Part Two: Chapter 21
Chapter 21
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
--I'm Lois Lane, from ZNN headquarters here in New York. Welcome to ZNN's continuing coverage of two separate but intertwined events. One is the confinement of Western media and embassy personnel in Moscow, Havana and now other capitol cities in the Eastern Bloc. The second of course is the Geneva summit, scheduled to begin just under three hours from now at 8 a.m. Geneva time, 2 a.m. on the East Coast and 11 p.m. on the West Coast.
The British embassy in Moscow has been surrounded by Red Army forces for several hours now according to the BBC. ZNN has not been able to independently confirm this, as our reporters in Moscow are still confined to bureau headquarters. ZNN can report that our reporters in Havana, East Berlin, Luanda and Hanoi are under similar confinements from military forces. Other Western media outlets are reporting--
Gibbs went to McCallister's office and watched how the man conducted his business. The new director appeared quite competent at hiding his rage when contacting the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Navy about Eli David's revelations. After hanging up the phone, McCallister said he was heading to the White House to discuss Mishnev with the President, and that Gibbs and his team had done their jobs.
Gibbs begged to differ, although he kept that opinion to himself. He realized the task of finding Mishnev was now out of his hands; however, he didn't take that to mean the case was closed. Tonight and tomorrow, he'd have his team look for signs of Mishnev being in the area. After learning the Russian was Ari's half-brother, Gibbs thought he and his team might be next on the bastard's kill list.
When McCallister returned from the White House, he told Gibbs every federal agency had put Mishnev at the top of their most wanted lists. Britain, France, West Germany, Israel and China had pledged to help track down the Spetsnaz sniper.
Then, McCallister ordered Gibbs to send his team and himself home. And yes, the suits would be near their residences again to watch over them.
Gibbs's basement
8:36 p.m.
The front door to his house remained unlocked, but Gibbs almost changed his mind when he got home as to discourage the suits from walking right in. Instead, he figured they'd find their way in regardless, and he settled for the familarity of his basement and his ritual of building his boat.
Gibbs had already showered and brought down a change of clothes, and he had the boat to keep him company while he thought things through. The rest of his team were split between Ducky's house (Ziva, Palmer) and Abby's (Kate, Toni the dog) and McGee's (Tony the agent) apartments.
His watch read 11 o'clock, prompting him to turn the TV in the basement on. The CBS affiliate's local newscast led with the Geneva summit, then addressed peaceful but tense protests outside the Soviet embassy here in Washington. Eli David's own bit of news wasn't remotely hinted at, although Gibbs suspected it'd be Topic One in Geneva.
As the sound from the newscast continued playing in the background, Gibbs walked over to his bench and emptied a nail jar. He reached for the bottle of bourbon when it hit him:
They're really gonna do it.
In his mind, Geneva failed on the first day. The military buildup escalated quickly worldwide and just as quickly led to missiles and bombs detonating all over the planet.
When that happens, there's no escape. Everyone's dead.
Gibbs grabbed the bottle and poured the bourbon to the rim of the jar. He took a drink, saw someone next to the stairwell, and turned.
"Things sure would be a hell of a lot easier right now if you hadn't gotten yourself shot," Gibbs said. Jenny stood at the foot of the stairs, dressed in the same outfit she was found dead in, and looking so real Gibbs felt that he could walk over and touch her.
Almost.
"I didn't exactly ask to be killed, Jethro," Head Jenny replied. "You need to thank Ziva's father for the tip."
"Don't I also need to 'thank Ziva's father' for the bastard who killed you?", Gibbs shot back.
Head Jenny walked over to the boat, causing Gibbs to sniff his jar and put it back down. "I'm really dead, Jethro."
"I know, Jen. I saw your body. I’m working your case."
"The case is pretty much done, Agent Gibbs. Finish it, then walk away and move on to the next one," she said, standing -- and sounding -- much like she did that one night in Paris.
His mind then flashed back to their missions in Moscow and Paris, then flew through her time as NCIS director before ending with her on a slab in Ducky's morgue. And then he looked back at the boat and still saw her standing there.
"I'm in your head, Jethro," Head Jenny said. "I don't think you're going to need to call Ducky...and I'm pretty sure no one's spiked your bourbon."
Gibbs chuckled. "Why are you here, Jen?"
Head Jenny folded her arms, now looking like she did when they learned Ari had come back to Washington. "Rule 11. It's too late for me. It’s not too late for yourself and your team. And, if they'll listen, it’s not too late for your team's families."
The TV set behind the frame of the boat got Gibbs's attention. He walked past Head Jenny, eyes fixed on the Special Report graphic on the screen.
--British and Omani fighter jets have engaged one another over the Arabian Sea. That's all we know right now and that information comes from the BBC via the British Ministry of Defence--
Gibbs turned around and found himself alone. Then he heard noises upstairs. He quickly went to his workbench, grabbed his handgun, and slowly moved towards the stairwell. The door shut and items dropped on the floor, and someone walked towards the basement.
"Where the hell are ya, Gibbs?" Mike Franks walked through the doorway and made his way down the steps. "I need somewhere to stay till this mess with the Russians blows over."
