Countdown to Looking Glass (NCIS/DC Universe crossover)

@lordroel

Hmmmm.....

She would have had to escape before the nuke went off in Themyscria.  

If we hear of -- from -- her again, it will not be soon. One hell of a Memorial Day has just begun in the States. 

Chapter 38

Monday, May 28, 2007

Memorial Day in the United States


--This is ZNN Sunrise. I'm Bryant Gumbel, with Carol Costello and Major Garrett, on a somber day for the United States, and for the world.

We're about 17 hours from the explosion of a nuclear device, according to President Boehner, that took the lives of a now-estimated 300,000 people yesterday in Indianapolis. Later that day the Geneva summit talks ended abruptly, and just a few hours after the President addressed the country last night, Soviet Premier Khalinin gave his response--


Navy Yard, NCIS headquarters

Ducky pulled his 1954 Morgan 4-4 Series V automobile into one of the few empty spots in the parking lot. Kate, who rode with him into town, got out from the passenger side of the two-seater vintage British roadster and walked around to the driver's door on the right side.

"It is I who should be opening the door for you, Caitlin," Ducky said after she opened his door for him. "I was certain you would've allowed that for a man whose mother raised him to mind his manners around ladies."

Kate smiled, for the first time since they heard the terrible news from Indianapolis. Ducky had hoped for an additional word or two from her, but she hadn't spoken to anyone since the previous night.

That was the least of his worries for her at the moment, however. Ducky was most concerned about her short- and long-term mental and psychological state. Could she ever recover from yesterday's tragedy enough to move forward? That topped the numerous concerns he had for Kate, and any of them, at almost any other time, would be good enough for him to bench her until she could sufficiently heal. But McCallister gave her 24 hours from the time of the detonation before ordering her to return to field work, citing an obscure agency rule meant to prevent agents from abandoning their posts in the event of an impending nuclear war.

After former Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev's coup d'etat in 1986 kept World War III from breaking out, the agency added a rule allowing for the director to compel agents to work in the event of a pending global conflict that was likely to go nuclear and involve enemy attacks on the homeland. The director needed only the Secretary of the Navy's approval, and McCallister had, according to what Gibbs told Ducky an hour before, invoked the rule after Geneva broke down.

Therefore, Kate was reporting for work. Ducky mused that even under the present circumstances, Jenny Shepard and Tom Morrow would've given Kate as much time off as they could afford, more than 24 hours for certain. McCallister? Gibbs told Ducky the director didn't hesitate to order her ready; in fact, he wouldn't even allow her to go back to Indiana, citing 'chaos' in the area.

Gibbs told Ducky he wasn't about to give up on getting Kate as much time as he could, at least for whatever memorial service the Todd family survivors wanted to have. For his part, Ducky had gone through the agency rulebook to find something that would allow him to pull rank on McCallister. He had come up empty so far, he told Gibbs, but Riley's 24 hours weren't yet exhausted.

Lost in his thoughts, he was jostled back into the moment when Kate pulled him away from walking into a guard standing right outside the main south entrance into the NCIS building. "Thank you very much, Caitlin, for saving me from being the center of a most embarassing scene," he told her. Kate smiled in response, and looked around the area while the guard waved a portable metal detector over she and Ducky.

Kate's smile vanished when she saw the American flag at half-mast on a nearby pole, and Ducky gently put his hand on her shoulder in sympathy and as a gesture of comfort. He caught her eye and saw her countenance change almost instantly; she bit her lip and her visage turned steely. The tear falling down her cheek hinted at the pain she was bearing.


--every overnight talk show on radio has had nothing but callers wondering why we're not attacking the damn Russians--

--talk shows, even Internet message boards are on fire over this administration's lack of response to the clear Soviet attack on an American city!!! We ought to be banging on Khalinin's door, demanding he answer for this--

--Matt, the President is doing exactly what he ought to do: wait for all of the facts before he takes us into war, especially with the stakes as high as they are--


Ducky elected to go with Kate to the bullpen and, as they walked off the elevator, saw the rest of the team waiting for them. Abby took off in a sprint from the moment she saw Kate and, just as Ducky stepped out of the way, wrapped her up in a hug. "Abs," Gibbs said seconds later, nodding towards the bullpen when Abby turned to look at him. She reluctantly let Kate go, following closely behind as Kate went straight to her desk.

