Hey readers - Here we are with another new chapter : )
I'm actually quite surprised that I managed to get this written up and posted this week, considering how rubbish I feel right now. I don't know why, but this cold I have simply won't budge. So I don't have an awful lot to say this time, other than a MASSIVE thank you to everyone that has reviewed, favourited and followed this story. The support you guys have shown to it continuously blows me away, and I really appreciate it, so please keep it up : )
Finally, please remember that NCIS does not belong to me : )
I hope you enjoy this chapter : )
Mind Games - Part 5
It was shortly after Kate had returned to the bullpen after leaving Abby's lab, the discovery that the gothic forensic scientist had made about Kyle Boone murdering his own mother weighing heavily on her mind, when Tony's desk phone began to ring. Incessantly. Now under normal circumstances, Kate would never have dreamed of answering it, mostly for fear of it being one of his bimbo girlfriends or even worse, one of his fraternity brothers. Plus, it would be rather hypocritical of her to do so, considering that she had barred Tony from answering her own desk phone, not that he ever paid much attention to that rule. But now it was just getting plain annoying. This was the sixth time that whoever was on the other end of the phone had tried calling, and there was still no sign of Tony anywhere in the squad room. Quite frankly, it was beginning to seriously grate on the female federal agent's nerves, and considering the she was trying to use the information Abby had just passed on to her to help compile it into a psychological profile of Boone that Kate was trying to composite, the noise was beginning to distract her too much. It was when the seventh call sounded that Kate finally gave in.
Huffing in poorly disguised irritation, the female federal agent got up out of her chair and stepped around her desk, before crossing the bullpen and reaching over Tony's desk, her hand moving in the direction of his desk phone. Picking up the phone, Kate quickly placed in near to her ear, all the whilst wondering what could possibly be so urgent.
"Special Agent DiNozzo's desk" she greeted the person on the other end of the phoneline, immediately cringing at how she sounded like she was Tony's secretary or something, "This is Special Agent Todd speaking. Can I be of assistance? Or can I take a message for you?"
"No, thank you. I mean, yes, you can be of assistance, Special Agent Todd" a slightly flustered voice replied, and Kate recognised it as that of Michael, one of the security guards downstairs that monitored who came in out of the building, all in the name of their safety, "There's a guy down here called Adam O'Neill".
Kate couldn't help but immediately wrinkle her nose in disgust upon hearing the name.
He was the little louse that she and Gibbs had met back at the prison. The lawyer trying to get Kyle Boone out of his well-deserved punishment. The female federal agent scowled at the thought of him. There was something just... wrong, about that guy. Quite frankly, he made her skin crawl, but she wasn't entirely sure why. Kate wondered what he was doing here at NCIS headquarters.
"He's demanding that he speaks to Special Agent Gibbs" the security guard downstairs continued explaining when Kate made no effort to respond, "Apparently some client of his was transferred here from Sussex State Prison to be interrogated. Mr O'Neill is claiming that nobody informed him, and he wants to speak to his client right now. He's... Err, rather emphatic about it".
The female federal agent didn't even try to refrain from rolling her eyes that time.
"Yeah, I bet he is" Kate muttered down the phoneline whilst shaking her head. She knew that Gibbs wasn't going to like this. The silver haired federal agent despised lawyers after all, "Okay, let him in. Have somebody escort him up though. The last thing we need is that guy walking around the building by himself. I'll make sure that Gibbs is informed".
"Okay... thank you, Special Agent Todd" the security guard replied politely, before he ended the call and the line went dead.
Kate replaced the telephone, oblivious to the sound of approaching footsteps behind her. That was why when a hand suddenly clamped down on her shoulder, the young woman almost jumped straight out of her skin.
"Isn't answering a telephone call that isn't for you a direct invasion of the person's privacy, Special Agent Todd?" a voice said with mocking authority right behind her ear.
Startled out of her wits, Kate whipped around, and found Tony smirking at her in amusement. The female federal agent heaved in a deep breath to regain control of her nerves, before she levelled her partner with an unimpressed glare.
"Are you hoping to have your ass kicked again DiNozzo?" Kate asked him, her tone annoyed, but rather than take the words overly seriously, Tony just smiled down at her, "Because if you are, I can certainly arrange that for you!"
Tony just continued smiling, before he held up his hands in playful surrender.
