Chapter 45

Manassas, Virginia

Thursday, May 31, 2007

5:32 p.m.

"You going to let me in, Gibbs?"

The safe house that Hollis's team took shelter was is located in a quiet, middle-class neighborhood.

The area was quiet not just due to its residents – many of whom were either retired seniors, or young couples with families – but also due to the regular Manassas police presence protecting its residents from suspected drug-related and general criminal activity going on at the apartment complexes less than a mile away.

Those who lived in the neighborhood were used to law-enforcement vehicles flashing blue-and-red lights every so often. Those cars and SUVs belonged to the Manassas police, responding to the occasional break-in, robbery or drug-related activity.

On rare occasions, the vehicles with the blue-and-red lights represented another agency. In front of this one-story brick house, there sat ten SUVs and one sedan, all with flashing lights, all from NCIS, whose director stood on the front porch impatiently waiting to be let in.

"Gibbs," Teague said. "Let the man in. Let's hear what the man has to say."

Gibbs heard her but didn't budge. A thousand thoughts were rampaging through his mind, all suggesting Riley McAllister, the director of NCIS, was behind the ambush at the complex, the deaths of Hollis Mann and Jenny Shepard, and God knew what else. Rage, not logic, dominated his thoughts.

"Jethro," Franks said firmly. "Let the man in. Hear him out."

Mike Franks, on the other hand, was one of the few people who could break through the fog of animosity that clouded Gibbs's mind. This time, Gibbs listened, stepping back far enough for McAllister to step inside and go to the center of the living room.

"Special Agent Gibbs, Retired Special Agent Franks," McAllister began. "CIA Agent Teague. FBI Agent and former NCIS Agent Langer. ATF Agent Cooke. DIA Forensic Psychologist Sloane. The shooting incident with Lieutenant Colonel Mann is officially gang-related," McAllister said. "Major General Binder – the Commanding General of Army CID – wants to know what the hell happened up there today."

"He wants to know 'what' about what?", Teague asked.

"Why are you here?", Cooke interjected.

"Why are you here?", asked McAllister. "Agent Gibbs?"

McAllister was peeved, but not surprised, that his agent kept silent.

"Maybe we're gettin' ready to play a game of poker, Riley," Franks said. "Invited players only."

"Which I might halfway believe if I saw a poker table in here," McAllister replied. "I already know what happened up there today."

While the other four agents looked sideways at one another, Gibbs and Franks kept their gaze steady on the director.

"I know why you two" – he glanced at Gibbs and Franks – "met the rest of you, and Lieutenant Colonel Mann, at an officially restricted federal complex in a neighborhood closed to the public and anyone else not authorized to be there. I know your team, Agent Teague, were racing to the scene to get to my people before they could be ambushed – and that you all were ambushed anyway. Four North Korean special forces agents, on hire for the KGB, hoping to get access to the facility with the Ring."

The five federal agents, and the sole officially retired fed, stood stone-faced, waiting to see what else the NCIS director knew.

"I know about the Ring. I've known about it for some time now," McAllister said. "Gibbs, I knew you and Lieutenant Colonel Mann visited the complex. I know she wanted Mike Franks to visit it too, to see it for himself, as a step towards getting your entire team to visit it. And, when and if the time comes, to go through it. I've seen it, too."

"Why am I not surprised," Sloane said. "Please tell us you had no idea the ambush was coming."

"Scout's honor," McAllister said, although no one else in the room completely believed him. "You're lucky there were only four of them, and they weren't the elite-level North Koreans. There's a lot of terrorist activity being sponsored by the Kremlin right now, people. Lucky for us, there aren't an infinite supply of top-level special forces to carry it out. A lot more of it's being farmed out to third-string operatives and below—"

McAllister stopped talking when he saw Gibbs, whose glare had turned menacing, slowly making his way over to him. "Jethro," Franks said as the others saw what Gibbs was doing; Teague reached slowly for her handgun.

Gibbs finally stopped, both men's noses literally an inch apart. McAllister met the man's glare with one of his own, Gibbs enraged with grief, McAllister attempting to establish himself as the alpha dog in the room.

"I read up on you long before I accepted this job, Gibbs," McAllister said with a lowered, even tone. "I know you're a man of few words. But I'm your boss, Gibbs, and you've obviously got a problem with me and you need to tell me why."

Gibbs thought of Jenny, and Paris and Moscow and butting heads with her after she took the NCIS job and of her body laying in her car at the park. And he thought of Hollis, of the first time they met on the job at the golf course, and the nights they spent together in his basement and her apartment, and of her body laying on the ground at the facility. Two women, both of whom he loved, whose lives were taken in a hail of bullets.

"I can accept that you weren't behind this, that you didn't know about the ambush, Director," Gibbs said. "Tell me. Were you behind the death of Director Shepard?"

"No, I was not," McAllister said.

"Do you know who killed her, Director?"

"Sergei Mishnev, Agent Gibbs. You already know that, though. Is there something you want to say to me, Agent Gibbs?"

There was, and Gibbs suddenly realized it was the wrong thing, that Hollis's death had shaken him far, far more than he realized and that he had lost track of his emotions. Gibbs understood if he didn't regroup now, he'd fly off the track in ways that neither his people, these other agents nor himself needed right now.

McAllister didn't kill Jenny Shepard, nor did he kill Hollis Mann. Gibbs saw Pablo Hernandez in his mind's eye, and the caskets of Shannon and Kelly Gibbs, and had a flash of himself, insane with rage, setting up a nest across the Anacostia River so he could blow McAllister's brains out in revenge.

It was time for Gibbs to get ahold of himself.

"You gonna arrest us, Director, for knowing about this ring?"

McAllister paused. "There's enough people in town who know about the damn thing already. No friendly's going to shoot at you for going there when the balloon goes up. Visiting hours are out of the question, though. Pentagon's going overboard in securing the premises. You show up now, you will get shot at, by Rangers, SEALs, Knights, whichever elite-level forces the Pentagon can spare."

"Have you spoken with our directors?" Teague said.

"No, Agent Teague, I haven't spoken with anyone from the Agency or the Bureau or ATF or DIA about this. As far as the Major General, I kicked it up to SecDef. Army CID won't be a problem going forward."

"Gibbs," McAllister said. "I had your truck towed to someone I know in town; I've emailed Agent DiNozzo with the owner's name and the address of his garage so you can do your due diligence, satisfy yourself that the man's on the up-and-up. You'll have your truck back by Sunday afternoon, good as new."

"I can fix it myself—"

"Thought I'd save you the time and trouble of rebuilding an engine," he said, turning to walk back to his car. He took a step, paused, and turned back. "I'm sorry about Hollis, Jethro. I really am."