"Kate, we're here for you," McGee said.

"Always," Ziva added. "We have your back."

"We're here to help," Palmer said.

"Anything you need or want, just say the word," DiNozzo said.

All four, along with Abby and Ducky, kept a respectful distance as Kate silently put her belongings in her desk. Gibbs got up from behind his desk and walked into Kate's space, seeing her in the moment as a daughter whose anguish broke his heart, again and again. "Not goin' anywhere," he told her in a low, soft tone, and for a moment her eyes softened.

When she noticed McCallister looking down at them from atop the stairs, her eyes hardened like steel. So did Gibbs's.

McCallister, flanked by suits on all sides, quickly made his way down the stairs and to the bullpen, stopping just shy of Kate's desk. He abruptly launched into a speech thanking the team for going and beyond the call of duty, reminding them they were the best team in the entire agency, and going on and on and on. Neither they -- nor other employees working nearby, the suits nor the director himself -- could miss Gibbs glaring directly at McCallister.

McCallister no-sold Gibbs's icy scowl and turned to Kate. "In nearly four years since joining NCIS you've become one of our most versatile agents," he said. "Your profiling skills are second to none. You've scored in the top two percentile in shooting. You've become an excellent interrogator. Your undercover work helped us crack the Rainier case. Your..."

Kate looked at Tony's monitor across from her desk the entire time McCallister spoke, finally making eye contact with the man when he brought up Indianapolis. "Under normal circumstances, I would not hesitate to give you as much time as you needed," he said. "The world we live in, right now, does not allow for our best people to do what civilized people do, expect. The barbarians would, and will, take advantage of our humanity to conquer us and destroy our way of life..."

She never broke eye contact as McCallister droned on before ending with a statement that made just about everyone bite their tongues: "I noticed you were, are, a good soldier. The best thing for you is to be here with your second family, focusing on the job. That's why you're here, and why I expect you to continue upholding the high standards Agent Gibbs has set for you, that you have set for yourself."

Kate paused a few moments before responding. "I'm ready to serve my country, sir," she said coolly.

"Good girl," he replied, looking at her and everyone else before turning to leave. He took a few steps, stopped to turn around, and told Gibbs, "five minutes." Then he and his suited entourage proceeded up the stairs, Gibbs glaring at him until he went out of sight.

DiNozzo let out a long, loud whistle which opened the door for almost all of the others to voice their complaints.

"'Good girl'?" Abby shouted. "Of all the condescending things--"

"What an ass!" McGee blurted.

"Jenny would never have conducted herself in such a manner," Ziva said angrily.

"Boss, you gonna let this go on--" DiNozzo said.

Ducky caught Gibbs's eye and glanced over towards the elevator, leading Gibbs to put his fingers to his mouth and let out an ear-piercing whistle that got his team's attention, along with every other person on the floor. Even Kate looked up in response before turning her attention back to her computer screen.

"Duck," Gibbs said as he headed briskly towards the elevator. Ducky caught up with him just as the doors opened, and both men went inside to Gibbs's unofficial office.


--evacuation efforts continue at this hour in Marion County. Residents are being placed in shelters as far south as Nashville, Tennessee and east as Pittsburgh--

--Governor Todd has ordered for anyone without official and authorized business in Marion County to stay out; thousands of men and women have traveled to the area to assist in rescue operations, as they did in Manhattan on 9/11--


Gibbs hit the switch on the panel, dimming the lights and stopping the elevator. Ducky took Gibbs's stare as his cue to speak first. "Jethro, Director McCallister's hubris is--"

"Duck. Is she ready to work?"

"Jethro, no one would nor should go back to work immediately in the aftermath of such a tragedy as Caitlin has suffered," Ducky replied. "No one. That includes you."