"Relax! I was only kidding!" He exclaimed and unable to resist a bit of teasing he quickly added, "Geeze! Remember when you used to have a sense of humour Kate?"
"Yeah" the female federal agent drawled back at him, her eyes still narrowed at her idiotic partner darkly, "But I'm afraid it left the building the moment that Kyle Boone entered it".
Some of the amusement twinkling away in Tony's eyes faded away at that statement.
"Oh yeah" the senior field agent responded, his annoyingly playful smiling morphing into a slightly disturbed frown, "Everything has been off kilter around ever since we brought that looney to NCIS".
Kate couldn't quite suppress a shiver just thinking about that... animal, they had locked up in interrogation downstairs.
"Yeah" she said wearily in agreement. Sensing his partner's unease with the topic of conversation, Tony decided it was probably for the best if he changed the subject away from the depraved monster that was Kyle Boone.
"So who was calling me?" he asked, before in an effort to lighten the mood, he asked hopefully, "Let me guess, it was a very beautiful woman ringing to ask me on a date!"
That actually managed to coax a small laugh out of Kate, but then again, Tony had always had a talent for that.
"Sure it was, just as long as big bald security guards with male reproductive organs happen to be your type, Tony" she teased back, earning a chuckle out of the senior field agent as well. They both quickly sobered up however when Kate continued, "Nah, it was the guys downstairs. Apparently Boone's lawyer is here. He claims he wasn't notified about his client being moved, and now that snivelling little creep wants to talk to Gibbs. You know where he is?"
"Interrogation" came the senior field agent's prompt response, before a mischievous gleam suddenly appeared in his eyes, "And you know Gibbs, Kate.
He doesn't like to be kept waiting. So you should just go right in there and tell him. I'll get the suit".
Kate didn't bother to even attempt to hide her snort of disbelief.
"Yeah right! As if I'm going to fall for that!" she shook her head in fond exasperation, and upon noticing the innocent look that Tony sent her way - which didn't fool her for even a split-second - she quickly elaborate it, "You forget just how long I've been here now, Tony, and that I'm smarter than McGee! If I go barging into interrogation Gibbs will blow a gasket!"
Tony just smirked at her, not at all fazed that his plan to play a prank on her hadn't worked.
"And besides, I already made sure that O'Neill's being escorted down to the interrogation room" the female federal agent pressed on, "I just hope he won't wind up Gibbs too much. This case is already making us all feel uneasy enough, without adding his temper to the mix".
Tony couldn't have agreed with her more. In fact, He'd go as so far as to say that the sooner this case was over and done with, the better. He just hoped that Gibbs would be able to break Kyle Boone soon and get the locations of the victims missing bodies.
The tension around the office was really getting unbearable.
It was rather a large testament to just how much self-restraint Gibbs could call upon when the occasion demanded it. As soon as the silver haired federal agent had walked into the interrogation room unannounced, Boone hadn't even blinked in surprise when the door burst open, and instead was already grinning up at him like the cat who'd got the cream. Gibbs could scarcely remember a time when he'd ever longed to punch a man in the face as much as he had done in that moment, but instead he just calmed himself, and took his seat on the opposite side of the table from Boone.
"Finally!" Boone opened the conversation before the federal agent had a chance to. If he was frustrated at having being kept in isolation all night, the maniac did a remarkable job of hiding it, "So where should we start this time, Jethro? My childhood?"
The silver haired man's gaze was like ice as he replied.
"I didn't bring you in here to talk, Boone" the seasoned federal agent told the depraved... animal, sitting across from him bluntly.
"So you decided to let me see my photographs again?" Boone sounded sceptical, but there was no denying that there was also an air of hope in his voice and expression. Gibbs was quick to squash that hope.
"I told you, that's not going to happen" once again, the man conducting this interrogation shook his head in denial.
Again, if Boone was upset by Gibbs' response, there was no obvious outward signs of it. The lunatic's obnoxious smile didn't so much as waver.
"Interesting" Boone eventually responded to Gibbs' statement, arching a curious eyebrow at the other man, "May I ask why I'm here then?"
"The State is hoping that I'll get the location of your victims" the silver haired federal agent answered the question, but not with any information that Boone didn't already know.
If at all possible, the maniac's rather insane grin simply grew wider at those words.
