, Zeee-vah," DiNozzo said, pointing at her sharply. "If there is a sadistic Marine ordering men to rape their counterparts to shape them up, we need to nip it."
"They could disobey the order!" Ziva snapped.
Gibbs gave her a mildly surprised look, and shook his head slightly. Tony clicked his teeth.
"See, that's why you need to see the movie," he drawled. "Could you disobey an order in the Israeli military?" Without stopping, Tony continued: "These guys are trained to question no authority or risk getting someone killed – "
"I will not listen to you justify their actions with the same excuses the Nazis gave," Ziva said coldly.
For once, Gibbs stepped into their bickering in a serious way.
"Easy," he said gruffly, raising his hand and lowering it slowly. "He's not excusin' them, Ziver, he's pointin' out why we've got to find a way to nail the Gunny," he said.
Ziva looked at him silently, and Gibbs sat back, rubbing his jaw again.
"You do think it was a Code Red," Jenny said, studying Gibbs.
He raised his eyes to the ceiling.
"Code Reds don't – " he started.
"Exist, yes, I've heard," Jenny interrupted sarcastically. "So why did three Marines apparently carry one out – "
"Director, Ma'am," Tony said, clearing his throat. "Er—Gibbs means – 'code red' was literally made up for the movie," he told her. "It, uh, it's not a real thing."
Jenny stared at him. She pursed her lips, slightly sour, and kept silent, processing that – well, so much for her research into the issue; she hadn't realized it was actually a myth just trussed up by the film. She turned to Gibbs.
"I want to know what happened, Jethro," she said dangerously. "I don't want this Gunny getting let off the hook while the nation wages a silent war against military rape and the bullshit excuses people use to carry out – extrajudicial punishment," she snapped, with a scowl.
Gibbs stood up.
"Do I need to get a JAG lawyer in here to solve it like the movie did?" Jenny provoked.
Gibbs gave her a scowl, and shook his head. She took his arm, in front of everyone.
"You think they were ordered to act, Gibbs?" she asked intently.
"Jen," he growled, shaking her off. "What the hell do you think I'm doin' down here, knitting mittens? 'M tryin' to figure out if they acted on their own or if they can pass the buck – "
Ziva shared a look with McGee and DiNozzo – 'knitting mittens?' mouthed DiNozzo, while McGee suppressed a smirk.
"Even if they did act on their own, they can't pass the buck!" Jenny interrupted angrily. "You can – Ziva can tell you that in dire situations, it is possible to disobey a military order – you can't stand there and tell me that you think those guys are off the hook as long as they were following –
"No, I can't tell you that, Jen," he interrupted loudly, his eyes flashing. "I don't give a damn if the President of the United States gave the goddamn order, you don't assault a fellow Marine; you don't attack the weak," he growled. "I joined the Marines for honor, and I'll be damned if I let this bastard get away with staining the uniform – it's Zabernism, Director, and if you'd give me a chance to prove it before you jump down my throat, I'll give you an indictment."
Tony hastily looked away from the scene. Ziva watched it smartly; McGee looked at the ceiling – it was too often that Gibbs attacked the Director in front of witnesses; they usually bickered behind closed doors.
She stared at him consternation for a moment, and then she shook her head.
"What?" she asked, taken aback.
"You want him to repeat all that?" Ziva laughed, amused. "Gibbs has never said that much about himself since – " Ziva broke off, feigning confusion.
"His last wedding vow," Tony snorted, hastily pretending it was a cough.
"No," Jenny said, distracted. "No – it's – what did you call it?" she asked, eyes on Gibbs.
He looked at her for a minute, confused himself, and then a curious expression spread over his face, and he straightened a little, his head tilted. She didn't like the way his eyes suddenly glittered mischievously.
"What are you asking, Director?" he asked.
"Z-Zabernism?" she repeated, glancing at Ziva. Ziva shrugged and shook her head—she didn't know what he meant. Jenny shook her head, pursing her lips.
"You tellin' me you don't know what a word means?" Gibbs gloated.
Jenny grit her teeth.
"Did you make the word up?" she demanded primly.
Gibbs gave her a calmly superior look, and shook his head very slowly.
"I, uh, know what it is," McGee piped up.
"'Course you do, McGee," Gibbs said smoothly, not taking his eyes off Jenny. "Your old man was a hard ass Navy Admiral."
Jenny glanced over at the geeky agent, and then turned a menacing glare back on Gibbs. She was about to open her mouth, when he grabbed some files off his desk, gave her a pointed look, and pushed his chair in.
"Abuse of military authority," he defined gruffly, stepping close and giving her a smug, triumphant look.
She reared back slightly, narrowing her eyes, and before he left her standing there modified, he met her green eyes and drawled:
"Get a dictionary, Jen."
the end
again, kind of similar to how I ended "Idioms!" - in that one, Ziva got the idiom right in the last chapter; in this one, I found the perfect word that Gibbs might know and Jenny could be clueless on. i hope you've enjoyed; see you next time!
-alexandra