Episode prequel, filler and tag for "Chained." Part one.
This portion is mostly pre-episode and filler, setting up the next part – or parts. There is a distinct possibility that this could end up being a three-parter.
Also, I'm taking lots of creative license here. I have no idea what the actual procedures would be in the aftermath of a case like this.
"Doubt – Part I"
"So, Jeffrey White is in custody on a traffic violation but Lane Danielson probably has possession of the Iraqi antiquities. And Jeffrey White isn't talking, so we need to find Lane Danielson in the next 24-48 hours, or statistically speaking, the chances of us recovering the antiquities are…"
"Thanks so very much for the recap, Probie, but we already knew all that, so unless you have a brilliant idea about how to find Lane Danielson, I suggest you shut your trap," Tony vented impatiently.
"Well I don't hear you coming up with anything, smart-"
"Hey! Enough!"
The two-word command from their boss was very effective at quieting the bullpen. Kate opened her desk drawer and pulled out some more aspirin for the headache that she felt stubbornly returning.
The MCRT had gotten the case that morning, but by 4:30pm they were no closer to tracking down the stolen goods than they'd been first thing that morning, and now their nerves were shot and their patience had run out.
"I don't know why anyone expected White to talk. I mean, why wouldn't he take his chances on us not having enough evidence against him. Danielson could sell the goods while White buys them time, we eventually have to let White go on a lack of evidence, and they both stand to make a fortune," Kate sighed.
Suddenly Tony's face brightened and his posture straightened.
"Care to share, DiNozzo?" Gibbs had been secretly hoping for his most experienced agent to have a breakthrough. Their usual methods were getting them nowhere, but when unusual methods were called for, there was no one better than Tony. Sometimes you just had to give him a little time to think.
"If Jeffrey White were to be released right now, what do you think is the first thing he'd do?"
"Find Lane Danielson, sell the goods, and leave the country as soon as possible. But there's no way he's gonna be released, Tony."
"Ok, Kate. What if he escapes?"
"From what we've learned about Jeffrey White, I'm pretty sure he's not smart enough to escape. Or bold enough. He fits the profile of a follower. Danielson is most likely the one in charge."
But Gibbs was smiling and Tony looked over to meet his eyes wearing an almost identical expression. McGee was utterly confused and Kate had that old familiar feeling that her boss and her partner were having one of those silent conversations with each other that really annoyed her.
"But what if another prisoner helps him escape? And gains White's trust, and in return is led straight to Lane Danielson and the stolen antiquities?"
Now McGee was more confused than ever, while Kate was simply stunned. "DiNozzo, that may be the most insane idea you've ever had. Gibbs, tell him it's insane."
"Yep. Just insane enough to work. Get with Abby."
At this, Tony leapt up from his chair, pumped his fist, and excitedly exclaimed, "Yes!" before practically running towards the elevator to take him to the forensic scientist's lab.
Finally finding his speech again, McGee asked, "Wait, why's he going to see Abby?"
"Because he's the other prisoner, McGee," Kate explained patiently. "Gibbs will want a way to track him while he's with Jeffrey White. And he needs to come up with an identity and a backstory."
It was becoming clearer, but still the junior agent observed, "He seems awfully excited about going undercover with a criminal. Isn't that kind of dangerous?"
Gibbs had wholeheartedly agreed with the idea, but now his traitorous memory was reminding him of the last time Tony'd had a great idea about trailing a suspect. Gibbs had agreed to send him alone and the other man had ended up being drugged and abducted. Fighting back the anxiety that had grabbed hold of him, Gibbs quickly answered McGee's question. "Kate and I'll be tracking him the whole time. And DiNozzo knows how to handle himself."
Kate smiled affectionately as she remembered the look on Tony's face a few minutes earlier. "Tony just loves going undercover. I swear his whole life is a movie."
Gibbs, too, allowed himself a slight, fond smile, but found himself silently hoping this assignment would be a whole lot less eventful than one of DiNozzo's movies.
"So, where are we going to place the GPS tracker?" Abby was almost as excited about this assignment as Tony, mostly because tracking Tony would involve her active participation in the case. She was used to being on the outside looking in, but this made her feel like she was actually a part of the MCRT team.
"I don't care, as long as it's somewhere White won't see it." Tony was much more interested in developing his backstory. So far, he'd made himself a pilot who'd been wrongly accused of drug smuggling, but he was still working through the details in his mind.
With a devious look, Abby suggested, "Transdermal implantation!"
Tony looked at her strangely. "Trans what? That sounds like a sci-fi movie."
