DISCLAIMER:- I do not own NCIS or its characters and no copyright infringement is intended.
Thank you for your kind reviews and alerts. Every one is much appreciated, L
Wednesday, 11:00
Tony was growing increasingly annoyed at his partner. Not only was his expensive new PDA beeping reminders at regular intervals but McGee had been sprouting innocuous Spanish phrases in a stilted and broken accent for the last 20 minutes.
"Buenos días, cómo anda hoy," McGee said attracting another irritated glance from his partner.
"¿Me podría dirigir al baño, porfavor?"
Tony nudged McGee who removed the ear-buds of his PDA from his ears.
"Okay Probie, you've got my attention. I know I'm going to regret asking…but what the hell are you doing?"
"I told you…I'm trying to learn another language. Since Spanish is the 2nd most common language spoken in the US, I thought it may help me to get my own undercover assignment. I'm sick of always being the guy stuck in the surveillance truck."
"Hey, believe me, when you're undercover and surrounded by bad guys, it's very reassuring to know that there are guys like you in the surveillance truck."
"Thanks, Tony," McGee said, surprised by the compliment.
"If you're serious about learning Spanish, you're gonna need something a little more useful than 'Good morning, how are you' and 'Can you direct me to the bathroom, please?'
"I am serious, Tony," McGee stressed. "Ziva's fluent in five languages and you're fluent in three. I'm just trying to improve myself."
"Well maybe you could improve yourself some other time. You're driving me crazy here!"
"You know, Tony, as my Senior field Agent and someone who's fluent in Spanish, you could be more supportive," McGee said trying to disguise his bruised feelings.
Tony thought for a moment before nodding his head in agreement. "I'm sorry, Probie, you're right."
"I am?"
"You are," Tony affirmed. "Okay, show me what you've got. Here's the scenario - your car comes to a screeching halt in front of a small warehouse being used to store firearms by Spanish speaking bad guys. Your men have the place surrounded. Making certain to stay behind cover, you get to your feet and yell…?"
McGee faltered for a minute, wracking his brain for the correct phrase. Suddenly, his eyes lit up with satisfaction and he confidently replied.
"Agentes federales! Alimente sus pollos y puso el gato fuera!"
Tony's mouth hung open and he was momentarily lost for words.
"Well?" McGee asked excitedly. "What do you think? Not too shabby, huh?"
"Probie, you just said 'Federal Agents! Feed your chickens and let the cat out.' The bad guys are either very confused or laughing their asses off."
McGee was horrified. "Really?" he said. "Are you sure?"
"Oh, I'm sure," Tony replied, "but as your supportive Senior Field Agent, let me help you with a phrase that's guaranteed to save your life."
"I'd really appreciate that, Tony, what is it?"
"Paren de habla español o yo los mataré."
"Paren… de habla…español…o yo los mat…mataré." McGee repeated carefully.
"You got it, Probie; you're a regular Antonio Bandares!" Tony exclaimed watching McGee almost preen from the compliment.
"Thanks, but what does that mean?"
"It means, stop with the Spanish or I will kill you myself," Tony said before flicking McGee an impatient look and switching the car radio on loudly.
-oo00oo—oo00oo—oo00oo—oo00oo—oo00oo—
Wednesday, 1130, The Pentagon
The executive assistant to the Under Secretary of Defence for Intelligence replaced the receiver of her phone and looked up at the young man standing in front of her desk.
"Mr Brady, the Under Secretary will see you now," she said with a smile that did not reach her eyes.
Jason Brady entered the large office and waited until the Under Secretary looked up and addressed him.
"Jason, sorry I had to postpone our meeting last night. I was called to the White House for a briefing with the Joint Chiefs," he said.
"Of course, Sir," Brady replied.
"So…how'd it go?"
"Fine, Sir. I met with SecNav and Director Vance as scheduled. Vance has chosen two NCIS agents with the necessary specialist skills to complete the assignment," Brady reported.
"Good," the Under Secretary nodded, "what do we know about these agents?"
"Sir, I took the liberty of checking their personnel files. Special Agent Timothy McGee has a Masters in Computer Forensics from MIT and a BSc in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins. The other is a Liaison Officer from Mossad, Officer Ziva David, highly trained in firearms, explosives, hand to hand combat and espionage – she's trained to follow orders and more than capable of getting her partner and herself safely in and out. They are highly regarded and are both members of the NCIS Major Case Response Team."