"Is she ready?" Gibbs asked without missing a beat.

Ducky took a deep breath and pondered his answer for a few moments. "No, she isn't, despite Director McCallister's insistence to the contrary. If the decision was mine to make, Caitlin would be with her remaining family--"

"Which is here with us," Gibbs said.

"Caitlin's uncle and his family, her cousin and her immediate family can not give her the attention she needs, but surely the director would arrange for her at least a brief visit with them in person."

Gibbs shook his head. "Too chaotic there right now."

"It would do her well, emotionally and mentally, as would some time off to mourn, to receive counseling--"

"What did Riley ask you about?"

"How did you know...of course you knew."

"Duck."

"The director asked me my professional and personal opinion on her condition, if I thought she was able to work, if she should work. And, to observe her for the time being. I wonder if he was paying me the courtesy of consulting me as chief medical examiner."

"Yeah. He had his mind made up."

"I see that you do as well. Jethro...be careful."

"Of what?"

"Be careful of what you say to the man and more careful about how you say it. You don't have the informal relationship with McCallister that you had with Jenny. He won't tolerate your barging into his office forever. He expects obedience. He's the general, we and the others, Caitlin included, are soldiers. You need to handle this matter more like you interacted with Thomas Morrow."

"Morrow was reasonable."

"And you respected and trusted Tom Morrow, to a degree that you clearly don't have for McCallister."

"More like trust," Gibbs said.

"You and I agree that trust is earned, especially in our line of work," Ducky replied. "But McCallister is the director. He has the power to open doors, or make one's life miserable...or remove someone, even you."

"My job's not just about following orders, Duck. If the director does anything I find questionable or wrong, my obligation's to call him or her out."

"I agree with you. With this man, Jethro, do so differently, more respectfully, with the professional welfare of your agents, of Abby, of Mr. Palmer and myself."

"Think he'd take out his frustrations at me on them?"

"I do, given sufficient provocation," Ducky said. "There is much about Riley McCallister that remains a mystery, but what I do know of him tells me he is a formidable man to be wary of."

Gibbs didn't respond, staying silent for several moments, before flipping the switch on the elevator panel that caused it to resume moving. When it reached the first floor, Gibbs stepped off to head for a walk and to think.


--ABC News has learned that Congress will be called into special session to address issues related to Indianapolis and Geneva and Khalinin's response--

--the President will not be at Arlington today, Press Secretary Brent Hobard confirmed to CNN. When asked about the President's whereabouts, Hobard said only Boehner, his family, his staff and the Cabinet are in 'undisclosed locations kept secret for reasons of national security'--

--heightened security across the nation for today's Memorial Day ceremonies--

--Marines standing between protestors and the grounds of the Soviet consulate here in Chicago--

--rumors of a split between moderate and far-right elements within the Boehner administration--


Navy Yard, along the Anacostia River

Fuming over McCallister's handling of Kate, Gibbs stalked through the outside parking lot down to the riverfront.

The numerous security guards scattered around the complex noticed his scowl and gave him as wide a berth as they could. Gibbs's routines were well-known to security, and he knew where he could and couldn't go on one of his walks.

Gibbs went down to the observation plaza on the riverfront, right in front of the yard's Taylor building. Because of military concerns over potential snipers from Anacostia Park across the river, only those with prior approval or official business were allowed access. Years ago, former director Morrow gave approval for Gibbs and his "people" -- the team and selected outsiders of his choosing -- to visit.

The plaza had armed Marines at all entrance gates, including the Taylor building which Gibbs came from. There were ten armed Marines, spread out 10 to 15 feet apart, along the railings overseeing the Anacostia. Gibbs also was aware of the sniper stationed atop the roof of the Taylor building near its front entrance. The Navy sniper crouching somewhere on that roof (Gibbs couldn't see him from his vantage point) was one of a dozen scattered among all of the roofs of the buildings within the complex. The risk to the Yard from potential terrorists on the publicly-used 11th Street Bridges and Interstate 695 and Section D of Anacostia Park east of those bridges, as well as private yachts sailing the river out of the nearby District Yacht Club, was considered too high to not have those snipers.

