Chapter 3
"You seriously want to put me through this?"
Gibbs shrugged as he looked at his old friend. "Fastest way to getting through the quals. SECNAV wants you on the case."
Ray looked at Gibbs and with a slight sigh, he took the set of headphones for his ears. He raised his brow as he put them on and the required safety goggles on. He picked up the Sig Sauer that was standard issue for agents and checked it. He picked up the magazine and checked it before putting it into the gun and locked and loaded it. He looked at Gibbs.
Gibbs watched his friend work with the gun. He didn't expect anything less than the expertise he was seeing. He knew that there was a lot of pressure to get Ray back on the job and work this case. He still didn't know all the details how he could be involved in this case, but he got the feeling that once Ray was brought on board, more would be revealed.
"You know, I haven't been to a shooting range in some time," Ray said as he finished checking his weapon.
"Maybe not for quals, but definitely in other things."
"I've no idea what you're talking about, Gunny," Ray countered. Maybe it was foolish to keep pretending that he wasn't former Director Shepard's and now Director Vance's pet project spec ops operator. Gibbs would certainly have an idea especially since Somalia, but Ray felt it necessary. And it was as he told SECNAV, he took the secrecy thing seriously.
Gibbs didn't say anything. He watched as Ray took his position. The buzzer sounded, and Ray brought up the Sig and emptied the whole clip. He noted how the man barely moved a muscle, if he did at all. Gibbs knew that the man was a very good marksman and it would be fun to see the result as the man put the gun in safe mode and stepping away from the counter.
"You know that I have an unfair advantage, Gunny." Ray had uttered it in a somber tone but there was a slight joking timbre to it. "I used my good hand."
Gibbs couldn't resist chuckling since he was well aware of that joke. It reminded him of when he learned that this agent was ambidextrous and could shoot just as well with his left as he could with his right. It was jokingly referred to as a secret weapon. And it certainly came handy when they worked the cases that they did. He gave a knowing smile as he countered, "It would have been unfair if you used the other hand."
Ray replied with a smile, "It would have been a slaughter." He sobered as he waited for his results to come in. He swallowed slightly, "I uh… heard about what happened with Dearing. I was tempted to walk into the yard to help."
"Why didn't you?"
"Who says I didn't?" Ray gave a slight smile as he turned toward the officials as they looked at his target sheet. His lip twitched at their reaction, like they were seeing something that was nigh impossible.
Gibbs was watching the same reaction. If he was correct, there would be three taps to the head, four to the chest and three to the stomach. All would be within close proximity of each other. They would be close enough to be barely touching. He was right when they brought it over for them to take a look and Gibbs couldn't help but grin.
It was exactly like when Ray did his very first qualifications. It impressed him them and it impressed him now. Ray still had it and was only proof, albeit miniscule, that his friend had been around at choice times to help them out. As far as he was concerned, he passed.
"Terrible."
Gibbs looked at Ray as he was examining his handiwork. He frowned and commented, "Same routine on quals for you the first time around."
"Precision is as important as accuracy. As a sniper, you should know that," Ray replied, gesturing to his chest set. He pointed where one was slightly off."
"I hear ya."
The slight smile Ray received, lightened the sense of dread that he had been feeling all day. It wasn't that he doubted his ability to do the job of a NCIS agent. The physical and the psych were cakewalk. The polygraph was a no brainer. True that they had been disproven for use in court, but a lot of places still used them. He played along with it and answered truthfully. The dread came from the inevitable meeting with Gibbs' current team.
His initial opinion when he sauntered in that morning was that the one that was sitting at his computer was good natured and seemed to be good with computers. The senior field agent struck him as someone who would be the kind to find out about the people he worked with and liked to poke his nose into other people's business. Personnel files were free for viewing as long as you had proper clearance and the senior field agent seemed the type to use full advantage of that. There was one wild card.
He knew that this was going to be hard on Ziva. She had done what he had asked and not revealed that he was a contact/source that helped the team out. It was his fault that he let his guard down around her, but he remembered her, and it was clear that she remembered him. He couldn't stay away, and when she came to him, he would give a token protest, but ended up helping her. Things moved from there, and he probably should have curbed it, but…
He gave a pensive smile at Gibbs and replied, "Well not all of us have sparkling records."
"But you have the skills I need," Gibbs replied in a low tone as he leaned forward. "The rest will come. Some more than others." He turned to walk away with a knowing look on his face.
Ray gave a wry chuckle at that. He shook his head slightly as he stretched his arms and rotated his shoulders. It relieved some of the tension as well as the ache that was in his right shoulder. At least he wasn't expected to do too much except qualifications. The real test though was about to begin. He sighed and followed Gibbs.
