A Big Huge Warm Thank You for Everyone who has read, and an even Bigger Thank You to You Kind Reviewers! (Most of you are right, by the way!)
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Gibbs read the file as he strode down the hallway. His team hadn't gotten anything out of their suspect…other than a carry-out order. He knew his people and what they were capable of. If this guy wasn't giving up information, it was going to make for a long day. Gibbs read Tony's notes on the suspect's attitude and made his decision; if this was how the guy wanted to play, he was about to challenge the Master!
Knowing Tony was already in Observation, Gibbs strode right into the Interrogation Room. A cursory glance showed his suspect was slouched in his chair, arms folded across his chest, and his chin tucked down and away from the door. By the sound of it, he was either feigning sleep, or he really had dropped off. Gibbs tossed the file on the table, pleased that he'd gotten the angle right so it made a loud 'pop' that startled his suspect out of an apparently genuine doze. As the man rubbed his hands over his face, Gibbs wandered to the far corner of the room and made a show of wiping the dust off of the top of the camera mounted there.
The man seated at the table cleared his throat, and Gibbs paused as he waited for him to speak.
"Before we begin, please thank Agent McGee for picking up that sub sandwich for me. I know what your protocol is, but feeding me probably saved my life there."
Gibbs froze. That was the last thing he was expecting to hear. And… He knew that voice! He turned, his blue eyes tightening.
The man still had his chin tucked into his collar, and his eyes were still closed, but he was definitely no longer asleep. His whole body spoke of extreme weariness. When his eyes reopened, they were dull and bloodshot. He didn't look up at Gibbs, but instead he leaned back in the chair and allowed his lids to drift shut again. "I don't want to seem uncooperative, but I have protocol I have to follow too. If I could just get my phone, that'll help get this party started... I know you have a million questions."
Gibbs strode towards the table with heavy footfalls. The man still didn't look up, so Gibbs leaned his weight against the table, shifting it to get the other man's attention.
Tired brown eyes blinked open again as he gave in to a jaw-cracking yawn, but when he focused on the agent, the suspect's yawn transformed into an open-mouthed gape of shock. "Aww, you gotta be kidding me…"
Gibbs threw the table out of the way, and the other man scrambled to his feet so quickly his chair fell over. "You bet I have questions for you!" Gibbs snarled.
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Note: Ooooooooooohh!