"What do ya got for me Abs?" Gibbs asked, walking into the evidence garage.
"A lot, but still nothing." Abby answered.
"What do you mean?" Gibbs inquired.
"Well, I have the chemical composition of the explosives and our bomber used nuts and bolts to create shrapnel to inflict more damage. It was obvious that someone wanted to make a statement." Abby replied. "And I believe that this is a signature of some kind, but the problem is that there haven't been any other bombs created like this, to compare it to."
McGee was sitting at a computer dressed in one of the NCIS jump suits. "What are you doing, McGee?" Gibbs asked.
"Well, I just finished helping Abby sort through the debris and shrapnel, and I decided to hit the web to see if there was any chatter from anyone who might have a grudge to settle." McGee answered.
Tony and Ziva soon entered the room. "What do you guys have?" Gibbs asked.
"Nothing." Tony answered. "There's no one claiming responsibility for the attack and there's nothing from the FBI or anyone else."
"Nothing from any of my sources, either, Gibbs." Ziva replied.
"And you will likely find nothing, no matter where you look." Charity said, entering the room.
"What are you doing here?" Gibbs asked, looking at his daughter.
"I know whose responsible for the bombing." Charity answered.
"How do you know?" Tony asked, intrigued.
"Because of the types of wounds the kids had." Charity answered. "And Abby confirmed it when with he chemical composition of the explosives."
"You run into this overseas?" Gibbs asked.
Charity nodded. "But he's not a terrorist…well he wasn't anyways."
"He's just a traitor." Came the voice of Colonel Buckley. "And if you say one more word about him, Gunny, you will be court marshaled."
"What's going on?" Gibbs asked, feeling protective of his daughter.
"Nothing we can't handle." Buckley answered. "He was a member of my special task force and he's our problem. NCIS need not worry with him. We will take care of it."
"Just like we've taken care of it so far?" Charity asked.
"That's a bit of an insubordinate tone." Buckley told Charity.
"We can't handle this problem that he has become on our own. He's been three steps ahead of us the entire time." Charity said, ignoring the implied threat. "Perhaps if we'd have gotten help from the beginning rather than you telling your superiors that we could handle this."
"We still can." Buckley said. "Now stop it with that tone."
"No, Sir." Charity replied. "I will not stop. We cannot do this on our own. Perhaps if we'd have sought out help already, those children would be playing and learning right now rather than lying in the hospital or the morgue. How many more innocent lives must be damaged, ruined, or taken for you to wake up and realize that we can't do this on our own? How many more children need to be maimed or killed for you to stop the monster that you created?!" By the end of her speech, Charity was shouting.
A tense and stunned silence filled the air as everyone awaited the Colonel's reaction. Buckley sighed. "No matter what I do, you will tell them even if I don't?" He asked.
"Yes." Charity answered. "You can court-marshal me, have me keel hauled, lock me away in prison and throw away the key, but I will do whatever it takes to bring an end to this. If that means getting help, then so be it. If that means throwing my life and my career in the Corps away, I don't care."
"Sometimes I forget just who I am talking to." Buckley replied. He then turned back to the team. "The bomber is Private Warren Baker. He was once part of the team that I have Charity lead."
"A few years ago, he was captured by a terrorist cell we were trying to take out." Charity continued, sensing Buckley's hesitation to go on. "He was presumed dead. Later, he was somehow rescued, but only after months of being tortured. He wasn't the same man he had been before. He blamed the Corps for what had happened to him."
"He particularly blamed me." Buckley spoke up.
"He's not the only one." Charity muttered.
Buckley ignored Charity. "My daughter is actually a teacher at the school he bombed today. I know he wanted to punish me and I know that that's why he bombed the school. Luckily, my granddaughter had the flu so her mother had to stay home with her."
Gibbs nodded. He then looked at Charity and then at Buckley and back again. "Charity, I want you to go talk to Ducky and tell him everything you know about Baker. I want Ducky to profile him. DiNozzo, you go with her. Buckley, you're with me."
Charity nodded and then headed to see Ducky, Tony following her. They hopped on the elevator and once the doors closed, Tony looked over at Charity. "Are you okay?" He asked her.
Charity turned to look at him. Dark circles had formed under her eyes. She looked completely drained. She gave him a tired smile. He could tell that there was something else bothering her. "Been worse." She replied.
Tony flipped the switch, stopping the elevator. "What's going on?" He asked.
"This entire thing." She answered with a heavy sigh.
Tony opened up his arms, inviting Charity in. She readily accepted and stepped into him, resting her head on his chest. He kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair. "What exactly happened?" He asked.
"On the mission, Buckley led us and everything went wrong. We all…almost died. Baker was shot in the leg…his knee was completely gone…he was leaning on Buckley…but he wasn't able to move very fast with Baker hanging on him like that…Baker passed out and Buckley…he just…he dropped him…and told the rest of us he had died…we left him there." Charity couldn't hold back the tears as she explained.
Tony rubbed soothing circles on her lower back. "It's okay…you had no way of knowing."
"I know…but I just can't…help but to feel responsible." Charity confessed. "And to hate Buckley for lying…and myself for believing him and not insisting that we at least go back for his body…then he might have been alright."
"Or he might not have been." Tony told her. "Maybe that pushed him over the edge, but I could have been one thing in a long list of things that caused him to snap."
Charity nodded. "I know…he wasn't quite right before that…Buckley forced him to do the same things he forced me to do…and it…it did something to Baker…that's why he's able…to do things like this."
Tony held her for a while longer, while she cried. He knew there wasn't anything he could say to help her at that time. He just knew she needed to cry.
After a few moments, Charity pulled back and wiped her eyes. "Crying isn't gonna fix anything." She said. "We'd better get to Ducky."
"You sure you're okay?" Tony asked.
"I'll be fine." Charity answered. "When I get tired, I let my emotions take over too easy."
Tony pulled Charity back to him for a quick kiss. When he pulled away, she gave him a small smile. It didn't quite reach her eyes but it was a start.
