1 week before Agent McGee arrives.
"So, Jenny, who will be your new head of Intelligence?" President Elliot was having her usual once a fortnight briefing with the Navy and NCIS.
"Timothy McGee, Ma'am."
Anna Elliott was best described as a bipartisan Democrat, anti tax cut and anti partial birth abortion. She was a career politician, having served as a congresswoman, senator, under secretary then Secretary of State, and was practically elevated rather than elected to the White House.
"Oh, boy. Is he the only choice?" Jenny was wondering what was happening here, noticing the smiles on the faces of William McGee and Phillip Davenport.
"He's my first choice, and he's the best choice." Jenny was missing something.
"Best choice? That's debatable." Yeah, Jenny was missing something.
"Madam President, please excuse this. Mr. Secretary, Admiral, am I missing something?" Jenny asked, knowing she was.
She got no response to her question, due to both men, both over the age of fifty-five, trying to hold back the laughter, but wearing knowing smirks.
"That's a yes. Anyone going to fill me in?" Jenny asked, not expecting the response.
"Special Agent McGee told me to "stick it" when I was overseeing an NCIS operations six years ago." Anna Elliott still remember that nervous looking agent on her television screen, squaring his shoulders and facing off with her. "That agent was a very green young man, I couldn't believe it was the son of an Admiral who sat on the joint chiefs of staff. When he told me to "stick it", I saw a glimmer of a Navy Admiral."
Admiral McGee and Secretary Davenport were still smiling, having heard Tims version years earlier.
"I remember Tim calling me that night, worried his career was over. I told him not to worry about it, it wasn't as if he had said it to the President of the United States." That was it, the comment that set the two men off laughing.
"Even grown men are boys," scolded the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces. "Having a husband, three boys and no girls, trust me, Director, they grow old but never grow up," directing her scathing look at the two most senior men in the Navy and NCIS. "Is there anyone else that can replace Gloria Tainer?"
Jen decided to see how much the woman would object to Timothy McGee.
"I have reviewed the following personnel to replace Gloria Tainer. Tabitha McGuinness is a possibility, head of the European Section…"
"And offended God knows how many foreign intelligence directors. Next!" demanded the first female president of the United States.
"Graham Neill, head of the Asian Section…"
"A man who can bore a raging hoard at a hundred paces. Next!"
"They are the best two, you want me to go through the rest of the section heads?" Jen asked. By this point, the President was pacing around the Oval.
"OK, Director, Admiral, keep your agent and son in line. That kind of talk is fine for undersecretaries, but not for the President. I want his file as well, the full file, including opinions and emails that weren't included. Thank you." With those words, the three people were dismissed.
"Thank you, Madam President," was said by all three, before leaving the Oval Office. Once outside, the two men let their grins return, while Jen glared at them.
"You didn't think I needed to know that before heading in there. She thinks I've gone crazy." Jen kept her voice low, knowing everyone in this building reported everything said to the Chief of Staff or his deputy.
"Jen, trust me, if she didn't think he could do the job, she would have said so. Believe it or not, the President happens to like people who will stand up to her and tell her she's wrong. But if you don't prove it, then God help you." Admiral McGee saw more of the President than his two friends, seeing her at least three times a week, often more if he was called to the Situation Room.
"Yeah, well, if she can remember the conversation, then so can your son. Do not tell him about this conversation. If he doesn't know who the President is, then he's of no use to me," said Jenny smirking, wondering how the first conversation between the President of the United States and the Head of NCIS intelligence would go.
Three weeks after Timothy McGees first day.
"Admiral, has the President seen the report from NCIS Intelligence?"
"Agent McGee, the report is in the Situation Room."
"Apologies, Admiral, but it is SSA McGee now." Tim needed everything to be official. "Has Agent Metting briefed her personally?"
"No, he is still sat outside the Situation Room." Admiral McGee was the bearer of bad news.
"Then, who has?" SSA McGee demanded.
"General Dance, Director Lohman and Director McCord." The heads of NSA, CIA and FBI. "It is my understanding that the three of them have dismissed your report and given the President only their interpretation."
"Admiral, please inform the President I am on my way." Tim cut the transmission and was on his way out.
"Sheridan, take over on Europe, Tabitha, cover me and let the Director know I'm leaving the building and alert the Secret Service I'm on my way." With those words, Tim was running out of the Intelligence Section, bypassing the elevator, and heading straight for the stairs. He knew he would have a run in with the other agencies, but he did not expect it so soon. Luckily for Tim, as the head of Intelligence for a Federal Intelligence Agency, he had permanent access for the White House and Situation Room. He was going to take advantage of it.
On his drive over, Tim thought about the only conversation he had ever had with Anna Elliott, and his fathers words after it. Jen had told him she remembered it, and Tim only hoped she let him speak when he got there. The thirteen minute journey took him nine, even in the busy traffic, breaking his own rule about speeding in the city. Tim jumped out of the Porsche, spotting Agent Metting waiting for him.
