Fohn
Inside MTAC, Director Vance and Buchanan were waiting for the incoming call from the SecNav. While the tech prepared the equipment, the Director turned to his profiler, and saw her staring at the MTAC screen with a worried expression on her face.
"Care to explain what happened in my bullpen, Agent Buchanan," he wants to know.
"I don't have the foggiest idea sir." Vance hears astonishment in her voice, "one moment we were talking, the next my hand had already gotten ahead and…" she frowns, "I had no intention of hitting him, believe me."
He studies her face for a moment, and sees that she's as shocked at her own actions as anyone else.
"Will I have to formally reprimand you and McGee?"
"No sir," she straightens her back as the video conference starts, "it won't happen again."
SecNav live link came up on the screen, and both NCIS agents turned to him.
"Director Vance, I believe you have already received the formal request from the FBI to use your facilities," says SecNav.
"Yes, indeed. NCIS will gladly offer any assistance necessary during this time of need, sir."
SecNav looks at the other agent, "Agent Buchanan, I presume."
"Yes, Sir."
"I've heard a lot about you."
Joy smirked, "You may ignore all the good things anyone might have said about me, sir," Vance turns to his agent, and she smiles at him, "whatever they've said, they've lied."
SecNav smiles at her, "I see you have your mother's warped sense of humor." He becomes serious again, "I was informed that you visited the site. What could you tell us about the situation in Waverly?"
Joy turns serious as well, and starts her report:
"Initial witness statements report shots being fired at the Willmington dormitory, approximately 6h40 am. Metro Police arrived approximately twelve minutes later, found three dead, no shooter. They stayed at the crime scene until eight, when the bodies were taken away and the building returned to their residents. Video surveillance from the building was taken to be analyzed by the PD. At exactly 9:04 am another phone call was made to 911, now reporting shots being fired across campus, in Hilsburg Hall, where the shooter proceeded to visit all classes with students on the second floor, and leave a trail of death in his wake."
"How many victims?" asks Vance, and Buchanan blinks, trying to dispel the image of the carnage from her mind.
"Six faculty staff, twenty nine students, thirty five dead in total. Plus twenty nine wounded."
Both the Director and SecNav stay in silence for a moment, considering the ramifications of this tragedy.
Buchanan continues her report, "fortunately, we found four classes where people were able to lock themselves up and barricade the doors, impeding the shooter's access to the people within, or because he simply did not visit them. Two of those are on the first floor, room 103 and 106, both with a total of 42 in total. We also have room 207, where a professor with the help of her nineteen students was able to move a huge bookshelf, effectively blocking the door and saving everyone's lives inside. He shot at the door, but the bullets were stopped by the thick volumes on the bookcase. And finally, we have the students from room 305."
"What happened to those in room 305?"
Joy runs a shaking hand through her curly hair, and sighs, "apparently, professor Chewbowski, as soon as he heard the first shots being fired, relocated all his students from room 305 to room 309, just down the hall, because 305 had only one lock, while 309, as it was an Engineering Lab with expensive equipment inside, had two locks and a bolt on the door, just to avoid theft. As soon as he relocated the students, he heard a door opening on his floor, and he opened his own to investigate, as there should have been no one on his floor but his class. He found two other people in the corridor, going to the stairs. He invited them in, ordered the young man to lock the door after himself and barricade the door, and left to investigate the origin of the shots downstairs."
Joy bites her lower lip, and glances briefly with pained eyes to Director Vance, before continuing, "he was shot down shortly thereafter."
"How did the students in room 309 protect themselves?" Director Vance asks, and he sees his agent sending a troubled glance at him, "it is of my understanding that he did go to the third floor looking for victims, did he find them hiding? How come no harm came to those in 309?"
"The young man he found in the corridor with one of the students was a Marine, he barricaded the door with all equipment he and other students could move, and whatever they did not use as barricades he used as trenches where he hid all students behind. If the barricade failed, the trenches would be between any shots fired and the students," she sighs, "if the trenches also failed, he ordered the men to lay on top of the girls, and protect them with their own bodies if necessary."
"Good thinking," says SecNav.
"It didn't come to that, as the shooter went straight to 305, and as he did not find anyone there, he left the floor. He never found out that they were hiding in another room."
"Thank God for small mercies," SecNav says frowning, "I understand the FBI have presidential orders to provide a detailed report on the shooting, and we are willing to offer all support needed, but we won't set our own set of cases aside, nor can we offer personnel for them."
"That's not going to be a problem, as the FBI is sending their own techs over, they just need the physical space as well the equipment, as their labs are already working over their capacity, and the deadline kind of puts a strain on all involved."
"Agreed," SecNav turns to Director Vance, "keep me posted, Director Vance," he signs to someone out of picture, and the image is cut.
"Miss Sciutto doesn't like sharing her things and her lab with anyone," says Vance, turning to Buchanan.
Joy smirks, "believe me sir, she will have no qualms about working with the agent they are sending over."
They start walking towards the exit, but Director Vance stops, and Joy stops as well, "How is your brother, Agent Buchanan?"
Joy looks around the MTAC, and her eyes land on the MTAC techs signing off the machines behind the director. Vance turns around, and they feel his burning gaze on their backs.
"Leave," he orders, and they hurry out of the room.
He turns to his agent, and he sees her biting her lower lip, with her folded arms tightly around herself, trying to keep from crying.
"Agent Buchanan?"
"He woke up this morning a rich man, now he feels like a pauper."
"Elaborate on that."
"Sir," Buchanan approaches Director Vance, "Matthew is, first and foremost, a Marine. His first instinct in such situation is to assess the risks, study possible outcomes and protect as many civilians as possible," she shakes her head, "regardless of the civilian's intentions."
"He was the marine who barricaded the door at 309," says Vance.
"Yes sir," she looks at the screen, "but I didn't give SecNav the whole story." Vance frowns at this revelation.
"Explain yourself."
"He didn't find them due to a simple fluke of destiny," she stares at Vance, "he came to the third floor, and he shot at the door of 305, which was locked. The shots scared Sarah, who…" she sighs, "well, sir, she tried to scream, terrified."
"But she didn't," says Vance.
"No, because Matthew shut her up with his hand, and when that wasn't enough to keep her quiet, he…" Joy looks Vance in the eye, "he hit her."
Director Vance struggles to not show his surprise, "And that's why Agent McGee is pissed at you."
Joy smiles at the Director's choice of words, "that's why McGee's pissed at all things Buchanan." She shakes her head, "when he found out that, he didn't even blink, he advanced against Matthew and punched him, and ordered Matthew to keep his distance from Sarah."
"Did you try talking to him?" says Vance.
"Please, he hasn't been able to withstand my presence within fifteen feet from him, he won't be willing to listen what I have to say," says Buchanan, frustrated.
"Are you going to be able to keep on working on the team despite the current animosity between you two?"
Joy smirks, "sure, don't worry, we will work things out," she says, "after all, if there's one thing we Buchanans have in abundance, it's stubbornness, and he will hear me out," she starts leaving the MTAC, and Vance could swear he heard her muttering, "even if I have to duct tape him to his chair for it."
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