"When do you brief them?"
"They are currently returning from an assignment in North Carolina. The Director has arranged for the two senior members of their team to be diverted to Parris Island. This will avoid any unnecessary questions and keep the number of people involved to an absolute minimum," Brady advised. "They should be back at NCIS headquarters by noon. They'll be briefed immediately and given a few hours to prepare. We have a transport waiting at a private airfield and the operation will proceed tonight as scheduled."
"What about this…Rashid Mohsin? There's no doubt that he's the mole we've been looking for?"
"No doubt what-so-ever, Sir, he's definitely our mole," Brady replied. "We've had him under surveillance for sometime now. He regularly meets with two Pakistani citizens here on student visas; both are known to sympathize with the terrorist group Harakat ul-Mujahideen or HuM as they're known."
"How does someone like that get a job in the Pentagon, let alone as a Foreign Analyst in the Department of Defence?" the Under Secretary asked.
"He was born and educated right here in Washington, Sir," Brady answered. "He passed all the security screenings and background checks with flying colours. We'll leak the information to him this evening, just after the NCIS agents leave for the assignment. He'll contact the cell – I'm sure of it."
"Excellent, if this works according to plan, the President will have no choice but to re-consider streamlining this department," the Under Secretary said. "I don't need to tell you how imperative it is that this operation is completed successfully."
"No, Sir," Brady replied. "I understand completely."
-oo00oo—oo00oo—oo00oo—oo00oo—oo00oo—
The elevator doors opened and Tony and McGee walked quickly into the bullpen and to their respective desks, both wearing looks that could kill.
"Timmy, you're back!" Abby squealed excitedly and she ran towards him with her arms spread wide in anticipation of a hug. She stopped short noticing Tony for the first time. "Tony! You're back too! We were told that Ziva and Timmy were coming home and…and that you and Gibbs were…" she stopped speaking when she sensed the distinct tension in the air and saw their angry faces.
"What's wrong?" she asked looking from one to the other. "Oh my God, something bad happened, didn't it? Where's Gibbs and where's Ziva? That's why there not here, isn't it? Something really bad has happened to Gibbs, or to Ziva, or to Gibbs and Ziva? Somebody tell me!"
"Gibbs and Ziva are fine, Abs," McGee replied. "Gibbs decided to take Ziva with him to Parris Island instead of Tony. They should be home tomorrow night."
Abby noticeably relaxed but her brow furrowed again and she asked. "Then, what's wrong with you two?"
"There's nothing wrong, Abby, really. It's just that there's no pleasing some people, is there, Tony?" McGee said accusingly while throwing a frosty glance Tony's way.
"One little thing, McGee," Tony snapped. "I asked you to do one little thing before we left the drive-thru and now, instead of having a McFeast, I'm stuck with the Fillet-o'-Fish."
"Tony, I offered to give you my McFeast and you told me to choke on it!" McGee objected.
"You'd already taken two McBites!"
"I was hungry and I didn't know they'd messed up our order!" McGee said.
"That is why you should always check your order before you leave the drive-thru," Tony replied through gritted teeth. "Didn't you learn anything from Lethal Weapon 2?"
"I like Fillet-o'-Fish," Abby said.
Tony handed the burger to Abby who wrapped him in a huge welcome back hug before moving across to McGee and hugging him too. She didn't miss the tense muscles and the angry looks still being exchanged between them and thought it best to take her Fillet-o'-Fish and seek the sanctuary of her lab. Besides, she needed to swap her Tony mop for her Ziva mop.
"Umm, guys!" She said. "Don't take this the wrong way, cause I'm really, really, really happy that you're back...but after 72 hours together, you really should think about spending some time apart."
With one final icy look at each other, they switched on their computers and started to prepare their reports of the Camp Lejeune case. Only ten minutes had passed when the high-pitched beeping of McGee's PDA resonated through the tense atmosphere.
"Now what? More vitamins?" Tony asked tersely.
"If you must know, Tony, it's just a reminder to make my regular 3 monthly dental appointment," McGee replied. "Regular check-ups are paramount to good dental health."
McGee was spared Tony's retort as Agent Balboa rounded the corner to the bullpen.
"Oh, hey guys, you're back!" he said, stating the obvious. "Director Vance was looking for you. He said he wanted to see you in his office the minute you got back."
"Thanks, man," Tony replied as Balboa waved an acknowledgement and headed back to his desk.
