Prologue: The Investigation

Disclaimer: I do not own X-men: Evolution, G.I. Joe, Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego or NCIS. The character of Conrad Hart is my own creation. The story Ronin Toad belongs to Red Witch.

Summary: While re-reading some of Red Witch's old fanfics of the Misfit-verse and watching NCIS I did some thinking about what an NCIS mixed into the Misfitverse might look like. My take on Ronin Toad, with an NCIS twist. For sharp eyed fans NCIS this takes place before the episode Yankee White. As far as continuity with Ronin Toad goes, this takes place around Chapter 5, Turning Point, in Red Witch's story.

Washington D.C.
Agent Caitlin Todd
13 February 2002, 0900

Years of experience with the United States Secret Service had given Agent Caitlin Todd a pretty sharp sense when important things were afoot. It was especially the case when she noticed none other than William Baer, the head of the Presidential Security Detail, and her boss, heading her way.

"Kate," Baer said without any preamble, "we need to talk. See me in the conference room in five minutes."

For five long minutes Kate pursed her lips, entered a couple notes on her PDA, and stared towards the conference room nearby. Finally the appointed hour struck and Kate entered the conference room.

Baer was already sitting at the head of the long table. Two dossiers lay before Baer, along with an assortment of documents. Kate noticed they contained photographs mostly.

"Have a seat." Baer said.

Kate complied, taking the seat to the right of her boss, "What's this about?"

"I'll get right to the point." Baer said, "I assume you're familiar with mutants and mutations?"

"I did attend the last few briefings the President has attended on mutants." Kate replied.

"Then you are aware of the great government interest in mutants." Baer replied, "And of course the rarity of discovering them at all."

Kate mulled the facts over. Mutants were rare, and an unknown to a vast majority of the population.

Just what are you getting at, Baer? Kate thought.

Baer noticed the questioning look on Kate's face, it was a brief one before her features reverted to a more neutral expression, but he noticed it nonetheless.

"Two weeks ago, a member of The Brotherhood of Mutants, one Todd Tolansky, was literally and rather violently ejected from the organization by none other than its leader, Magneto." Baer replied, as he slid one of the two dossiers to Kate.

Kate divided her attention between the first dossier, and Baer as the man continued to speak, "He was discovered, shortly after what had to be an execution attempt, in a swamp by members of G.I. Joe..."

Kate interrupted, "The counter terrorist unit led by General Hawk?"

"Exactly." Baer said, with an irritated sigh, "The Joes produce results, but God knows how many times they've nearly come close to causing major national and international incidents."

Baer took a sip of the cup of coffee next to his right hand as he watched Kate studying the dossier.

My God, he's just a kid. Kate thought, as she saw the photos. Bruises, cuts, evidence of a savage beating before being thrown from the jet.

Mutant or not, no kid deserves this. Kate thought as she closed the dossier.

"Anyway, putting the fact that Hawk occasionally gives people around here the odd fit, the fact that young Mr. Tolansky survived the execution attempt provides a golden opportunity to gather firsthand intelligence about the Brotherhood." Baer replied, "And as a profiler you are a natural for this kind of assignment."

"You want me to debrief the kid?" Kate asked.

"That's part of your job, yes," Baer replied, before continuing, sliding a second dossier to Kate, "You'll be staying at the Pit, G.I. Joe's base, for the foreseeable future and reporting on the Tolansky matter."

Kate took a look at the second dossier, noticing it had a name on the label. The name read Conrad Hart.

"You'll be working closely with an agent from Academy of Combat Mission Enhancement, better known as ACME." Baer replied, "The dossier is a file we have on the agent you'll be working with."

Kate opened the file. There were two photos in there. One was of a photograph of a fellow in his early thirties, wearing a black blazer and a blue collared shirt. There was a second photograph of the same man, dated about eight years earlier. In this one he wore the dress uniform and white kepi of the French Foreign Legion.

Kate made her initial impressions from the man's record. He had been a university student in the United States, spending eight years in the French Foreign Legion before returning to the United States as a member of ACME, a newly recruited agent.

Probably one used to heavy handed military methods. So he could be helpful in dealing with the military types in G.I. Joe. Kate thought as she read his record.

It showed numerous overseas tours of duty, to include France's recent shooting war with COBRA on the African continent, mostly around the Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, and Central African Republic.

"What's Commando Depuis?" Kate asked.

"Part of the French Groupment Mixte d'Interventione or Mixed Intervention Groups." Baer explained, "Small teams of French military personnel working closely with local forces in any of the three nations in question as advisors to help them fight against COBRA. Those teams are named for their commanding officer, and usually consist of eight soldiers and one officer."

I'm looking at the dossier of a survivor of a unit called Commando Depuis. Kate thought as she read that entry on the dossier.

"You've got a flight later this afternoon, it should give you and Agent Hart time to get acquainted." Baer said.