"Well I believe that requires some form of communication" Boone felt compelled to point out. This time Gibbs was the one who smirked in response.
"I said the State" the silver haired man reminded the piece of scum whom he so desperately wanted to just get away from, "Me? I'm not even going to try".
Boone actually had the audacity to look amused.
"But you always try, Jethro" the murdering slimeball retorted, as if he actually knew anything real about the other man at all, "That's why I like you".
The look that Gibbs gave him was so frosty, it was something of a miracle that the entire room didn't ice over.
"I've taken you out of the system, Boone" the silver haired federal agent announced with a smile, but it wasn't a nice one. It was the kind of smile that sent a shiver running down your back, and if Boone had had any sense at all, he'd be recoiling from the other man instead of just grinning at him, "You're going to sit here, alone, without any human contact until you fry. The game ends now".
But it would appear that this time, Gibbs' cold threats were having minimal impact.
"This room brings back so many memories, doesn't it?" Boone reclined back in his chair as he looked around the room, seemingly genuinely taking a trip down memory lane whilst he did so.
Again that urge Gibbs felt to smack the arrogant bastard was rearing its ugly head again. Because try as he might to deny it, Boone's statement actually did hold some truth in it. This room did bring back a lot of memories in correlation to the animal sitting before him, and all of them were awful. And despite the silver haired federal agent's rules when it came to interrupting an interrogation, it almost came as something of a relief when the red signal light on the wall suddenly flashed on, alerting Gibbs to the fact that somebody outside needed to tell him something important. Unfortunately, Boone had noticed it too.
"Ooh!" the maniac's Cheshire Cat grin was widening across his face again, "Looks like somebody wants to talk to you. What's the betting that it's the mysterious Special Agent Todd with the secret first name? You should really teach her that it's rude to interrupt people when they're in the middle of a conversation Jethro".
Gibbs didn't even dignify that remark with a response. Instead, again showing quite a considerable amount of self-control, the silver head federal agent refrained from lunging across the desk and throttling the bastard, and just pushed himself to his feet before he walked towards the door.
"Well, I'll be here if you need me" Boone smugly called after him as he went.
Scowling, and beyond the point of irritation by now, Gibbs threw open the door to the interrogation room and stepped out into the hallway, immediately slamming the piece of wood closed behind him again. If he had to listen to one more wisecrack from that arrogant bastard, it would be him heading to the electric chair on a murder charge. The silver haired federal agent's mood was not improved by the fact that Boone actually happened to be right, and it was Kate who had interrupted the interrogation, although he could begrudgingly admit that she had probably done him a favour in that sense.
It was with a look of great apprehension that Kate stared up at the frustrated man.
"I'm so sorry Gibbs!" the dark haired young woman immediately exclaimed, cutting Gibbs off before he had chance to say so much as a single word, "I know how you feel about people interrupting you when you're in an interrogation, but this honestly couldn't wait!"
Gibbs just sighed at how flustered she was getting, and he realised that this case was getting to his team just as much as it was him. Or perhaps it was just his own feelings rubbing off on them. Either way, the silver haired federal agent decided to let it go, and instead just sighed deeply.
"It's fine Kate" he told the female federal agent, and Kate's shoulders visibly sagged in relief, "You probably did me a favour anyway".
A look of surprised confusion flashed across Kate's beautiful features upon hearing those words from her boss.
"How so?" she asked him curiously, watching as Gibbs just sighed deeply again, looking troubled.
"I was about this close to throwing myself over the desk and pulling his tongue out of his head" he admitted, holding his thumb and index finger close together for emphasis.
Kate gave him a look that was full of sympathy. Then she winced as the sound of approaching footsteps could be heard.
"Well I'm afraid your mood is only likely to get worse from here" she was practically cringing at the news she needed to deliver, and when Gibbs threw her an inquiring look, she quickly elaborated, "Boone's attorney, that O'Neill guy we met at the prison, he's here. The DA's afraid if we deny him access to his client, he'll find a sympathetic judge and have cause to have the execution delayed".
Gibbs angrily opened his mouth to protest, to say that that was never gonna happen, but he never got the chance to.