That wasn't much consolation to Gibbs, who watched McAllister walk back to his SUV, and watched the caravan drive away.

Cooke shut the front door, and Teague snapped her fingers. "We're done here," she said, pulling out her copy of the letter than Hollis gave Gibbs before she died. As Teague read its contents aloud, Gibbs followed along silently.

I hereby nominate Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Michael Aaron Franks for membership. I trust them inherently to uphold the purposes of this team and to maintain its secrets when and wherever appropriate.

"So reads the letter," Teague said to Cooke, Langer and Sloane. "Does anyone second the nomination?"

"I second it," Langer said without hesitation.

"So do I," Cooke said seconds later.

"As do I," Sloane added.

"And I do as well," Teague said. "As there are no nays, the nomination carries. Mr. Gibbs, Mr. Franks, welcome to the team."

Gibbs acknowledged the honor with a slight nod. Franks cleared his throat. "Well, that's nice, Agent Teague, but having gotten shot at today by the equivalent of Kim Jong-il's second-string junior varsity death squad, and seeing someone important to my family die, what exactly are the purposes of this team I just became a member of?"

"To get as many people through the ring as possible when the time comes, plain and simple," Teague said. "And the time will come, too. Gibbs, Hollis had another letter for me to give you, of a more personal nature, to read at your leisure."

She went to her purse that was laying on the couch, pulled out an envelope, and handed it to Gibbs. "We're pulling out, people," she announced. "Gibbs, Mike, we'll be in touch soon. Agent Langer will take you two back to your house."

Gibbs nodded and walked outside, while Franks made small talk with Langer and the others gathered their belongings scattered around the living room. The sky was cloudy, and Gibbs could smell the humidity in the air; he looked down the street towards the west and saw some ominous-looking black clouds in the distance.

Fitting, Gibbs thought as he looked around the neighborhood. A few people were staring outside their doorways or through blinders or parted curtains, and a couple of kids down the street were staring as their mother yelled at them to get inside. Gibbs wondered if he should say something, maybe tell the mom to lighten up a little.

He wondered, since he was a member of this team, how many kids and parents he could round up on a moment's notice, if he needed to. Should he go down the street and—

"Jethro."

Gibbs turned his head and saw an impatient Franks standing to his left. "Langer's ready to go. They all are."

Franks pointed to Langer's white Toyota Camry parked behind a red truck Cooke was getting into, and ahead of a gold Corvette driven by Sloane that was pulling out of the long driveway. Teague was inside a black Mercedes-Benz SUV parked ahead of Cooke, in front of the garage.

Langer stopped before he got into his car, having pulled an envelope left underneath the wiper on the driver's side. "Boss," he yelled to Gibbs, holding the envelope high for him to see from a distance.

Gibbs took it only after he got in the front passenger seat and locked the door, and didn't say a word until Langer got to his house. Suits were all over the property and parked in front of Gibbs' house, and Langer had to stop in the middle of the street next to one of the SUVs to let both men out.

"Thanks," Gibbs said, reaching in his wallet for a $20 bill. Langer held his palm out. "Ride's on me, Boss. Don't worry about it."

"Langer…"

"I'm serious, Gibbs," Langer said. "We'll be in touch, but you need me for anything, pick up a phone. I'll be there."

"I know," Gibbs said. He threw the bill down onto the seat and shut the door before Langer could protest. He nodded at the agents guarding the front door, went through it as one held it open for him, and didn't stop until he got to the basement.

One of the agents stopped Franks as he walked onto the porch. "Director said to us only that you two had a rough day," she said. "You need anything — takeout, beer run, whatever — say the word."

Franks took a few steps past her, stopped, and turned around. "A cold bottle of Corona wouldn't be bad right now," he said to her. "A bottle of bourbon, too. I don't think either of us are hungry."

He walked inside, and down to the basement, where he saw Gibbs already at work on his boat, stenciling an H on its side. One look from Gibbs told Franks it'd be a good idea for him to go upstairs for awhile and watch a movie.

Over the next several hours, Gibbs sanded and varnished the boat, stopping every so often to add another letter to its side. Eventually, he got too tired to go on, but didn't stop until he had gotten Hollis just right. The cot near the workbench beckoned Gibbs, who realized he needed a few hours of sleep to recharge.

The cot held sturdy as Gibbs flopped down onto it. He closed his eyes and tried to think of something besides the day's events. Shannon and Kelly came to mind and he quickly pushed thoughts of them away. Not today, hon, he thought, certain that Hollis and everything he didn't want to dwell on would quickly follow and embed themselves in his brain.

The thing was that there wasn't much else Gibbs could dwell on. He read books and watched movies on occasion, but it'd been a long time since he picked up a Jack London novel or since DiNozzo came over with his DVD player. Gibbs found himself searching through a myriad of memories — Iraq, Stillwater, Mexico, Moscow, Paris, Baltimore — trying to find something he could fall asleep to.

His mind kept going back to his team.

Kate, who had in her own right become one of NCIS's best agents while harboring a secret.

Ziva, the Mossad officer forced on him who had become another daughter to him, who had discovered a new life and family far away from her domineering father.

McGee, the young and naïve agent who had progressed leaps and bounds in just a few years, who Gibbs realized he had been too hard on.

Abby, the lab rat who charmed her way into his heart from her very first day and, though he was reticent to admit it, had perhaps filled some of the hole in his soul caused by Kelly's death.

Palmer, scared to death of him and nervous as hell, until that day where he did to the terrorist what Kate couldn't do to Ari, and since then had changed his personality completely.

Ducky, who Gibbs felt a kinship with from the day they met, and was one of the true friends who would call him out on his bullshit and be there no matter what.

And DiNozzo, the son he never thought he wanted to have, whose wisecracking attitude masked his competence. He wondered why in hell DiNozzo hadn't taken Jenny's offer of the head job in Rota, indeed why he still stuck around in D.C….

DiNozzo…DAMMIT! The case!

Gibbs jumped off the cot and grabbed his phone from the workbench, calling DiNozzo five times. Each time he got a busy signal. Nothing.

Cursing under his breath, Gibbs called Ducky, and this time someone picked up. "Jethro!", said the doctor on the other line. "It's very good to hear from you. How are you and Mike Franks?"

"Mike's fine. Where's DiNozzo?"

"Upstairs, wrapping up the case."

"Wrapping up the case? Already?"

"You may not believe it, although Tony is writing an extensive report for you. He's having the others do the same. I've never encountered a case completed in a single day before, even with agents having double- and triple-checked the—"

"DUCK," Gibbs blurted with a bit more annoyance than he wished. He hoped Ducky would take it as normal behavior.

"My apologies, Jethro."