"Transdermal implantation! We can have the GPS tracker injected underneath your skin! Jeffrey White would never know it was there!"
"Abs, that's a little extreme. I just need to be tracked for a few hours, not the rest of my life. Think of something a little simpler, ok?"
Deflated, the young woman in front of him sighed at the prospect of coming up with something really normal. And dull. Then she had another idea. "You could swallow it…"
"Abby…."
"Put it in your underwear?"
Now he was glaring.
"Oooh, Tony. You've been spending way too much time around Gibbs. You're getting really good at that."
Changing his expression to one of interest, he asked, "Really? Cause I've been practicing…"
Abby cut him off with, "I've got it! A suppository."
Horrified, Tony unconsciously took a step away from the forensic scientist. "How about I just go without a tracker and Gibbs and Kate can just follow Gibbs' gut?"
"Not an option, DiNozzo," Gibbs said as he strolled into the lab. "What've we got?"
Tony's eyes brightened and he said excitedly, "I'm a pilot! I was flying this couple from one of the Caribbean islands to DC but I didn't know they were smuggling in cocaine. I was falsely accused and facing 25 to life for drug smuggling." Trying to appear victimized, he added, "The system really sucks, Boss."
"Sometimes it does. And how are we gonna track you?" This was the part that concerned the older man the most, though he did his best to show complete confidence in front of Tony.
Abby interjected. "I acquired a GPS tracker, but we're trying to decide where to put it."
"In my shoe," Tony offered.
Sighing, Abby gave in. "Fine. Shoe it is. But it's very unimaginative."
Something was still bothering Gibbs. "And what's your plan B?"
Tony frowned. "Plan B? Why?"
"I'm not relying on a tiny GP-thingy in your shoe to keep track of you. Lots of things can go wrong undercover. We need a backup plan to know where you are if something happens."
"You think something's gonna happen, Boss?" Tony said with slight concern.
"No," Gibbs replied with a certainty he didn't feel. "Just being prepared. How about we have a trailer and a vehicle in the woods set up? You lead White to it and pretend you found it by accident. And we can make sure the vehicle's Lo-Jacked."
"Not bad, Gibbs," Abby offered teasingly. "I see why they pay you the big bucks!"
Gibbs gave her the Yeah, right face, while Tony asked, "Is everything else all set?"
"Got a transport bus along with a driver and a Federal Marshal. Both have been filled in. Working on getting you a prison uniform."
Tony was excited again. "That's so cool, Boss! Do you think I have time to grow some stubble? Cause I always wanted to do the 5 o'clock shadow 'tough guy' look," he dreamt, rubbing his chin.
"Whatever, Tony. Just be ready to be back here at 4:00am. Transport's supposed to be picking up White early in the morning for his arraignment."
"Wow, that's early."
"Get some sleep. Tomorrow's gonna be a long day."
As he followed Tony out of the lab, the older man tried once again to ignore the ever-increasing anxiety that had begun to well up. He planned to spend the evening studying everything they'd found so far about Jeffrey White's history.
He wasn't about to have Tony chained to a suspect for hours without knowing every detail there was to know about said suspect first.
Tony sort of stumbled into the bullpen at 3:59am, sporting the promised 5 o'clock shadow and wearing his hair slicked back. He also had the look of someone who'd been awake for a few days instead of a few hours. He was going to make a convincing prisoner.
"Morning, Boss," the younger man grumbled.
Gibbs handed him a cup of coffee. Hazelnut, just the way he knew the younger man liked it. This got a reaction, however slight. "Thanks."
"Got your jumpsuit," Gibbs said, handing it over. "Need you to finish your coffee and get changed in a hurry. Transport bus is waiting outside along with the driver and the Marshal."
"Got it." Tony's face was wearing just a bit less of the giddy excitement from the previous day, replaced by a look of nervous anticipation, compelling Gibbs to offer words of assurance to his agent.
"Kate and I'll be following at a close distance at all times. We sense anything hinky, we'll be ready to step in."
"I know, Boss."
The amount of faith the younger man showed in him, at least in the field, at times left him feeling unworthy. "Don't let your guard down. Don't ever forget White is a criminal."
"At least he's not a murderer. From his background, he seems more like a guy who fell in with the wrong people and let himself be drawn in. Did you read the part about the abuse? I sort of feel sorry for the guy."
"That's exactly what I mean, Tony. That's what we think we know about him. But don't assume anything, you got that, DiNozzo?" Gibbs barked out forcefully.
Startled, Tony responded, "Got it. I've been undercover in the mafia. I think I can handle Jeffrey White."
