Chapter 5
An NCIS Agent named Paris
2315 hours local time, 22 June 2003, Al-Khalaf, Iraq.
"Holy shit" said Lieutenant Hagan as he looked over the shot up Humvee. By now, the previously deserted village was now abuzz with life as Delta Company moved into it. "Are you sure this is your teams?" Tilden asked.
"Yes" Three said. "I found this picture" he said holding up a wallet size photo of a toddler.
"Who's this?"
"That's Johnny Martin" Three said. "Chester's son"
"I can't image the 1st Sergeant would ever let something like this go" Tilden said.
"He left it on purpose" Three said. "He left it for me to find" he said.
"And he knew you would be here?" Tilden asked. "25 klicks off our axis of advance?"
"He knew that someone would find it and that it would find its way back to someone who would know where to take it" Three said.
"Ok, supposing you're right; where are they?" the Lieutenant asked. Three thought about it before answering.
"I don't know" Three said. "But I do know that 25 klicks from here, there are a whole ton of shitkickers who might" Three said with a grin.
"Then come morning, we'll see what they have to say" Tilden returned his grin.
"Don't worry" Three smiled. "I always have a plan"
0602 hours, 23 June 2003, NCIS Headquarters, Washington Navy Yard, Washington D.C.
It was just after 0600 when Probationary Special Agent Paris stepped off the elevator and out onto the main floor. She walked past the MCRT bullpens towards the back hallway that held a row of offices. She paused at the end of the hall. "I'm sorry, Agent…?"
"Pacci, Chris Pacci" the elder agent said.
"Agent Pacci, could you point me to Special Agent DiNozzo's office?" she asked politely.
"2nd from the end" said Agent Pacci as he motioned with his arm.
"Thank you" she smiled as she moved down the hall.
"Good luck" Agent Pacci said ominously as he walked away as well. Paris had no idea what she said. She made her way down the hall to the door she was looking for. It read "SSA DiNozzo, SIU" on a gold plate on the door. She knocked and waited.
"Enter!" boomed a loud voice. Paris grabbed the knob and slowly entered.
"Agent DiNozzo, I'm Paris Summerskill" she said as she moved in front of his desk.
"Correction, you are Agent Summerskill, and will refer to yourself as such at all times" he said as he stood up. Tony was dressed in a dark blue 3-piece suit, with his jacket on the back of his chair. In contrast, Paris wore a gray pantsuit.
"Understood" Paris replied.
"You're also late" Tony said.
"I was told to report at 6am" she stated.
"And it's 0603" Tony said, checking his watch.
"3 minutes" Paris protested.
"3 minutes late" Tony told her.
"Yes Sir" Paris bowed her head in defeat.
"Are you armed, Agent Summerskill?" Tony asked.
"Yes" she said, pulling back her coat to reveal a holstered Sig Sauer"
"Good" he said, slipping on his jacket. "Let's go" he said.
They moved out of his office, down the stairs to the garage. "Paris Teresa Summerskill. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, 15 March 1974. fluent in 4 languages, 1st in your class at the FLETC" Tony recalled from her file. "Aren't you a fucking recruiting poster" he commented. Paris remained silent as they approached Tony's Mustang. "You requested assignment to SIU. Why?" he asked.
"Because I wanted to serve with the best" she said. Tony chuckled and shook his head as he opened the car door, pausing to lean on it.
"Do you know what SIU even does?" Tony asked as he got in the car.
"SIU is NCIS' Street Intelligence Unit. It was created on a directive from Director Thomas Morrow in the spring of 2003 and Supervisory Special Agent Anthony Dominick DiNozzo Jr. was assigned to run it" she recited.
"Well, at least we know we can read" Tony said as he started the engine and pulled out of the garage. "SIU has an agent in all 16 of our Field Offices, all of whom report to me here in D.C." he said. "My particular office has jurisdiction over D.C., Baltimore and Northern Virginia" he said. "SIU's directive is to protect US Naval and Marine Corps personnel and their families from Organized Criminals activities. Mostly its low level gang shit, but we occasionally run into some heavier shit" he said. "LCN, the Drug Cartels and organized crime organizations" he said explained as they pulled out of the Naval Yard. "Once you pull back the curtain on D.C. and Baltimore, you'll find that they're both filth infested rat holes. D.C. isn't as bad, it's mostly just moulinyans" he said.
"But not Baltimore" Paris said.
"Exactly" Tony said.
0815 hours, 23 June 2003, Fells Point District, Baltimore, Maryland.
About an hour and a half later they were in Baltimore. Luckily they were running against rush hour so they made it in rather quickly. "Up until the late 1990s, LCN in Baltimore was run through a Gambino-affiliated crew" Tony said. "After Gotti was convicted in '92, the Baltimore Crew fell apart; and from their ashes arose the Napolitano Crime Family" said Tony as they pulled up near the harbor. Tony lit a cigarette after he killed the ignition. "See that over there?" he pointed, blowing smoke through his nose. "That's the Fells Point Hunt & Fish Club; the de-facto headquarters James "Jimmy Naps" Napolitano, Boss of the Napolitano Crime Family"
"You sure know a lot about Organized Crime" Paris commented.
"Comes with the territory" Tony said as he fired up the engine. "Tomorrow and from now on unless I say otherwise, you are to report to work in street clothes. Preferably jeans, leather jacket and shoes you can run in" he instructed.
"Ok"
"Also, this is SIU, we carry at all times, even off duty" he added. "Open the glove box". She did and pulled out a small case. She opened it, revealing a stainless steel Kahr K9 9mm handgun.
"Wow" she said as she picked it up.
"Like I said, this is SIU; we do things a little bit differently" he said as he put the car in gear and pulled away.
1600 hours local time, 23 June 2003, Ramadi, Iraq.
An intense battle was ragging on the Western side of the city as CDS Coalition Forces fought their way into the city. Knowing that there was a good chance his teammate were here, Three once again donned his stolen French Officer's uniform and made his way around to the far side of the city, where the City's Republican Guard Headquarters was located.
Three pulled up in an Iraqi Land Rover that he had liberated. When he stepped out, he quickly took note of his surroundings. There was a guard on wither side of the door, as well as 3 by the compound's main gate. As he had driven in, he had also seen at least 3 men on the roof, one of which was armed with a sniper rifle. He could only guess that there would be at least another dozen inside, all armed with assault rifles like the men outside.
However, while he was heavily out numbered, he did have one thing that he hadn't had the last time he pulled this little caper: papers. That's right; he was able to get G2 to cook up some halfway decent papers that identified him as Sous-Lieutenant Luc Harcourt of the French GIGN, Section 4. They weren't the best forgery in history, but Three had surmised that they would do on such short notice. After making sure his rifle was safely tucked under a blanket that was laying across the back seat, Three stepped out, slipping on those stupid circular sunglasses that seemed to be popular if you were a froggie. The men at the door didn't budge as Three walked past them. "Sous-Lieutenant Harcourt, GIGN, Section 4." Three told the man he found sitting at a desk as he pulled off his black leather gloves. "My Embassy was notified that you have American Prisoners. They are to be turned over to me at once for interrogation" he barked forcefully in Arabic. In his head, he was silently praying that they were actually here, because if they weren't he was in some deep trouble.