Almost as if on cue, the man in question rounded the corner with his escort, along with Tony who was trailing after the pair of them. Even though he was preoccupied with talking on his cellphone, Adam O'Neill almost immediately locked eyes with Kate, and she froze. Just like it had back at Sussex State Prison, something, Kate honestly wasn't sure what, but something struck her about the little weasel with his face like a rat. She couldn't help but feel like her skin was crawling just being near to him, but as he lowered his cellphone from his ear, the sensation was gone again, as though she'd never even had it.
Seriously, what was it about this little runt that put her so on edge?!
"Look, I need a privileged conversation with my client" the man stated coldly to Gibbs before Kate had a chance to reflect too deeply on the uneasy feelings she had whenever in close proximity to this person, "Meaning, Agent Gibbs, I want your observation room cleared and all microphones turned off".
The look that Gibbs gave the man was very cold indeed.
"That's it, Counsellor?" the silver haired federal agent asked him snidely, but O'Neill didn't rise to the bait. Instead he just levelled Gibbs with a look that was equally as unimpressed.
"For now, Agent" he said in a clipped tone.
The obnoxious little man in his sharp suit evidently believed that his word was the final one to be had on the matter. The three federal agents in the corridor on the other hand, disagreed.
"Kate? Tony?" Gibbs drawled in a tone that was practically oozing with dark amusement and smugness. It was the tone he always used when he was about to do something that he knew the recipient would despise him for.
Both of Gibbs' two most senior agents caught his meaning immediately.
"Not so fast, Mr O'Neill" Kate suddenly threw out her arm, blocking the little man's access to the doorway, and therefore his client in the room beyond. O'Neill instantly rounded on her, his face visibly reddening with rage, and for one tense moment Kate actually thought he might lose control and try to attack her. She could certainly handle any attempt the fool might offer, but she was still grateful when Tony stepped in as well.
"Yeah, hold on a second" the senior field agent agreed with her wholeheartedly, clearly eager to get in on their messing with the lawyer as well, before Tony turned his attention in the direction of O'Neill's escort, "Search him first... thoroughly".
The implications of those words hit O'Neill immediately.
With an almost eager look on his face which was completely distasteful in the lawyer's opinion, his escort stepped forward whilst donning a pair of latex glove. It left no doubt in O'Neill's mind about what was coming next. A strip search. In a move of sheer pettiness, Gibbs and his little lap dogs we're going to put him through the degrading experience of a strip search!
The little man's eyes burned with rage as the three federal agents all just walked off, smirking at him darkly over their shoulders as they went. Oh... O'Neill was angry. He was furious. And in that moment the lawyer made a promise to himself, one he fully intended to see it through to the end.
He'd get even with them for this, if it was the last thing he ever did...
Meanwhile in Abby's lab, the gothic forensic scientist and McGee were both very hard at work, still trying to find the dumping ground Boone had used to dispose of his victims' bodies, so that they weren't totally relying on Gibbs' ability to break the lunatic in question. Together, the two of them had managed to compile a 3D model of what they were fairly confident the area of land they were looking for might look like, based on the background features in those disgusting photographs in Boone's infamous scrapbook. Now, the pair of tech-savvy crime fighters were standing in front of the plasma screen in the lab, watching as their digital model was compared against numerous sources of satellite imagery.
"Hmm... I'm impressed" Abby remarked as she watched the flashing images being compared on the screen, her eyebrows raised in obvious surprise, "It's actually working".
At her side, McGee couldn't help but look a little smug.
"Thank you" the said, feeling proud of himself for the idea, before it faded into a slight frown as he added, "Now all we have to do is scan through eight hundred thousand miles of satellite imagery, and pray we get lucky".
This time when Abby looked at him, she most certainly did not look impressed.
"I am a scientist, McGee" she reminded him sharply, even going so far as to tug on the lapels of her pristine white lab coat as if to emphasize her point, "Luck has nothing to do with it and or us".
McGee just rolled his eyes at his friend, before he playfully decided to challenge her on the matter.
"Okay, then how do you explain something like Gibbs' gut?" he asked her, a smiling on his face. He was sure that he'd caught her out this time. He really should have known better.
"Well that's easy" the gothic forensic scientist smirk back at the junior field agent, "Gibbs is lucky".
"But you just said that..." McGee began softly, confusion riddling both his expression and tone.
"He's not a scientist" was the simple response she gave him.
