AN: Thanks for all the reviews — I'm glad you guys are enjoying this story so much! Also, one blink-and-you'll-miss-it NOLA bit, just to round out the universe. ;)
NCIS: Act 4
Hawaii
As soon as NCIS killed the feed from Washington, Kono turned to look at Chin. "Come on, cuz," she said. "We'd better get moving — the Navy doesn't waste time."
"Four years working for McGarrett and you didn't already know that?" He arched an eyebrow at her. "Come on, or we'll miss that plane."
They split up and met back at Hickam in 40 minutes. Once they were on the plane and it was in the air, Kono looked across the aisle at her cousin. "Now: What the hell is going on? And how did they find out about Steve's plans?"
"They managed to steal top secret Navy research, so finding out travel plans can't have been too difficult," Chin replied. "If the Washington agents' theory that McGarrett was attacked in Maryland because they couldn't get the bioweapon through to Hawaii is right, they could have been looking for him on travel manifests."
"Steve doesn't travel a lot," Kono said. "For them to hit on the one time he was leaving Hawaii, they either had flags out on all the airlines, which is the type of hack that should have triggered an alarm someplace, or-"
"Or they had inside information somehow," Chin said. "And since they knew which SEALs to target on a mission classified enough that even McGarrett didn't know everything about it and they knew that this research existed and where to steal it from, that's the most likely option."
"The most likely of a lot of unlikely ones, you mean," Kono said. "I don't like this."
"Neither do I," Chin replied.
~NCIS~H50~LA~NCIS~H50~LA~
Washington
Gibbs split the team up into two cars. He gave DiNozzo and McGee responsibility for McGarrett and Abby, while he took Williams and his daughter with him. Until they knew what was going on, protecting her had to be a top priority.
By the time they reached Anacostia, Gibbs was ready to muzzle Williams. Even DiNozzo didn't talk this much. The best he could do was wait for Williams to get settled on the plane, McGarrett next to him.
"Grace, why don't you come sit with me and McGee so Uncle Steve can rest," Abby said, sitting across from the two Hawaiian detectives and patting the bench next to her.
"This is a weird plane, Abby," Grace said. "It has no seats."
Gibbs took a seat further back, out of earshot of Williams, but where he could observe. DiNozzo sat next to him. Once the plane was in the air, Gibbs angled himself so it looked like he was talking to DiNozzo. Really, he watched the others.
Williams had talked McGarrett into lying down in the sling seat, the SEAL's head resting on his partner's leg. Williams' hands were moving, so he must be talking, but Gibbs didn't have to listen.
"He never stays quiet, does he, Boss," DiNozzo said. "Even I don't-"
Gibbs cut him off with a look.
"OK, so sometimes I do. But not like that." DiNozzo fell silent, but not for long. "I know Vance said Balboa's team would handle our case, but is LA really where we should be?"
"Hanna and the lab are there," Gibbs said. "We put McGarrett there, too, we get all the pieces in one place."
DiNozzo propped his legs up on the crate in front of them. "Then I'm going to take a nap," he said. "I don't think I'll get a chance once we're there."
As DiNozzo dozed, Gibbs looked down to see Grace sitting on Abby's lap as McGee read to both of them. Abby rested her chain on Grace's head, and Gibbs couldn't help but picture Shannon reading to Kelly when she was little. Whatever else these bastards did with this weapon, at least they had attacked just McGarrett, not Williams and his daughter. Not that it would save them, especially in interrogation. He'd never worked directly with Hetty before, but he'd heard enough stories to think that the two of them should get first crack at interrogating anybody they found.
~NCIS~H50~LA~NCIS~H50~LA~
Abby listened as McGee read Chronicles of Narnia from his e-reader app on his phone. Grace leaned back against Abby, and Abby was pretty sure she'd have her arms full of sleeping girl soon. Especially if Grace had started the day on British time, which was a full nine hours ahead of Los Angeles. When they landed at 1800, Grace would feel like it was 0300. She had a feeling Hetty was prepared for that, though.
