Red Sky in Morning- WEE for Sazzita
Chapter 2
He rested his head on his shoulder awkwardly, eyes closed. The agents had left a couple of hours ago when he stopped talking. He tried telling himself that there was something in the experience of being a suspect that would help him the next time he had to interrogate someone and he should focus on that, but the only thing showing up in his head was the possibility he'd never interrogate anyone ever again.
He heard the door open, but he didn't open his eyes. The older agents and their techniques annoyed him, and he was determined not to talk again until he saw a friendly face.
Something got tossed on the table and he sat up, blinking. A package of Nutter Butters skittered across the table and landed in his lap. He looked up and saw Fornell standing. "I heard you like these things. Found 'em in a vending machine."
"Does Gibbs know?" It surprised him how important that was.
"Just found out myself. They tried to keep me out of the loop. I've been arguing with the head of the Organized Crime unit the last hour."
"They're really invoking the Patriot Act? Denying me my rights?"
Fornell sighed and sat down. "It's a stretch and one I don't think is going to work for them. I think I convinced them that this would not be the correct strategy."
Tim swallowed. "I was doing something legal with permission. I had no idea. I never shared technology that wasn't public. I don't…I just don't…believe that my school buddy is mobbed up."
"Yeah, well, he is. Born into it. Probably was an innocent kid when you knew him, but the lure of easy money is too much for most people."
"They said I was guilty of treason."
Fornell winced. "Those guys play hard and they play mean. Just like the guys they're hunting. Organized Crime is no joke."
"I want to talk to my boss."
Before Fornell could answer, there was a disturbance in the hall, a bang on the door, and then DiNozzo burst through with Caruso and Patterson barreling through behind him. They attempted to tackle him, but Tony slipped through and danced over to the other side of the room.
"He said he was his lawyer," Patterson said, his face red with exertion. "Agent in the elevator recognized him as NCIS!"
Caruso tried to circle around the table, but Tony feinted to the left. Fornell stood up. "Enough! All of you! Stop!"
"You're under arrest, DiNozzo, for criminal trespass." Patterson spouted.
"Up yours, Patterson. I just came to see what you were doing with my partner! You're the ones who kidnapped him. Assholes!" DiNozzo stayed in a crouch, ready for attack. "Don't worry, McGee. I'm breaking you out of there."
Fornell turned to Patterson and Caruso. "Out! Now!"
"I knew you would louse this up, Fornell! Wait until the chief hears this!"
"Just spent the last hour with him. Why don't the two of you go check in him? He's not crazy about how the two of you played this."
"Go to hell, Tobias!" Caruso growled as he herded Patterson out of the room.
Tony sat down next to McGee. "What in holy McHell did you get yourself into?"
McGee looked away, shaking his head.
"I assume Jethro will be storming the building soon."
"I told Bishop to interrupt them in MTAC when I got here and found out what you idiots were up to."
"Come on, DiNozzo," Fornell said. "I didn't even know."
"Is he under arrest?"
"He was. I convinced Organized Crime to rethink that. I don't think he's a criminal anymore than you do, but he sure as hell got himself into a big mess."
McGee looked up at Fornell. "I can go?"
"There's still a lot to talk about, but I think there are more better ways to get it done. I figure you need some sleep and a shower to start."
He jerked at the handcuff. "Then get this thing off me!"
Fornell worked the cuff off his wrist. "The tech guys still can't get into your computers. It would help if you gave a password."
"No way," Tony said, shaking his head emphatically. "He's not giving you anything right now. We talk to Gibbs first."
"Cooperating would help."
"Cooperating!?" McGee jumped up, massaging his wrist. "You got to be kidding me! I get shanghaied from my apartment in the middle of the night and interrogated while denied counsel for God knows how many hours. What time is it anyway?"
"4 p.m. What time did they take you?" Tony retrieved the Nutter Butters from the floor.
"My alarm said 1:30 a.m. Denied a phone call. Nothing to eat or drink. I haven't been allowed a trip to the can. Nothing!" McGee's face flushed. "I cooperated all night long until they start accusing me of treasonous acts. I've had enough!" He ran a hand through his hair and walked out the door.
Tony looked at Fornell. "Get a good look at this. You don't see McGee hit a wall very often, but when it happens, he is immovable."
"This isn't going away, Tony."
He jabbed a finger at Fornell. "Well, whatever happens next better be a lot more civilized than this was."
….
McGee stood in the middle of his apartment and took it all in. There were his precious books strewn all over the floor. From where he stood, he could see the clothes from his closet and drawers piled high on his bed. He said nothing. Tony was doing plenty of that for both of them. DiNozzo strung together curses that had never before been introduced. He vowed revenge in various forms as he picked up books and piled them on McGee's shelves.
"I know you have a certain order, Tim. Let me just get them off the floor at least."
Tim acknowledged him with a nod and drifted over to a window, staring down at the street. "What did I do?"
Tony stood up with a pile of books in his arms. "You didn't do anything wrong. I know you better than I know myself. You did everything the right way. Hell, you even asked Vance for permission to freelance. I mean, who does that?"