Flummoxed by the forensic scientist's strange logic, McGee just shook his head at his friend, before he turned his attention back to the plasma screen. Subtly at his side, the young man discreetly crossed his fingers, being careful to avoid letting the gothic woman notice the action
. He didn't care what Abby said in regards to superstition after all, even though normally he would agree with her.
Any good luck that their team could get in this investigation, he'd take.
It seemed to take an age for O'Neill to finish his consultation with Boone, and Kate was was beginning to wonder what the two men could possibly be talking about in the interrogation room for so long. She, Gibbs, Tony and even the escort who had shown the obnoxious lawyer around the NCIS headquarters building, were all loitering around in the corridor, kicking their heels and feeling like they were wasting precious time. The female federal agent wondered if that was the whole point, and that this was merely a delay tactic to stop them from being able to question Boone as much as they needed to before the switch was finally flipped on that maniac, and the world instantly became an a much better place. It would hardly be the first time a lawyer had used such a tactic against them after.
But after what felt like an eternity, but in reality was only about twenty minutes or so, the lawyer finally emerged from the interrogation room. Kate couldn't help but feel slightly relieved to know that things could get moving again. They still had a lot of missing bodies to find, a lot more people to bring closure to, and they were running out of time.
"Agent Gibbs, if anything happens to my client while he's here, I want you to know I am going to hold you personally responsible!" O'Neill fired off before any of the federal agents could so much as utter a single syllable.
Gibbs just gave him a look which would put Antarctica to shame, it was so icy.
"You have my word he will be in perfect health for his execution" the silver haired federal agent sneered in the face of the little slimeball that actually thought he was big enough to get in their way. Kate couldn't help but feel a wave of satisfaction course through her at the annoyed expression on the man's face. It was a feeling which only continued to grow when Gibbs opened his mouth and continued, this time talking to the escort who was still waiting nearby, "Escort Mister O'Neill out of my building, if you please".
"Yes sir" the escort nodded.
Scowling darkly, O'Neil allowed himself to be steered away from the room in which his client was still sitting inside. Unable to allow anybody else to other have the last word for the lawyer turned his head and called over his shoulder to the three federal agents still standing there, "You'll be hearing from me".
Then he was all-but dragged away from them, around the corner, and out of sight.
As soon as he was gone, Kate couldn't help but heave a great sigh of relief. Ashamed though she was to admit it, even to herself, but there was something so... off about that man, so... creepy that she couldn't help but allow him to get under her skin every time she was in his presence. She still couldn't put her finger on exactly what it was about the little weasel, but regardless of how uncomfortable he made her feel, she was glad that he was gone. If nothing else it, hopefully meant that there'd be no more interruptions and Gibbs could crack on with interrogating Boone about the location of the missing bodies. Evidently however, Kate had done a poor job of hiding her discomfort due to O'Neill, for after a matter of seconds, Tony was looking down at her with concern in his eyes.
"Hey, you okay?" he asked his partner, his tone worried, "You look... I dunno, kinda freaked out?"
Gibbs noticed it as well, but Kate just shook her head. Her eyes were narrowed thoughtfully in the direction that O'Neill had been escorted off in.
"I'm fine Tony..." the female federal agent eventually confirmed to her partner, but in all honesty, she looked anything but fine, "There's just... there's something about that man which just makes my skin crawl whenever I see him, but I'm not entirely sure why".
Tony just shrugged his shoulders at her in response.
"Well he's a smarmy little git that thinks he's a big shot, plus he's a lawyer on top of that" the senior field agent pointed out to his friend logically, "Add in the fact that he's willingly trying to get Kyle Boone of all people out of his date with the electric chair, and let's face it, he was never going to be a popular house guest here, was he?"
The reasoning was sound enough, and having it voiced out loud like that by someone else actually made Kate feel a little bit better. She smiled up at her partner and nodded.
"Yeah... you're probably right" she admitted and Tony grinned back at her, surprised that Kate would actually admit that, when normally she would just have some kind of teasing comment for him, "Anyway, O'Neill is just the sideshow. Boone is the main event. Do you think you're going to have to go back in there Gibbs?"
The silver haired federal agent opened his mouth to reply that he wasn't sure yet, but before he had a chance to give voice to his thoughts, his cellphone began ringing from his trouser pocket. He started pulling it out whilst replying to Kate's inquiry at the same time.
"Yeah, maybe" he told the female federal agent, before he answered the cellphone call and placed the device up against his face, "Gibbs".