They rose to their feet and headed for the stairs to the Director's office.
"What did you do now?" McGee growled.
"I didn't do anything…at least, I don't think...nah, he wouldn't have found out about that," Tony replied.
"Found out about what?" McGee asked nervously.
"Nothing. It's better if you don't know, Probie. In fact, you're at your best when you know nothing."
"Wonder what this is about?" McGee look troubled.
"Don't ask me – he hates me. However, you, McChosen One, have been his blue-eyed boy since Vance and his tooth-pick rode into town."
"Have not."
"Have too."
"Good afternoon, gentlemen," came the soft voice of the Director's secretary. "I'm sorry to interrupt such a highly intellectual conversation but the Director is expecting you. You can go straight in."
Reaching for the door handle, McGee first gave the door a brisk knock before turning the handle and opening the door halfway.
"Director, you wanted to see us?" he asked, eyeing the man in the expensive Italian suit who was standing with Vance.
"Yes, Agent McGee, come in," Vance replied.
McGee entered the office, followed a few paces behind by Tony.
"That's not Officer David!" the Senior Aide said looking at Tony accusingly.
Tony shrugged his shoulders and raised his hands palms up.
"Okay, you got me," he said before turning to the Director. "I don't know who this guy is, Director, but I think you should hire him. NCIS can use a man with his observation skills."
"Where is Officer David?" Vance demanded.
"She went to Parris Island with Special Agent Gibbs, Sir," McGee answered.
"Excuse me, Special Agent McGee," Tony said patronisingly, "but as Senior Field Agent and Acting Team Leader, I believe that I should do the talking."
Tony turned back to the Director.
"She went to Parris Island with Special Agent Gibbs, Sir," Tony repeated as McGee rolled his eyes to the heavens.
"DiNozzo, I made it clear that you were to go to Parris Island with Gibbs," the Director said furiously. "You want to tell me why my orders weren't followed?"
"Probie, answer the man!" Tony said.
"Well, Sir, when we got your instruction, Special Agent Gibbs asked me to contact the NCIS agent at Parris Island and get some background information on the case so that he'd be up to speed when he arrived. We were told, the name of the suspect…a Serkan Toros, which is a Turkish name. We were told that Toros didn't speak much English. As Officer David is fluent in Turkish, Special Agent Gibbs decided to take her as an interpreter and directed Special Agent DiNozzo and I to return to the office and finalise the paperwork on our current case."
The Director's face wore an expression that said he was far from happy. Then he and Brady walked to a corner of the room and spoke in voices so hushed that even Tony's sharp hearing could not pick up what they were saying. Tony and McGee exchanged a shrug and a nervous glance.
A few minutes passed before the hushed conversation ended and the Director and Brady returned to stand with the two agents.
"It seems the decision to disregard my order has forced a change of plans," Vance said. "This is Jason Brady, Senior Aide to the Under Secretary of Defence for Intelligence."
He watched as the three men shook hands and he motioned for them to take their seats at the conference table in front of the plasma screen.
"NCIS has been directed to undertake a critical and covert operation to extract vital information of an imminent terrorist attack on a major US naval base," the Director explained. "The information has been heavily encrypted and emailed to the home of Mehmood Khalil a known Harakat ul-Mujahideen member and Al-Qaeda sympathiser."
"Let me guess – you need us to break into Khalil's home and get the plans," Tony stated.
"Nice guess, DiNozzo!" Vance replied sarcastically.
"Thank you, Sir, my power of deduction serves me well."
Their attention returned to the plasma screen where Khalil's passport photo appeared.
"According to our intel, Khalil is currently on a trip to India and Pakistan but is due back in just over 48 hours," Brady explained. "We need a team to go in to his home, decrypt the information and email it to a secure email address at the Pentagon and then get out without leaving any sign that anyone has been there. They must not know that we are on to their plan. The Department of Defence has their best people on stand-by to receive the email and develop a counter measure to foil the plot and arrest all those implicated."
"Don't we have Special Ops or Navy Seals for this kind of thing?" Tony asked.
"They're all deployed overseas," Brady explained. "It would take too long to get them back."
"McGee, your specialist computer skills make you first choice for the decryption and information extraction" Vance stated matter-of-factly whilst McGee suppressed his obvious excitement. Officer David was our first choice to get you safely in and out. Since she's unavailable and due to the imminent deadline, we have little choice but to include you, DiNozzo."