"Yes, this way" the man replied as he stood up from his desk. He led Three down a hallway and down a flight of stairs to the basement. "The cells are soundproof. Once the door is closed, no noise will escape, so you may do with them as you wish" the man said as he closed and locked the door behind them.
"Excellent" Three replied, switching to English as he drew his MR-73 revolver, cocking the hammer as he spun around, firing a round into the guard's head. The guard's body slammed into the door before slowly slumping to the ground, his brains splattered on the steel door. he tucked the gun back in its holster before moving down the row of cells. "Ironman! Cover Girl! Razor!" he called out. "You here?"
"Three!" a voice called out weakly.
"Tali!" Three yelled back as he rushed down to the very last cell. He grabbed the revolver and used its butt to bash off the lock, throwing the door open. On the floor against the back wall was brutally and badly beaten Tali. "Tali" Three whispered, his voice full of concern as he slid to his knees, pulling her into his arms. "Jesus H. Christ he said. Tali had been badly beaten, her shirt covered with dried blood. Her face was also bruised and bloodied. "You're ok, you're safe now" he said.
"The others" she said weakly. "Get the others" she said.
"Where are they?" Three asked.
"Other cells, last I saw" she said. Three gave her a kiss on the forehead before gently laying her back down.
"I'll be back I promise" he said before quickly rushing to check the other cells. He found both Chester and Zander, beaten just as badly as Tali. However, unlike Tali, both of them were unconscious. Three quickly rushed back to Tali, who was pathetically trying to get up. "Stay down, stay down" he said, pulling her into his arms again.
"Three, you need to go" she said, grabbing Three's shirt. "We'll never make it. You need to save yourself"
"I ain't going anywhere" Three said. "And done worry, I have a plan" he smiled. Three quickly made his way up to the roof, where he called over the 2 guards. "I am taking the American dogs back to my Embassy in Baghdad. A helicopter is being sent, help me carry their bodies to the roof" he told them. They quickly agreed, following Three down to cells. Three waited nervously as they picked up Chester, carrying him out. Three had made sure that after he stashed the dead body from before that he had positioned the door in such a way that the blood stains wouldn't be seen. A few minutes later the guards came back to take Zander. This time, Three followed them. When they reached the roof, they heard the sound of chopper blades in the distance. "Damn they're early" Three said. The guards didn't react until they saw that instead of a French SA-330 Puma, it was an American Huey. They started yelling and pointing, going for their rifles. "God damn it" Three said as he drew the revolver and fired a round into each other their heads, before turning to the sniper and killing him too. By now the men on the ground had opened fire on the chopper. Three tried to have the pilots off, but they ignored him and came in for a lading anyway. Knowing it was now or never, Three quickly dragged Zander and Chester onto the chopper. "There's one more, you need to wait" Three yelled over the blades as several rounds slammed into the chopper.
"We need to leave!" yelled the co-pilot.
"You have to wait!" Three yelled.
"No can do" the co-pilot told him. "You coming or not?" he asked. Three spat in disgust as he watched the chopper take off. he quickly rushed back down to the cells.
"Ok, Tali Girl, change of plans" he said as he pulled her arm over his shoulder. "Chopper's gone, so we need to find another way out of here" he said.
"Just leave me" she said weakly.
"Would you knock it off with that" Three said as he picked her up in his arms to carry her up the stairs. When he moved for the forayed, they ran into the remaining guards. The guards opened fire.
"Down!" Three yelled as he threw Tali to the floor, jumping on top of her. he quickly drew the revolver, firing off the last two shots, taking out one of the guards in the process. He ducked back behind the wall to quickly reload. "Ya know, I know my father has his thing about not ever owning stuff that was made in France, but I really like this gun!" Three grinned as he snapped the cylinder back in, cocking the hammer. in his peripheral vision, he noticed that Tali was smiling as well. Three spun around the corner and fired off all 6 shots, taking out 2 more guards. If his math was right, that would leave only 2 left. He quickly reloaded again, and spun around just in time to shoot and kill one of the remaining guards, who was rushing his position. That left only 1. Three quickly tossed the revolver over to Tali. He then drew his knife from his belt. Cautiously on his toes, Three slowly crept into the hallway. When the final guard moved to fire, Three rushed forward and slammed the rifle into the wall, knocking it from the enemy's hand. He then quickly elbowed the man in the face, before swinging around, and jabbing the knife into the man's gut. He quickly withdrew and rammed the blade home for a 2nd time. after he withdrew again, he went for the killing stroke, slashing it across the man's neck, cutting his vocal cords and carotid artery. Three also snapped the man's neck for good measure, before tossing the body away. He stripped off his bloody French uniform shirt, and used it to wipe the blade clean before tossing the shirt away. Now, the only "French" aspect that remained on his uniform was his khaki uniform pants. He then rushed outside to the Land Rover, opening the rear driver door, tearing the blanket off the back seat. Three had always known that if he was caught in that French Uniform, he could and would be shot as a spy. He also knew, that the even if he was caught in his own uniform that the Iraqis could and would shoot him if he was captured. But if he was going to be captured and shot, he wasn't going to be caught dead in a French uniform. After quickly making the change and strapping his holster to his thigh, he rushed back inside to Tali. "Ok, time to go, and I mean it this time" he said as he picked her up, bridal style, carrying her outside. As carefully as he could, he laid her down in the passenger seat. After making sure she was secure, Three rushed back inside, an emerged a few minutes later with 3 large duffle bags. He tossed them in the back of the tan SUV.
"What are those bags?" Tali asked weakly, her eyes barely open, when Three got into the driver's seat.
"Don't worry about it" he said as he started the engine. He put it in gear and stepped on the gas, pulling out of the compound.
"You left a lot of evidence back there" Tali warned him.
"No I didn't" Three replied glancing at his watch. "4…3…2…1…" behind them, the building exploded into a fireball.
"Never mind" Tali said with a small smile. Three truly was his father's on. "Where are we headed?" she asked.
"CDS Forces have begun our new offensive to the west, and as we speak, the British Royal Guards Armored Division and the out own 2nd Armored should be pounding the crap out of the Republican Guard" Three smiled.
"Isn't that…" she didn't have time to finish the sentence before a tank, an Iraqi T-72 crashed through a wall behind them.