That singular word of greeting was the only word which Gibbs contributed to the conversation. It seemed to be rather short exchange, and whoever had been on the other end of the connection must have talked very quickly, because moments later Gibbs was hanging up the phone and replacing it in his pocket.
"What is it Gibbs?" Kate asked him curiously. To her immense surprise, when Gibbs looked at her again, this time he was actually smiling.
"Abby and McGee..." the silver haired man muttered whilst also silently gesturing for his two most senior agents to walk alongside him, ushering them on in the direction of the gothic forensic scientist's laboratory, "They think they may have found Boone's dumping ground!"
Kate gasped, her eyes going wide with shock, before a huge grin also blossomed across her pretty face. At last, at long last, it finally seemed as though their luck in this investigation was taking a turn for the better.
And so with a bounce in her step, Kate quickly followed after Gibbs in the direction of the lab, hope practically welling up within her.
Thanks to Gibbs practically ushering both Kate and Tony through the winding corridors of the NCIS headquarters building, barely even two minutes had passed between the leader of their team receiving the new, to the five of them all being gathered around the computers and plasma screen in the gothic forensic scientists laboratory. Kate looked on with an air of curiosity as two different images were displayed on the plasma screen. One was a 3D generated computer model, obviously what McGee and Abby had been able to comprise between them, whilst the other was a aerial photograph of a plot of land, one that had clearly been taken via the use of a satellite.
"What am I looking at?" Gibbs demanded to know, stood next to Kate and staring at the two images on the plasma screen in the bewilderment.
Abby, apparently rather enthused hers and McGee's latest success, couldn't quite contain her excitement at their discovery. In a move that was thoroughly predictable from the cheerful and bubbly woman, the gothic forensic scientist struck a dramatic pose, and gestured towards McGee in a overly theatrical fashion. The junior field agent in question was stood near to Abby's computer, typing away on the keyboard, whilst Tony lingered over his shoulder with an air of curiosity.
"Take it away, Mick-Gee!" Abby exclaimed, way more enthusiastically than the situation warranted.
Gibbs just gave her an exhausted look.
Even though it was a well-established fact around NCIS that the gothic forensic scientist was Gibbs' favourite, the expression on his face right now made it pretty clear that he was not in the mood for beating about the bush right now. Catching the look, Abby quickly stopped fooling around and grew more serious.
"I mean..." the gothic forensic scientist hastily began to correct herself, "Very Special Agent McGee".
Kate just raised her eyebrows, a little incredulously, at the entire display between two of her closest friends. If Gibbs was beginning to take his foul mood out on Abby of all people, then they must be in a worst position in regards to this case than she'd first thought. The female federal agent didn't voice any of her opinions on the matter though, and instead just watched as the silver haired man that was her boss turned towards where McGee was working at the computer.
"Probable site where the victims were tortured, killed, perhaps buried" the junior field agent explained, and there was no denying that there was a strong hint of pride in both his tone and stance.
"So it actually worked?" Kate asked, raising her eyebrows in surprise, whilst also sounding very impressed, "You were able to use all those photographs in Boone's scrapbook to build a 3D model of where he took them?"
The junior field agent eagerly nodded his head at her. Kate's smile widened.
"Nice job" she commended him, feeling that it was only fair to offer him some praise. Kate knew that she and Tony teased him relentlessly sometimes, but McGee's idea had been rather ingenious, and he'd done a lot better than the rest of them in hopefully locating the missing bodies of Boone's victims. McGee and Abby might have unlocked the key to helping hundreds of people get the closure they needed, and Kate felt that that deserved to be recognised, "Hopefully those photographs will now mean something more than just being for the pleasures of a sick pervert. Great idea McGee, and well done to both of you for getting it to work".
McGee smiled down at her warmly.
"Thanks a lot Kate" he said appreciatively, genuinely touched by the praise she had just bestowed on him. It was rare, but it always felt really nice whenever it did come.
"If it helps to bring those poor women back to their families so they can be buried with dignity, than all that hard work will be worth it" Abby nodded in acknowledgement of the compliment which had been paid towards her efforts as well.
Since Kate had pretty much said it all for him anywhere, Gibbs didn't feel the need to discuss the matter of their collective brilliance any further, and instead just got straight down to business.
"Where?" the silver haired federal agent wanted to know.