"You in the morgue, Duck?"

"I am, Jethro. I sent Mr. Palmer back to his home-away-from-home and told him to watch a movie, or game, or whatever was on the Telly that's not news-related."

"News buggin' him, Duck?"

"The news is 'bugging' us all, Jethro. The case was a welcome respite, in that it took our collective minds off current events and finally gave us something to focus on."

"How'd it get wrapped up so quick?"

"The killer came to the Navy Yard and turned herself in."

"Her?"

"The victim's wife. She thought the victim was cheating on her, because by her logic he shouldn't be here in the States at all. He was here to visit his mother who lives in one of the poorer parts of the District. He never got to saw her, unfortunately."

Gibbs cursed after remembering that Riley had his truck, then remembered his car was still in the driveway. "How did the wife kill him, Duck?"

"A pool stick. A metal pool stick."

"Say that again, Duck."

"She stabbed him in the back with a metal pool stick. She had followed him since a friend told her he had arrived at Washington-Baltimore International last night. She put her weapon in her car and followed him from the airport into the city and confronted him at a gas station. Then she cut his tires, and he ran. And she followed him."

"Go on."

"She caught up to him at Rock Creek Park. They argued, and he walked away. Enraged, she ran back to her car, grabbed the cue, and ran until she caught up to him. Then she thrust the stick into his back. It went through his heart, and he fell, dying seconds later."

"You know, Duck, I'm not sure—"

"Unsure you believe this. I understand, but the cue did kill him. Did I tell you the tip of the cue was sharpened?"

"No, Doctor, you didn't. That might explain how it could penetrate skin and muscle."

"The wife was an athlete in high school, a state champion in the javelin event. She has kept herself in outstanding physical shape over the years, and in fact is what Anthony called 'buff'."

"'Buff'."

"Her muscles are very well-toned, and at six feet and 195 pounds, has the strength and power to thrust the pool cue into a larger man — the victim — with such force as to kill him instantly."

"Where's Tony, Duck? I called him five times and he never picked up. He broke Rule—"

"Rule three? Or it Rule three-A? He was acting under the Director's orders."

Gibbs sighed. The mention of McAllister caused the day's events to come flooding back into his mind. He pushed Hollis to the side. "What did Riley say to him? To you?"

"Only that you were on a special mission," Ducky said before pausing.

"Duck?"

"And, only after the killer confessed and taken back to holding, did the Director say that Lieutenant Colonel Mann had died," Ducky added. "He didn't mention you or whatever 'case' you were on, but…"

"Everyone put two-and-two together."

"Yes…Jethro, how are you holding up?"

"I'm…I'd…I'd like to see the case notes, like to talk with Tony, but I'm too damn tired to do anything but try to get some shut-eye," Gibbs admitted. "It'll have to wait until tomorrow — and I will be at work in the morning and I expect everyone there."

"Certainly, Jethro," Ducky said. "It's good you recognize that you need some rest, because otherwise I was going to order you to rest. I still may give that order, if I don't like how you look tomorrow."

"Duck…" Gibbs thought of the ring, and of what Teague said back at the safe house: the time will come. "I'm not sure I'm going to have that luxury."

"Luxury?"

"We need to talk, tomorrow, in private. I can't go into details now, but trust me that it's as important as anything we've ever talked about."

"Alright, Jethro. Is this related to Hollis?"

Gibbs felt a sharp stab in his gut. "Indirectly," he said. "Clear time in your schedule. Ten-hundred hours." 10 a.m.

"Of course, Jethro. For how long?"

"As long as it takes," Gibbs said. "Until then. I gotta get some sleep."

"Get your rest, Jethro," Ducky said. "I'll inform the others you and Mike are…well. We'll speak tomorrow. Until then, have as good a night as possible, under the circumstances."

Ducky's voice gave way to silence, and Gibbs groaned at the thought of his being well. He wasn't going to be well for a long time, but he hadn't really been 'well' since he lost Shannon and Kelly. Gibbs's eyes drooped as he looked for the place where he picked up his phone, and then saw the envelope he hadn't yet opened. He read the one from Hollis after he got back home, but he had tossed McAllister's envelope aside. Gibbs didn't need his gut to tell him that he really needed to open the director's envelope.

Using a flat screwdriver as a letter-opener, Gibbs saw a folded note and a flash drive. He opened the note.

Have your man McGee decrypt this, stat. You're going to want to know what's on it. McAllister.

Gibbs took the drive and note, shoved them down his right pocket, and then fell back onto the cot. As sleep overtook him, he tried to focus on something different and more pleasant. He thought of the treehouse in the backyard he had built for Kelly, and of the only time he and Shannon had been there, together, watching Kelly play teatime with her dolls.

This time, at least in his dreams, he got to keep his promise of teatime, with the two people he still loved more than anyone else.

Friday, June 1, 2007

7 a.m.

Gibbs really didn't want to wake up. He had dreamed of Shannon and Kelly many times before, and always treasured those 'visits', although he had never spoken of them to anyone else.

The worst part of it, always, was waking up to the real world. Usually, he awoke to his basement, the boat, and a partly-full bottle of bourbon on the workbench.

This time, Mike Franks was there too, and the expression on his face made Gibbs assume the worst.

"Mike?", Gibbs said, groggily.

"Jethro," Franks said, calmly and quietly. "I let you sleep as long as I could. Had to get you up. Coffee's upstairs, one of the suits is makin' us breakfast. She's a pretty good cook, too."

"Mike. What in hell's going on?" Franks' expression hadn't changed, and Gibbs wasn't going to let it slide. "Did something happen?"

"Jethro, I would've woken you up but Ducky—"

"What happened, Mike?" Gibbs said, already exasperated. "Are we at war?"

Franks realized that he'd done a lousy job of hiding his anxiety. He pulled a stool over near the cot and sat down. "There was some sort of peace concert in Australia. They're like, 14 hours ahead of us I think. Celebrities, musicians, actors, athletes, a huge target."

"Target for what?"

"Someone blew up the Sydney Opera House," Franks said. "Destruction was total. Thousands dead. News is being real careful to assign blame, but if you read between the lines you can pretty much assume it's from—"

"It's from Moscow," Gibbs said.

"There's more," Franks said. "News says there's some big storm, Barry or something, that might turn into a hurricane. They're evacuating Florida up to Orlando. CBS says there's been a bunch of accidents from Key West up to the Everglades, cars running into one another. Fox says the Cubans got a little too close to a United flight out of the Canal Zone taking civilians up to Texas."

"You're a lousy newscaster, Mike," Gibbs said with a grin.

"You're a lousy audience, Jethro, without some caffeine in you," Franks joked. "You're the one who wanted to go into work, right. You're not gonna do that, sleepin' down here all day."