Gibbs briefly looked around the plaza, wondering what it would be like without the shadow of Armageddon currently hanging over the world. He imagined tourists watching the river and walking along the riverfront, or looking at exhibits and informational plaques. The portion of Anacostia Park across the river from the Yard that belonged to Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling would instead be a public park, a place of peace and not of war.

The light breeze coming from the southeast was refreshing to Gibbs, who walked up to one of the Marines at the railings.

"Regulations state plaza visitors must wear protective head and chest gear at all times, sir," Lance Corporal Hansen told him after he flashed his badge. "Fortunately for you, we happen to have an extra helmet and vest."

Setting himself six feet from her left, Gibbs smiled at the comment. "Don't call me sir, Lance Corporal," he replied as he picked up the gear and began putting it on.

"Just following orders...sir," Hansen said, looking back over her left shoulder at the Sergeant in charge of her unit.

"Like any good Marine does, Lance Corporal."


--Salt Lake City is under martial law at this hour. Seven men and two women that Governor Huntsman says are of 'East European origin' are still on the loose and the subject of a massive state-wide manhunt--

--cleanup has begun at the grounds of the Space Needle in Seattle, which collapsed yesterday after a series of detonations--

--dozens of churches throughout the area will hold special services today in remembrance of the victims of Indianapolis and in prayer for relations between the U.S. and the Soviet Union--


The fresh air, and the walk, calmed Gibbs down enough to where he could walk into the NCIS building without wanting to kick McCallister in the posterior or in a more sensitive body part. He decided to try to heed Ducky's advice, although he was sure he couldn't fully hide his anger from McCallister.

DiNozzo was the first person in the bullpen to see Gibbs step off the elevator and, with a brisk stride, head in his direction.

"Boss! Fornell called looking for you and said it was--"

"I'll call him back," Gibbs said, walking past DiNozzo towards the stairs.

"--important."

DiNozzo, Kate, McGee and Ziva watched Gibbs sprint up the stairs and out of sight. "Exercise must've done wonders for the old man's knee," DiNozzo quipped.

Gibbs was stopped by two suits about 30 feet shy of McCallister's office door, and his mood turned a little more sour when he was told that the director was busy. Ducky's advice came back to Gibbs, who kept his response to himself and turned back towards the stairs, and the bullpen.

DiNozzo waited until Gibbs turned the corner towards the bullpen before speaking to him. "Uh, Boss, Fornell called and said he needed to talk to you ASAP."

DiNozzo and the others in the bullpen watched Gibbs as he silently walked to his desk, sat down and began leafing through a stack of folders.

"Uh, Boss, is everything okay?" McGee said gingerly. He didn't answer Gibbs's half-glare, opting to turn his full attention back to his monitor.

"I have just spoken with the College Park police, Gibbs," Ziva said. "They have no further leads on the whereabouts of Marine Corporal Higgs."

"Gotta wait 'till he resurfaces," Gibbs answered. He picked the stack of folders a few inches off his desk and dropped them. "Everyone. Take one, or three or four."

"Cold cases, Gibbs?" Kate said emotionlessly.

"Yeah." The three agents, and Mossad Officer Ziva, split the folders amongst themselves.

Two hours passed, and Gibbs's numerous phone calls upstairs to McCallister's office went unanswered. By now, his irritation had become a simmering displeasure threatening to boil over into some act that wouldn't do himself nor his team any good. He instead got up and went for another walk, this time straight to his truck in the parking lot. He drove out of the lot north onto 11th Street, and 10 seconds later a black SUV followed behind him.


--no ban on public gatherings for now. The New York Stock Exchange is closed for Memorial Day, but plans to open as scheduled tomorrow--

--the George Washington Bridge is closed--

--no decision on when or if baseball will resume play. Same with the NBA and NHL, both into their postseasons. NASCAR owners reportedly will meet via teleconference to discuss whether to run this weekend at Dover or postpone --


East Capitol Street NE, Washington

Gibbs parked his truck on the street and walked across directly to a Chinese restaurant. The girl at the counter took him to a table in the back where Fornell was impatiently waiting, both on Gibbs and for his lunch to cool down. The SUV parked behind his truck, and the two suits walked across to the restaurant, only to be greeted by four FBI agents.