"You just make sure you treat Jeffrey White with the same caution you treated the mafia." Gibbs had gone over and over what they knew about the man and nothing stood out. But there was something in the photograph that bothered him. There was something cold in Jeffrey White's eyes that didn't fit their profile of him, and it had set off every one of Gibbs' protective instincts. But there was a job to do, and he allowed his Marine training to take over, at least keeping his fears under control, though not quenching them very effectively.
"Look at you, DiNozzo. I have to compliment you. You wear 'sleazy convict' very well," Kate teased, as she walked in holding her coffee and ready for a long day of surveillance.
"Admit it, Kate, you think it's pretty hot." All traces of seriousness were now gone, replaced by the lighthearted flirtation Tony enjoyed so much.
"You mean in a Hannibal Lecter kind of way?"
"Nice movie reference, Kate. Did you see Hannibal or Red Dragon?"
Gibbs hated to interrupt their fun, but it was getting late. "Time to get ready, DiNozzo."
Grinning, Tony simply said, "Curtain time."
Tony DiNozzo could probably count on one hand the number of times in his adult life that he'd been truly afraid. He'd been anxious, of course. Worried. Nervous. But pure, abject fear – that had been a rarity for him.
As he lay awake in Lane Danielson's hunting cabin in the middle of the woods knowing that all his tracking devices had been disabled and his teammates had no way of knowing where he was, abject fear was definitely threatening to move in.
Jeffrey White didn't worry him. Or at least didn't make him fear for his own safety. Honestly, he was feeling fearful as much for the other man's wellbeing as for his own. As Danielson had pointed out, White was "easily manipulated." And after meeting Danielson, Tony could see who was doing the manipulating. White's accomplice gave off the vibe of someone completely in charge and not to be messed with. And he didn't like Tony - that much had been obvious. Tony had just stopped shaking. The way Lane Danielson had snuck up behind him and caught him by surprise had really shaken him up, and at that moment Tony had been certain he wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight.
He had no weapon on him or even near him, not even a knife. And Danielson had a gun which he'd gotten a pretty good look at. Tony lay in bed thinking of all of his options were the other man to decide he was a liability that needed to be eliminated.
He was praying Gibbs would find the gas station and the set of keys to the ill-fated GMC and trace the pay phone. As the hours went by, it was seeming less likely, though, that his boss was going to come riding in on his white horse and save the day. If he was getting out of this, there was a good probability he was going to have to do it himself.
I've gotten way too dependent on Gibbs. He'd come to rely on the other man to always have his six so much that now that he was on his own again, it occurred to him that he wasn't certain he trusted his own instincts any longer. And to think that there had once been a time that he hadn't trusted anyone other than himself.
Think, DiNozzo. Lane Danielson had a cell phone. If he could just find a way to get to it, even for just a minute, he could call Gibbs. Of course, that plan still involved his boss swooping in to save him. But the other man had saved him from seemingly impossible situations before. He knew if he could just give the other man a clue as to where he was, Gibbs would take care of the rest and everything would work out.
As quietly as possible, Tony rolled out of bed and tiptoed over to the door, easing it open by just an inch, very slowly. Just enough to catch part of a conversation in the other room.
"What were you thinking, bringing that guy here? How do you know he's not a cop?" Danielson.
"Tony's been really good to me. We can trust him, Lane. And he can fly us out of the country. He's our way out!"
"He might just be our way to prison. It's too risky. We have to find a way to ditch him."
The NCIS agent's heart began to race. Looking around in a slight panic, he thought about finding a way to sneak out. But then they would know they couldn't trust him. He couldn't risk taking one of the vehicles and alerting the two men with the noise. And on foot, with no idea how far away his backup might be, he was far too vulnerable. His best hope was to stay put and hope he could come up with an Oscar-worthy performance that would convince both men that he really was just a shady pilot who wanted to make a quick fortune.
Crawling back into bed to face the rest of a sleepless night, he was completely ignorant of the turn of events transpiring in the other room.
Unbeknownst to him, he'd just heard Lane Danielson utter his last words.
Gibbs was at least slightly relieved to hear the soft snoring coming from the passenger seat, indicating that Kate had finally been able to drift into sleep, however restless it may prove to be. They were parked alongside a dark, two-lane country road, prepared to take off quickly should any word reach them as to Tony's whereabouts. He had Abby searching for all gas stations and pay phones in the area. If he had to, he'd hit them all one-by-one, although he hoped a more efficient solution would present itself.
The Lead Agent was well beyond worried and edging dangerously close to panic, despite his earlier protests to the contrary. But worry wasn't what his agent most needed from him right now. Or from Kate, which was why he was glad she was getting some shut-eye.
