YAY! YOU GUYS HIT THE 200 REVIEWS MILESTONE! : D
Hey readers - Here we are with a new chapter, and as you might have guessed from the above statement, I'm pretty hyped about how this story is doing right now. Thank you so, so much to everyone that has helped to hit this benchmark. I'm constantly surprised by the support that is shown to this story, and I really, really appreciate it, so please keep it up : )
Thank you also for all the suggestions and ideas for further chapters. Some of them have been incredibly useful, and I would love to hear more, so please keep them rolling in as well : )
Beyond that however, I don't have an awful lot to say this time, so let's just jump right on in to the chapter. Please remember that NCIS does not belong to me : )
I hope you enjoy this chapter : )
Mind Games - Part 2
Gibbs was standing in the darkened room that was MTAC, a headset perched atop his silver hair, whilst his icy blue gaze was trained harshly upon the large wall-sized screen at the forefront of the room. The federal agent was trying extremely hard to control his brewing temper, which was already threatening to burst out of his control in his usual tactless manner, and the conversation had barely even begun. The seasoned investigator couldn't help it though. The man he was talking to through the screen was, to put it quite simply, a complete and total idiot, in Gibbs' not-so charitable opinion. A man who, when his superiors asked him to jump, he responded with 'how high?' The very type of man which Gibbs despised because they showed no imagination whatsoever whilst doing their duties. A stickler for the rules, even if those rules were currently stating that they all had to play the game of a sick psychopath. And unfortunately for Gibbs, he couldn't even say any of that to the man, loathed though Gibbs was to hold his tongue for once. This man - Charles Norin, better known as the Governor of Virginia - had a certain amount of... influence, and Gibbs sensed that he wasn't above using it to get what he wanted. So trying extremely hard to keep his expression stoic and neutral, and probably failing miserably, Gibbs turned his attention back to what the man was actually saying.
"I was told by your Director that you would be personally interviewing Kyle Boone this afternoon, Agent Gibbs" Norin said in an almost dismissive tone, not even looking up from the paperwork he was filling in at the desk he was sat behind.
Gibbs glared darkly at the screen, annoyed by the other man's rude behaviour, but still he managed to hold his tongue as he responded.
"Director Shepard was misinformed, Governor" the silver haired federal agent replied in a clipped, uncompromising voice, "Talking to Kyle Boone would be a waste of time".
"Possibly" Norin waved a hand in exasperation, still not looking up from his paperwork, and Gibbs clenched his jaw tightly, "But if there's even a chance that he would reveal to you the location of his victims, we have to take it".
This time, Gibbs didn't even try to refrain from rolling his eyes at the man's stupidity.
"I disagree, Sir" Gibbs said, begrudgingly adding the title in a strained show of respect. Respect that was dwindling the longer this conversation continued, "He's had ten years to think about it. Why the change of heart now?"
Finally, Norin looked up from his paperwork and carefully regarded Gibbs over the top of his spectacles for the first time.
"In my experience, men facing imminent death tend to re-evaluate the course of their lives" the Governor of Virginia said, and Gibbs just barely managed to hold back a scoff at the man's sheer naivety, "Most seek forgiveness".
"You trust me, Sir. Boone had a lot of interests" Gibbs was struggling to keep his tone respectful now, but to his credit, he still attempted to, "Forgiveness wasn't one of them".
Norin threw Gibbs a sceptical look, which only served to make the seasoned federal agent's blood boil.
"How can you be so sure?" he demanded to know.
"I spent five months interrogating him!" Gibbs said in a tone that betrayed just how little he thought of the other man's intelligence. Perhaps the Governor of Virginia picked up on that fact, because he soon began arguing back with Gibbs.
"That was a decade ago" Norin snapped back impatiently, "People change".
"People, Sir - maybe" Gibbs begrudgingly conceded that at least that much was true, before adding, "Not Kyle Boone".
The tone with which Gibbs spoke was not one that brooked any argument. That didn't stop the Governor of Virginia from attempting to though.
"Are you refusing to meet with him?" Norin was obviously started to get frustrated by the way this conversation was going now. He clearly wasn't used to and didn't like not getting his own way.
"I'm refusing to entertain a homicidal maniac who tortured and killed twenty-two women, Sir" Gibbs nodded firmly to show that he most definitely would not be cooperating with the foolish orders that he had received, "I have played that game before".