"Couldn't wait for lunch, Tobias?" Gibbs said as he sat down at the table.

"Damn Kung Pao chicken's hot," Fornell said as he waved a menu over his plate to cool down his food. "You must be on Gibbs Time today."

"'Gibbs Time', Tobias?"

"Means when I need to talk to you, you call back on your own schedule...I guess your people met mine?"

"You see them back here?"

Fornell chuckled. "One of my people fought in the UFC, two played NCAA Division I football and the other's a black belt. Unless your people are Navy SEALs, mine's got yours beat."

"Yup," Gibbs said with a laugh. "Can't stay long, Tobias, I'm working on something--"

"I'm sure you are, just like me." Fornell looked around the room next to the kitchen, whose occupants had been sent on an extended break by the owner, who was a 'friend' of the Bureau. "Figured you'd want to know...and God knows how much I owe you."

"You paid me fair and square at the poker game last month."

"Not what I mean," Fornell said with a smile. "I'm not about to divulge national secrets--"

"That's good to know."

"--but this is an open secret that's spreading like wildfire across all the agencies, hell, half of D.C.'s gonna hear it by tonight."

"Hear what, Tobias?"

"Congress is going into special session tomorrow. They're finally going to pass the Rock Act, and Boehner will sign it into law."

"Control the media, control the flow of information."

"It'll probably cover the internet, too, something old Jesse and Strom never imagined 20 years ago. There's already a shitstorm at the Post and Dispatch and the local TV stations. The White House reporters are royally pissed."

"Hadn't heard that from the grapevine -- yet."

"I heard that last part from a TV reporter you worked with a few years back. Diane Fontaine, CW 19. She found out, somehow, that I knew you and said she didn't want to go to you directly because she didn't trust ol' Riley."

"I don't trust him either, but I don't think he'd kill her."

"Anyway, she says her station and some of the others already are abiding by the Rock Act. Gibbs, they aren't doing that out of patriotic duty or the kindness of their hearts. That means--"

"The government and the military are getting their ducks in a row and getting ready."

Fornell blew on the chicken and chili pepper on his fork. "You think it's gonna happen?" he asked before putting the food in his mouth.

"Hope not," Gibbs answered. "But most of our pieces are in place just like the Russians. Doctrine's been to be ready to fight on a moment's notice for 20 years. If they pass the Rock Act, we won't hear anything about fighting in Europe or the Gulf or Panama until the censors approve it."

"If missiles head towards D.C., we might get a half-hour notice if we're lucky."

"That's not what scares me."

"Trying to run from 50 nuclear bombs isn't what scares you?!?"

"It's Spetsnaz."


--"I work for the power company, so I have to work today. Got a family to take care of, you know? Other guys I work with are the same way. Doesn't mean what's going on ain't affecting us. Since '86, it's always been in the back of my mind that it might all be over one day. You go on, worry about today, let tomorrow take care of itself, plan for the future and hope for the best, take care of the things you can take care of. And focus on the ones you love.

Whatever it takes to get through the day, you know?"--

If she had survived I would assume that a certain princess would be really piss of and would not be a happy person to encounter.

That's correct, it is very massive. The number is due to the presence of so many people at IMS (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) for the race when the nuke went off nearby (the Wikipedia article for IOTL's 2007 Indy 500 race has the attendance as approximately 300,000, so I feel comfortable in quoting that figure). 

In the future, people may look back and see this as the unofficial start of World War III, but for now it's officially a terrorist attack. Too many people in Washington are convinced if Boehner blamed Khalinin now, the "21st-century Stalin" would be launching nukes at CONUS within the hour, so the White House is taking the stance it's taking. 

