Author's Note: To all of you that are having as much fun with this as I am, thank you so much for your kind reviews!
Bishop looked at DiNozzo over the top of her computer screen. "So, he had an idea to help investigate the case, and you were sent to follow up on it," Bishop clarified as DiNozzo growled at his keyboard. "Why are you so upset?"
Tony had storm clouds on his face as he looked up. "Because this guy was our suspect, in Interrogation, and not being cooperative. All of a sudden he's telling me how to do my job? And then I have to go play Lost and Found for him? Who is this guy?"
"Obviously, Gibbs knows him, which gives me a good feeling that we'll find out," Bishop reasoned. "And I have a feeling they'll be up here pretty soon looking for our results. I'd like to have a report to give them when they do."
"After an hour of searching I still hadn't found that phone of his," DiNozzo grumbled to himself as he slid the CD into the tray on his computer. "I figured I'd come back here and see what we had on this." He moved through the images until he found the correct time-stamp, then let the footage play. "Open and shut," he had to admit aloud. "We have a direct view of the whole thing. All we have to do is identify the shooter, find him, and take him into custody."
"Then go find that missing phone," Bishop reminded him. She smiled to herself as Tony rolled his eyes at her. She was glad he stopped mumbling to himself as he started running background checks on their victim. She was also glad that they had all the information up on the screens when Gibbs and MacGyver hit the bull pen.
Mac strode directly to Tony and offered his hand. "Nice to officially meet you, DiNozzo!"
DiNozzo accepted the handshake, but it was cold and perfunctory. "Very Special Agent, Anthony DiNozzo," he clarified, bristling at the new guy's familiarity.
The quirk in MacGyver's eyebrows indicated he'd caught the snub but chose to ignore it. "… and also 'Very Special' Agent…?" he asked leadingly, turning to Bishop with a charming grin.
"Ellie Bishop," she smiled back.
"My name's MacGyver," Mac said as he offered her a warm handshake as well. "Sorry I was a bit grumpy back there at the scene. Nothing worse than mixing protocol and starvation, you understand..."
"You knew the victim?" Tony demanded, stepping between MacGyver and Bishop on purpose to pick up the remote for the plasma screen. He could feel Gibbs' sudden irritation radiating towards him, but he didn't care.
"Not personally… He's the…." Mac paused as a yawn snuck up on him.
"Mac's checking up on this kid for a buddy of his," Gibbs condensed, finally turning away from skewering DiNozzo with his blue glare. "Did you find that phone?"
DiNozzo squared his shoulders. "No, Boss, I didn't. Maybe McGee could ping it. I figured the video evidence would be a good place to start, and we could go back to the phone."
Gibbs grumbled under his breath as he turned away, pulled a pad of paper and pen from his desk and pushed them into MacGyver's hands. "Phone number," he ordered. As Mac started to write, Gibbs tossed a look back at DiNozzo. "Victim?"
In the split second when DiNozzo paused to pull in a breath, Mac jumped in. "Andy Schwimmer. 22 years young; all enthusiasm, very little common sense. Son of Natalie Schwimmer, a pilot employed by Dalton Airlines."
Not to be out-done, DiNozzo stepped up, advancing the slide on the screen. "Natalie Schwimmer married Jack Dalton of Dalton Airlines ten years ago. Andy was adopted by Jack Dalton at the time…" His triumphant glare thrown at MacGyver was lost when he read the other man's reaction.
Mac's jaw dropped, and his dark brown eyes were bottomless with grief. "I didn't know that! Aww, man… Poor Jack! Has the family been notified?"
Bishop looked down at her papers. "I believe that's happening as we speak."
Mac turned away and pinched the bridge of his nose. "The poor guy can't catch a break. I didn't even know he was married."
"It has been a long time, then," Gibbs said in surprise. "How long?"
"Fifteen years," Mac sighed. "Our last adventure was… a little closer of a call than usual, even for Jack. We parted as friends, but he went to the Caymans and I ended up going back to the Foundation. Time got a way from me, I guess."
Gibbs bounced a shoulder. "Happens… Been about fifteen since we've seen each other."
Mac looked like he wanted to smile but couldn't. "True, that."
Unable to help himself, DiNozzo looked between his Boss and the new guy. "You guys were close?"
"We got in our fair share of scrapes," MacGyver filled in when Gibbs seemed disinclined to comment. "The Phoenix Foundation worked with the Marines on a few special projects; we had a ten year contract. We kept in touch for a while afterward..."