Norin glared at him, his eyes utterly furious, before retorting in a cutting tone.
"And the hundreds of family members who lost a daughter, a sister, or a mother?" the Governor of Virginia said in an almost accusing manner, like their personal losses were somehow all Gibbs' fault, "What do I tell them?"
Gibbs' icy blue eyes flashed angrily. He did not appreciate the insinuation that if only he had captured Kyle Boone faster, the psychopath's little rein of terror wouldn't have been quite so horrific.
"You tell them that no matter what Kyle Boone says in the next few days, come Saturday, Sir, you're going to make sure he fries" was the stern response that Gibbs gave.
Unfortunately however, it apparently wasn't good enough for Charles Norin.
"We all owe you a debt of gratitude for bringing him to justice, Agent Gibbs" the Governor of Virginia said in a tone of forced politeness to the federal agent, though his eyes were still positively bristling with rage at having his orders questioned, "But uh... you leave me little choice. I am sorry".
And with that, the connection was severed, and the call abruptly ended.
Gibbs scowled angry at the now blank screen for a moment, positively livid by this point, before he tore off his headset and flung it down on one of the desks at the left-hand side of the room. Without even sparing any of the technicians working there a second glance, the silver haired agent then whirled on the spot and stormed out of the room, intent on going back to his desk, and getting on with some proper work. He had just barely started going down the stairs to get back to the bullpen however, when he heard a door opening on the landing above him, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.
"Sir!" a female voice called out, and turning, Gibbs saw that it was one of the MTAC technicians, and she was addressing him, "We've got a high priority transmission coming through for you in MTAC".
A sharp feeling of sheer dread shot through Gibbs' entire body, followed immediately by a sense of blinding anger. He had a feeling that he knew exactly what had just happened.
"From whom?" he demanded through clenched teeth. The poor technician winced as she answered him.
"The Secretary of the Navy" she breathed timidly.
It was a miracle that Gibbs didn't immediately burst into flames upon having his fears confirmed, the anger that was now pulsing through him was such an intense white hot rage. Oh, that sneaky little bastard! He had gone over all their heads! How dare he?! But that was exactly the point, wasn't it? Norin knew that Gibbs couldn't ignore an order if it was issued by the Secretary of the Navy. Not if he wanted to continue working at NCIS at any rate. So trying to control his utter outrage, Gibbs turned and stomped back up the stairs. Only one thing was for sure right now.
This was not going to be a good day.
Kate was stood by the filing cabinet between Tony's and McGee's desks, storing away and organising some important paperwork for some upcoming court cases, when Gibbs finally emerged from MTAC not ten minutes later. A single glance at his face was enough to tell the young woman what type of mood her boss was in, and she just barely managed to suppress a shudder at the level of intense anger she saw there. Also taking note of the fact that Tony was messing about on his computer as opposed to actually working, Kate quickly hissed a warning through her teeth to him. Normally she would have just let him be caught out by their fearless leader, but every instinct she had told her that today was not the day to test Gibbs' patience. Call it a gut feeling if you want.
"Tony" Kate discretely whispered out of the corner of her mouth, "You might want to get busy. Gibbs is headed this way and he looks pissed".
Tony immediately scrambled to make himself look busy, whilst McGee, who actually had been working, heard her as well and looked up from his computer screen curiously.
"Think he caved to the Governor?" the junior agent asked, a little naively in Kate's opinion
"Ha! Not a chance, Probie" Tony immediately shook his head, "No way!"
"I thought you'd have been here long enough by now McGee to know that if Gibbs doesn't want to do something, he doesn't" Kate added, nodding in agreement.
"No matter who's asking" Tony continued, a Cheshire Cat grin flashing across his handsome features.
Their conversation had to come to an end at that point, for it was at that exact moment that Gibbs finally reached the bottom of the stairs, and was now walking by the bullpen, heading in the direction of the elevator. As he went, he didn't even spare a glance in his agents' direction, though he did call out to them. Or at least, he called out to one of them.
"With me Kate" he snapped off the order.
Slightly surprised, but unwilling to keep him waiting when he was in such an obviously foul mood, Kate slammed the drawer of the filing cabinet shut and hurried back over to her desk. She quickly deposited the rest of her paperwork on it, before she grabbed up her gun and badge, and raced across the office floor to join Gibbs by the elevator doors. They opened just as she reached him, and together, they both stepped inside.
