Chapter 2: Interrogation

"Whatcha got for me Abbs?" Gibbs asked as he entered the lab with a Cafe POW! in hand.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god, I can't believe a kid did this to you," Abby commented about the bruise on Gibbs' jaw that was already filling in with colors. "Who is he anyway?" Abby questioned when she heard a ding. "I'll answer that myself, Private Ian Hunterson, 19, stationed at the training base, other than that is basic info."

"What about the bullets?" Gibbs asked.

"The bullet casing did not match either of Ian's handguns." when they picked Ian up they found two fully loaded guns and two knives strapped to him. Whoever he was, he was precarious. "but it belonged to a long-range rifle, so most like it was an assassin's work."

"If I can't connect him to the murder, I can still arrest him for assaulting two federal officers."

"At least give him a chance to explain, and before he leaves I want to meet him, he's kinda cute." Abby grabbed the Cafe POW! from Gibbs and shooed him out to interrogation, "Please, give him a chance for me."

Gibbs was entering the interrogation room that held Ian. Ziva has been analyzing Ian, like there is something important about him and something he's hiding.

"So Zi-vah, what do you think of the guy?" Tony asked.

"He is... different." Ziva said as Gibbs was about to start, he pulled out the chair for Ian.

"Sit down, Private Ian Hunterson." Gibbs commanded, which Ian did so. "Right now, you are charged with assault of two federal officers. What did you have to do that was so important that you would delay our investigation on a dead corporal?" Ian did not say anything, he just stared at Gibbs with a blank expression, judging the older man by the look in his eyes. Gibbs was doing the same, almost startled by how cold the young man's eyes were, like a real war veteran who could have seen even worse, yet he was just a Private. They were silently staring at each other for a while, very few can keep up a staring contest with Gibbs and not be intimidated, after a while Gibbs was actually tempted to look down in defeat, but he did not. "Well?"

"Well, what?"

"What was so important that needed to be done where you would delay a NCIS investigation?"

"What's so important about Callaway that needs his death to be investigated?"

"It was done by a professional," Gibbs pulled out the pictures taken at the crime scene earlier that day for Private Hunterson to look at. He glanced at them for no more than a second then returned his gaze to Gibbs, not at all affected by the photos.

"Then why am I here? Did you honestly jump to the conclusion that I had something to do with his death?" Ian kept a straight, emotionless face as he spoke.

"You attacked two federal officers for no good reason, Private, when all we needed was an official statement. Why were you out there this morning?"

"I had a good reason, you didn't let go of me when I asked you to, and I said I would have come in later on my own once my business was taken care of. And I like taking early runs through the city, which I am permitted to do."

"What kind of business?"

"That's classified, and I won't say anymore on the subject. Once I call the people I was suppose to contact before you brought me here, these charges will be dropped definitely."

"You think you can make a phone call and walk out of here scotch-free?"

"I don't think; I know, Special Agent Gibbs. Since you aren't going to get anything out of me, I would like my weapons back."

"I don't think so," and with that Gibbs collected the papers and left Ian in the room, Gibbs soon entered the viewing room to join his team in watching the young man. "There's something wrong here."

"What makes you think that, Boss?" Tony asked.

"He is suppose to be nineteen but he acts like he's a war vet."

"He did mention his family died serving, so he would know what he signed up for when he enlisted." Ziva added, trying to figure out why his name sounded familiar.

"Find anything you can about this kid, he's involved with this case somehow," his agents left to look up everything they can on Private Ian Hunterson. Looking at the kid in the interrogation room he fought a shiver that was going down his spine, and he swore he saw the kid smirk at him from the other side of the glass.

"What do we got?" Gibbs asked as he walked into the bullpen after watching Private Hunterson sit perfectly still in the interrogation room for fourty-seven minutes in complete silence. There was a brief visit by the Director in that time.

The Director walks in the viewing room to stand beside Gibbs who was staring at the Private. "He's the kid that I heard you hauled in this morning?"

"Yep, called us 'little navy cops', the team is looking up his info right now."

"He's the one that punched you?" Leon risked a side glance at the bruising on Gibbs' jaw.

"caught me by surprise, claims he did it because I wouldn't let go of him, I wasn't even holding him that tight." Gibbs took a swig of his half empty cup of coffee. They both watched him as the Private did not move in his seat and stared at the mirror.

"He's seems a bit off, don't you think?" Director Vance asked trying not to squirm under the Private's gaze.

"Wasn't when he was talking to Ziva at the crime scene, only started when he tried to leave."

"Why did he need to leave?"

"Said he had to call in to people and do some business, and when I was in there with him he said those same people would get those assault charges dropped."

"So his contacts would most probably be with the government in some way."

"Probably is, but there seems to be more than what we're seeing."

"like which government? He could be with someone else," Vance said.

"Something just doesn't sit right with that kid."

"May I remind you he is a soldier, not a kid. I asked Ziva, apparently he's 19 so he is not technically a kid; by the looks of things he doesn't look nor act like a kid."

"Still a kid compared to us."

"Fine, just find out who killed Callaway and leave Hunterson out as much as possible," Vance left with that and Gibbs stared at the man still in the interrogation room wondering if he actually did it.

"Private Ian Alan Hunterson, 19, from a small town in Wyoming. Details he gave Ziva checked out," Tony said as he brought up Ian's picture to the plasma.

"Both his Father and Uncle died while on their tours in the Middle East, file says father died when he was six and uncle at ten, Mother died when he was 16 in a car accident, which he survived while she did not. Soon after he enlisted and been in the services since," McGee said as he brought up the incident reports.

"Any other family?" Gibbs asked.

"None that we can associate with him, father had his brother and both of the parents' family are either dead or never reached out to them." Ziva continued.

"What about him?"

"Even with his family issues he kept a high GPA, kept out of major trouble, only trouble were a few fist fights with older soldiers no relations beyond his CO and unit, even those are fairly new, he only came to this base two months ago as he said to Ziva." McGee added.

"He enlisted at 16?"

"Yes, mother signed the papers allowing it but finished school with an online high school diploma. As well as a online associates degree in criminal justice he got last year." Tony answered.

"Do we have any motive for him being out there this morning?"

"He does have a note allowing him out of the base for morning runs signed by his CO." Ziva brought up the signed note.

"Is there anything about him we could connect to Callaway?"

"They had one fight after Hunterson showed up, seemed Callaway approached him, according to the report. Callaway got kitchen duty and Hunterson got nothing." McGee said as he brought up the incident report.

"Nothing?"

"Nothing, Boss. His CO found him as a victim, though he didn't look hurt at all afterwards."

"So he probably has a close relation with his CO to walk out clean." Ziva suggested.

"Question is why? Who is Private Ian Hunterson?" Tony asked, everyone else wondering the same thing.

A/N: What do you think? Is it better than the original chapter two? R&R