The reaction nationwide is...varied. Had this happened in our 2007, it would at least be the equal of 9/11. [1]

Here, though...

1. The spectre of World War III and nuclear annihilation is everywhere and that is a greater concern for everyone than what happened in Indy. The breakdown of the Geneva talks, and the U.S. response to Khalinin and Soviet activities worldwide, takes up as much time on the news channels as Indy. This isn't bin Laden ordering planes flown into both WTC towers and the Pentagon. Though the news has sidestepped it, most Americans are convinced Indy was caused by the Soviets. 

2. The Rock Act is already having an effect on the mainstream media. The aim here is to keep the public calm. That's why some stories are ignored, others downplayed. You hear lots of talking from hosts and guests on talk shows now, not much talking from the public. Several organizations like The New York Times, CNN, The Daily Planet, Washington Post and the networks are trying to play it straight. Others are waiting to assert their First Amendment rights. Some already have tried, and did you know that's why the San Francisco Chronicle is chock-full of AP wire stories today (Memorial Day)?

3. People are reacting, you're just not seeing much of it on TV or radio or in the press. The one place you can get the truth is on the Internet, but you have to know where to go. You don't have to worry so much about censorship there as you do Soviet and East German hackers. Assuming you can tell the Sams and Ivans apart, you'll get info on a message board you won't get from the media. [2]

[1] ITTL, on September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda hijackers took control of five airplanes. Two crashed into both towers of the World Trade Center. A third crashed into the Pentagon. A fourth crashed just outside of Cleveland. And a fifth crashed right into downtown Metropolis, New Troy's business district. 

[2] AOL is still a thing here, and very popular, and very prone to self-censorship. Facebook hasn't broken thru to the public yet. Twitter is a very niche website that most people can't figure out. 

It does with most members, those whose screen name matches their registration name.
Mine would be jimmygreen while lordroel would be admin. Not sure about anyone else with a name change.

Chapter 39

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Washington, D.C.

At dawn, the skies over Washington and other major American cities contained more military jets, helicopters and drones than ever. For some of those who looked up, it was quite noticable how the swarm of flying objects had greatly thickened, a harbinger of worse days to come. For everyone else, it wasn't anything they hadn't seen before; just another day in the nation's capital.

The increase of drones and military aircraft was more noticable in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and 96 other major cities. Not only were commuters shocked by the checkpoints being set up along major roadways, airline travelers were surprised by the longer screening lines and more so by the long waits once they finally got onboard their planes.

Drones flew over airports, Interstates, power plants, bridges and places of industry. They also flew over military bases and government buildings. And they flew over any other location deemed vital to national security.

Overnight, 52 satellites were switched on by the U.S. Air Force and began their mission of monitoring the American homeland.

The best and brightest poached by Washington from Silicon Valley and Seattle began to patrol the World Wide Web for threats domestic and foreign.

By dawn, governors of 29 states quietly called up their respective National Guards, while governors from the other 22 states planned to do so by the end of the day.

Officers and enlisted military personnel on leave were recalled and told to report to duty as soon as possible. Civilian police officers suddenly found their vacation time taken away; their superiors wouldn't, or couldn't, explain why.

America was being watched by its own government, for its own safety. The drones, the Guardsmen, and the growing number of security cameras at highway, city and suburban intersections were intended to convey one message to the people: You Are Safe.

And yet, all these extra measures and the efforts of the federal government and military and their civilian government and law enforcement partners were not enough, for the enemy sprang up from its hiding places and wreaked havoc.

Navy Yard

NCIS Headquarters

8:34 a.m. EDT

Ziva's neck was stiff from having spent the last half-hour reading through folders containing a dozen cold cases that NCIS hadn't solved dating back to 1994. Feeling the stiffness in her neck, Ziva froze momentarily when she heard a click as she looked upwards from her desk.

As Ziva massaged the back of her neck she heard several random sounds, all close by, in quick succession. She looked around the bullpen to find the source of the noises.