"Where're we going Gibbs?" she asked curiously.
"Sussex State Prison, to interview Kyle Boone" he answered shortly, and Kate could tell from his expression and tone exactly what he thought about that, "Could be there the rest of the day".
Kate honestly couldn't help it. Her jaw dropped wide open from sheer disbelief. Catching her stunned expression, Gibbs raised a curious eyebrow at her.
"What is it Kate?" he asked as the elevator doors shut and they started their descent. He always valued hearing her thoughts and opinions when it came to a case after all. Well, at least most of the time he did.
"Sorry... it's just... Kyle Boone" she shook her head, almost in awe, before a somewhat disturbed expression appeared on her face just thinking about the idea of talking to such a despicable individual, "I mean... the professional side of me can't quite believe it. The chance to get inside the mind of a criminal like him is every profiler's fantasy. But the human side of me..."
Kate trailed off, shuddering as a cold feeling settled in the pit of her stomach.
"Feels sickened by the idea of being anywhere near him" Gibbs supplied for her knowingly.
The female federal agent uneasily nodded her head.
"Exactly. And as a woman myself, knowing what he did to other innocent women... it's just a lot to take in..." she muttered, wringing her hands anxiously. Gibbs gave her a smile that was actually almost apologetic in nature.
"Well... it's actually because you're a woman that I wanted you to come rather than Tony or McGee" the silver haired agent admitted, the faintest trace of guilt creeping into his tone.
Kate looked up at him sharply, her eyes immediately narrowing into a cold glare.
"I hope you're not asking me to try and seduce the information you want out of him Gibbs" Kate snapped, and Gibbs was taken aback by her tone. It wasn't one to be argued with after all, "You know that there's plenty I'll do for the team here at NCIS, but that is a line I will not be crossing!"
"Whoa!" Gibbs held up his hands in mock-surrender, "I wouldn't ask that of you Kate. Not when the guy is Kyle Boone. I wouldn't put you at that level of risk. I just meant that I thought your presence in the interrogation might be enough to throw him off guard. He hasn't been anywhere near any woman in over a decade. I think we can use that to our advantage".
Kate took a deep breath, which helped to calm her down, before she replied.
"So you just want me to follow your lead and see what comes loose?" she asked to clarify. Gibbs solemnly nodded his head.
"Yes. I know this isn't a pleasant job..." the silver haired federal agent admitted in a surprisingly gentle tone, "But I also wouldn't have wanted you to come if I didn't think you could handle it. It's to find his victims' bodies Kate. It's time we brought them home".
Kate swallowed hard.
How could she possibly argue with that reasoning? So with a single stiff nod to show that she was up for this, Kate then turned her inner thoughts to the imminent challenge that now awaited her at the Sussex State Prison. It would be difficult, Kate knew that, but she would just have to treat this like it was any other interrogation. She could help Gibbs do this. She would help Gibbs do this. Between them, she was confident that they could break Kyle Boone. They had no other choice after all. Not if they had any chance at all of finding the bodies of those poor, poor women. Boone's victims. For them, she would not fail.
She. Would. Not.
Prisons always unnerved Kate.
They had done ever since she was a little girl. Not that she'd ever actually visited one as a child of course. But on the drive to school, and on the drive home from school, her parents' preferred traffic route took them past one of the state prisons. It had been a very grim building, with a horribly morbid air around it, and purely based on intuition alone, Kate had always had to suppress a shiver when passing it. And that uneasy feeling had never really gone away. In fact, it had only grown stronger over the years, particularly since she had become a federal agent and had to actually go inside a prison on occasion as part of her job. It wasn't easy being around so many people that probably wanted to kill her based solely on her chosen career alone after all.
Still, they were here to do a job, so Kate bravely swallowed any qualms she might have about the task that lay ahead of her. And as she and Gibbs were shown inside after going through the standard security checks, the young woman made sure that her mask of confidence was firmly in place. She didn't want to give the infamous man that she was about to meet... that... monster... any kind of hold over her.
No.
Letting her guard down around Kyle Boone was not a good idea. Even locked up, underestimating him could prove deadly. Kate was determined not to fall into either of those traps.