Dulles International Airport
Washington, D.C.
Agent Caitlin Todd and Agent Conrad Hart
13 February 2002, 1300

Conrad Hart had noticed the slim bodied brunette heading his direction since she had gotten her coffee from a nearby kiosk. He went back to his book, but not before she noticed him looking her way.

The woman glanced his way, gave a small smile that indicated recognition, and walked towards him.

Conrad had gotten back to his book before he noticed that she had taken the empty seat to his left.

"Is this seat taken?" she asked.

"If it was, the occupant is quite well camouflaged." Conrad quipped, as he closed the hardcover book, his index finger on the page he had been reading through.

"Is that a bit of legionnaire humor?" Kate asked.

"Perhaps." Conrad replied with an enigmatic smile of his own, before saying, "You must be Caitlin. My boss said I'd be working with you."

"I go by Kate normally." Kate replied, "And yes, we are going to be working together on this case."

"I take it you're not in habit of sitting beside men who glance at you." Conrad countered with yet another grin.

Kate fixed him with a smirk of her own, "No, not usually."

"Then I feel honored." Conrad replied as he went back into his book.

Kate took a glance at Conrad's book before taking her own PDA from her pocket and making a couple notes on it.

She noticed the dust jacket of the book and said, "So what do you think of Dr. Grant's second book?"

"So far, so interesting." Conrad replied, "I'm just reading about his encounter with Spinosaurus Aegyptius."

"Haven't really had time to read because of work." Kate replied, "But I did read his book about Isla Nublar."

"Did you ever read Dr. Malcolm's books on both islands?" Conrad asked.

"Yes on the first, and no on the second. One book by Dr. Ian Malcolm where he's so high on himself was bad enough. You couldn't pay me to read the second one." Kate replied.

"Get bored enough and you'll read anything." Conrad replied, "I had much the same opinion you did, then I read Malcolm's second book out of sheer boredom before one deployment."

"If I ever get bored enough to want to read another book by Dr. Ian Malcolm it'll be too soon." Kate countered as they queued to board their flight…

General Hawk's Office
The Pit
13 February 2002, 0900

"It looks like we're going to have company."

General Hawk had called a meeting, which had started with those eight words. Flint, Duke, Scarlett, Beach Head, and Roadblock were all sitting in chairs clustered around Hawk's desk.

"This is related to Toad, isn't it?" Roadblock asked.

"I'm afraid so." Hawk said, "We're due to receive visitors within the next few hours."

Hawk handed out a couple dossiers on the two visitors to each of the attendees of the meeting. "Their names are Caitlin Todd and Conrad Hart from the Secret Service and ACME respectively." Hawk began.

"So we've basically got a presidential bodyguard and a newbie from a law enforcement agency dealing in international crimes heading our way." Beach Head said, "Effectively we've got suits poking around."

"Beach Head," Scarlett said, "One of the two suits, as you indelicately put it, helped us find the intelligence that led to Moreauseau when he was serving in the French Foreign Legion."

"That was then, this is now." Beach Head said, "Who knows what agenda ACME sent him here for. And for that matter, the Secret Service agent, wonder what her agenda might be?"

"Given Magneto is a known international terrorist it's no surprise they'd want to talk to Toad." Flint observed, he had Kate's dossier open, "Given Agent Todd is a profiler by trade, its not a surprise that the Secret Service sent her."

"They can talk to Toad," Roadblock said, "But they're not taking him away from here."

"Roadblock, no one's mentioning taking Toad anywhere." Flint said.

"Yet." Roadblock said, "The kid's still recovering in the ward after that incident with the mirror…"

"How is he doing?" Scarlett asked.

"A little better," Roadblock replied, with a sigh, "It feels like we turned a corner. But when I saw him lying there among all those shards of glass, blood all over his hands and arms...my heart nearly stopped."

"Roadblock," Duke added,"I doubt these two agents have any intentions of taking Todd away from here. Both ACME and the Secret Service are sending their representatives here as observers, nothing more and nothing less."

"Toad isn't the only thing I'm worried about them getting into. There's all sorts of things here on the Pit that we don't want just anyone seeing or knowing about." Beach Head added.

"And that's why I called this meeting." Hawk said, "To go over our plan of what our guests are going to be allowed to see and what they aren't."

Scarlett said, "I'll take care of picking them up from the airport and getting them oriented."

"And where are these two get here, where are they going to stay?" Duke asked.

"There's always a tent in the middle of the desert." Beach Head replied caustically.

"The vacant apartment next door to Roadblock is the place we're quartering them." Flint said, "Keep your friend's close and your enemies closer."

"Good idea." Hawk said.

Scarlett glanced at her watch, "Looks like I've got a flight to catch."

As Scarlett walked out of the room, Hawk said, "Now it's a waiting game, gents."

To Be Continued…