McGee, across from her desk was busily typing away at his desk, looking back and forth between his monitor and the top of a pile of folders on his own desk. Ziva looked to her right, over Gibbs's desk towards Kate. Less than 48 hours after the explosion in Indianapolis, Kate seemed oblivious to everything other than her own stack of folders.

Ziva's heart ached for her teammate, and friend. Kate had been the last of the team to warm up to the Mossad officer, given how badly she'd been taken advantage of by Ziva's brother Ari. But Ziva had finally earned her trust after months of patience -- and a nudge or two from Gibbs.

Speaking of the team leader, Gibbs was nowhere to be seen. He hadn't exempted himself from the cold case load, although the stack on his desk hadn't been touched. Ziva noticed the older man trying to hide the concern on his face when he met her and the other team members earlier in the bullpen.

She last saw Gibbs thumbing through a card file sitting in one of his desk drawers; the next time she looked up, he was gone and so was the card file. It piqued her curiosity a bit, but she was more concerned about Gibbs's whereabouts. Ziva decided a short walk to stretch her legs was in order; perhaps Gibbs was with Abby or Ducky.

Before Ziva could get up from her chair, the noises she had just heard again invaded her thoughts. She quickly looked around the bullpen and just as quickly found the source of her annoyance:

Tony.

>click<

--trading fell sharply Monday in Asia and the London FTSE 100 is down 45 points. That's not what the business community here in the U.S. wanted to hear as trading opens in New York in under an hour --

>click<

--hundreds of Marion County residents are refusing to vacate their homes and are having to be evacuated by force by local police and state National Guardsmen--

>click<

--West German Chancellor Schröder called for calm this morning, as thousands of citizens living along the borders with East Germany and Czechoslovakia head west searching for safety--

>click<

--Diane, the Capitol building has been closed off to all non-essential personnel according to this release. That doesn't include the media, but does includes the public as security on the Hill is further tightened ahead of the special session expected to begin this morning--

>click<

--YOU WASCALLY WABBIT!!!--

Within seconds, Ziva was away from her desk and at DiNozzo's side, having grabbed the remote control for the bullpen's television monitor from the senior field agent. His thumb went through the motions of pressing the channel button for a few more seconds before he realized the remote was gone.

Ziva wiggled the remote in front of his face, then moved it out of his reach.

"Uh uh uh," she said, glancing at the pile of folders on Tony's desk while sticking the TV remote in her back pocket. "Gibbs said we are here to work."

"Those case files aren't going anywhere, Mossad Ninja," he replied. "Besides. I wanted an update on the latest news."

"This is 'news'," she said dryly, pointing to the cartoon channel he had landed on when she grabbed the remote. "Perhaps the hunter will finally kiss the rabbit this time."

"'Kill the wabbit', Zee-vah. Which never happens because Bugs Bunny always wins," Tony said. He instinctively reached for the remote, then stopped himself. It was secure in the pocket hugging Ziva's left buttock, and Tony didn't want to chance her jabbing him in the throat.

"Looking for something, Tony?" Ziva asked with hint of suggestiveness in her voice.

"Yeah. The remote. Give it back."

"I think I wll keep it," she said, taking a step away from DiNozzo. "Gibbs told us to work on cold cases, anyway."

"Ziva. For real, I gotta know what's going on, since the Mustache upstairs cut off the internet. I can't even go to Stars and Stripes much less check my email...I might have to spring for a second phone, like McGemcity over there."

McGee didn't take DiNozzo's bait, rapidly typing while looking at the contents of one of the folders from his stack.

"You should follow McGee's example, and that of Kate," Ziva said, nodding in the direction of Kate's desk. "Surely there is something in one of your folders that can occupy your time."

"Ziva. There's an old NIS file over there from when Sanford was in the White House. It might have predated Mike Franks. Navy Commander, three years removed from 'Nam, becomes a minor cocaine dealer in D.C. Disappears one day, found a week later frozen to death across the river in Anacostia Park."

"That," she said, pointing to the folders on DiNozzo's desk. "That sounds like an interesting case. I wish I had that case."

"I can give that, and the rest of my pile, to you."