Navy Yard, Washington

9:03 a.m.

-again, CNN's Christiane Amanpour is on the ground in Bangkok, Thailand. Christiane?

Susan, people are filling the streets of Bangkok, celebrating what we understand as the military overthrow of the country's Central Committee and Politburo. About an hour ago, state radio and television returned to the air after going off abruptly around 4:30 p.m. local time. A general, confirmed to be known dissident Anuphong Phaochinda, dressed in the uniform of the former Royal Thai Army, sat at a desk and announced the retirement of the Central Committee and Politburo and the reestablishment of the Kingdom of Thailand under the emergency government of the Royal Thai Army, with the aim of reestablishing democracy and freedom by and for the Thai people.

Christiane, what is the atmosphere like in Bangkok?

Susan, people are happy, overjoyed that the Communist government has apparently been swept from power in what effectively is a bloodless coup. After the announcement on state media, military and civilian police looked on as people began to dance and sing, flying the flag of the Kingdom of Thailand. There is a tenseness underlying the celebratory mood, though. I can tell you according to a reliable source, the military is gearing up for a confrontation with the Soviets, who were instrumental in the murder of the last Thai monarch, Rama IX, and his family, and the founding of the People's Republic of Thailand.

DiNozzo hit the mute button on the TV set behind his desk. He needed to take a final look over the report on the so-called 'Pool Cue Case'. Gibbs hadn't seen it yet, and DiNozzo wanted it to be up to the boss's usual standards.

Twenty minutes later, DiNozzo finished the report and wondered where in hell Gibbs was.

"Penny for your thoughts, Tony?"

DiNozzo looked up, seeing Kate with her chin on her palm. He looked closely at her, seeing less of the pain and rage from Indianapolis, and more of the Kate Todd he knew and loved.

"You gonna stare at me all day, Tony?" Kate said, with a hint of snark and in a good-natured way. The last couple of years had seen the relationship between the two evolve from borderline mean-spirited bickering to friendly, supportive, good-natured bickering between brother and sister.

"Oh! Sorry," he said. "Wondering where the boss is."

"He'll be here," she replied. "Even Gibbs has to rest. I'm sure he'll be here before you know it."

"Gibbs will be here, Tony," interjected Ziva, from her desk on the other side of Gibbs's desk, across from McGee. "He is strong. He will survive what he endured yesterday."

"You have such a gift for subtle, smooth transitions, Ziva," Kate said.

"Are we talking about…that….when Gibbs gets here?" McGee asked.

"No," DiNozzo and Kate said together.

"Why not?" Ziva said. "Even just to give our constipations."

McGee's mouth flew open, and Kate slammed her palm over her mouth. "You mean condolences, Ziva," DiNozzo said.

"That is the word I was looking for, thank you, Tony!" Ziva said.

"Uh, I wouldn't go out of my way to bring it up," McGee said. "Might be too soon, too raw."

"I kinda agree with McGee," Kate added. "Business as usual."

"I am not saying we have to speak of Lieutenant Colonel Mann when Gibbs arrives for work," Ziva said, "only that he is strong and will get through what he endured yesterday. He will survive. He will, eventually, move on."

"He's moved on from a lot, over the years," DiNozzo observed. "A whole lot more than most."

The next moment, the nearby elevator dinged, and everyone in the bullpen turned their heads to see if Gibbs would walk out onto the floor. This time, he walked off, holding a box filled with five large black coffees from the Sundollars kiosk inside the front entrance, and a 48-ounce Caf!-Pow from the building cafeteria. He noticed all four of his people watching him intently, as he walked from his elevator to his desk.

Gibbs had DiNozzo's coffee in hand before the senior field agent had stepped away from behind his desk. "Got somethin' to say, DiNozzo?", Gibbs said as he handed him his coffee.

"I'm sorry, Boss," DiNozzo said, taking the coffee. "We all are."

Gibbs silently took the other coffees, passing them to Kate, Ziva and McGee.

"We are here for you, Gibbs," Ziva said.

"Anything you need," McGee added.

"Anything?" Gibbs said. "What about that report?"

DiNozzo scrambled to grab the report off his desk, nearly knocking the bottle of creamer on to his keyboard. Kate, meanwhile, caught Gibbs's eye, and both saw the same sadness in the other's face.

He knew Kate would let it alone for the time being, and made a mental note to talk with her later on. Right now, there was a report to be read, after a few more stops. He looked up towards MTAC, and McAllister's office. The director, he had already decided, would have to wait.

"Gonna check with Abbs and Duck," Gibbs told his people. "Anyone comes looking for me, tell them to wait."

Forensics Lab

Acknowledging the two suits outside the lab with a nod, Gibbs firmly gripped the Caf!-Pow in his right hand and braced himself.

Abby Sciuto saw him enter the lab and ran full force at him, launching herself into his chest and wrapping her arms around him in the tightest hug he could remember being in.

"Gotta let me breathe a little, Abbs," Gibbs said, which caused the pig-tailed, gothic 'lab rat' to back away, but just briefly. Moments later, she wrapped her arms around his neck, making sure to give the man room to take a breath.

"Gibbs, I'm so, so sorry," she whispered. "Tony told me what happened yesterday and to give you some space, otherwise I would've been over last night."

"I know that, Abbs."

"I wish there was something I could've done…something anybody could've done—"

Gibbs gently put his hands on Abby's upper arms, and just as gently pushed away enough where her chin was off his shoulder and he could look her in the eye. "Abbs, there wasn't anything anyone could have done. They ambushed us. She died in the line. She went out saving the rest of us."

Me, he thought.

Abby looked at him for several moments, not wanting to say a word, but just to be there with and for the man who had become a father to her. She, like the rest of the team, knew about Shannon and Kelly, and his own parents, all gone. Abby knew Director Sheppard personally, and could almost feel Gibbs' pain over her loss, even though he hadn't spoken of it to her or — as far as she was aware — to any of the other team members.

She also knew Agent Michelle Lee, blackmailed by the North Koreans, killed by Gibbs himself to prevent a mass bombing incident here in Washington. She didn't know some of his other associates, like Agent G Callen, but saw the pain on his face the time McGee mentioned him, in passing, in the bullpen. Hollis's death added to the list of the dead in Gibbs's life, and Abby wanted to help support Gibbs anyway she could. She needed him right now, and she knew he needed her, and the rest of the team, no matter how stoic of a front he presented to them and to the rest of the world.

"We're going to be okay, Gibbs," she said, then almost uttered a profanity after realizing that she had spoken it in the form of a question, instead of a declaration of truth. Abby wanted to be strong for him and not be selfish and let her own fears filter out — like she had inadvertently done just now.