How could she have even questioned whether or not I was worried for Tony? He'd been concerned for the younger man's safety since the moment he'd sent him off on the transport bus early that morning. And now that he had nothing but time on his hands to process all of the events of the day, the guilt was building on top of the worry. Losing the use of one of their tracking devices could maybe be considered a freak accident. Losing both could not possibly be a coincidence. And if it wasn't a coincidence, then Jeffrey White was much smarter than any of them had given him credit for. And far more devious.
Then there was Lane Danielson, who he now knew to be Billy Collins. Guilty of at least three murders. Three gruesome murders. Three victims taken by surprise, defenseless, unsuspecting. Throats slashed from behind. And there was a very good chance that Jeffrey White was delivering Tony to his partner at that very moment, if they had not already made contact. It was enough to make his blood run cold.
He should have listened to his instincts about White. He should have had a plan C and a plan D for keeping track of Tony. He should have driven faster. He should have stepped in when he realized the GPS tracking device in Tony's shoe was no longer operational.
The longer he sat there, the more ways he came up with in which he'd let Tony down. Helplessness was not a feeling Gibbs dealt with well. He was a man of action. Picking up his phone he dialed Abby.
"Abs, I need locations on those pay phones now!"
Tony doesn't have any time to lose.
The scene was eerily still and quiet when Gibbs and Kate arrived. They saw two vehicles parked. The occupant of one vehicle was emerging – an Asian man, certain to be their buyer. Kate immediately made her way over to arrest him, allowing herself only a brief, anxious glance in the direction of the other car. Whatever the situation there, it would be up to Gibbs to handle it.
His pulse was pounding in his ears as he approached the car. At first glance, there appeared to be only one occupant in the vehicle, seated in the driver's seat. Unmoving. Could White have figured out Tony was a cop and taken off before we got here? He wasn't certain he could handle finding Tony's body in that car, but there was no one else. He certainly wasn't going to delegate such a gruesome task to Kate.
He could feel the bile rising in his throat when he saw the blood spatter on the window. Until he realized that a throat-slashing would not result in that kind of spatter. With his hopes rising ever-so-slightly, he finally made it to the driver's side door. Steeling himself, he flung it open.
At first he wondered if Tony really was dead. He'd never seen the younger man that still before. Finally, to his great relief, a pair of green eyes rose to meet his own. Tony's alive…
He allowed himself just a moment of internal rejoicing. In reality, his stance and his expression hadn't changed very much, but in his head he was whooping for joy. He could even imagine himself pulling Tony out of the car and embracing him. And then shaking him violently and asking the younger man what he was thinking scaring him like that, and admonishing him to never, ever come up with a crazy idea like this again. Wouldn't Kate have a field day?
But after his moment of selfishness, his attention turned to Tony. Something wasn't quite right in the green eyes that were staring back at him. The usual glimmer of liveliness and mischief was missing. In fact, they could almost be described as dull. Inexpressive. Unfeeling. He was staring at something in his hands almost as if he was wondering where it came from and how it got there. A gun. Tony wasn't armed. He had to have gotten a gun from either White or Danielson. But how did he manage to get it? Of course, it really didn't matter to him how. The important thing was that the younger man had been resourceful enough to find a way of defending himself.
Sparing a glance towards the back seat, he identified Jeffrey White. Clearly dead. Single gunshot wound, which accounted for all the blood on the window. Eyes staring out at nothing. He looked back at Tony wondering what to say to the younger man when Tony broke the silence. "I really liked him."
It seemed an absurd statement. White was a cold-blooded serial killer. Was Tony trying to make a joke? Lighten the mood? His agent was known for trying to make humor in some of the most uncomfortable of situations. Testing the waters, Gibbs responded with, "Yeah. Yeah, I can see that." Once again it was the wrong thing to say.
Tony's eyes went even colder and he went back to staring at his hands. It wasn't a joke. Tony bonded with this guy somehow. Or thought he'd bonded with him. And then he had to kill him. Up close and personal. Gibbs was in way over his head here.
He may not have known how to handle Tony's current emotional state, but he did know he had to take charge of the crime scene. An ambulance had been called, just in case, and Ducky was on his way as well. Agent Balboa and his team were also on their way for backup. They would all arrive at any moment.
Opening the door wider, he gently commanded, "Tony, are you injured? Can you get out of the car?"
Tony met his eyes once more without emotion. At first he thought the other man hadn't even registered the question, but very slowly his agent emerged from the car, gun still in his hands. Gibbs put on a pair of gloves and held his hand out for the weapon. Tony handed it over without protest and without argument. At that moment, Gibbs caught a glimpse of Tony's neck and sucked in a silent breath.