"It's policy, Tony," he replied with a hint of annoyance.
"Exactly. You do everything by the book. These guys got overzealous. The Organized Crime guys get too close to all the easy money and short cuts. They think they can bully their way through everything."
"I never knew he was anyone other than Paul Lombard."
"We'll work it out. Don't worry." Tony pulled out his phone. "I am taking pictures of this carnage. There will be retribution."
"I feel like an idiot," he sighed.
"Enough of that."
They both turned to find Gibbs in the doorway.
"Look what they did!" Tony said, gesturing to the room.
Gibbs stayed focused on McGee. "You didn't get any sleep last night, did ya?."
He shook his head.
"Pack a bag. You're coming to stay with me."
"Come on, Boss. I want to stay here. I just want to be alone."
"No, you don't." Gibbs stepped around books on the floor. "The warrant was signed for a week in total. They could come back at any time and search again. You don't want to be here for that."
McGee shook his head. "I think I stepped into something big, and I don't think you can get me out of it. This didn't just start yesterday."
"No, it didn't. It started sometime before you got permission to do some consulting work."
McGee swallowed. "You knew about that?"
"Vance knows better than to give you permission for something like that without talking to me."
"Yeah, I was wondering about that, myself," Tony said. "When did that start? I mean, you've been a little off for a while now. You work enough hours for two people and you wanted another job? I don't get it."
Gibbs' eyes never left McGee's. "Tony, go pack him a bag. He's coming to stay with me."
"I am not!" McGee slapped the windowsill.
"Tony."
DiNozzo slipped into the bedroom and left the two of them.
McGee rubbed his mouth. "I just think it would be better if I handled this myself."
"I think you've been trying to handle it by yourself for some time now. How's that working for you?"
"Boss, you're not the kind of man to reach out for help. Why can't I be that kind of man too?"
"Really?!" Gibbs chortled. "You aspire to that?"
"You are your own man."
"And I've spent much of the last twenty years being a closed off, ornery son of a bitch. Tim, haven't you seen a change in me the last few years?"
Tim furrowed his brow. "I guess so."
"I've let myself have family again, and it feels good."
"Sometimes, a man wants to protect his family or, at least, to not burden them."
Gibbs took a deep breath in. "One day, some day, I'm going to get sick. It's just how life works. When that happens, do you want me to hide that from you?"
Tony appeared in the doorway and leaned against it, watching the two of them.
Tim shook his head. "I know what it's like because my father did that and it's wrong. I don't want you to do that."
"When things go wrong, you let family in. That's what you do. I may be a slow learner, but I'm clear on that."
"These are my mistakes," he said softly.
"The boss and I have your six, Tim. Always been that way, always will be."
Tony said. "I packed a bag for you. I found all your favorite things. Made sure I put in your dental floss, fresh toothbrush, some nice lotion, fresh boxers, your favorite stuffed animal,-"
"DiNozzo!"
…..
McGee stared up at the sky. It was hard to find the stars living in the city, even on the clearest of nights. He remembered how amazed he'd been at the bright stars the first time he camped out. The camp leader had spent hours pointing out different constellations, and ignited an obsession in him with astronomy- an obsession that lasted until his father told him it was a useless science for a future Navy admiral. His father's continual disappointment still stung.
He heard a noise behind him and turned. Gibbs was standing there. "What are you doing on my front porch at 4 a.m.?"
"Couldn't sleep."
Gibbs eased down on the step next to him. "You really need to though, Tim. You and I are going to meet with Fornell in the morning."
"You never asked why I needed the money."
"You'll tell me when you're ready."
Tim nodded. "Thom E. Gemcity."
Gibbs frowned. "What about it?"
"I never finished my second book."
"I know."
"Two men died because of that book. I couldn't write it. Plus, I'd promised not to write about you again."
"You've always been good at keeping your promises."
McGee sighed. "My publisher sued me for breach of contract."
"Yeah, I remember. You said that it got taken care of."
"Well, not exactly," he said. "You see, the truth is that I lost the case. I appealed, and it sat in appellate court for a few years, but I lost that too. A judgment came down a few months ago. I owe my publisher roughly $100,000. 60 for the book and 40 for court costs."
"That's ridiculous! You can't…there must be further avenues for appeal."
"It's expensive, Boss, and I'm tired of it. Every time, I have to deal with it, I'm confronted with those deaths. I just want it done."
"You should've said something, Tim."
"So we all could remember back to the time I almost got Abby killed? I don't think so. The truth is that I did the wrong thing when I wrote those books, and these are the consequences."
"How did you get hooked up with Paul?"
"I'm part of an alumni community through MIT. When I realized that I was going to pay up to $6,000 a month, I knew that I needed extra cash. I talked to Vance, and told him that it was a personal matter, and he gave me a 6 month exception for 40 hours a month. So I put up a message saying I was looking for consulting work. Paul contacted me the next day."
"He knew you were NCIS?"