Gibbs looked her in the eyes, again, and smiled. "We're going to make it, Abbs. All of us." He thought of the ring, and Hollis, and thought a prayer: God, if You will still hear this old bastard out, don't let those be empty words.

Morgue

Gibbs walked in after nodding to the two suits guarding the door, and saw Ducky alone, sitting at his desk.

"Duck," Gibbs said to the older man, who was thumbing through a book. "What'cha doin'?"

"Ah, Jethro!" Ducky said, looking up from the thick tome on his desk. "I've been reading through a rare copy of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare published in 1854, sent to me by a friend from Scotland, whom I went to Eton College with. Did you know I once performed the lead role in the school performance of Julius Caesar?"

"No, Duck. That's one thing you haven't told me about," Gibbs replied.

"It was an interesting experience, to say the least. I received high marks for my performance as Caesar and was even asked if I was going to consider a career in the performing arts. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I had considered the matter rather briefly; however, my interest in medicine was far greater than that of acting, and obviously prevailed regarding my choice of career."

"Pretty thick book, Duck," Gibbs said with a smile. "You read it through this morning?"

"No, Jethro," Ducky said with a chuckle. "William Shakespeare wrote a known number of 37 plays and 154 sonnets, all of which are contained in this, as you put it, 'thick book'. As beneficial as a regular reading of Shakespeare would be to you or I or to anyone else, I simply do not have the time."

With a nod from Ducky, Gibbs took the book and began carefully turning its pages. Although he preferred to read the likes of Jack London and Wallace Stegner, Gibbs remembered having read some of Shakespeare's works during his high school years in Stillwater, Pennsylvania. He remembered Julius Caesar as one of Shakespeare's tragedies.

Given the previous day's events, the small irony was not lost on Gibbs.

"Duck," he said, "you and McGee have any luck with the lock on the door?"

Ducky looked at the entrance to the morgue, and the two men standing guard. "It will work, for a short while. Our friends cannot stand out there forever and will find a way inside eventually, but if you need to talk, of course I am here."

"Appreciate that, Duck."

"I cannot say with full certainty, however, that mine aren't the only listening ears in the room."

"Don't worry about that, Duck. Palmer around?"

"He's working out his personal feelings in the gymnasium. I'm quite worried about him, as you know. But please, sit."

Gibbs pulled over a chair and sat. Ducky got up and pushed the button on the wall, just to the right of the desk, that would lock the morgue doors for 15 minutes. He then sat back down at his desk and faced his friend. "Jethro, once again I cannot express how truly sorry and hurt I am for the loss of Hollis. She was a wonderful, vibrant, intelligent, amazing woman and I know how much you loved her."

"Thanks, Duck, but that's not what I'm here to talk about. Not now."

"Really?" Ducky said. "What is it, then?"

Gibbs then told his friend the most amazing, and almost unbelievable, story the Scotsman had ever heard.

10:57 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time

msnbc

the Senate voted 97 to nothing, with three abstentions, to reinstate the draft. At the moment, the bill is being discussed in the House

11:12 a.m. EDT

CBS (continuing news coverage)

Bernie Sanders, the senator from Vermont who abstained, released a short statement via his office. It reads, quote: "I, alongside Senators Feinstein and Kennedy, abstained from the vote on the draft bill. My reasons for abstaining are my own. I am not fearful of provoking the Soviet Union. Instead, I am fearful of what will happen as we send our young men and women off to fight in a war that, ultimately, no one can win. Once the first shot has been fired, the fighting will not stop until the final remaining missile silo has been emptied, until the final nuclear device has been detonated. What I do fear is, at that point, there will be nothing left on the planet. Nothing of the great civilizations, including this country I love, no life whatsoever. My abstention stands not as a protest, but as a plea, to my colleagues, and to those who lead my nation and that of the Soviet Union, to stop their march into madness while they still can."

11:20 a.m. EDT

ZNN

numerous protests, over the draft bill and the Rock Act, have spontaneously erupted across the country in virtually every city and town

11:46 a.m. EDT

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
KYW-TV

massive looting throughout the city, especially here in Center City. We're getting reports of violence at protests in Fishtown, University City, Logan Square

11:47 a.m. EDT

WPVI-TV

police and the few National Guard units in the city have been forced to use extreme measures to protect themselves against the increasingly violent mobs that have overtaken the Center City and much of Greater Philadelphia

11:48 a.m. EDT

Radio Free Philadelphia pirate FM radio station, broadcasting illegally on seven different FM frequencies

it's a damn lie! It's all a damn lie! People are exercising their Constitutional right to assembly and to protest, and they're met with rubber bullets and water hoses! In some places, with metal bullets! One thing you won't hear from the 'lamestream' media: injuries and deaths. Well, maybe to the pigs who are enforcing the government's illegal Rock Act. Not to the people the pigs are maiming and killing! We'll tell you right now what we know, via sources: two dead, 21 injured among the citizen protestors

11:49 a.m. EDT

Louisville, Kentucky

WLKY-TV

Mayor Abramson has declared a state of emergency for much of Metro Louisville after the third day of protests throughout much of the city, including the West End, the Highlands, Shively, Smoketown, Okolona

10:53 a.m. Central Daylight Time

Lubbock, Texas

KCBD-TV

(A group of Texas Tech University students have taken over the station, forcing network news coverage off the air and the station to switch to live coverage from its news studios)

We are not Communists! We are not Reds, just Red Raiders, and just red, white and blue!

We do not want to be marched off to our deaths in Germany or Panama, and do not want to see our families and friends left behind waiting for the deaths from a nuke! The government and military clearly don't want anything but war, while the people they say they serve don't want war! The only thing the powers in charge will listen to is force, and if you, the people, rise up, they'll listen to you! So rise up

(In the distance, there are sounds of doors being kicked in, and people running towards the studio)

Rise up and fight! Stand for your inalienable rights

(Someone nearby shouts 'turn that goddamn camera off, now!')

Omigod, they're here! They're coming for us

(Gunfire can be heard for 1.3 seconds, as the wide-eyed students freeze, in the direction of the gunfire. The screen then goes to black.

The station does not return to the air)—

Transcript from Fox News Channel, from 11:57 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time

TRANSCRIPT

(FOX NEWS LIVE, June 1, 2007)

.

HILL: And there it is. 481-33, 21 abstentions, the House votes in favor of the Draft Act, which now goes to the White House for President Boehner to sign into law. Men and women, 20 to 34, all eligible, selected by lottery according to birthdate. Brian, briefly, your thoughts?

KILMEADE: E.D., this should have been done weeks ago. All hands are on deck. We're on the verge of war with a country that, time and time again, has announced its intention to take over the entire world by any means necessary.