"No thank you, Tony. I have one interesting case of my own. It is 30 years old and involves a gong."

"A gong?"

"Two Marines went on a game show in Los Angeles to sing a duet. They were eliminated in the show by a 'gong', whatever that is, and one ended up dead, the other remains missing to this--"

"You got the 'Gong Show' file?" DiNozzo said as he suddenly brightened up. "I remember that case, now! They tried to sing 'Your Momma Don't Dance' and the dead Marine couldn't hold a note to save his life. Dead guy gets gonged by Arte Williams and the other guy, who actually had a pretty good voice, was pissed. They get into a fight with Chuck Farris in the middle before security breaks it up and drags them off the stage. Two days later, dead guy's found near the Hollywood sign--"

"Tony. Is there a point to all of this?"

"Ziva. I'll trade you my NIS file for your Gong Show Marines. I'll even have McGee do your case load for the next month."

"Never promise something you cannot deliver, Tony."

"...GIMMEMYREMOTE!" Tony pled to no avail as Ziva went back to her desk, putting the remote in a drawer. He headed towards Ziva's station but stopped upon hearing the slamming of folders behind him.

He turned around at the sound and saw Kate storming away from her station, towards the elevator. With nearly everyone on the floor watching her, she punched the down button. Ziva, DiNozzo and McGee called after Kate as she went into the elevator; the doors were shut when her teammates reached the elevator door.

Outside, Gibbs was visibly frustrated to all who crossed his path, though he didn't need to defer to his 'trademark' glare to warn them off. No one had bothered him from the time he left the bullpen to now, where he was pacing the sidewalk in front of the NCIS building's main entrance.

For the 20th time, he got a busy signal when calling Hollis Mann's cell phone. Snapping his phone shut, he growled to himself and considered taking off to look for her.

He glanced at a couple of suits in the distance pretending not to look in his direction and smirked; maybe, he thought, I should go to McCallister and offer to train his rookies in undercover tactics. Riley obviously hadn't had the time to train them.

The noise nearby from one of the entrance doors being thrown open jostled Gibbs out of his thoughts. He looked over and saw Kate walking at a brisk pace with an icy glare that caused an approaching security guard to jump out of her way.

"Kate!" Gibbs yelled to her; she ignored him and continued on her way eastwards, towards the main parking lot and one of the Navy Yard's heavily-guarded entrances. Gibbs decided to catch up with her and began jogging, hoping the HeatRub on his knee would dull the pain that would come with the hopefully-short run.

In the distance, Gibbs saw a suit running from the parking lot's guard shack towards Kate. He groaned when he squinted and realized who was about to rendezvous with his agent: Clair.

The pain in Gibbs's knee throbbed a little more than he expected, and he gritted his teeth as he picked up the pace. Whatever was going on in Kate's head at the moment, Gibbs wanted to keep within his NCIS family, not entrust to one of Riley's people.

Gibbs abruptly stopped his run when he saw a glint off in the distance at his right. He pulled his SIG-Sauer P228 sidearm from its holster and took a knee, looking for the source of the glint.

There it is again, across the river.

He squinted to get a better look, ignoring the voices of Ducky and Kate in his head, chiding him for not wearing his eyeglasses. The glint returned, and he judged it couldn't possibly come from the base. Security would be too tight for a shooter.

The glint disappeared for a few moments before reappearing, and Gibbs guessed the source had to be on the water. He quickly pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed security. "Possible shooter on the river off the piers," he said. In moments, a low-pitched siren sounded, signaling an imminent attack; Gibbs saw Kate and Clair pull their sidearms and others in the open either pull weapons or scramble to get inside the nearest building.

"KATE! CLAIR!" Gibbs shouted their names three times, but neither seemed to hear them over the siren. He decided to run towards them, hoping to reach them and get out of the open back into the safety of the NCIS building.

Kate finally saw him running towards her and Clair, gesturing for them to come his way with his left hand. She elbowed Clair's bicep, and they both ran towards Gibbs.

All three hit the ground seconds later when the nearby guard shack exploded.