Chanting that mantra silently in her mind a couple of times over until she could be sure that it had stuck, Kate refocused her attention on the moment at hand. She and Gibbs had been manoeuvred through the prison by one of the prison wardens, a man by the name of Kelleher. They were now heading down a high-security corridor in the direction of one of the prison's most secure interrogation rooms, where the man himself would be waiting for them. Along the way, Kelleher was explaining some recent changes regarding the maniac's situation at the prison to Gibbs and Kate.
"We moved Boone to Death Watch on Monday. That's when he decided he wanted to talk. We do things a little different here in Virginia" the warden informed the two federal agents as they passed through another maximum security door, before they continued on their way, "The condemned get a choice: lethal injection or death by electrocution. Boone is the first one to choose the chair".
"He deserves worse" Gibbs muttered darkly.
Kate couldn't have agreed more. Vindictive though it may be, as a young woman herself, Kate could vividly remember the scale of the sheer terror that had gripped the nation when Kyle Boone had been on the loose. It was that part of her which made her feel so apprehensive about being in the same room as the depraved lunatic, whilst at the same time, the profiler in her couldn't believe her good fortune. To be actually able to analyse someone like Kyle Boone before he died... well, it was an opportunity that any profiler worth their salt would kill for. Morbid as it was, Kate knew that this encounter would be fascinating. Being safe in the knowledge that come next week the world would be a better place helped to bolster her confidence as well.
"Cruel though it might sound..." Kate trailed off ominously, "I personally hope it takes a very, very long time for Boone to die in that chair".
Gibbs and Kelleher both turned and looked at her, the latter slightly uncomfortable at just how blunt that statement was. Gibbs just smirked, and nodded his head in agreement.
"After the crimes that Boone committed, I can understand that Ma'am" the warden eventually replied evenly.
Kate was spared from commenting further - not that she had any intention of defending herself for that honest remark anyway - when their path to the interrogation room was impeded by a short, skinny man in a suit. He was so little that even Kate seemed to tower over him. The man had short-cropped dark hair, and a face that immediately reminded Kate of a rat. She looked at him curiously as he addressed the silver haired federal agent at her side.
"Special Agent Gibbs? I'm Adam O'Neill, Kyle Boone's attorney" the man introduced himself, holding out a hand for Gibbs to shake, though it was pointedly ignored. O'Neill then noticed Kate, and looked vaguely surprised, "Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't realise that NCIS were sending another agent as well, Special Agent..."
"Caitlin Todd" Kate supplied politely.
"Agent Todd" O'Neill nodded.
That's when something a little... odd, happened. Kate couldn't be sure, but for a split-second, it felt as though O'Neill was giving her the once over. There was a certain glint in his eye that Kate didn't like one bit. The female agent squirmed uncomfortably, but when she blinked, it was like nothing had happened. O'Neill's gaze was firmly back on Gibbs, leaving Kate to wonder if she had just imagined the whole thing...
"I really appreciate your coming, Special Agent Gibbs. I uh... I understand you're reluctant to..." O'Neill said, though Kate highly doubted that he understood Gibbs' reluctance at all, "But I truly believe that my client's intentions are sincere here".
Gibbs levelled the smarmy little man with a cold, unimpressed glare.
"The day I arrested your client, we found two human female tongues in his refrigerator" the silver haired agent retorted bluntly.
He wasn't going to be fooled by any of this drivel. Kyle Boone was a sociopath, end of story. The only thing sincere about him was his overwhelming lack of remorse for his victims.
"I'm familiar with the case, Agent Gibbs" the attorney said, pointedly ignoring Gibbs' less-than-pleasant tone.
"Really?" Gibbs sneered at the other man nastily, "Are you familiar with the names of his victims?"
"Look, I'm not here to talk about the past" O'Neill's polite demeanour began to slip, giving way to frustration, "I'm here trying to save a man's life".
Kate couldn't help but scoff derisively at that.
"Seriously?" she gaped at the man, the idiot, incredulously, "You really think anyone in their right mind is going to pass over the chance to see Kyle Boone fry? The man deserves to rot in hell for the atrocities he committed against women. Getting scum like him a deal is beyond a pipe dream at this point!"
"I don't quite see it like that, Special Agent Todd" the smarmy little man waved her words away dismissively. Kate grit her teeth, and just barely resisted the urge to chew him out big time.