HILL: Steve?

DOOCY: I wholeheartedly agree. I do hate that this has to happen, but it's necessary. The President is going to sign this shortly, and it's the last piece of the puzzle to be prepared to fight a global war. We all hate—

(SCREEN GOES BLACK. FEED IS SILENT FOR FIVE SECONDS, THEN REPLACED WITH A VOICEOVER FROM AN UNAUTHORIZED SOURCE)

UNKNOWN: With your Congress voting to reinstate its draft, America has shown its willingness to wage war on the peace-loving peoples of the world. This action ordered by the war-mongering capitalists of the West will not go unanswered outside nor inside your own borders.

(SCREEN REMAINS BLACK FOR 16 MORE SECONDS BEFORE FNC FEED IS RESTORED)

HILL: That was. That was not authorized, not by Fox News Channel, not an official message from the White House or the Pentagon. OhmiGOD.

DOOCY: Not an authorized, uh, the enemy has apparently spoken, without permission.

KILMEADE: This was not authorized by Fox News Channel and definitely not the opinion of us here at Fox News nor of the American people. In fact, if that is you, Moscow, know this: you may have spoken but WE are not intimidated. … America stands strong. Against Soviet aggression. Next, a special edition of Your World With Neil Cavuto begins after the top of the hour.

(END TRANSCRIPT)

Although war had not been formally declared, the Soviets began their work of softening the American homeland for the increasingly inevitable confrontation between the two great thermonuclear powers.

12:13 p.m. EDT

The Capitol building, Washington

Five Congressmen and Congresswomen narrowly miss being mowed down by a Spetsnaz agent with a machine gun. The agent, who imbedded himself into the Capitol building by killing a security guard and taking on his identity, is himself killed by a legitimate guard.

6:24 a.m. Honolulu Standard Time

Honolulu, Hawaii

Shortly after lifting off from Honolulu International Airport, a United Airlines 747 jet is hit by a missile from a man-powered, shoulder-fired launcher. All 219 people aboard, including a Naval Lieutenant Commander by the name of Stephen McGarrett, die.

12:40 p.m. EDT

Raleigh, North Carolina

Four Wal-Marts throughout the metro area, all packed with shoppers trying to get as much as they can 'just in case', are hit simultaneously with shoulder-fired missiles. First responders arriving minutes later are hit by similar missiles. The attackers escape, but not before killing hundreds and injuring hundreds more.

11:51 p.m. CDT

Manhattan, Kansas

The town's main hospital is destroyed when a suicide bomber walks into a packed emergency room and detonates the bomb embedded in his vest, at the same time a stolen FedEx delivery truck carrying a giant bomb crashes into the main entrance.

12:03 p.m. CDT

Port Arthur, Texas

A Texas Air National Guard plane – 'borrowed' from the USAF – successfully destroys a tractor-trailer filled with explosives headed straight for the Port Arthur Refinery. East German agents had stolen the Wal-Mart truck in Victoria, Texas; packed the stolen truck; then headed for the refinery.

12:16 p.m. CDT

The Texas/Mexican border

U.S. Border Patrol and FBI agents and members of the Texas Rangers fire on a group of armed men attempting to sneak into the U.S. over the Rio Grande. Due to an agreement between the White House and the Mexican government, U.S. agents are allowed to cross into Mexican territory to survey the damage: all 30 insurgents dead, some of which are known to be allied with Cuba, Bulgaria and Angola intelligence. Seven Mexican Policía Federal personnel also are among the dead.

12:29 p.m. CDT

Chicago, Illinois

WGN-TV

(Shot from a helicopter over the city near the John Hancock Tower, zoomed in on smoke clouds rising from Wicker Park. The news anchors cannot communicate with those in the copter, so viewers are hearing the anchors' voices instead of the reporter in the copter with the pilot and cameraman)

that's Wicker Park, where we are told insurgents from the city's Russian-born community are engaging CPD SWAT forces. Steve?

Allison, I've just been handed a note which says, quote, 'Mayor Daley has declared martial law throughout the city of Chicago effective immediately. Anyone not in their homes are advised to get to their homes immediately, if that isn't possible, get to a safe area

(Sound goes out, the lights flicker, and the screen goes dark, just as much of Chicago loses power)

11:33 a.m. Mountain Daylight Time

Salt Lake City, Utah

KUTV-TV

Oh Lord, omigod, the Tabernacle has literally exploded just now, it's collapsed, IT'S COLLAPSED…oh no, those men have weapons, they're aiming at us, run, run RUN

1:34 p.m. EDT

Navy Yard, Washington

NCIS Headquarters

Gibbs ran out of the rear elevator and was in the bullpen by the time Ducky decided to walk briskly to where Gibbs and the rest of the team were, standing in front of the giant flat screen television monitor.

"Turn it up, DiNozzo," Gibbs barked, and DiNozzo obliged, turning the remote all the way up.

—…this is ZNN. I'm Lucille Lane, and we've just been handed a statement from the White House, quote, 'The United States homeland is under attack via numerous domestic terrorist operations across the country. The President is aware of the situation and is helping coordinate a national response to attack the insurgents and protect the American people. The President urges all Americans to seek shelter immediately, and to obey local law enforcement'. And that's it. That's all there is. That's all the White House has to say, at the moment.

"That's it?" Kate shouted. "Broome would've raised fire and rain by now!"

"What do we do, Boss?" DiNozzo said to Gibbs, whose desk phone incidentally rang at that moment. Gibbs walked over and picked it up on the second ring. "Gibbs. … Yeah. … Yes, Director. … That's what you want? … Yes, sir."

"Are we going out?" Ziva said.

"Staying put," Gibbs replied, the relief on his face visible to everyone else.

"Seriously?" McGee said. "We need to be out there."

"Probie's right," DiNozzo said, and all four of Gibbs's agents began shouting over one another to be heard, shutting up only when Gibbs put his fingers to his lips to emit an ear-piercing whistle.

PHREEEEEEEEEETTT!

Satisfied his people would stay quiet for the moment, Gibbs spoke. "We stay here until we are requested by D.C. Police, understood?"

The others nodded or murmured yes, and Gibbs turned his attention back to the television set.

12:46 p.m. CDT

Topeka, Kansas

WIBW-TV

-(Peter Ross, the governor of Kansas, is giving a speech outside the state capitol building)

I urge all Kansans to cooperate with local law enforcement and to keep themselves safe, as we coordinate with the Kansas National Guard and federal military forces at Fort Leavenworth and

(A loud bang is heard, and the Governor's head dissipates instantly. Moments later, screaming is heard, and members of the Kansas Highway Patrol's Protective Services Detail are seen shooting at someone, or something, off camera, just before the screen goes black)

10:51 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time

Hoover Dam

A team of Army Rangers, assigned to guard the facility on the Colorado River along the border between California and Nevada, engages in a firefight with Spetsnaz agents who are attempting to destroy the dam. The insurgents are all killed, at great cost: all 12 Rangers are dead as well.

