AN: I am sooo sorry! This took longer than I expected. I had the chapter done on time, but my beta was on vacation. So with the lack of internet conection Dark Rook couldn't edit regularly. Also I don't trust my writing alone to be error free. Let me say WOW, 56 reviews that this story has collected. You guys are amazing, no lie's there. Hope you like this late chapter, happy reading! :D
"This is Agent Rider ready to report."
Everyone was silent in the MTAC room. No one knew what to say, especially with the sudden turn of events. It was finally not one person, but multiple who broke the silence at once.
"What!" Director Mueller said. He had shock, and anger, written on his face.
"No way," Ziva said as she sized him up, not thinking that it was possible.
"You're joking, right?" Tony questioned as he raised an eyebrow.
"Prove it," Fornell said as he glanced from the phone in Alex's hands and then back to Director Mueller.
Gibbs was the only one that was silent. He didn't really believe what this kid was saying, but it could be possible. It would be better than labelling him a murder, which they were currently leaning towards.
Alex sighed and rubbed his temple. He had a huge headache from his lack of sleep and the bottle of whiskey was still making his brain foggy. He snapped Tony's phone shut and tossed it towards the man, who caught it.
Alex shuffled so he was positioned next to Gibbs.
"If you want to question anybody, it should be one of your agents. They did a horrid job setting up the identities. Honestly, as I said before, it was likely to happen sooner or later." Alex looked up at Director Mueller, unfazed.
"This child is a criminal, Jibbs! I want him arrested right now," Director Mueller pointed his finger in Alex's direction, before continuing. "I have no clue who he is. He must have falsified himself as an agent. Not to mention that he's also stolen government information."
"And wasn't that last part a confession?" Tony asked about what Alex said, not quite sure himself.
"If I may say something, Director Mueller - " Alex began.
"What?" Director Mueller snarled. "Unless it is a full out confession or something relevant to this case, I want nothing to do with you."
"I assure you, the feeling is mutual. And you are in luck; what I'm about to say is directly tied to this case of yours." Alex nodded to Director Muellerbefore speaking up again. "How could I frame this as bluntly as possible? Oh yes. Director Mueller?" The director leaned forward in his seat, his face expanding on the screen. "You are a ditz."
Director Mueller opened his mouth in shock, then closed it. Only to open it again to yell, "Jibbs, I want him arrested for disrespecting authority!"
"That is exactly what I'm talking about," Alex told Gibbs from his right.
"Well, we should let him explain himself first. I mean about the whole 'ditz' thing," Gibbs told Director Mueller. "It may be important to know why he feels this way."
"Yes, please do explain," Fornell said. He wanted his boss to realize exactly how annoying and wrong he was. He never had been able to tell his boss himself for fear of getting fired. Oh, he had to hear this.
"What's a 'ditz'?" Ziva asked Tony in a stage whisper.
"It means," Alex started. "That Director Mueller is an absent-minded person. How do I know, you ask? He either failed to recognize Gibbs' real name, or chose to ignore it. Multiple times. And really, it couldn't hurt him to brush up on his political skills and invest in better agents." Alex turned to Fornell, who was sending a glare his way. "No offense.
"Speaking of agents," Alex said, directing his attention back towards the monitor. "Mueller is also oblivious to the fact that I am one of his agents."
"That's one way to put it," Tony said to Ziva before an outbreak of yelling began.
"Jibbs! I will not stand for this sort of treatment from a mere child. I have never seen this kid before in my life. I can't imagine anyone would hire this brat, especially the FBI."
"Actually, I think the kid makes a good point," Gibbs told Director Mueller. "But if he's an agent is another matter entirely." Gibbs turned to Alex. "So, are you?"
Alex wanted to scoff at them and walk out, perhaps murmuring things along the lines of "I have better things to do", but he stayed. Knowing that Mueller hadn't even registered in his brain that he had hired him, it was evident that they needed all the help they could get.
Alex finally sighed before replying. "Unfortunately, yes. I was hired a few months ago, shortly after Director Mueller gained his new position."
"Can you prove it?" Fornell asked. He was at loss by the complexity of this situation, and vaguely intrigued. He had never heard any mention of this boy entering the FBI. He hadn't even seen him around so it was likely the kid was lying. Still, he was silently rooting for him for having the guts to verbally attack Director Mueller and make him look like a fool.
"That's a good question," Alex told him. He sighed once again, frustrated that he never had what he needed. "All right, I need to borrow your phone again," he turned to Tony, who looked at Gibbs. In response, Gibbs handed his phone to Alex, who took it and replied with a curt, "Thanks."
Alex dialed the number he knew by memory and waited for someone to pick up.
Ziva spoke up, wanting to hear this conversation herself. "Put it on speaker."
Alex hit the button for speaker. As soon as he did, the person on the other end of the line picked up.
"You have reached the Royal and General Bank. How may I help you today?"
"Hello, Stacy, this is Rider. I have a very important question pertaining to my security box."
"What is this? This is no proof," Director Mueller told Gibbs, who ignored him and focused on the phone call.