"Then you have blinkered vision" she snapped back in response, "The general public, who might I remind you has spent literally years despising your client, would be up in arms about it if Boone isn't given the chair. There would be riots and protests, and rightly so".
"We don't decide these things based on a person's popularity" he retorted condescendingly, as if Kate was some sort of stupid kid who didn't know anything about anything.
Kate gave him a very frosty look.
"Nobody is going to give Kyle Boone life in prison" she shook her head at the man, who angrily clenched his jaw in response, "He's wasting his time if he thinks anyone's going to offer him a deal".
"No, he doesn't want a deal" O'Neill was quick to correct her, as if by doing so he was somehow one-upping her, "Mister Boone wants the chair for his crimes. I'm the one hoping to get him life in prison".
Before Kate had a chance to respond, Gibbs snorted dryly at her side.
"Good luck with that" the silver haired agent sneered at the other man sarcastically.
"Agents, please! I'm just trying to do my job here" the attorney growled, his patience with their somewhat obnoxious attitudes finally running out, "Maybe together we can all help the victims' families find some closure".
Again, Kate couldn't refrain from scoffing.
"If you want the families to get closure, perhaps you ought to stop trying to get the animal responsible for their losses and grief out of his well-deserved punishment" she said to the little man in a tone that clearly suggested she thought him an imbecile.
"She right" Gibbs backed her up when O'Neill frowned darkly, almost menacingly in fact, at her, "You want to see justice done? Be there Saturday when they flip the switch on Boone".
O'Neill was looking seriously annoyed by this point, but thankfully he didn't have a chance to respond. For at that exact moment, the group had reached their destination. Kelleher, who had wisely kept out of the heated debate, stepped forward to open the door.
"Right this way, gentlemen, ma'am" the warden said. He was about to pull the handle, when O'Neill spoke out again.
"Well actually, against my advice, Mister Boone has elected to meet with Agent Gibbs...alone" he said the last word with a severe look in Kate's direction. It was a look that the female federal agent pointedly ignored.
"There will be a guard out here if you need him" Kelleher chimed in.
"We won't" Gibbs assured him in a chilling tone. And without waiting for a response, the silver haired agent then began ushering Kate into the interrogation room. Immediately, O'Neill had a problem with that.
"Agent Gibbs! My client specifically..." the attorney began to protest.
"Your client..." Gibbs spat the word venomously out of pure and unadulterated disgust, "Isn't the one calling the shots here".
Kate threw a rather sour O'Neill a particularly smug look, before the door was slammed shut in his face, cutting off any further protests the little fool might have been about to make. The small surge of satisfaction that Kate felt was short-lived though, and her anxious nerves returned in full force, as she remembered what was about to happen now... who she was about to meet. She took a very deep breath - which didn't make her feel any better at all - before she decided to just bite the bullet. With that thought pushing her on... Kate slowly turned around.
And there he was.
Kyle Boone.
Infamous serial killer and a monster in human skin, sitting in a chair with chains restraining his hands and feet, and a grin that was positively feral plastered all over his face.
Kate honestly counted it as an achievement when she didn't immediately recoil in disgust, and quite frankly fear, from the chained up monster in human skin. She quickly corrected her expression into what she hoped would be a mask of confidence. Letting Boone know that he was getting to her simply by existing was not a good way to start this interrogation off after all. So squaring her shoulders, Kate stood at Gibbs' side, whilst the silver haired agent glared at Boone with the utmost contempt.
But the sociopath before them seemed more... amused by Gibbs' ire than anything. His crooked grin widened, and Kate shivered again.
"Nice to see you again, Jethro" Boone greeted the other man cheerfully, as if they were good friends and it hadn't been years since they'd last crossed paths, "I wasn't sure if you'd come, but here you are".
Gibbs made no move to reply. Boone chuckled, before turning to Kate with a charming grin. Quite frankly it made the young woman feel physically sick, but she held her nerve, and glared at Boone with eyes like ice.
"Oh! And you've brought a friend, Jethro!" the lunatic crowed delightedly, as if they were all at a tea party or something, and not in a prison interrogation room, "Kyle Boone. And you would be..."
He trailed off, expecting Kate to fill in the blank for him. Loathed though she was to do it, she complied with his wish for her name.
"Special Agent Todd" she supplied coldly.
"Got a first name?" he cooed.