Ray didn't say anything as he followed Gibbs to the elevator. Once in he asked, "So… I pass?"
"Always have with me." Gibbs then reached over and shut the elevator off. He turned towards his friend to study him for a moment. "I need to know something, Ray."023.
"What I can tell," Ray replied with a slight gesture. He looked at Gibbs in the eye as he continued, "I meant it that I was forbidden from speaking about that op. I wanna help you guys out as much as I can."
"Vance and SECNAV pretty much gave you permission."
"They may have said spill, but from experience, there are no guarantees." Ray gave a sad smile. "I gave up a long time ago of ever getting back in. I was asked to do a job and was given a slight chance, but in the end…" He gave a slight shake of his head.
"But this is your chance."
"Been too long, Gunny," Ray replied, "I'm not ready to believe that. But I will help you. You just gotta trust me on this. I have my reasons." He gave a firm look at Gibbs to show the sincerity of his words. He had to do the best he could do. It wasn't that he wanted to keep secrets. It was that there was a lot riding on it. Ray was still haunted by the results of that operation that put him in the position he was in now.
Gibbs studied the look Ray was giving him. There was nothing to indicate that what Ray was saying was a lie. The man may have to keep his ops a secret, but he wasn't a liar. He did what he could to maintain an about as honest as he could get life. An honorable one and something that Gibbs respected and once teased him about being a Marine. He didn't say anything, but he did turn the elevator back on.
Nothing was said between the two, but there was a silent understanding about what had been spoken. Ray was able to breathe deeply as the door opened to the bullpen. Now was the moment of truth. He followed Gibbs out of the elevator to where his team was busy working on their assignments for the current case they were working on.
Trained as a SEAL, Ray was used to expecting the unexpected. It carried into other aspects of his life, but he was surprised when he was greeted by a whirlwind of pigtails and a lab coat flying at him. The only thing he could do was greet it and catch it before it crashed into him, sending them both falling down. He chuckled as he adjusted his stance to keep his balance, "Now that's a warm welcome, Abbs."
"You're here! I can't believe it, you're here!" Abby couldn't control herself and squeezed her arms around Ray's neck in one of her special Abby hugs. She had come up from her lab and asked McGee in a roundabout way about their visitor.
McGee humored her and gave his version of events from that morning. It only confirmed what she knew from DiNozzo's visit. Since she was waiting on the mass spec samples and she needed to think more about the encryption, she decided to wait for him to get back. Plus, she wanted to wheedle some help from McGee, her favorite, for the computer. She was at her wits end with the encryption and McGee was the logical choice to approach for help.
When Ray came in, she couldn't help herself and ran towards him. She knew he would catch her even if she caught him off guard. He didn't fail to deliver and gave her a hug as he set her on her feet. She asked, "So, are you here, here?"
Ray nodded, "Yeah."
Abby smiled big and gave Ray another hug before informing Gibbs that she was going to check on her samples and that she would have something for him soon. She then marched off to her lab, but not before extracting a promise from Ray to visit her lab.
Ray was agreeable to that saying that it was good to see Abby again. He watched her leaved and turned to see three pairs of eyes watching in curious interest. He turned to Gibbs and murmured, "Glad that some things haven't changed."
Gibbs replied, "Oh things have."
Ray chuckled in agreement. He sobered and allowed Gibbs to make introductions. DiNozzo was polite but eyed him like he was a suspect. No doubt he was trying to size him up and determine if he was a threat to the team. McGee was subtler and more polite, like he was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. More likely it was because that Ray had managed to make things speechless with DiNozzo.
"And this is Ziva David," Gibbs gestured at Ziva, who had been behind her desk.
Ray turned to look at her. She had been sitting behind her desk when he came in and she didn't even move when Abby gave her greeting. It was like the desk was a buffer. No doubt it would appear strange considering that she was known for knowing at least six ways to kill someone with a paperclip. Then again, it was probably to keep him at bay, and it was probably a good thing.
He was aware that his staring would raise suspicions, so he held his hand out to her. She reached across her desk and grasped his in a handshake and said, "Pleased to meet you."
He couldn't resist, "Pleasure is mine." He gave a smile as he peered at her with lowered lids. He released her hand and let his fingertips tease her skin.
It was innocent enough, but he knew that he was pushing it. He couldn't resist, knowing he was going to pay for it later. He turned towards Gibbs, "So what now, Gunny?"