"You had to say something" Three growled as he mashed the pedal, shifting into a higher gear as he sped up. In the rearview mirror, Three watched as what looked like an entire Iraqi Corps in full retreat. A couple of the tanks took notice of Three's Humvee and turned to pursue them. "Damn" Three said as his eyes darted back and forth between the road in front of them and the rear view mirror. As Three spend up, one of the tanks fired off a round from its main gun. The she landed forward and to the right of the SUV, but it was more than close for comfort for Three. "That was a clo…" was all he had time to say as a round crashed right behind the SUV, sending it ass over teakettle and crashing into a building as it spun on it's roof. Three was momentarily knocked for a loop as his head slammed into the metal frame. "Ah" he complained as the blood trickled down his head from the large gash. It took him a couple of seconds for his vision to clear when he noticed a squad of Iraqi soldiers slowly approaching the vehicle. Three quickly cut himself loose from the seat belt and reached back into the back seat and grabbed his rifle off the ceiling that was now the floor. He fired off a couple of bursts, taking out 3 of the approaching enemies. He then swung the rifle around and used the butt the bash open the door. he rolled out and fired again, taking out more Iraqis. Using the door for cover, Three proceeded to take out several more enemy soldiers. It was then that he realized that all the ammo was on his belt, which he wasn't wearing. "Damn" he growled as he fired off the last round. He laid the rifle down, drawing his Beretta. He quickly expended the 15-round clip before tossing the gun inside the flipped SUV. He then grabbed the rifle by the barrel and using it as a billy club to bash in the brains of a couple more Iraqis. When a group of them rushed him, he threw the riddle at them and grabbed his knife. With that, he even managed to kill a couple of them before a group of 4 tackled him and over powered him. he though he was done for, until shots erupted from the SUV. They were load and powerful, each one a kill shot. Within seconds the 4 men were left on the ground bleeding. Three rushed back over to the blowout windshield of the SUV, and pulled Tali out of it, who was holding his revolver in her hand.
"Get down" she said as she pushed him aside and fired off another shot, killing yet another enemy soldier. She squeezed the trigger again, but it was a dry fire; it was empty. "Fuck" she said as the gun fell from her hand. The adrenaline that had been flowing through her veins began to wear off and she collapsed into Three's arms, who slipped his arm around her waist, and her arm over his shoulder to support her. "I see what you mean about that gun" she smiled, her teeth stained with her own blood.
"Come on, we gotta move," he said. But before they could, they quickly found themselves surrounded by 2 Iraqis tanks and another 2 squads of men. "Or not" Three said. The commander of one of the tanks yelled something to them.
"He said for us to put our hands up" Tali translated.
"Yeah I know, I speak Arabic too honey" Three said as they both put their hands up, Tali still leaning on Three for support. As the lead tank swung it's turret around to target them, the one begin it exploded into flames. "Down!" Three said as he shoved Tali to the ground, diving on top of her. Mere seconds later, the lead tank blew up as well. By now the Iraqi soldiers were running with their tails between their legs as US and British Armored forces continued their advance. Three and Tali kept their heads down the first wave of tanks rushed past, sending the Iraqis back in a full retreat. After a 2nd wave of tanks and some more soldiers past, 3 Humvees pulled up, followed by one that was serving as an ambulance.
"Three!" yelled a familiar voice. Three turned and saw Lieutenant Hagan jumping out of one of the Humvees.
"Get a medic!" Three yelled as he pulled Tali into his arms. "Get a medic now!" he yelled. The medics came running over, as did Lieutenant Hagan. "She's was tortured and badly beaten. She's also been in a car accident. She's been fluctuating in and out of consciousness, and I think she may have some internal bleeding" Three told the medics as placed Tali on a stretcher. Three watched silently as they carried her away. He silently began gathering his things as they drove away. "So how did we do?" Three asked as he clipped on his web gear, grabbing fresh clips for both his Beretta and rifle. He then reloaded his revolver.
"We've broken their lines, as you can see and they're in full retreat. We hope to end major combat operations in the city within the next 2-3 hours, and have full control in 2-3 days" Tilden told him, causing him to burst out into hysterical laughter.
"I've heard that one before" Three said. "And so have you for that matter" he added. "You remember the Al-Rimam Valley? The fucking valley that we ended up in by mistake? The taking heads in Washington said the same thing about liberating Kuwait. Hell I was stuck on that fucking knoll for 2 days" he yelled. "Why the fuck am I telling you this, you were there, you know"
"Yeah, I remember" Tilden said.
"I'm taking one of your Humvees" Three said as he grabbed the 3 duffle bags he had tossed in the back of the Land Rover and tossed them in the back of the closest Humvee.
"Where are you going?" Tilden asked.
"Wherever they took my teammates" he said.
"8063rd M*A*S*H" Tilden said. "Back at Khalaf"
"Right" Three nodded as he jumped in and started the engine.
"When will you be back?"
"Tomorrow morning" Three said as he drove off.
1030 hours, 23 June 2003, Washington D.C.
Paris had a confused look on her face as Tony drove the car deeper into the heart of the District of Columbia. "Where are we going?" Paris finally asked.
"1600 Pennsylvania Ave" Tony said.
"1600 Pennsylvania Ave?" Paris repeated. "But that's…" she paused as Tony pulled up to the gate, something that very few people were even permitted to do. Tony pulled out his badge from his jacket pocket.
"Agents DiNozzo and Summerskill, NCIS" Tony said. Paris watched in awe as the guard didn't even do any kind of checking.
"Go right ahead, Sir" the Guard said as he tipped his cap. Tony nodded in return as he let off the gas and headed for the Executive Parking lot. He pulled into a space and killed the engine. When she got out, Paris read the sign in front of the space.
"The sign says 'Reserved for Vice President John R. Edwards" Paris read.
"He ain't using it" Tony said as he walked past her, down the sidewalk towards the door.
"But won't we…" she began to protest
"Move your ass Ms. Summerskill" Tony said as he button his jacket. Paris quickly rushed up behind him. They walked through the door, and once again, they were waived through once Tony flashed his badge.
"Don't they usually make people sign in?" Paris asked as they entered the lobby.
"Not me" Tony said as they walked through to the end and turned right, headed towards the Press Secretary's office. When they reached the outer office, Tony looked in and saw Stephanie being briefed by Oliver Babbish, the White House Counsel, and the Deputy Counsel Ainsley Hayes.
"You could emphasize that it's not like being served" Oliver was explaining, no doubt referring to the subpoenas that were handed down the day before.
"How is it not like being served?" Stephanie replied as she paced behind her desk.
"A subpoena is merely a legal agreement to produce certain testimony and documents" Oliver told her.
"Isn't that the same way a mugger uses a knife to produce your wallet?" Stephanie asked.
"You say that the White House is cooperating fully. You say that subpoenas do not indicate otherwise; that they are a commonly used legal tool to define the scope of inquiry"
"Political reporters don't care about the scope of inquiry. They hear the word "subpoenas" and its blood in the water. The problem with your spin is that we aren't going to get anywhere by putting on a calm face. We need to be picking a fight" Stephanie yelled as Tony and Paris slipped into the room.
"Why?" Paris spoke up, drawing looks from everyone in the room.
"Who the hell are you?" Stephanie asked.
"Probationary Agent Paris Summerskill, NCIS" she said.
"She's with you?" Oliver asked, to which Tony nodded.
"Because Agent Summerskill, in politics if you aren't on offense you're on defense" Stephanie explained.