"Yes" Kate's tone would be enough to chill anyone else right down to the bone, but Boone just smiled up at her pleasantly.
"You gonna tell me?" he asked in polite curiosity, seemingly amused by the way that she was behaving towards him.
"No" was the blunt response that he received.
Kyle Boone let out a short laugh, and again Kate barely resisted the urge to recoil and shudder in disgust. There was just... something, about his laugh that set her teeth on edge, and caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up on end. Gibbs, noticing Kate's growing discomfort, quickly interceded.
"Enough" the silver haired agent barked, drawing the sicko's attention away from his female colleague and friend, and back to himself, "I'm giving you two minutes of our time, Boone. Start talking".
Boone sighed, but his Cheshire Cat grin never once left his smug little face.
"You know, you look almost the same. Except the hair" Boone remarked casually, clearly just getting off on wasting their time, "When did it go grey?"
If Gibbs' frustration was starting to get to him, he did a good job of not showing it. Kate was quite frankly impressed when her boss didn't immediately punch the bastard sitting before them right in the face.
"Where are the bodies?" the seasoned federal agent asked, cutting straight to the point. Boone smiled up at him thinly.
"We'll get to that" he promised, though Kate didn't put much stock in that. He was a depraved twisted killer after all, "There's just a few things I need to ask you first. I guess they showed you my souvenirs?"
Kate's stomach churned unpleasantly. They had been shown the dirty old jar containing the human female tongues upon arriving at the prison. Again, the young woman felt a wave of pure nausea wash over her just thinking about it, and from how much pleasure Boone clearly took from it.
"There weren't twenty in that jar" Gibbs stated, expertly hiding his own disgust.
"Your point?" Boone arched a curious eyebrow at him.
"I always thought you were padding your count" Gibbs shrugged nonchalantly, a soft smirk slowly creeping on to his face.
Boone couldn't help but grin that sick, feral grin again.
"Ah. Baiting me?" the sociopath nodded knowingly, "Denigrating my rep? Come on. You know that approach never worked on me, Jethro".
Gibbs was evidently getting tired of the use of his given name, especially by someone he most certainly did not count as a friend.
"A minute thirty eight" he said to hurry things along.
Boone sighed again, sounding a little disappointed now. It took all of the self-restraint that Kate possessed not to roll her eyes at the man's dramatics.
"Can't we just chat for a bit?" Boone asked with an air of genuine hope, "Catch up? Hmm?"
Gibbs made no move to entertain the notion of talking socially to this maniac, prompting another sigh from Boone. Fixing his grin back into place however, the monster then turned his attention towards Kate instead.
"I guess he's not feeling too chatty today" he remarked, his grin widening as Kate glowered at him darkly, "Maybe I can talk to you instead, Special Agent Todd with the secret first name. You been working with Jethro here for very long?"
If looks could kill, Boone would be a corpse on the floor from the glare Gibbs gave him. How dare this... bastard talk to Kate as if he were her equal? She was worth a million of him! Gibbs was about to open his mouth and demand that Boone leave her alone, but before he had the chance to, Kate was already bravely replying to his question, despite her obvious unease.
"Long enough that he's been able to teach me how to keep a conversation with someone I don't want to talk to on track" Kate told him bluntly, both her tone and expression like acid, "Where are the bodies?"
Boone's face fell for a split-second, and Gibbs smirked. He couldn't help but feel proud of Kate for how well she was holding her own. Then Boone's smirk was fixed firmly back in place as he talked again.
"So fixated on your jobs..." Boone tutted theatrically, and Kate clenched her jaw in irritation, "And people say that I'm obsessive. You know, you're following Jethro down the same slippery slope that he was walking down my dear, the last time that I met him".
Before Kate had a chance to respond, the monster's gaze was fixed on Gibbs again, who scowled angrily.
"That was always your trouble, wasn't it Jethro?" Boone taunted, his charming smile turning into a mocking sneer, "How's the wife by the way? She left you, didn't she? I tried to warn you about that. Women can't understand men like us".
And this time it was Kate who had to fight valiantly to not give into the urge to shoot this... vile excuse for a lifeform where he sat. How dare he imply that he and Gibbs were the same? How dare he? Gibbs was nothing like this pervert. Nothing!