Gibbs had watched the exchange between Ray and each of his team members. The one that caught his attention the most was with Ziva. He knew his old friend had a certain amount of charm when it came to women and had managed to get information using that charm. He hoped that it was only the charm to get on the good side of things. He didn't need to remind Ray about Rule 12. He looked at his new man and said, "McGee, get Salazaar up to speed on the case. Look it over Skipper and if you see anything worth mentioning…"
"No problem." Ray gave a nod of understanding. He looked at McGee and gestured, "Lead the way McGee."
Autopsy was quiet as usual even with the presence of the dead that were in the cubbyholes. Dr. Mallard, aka Ducky, was busy with paperwork. Specifically, it was the report regarding Corporal Rawlings' autopsy. He had completed the autopsy and was ready to relay his findings to Gibbs, but it seemed that other things had kept him busy. It was no matter since there was plenty to do.
He wasn't expecting anyone and frowned when he heard the door open. In truth he was frowning
since the way the door opened was not like how it was opened when the other agents came in. Gibbs had his own way of opening it. The same went for McGee or DiNozzo. Even Abby had a certain way of opening that door. It was part of the secret to why he appeared ready for them, even if he wasn't expecting anyone.
"Excuse me, are you Dr. Mallard?"
Ducky looked up from his report and turned towards the owner of the face. His first impression was that he was looking at a younger version of McGee when he first joined Gibbs' team. Yet he wasn't looking at someone who was green in the field. It was interesting and made him want to know more. He replied, "That would be me. What can I do for you, young man?"
Ray ventured into the domain of the ME for NCIS at an easy gait, rotating his shoulder. He had taken a break after being brought up to speed on the case. He needed it and the last thing he wanted was for the team to know something that could be taken the wrong way. He put a hand on the offending shoulder and ventured, "Do you happen to make in house calls?"
It was a peculiar question, but it caught Ducky's attention. He studied the young man and noted how he was favoring one of his shoulders. He recognized the movement. "Normally, I don't," he replied as he ambled forward to get a closer look, "But I am willing to make an exception. Step on over, Mr. er…?
Ray stepped forward, "Salazaar. Ray Salazaar. I just joined Gibbs' team."
"Ah," Ducky muttered as he moved to pull out a set of gloves. "You know, I didn't hear that Gibbs was looking for a new team member."
Ray sat down on one of the stools. He removed is blazer and draped it on the back of the nearby chair. He pulled his t-shirt off his right shoulder. He replied, "I was not put on by choice."
"Ah. An assignment. Perhaps to work on our current case?" Ducky made sure he had his gloves on and pulled out a few odds an ends for dressing a wound.
"More or less." Ray turned so his back was facing Ducky.
Ducky straightened up when he saw the gauze bandage on the back of Ray's shoulder. Using care, he peeled off the bandage. He frowned at the small bloodstain on the bandage and looked at the wound. He could tell from the stitches that it was a gunshot wound. He asked, "Line of duty?"
"Something like that." Ray leaned forward so his elbows were resting on his thighs. "The more active part of NCIS. More or less."
Ducky could read between the lines. He had an idea that this new agent was someone that was pulled because he had some relevance to the case regarding their dead corporal. Whatever he was doing was probably more along the lines of undercover work or possibly from a sister agency. And it seemed that he wasn't at much liberty to talk about it.
"Must be dangerous considering your injury."
"I've been injured before. I was a SEAL before this. Been on a few missions."
"Ah, that explains it."
It really didn't. It was more of a means of having a conversation and getting to know each other. Ray hummed, and it turned into a dry chuckle. "Actually, I was just reinstated. I've been in… sort of a limbo."
Ducky straightened up and turned to peer at Ray. "Oh, you're that Mr. Salazaar." He went back to inspecting the injury. He didn't like that it looked so inflamed. "I've heard stories about an agent that wasn't an agent. It was more of a story to explain a few things that we couldn't otherwise do."
"You mean the ghost stories of a dark ops agent," Ray prompted. He chuckled, "What would you say if I told you that was me and it's the truth?"
Ducky raised his brow as he took the disinfectant and dabbed it on a swab. "I actually believe you. Gibbs called down and said you might be coming down though I would suspect to see Abby for results. But it appears that it was for this. You did have this wound treated when it occurred, didn't you?"
"As soon I was cleared." Ray shifted and looked at Ducky. "Had the bullet removed and the wound stitched. Took the next available flight home." He shrugged slightly at that as he finished, "Soon as I landed, got the call. I'm a busy guy."
"And are you following the post treatment care?"
"As best as I could. I flew home as soon as I was able and then I got the call. I have the pain pills." Ray looked forward, staring at the ground. He shifted and looked at Ducky with a slight grin. "It's gonna hurt for a bit."
