The next morning dawned bright and beautiful. Gibbs was awake to watch the sunrise, just as he was every day, thanks to Tali's permanent internal clock that always seemed to know when sunrise would be. Not even her late night before was enough keep her in bed longer. But Gibbs didn't really mind—how could he, when it was Tali's zest for life that made it easier for him to get up?
They followed their morning routine—get dressed in their clothes from yesterday, breakfast, then Tali went off to Auntie Abby while Gibbs went to oversee the other Residents. There were a myriad of tasks to accomplish, and the earlier they got done, the better. By now, all the Residents knew what to do, and they were good about getting it done. But he needed to be visible.
As the Voice, worked alongside the other Residents, not part of a specific task, but wherever he was needed. That was only when there weren't any Probies though. On the first day of Grace, it was Gibbs' job to give the official tour. Everything was shown to them except for the Resources. They would be told they were present, but specific locations were denied them until they made the choice to stay. It was for security purposes—it would be tempting for Rovers or Strays to try a steal some food or weapons when they went on their way.
But Fornell and his Rovers got to see Sanctuary in full swing, in the light of day. The Voice explained how Duties were assigned and rotated, for those that were not permanent. Guards and Angels were permanent, though Duty nights were rotated amongst three teams. That schedule was determined by Sergei, by whose decree the three teams themselves were permanent. It bred trust between the members of each team, and helped with unit cohesion. The Voice approved of the organization of the Patrols, and would have done the same had it been up to him. The Guards who were off-duty for any given night would be on Hunting duties during the day.
Duties for Maintenance around the Sanctuary were rotated weekly. Gathering wood, Planting, Fishing, Mending, and KP were all reassigned on Sunday mornings. They were tasks that did not need any particular skill, and thus all of the Residents could participate, so they did. Meals were prepared and served by those on KP, and then after they ate they also did Cleanup. The Sanctuary ate as a group, sometimes sitting around a fire, other times sitting at tables fashioned by Menders. The Residents would talk, even joke, amongst themselves as they ate, and to anyone watching, they would seem like a single, large family.
Fornell and his group took it all in silently, and the Voice could tell they were both amazed and impressed. Most Probies hadn't seen this level of camaraderie since before the Incident. Even the Voice had been surprised at how well the Residents got along, especially when their numbers continued to grow. But there were few instances of infighting, and all in all life within Sanctuary was peaceful. They lived and worked harmoniously, and it was that fact that usually persuaded Strays and Rovers to stay.
After the tour had been given, the Voice allowed the Rovers do some exploring on their own. The Residents knew to keep an eye on Probies on Grace. If they poked around where they weren't meant to, a Resident would gently but firmly guide them away. The only Rover who did not immediately wander off was Fornell, which the Voice had anticipated.
"You got quite a setup here," Fornell commented. The Voice grunted in acknowledgement. The former FBI agent shoved is hands into the pocket of his ragged hooded sweatshirt. "Look, Jethro, all my people… they're good. Decent people. They deserve to have someplace like this."
"I'm sure," the Voice replied wryly. "If they support the system, the system supports them. Simple. No need to persuade me to not be a bastard."
When Fornell didn't respond, the Voice softened. "How long you been Roving?"
"About thirteen months. After I turned back at the Border, I went back to DC."
"Not much there at that point," the Voice remarked.
Fornell smirked. "You're telling me. When I left it had been pure chaos. When I went back, it was like a ghost town. Never thought I'd see the day." He hesitated for a moment, then continued. "How did you manage to keep all your people alive?"
The Voice bristled, and for a long moment, he said nothing. But then, he softened slightly, and sighed.
"I didn't, Tobias."
Fornell muttered a shit under his breath. "I didn't—" the Voice waved him off, effectively silencing him. But when he didn't say anything himself, Fornell continued a single word. "Who?"
A long moment passed before Gibbs could find the voice to answer. "Ziva."
"Really?" The surprise in his voice could not be disguised. "Damn. Of all the people—wouldn't have expected her… How did it happen?" And for the love of God, Fornell added silently, do not say illness. The woman deserved a better death than that. Than wasting away from a simple cold that had turned absurdly devastating in the unsanitary world the Incident created.
"Bloods."
Mary Mother of God. Fornell's heart instinctively jumped to his throat at the uttering of that dreaded word. Within days of returning to DC he had become well aware of who the Black Blood Gang was. Bloodthirsty, brutal, and unstoppable were only a few ways they had been described to him, and he had discovered himself a few days later that those had been the nicer ways to describe the Gang.
"Jesus, Jethro…" If Fornell'd had a choice, he might've preferred illness.
"She went to the Georgetown Hospital for supplies," the Voice told him, his tone hard. "She never made it back."
Fornell snorted derisively, the shock and bitterness of the news impeding his ability to censor his more inappropriate reactions. "Shit…of course she didn't make it back! That hospital is smack in the middle of Blood territory! What the hell kind of insanity made her think to go there? Everybody knows the Bloods are there! Only an idiot would—"
Gibbs whirled on him. "What do you mean everyone knows they're there?"
"That area's all Blood, Jethro! You can't tell me you didn't know that."
Gibbs paused. "They settled?" Something within him flared when Fornell nodded. "They were mobile. They had just moved into the area when we left—we didn't even know for sure if they were still there."
"I don't know what to tell you, Jethro. They've been there for at least the past eighteen months. If what you tell me is true, then they've probably been there since you skipped town. Everyone knows to stick to the edges of the city, or else they'll start tracking you. They have half of DC by now."
"What else do you know?"
Fornell hesitated, momentarily taken aback by the sudden hunger in his old friend's eyes. "What's there to tell? They're fuckin' insane, always looking for violence. And God help you if you get caught by them, because then you're never seen again."
"How do they stay together, Tobias? How the hell do they not turn on themselves? When everyone knows to scatter if they even hear whispers of them, then how the hell do they not spread out like a goddamn plague and go to town on their own?"
Fornell's brow furrowed. "Before I headed west again, there were rumors that some guy managed to get in and out of Blood territory. It was a freak chance, and he lost his leg in the meantime, but he says that he saw a bunch of Bloods conferring, like a unit trying to figure out what to do next. He overheard them saying something about reporting to someone higher up. Someone who organizes all of it, someone everyone reported to."
"They have a leader."
"Yeah, someone who makes even the other Bloods respect him."
"Meaning he's the worst of them all," Gibbs interpreted.
Fornell nodded. "Yeah. That's what the Whispers say." He sighed. "I don't know if it's true—"
"Oh, it's true," Gibbs interrupted. He straightened slightly. "It's the only possibility that makes sense." He paced a short distance away, a calloused hand running over his jaw. Then, a moment later, he paced back until he was dangerously close to Fornell, close enough that he could speak low enough that only the former agent could hear him.
He stared intensely into Fornell's eyes, letting his friend know exactly how serious he was.
"If you had a map, would you be able to tell me exactly where they are?"
Fornell looked back with equal intensity. "I could tell you without the damn map."
Gibbs regarded him for a moment more, then nodded solemnly. He began to walk away, but something in his gaze struck Fornell as familiar.
"You aren't thinking of doing something stupid, are you Jethro?" he called after the Voice, his gruff words bordering between amused and wary.
The Voice paused, then turned back to look at him.
"Don't know about stupid," came the too-calm reply, "but I'm definitely thinking of something."
A/N: Okay, here's new chapter. The next one is already in the works. But because this one is somewhat short, I am including a tidbit. Go to my profile page, where there will be a link to a video on youtube. Watch it, and keep a look out for someone familiar. Don't ask me how I found it, but I did, and I freaked, and decided to share. It's not my video, I do not claim credit.