1:58 p.m. EDT

New York City, New York

CNBC

-trading has been suspended here on the floor, but not before the Dow fell over 1700 points in just over one hour

2:01 p.m. EDT

Associated Press

-BREAKING

NEW YORK (AP) – A TRUCK BOMB HAS EXPLODED ON THE GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE

2:02 p.m. EDT

Detroit, Michigan

WJR-AM

-the Ambassador Bridge has collapsed after reports of at least three bombs, one under the bridge, and now…there is another report from Detroit PD of a massive explosion inside the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel

11:02 p.m. PDT

San Francisco, California

KGO-TV

-multiple bombs have exploded on the Golden Gate and San Francisco-Oakland bridges

1:02 p.m. CDT

St. Louis, Missouri

KMOX-AM

-a truck bomb has reportedly exploded in the vicinity of the Arch

11:03 a.m. PDT

Los Angeles, California

KTLA-TV

-(shot from copter over the famous Hollywood sign)

The sign, every letter, is burning, and as you see here, the assailants are in a white SUV being chased by LAPD

1:04 p.m. CDT

Nashville, Tennessee

WTVF-TV

-multiple explosions now being reported throughout downtown Nashville all the way into the West End

11:05 a.m. EDT

Seattle, Washington

KIRO-TV

-THE SPACE NEEDLE IS COLLAPSING, THE NEEDLE IS COLLAPSING, OHMIGOD, IT'S COLLAPSED

2:06 p.m.

Navy Yard, Washington

NCIS Headquarters

Director Riley McAllister's office

Gibbs paced the floor in the waiting room just outside the office.

"Can I make you some coffee, Gibbs?"

His seeing Cynthia Sumner – former Director Shepard's secretary – back at her desk was both a pleasant surprise and a sad reminder to the agent of all he had lost. Jenny, Hollis, Shannon and Kelly…Gibbs pushed them out of his mind to focus on why the current director had called him up to this office.

"Thanks, Cynthia," he said, as she got up and turned to the coffee maker behind her seat. "Guess you missed this place."

"More than I let on," she answered, reaching out to hand him a cup of steaming black coffee. "Director McAllister called me last night and asked me to come back. He said the former secretary 'up and quit', and didn't say why."

"No idea," Gibbs said. "You back for good?"

"I don't know," she replied as the phone on her desk beeped twice. She looked at the phone, saw that it beeped again, and picked up the receiver. "Director Shepar—sorry, McAllister, will see you now, Agent Gibbs. Sorry about that."

Sumner half expected the man to admonish her for apologizing by bringing up his rule about apologies being a sign of weakness.

He surprised her, instead. "Don't be. I miss her too." That made Sumner smile, and with that, Gibbs opened the door and walked into McAllister's office.

The director stood in front of a group of newly-installed monitor along the wall opposite his desk. The large flat-screen monitor closest to the door, that had been there for years, played Fox News coverage of the ongoing terrorist attacks across the nation. So far, only the United States had been hit, but if the scrawl across the bottom of that particular monitor was any indication, America's Western European allies were preparing themselves for similar terrorist actions. The newer monitors looked to Gibbs like something straight out of MTAC, showing everything from charts and graphs to what looked like surveillance footage of various landmarks around Washington.

McAllister was looking at a monitor showing a Mercator-type world map, only the borders of the various countries, continents and islands were drawn in either blue, red, yellow or green on a jet-black background. There were red asterisks all over the U.S. and its territories and a few in Finland, Bahrain and South Africa. Thin red, blue and yellow rectangles dotted the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian and Southern oceans, while similarly colored triangles hovered over the Sea of Japan, Central Europe, the Panama Canal Zone and Southeast Asia.

Gibbs settled in a few feet to McAllister's left, content with looking at the monitors for the moment to figure out what was what.

"The Soviet Ambassador's refused to meet with Boehner," McAllister abruptly said, keeping his gaze on the Mercator-type map. "The bastards won't even pick up the phone. They've walled themselves off inside their embassy, Gibbs, and so have every last one of their allies. Even Thailand's shut down. You've heard about Thailand?"

Gibbs nodded. "Heard the nationalists kicked the Communist regime out of Bangkok."

"The Communists still hold much of the countryside, but there's intense fighting all over, between the rebels and the Commies," McAllister said. "Intelligence suggests the next flashpoint will be in the Dominican People's Republic, and when that happens, the shit's really going to hit the fan."

"Kinda looks like it already has, Director," Gibbs offered.

"Yeah, Gibbs, except the Soviets are holding back. They're only hitting us. Except for a few dead civilians and Royal Mounted Policemen, they've left Canada alone. They haven't touched Western Europe, or Japan, or Australia — yet — but they will."

"When?"

"Hours, maybe a day or two. State's telling embassy personnel in all Pact countries there'll be a brief window of time when the Pact embassies in the West start evacuating all their personnel, ambassadors included. When that happens, our people will need to get out fast. There's a mutual understanding that we'll let their people leave our territory and vice versa during that time — afterward, if you're in the other guy's turf, you're considered an enemy combatant and are fair game."

"Fair game for what?"

"Capture, interrogation, hell, even shoot you if you look at the other guy cross eyed."

Gibbs sighed and took a long sip of his still-warm coffee. "You think there's any way to stop this, Riley?"

"There's too much in motion now that you couldn't stop everything. You'd have to be Hyperman to do everything that would need to be done, and he's a comic book kid's fantasy. I'm not sure either side wants to stop it at this point, anyway. Too much pride and lust for power. So the rest of us plan."

"To escape."

"You said it, not me. Anyway, you and your team belong to me, not to Boehner or SECNAV or the Bureau or whatever other bastards might want to make use of your talents. Not unless the Soviets actually decide to invade the East Coast, but the Pentagon thinks the Soviets will nuke us to Hell first, so you don't have to worry about Jarvis — now there's a bastard — drafting your people for his personal security guard."

"Jarvis is one of the hawks in Congress, right?"

"There are a lot of turds sitting in the hallowed halls of the House, and Clayton Jarvis, Republican from Maryland, is one of the shiniest and one of the most dangerous. You see him even looking at one of your team, shoot him."

McAllister didn't smile as he made the comment. Gibbs started to follow up on the comment, but his attention was drawn by the SPECIAL REPORT graphic on the television monitor to the left of the newer monitors. McAllister noticed it, too, and hurried to his desk to pick up the remote and turn up the sound.