"Tim, Lohman grabbed the report, I didn't..." Metting had been here two weeks, and never briefed the President personally, and the first opportunity was taken away from him.
"You are about to. Conrad, listen to me. Firsts is what gets us seconds and thirds. You are about to have your first meeting with the President of the United States in the Situation Room. Take deep breaths and follow me." Tim strode into the White House, being met by a Navy Lieutenant Commander.
"Sir, Admiral McGee sent me to escort you."
"Do so, quickly." Tim ordered. Lieutenant Commander Moss knew from that voice that this was the son of his boss. Three minutes later, Tim walked into the S.R., ignoring everyone in the room apart from the one woman sat at the table. "Madam President, you are not in possession of all the facts." Time stopped in that room. Dance looked at Lohman, who looked at McCord, who looked at Dance. They were not expecting another McGee in the room. The already present McGee smiled from his position at the right hand of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
"I believe you have not yet met Special Agent Conrad Metting," Tim turned slightly to indicate the nervous looking man standing behind him to his left, "Or myself, personally, and I apologize it has to be this way. The NCIS Intelligence report was supposed to have been placed in your hands by Agent Metting, but it seems, others in your employ decided otherwise." Tim looked at the three men directly, jumping feet first into Washington politics. "The NCIS report offers a different option to that of the CIA, NSA and CIA."
"And what would your response be, SSA McGee?" President Elliott, against her best wishes, liked this man right away. Like herself, he had a similar idea, Sorry if I upset, annoy or irk you, but this needs to be said. Live with it.
"An extraction team led by the Marine Expeditionary Team on the USS Ronald Reagan, backed up by Seal Team 2. The USS Ronald Reagan has completed a training mission with the Israeli Defence Force and left the Port of Eilat six hours ago. They are still in the Gulf of Aqaba, and will be in the Red Sea in an hour, taking almost twenty four hours to get out of it." Tim knew that the three men did not want NCIS and the Navy getting credit for this. "With the Ronald Reagan where it is and its current compliment, we can carry out the extraction of Husam Min Adala and destroy the training camp without deploying any additional assets."
Anna Elliott was livid. This report should have been given to her an hour ago.
"Mr Chairman, hold everything. Everyone, leave the room. Lohman, McCord, Dance, McGee, stay." Even with two McGees in the room, the father and the son both knew who the President meant. Twenty seconds later, the President let rip.
"I am waiting for an explanation, gentlemen, and if its not a good one, think about resigning." Elliott looked around the room, knowing her answer to anything they said.
"Ma'am…" started Dance, after seconds of silence.
"Stick it!" Earning a smile from SSA McGee, "We go with NCIS on this one. They can get the job done in less than thirty six hours, yours will take at least forty eight." She went in for the kill. "Maybe if you hadn't played politics, trying to make NCIS look bad, your plan would have been given more consideration. You got beat, accept it and move on. For now, get out." With that, Anna Elliott gestured to Timothy McGee to sit at her left, needing a word with the man.
They watched as the three men left, all of them knowing McGee had drawn first blood. Tim was going to have to wait for the returning punches heading his way.
"Ignore them, SSA McGee. Dance and Lohman are still bitter over you not taking jobs with them, McCord just doesn't like NCIS on principle. Tell me, how up to date is your intelligence?"
"The report was updated four hours ago, when the latest intelligence from Djibouti came in. Our people in Djibouti have assets in Yemen, who broadcast on FM radio, it reaches across to a relay station, which broadcasts to a station on the Djibouti coastline. Any intel we get is minutes old, the Ronald Reagan can pick up the intercepts, and we can send them the decryption algorithm."
"SSA McGee, if I gave you the green light, how long do I have before you are in position?"
"Twelve hours, Ma'am. That gives the teams time to get themselves ready, as well as gives the Ronald Reagan time to get further out of the Gulf. By the time the teams have completed their mission and got back, the Ronald Reagan will be approximately seven hours out of Yemeni waters, but still caught between Yemen and Somalia in the gulf of Aden." Tim knew this was where the NCIS plan got tricky. "We can get support from India, along with the UK and France, who all have assets in the region. How much international support have we got the other option?"
"None," the President admitted. "How much inter-agency cooperation did you get on this?" Anna Elliott had read McGees file, knowing he got what he asked for from other agencies.
"Drone and satellite coverage from the NRO, along with communication intercepts from NSA and CIA. I have also have someone listening in from GCHQ and the DGSE."
President Elliott was impressed. He had better relations with other agencies and countries than she did half the time.
"Ma'am, if you want to go ahead with this, SSA Young, head of Operations, will be co-ordinating from NCIS HQ." Tim was not going to step on any more toes today.
"Very well, SSA McGee. You have a green light. Step to it."
"Thank you, Madam President." As she watched him leave, Anna Elliott had some concerns. She wondered if she could cope with two McGees working for her.