"Your problem there is that Clem Rollin isn't Ken Starr, he isn't foaming at the mouth to take a bit out of the President. He's a good guy, and he comes off as a good guy" Ainsley spoke up.
"God damn it" Stephanie said before turning to Tony.
"DiNozzo, you're a Republican"
"Yeah, so?"
"What do Republicans say about him?" she asked.
"Well first of all, we all don't hang out in a little club" Tony fanned offense.
"Damn it, Tony…"
"He's well-respected, he's deliberate, and he takes his duty seriously. He wants to get the truth and he wants to avoid any appearance of impropriety or partisanship"
"Fuck me" Stephanie said as she plopped down in her chair.
"Ok" Tony grinned, to which Stephanie very maturely replied by giving him the finger. And that's when it hit Tony like a brick wall. "I'll see ya later" Tony said as he got up and quickly sped out. Paris followed closely behind. Tony paused when he got back to the lobby. "Here" he said as he fished a couple of bills out of his pocket. "Take a cab back to the office" he said.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because I might be a while" he said.
"But…" Paris began to protest
"That's an order" Tony told her harshly.
"Yes Sir" Paris said as she took the $40 from Tony's fingers. Before she could leave, someone called out Tony's name.
"DiNozzo!" called a voice. Tony spun around.
"Yes, Mr. President?" Tony replied.
"You in for basketball on Friday?" the President asked as he walked through the lobby.
"As always, Sir" Tony said. He then turned back to Paris. "You're dismissed" he said. After watching her walk outside, Tony turned and walked down the hall to Meg's office, where she was talking with her deputy, Jared Franklin. Tony leaned in the doorway as he listened in.
"When are you meeting on the estate tax?" Meg asked Jared.
"5 minutes"
"With Will?"
"Yeah"
"Just remember this is a compromise. It's done. I know you guys don't like it, but that's the way it is"
"It's a compromise" Jared repeated with a fake smile on his face.
"I'm just saying that when the 2 of you don't like something, y'all have a tendency to…"
"Show our displeasure"
"Piss folks off" Meg said as she leaded back in her chain, debating in her head whether to put her feet up on the desk.
"That's a bum rap, I'm sweet as pecan pie"
"Really?" Meg gave him a look.
"I hate these people" Jared confessed. "When this is done I wanna screw them with their pants on" he added.
"I used to be one of those people" Meg said.
"And I still am" Tony said as he pushed off the door frame and moved into the office. "Megan" Tony said as he leaned in and they exchanged kisses on the cheek. "Ron Jeremy" Tony smiled at Jared.
"I'm out" Jared said as he raised his hands, walking out.
"What's baby" Meg smiled as she leaned back again.
"You guys have quite the problem with this Rollins fella" he said. "He fucking subpoenaed me" Tony yelled as he slammed an envelope down on the desk. Meg leaned forward to grab it.
"Don't worry about it" Meg said as she grabbed a lighter off her desk. "Fuck em" she said as she flicked the lighter, setting the envelope ablaze before dropping it into the trash can beside your desk. "The problem with Rollins is that he likes us" Meg said.
"Well I wouldn't go that far, but he sure doesn't hate ya"
"Well, that's just cause he doesn't know us" Meg said.
"You wanna know how you get out of this?" Tony asked. "You guys need to be investigated by someone who wants to kill ya just so they can watch you die" Tony said as he reached into his jacket for his cigarette case. "Someone perceived by the American people to be irresponsible, untrustworthy, hypocritical, reckless, partisan and thirsty for the limelight" he said as he pulled out a cigarette, snapping the case shut, slipping it back into his jacket pocket.
"Just who did you have in mind" Meg said as she leaned forward, lighter in hand.
"The United States House of Representatives" Tony grinned as he took a puff, blowing the smoke out his nose.
"God help this country if you ever make it next door" Meg grinned. Tony smiled as he took another puff from his cigarette. "So what deal have your guys cooked up on the Estate Tax?" he asked.
"You the Estate Tax your Republican friends have so cleverly named the "death tax"?" she asked.
"You used to be one of my Republican friends" Tony smiled.
"We raising the cap to 10 million" she said.
"Why is that even a problem?" Tony asked. "That's nothing"
"Cause a lotta folks around here are liberal Democrats" Meg said. "Nah, but really I think it's more about setting a precedent. This time it's only $10 million, but next time it'll be 20, then 30 then 50, etcetera" she explained.
"What does my brother think?" Tony asked.
"He's otherwise occupied" Meg told him. "Besides, with all the money his books have made, I'm sure he won't care until the Estate Tax no longer covers his $150 million" she said.
"That isn't what I meant" Tony replied. "Rick has played quite a few nasty tricks in his day, many of them are particularly despicable"
"Well isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?" Meg replied.
"Actually no" Tony said. "Killing is killing" he said. "Lord knows if killed more people than the average joe…"
"God is that such an understatement" she interrupted.
"Rick has done other, more disgusting things" he said. "All the crap he pulled in Florida when he was rushing the Bush campaign"
"A lot of guys were running crazy back then"
"The Chairman of the Dade County Democratic Party was shot in the head by a Republican operative… inside a fucking courthouse" Tony said.
"Not your party's finest moment" Meg pointed out
"Neither was nominating a pervert to the Supreme Court" Tony said. "I know that Duberstein and Demarest got all the credit, but it was Rick who ran that nasty smear campaign against Anita Hill"
"Yes I remember" Meg nodded. "But then again how many people have you executed over the past decade; all in the name of the "The Teflon Don" Sonny Corinthos?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about" Tony grinned. Meg stood up and when to the table behind her desk. She grabbed a bottle of scotch and a couple of glasses. "Here" she said as she handed him one after pouring them both. "alla famiglia" she said.
"alla famiglia" Tony repeated as they clinked.
They spent the next few minutes talking before they were interrupted by Jared and Will, who came storming in. "The meeting, it's cancelled" Jared said.
"What?" he said as she sat up in her chair.
"They cancelled the meeting" Jared said.
"Why?" Meg asked.
"They're saying it's the Speaker's daughter's wedding" said Will.
"His daughter's Wedding is on Saturday" Meg said. Everyone gave her a look. "Tom and I are from neighboring districts; Sugar Land is only about a 2 hour drive from my home town" she said. Seeing that Jared and Will weren't satisfied, she added "Besides, other than Governor Ewing, I'm the most high profile Texas Democrat"
"Anyway, I know it's on Saturaday, that's what they told me. They also told me that the Speaker wanted to leave early" Jared added.
"They cancelled the meeting" Will repeated.
"But what's the real reason?" Jared said as he turned to Will.
"Oh it ain't that hard to figure out" Tony said as he stood up, snubbing out the cigarette on the ashtray on Meg's desk. "The White House is weak, what would you do?" he asked.
"You think they'll go for a bigger cut?" Jared asked.
"God you guys are dumb" Tony said as he walked out.
"What did he mean by that?" Will asked.