"I am sorry Mr. Rider, but the security box is locked right now."
"Of course it is," Alex mumbled.
"Would you like me to report some numbers? We will get back to you as soon as it opens up."
"No thanks. The next time it opens up, inform the guard that I have a private government matter I need to get sorted out."
"Will do, . We will contact you as soon as something on your account comes up. Have a nice day."
"Thanks, Stacey. I hope you have a nice day too."
Alex pinched the bridge of his nose as he hung up the phone and handed it back to Gibbs.
"That was nothing; that was no proof at all," Director Mueller yelled.
"Obviously, my boss wasn't in just now. I will have to contact someone else. Someone reliable. . . ." he broke off before someone else spoke up.
"You work at a bank?" Ziva asked, confused.
"Yes," Alex told them.
"I thought Director Mueller was your boss," Fornell said.
"Who was this friend of yours you were going to call?" Gibbs questioned, not giving Alex a chance to respond to Fornell. If this Rider person, if that was even his real name, he had lied about his name once, why not again? If he was talking willingly now, his team needed all the evidence they could get to help with the case.
"He is my boss," Alex told Fornell. "I have multiple people I work for." And he left it at that without going into any detail before answering Gibbs' question.
"Well, my friend was supposed to be Director Mueller here," Alex tilted his head slightly towards the monitor. "But he isn't being very helpful right now, so I decided to contact another boss, the one who directed me to the FBI in the first place. But since I cannot get a hold of him, I need to contact another alibi."
"Who is this alibi?" Ziva asked.
"One of the few people I trust."
"Can't Director Mueller just look up your name in their files?" Tony said to Alex.
Alex shook his head. "No, I'm not even sure if it would show up. I work under the table. If anything was going to show up at all, you would need a higher clearance."
"Are you saying that I, director of the FBI, do not have the clearance to look up a child's file?" Director Mueller asked with a huff.
"That is exactly what I'm saying." Alex turned away from Director Mueller's flustered face to Gibbs.
"You guys searched my place, right?"
"Yeah," Gibbs told him.
"Wait," Ziva interrupted as she turned to face Alex. "When you said you 'work under the table', you don't mean you're an assassin, do you?"
When those words surfaced, everyone in the room tensed, half-afraid to hear the answer.
Alex smiled at Ziva. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't do that kind of work," Alex said, before thinking, Anymore.
Ziva nodded at Gibbs in apology; she had just needed to know for sure. Gibbs went back to trading answers with questions and so forth with Alex.
"Did you kill Colonel Lawson and his daughter?" Director Mueller asked, thinking that if Alex did then they could pin him on the spot. That way he wouldn't be able to embarrass himself any further with all the lies he kept telling.
Alex shook his head. "No, I didn't kill them. My superior will vouch for me and may even give me authorization to speak about my file. I'm assuming you guys picked up my computer?"
"I thought your other boss wasn't there?" Director Mueller questioned, hoping Alex would slip up.
"Yeah, he isn't. He's in a meeting. But there is another person who I trust and used to work for. I'm going to contact her."
"I'll let you have that computer if you tell me your name," Gibbs said.
"Agent Rider. Agent Alex Rider," Alex said as he stuck his hand out for Gibbs to shake.
"Agent Gibbs." Gibbs took his hand and shook it before nodding and taking a step back.
"Did you say 'Agent Alex Rider'?" One of the technicians asked.
"Yeah," Alex said warily, wondering if he was missing something.
"That name sounds familiar...you wouldn't happen to work for the CIA, would you?"
"Yeah, a few jobs here and there."
The technician nodded, "My son, Major Herold Wilson, wanted me to get in contact with you to give his regards."
"Really, it was no problem. Colonel Lawson did most of the work, but tell Herold he's welcome," Alex said as he nodded briefly to the father, and turned back towards Gibbs. "So, my computer. Where's it at?"
"We will show you momentarily," Gibbs told Alex, and looked over towards the technicians. "Connect Director Mueller to Forensics. We'll be down there in a minute."
They left MTAC before Director Mueller could say anything about it. As soon as the doors shut, Gibbs turned towards everyone else.
"Tony and Ziva, go talk to Vance and see if he got that file." Tony glanced at Alex before Gibbs gave him a glare. Then Tony and Ziva went off to talk to Director Vance while Alex went with Fornell and Gibbs.
Tony leaned towards Ziva while he watched Alex descend the stairs with Gibbs and Fornell. "You think he did it?"
"I am not so sure. Right now it could go either way. . . ." Ziva told him as they made their way to Director Vance's office.
"Are you serious? I say he did it. I mean, Director Mueller hasn't even heard of him," Tony said. "The fact that Fornell didn't back him up proves he isn't an agent."
"Yes, but that one technician did recognize the name 'Rider'," Ziva told him.
"That's probably his father or something. I think he did it and is trying to cover up the fact that he killed multiple people in cold blood by posing as an agent. Have you been in a room alone with him, Ziva? It was almost like when you get really pissed off. I bet he could have killed me and you guys would have never found the body in time before it started to decompose,"Tony shivered at the thought of his body in autopsy before they even found him.
