"Dead Petty Officer, Quantico, grab your gear," Gibbs announced as he entered the bullpen with his coffee. Tony had just been talking about the latest movie he watched the night before. McGee was tapping away at his keyboard while periodically glancing at Ziva. It had been two weeks since the incident in Somalia and her return home. McGee was happy to have her back; he didn't know when or how, but he had begun developing feelings for Ziva.
Ziva was focused on her computer. Things between her and Tony seemed calm. They were on friendly terms, but that was it. Any romantic feelings that brewed between them were gone. The team began to grab their things, following Gibbs to the elevator, when Director Vance called out "Special Agent McGee," causing the team to stop suddenly. McGee turned to the director. "My office," he ordered.
Tony smirked, "Oh, what did you do this time, McGoober?" he asked, "Did you scratch Vance's paint?"
McGee rolled his eyes and stepped back. "I'll catch up, boss," he said before walking towards the stairs and heading up to find out what Vance wanted. McGee entered the office and closed the door behind him. Vance secured the room as soon as the door was shut. McGee's smile dropped when he saw who else was in the room with them. "Kort, what are you doing here?" McGee demanded.
"Nice to see you too, McGee," Trent Kort replied, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
"I had hoped we'd never lay eyes on you again," McGee said. he really wasn't in the mood for Trent.
"Unfortunately, Agent McGee, we may be seeing more of Trent Kort," Vance revealed, "Project Ares."
Agent McGee's expression darkened. "I thought Ares was shut down!" he spat.
"It was, but the test subjects are being hunted down," Trent Kort revealed. "4 are dead."
Vance took his seat. "I've not been briefed yet, but Kort here tells me you had some involvement in the project."
McGee scoffed. "You could say that," he replied as he sat down and ran a hand over his face. "What do you want to know?"
"Start at the beginning," Vance answered, motioning for McGee to begin.
"25 test subjects, children," McGee revealed. "CIA Project involving genetic manipulation," he explained. "Mental, physical, the children were pushed to their limits. " 10 children died from exhaustion or on the operating table," McGee explained. Vance looked horrified by this revelation as McGee continued, "Children were either brought from military families or taken from the streets," he revealed.
"The goal was to create the perfect soldier, super soldiers," Kort spoke up, dropping a file onto the table.
"The children were cut open, and chemicals were injected into their bodies. Pushed beyond the limits of what a human can withstand," McGee revealed.
"But how does this involve you? This was years ago." Vance opened the file before turning his attention back to McGee.
"I was one of those children," McGee revealed.
Vance looked at McGee; the NCIS director looked outraged as he looked at McGee's file. "How?"
"My father," McGee revealed as he rubbed the back of his head, "As you know, my father and I have a… tense relationship." McGee stopped. "Well, forget tense… hostile is more appropriate," he admitted.
"I'm aware, Admiral McGee can be a pain in the ass." Vance had the displeasure of meeting the Admiral, a man who disrespected everything McGee had achieved.
"That's putting it mildly," McGee snorted with a small smile. "Anyway, my dad… sold me to the CIA."
"He sold you?!" Vance is beyond enraged now.
"I wasn't the son he wanted; I was a bitter disappointment to him," McGee revealed.
"And your mom?" Vance asked, refusing to believe for a moment that McGee's mom had gone along with it.
"She doesn't know, my father told her that he had sent me to a military school to toughen me up," McGee revealed. "She still doesn't, and the project was shut down, all evidence erased so I couldn't tell her about it afterwards," McGee released a heavy sigh. "But she knew something bad happened, and she demanded the Admiral tell her the truth," he explained. "But he refused; it's what led her to divorce him."
"The CIA believes that a former test subject is involved in the killings," Kort spoke up before McGee and Vance could talk more.
McGee shook his head. "No way, I've kept tabs on the others since the project ended. They've all settled down into normal lives," he revealed.
"You kept tabs? The subjects were all ordered to forget each other," Kort slowly approached McGee. "That means you too."
"When raised in hell with other victims, all you have is each other," McGee replied, glaring at Kort.
"We need to fine them; their lives are in danger, McGee," Kort urged.
"As if I'd tell you," McGee spat as he pushed himself to his full height. Vance's eyes widened. McGee was often timid, but now Vance realized it was an act. McGee was brimming with a confidence that Vance had never seen before.
Kort left NCIS enraged.
NCIS Bullpen:
The team returned to NCIS after Kort left and McGee finished his conversation with Vance. Walking into the bullpen, McGee put on the act once again. Behaving like the NCIS agent they all knew. The NCIS agent who was too nice and withstood Tony's constant mockery. Leaving the team completely unaware that he could lift a car and break every bone in their body with a hug.
"Get chewed out by Vance McGoo?" Tony asked with a grin.
Ziva glared at Tony. "Perhaps Vance was commending McGee on a job well done," she spoke up, "McGee is a good agent."