"The Republicans aren't gonna try and cut the Estate Tax" Meg said. "They're gonna try and repeal it"
In the hallway, Tony turned right and headed for the outer Oval Office where his son's desk was. He popped his head in the doorway and knocked on the frame. Rex looked up from his work and smiled. "Hi Dad" he smiled. "What brings you here?" Rex asked.
"I'm trying to get Meg to squash my subpoena" he said.
"Can she do it?"
"I hope so, cause she burned it up" he smiled. "You free Friday Night?" he asked.
"Depends on if Grandpa Sonny can watch John" he replied. "Why?"
"Basketball with POTUS" Tony replied.
"I'm in" Rex said. Before Tony could reply, a booming voice yelled his name.
"DINOZZO!" yelled a loud southern accent.
"Of for fuck's sake" he said as he moved back into the hallway as the voice boomed again. "Yes, Mr. Vice President?" Tony said as the Carolinian walked up to him.
"DiNozzo, how many goddamn times do I have to tell you not to park in my spot?" asked Vice President Edwards.
"My apologies, Sir"
"I don't want your apologies; I want that fucking car out of my parking spot!" he demanded.
"I'm going, I'm going" Tony said as he held up his hands.
1145 hours, 23 June 2003, NCIS Headquarters, Washington Navy Yard, Washington D.C.
When Paris stepped off the Elevator back at NCIS Headquarters, she was immediately met by a pair of men in suits. "Paris Summerskill?" they asked.
"Who wants to know?" she questioned.
"Please accompany us to the conference room" said one of the men, skipping right over her question. Paris did as she was told, and followed the men through the bullpens, up the stairs towards the conference room. As she walked towards the door, she noticed that the Director himself, Tom Morrow, watched them from the Mezzanine. Inside the conference room, she found more people waiting for her; a man and a woman.
"Agent Summerskill?" the man asked.
"Probationary Agent Paris Summerskill" Paris said, remembering what her Boss had told her earlier that morning.
"My name is Special Agent Tobias C. Fornell, Federal Bureau of Investigation" he said. "This is my colleague, Special Agent Jordan Shaw" he nodded.
"What part of the FBI?" Paris asked. "JTTF?" she asked.
"We're with the Organized Crime Task Force" he said.
"Oh, so then you must know my boss, Special Agent DiNozzo" Paris said.
"Oh yes, I'm quite familiar with your Boss, Mr. DiNozzo" he said. "Tell me, this morning, you two took a drive into Baltimore. Why?" he asked.
"He showed me the Fells Point Hunt & Fish Club, the Headquarters of the Napolitano Crime Family" she said.
"Well he's right about that" Jordan said, leaning against the wall.
"And what did he tell you about the Napolitano's?"
"That ever since the collapse of the Gambino Baltimore Crew, Jimmy Naps ran things in Baltimore. That's why were going after him" she said.
"Is that what he told you?" Fornell chuckled. He reached over and grabbed a manila folder that was lying on the table. He opened it and laid out several photos. "Do you recognize any of these people?" he asked.
"Yes" Paris nodded. "That's Agent DiNozzo, and next to him is Richard Castle, the murder-mystery novelist, Sonny Corinthos, the former White House Chief of Staff, and the current White House Chief of Staff, Megan Martin" she said. "I don't recognize any of the others" she said.
"Allow me to enlighten you" Fornell said. "This is Jackie "Gator" Garretson" Fornell said. "He's a Caporégime, or Captain, in a rival family. Standing next to him is Jason Morgan, another Caporégime in the same family" he said.
"Garretson's crew is Baltimore, Morgan's basically runs OC up in Port Charles, New York"
"Ok, so Agent DiNozzo was seen with members of Organized Crime, isn't hat part of his job?" Paris asked.
"And while Sonny Corinthos may indeed be a former White House Chief of Staff, since 1980, he is also the Boss of the Corinthos Crime Family, and El Capo di tutti Capi, Boss of all Bosses and Chairman of the Mafia Commission. At time this photo was taken, Mrs. Martin was his Consigliere, or Advisor. We believe that she may have been replaced since she became White House Chief of Staff" Fornell said. "And the man you identified as Richard Castle is indeed Richard Castle" he paused. "However, until 1985, he was known by his given name, Richard Alexander Corinthos" Fornell said. "Since the fall of 2001, Mr. Castle has served as Caporégime of the Corinthos Family's New York Crew" he said.
"Ok" Paris said. "I still don't know why you're showing me all this. is this some kind of briefing/" she asked.
"No" Fornell shook his head. "In 1990, there was an attempted Coup against Sonny, led by his Underboss Damian Smith and Consigliere Duke Lavery, who had aligned with the rival Jerome Crime Family" he began. "When Sonny learned of the betrayal, he sent his son to deal with it. That son executed Lavery and Smith, as well as several members of the Jerome Family. As a reward for his loyalty, he was made the new Underboss, despite being only 22-years old at the time. He continues in that capacity to this day"
"But I thought you said that Mr. Castle was a Caporégime in New York?" Paris gave him a look.
"I did" Fornell nodded as he grabbed another photo. "The Underboss of the Corinthos Crime Family, is none other than Anthony Dominick "Tony" DiNozzo" Jr.; your boss" he said. Paris stared in disbelief. "The reason DiNozzo is targeting Napolitanos, is so that the Corinthos Family, through the Garretson Crew, can take over total control of Organized Crime in Baltimore. That's why he formed the Street Intelligence Unit in the first place" he said.
"I don't believe you" Paris said. Fornell nodded and showed her more photos.
"This is DiNozzo, meeting with John "Johnny Sack" Saccarelli, the Boss of the Genovese Crime Family" the first photo showed. "And here with John DiFronzo, the Boss of the Chicago Outfit"
"We can't go after DiNozzo for anything he did prior to this year" said Special Agent Shaw. "Tony has been unconditionally pardoned 3 times: In 1991 by President George H.W. Bush, in 2001 by President McCain, and back in January by our current Commander-in-Chief" she explained.
"The 2nd pardon also includes ordering the murder of 2 FBI Agents" said Fornell.
The road was all but deserted as FBI Special Agents Hannah Scott and Derrick Eckerd drove along. They were using a US Mail truck to disguise the shipment on its way to the J. Edgar Hoover Building in D.C. "Man, what we got back there, is enough to put Sonny Corinthos behind bars for the rest of his life" Agent Eckerd bragged.
"Not only that, but with what we got, we have enough to give his son Anthony the needle" Agent Scott commented.
"Must have been some source who gave us all that stuff on The Corinthos Family" Eckerd said.
"From what I heard, everything he gave us was about DiNozzo" Agent Scott said. "Supposedly knew him pretty well"
Before Agent Eckerd could say anything else, there were several loud pops and the van started to skid. "Damn it" Eckerd said as pulled the van to the side of the road. Both Agents exited the van and checked the tires on their respective sides. "Tires are shredded" Eckerd said.
"Same here" observed Agent Scott. Both Agents pulled out there cell phones. "I don't have a signal" she said.