Ziva smacked him over the head and glared at him, "You want me to get mad, Tony?"
"No," Tony mumbled as he rubbed the back of his head. "All I'm saying is that he's lying about everything. First off, he's a kid just entering college and he somehow has this killer look in his eyes already. I think he's mad at the world. If I was still in college I would be too. He either killed them by accident and is trying to cover it up or actually wanted to kill them, succeeded, and did a crappy job when it came to hiding the bodies in time."
"That does sound possible. If he is lying about everything, then does that mean Director Mueller isn't a 'ditz'?"
Tony laughed. "Nope, he got it right about Director Mueller. Though I don't know how he thought he could pass off as an agent. For one, Director Mueller doesn't even know him. How could he be working for the FBI without the director knowing about it? Plus, there's no way he could be an agent for all these agencies - the CIA and the FBI. He has to be lying about that too."
"And the phone call," Ziva added. "Was nothing but a bank. If he can't get in contact with his advisor, or other boss, or supervisor, then we will have to arrest him."
Tony nodded. "See, he's not a reliable suspect. Come on, let's go get that file."
Alex was currently at a disadvantage in an elevator. A very cramped elevator, where he was pressed against both Gibbs and Fornell. Once Tony and Ziva had left, Gibbs had escorted him to the elevator. Alex had thought the stairs would have been a much wiser decision, but he chose not to speak up.
Alex hadn't been in a confined space in quite some time, and to say that the last time he had been in one had ended badly would have been an understatement. So when Gibbs flipped the switch, turning the florescent lights off and stilling the elevator, Alex immediately became aware of every possible movement the two strangers could make.
"Before we get down there and you contact this superior, we need to straighten a few things out," Gibbs said as he turned around to face Alex.
"Kay..." Alex trailed off as he made the smallest of movements to brush his back against the metal railing.
"And we need the truth," Fornell added.
Alex nodded and Fornell pulled the original file out and opened it.
"What's your name?" Fornell questioned.
"Alex Rider..." Alex said wearily.
"The wallet you were caring said your name was Tom Gerald, and you responded to it. Why did you lie about that?" Gibbs said.
"I was undercover," Alex replied curtly.
"But you were in possession of a gun at that gas station and had blood all over you. You ran from two agents too. Why didn't you speak up sooner? We could have arrested for the gun alone."
"I didn't realize you guys were NCIS, not until you gave me these." Alex pulled slightly on his issued sweatshirt.
Fornell scribbled something on the file. "Did you know Colonel Lawson and his daughter before that night?"
"Yes."
"So you had one on one contact with them before they died?" Gibbs asked.
"Yes."
"And you were the babysitter?"
Alex nodded, not liking where this was going.
"So that made it easy for you to, oh, I don't know, slip in one night and shoot the colonel while the daughter ran," Fornell said. "But you couldn't let her slip away, could you? No, you shot her dead in her own yard. And when people arrived at the scene you killed them, didn't you?"
Before Alex could retort, Gibbs stepped in.
"However, being the babysitter, either the cops or us would have pinned you for the crime on the spot. So you thought ahead and hid the bodies before anyone else could see. With the deed done, you thought you couldn't damage yourself more than you already had so you stole the colonel's savings and took his truck too while you were at it. That way you could get away scotch free and not have to deal with it anymore.
"However what I really want to know is why you told us that 'they deserved to die'?"
Fornell picked up quickly where Gibbs left off. "And what was 'it' anyway? Was 'it' drugs? Or perhaps something linking you to your falsification as an agent? Is that why you thought they deserved to die? Because somehow the colonel found out about you being a fake, so you just ended it for them."
"Did you really think we would go soft on you?" Gibbs asked. "Was it the young, college look? Or the fake agent credentials you tried to pass off as legitimate? Either way, we aren't falling for it, so why don't you just confess?"
Gibbs had no proof to suggest that this Alex kid was lying, but the odds were stacked against him because of those not thought out, stretched lies. They had to be lies. However, it was another matter entirely whether he killed them or not. That was what the interrogation was for and it was working out just the way he had planned it. Whatever Alex said next would set their next move in place and begin to illuminate whether he was guilty or innocent.
The whole world seemed to be against Gibbs and he could never be certain that the kid was actually the murderer. Every word he said made the stack sway to one side, before sending it jolting back to the other. Eventually, Gibbs hoped, they would push the stack hard enough to make it come crumbling down.
"I would like to talk to my supervisor before we take this conversation any further."
Gibbs nodded and flipped the switch back on. The elevator continued to descend closer and closer to Abby's lab.
AN: Today is Friday, that's close to Sunday, and I don't have chapter six complete. But I will update some time, so keep a look out. I have some questions for you guys: Is Alex really an agent for the FBI? Did 'they really deserve to die'? Who will Alex contact? Will they respond? At the end of chapter six will the odds be for or against Alex? You guys have been great, hope you liked it. Review, answer one, or some of the questions! Thank you! :)