—This is Shepard Smith, here at Fox News Channel headquarters in New York City. President Boehner has asked Fox News, and every other broadcast and cable network and channel, this time for a special address to the American people. We present that, now. The President of the United States, John Boehner.

(The face of Smith gives way, briefly, to the Presidential Seal, and then to a shot of the President, sitting at his desk in the Oval Office of the White House. Viewers can see armed Secret Service agents outside the window)

My fellow Americans,

Today, we have been hit with hundreds of terrorist attacks across our country. Beginning with a threatening message from someone who hacked into three cable news networks, cities, towns and villages were hit with attack after attack, from a pipe bomb that exploded in the main post office building in Blue Valley, Nebraska, to the truck bombs that collapsed the Space Needle in Seattle; the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City; and the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit. As our military and civilian law enforcement teamed up to respond, the attacks kept coming. Even now, in this brief moment of respite, our hospitals and clinics are overwhelmed with the vast numbers of people who have been injured. Almost all of our nation is under martial law.

And yet, these brazen attacks have not demoralized the American people. Already, there are stories of brave men, women and children, risking their lives to save their fellow citizens. People dying so their fellow man can live. The bravery of special forces fighting to save the Hoover Dam, the power plants of Chicago, the wheat fields of Kansas. Just as the American people stood firm when the mushroom cloud rose above the Indianapolis Motor Speedway five days ago, they are standing firm now. Our enemies have attempted to deliver a 1-2 punch to you, America, but you refused to give into fear, and you remain standing tall. I admire you deeply, and your resolve will be needed in the days to come.

I can now tell you, based on valuable intelligence gained at great cost by some of the best we had in both our military and intelligence communities, that we in the government know who is behind today's attacks, and was behind the bombing in Indianapolis on Memorial Day. I refer not to Islamists, nor to Latin American strongmen, nor to the cartels in Mexico and Colombia. I am referring to the evil men of the Politburo of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and specifically the evil man who took leadership of his country in a coup d'etat: Marshal of the Red Army, now General Secretary, Mikhail Khalinin. They, and no one else, want an all-out war that they know could destroy the entire globe, literally.

They have goaded us into such a war, and I, along with Congress and our military, have stood resolute in not taking their bait. We have waited not out of fear, not to appease our enemy, but to avoid starting a global war as long as possible. I demanded our people make certain they knew who was behind the Indianapolis attack before we mounted any type of response. I demanded the same when these terrorist attacks began a few hours ago. In both cases, the evidence to us was clear, and it pointed directly to Moscow.

The time for caution has passed. Our enemy has forced our hand, and it will quickly find it has unleashed a beast.

These acts of aggression will not go unanswered, nor go unpunished, regardless of whom is perpetrating them. These terrorists, and that is what they are, will not destroy us. They will not destroy what we stand for, our values and our convictions. America will not bow to our enemies. America will stand tall. Do not lose heart, my fellow Americans. Now is the time to stand, and to fight, wherever the battle takes us, be it in our homeland or overseas. Look in yourselves, look to each other, and look to God, and let us prevail in this, our finest hour.

Thank you, and may God keep us, the United States of America and her people, in the days to come.—

"The shit's just hit the fan," McAllister said as the shocked visage of Shepard Smith filled the monitor.

4:23 p.m. EDT

New York City

Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx are wracked by numerous explosions throughout the city's subway system. Soviet and Soviet-allied agents engage in firefights with NYPD officers and New York National Guardsmen throughout the five boroughs.

4:55 p.m. EDT

Atlanta, Georgia

Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport

A TWA 747 airliner, hijacked by four Soviet agents, is destroyed when a US Air Force F-15 Eagle launches two missiles, hitting the large jet before it can get off the ground. Intel will later suggest the hijackers were attempting to fly the plane into the Georgia Dome in downtown Atlanta, which had been opened hours before to displaced travelers.

2:27 p.m. PDT

Los Angeles

An American Airlines 747 carrying civilians from U.S. bases in Japan and China lifts off from Los Angeles International Airport headed for Denver. It never makes it, after North Korean hijackers take control and crash into the second-most congested stretch of freeway in American, Interstate 405 from California State Road 22 to Interstate 605. Initial casualty estimates are over 2,000 dead.

3:02 p.m. EDT

Berkeley, California

University of California

Activist Angela Davis makes an impromptu appearance on campus, in front of the famous Campanile-Sather Tower. With dozens of television cameras and a growing crowd of students, Davis — who left the Communist Party USA in 1991 — calls on the U.S. and USSR to meet again in Geneva to discuss peace, then says Boehner "should not conduct himself as a warmonger on behalf of his corporate puppeteers". A group of student-athletes take exception to the comment, and storm the press conference. Davis, and six others, is killed in the subsequent melee.

7:08 p.m. EDT

New York City

Central Park

Over 70,000 New Yorkers defy martial law and the threat of more violence to attend a peace vigil. Nevertheless, panic ensues after insurgents known to be associated with the Angolan secret police attack NYPD officers. While the Angolans and NYPD engage gunfire, the crowd quickly descends into a frightened mob; dozens die, hundreds more are injured.

7:26 p.m. EDT:

Gainesville, Florida

Rock musician Tom Petty is shot dead by a sniper during a concert for peace at the University of Florida's Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

7:01 p.m. CDT

Houston, Texas

Local television newscasts begin airing reports of area hospitals and clinics being 'besieged' by people complaining about an abnormally strong strain of influenza. Local news also reports on jammed highways throughout the region, with some drivers reporting feeling extremely ill.

7:55 p.m. EDT

ZNN

Continuing news coverage with Jack Ryder, interviewing evangelist and pastor Jimmy Swaggart

RYDER: So, Reverend Swaggart, what would you have us do.

SWAGGART: Repent. Get right with the Lord.

RYDER: How about the Lord does some smiting, starting with the Kremlin?

SWAGGART: You mock Him, Mr. Ryder—

RYDER: I'm not mocking God, Reverend. I'm asking, where is He, why hasn't he taken out the people determined to blow us all to kingdom come?

SWAGGART: Whether you ask sincerely, or in jest, Jesus Christ is giving you, and your audience, and the entire world, yet one more chance to get right with Him. This world is going to be destroyed by fire, if not now, then someday.

RYDER: You seem like you can't wait.

SWAGGART: My heart breaks, Mr. Ryder. This is no joke. This world with all of its conveniences is going to go up in fire! You have a choice, and I cannot say how long the Lord will wait before removing His hand from you, from all of you. So I ask you, Mr. Ryder, and you in the audience. Are you prepared for the world that's coming?