Evidently Gibbs wasn't impressed by the comparison either, judging by the way his eyes flashed dangerously and his shoulders tensed. He quickly hid his anger beneath a frosty sneer of his own though, an ability that Kate couldn't help but admire.
"You've got what, Boone?" Gibbs drawled in an unpleasant, mocking manner, "Three days left? How does it feel?"
Boone grinned, pleased that he'd managed to draw Gibbs into a conversation of sorts. He then seemed to contemplate how best to answer.
"I'm kind of terrified" the sociopath admitted, before he gave a forced chuckle, "Weird, considering my former activities".
Kate leered at him, unable to help but be a little vindictive herself now.
"Worried that your sins might catch up to you in the afterlife, eh, Boone?" she smiled, though it held none of her usual warmth, "I can only imagine what your victims might have in line for you. I can't imagine they'll be very kind, considering the things you did to them".
Boone smiled sardonically at her, but Kate could tell that she had managed to rattle him, albeit only a tiny bit. Gibbs immediately picked up on it however, and backed her up.
"Oh, I'm not sure that anything that they can do will be worse than what's waiting for him on Saturday" Gibbs sent a nasty smile Boone's way, before turning back to address Kate, "Did you know that people say it can take up to four minutes to die in the chair?"
"Really?" Kate said conversationally, her tone mocking, "No Gibbs. I didn't know that".
"Oh yeah" Gibbs nodded, before sending another leer Boone's way, "Though for this piece of garbage, I personally hope it takes a lot longer".
Boone swallowed hard, and for one moment, Kate honestly thought that they were starting to get to him. Before she could be sure however, the sociopath's mask of bravado was back in place, and he flashed them both a seemingly amused smile.
"You play the game well, Special Agent Todd" Boone said in an almost pleasant manner, before refocusing his attention on Gibbs, "And you Jethro... you really have changed. The old Gibbs was never this abrupt".
Gibbs just shrugged coldly at him.
"You've got less than a minute" the silver haired federal agent replied in a clipped tone.
"You're seriously not even going to indulge me just a little bit?" Boone asked, his tone incredulous, "Not even for old times' sake? I'm hurt Jethro".
"If only" Kate drawled dryly, rolling her eyes sarcastically.
Gibbs on the other hand had finally had enough of being this sicko's idea of entertainment. He had known that this would be nothing but a waste of his time right from the off, and he had no intention of spending another moment on this fool's errand. So mustering up the coldest smile that he had ever managed to before in his life, he looked Boone dead in the eye.
"See you Saturday".
And without so much as a backwards glance, Gibbs then turned on the spot and started to march back towards the door, throwing an arm around Kate's shoulders and steering her along with him. She went without protest. They had barely taken three steps forwards however, before Boone called out to them again.
"Oh come on, Gibbs!" the infamous serial killer playfully called out to them, "I was just having some fun with you! And you can't go yet either, Special Agent Todd! Not when I still don't even know your first name!"
Despite themselves, Gibbs and Kate both found themselves begrudgingly pausing in their tracks.
"You both know you can't leave" Boone continued now that he was sure he had both of the agents' attention, "You're here because you want to find the missing bodies like a good NCIS agent, right Special Agent Todd? And you Jethro, you're here because you're following orders like a good Marine. Right, gunny? I'll tell you where they are..."
Upon hearing those words, Kate despairingly closed her eyes. She should have known that they wouldn't be able to walk away from this conversation so easily. They were stuck here until they got the information that SECNAV wanted, and Boone knew it.
"Where they all are" Boone continued, his grin becoming almost predatory, like a cat that had cornered a mouse and was looking forward to what inevitably came next, "There's more than twenty-two, Jethro. Lots more".
And if that declaration didn't chill her all the way down to the bone... then Kate had no idea what would...
And that's Part 2 done : )
I have to admit, this chapter took me a while to figure out exactly what it was I wanted to do with it, but once I did, I had a LOT of fun working Kate into it. It's also a lot of fun figuring out how Kate would react to seemingly minor characters that turn out to be important later on. Plus, I like how well they bounced off of each other in the interrogation scene, so I might pair them up when questioning some other suspects later down the line as well. All in all, I'm pretty pleased with how this chapter turned out, as well as Kate's initial meetings with Kyle Boone and Adam O'Neill : )
And I think that's just about everything from me for this chapter. Thank you so much 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, before I find them incredibly useful : )
Until the next time, keep on reading : )