"Me either" said Agent Eckerd as some headlights approached. Using their flashlights, the agents flagged down the driver. The driver pulled over and exited her black 1968 Pontiac GTO. "Thanks, can you give one of us a lift to the nearest town" Eckerd said as the 2 agents approached the car. Using her gloved right hand, the driver quickly pulled a gun, a P99, and quickly fired 5 shots at each of the agents. With both agents on the ground, the shooter fired an addition rounds in the face of each of the agents. The shooter quickly ejected the spent clip and inserted another.
With the 2 agents dead, the shooter holstered her weapon and approached the trunk of her car. She opened it and pulled out a gas can. She walked up to the back of the mail truck and poured the contents of the can, dowsing the boxes of files and evidence. Once the can was empty, she tossed it in. she pulled out a cigarette book and light the entire pack, tossing it inside.
Once the flames hit the gas tank, the truck erupted into a fireball, destroying all evidence inside. Satisfied with her work, the shooter got back in her GTO, fired up 455 cubic inch, V8 engine and sped away.
"Although, in DiNozzo's defense, we the one asset we did have inside the Corinthos Family did indicate that the order bypassed DiNozzo, coming directly from Corinthos himself" said Special Agent Shaw.
"You have an asset inside the Corinthos Crime Family?" Paris asked.
"We did" said Fornell. "US Army Captain William Hazard" he said. "Captain Hazard got pretty close to DiNozzo before his incarceration. While serving 18 months in Leavenworth, Mr. Hazard's head was blown off by a sawed-off shotgun" he said as he produced a gruesome photo of the deceased. "The shooter was former Staff Sergeant Robert Hairston, who was serving life for murdering his CO. Staff Sergeant Hairston is the cousin-in-law of Megan Martin"
"Why are you telling me all this?" she asked.
"Because over the past several months, the murder rate in the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area have spiked dramatically. We believe that Garretson, on the orders of DiNozzo, has been targeting the various drug gangs in and around the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area. Agent Shaw and I have competing theories as to why that is" Fornell said. "I think it's so that the Corinthos Family can takeover the area's drug trade" said Fornell.
"And I think the reason has nothing to do with the drugs" said Agent Shaw. "Like Carlo Gambino and Paul Castellano before him, Sonny Corinthos operates under a "deal and die" policy when it comes to drugs. However, unlike the previous two, Sonny has never turned a blind eye to it; using his sons to enforce the policy" Jordan explained. "Case & point: Joseph "Skull" Scully Sr., former Caporégime of the Port Charles Crew. In December 1995, Sonny learned that Scully had been using Corinthos money to front his cocaine deals. Sonny sent his son to deal with it. We found Scully floating in Port Charles Harbor a couple of days later; shot right through the eye" she paused. "My personal theory is that DiNozzo is targeting the drug gangs because fewer drugs ultimately leads to less overdoses, less addicts and less crime. If there are fewer addicts, then there won't be as many crimes committed to fuel those addictions. When street crime goes down, the local LEOs back off of DiNozzo, allowing him to take over the streets with his more "acceptable" crimes" she said.
"So you think he's doing a public service" Paris surmised.
"He is" Jordan said.
"He's having people murdered" Fornell broke in.
"Nigger and Spic drug dealers" Jordan turned to him. "You know how many mothers of any and all races would be thrilled if they found out that drugs aren't gonna flow into their neighborhoods anymore?" she said. "But the fact remains, we are all Federal Agents, who have sworn to uphold the law and put the bad guys behind bars. The only way that we will ever have a shot at taking down the Corinthos Family is if we get someone else on the inside"
"We want you to be that person" said Fornell. Paris honestly didn't know what to say. "You don't have to decide anything now; take the rest of the day. We'll still be here" he said.
With that, Paris got up and left the room. She made her way down back to the main floor where she walked passed Agents Burley and Blackadder, who were escorting in a prisoner. She moved aside, letting them pass, as Agent Gibbs followed. Once they were cleared, she moved again, at the same time that Tony was stepping off the elevator. Paris silently followed him through the bullpens back towards his office. When they reached it, Tony shed his jacket, laying it on the back on his chair. As he took a seat, he grabbed a remote off his desk and switched on the TV that sat in the corner, leaving it on mute. He changed the channel to CNN. In the corner of her eye, Paris recognized the women speaking as White Press Secretary Stephanie McMahon.
"I heard a rumor about you" Paris finally spoke up.
"Oh yeah" Tony said, not looking up from his desk. "What's that?" he asked.
"Is it true that your Harry Truman's grandson?" she asked.
"Great Grandson" Tony said, looking up. "The rumor is that I'm President Truman's Great Grandson" he corrected her.
"So it's true?" she asked.
"No" Tony said.
"So then why does everyone think you are?"
"The same reason every other goddamn fucking rumor gets started; somebody got bored one day, that's all". There was no more chit chat until there was a knock on the door. Tony looked up again; Gibbs was standing in the doorway. "What's up, Gunny?" Tony asked.
"You know the case I'm working?" Gibbs asked.
"Kidnapping right?" Tony asked.
"Yeah" Gibbs said. "4-year old girl" he said. "We got the guy that took her, but he wont tell us where she is until we give him a deal" Gibbs said.
"We don't cut deals with perverts" Tony said.
"That's why I need your help" Gibbs replied.
"Come with me" Tony said to Paris as he stood up and quickly moved out of the office. Paris followed quickly behind as they moved towards the interrogation rooms. Tony threw open the door, pausing briefly to look over the man sitting there. He was a middle-aged white guy, who gave off an air of smugness.
"And who are you?" the man smiled. "Good cop or bad cop?"
"Good Cop and bad cop went home for the day" Tony said. "I a different kind of cop" he said, a look of stone on his face. Tony rushed forward, and grabbed the guy by the collar. "Move!" he screamed as he tossed the man into the hallway. he grabbed the man by the back of the neck and quickly rushed him down the hallway towards the men's room. Paris quickly followed. Tony threw the man inside against the wall. He then grabbed him again and slammed his face into the mirror. "Bar the door" he yelled. Paris quickly bolted the door. Tony then picked the man up and slammed his head off the hand dryer several times, before delivering several shots himself. "You ready to tell me where that little girl is?" he paused. When the man remained silent, he continued the beating. After several more shots, Tony got back up and delivered several hard kicks to the man's ribs. He then looked towards Paris. Paris came forward and stomped on the man's head a couple of times before delivering more kicks to his ribs.
"You ready to talk?" she said as she drew her sidearm, dropping down and placing it on the man's crotch. "Or should we make you a he-she" she said as she cocked the hammer.
"You won't do it" the man grinned a bloody grin.
"Oh well" Paris said as she pulled the trigger.
"AHHHHHHHHH!" The man screamed as the bullet past through what he claimed was his manhood.
"Now tell me where she is or the next one will be in your head" she said, moving the barrel of the gun to his temple.