"Kinda…" Gibbs needled.
Mac seemed a little embarrassed. "Yeah, time passes…" Wanting to get a little of his own back, he rallied and threw Gibbs a look. "You didn't go and get married again while I wasn't looking, did you?"
It was Gibbs' turn to look uneasy. He hesitated for a long second, then raised two fingers before changing the subject by turning back to DiNozzo. "What else?"
"Twice, Gibbs? Really?" Shaking off his astonishment, it was MacGyver that answered. "Anyway… Schwimmer hit town on Leave with his shipmates, and seemed in a hurry to hunt down the local 'color'. He went to every seedy bar in the city, hunting for somebody named 'The Cougar'. Some kind of hustler, drug dealer, or arms runner, from what I could tell."
"All three," DiNozzo jumped back in, unhappy with the idea of MacGyver running his briefing. "Enrique Filipe Salazar, aka 'The Cougar', is quite the entrepreneur. He has branches all over the country, but his main operations are out of this area. Sales and Services out of DC, and Production rumored to be out of the deep woods of Virginia."
"How do you know about 'The Cougar'?" MacGyver asked, sinking into Gibbs' chair as exhaustion claimed him.
"Abby got a hit on the facial recognition from those…photos?… you'd taken. He's wanted in forty-nine of the fifty States, plus a few islands close by."
"Where is he now?" Gibbs demanded.
"Closed up shop and made like a rabbit. We're looking, Boss. Got BOLO's out with every branch of law enforcement."
"Any idea why your friend's kid would be tied up with a guy like this?" Gibbs asked, still staring at the screen. When there was no answer, the three agents turned to look at their guest.
Scrunched down in Gibbs' chair, Mac was fast asleep.
Gibbs lowered his voice. "Track Schwimmer's movements from the moment his feet hit the ground until we got the case. I want to know everywhere that kid's been."
DiNozzo had to ask. "How much do you trust this MacGyver? Do you think we got the whole story from him?"
Gibbs stared at his old buddy for a moment, a myriad of memories darkening his eyes. "I trust him."
"You said it yourself; you haven't seen him in fifteen years…" Bishop added in, following Tony's thought process.
Gibbs shook his head shortly. "There are two kinds of people in this world; MacGyver, and everybody else."
That statement hung in the air while Gibbs' phone rang, and he tugged it out of his pocket to answer it.
"What does that even mean?" Bishop wondered, whispering to Tony.
DiNozzo shrugged. "I haven't the faintest."
"I'll put a rush on getting his file from the Phoenix Foundation," Bishop decided, heading back to her desk.
"Mac? Wake up. Ducky needs us," Gibbs said, putting a hand on MacGyver's shoulder. When the exhausted man didn't even twitch, Gibbs shook him gently. MacGyver's head rolled, but otherwise he didn't move. Gibbs' next shake wasn't so gentle, and Mac groaned.
"He needs a cup of coffee!" DiNozzo exclaimed, in awe that a person could be so physically drained that a 'Gibbs Glare' alone wouldn't jolt him to action. "Boss, one of your high-test ones ought to do the trick."
"I don't drink coffee," Mac grumbled, clawing his way back to consciousness as Gibbs hauled him upright by the lapels.
"You don't? Then why did you ask us for a cup earlier?" Tony demanded.
"Desperation," Mac sighed.
"Mac, you're gonna want to hear this," Gibbs said, herding him towards the elevator. "We're gonna go see our Medical Examiner. DiNozzo, toss me the keys."
Tony paused halfway to his desk. "The keys, Boss? Ducky's downstairs in Autopsy."
Gibbs' glare motivated DiNozzo to action, and when the keys hit his palm, Gibbs was again shoving MacGyver towards the elevator. "Ducky's at the hospital. Load up; let's go!"
Bishop and DiNozzo scrambled to follow.
...
Note: Awwwwww... G'night, Mac!
So, I have this complicated chart laid out somewhere that, if I remember reading it right, MacGyver would have last spoken to Gibbs somewhere after he and Diane had divorced. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it...
Oddly enough, the name for our Villain popped into my head with no apparent back-story. It was only after re-watching the episode where Mac and Dalton go rescue Pete and his nun-girlfriend from the guerrillas that I realized where the name came from. I thought it was oddly fitting, seeing Mac had to go to Jack to beg for help on that one. Oh, Irony, how I love you...