"Thank you, Ziva. But Vance just wanted to talk to me about some tech upgrades for his computer," McGee replied. He hated lying to his friends, but lying had become second nature to him. "So, catch me up" McGee said as he sat down at his desk.
Ziva rose from her chair and began, grabbing the remote. "Petty Officer Jessica Smythe of Maryland, Virginia," she began. McGee's head snapped to the screen, his eyes widening as he slowly rose from his seat. His reaction went unnoticed by his friends as Ziva continued, her eyes focused on the screen. "She was a good sailor, in peak physical health, and never took a sick day. She was found dead in a ditch, her throat was cut." Ziva turned to McGee and saw his reaction.
Tears pooled in his eyes as he stared at the screen before turning and walking toward the elevator. "What's wrong with McGoo?" Tony asked. Ziva noticed it- a picture that was on McGee's desk. It featured McGee, the victim, and four others.
M.E Lab:
"Jethro, I just finished the petty officer's autopsy," Ducky announced as Gibbs entered the lab.
"Did she tell you anything, Ducky?" Gibbs asked.
"Only what we already knew, her throat was cut. It was cut in such a way, though, that the blade almost decapitated the poor woman." Ducky answered before holding a hand up. "But there is something I found interesting," he revealed. "90 percent of her body is covered in scar tissue, all of the scars are old. Dating back to when she must have been a child," Ducky explained.
"Abuse?" Gibbs asked.
"That was my first thought, but something about the scars looked familiar," Ducky continued. "Do you remember when Dinozzo was infected with the plague?" Ducky asked. Gibbs nodded. "Well, I remember seeing these same scars on McGee when I gave him a check-up."
"Are you sure Ducky?" Gibbs asked.
"About as sure as I can be, but I called a friend at the city M.E's office. There have been 4 other murders, I asked about the victims and…" Ducky was cut off by Gibbs.
"Same Scars," Gibbs said, "Think you can get the bodies down here?"
"I would, but according to my friend. The bodies were seized by CIA agent Trent Kort," Ducky revealed.
The doors opened with a hiss, and Ziva walked in. "Gibbs, we've got a problem," she announced.
Gibbs walked over to Ziva "What?"
"McGee's gone," Ziva revealed, sounding more worried than Gibbs had seen. "We caught him up on the case. The moment he saw the victim, he took off."
"Try his cell?" Gibbs asked, sounding concerned.
Ziva nodded her head. "Went straight to voicemail, and it's worse," she revealed.
"How much worse?" Gibbs asked.
"He left his badge and took his gun," Ziva revealed.
Gibbs walked past her; it was time he got answers from Vance.
In the meantime:
McGee was standing in the middle of an abandoned building. His hands were in his pockets as if waiting for something. Hearing footsteps outside the door, he turned and watched the door. The door opened, revealing a young woman with long brown hair. "Hello Timmy," she greeted with a smile.
"Hello Carol, it's been a while," McGee greeted her with a smile, before pulling her into a hug.
"This better be important, Timmy, I need to pick up my kids from school," Carol replied as she sat down in a nearby chair.
"Just waiting for the others," McGee replied, and he didn't have to wait long. One by one, the remaining three members of their group arrived. Tim and Carol greeted them before they all turned their attention to McGee. McGee explained the situation, informing them that Jessica was dead and 4 others from the project were murdered. Somebody was hunting down the test subjects and killing them all one by one.
Once the news was dropped, McGee advised everyone to grab their loved ones and go someplace safe until the killer was caught. One by one, the others left until it was only McGee and Carol left. "Who do you think it is?" Carol asked, looking worried; she had every right to be worried. She had a husband and 2 kids, now her past was coming back to haunt her. A past she wanted to stay buried.
"I don't know, a lot of people want to see this project forgotten." McGee looked around the room, which was covered in a thick layer of dust. "I hate this place," he muttered.
They were in the very building where Project Ares was conducted.
Where the twisted experiments happened.
NCIS:
McGee stepped onto the elevator a few hours later. Carol and the others were getting their families and would call him later to check in to let him know they were safe. The elevator ride up was slow, excruciating, but then the elevator made an unscheduled stop. The doors opened, and Ziva was revealed to be standing there. McGee offered her a smile as she stepped onto the elevator.
As soon as the doors closed, Ziva hit the emergency stop button before turning to McGee. McGee looked a little scared, but Ziva wasn't buying it. "You know, don't you?" McGee asked; the look on Ziva's face spoke volumes.
She knew.
Everything.
Ziva didn't answer; instead, she wrapped her arms around McGee and buried her face in his neck.
No words were spoken after that; instead, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.
Meanwhile:
Carol was outside her home when she felt a familiar presence behind her. Turning around, she sighed in relief, "Oh thank goodness, you scared me."
The figure pulled out a large knife, and Carol's smile vanished, turning darker. "He will catch you," she declared before the figure lunged at her.
The screams of the family echoed into the darkness when they discovered her body.