Outside in the hallway, Agent Gibbs stood patiently. After 3 more guns shots ran out, he heard the bolt unlocked and the door opened. Paris and Tony both stepped out; leaving a bloody corpse on the floor behind them. "He has a basement apartment in Fairfax under an assumed name" Tony told him. Paris then handed him a piece of paper with the address.
2230 hours local time, 23 June 2003, Mess Hall, 8063rd M*A*S*H, Al-Khalaf, Iraq
Three sat quietly as he picked at the trey of food in front of him. "How the hell can you eat that?" asked Captain Benoit as she sat down across from him.
"Oh, I've scarfed down far worse than this" he said as he took another bit of what Jeanne termed Salisbury "misteak".
"Like what?" she asked as she sipped her coffee.
"Pickled goat's bladder" Three smiled.
"You're disgusting" Jeanne said.
"You spent your last shift with your hands in our guys guts" Three said. "Speaking of which, how's my team?"
"They'll be out of action for a little while" Jeanne said as she took another sip of her coffee. "1st Sergeant Martin and Sergeant Smith both have concussions, some cracked ribs, and other minor injuries. Both should be back on their feet in a few days and back to duty next week" she said.
"And Tali?" he asked.
"Master Sergeant Colleton is another matter" Jeanne paused. "She went through quite an ordeal, one quite worse than her teammates. She will be out of action for considerably longer"
"Will she be back in time for the run to Baghdad?" Three asked.
"Yet to be determined" Jeanne said.
"You're a real help, ya know that?" Three grinned as he wolfed down the rest of his tray.
"Well, I will say this, when it comes to your table manners, you are certainly not your father" Jeanne said.
"Nope" Three said as he gulped down the rest of his coffee. "Can I see them?" he asked.
"Go right ahead" Jeanne said. "I'm gonna get another cup of coffee" she said. Three gave her a nod as he stood up and walked out, dumping his try in the bin by the door. He made his way across the compound to his Humvee, pulling a bag out of the back. He then made his way to the post-op ward, where his teammates were resting. He made his way inside, where he began to return to his teammates their weapons, both their rifles and side arms.
If said at the proper pace and tempo, the United States Army Ranger Creed takes 28 Seconds to recite
Recognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession, I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor, and high esprit de corps of the Rangers.
Acknowledging the fact that a Ranger is a more elite soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea, or air, I accept the fact that as a Ranger my country expects me to move further, faster and fight harder than any other soldier.
Never shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong and morally straight and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be, one-hundred-percent and then some.
Gallantly will I show the world that I am a specially selected and well-trained soldier. My courtesy to superior officers, neatness of dress and care of equipment shall set the example for others to follow.
Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.
Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective and complete the mission though I be the lone survivor
After he finished returning their weapons, Three quietly made his exit, as quietly as he had entered.
1800 hours, 23 June 2003, NCIS Headquarters, Washington Navy Yard, Washington D.C.
It was just before 1800 when Gibbs and his team returned with the girl. Tony and Paris were waiting for him in the bullpen. "She ok?" Tony asked.
"Not yet, but she will be. Thanks to the two of you" he replied. "Ducky figures that she wouldn't have made it much longer. The 2 of you probably saved her life" he added.
"All in a days work" Tony said as he uncrossed his arms and pushed himself off the desk he was leaning on. "I'll see ya in the morning, Gunny" Tony said as he headed for the stairs.
"Agent Gibbs, can I ask you a question?" she asked.
"What?" Gibbs replied.
"What's the problem between Agent DiNozzo and Agent Fornell?" she asked. "It's like they hate each other" she added.
"They do" Gibbs said. "Have you ever heard of Robert Hanssen?"
"Yeah" Paris nodded. "He's one of the biggest traitor's in our nation's history"
"Agent Fornell was his partner and best friend" Gibbs said. "DiNozzo was part of the team that took him down" Gibbs said.
"Tony was with the FBI?" she asked.
"No" Gibbs said. "They brought in DiNozzo for the take down" Gibbs said. "Fornell takes it personally, against DiNozzo" he said.
"Thank you, Agent Gibbs" she said.
"Sure" Gibbs said as he walked away. Once he was gone, Paris made her way up to the conference room, where Agents Fornell and Shaw were waiting for her.
"Ah, Agent Summerskill, we've been waiting" Fornell said.
"So I see" Paris said.
"Have you given any thought to our offer?" Fornell asked.
"I have" Paris said. "And I can tell you that this morning, Agent DiNozzo violated US Code Article 32, Section 1203, paragraph A" Paris said. "And I will gladly testify to that effect" she said.
"What is US Code Article 32, Section 1203, paragraph A?" Fornell asked as Agent Shaw began laughing behind him. "What?" Fornell asked as he turned to her.
"US Code Article 32, Section 1203, paragraph A is…" Agent Shaw paused.
"Parking an official vehicle of the Government of the United States of America more than 12 inches from the curb" Paris said.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Fornell said as he stood up, throwing his chair back.
"Not at all" Paris told him. "A couple times in fact" she added.
"You're pathetic" Fornell yelled at her. "No better than all the rest of them.
"No Agent Fornell, you're the one who's pathetic" Paris told her. "I had a little conversation with Agent Gibbs. He clued me in on the beef between you and Agent DiNozzo" she told him. "You were partnered with Robert fucking Hanssen. Are you fucking kidding me? Even if Agent DiNozzo was a bad as you say he is, which he most certainly isn't, it would even begin to pale in comparison to the damage your best friend did to this country" she said. "Have a nice life" she said as she stormed out.
1930 hours, 23 June 2003, The Gun Runner, Alexandria, Virginia.
"Thanks" Tony said as the bartender handed Tony a bottle of Budweiser. Tucked along the Alexandria Waterfront on the Potomac River was The Gun Runner, which was run by Blaine Parker, a former Marine and Vietnam Veteran who had crossed paths with Sonny, Wes and other members of their team numerous times. Tony stepped away from the bar and made his way to his usual table in the back of the bar.
"Can I get you anything else?" asked a waitress who had come over to him.
"Yeah, get me a bowl of chili, will ya please" he said.
"Coming right up" the young girl nodded. Tony sat there along for a few minutes before a familiar face entered the bar. Tony waived her back.
"Where's your detail?" he asked as she slid into the booth adjacent to him, dropping her purse on his outstretched leg.
"They're outside" Meg replied. "Scotch and soda" she said as the waitress handed Tony his bowl of Chili. "It's like 80-someodd degrees out and your eating chili?" Meg asked.
"Get off my back" Tony mumbled, his mouth full of the aforementioned chili.
"Oh, you'll never guess what came in the mail today?" she said as she reached into her purse.
"Please tell me that it isn't my divorce papers, the ones that I'm totally not gonna sign" he said.
"Isn't Tea handling your divorce?" she asked.
"Yeah" Tony nodded. "What happens when I refuse to sign?" he asked.
"I'll take her a hell of a lot longer, but she'll get it, eventually" Meg warned him. "Especially if she goes after your "hidden assets"" she warned.