"Well the wound looks a little inflamed but no sign of serious infection."
"I do as well as I can."
Ducky hummed at that as he cleansed the wound with disinfectant and swabbed it dry. "Well there are no torn stitches. Some slight pulling. The physical requirements?"
"Fast track to reinstatement." It never occurred to Ray to lie to the ME and he wasn't going to start now. "I was careful enough."
Ducky finished swabbing and pulled out some clean gauze. He placed it over the wound and applied adhesive tape. "Well you are good to go, Mr. Salazaar," Ducky assessed as he moved to throw away the used bandage and clean up.
Ray started to put his shirt on. He rotated his shoulder to test his momentum. It was still sore, but it felt better than it did earlier.
"I see that you have a profound interest in body art like our Ms. Sciuto."
Ray turned to look at Ducky and glanced at he his left shoulder. He knew that the ME was referring to the tattoo on the back of his left shoulder. It was a unique design that carried a lot of meaning to him. He never really elaborated on it to anyone except Ziva. The tattoo on his upper arm was to show his membership as a SEAL and that was obvious the other one… He explained, "Well, apart from being a SEAL, I'm into a certain kind of art… mostly religious."
"Are you a religious man?"
Ray gave a slight nod as he thought about how to answer that. Finally, he replied, "Not true devotee to Islam. I was raised Christian, but the tattoo was for someone I respected very much."
"Fellow SEAL?"
"More like a Marine," Ray replied as he picked up his blazer. He held it in his hands almost sheepishly. "Tough."
"Well it's good that you honor someone important to you."
Ray nodded in agreement as he put his blazer back on. "Well I believe that we make our lives meaningful by the people we encounter, and we build upon our knowledge and experience from that." He gave a shrug like it was no big deal.
Ducky turned to look at him. "Ah a philosopher."
"Nah, just someone who observes." Ray gave a gesture like it was no big deal. He put his hands on his hips and asked, "So… anything else I should know about the shoulder, Doctor?"
"Visit your primary physician to check on that wound. And you can call me Ducky."
Ray grinned at Ducky. "Alright. I'll remember that." He held out his hand for a shake. "Thanks, Ducky."
Ducky had taken the proffered hand and accepted the handshake. He thought the young man in front of him to be the most polite man he had met, even for a SEAL. He also had to admit that the young man bore a striking resemblance to Gibbs mostly in mannerism and posture. "You're welcome, Mr. Salazaar. I look forward to working with you."
Ray grinned and turned to take his leave. He pushed the door to leave and gave a wave. He bumped into Jimmy on his way out and apologized, "Sorry."
Jimmy was good natured in general and didn't mind. He smiled and said that it was okay. He watched Ray leave before turning back to Ducky and asking about him only to have Ducky brush it off as nonconsequential and to get back to their work.
Ray rode the elevator back up to the bullpen, leaning on the wall of the car. His shoulder felt much better and he did have the prescription for pain pills. He hadn't had a chance to fill it since he had headed towards NCIS after landing. Regular aspirin would do just fine if he needed it.
Leaning against the wall of the car he thought about his conversation. He glanced at his left shoulder. He never talked about that tattoo, but he had told two people about it. He told the truth… mostly. There was a reason for the tattoo. He took and breath and rotated his right shoulder again.
He had been on assignment when he got hit. He had reported to the LA headquarters for NCIS and got involved with a case related to drugs and a dead Marine. It ended up in a shootout and he took a hit with a .22 after pushing his partner out of the way. It hurt like hell. Getting shot did that. It wasn't fatal, but he did have to have it removed. And it wasn't a pleasant experience and he refused a sling for it. It was probably a mistake to.
It put him in thought of another time when he had been injured on the job. He narrowed his eyes slightly as he remembered the circumstances that led him to the position he was in now. He swallowed as he remembered the voices, the panic from his team when they realized that things were going FUBAR. He remembered getting hit.
The elevator dinged, and Ray sighed. He opened his eyes and looked at the door. He could still hear the memory he was just thinking about. Now he was working on a case that would force him to think about that memory and how it tied to the events of the current case. He still didn't think that there was anything that would substantiate it. And that little voice nagged him saying that it was just a means of burning him again.
The door opened but none of those thoughts showed on Ray's face as he exited the elevator. He passed by the desks that were occupied and went to the seat he had been given. He pulled his laptop towards him and started working on it. The sooner he figured this out, the better for everyone all around.
A/N: Ray is introduced to the team and starts to plan out how he's going to survive this. Stay tuned for more on Operation Dead Zone.