"Thank you, Director, I'm touched by that overwhelming show of confidence," Tony replied with mock sincerity.
"You're walking a fine line, DiNozzo," Vance warned.
"I think it's my new shoes, I haven't quite broken them in yet. What about back-up?" Tony asked, suddenly very serious and almost managing to wrong-foot Vance with the sharp change in attitude.
"This is to be a covert operation – we have no time and can't risk anyone else outside the two of you, knowing about this," Vance advised.
"Not even Gibbs?" McGee asked.
"Not even Gibbs?" Vance repeated with obvious irritation.
"He's our lead agent," Tony answered, "I'm not comfortable leaving him out of the loop."
"The last I heard – I was the Director of NCIS not Gibbs! Besides, if all goes according to plan this operation will be over by the time he gets back."
"It's the if in that sentence that concerns me, Sir," Tony replied. "Who did the intel?"
"There were several sources, but the intel is mainly from the CIA," Brady volunteered.
"Oh, this just gets better and better!" Tony laughed caustically. "We're using intel gained by an agency known not to work and play well with others. I don't want to look like Mr Negative here, but don't you think that seems a little…what's the word…suicidal?"
"It's the only intel we have," Vance stated.
"Then let me gather my own intel, do my own threat assessment," Tony stressed.
"There's no time – you leave in a few hours and will use the intel that we have," the Director seethed.
"And this doesn't smell like a trap to you, Director?" Tony asked his eyes hard and intense.
"This smells like a direct order from the Under Secretary of Defence for Intelligence," Vance hissed. "If you'd prefer to sit this one out, DiNozzo, I'll find someone else to go with McGee."
Tony's eyes narrowed and his facial features hardened. "That won't be necessary. McGee is my partner – I'll watch his back."
"The blueprints and schematics of Khalil's house and specifications of the security system are in those folders. Take them to MTAC, study them and return them to Brady. That is the only copy," Vance told them. "With Khalil away and the house remote and vacant, we don't expect any complications. However, you'll find the details of a nearby safe house should it be required."
Brady ignored the snort from Tony and continued. "You'll leave your identification, cells and weapons here. We have clean sat phones and weapons for you."
"Wait a minute," Tony interrupted, "if you're not expecting any trouble, why the clean sat phone and weapons?"
Brady looked impatiently at the Director before turning back to Tony. "Agent DiNozzo, these are your orders. Accept them or step aside and allow the operation to continue without you."
Tony's gut twisted at the thought of someone else watching McGee's back and he knew he had no choice. He stepped into Brady's personal space and enjoyed watching the man squirm a little. "We'll take your sat phones but we'll use our own weapons," he insisted.
Brady opened his mouth to object when Tony addressed Vance.
"Director, if things go according to plan, there's no issue. But if things go downhill fast I don't want to be using weapons we've never even fired before."
McGee knew that Tony's objection was for his benefit. Tony's fifteen years in law enforcement had seen him become an exceptional exponent of small arms and handguns, someone who could quickly and easily adapt to any weapon in any situation. Since becoming a Federal Agent, McGee had only used the Sig Sauers and whilst he was no mug shot, Tony wanted to ensure that McGee was comfortable and familiar with his weapon should he need to use it.
Vance considered for a moment before nodding. "Take your own weapons," he said, waving his hand to silence Brady. "You have three hours. Sign out whatever equipment you think you'll need. You'll meet back in MTAC to go over and memorise the plans and blueprints. Last minute instructions will be at 18:30 before a transport collects you at 19:00."
"Thank you, Sir," McGee and Tony replied together as they stood to leave.
Tony walked towards Jason Brady and eyed him menacingly from head to toe.
"Nice suit," he said, before he and McGee left the office.
Brady looked at Vance with concern. "I don't like it. This operation hasn't even started and he's causing trouble already. I want him replaced."
"DiNozzo's cocky with a side order of wise-ass but he's a good agent," Vance replied. "He'll get the job done."
"You better be certain of that, Director – for your sake and the sake of thousands of innocent Americans."
As Tony and McGee descended the stairs to the bullpen, their emotions couldn't have been more different. McGee was elated and proud to have been assigned such an important operation and to have the opportunity to show that he was more than a computer specialist. Tony felt apprehensive and cautious as his own version of Gibbs' famous gut told him that this operation was a very bad idea.
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A/N: Many thanks to Susan for her assistance with the Spanish!