"And if she does?" Tony asked. "I have billions in unreported offshore accounts, that's a long prison stint if she blabs about them" she said.
"Even if she blabs, the IRS will never find them, making it her word against yours" Meg said as the waitress brought her, her drink. "And actually, those accounts you so refer to are actually in Sonny's name, not yours" Meg said. "Other than your personal assets and bank account, which like my husband's is quite pitiful, you have very little"
"I have Vella La Cava" he said.
"Which you own through a shell corporation" Meg said. "Again, legally speaking, the island is owned by Antonio Falconeri, an Italian National from Palermo" she said.
"And so it shall remain" Tony grinned as he took a sip of beer. "So what came in the mail?" he asked.
"This" she said as she handed him a white envelope. Tony wiped off his hands and took it from her, pulling out the contents, laughing as he read it over. "You are cordially to the Wedding of Brigadier General Michael Santino Corinthos Jr., U.S.A ret. and Commander Margaret Elizabeth Poole, U.S.N. ret." he read.
"How many marriages will this make now?" she asked.
"You know how many" he replied.
"I know, I just love hearing you say it" she smiled.
"6 ok, this will be his 6th marriage. You fucking happy now?"
"Always" Meg said as the payphone on the wall next to her rang. "Yeah" she said as she grabbed it. "Right" she said as she held out the phone for Tony. "It's Jordan" she said.
"Speak" Tony said, taking the phone.
"She turned us down flat" said a female voice.
"You're sure?" Tony asked.
"Apparently, she asked Gibbs about the, well let's just call it the problem between you and Fornell" she told him. "After she found out that Fornell was Hanssen's partner, she didn't want anything to do with him" she said.
"Well you've certainly earned your pay for today Agent Shaw" Tony smiled.
"You need anything else?" she asked.
"Nah, that's it for now" Tony told her. "Have a goodnight, Jordie" he told her.
"Goodnight boss" Jordan said. Meg shook her head as Tony passed her the phone so she could hang it up.
"You do realize that I just watched you commit a felony" she said.
"The same felony you committed last month when you convinced Blaine to install the damn thing" he said.
"What did she want?"
"She wanted to let me know that my new probie turned down Fornell's offer to be his mole in NCIS" he said.
"You don't really think that Fornell replaced his old partner do you?" Meg asked.
"I don't know" Tony shrugged. "I'm just glad that I don't have to kill her" Tony said.
"You're a bad man" Meg grinned.
"While working for President Truman, my grandfather shot a railroad engineer who refused to keep the President's train moving" Tony said. "Someone has to bury the bodies" he said solemnly.
"You seem almost proud of it" she observed.
"Over the past 20 years, I've helped Sonny sell weapons to various entities across the world, from the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan during the Soviet Invasion, to the Quebecois National Army up north, ETA in the Basque Region of Spain, and god knows how many millions of dollars in arms we've shipped to IRA" he paused. "And now the Republic of Quebec and Republic of Ireland are free and independent nations. I'd call that a win" he added. "They'll come a time in your life when you realize that you have to do the wrong thing for the right reasons" he paused. "Look at the Kursk Bombing for example"
"over 500 people were killed in that attack" she said.
"And I brought about an end to the Soviet Union" Tony pointed out.
"Why Kursk?" Meg asked. "What did you have to do with it?" she asked. "Oh God Tony, you didn't?"
"No" Tony shook his head. "I'm just using it as an example"
"5 minutes" Tony said, checking his watch. After making there exit from the sewer system, Tony and Liz setup an overwatch position on the 4th floor of an apartment building approximately a mile away from the target.
"So this is it" she said, a hint of nervousness in her voice.
"This is it" Tony said as he pull a pair of binoculars from his pack. "3 minutes" he said. "Get ready" he said, as he prepped the detonator.
"What's the time-delay?" she asked.
"5 second delay" he said. "Ok" he paused, checking his watch. "Countdown from 60 seconds" he said. "Here we go" he said. This was it, if they succeeded, it would be one hell of a Christmas present. "10…9…8…7…6…"
"5…4…" Liz continued.
"3…2…1…" Tony slammed on the detonator. Then it happened. The building and the bunker below it, exploded into a massive fireball. The shockwave blew out windows for miles around. It was so strong, that even a mile away, 3 stories up, the shockwave is powerful enough to knock Tony and Liz off their feet, slamming them both to the floor.
"Ahh" Tony said, grabbing his head. Both of them were cut up from the broken glass.
"Next time, 2 miles" Liz said as she pushed herself up.
"Right" Tony replied as Liz walked over to the window. "Holy shit" she said, looking down at the landscape below. Tony got up and joined her. "What have we done?" she added. The KGB Regional Headquarters had been turned into a smoldering crater. There was no way anyone could have survived that.
"We've just ended the Cold War" Tony said.
"Just an example" he repeated as he finished his beer and signaled for another. "So how's the estate tax thing going?" he asked trying to change the subject.
"They're going for a full repeal" she said.
"You know what the President has to do right?" Tony said as the waitress brought them another round of drinks. "Article 1, Section 7"
"A veto?" Meg asked. "It's an election year, and you want the President to oppose a tax cut?"
"No oppose, veto" Tony said. "And he hasn't vetoed a bill yet, which makes this one more serious"
"He's only been in office for 7 months, what do you expect?" Meg asked.
"Get him to veto the damn bill" Tony said. "Also, get my fucking subpoena quashed" he growled.
"I may already have" Meg said. "Hey, Blaine, turn that up" she yelled.
"You got Mrs. Martin" Blaine replied as he turned up the TV, which was tuned to CNN. Speaking was Congressman Duncan L. Hunter, Republican of California and Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.
"This is an election year, and in some states the voting begins in less than 6 months. People deserve answers now, and not at the snail's pace of Barack Obama's hand-picked prosecutor…so tonight I am announcing that the House Armed Services Committee will be gaveled to session to begin holding hearings into the matter of then-Captain Barack Obama's conduct while a member of the United States Army JAG Corps. We will also be looking into the possible abuse of power, use of taxpayer money, and political influence used by this administration…"
They didn't listen to the rest. "To the wrong thing" Meg said as she raised her glass.
"For the right reason" Tony finished as they clinked glasses.
A/N- PLEASE REVIEW!
(Liz's voice)- Next time on "28 Seconds: Blood & Iron"-
In Iraq, Three and Dante clash over the tactics employed by their Kurdish Allies, forcing Lieutenants Galtier and Hagan to intervene. Later, Three questions Deeks' commitment to Tali. In Port Charles, Allen and Liz face negative backlash after Allen's primary opponent releases an anti-war ad. In D.C., after the President vetoes the estate tax repeal, the White House faces the possibility of an override. Meanwhile, Tony and Paris watch on as they attempt to help the President strike a deal. Finally, in Israel, Austin and Liat's date is suddenly and violently interrupted.
A/N-2- Also, if anyone is interested, I'm still looking for what I call a "muse tester" for this story. Just PM me if you are interested.