There was blood running from a cut on the left side of the younger man's neck. Tony didn't even seem to realize it was there.
Just then, the wail of a siren could be heard approaching. Gibbs directed, "Stay right here, Tony. I'm going to wave them over." He quickly walked over to the road in order to direct the emergency vehicles to their location.
As the EMTs were quickly disembarking, Gibbs explained the situation to them. The older man, accompanied by an EMT, walked back over to where he'd left Tony, who hadn't moved an inch from where he'd been when Gibbs had left him.
"Sir? I'm going to take you over to the ambulance to have a seat while we take a look at that cut, ok?"
Tony looked confused. "Cut?"
"On your neck, sir."
The younger man's reflexive response was to reach up to his neck to try to find the source. His fingers made contact with the blood and Tony found himself staring in surprise at his fingers. The only verbal response he offered was, "Oh."
He silently followed the EMT over to the back of the ambulance and sat down. As Gibbs followed them, he noticed the MCRT vehicle containing Ducky and Jimmy was pulling in, along with a car containing Agent Balboa and Agent Simpson.
"It looks like a shallow cut. Won't even need stitches. I'm just going to put some antibiotic ointment on it and a bandage and you'll be good to go." The EMT paused a moment and added, "You were incredibly lucky, sir. I'm guessing that other guy was trying to slash your throat?"
Tony's only response was to nod slightly. Gibbs, on the other hand, finally vocalized what he'd been thinking since the first moment he'd noticed the blood. "Cutting things a little close don't you think, DiNozzo?"
There was finally emotion in those green eyes – a cold, steely fury. "You weren't there."
The words cut Gibbs like a knife. "You weren't there" took on a life of its own in his head. Where were you when I needed you? Why didn't you find the pay phone sooner and figure out where the cabin was before anybody else had to die? Why did it take you so long to figure out I was the one who was calling you? Why didn't you get to me before I had to kill Jeffrey White myself?
Why did you let me do this?
Gibbs could no longer meet Tony's eyes, but was saved from further recrimination when Kate walked over to where they were. "Tony, thank God you're alright." Then there was a moment of silence when she saw the cut on his neck and gasped aloud, realizing what must've happened. However, Tony's expression made it clear that the topic was off-limits to discussion.
She turned to Gibbs. "Balboa and Simpson are escorting the suspect back to headquarters. Simpson's just finishing up processing the scene."
Gibbs nodded curtly and then realized he needed to make a phone call. "I'll be right back. I need to update the Director." As he was walking away, he noticed Ducky and Jimmy were removing Jeffrey White's body from the vehicle. He instinctively glanced back at Tony and immediately felt his gut clench at the way Tony was watching the scene.
Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to turn away and dial the Director's number.
"Tom Morrow."
"Sir, this is Agent Gibbs. We've recovered the stolen goods and arrested the buyer. Jeffrey White is dead. Agent DiNozzo was forced to shoot him in self defense. DiNozzo's fine." Liar, his conscience practically screamed.
"I'm glad to hear Agent DiNozzo is unharmed. It's unfortunate that both suspects are dead."
"We still have the buyer, sir."
"True. I'm assuming you heard about the complaint filed by the Deputy Secretary of State?"
Gibbs sighed. He'd almost forgotten all about that, hoping it would prove to be a non-issue. "Yes, Director. But that was not Agent McGee's fault. I instructed him to tell her off."
Tom Morrow smiled. He'd already guessed as much, knowing Agent Gibbs as he did. And he didn't blame the man, really. But it had placed them in an awkward position. "I'm not placing any blame here, Agent Gibbs. But the complaint has gotten SecNav's attention regarding our handling of this case. We need to cover all our bases and handle everything strictly by the book. I want Agent DiNozzo fully debriefed immediately, and I'd like to be present."
The added stress was about the last thing Tony needed right now. "Can't it wait, sir? Tony's been undercover with this guy for 24 hours in the woods. I'm sure he'd like to take a shower and maybe get some sleep first."
"I understand your position, Jethro," the Director responded in a more personal tone. "I feel for Agent DiNozzo, but we need to get every single detail while the information is still fresh. Once we debrief him, he is free to take as much time as he needs. After we satisfy the SecNav."
Gibbs realized pushing the issue was pointless. "I understand, sir. We're heading back now."
As he hung up the phone, the older man took one last look at Tony.
Obviously, DiNozzo wanted nothing more than to forget the events of the past 24 hours. Instead, Gibbs now had to inform him that he'd be spending the rest of his day reliving them. In front of the Director.