McGee looked over at her and she smiled at him, enjoying his answering grin. Eric had told her enough Nell stories in the past year that she was looking forward to having the four of them work together in ops.
She looked across the way to see Danny giving Steve a scalp massage, even though the SEAL was asleep. The lines in his face seemed to disappear the longer it went on, though, so she figured Danny knew what he was doing. She'd seen Tony fall asleep on Gibbs like that after a couple of long cases. And on Timmy. And on her, come to think of it. She sometimes wondered how much of Tony's willingness to use them as pillows came from how little affection Senior ever showed him growing up, then wondered what Steve's reason was.
McGee stopped reading, and she looked down to see Grace was fast asleep on her lap.
"Good work, Timmy," she said. "She's had a long day."
"She's not going to be the only one," McGee said. "Between Gibbs and the time zones, none of us are getting any sleep any time soon."
"There's a sofa at OSP," Abby said. "From the way they all talked when I was out there a few years ago, Callen used to sleep there pretty regularly."
"Instead of at home?" McGee said.
"He was usually between places," Abby said. "He changed apartments the way Tony changes girlfriends."
"Not touching that one, Abbs," McGee said. "Here, let's see if we can shift Grace so she's lying down, before your legs fall asleep."
Abby helped him shift the sleeping girl to the sling seat, then covered her with a blanket. Abby ran a hand along her back to make sure Grace didn't wake up.
"No need," Danny said. "Once she's out, nothing wakes her up. Even this one's explosions."
Steve made a face, and Danny just shook his head. "Put Aneurysm Face away, Aquaman," he said. "Go back to sleep."
"I thought he was asleep," McGee said.
Danny wobbled his hand side to side. "I'm not sure the goof ever gets into really deep sleep," he said. "There's always another mission or another burglar or another something to keep him from relaxing."
Steve made a face and started to roll over.
"No, Steven, you have cracked ribs and bruises and you are staying like this for the rest of the flight. Do you not remember North Korea? You sleep on your back, or I'm making you sit up and then you're going to fall over when we get to Los Angeles, and Hetty will just stand you back up again, trust me on this." Danny's hands were waving everywhere, and Abby tried not to giggle.
"North Korea?" McGee asked.
"Believe me when I say you don't want to know," Danny said.
"Must be either his Israel, his Somalia or his Mexico," McGee said to Abby.
~NCIS~H50~LA~NCIS~H50~LA~
Los Angeles
Once the feed was killed, Callen watched and waited to see what the operations manager had in mind.
"Detective Deeks, Ms. Blye, I have agents picking up Detective-Lieutenant Kelly and Officer Kalukaua and bringing them to the boatshed. Please go there and wait until I tell you it's safe to bring them here. Agent Gibbs, his team and the rest of Hawaii Five-0 will come directly here once they land," Hetty said. "Mr. Hanna, until we have the perpetrators, you're in protective custody. Mr. Callen?"
"Come on, big guy," Callen said. "You're with me." He turned to Hetty. "Michelle and the kids?"
"The girls are in New Orleans," Sam said. "Michelle's sister wanted to go to the blues festival this weekend and invited Michelle and Cam to come. Aiden's off at school. I can call them and let them know to keep an extra eye on Cadet Hanna."
"I will call Agent Pride and have him make arrangements with your wife for any additional protection they need down there," Hetty said.
"Sam, you'd better stay with me until this is all sorted," Callen said.
"G, you have no furniture. I am not sleeping on your floor," Sam replied.
"I will arrange a safehouse for you, but for the moment, Mr. Hanna, I am confining you to the building."
Callen nodded. "Eric, Nell, pull background on the other members of the SEAL team," he said.
"I'll run a vector search," Nell replied. "Maybe we can figure out from that who we should be looking at more closely at the research facility."
"Good," Hetty said. "Now, everybody go. We need to solve this before whoever is behind this begins infecting the food supply or we won't be able to stop it."