"Yup. Full disclosure. I made it clear that I wouldn't use any classified technology. I mean, that's the weird part. Knowing all that, why would he want anything to do with me?"
Gibbs sighed. "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."
"He showed me his setup. Admittedly, it didn't look like much. That should've been a clue. It was a probably a front."
"Yeah, I'm sure you weren't studying anything too closely."
"I thought I followed all the rules. I did a background check on Paul, and there was nothing there. Of course, his family connections weren't going to show up there, but I should've gone further. How did I not know he was mobbed up?"
They were both silent for a few moments, side by side on the steps. Then McGee shook his head. "Man, I deserve whatever I got coming."
Gibbs squeezed his shoulder. "Don't do that. That's the part of you that has always concerned me. Remember when you confessed to murdering Lieutenant Benedict? You internalize what you see as your mistakes. You're ready to take the fall. You think you deserve punishment. This kind of thinking worries me. It always has."
Tim looked at him. "I know you hate apologies."
"So don't give me one. What's done is done. The first order of business is getting out of this mess with the FBI."
"Yeah." He pointed at the sky. "I used to love looking at the constellations. I was thinking about that before you came out here."
Gibbs nodded. "Growing up in Stillwater, they were as clear as day up in the sky. You lose so much of that in city life. I miss it."
McGee sighed. "Me too, Boss. Me too."
…..
McGee and DiNozzo sat in the reception area of FBI Assistant Director Madison's office. In chairs across from them sat Agents Caruso and Patterson, arms folded across their chests. No one said a word since they arrived, but it was clear that there was no love lost between the two pairs.
Finally Patterson spoke. "It must be nice being an admiral's son. How many favors did daddy have to call in to buy you a free pass?"
McGee looked away but DiNozzo leaned forward. "Ugly and dumb: How did your mama ever stand it?"
"Tony," McGee warned.
"Cheap shots," Caruso growled. "That all you got, DiNozzo?"
"Caruso, it truly amazes me that our people came over from the same country?"
Caruso snorted. "I look at you and I see nothing but a haircut and a suit. I bet you've never had a decent Sunday gravy with gnocchi in your entire life."
"I look at you and I don't see anything but a big old greasy meatball."
Caruso started to get up, but Patterson stopped him. "Sit down! You trying to get fired?"
Caruso glared and pointed. "You and me, DiNozzo."
Tony grinned. "I can't wait."
"We're not done with you, McGee. Your daddy can't fix everything for you."
"He didn't fix anything for me, Agent Patterson. Everything I told you was the truth."
Patterson shook his head. "If that's true, then you are one stupid son of a bitch."
Tony lunged at Patterson, but McGee tackled him from behind. Caruso and Patterson were on their feet shouting, and then a man was shouting, "That's enough!"
Tony and Tim rolled over to find to Director Vance standing over them. The door to the office opened and Gibbs and Fornell came out followed by Assistant Director Madison. Gibbs shook his head. "Get off the floor, both of you!"
Vance extended a hand to Madison. "Damn, I'm sorry about this, Bill. I expect better out of my people."
Madison gave Caruso and Patterson a long look. "I suspect that there was more than enough provocation. Come in my office and let's talk."
Gibbs gestured to McGee. "You too."
Tony threw up his hands. "You going to leave me out here with these gorillas?!"
Gibbs rolled his eyes. "Get in here, DiNozzo."
The door closed on the two original agents on the case.
…..
Madison looked down at McGee seated at the conference table. "Son, you have a hell of a long list of references."
Tim jerked his head in Vance's direction. "Did someone call my dad?"
He shook his head.
Madison chuckled. "A Navy admiral doesn't carry much weight in this office. You're being backed by Gibbs, Vance, and Fornell."
McGee looked around the table. "Thanks to all of you. I had no idea that Paul was doing anything criminal."
"They all believe that," Madison said as he walked the room. "As for me…I don't know. Right now, we have an excellent circumstantial case that puts you behind bars for 20 years. Without the support you're getting, we would be charging you."
Tony sucked in air.
McGee blinked. "So…what happens now?"
Madison stopped and looked at him. "We use you to infiltrate the Lombardozzi organization."
"Undercover?" He asked slowly.
"Yup."
"Ah, Boss," Tony said half rising out of his seat. "Can you explain how that's not such a good idea?"
Gibbs gave him a sharp look and DiNozzo dropped back into his seat.
"I echo DiNozzo's concern," Vance said with a sour look on his face. Doesn't seem well-planned. Looks like we're just jumping on an opportunity. A good undercover operation requires a lot of coordination."
"Gibbs and I will be running it jointly," Fornell said.
Gibbs still sat there silently.
"I'm not known for my undercover work, but..um…I'll do what it takes to make this right." McGee figured it was good that his hands were safely under the table. He had to clasp them together tightly to stop the tremors.
"Gibbs, you gonna just sit there impersonating a statue all day?" Vance said.
Gibbs looked at McGee. "First thing that needs to happen is for me to fire you."
…..