"Wilderness area of Great Falls National Park" was the prompt reply that Gibbs' junior field agent supplied to him.
Gibbs nodded his understanding, before he turned his attention back to Tony and Kate, whilst also indicating with his hand that McGee needed to pay attention to what he was about to say as well.
"Okay, I want all three of you out there investigating that site as soon as possible" the silver haired federal agent commanded in a voice that practically oozed with sheer determination, "Tony, you lead the team".
"All right" Tony nodded his head in agreement at the instruction he'd been given, before he couldn't help but ask curiously, "Where are you going, Boss?"
Gibbs smiled. He actually smiled.
"After ten years I've finally got something on Boone that he doesn't already know about" the silver haired federal agent announced with a certain glee about him, and then before any of them had a chance to stop him, he turned and all-but sprinted out of the lab, no doubt heading back to the interrogation room to go on rub it in Kyle Boone's stupid little face.
Kate just heaved a sigh as she watched him go. That sounded personal. That sounded real personal. She decided there and then that she'd have to keep an eye on Gibbs throughout the rest of this investigation. She would have his back, no matter what. Because if he ended up crossing a line during the course of all this, then Kate had no doubt whatsoever that the consequences could only be one thing.
Catastrophic.
Gibbs had to practically force himself to a stop outside of the interrogation room, before he ended up charging in there like a bull in a china shop. He knew that everything with Kyle Boone was a Mind Game after all, and if that psychopath saw just how excited the silver haired federal agent was right now about what his team had potentially unearthed, then he could end up tipping his hand a little too early. And that was the last thing he wanted after all the misery that animal had caused him.
So taking a deep breath in an attempt to regain control over his raging emotions, Gibbs quickly composed himself, before he opened the door and walked back into the interrogation room. Exactly as expected, Boone was still sitting at the table in his jumpsuit and chains. The sociopath looked up as Gibbs entered the room, and his charming grin was back in place almost immediately.
"My lawyer was very upset" Boone announced in lieu of a greeting, as if Gibbs would actually care about O'Neill and his finer feelings. When it became apparent that the silver haired federal agent wasn't going to respond, Boone just pressed on, "He wanted to move me back to prison. But don't worry. I told him I like it here".
Gibbs' face contorted into a mockery of a smile. It would normally be enough to chill any sane human right down to the bone, but the lunatic opposite him just continued grinning that Cheshire Cat grin of his.
"Don't get too comfortable" the silver haired federal agent told him bluntly, his eyes practically burning with cold and dark amusement, "You're going back today".
Instead of feeling threatened, Boone just raised an inquisitive eyebrow at him.
"Really?" the psychopath sounded sceptical about what Gibbs had just informed him of, but there was no denying that there was also an air of genuine curiosity about him, "What's changed?"
Gibbs didn't reply. Instead, he just stood up and made to leave the interrogation room again. Petty though it may seem to others, Gibbs would take great satisfaction in knowing that Kyle Boone would be sent back to prison, and therefore back to his inescapable fate of death, without ever realising how his little house of cards had all come toppling down around him, thanks to the efforts of his quite-frankly amazing investigative team.
"You found something, didn't you?" Boone called out after him, but Gibbs did not reply and simply left the interrogation room. He shut the door behind him, then smiled.
At last. At long last. He had finally won.
If McGee and Abby were right about all of this, then after ten long agonising years, Gibbs and his team would finally be able to bring all of those poor lost souls home. They'd be able to give them all the dignity of a proper funeral, and their families and friends would at long last get the closure they'd so desperately craved for the best part of a decade now. Oh yes, this was a very good day indeed, the silver haired federal agent silently thought.
Only time would show him just how wrong that assumption was...
And that's the end of another chapter : )
Things are building up quickly now, and hopefully you guys like where they're heading. I think it's pretty obvious who it is that'll be getting kidnapped soon, but I hope you guys are still looking forward to it. Plus Kate is starting to get pretty suspicious of O'Neill, which may prove to be an interesting factor later on in this episode ; )
But I think that's just about it from me for this week, so thank you for reading this chapter and my story in general, and I really hope you're enjoying it. Please also consider leaving a review as I'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback on how I'm doing so far, and like I said before, please also keep those suggestions coming in as well, because some of them have been extremely helpful : )
Until the next time, keep on reading : )
