Chapter 2: Life's Good When You're in Charge
Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS. If I did, Tony and Ziva would most definitely be together...as would Abby and McGee...hmmm...now there's a couple that I should put together...
"Probie! Hey! Probie!" Tony DiNozzo called across the bullpen before launching his sixth paper wad at Tim McGee's head.
"What is it, DiNozzo? I'm busy," McGee said angrily, as the wad of paper made contact with the side of his head.
"Busy doin' what, Elflord? Cyber-dating? Get a life, McGeek," Tony smarted off.
"I'm doing research, Tony," McGee said.
"Writing another book, McGee?" Ziva David asked, glaring at McGee.
"Yes...," McGee answered nervously.
"Still writing about us, Probie?" Tony asked, coming to stand behind McGee.
"Tony, I've told you guys this over and over. They aren't based on you guys," McGee protested.
"No, one just happens to be a Moussad officer," Ziva said warningly, as she joined Tony behind McGee.
"Guys...," McGee said uneasily.
"L.J. Tibbs, McGee? Pimmy Jalmer, for Pete's sake!? How can you say that they aren't based on us?!" Tony demanded.
"Because you two aren't together," McGee replied, standing and walking away.
"He has a good point," Tony shrugged and looked at Ziva, she smiled and nodded her head.
"DiNozzo! David! McGee! We've got a case!" Leroy Jethro Gibbs called out, rounding the corner form the steps down from Director Shepherd's office.
"What've we got, boss?" Tony asked, snapping his head toward Gibbs.
"McGee! Get over here!" Gibbs called to McGee, who was standing at the edge of the bullpen.
In response, all three agents moved closer to Gibbs.
"We've been requested to take on a case-" Gibbs began.
"Requested?" McGee asked, "By who? What do you mean?"
With a glance up in the direction of Director Shepherd's office, Gibbs continued, "I mean that the case is sensitive and, while it's nowhere near Washington, the director has requested that we take the investigation."
"Why?" McGee asked curiously.
"Because we're the best, McGeek," Tony answered, smiling.
"Where is the case if it is not in D.C.?" Ziva asked, ignoring Tony and McGee.
"About 1,050 miles west of here," Gibbs explained.
Tony squinted his face in thought and McGee zoned out in contemplation, Ziva just looked curiously at Gibbs.
"Ozark National Forest-" Gibbs began.
"Ozark? Like, Missouri?" McGee stuttered.
"Try Arkansas, McGee," Gibbs corrected.
"Arkansas?! Why are we going to Arkansas?!" Tony demanded, looking confused.
"A Marine was camping in the Ozark National Forest, they found his body with a close-range gunshot wound between his eyes," Gibbs began.
"So why are we on the case?" Ziva asked.
"The Marine was about to go back to Iraq as part of a special mission, intel believes that may have something to do with his death...that and, the killer may have taken a hostage. Lance Corporal Stewart was not camping alone, he was with an eighteen-year-old boy who wasn't found at the scene. He is assumed to have been taken hostage," Gibbs explained, he then tossed a jump drive to McGee, "The director said that you could use that thing to bring up the pictures and files."
"Yeah, boss," McGee answered.
"Then do it, McGee," Gibbs said, annoyed.
"Of course, boss," McGee replied, as he used the jump drive to bring up a picture of a Marine in his early thirties, with neat blond hair and steely-gray eyes.
"That is Lance Corporal Daniel Stewart," Gibbs pointed out, "Next picture, McGee."
McGee pulled up a school photo of a dark complected teenage boy with short, dark hair and narrow, dark eyes.
"And this is Justin Spencer, our hostage," Gibbs continued.
"When do we hit the woods, boss?" Tony asked excitedly.
"Me and McGee begin our search in the forest day-after-tomorrow," Gibbs stated.
"Whaddabout me?" Tony whined.
"You and Ziva will be in Judson Hill-"
"What's Judson Hill?" Tony interrupted.
"Lance Corporal Stewart was doing some recruiting work in the time before he was deployed. He was only visiting one school-"
"In Judson Hill," Ziva finished.
"Would you two let me finish at least one sentence?" Gibbs said, frustrated.
"Of course, Gibbs."
"You got it, boss."
"As I was saying, you and Ziva will go to Judson Hill. I want you to talk to all the students and teachers that Lance Corporal Stewart had talked with. I want you to talk to the superintendent, the principal, the counselor. Hell, if they think they know something, I want you to talk to the janitors," Gibbs growled.
"Are you finished, boss?" Tony asked.
Gibbs raised his eyebrows expectantly and glared at Tony.
"When do we leave?" Tony asked.
"We depart from here to catch a commuter jet to Little Rock at 0400 tomorrow. From there, me and McGee will ride with the Parks' Service up to the crime scene," Gibbs responded.
"And Tony and myself?" Ziva questioned.
"Will be left with a rental car and a map, you'll drive to Judson Hill," Gibbs said.
Ziva glared at Gibbs as if this were some sort of awful prank. Tony opened his mouth to protest, but then closed his eyes and mouth, took two deep breaths, opened his eyes and chanced a sideways glance at Ziva.
"I'd suggest that you all go home and pack," Gibbs said, standing up and walking to the elevator with a smirk on his face.
Life's good when you're in charge.
Please review this! I'm not sure if I kept everyone in character enough, the dialog for Gibbs seemed a little awkward. The next chapter will be one of Tony and Ziva preparing to leave and then the next one will involve the group making it to Arkansas.
If you remember in the last chapter I mentioned that the girls' basketball team in the story was going to regionals. That team is based on my school's actual girls' basketball team. They got third in regionals and went to state for the first time in over 50 years, unfortunately, they lost tonight in the first round. But, hey, we got there...Go Tigers!