"Should've called ahead, Mike," Gibbs replied, realizing he was grinning for the first time in days.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
--I'm Lois Lane, from ZNN headquarters here in New York. Welcome to ZNN's continuing coverage of two separate but intertwined events. One is the confinement of Western media and embassy personnel in Moscow, Havana and now other capitol cities in the Eastern Bloc. The second of course is the Geneva summit, scheduled to begin just under three hours from now at 8 a.m. Geneva time, 2 a.m. on the East Coast and 11 p.m. on the West Coast.
The British embassy in Moscow has been surrounded by Red Army forces for several hours now according to the BBC. ZNN has not been able to independently confirm this, as our reporters in Moscow are still confined to bureau headquarters. ZNN can report that our reporters in Havana, East Berlin, Luanda and Hanoi are under similar confinements from military forces. Other Western media outlets are reporting--
Gibbs went to McCallister's office and watched how the man conducted his business. The new director appeared quite competent at hiding his rage when contacting the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Navy about Eli David's revelations. After hanging up the phone, McCallister said he was heading to the White House to discuss Mishnev with the President, and that Gibbs and his team had done their jobs.
Gibbs begged to differ, although he kept that opinion to himself. He realized the task of finding Mishnev was now out of his hands; however, he didn't take that to mean the case was closed. Tonight and tomorrow, he'd have his team look for signs of Mishnev being in the area. After learning the Russian was Ari's half-brother, Gibbs thought he and his team might be next on the bastard's kill list.
When McCallister returned from the White House, he told Gibbs every federal agency had put Mishnev at the top of their most wanted lists. Britain, France, West Germany, Israel and China had pledged to help track down the Spetsnaz sniper.
Then, McCallister ordered Gibbs to send his team and himself home. And yes, the suits would be near their residences again to watch over them.
Gibbs's basement
8:36 p.m.
The front door to his house remained unlocked, but Gibbs almost changed his mind when he got home as to discourage the suits from walking right in. Instead, he figured they'd find their way in regardless, and he settled for the familarity of his basement and his ritual of building his boat.
Gibbs had already showered and brought down a change of clothes, and he had the boat to keep him company while he thought things through. The rest of his team were split between Ducky's house (Ziva, Palmer) and Abby's (Kate, Toni the dog) and McGee's (Tony the agent) apartments.
His watch read 11 o'clock, prompting him to turn the TV in the basement on. The CBS affiliate's local newscast led with the Geneva summit, then addressed peaceful but tense protests outside the Soviet embassy here in Washington. Eli David's own bit of news wasn't remotely hinted at, although Gibbs suspected it'd be Topic One in Geneva.
As the sound from the newscast continued playing in the background, Gibbs walked over to his bench and emptied a nail jar. He reached for the bottle of bourbon when it hit him:
They're really gonna do it.
In his mind, Geneva failed on the first day. The military buildup escalated quickly worldwide and just as quickly led to missiles and bombs detonating all over the planet.
When that happens, there's no escape. Everyone's dead.
Gibbs grabbed the bottle and poured the bourbon to the rim of the jar. He took a drink, saw someone next to the stairwell, and turned.
"Things sure would be a hell of a lot easier right now if you hadn't gotten yourself shot," Gibbs said. Jenny stood at the foot of the stairs, dressed in the same outfit she was found dead in, and looking so real Gibbs felt that he could walk over and touch her.
Almost.
"I didn't exactly ask to be killed, Jethro," Head Jenny replied. "You need to thank Ziva's father for the tip."
"Don't I also need to 'thank Ziva's father' for the bastard who killed you?", Gibbs shot back.
Head Jenny walked over to the boat, causing Gibbs to sniff his jar and put it back down. "I'm really dead, Jethro."
"I know, Jen. I saw your body. I’m working your case."
"The case is pretty much done, Agent Gibbs. Finish it, then walk away and move on to the next one," she said, standing -- and sounding -- much like she did that one night in Paris.
His mind then flashed back to their missions in Moscow and Paris, then flew through her time as NCIS director before ending with her on a slab in Ducky's morgue. And then he looked back at the boat and still saw her standing there.
"I'm in your head, Jethro," Head Jenny said. "I don't think you're going to need to call Ducky...and I'm pretty sure no one's spiked your bourbon."
Gibbs chuckled. "Why are you here, Jen?"
Head Jenny folded her arms, now looking like she did when they learned Ari had come back to Washington. "Rule 11. It's too late for me. It’s not too late for yourself and your team. And, if they'll listen, it’s not too late for your team's families."
The TV set behind the frame of the boat got Gibbs's attention. He walked past Head Jenny, eyes fixed on the Special Report graphic on the screen.
--British and Omani fighter jets have engaged one another over the Arabian Sea. That's all we know right now and that information comes from the BBC via the British Ministry of Defence--
Gibbs turned around and found himself alone. Then he heard noises upstairs. He quickly went to his workbench, grabbed his handgun, and slowly moved towards the stairwell. The door shut and items dropped on the floor, and someone walked towards the basement.
"Where the hell are ya, Gibbs?" Mike Franks walked through the doorway and made his way down the steps. "I need somewhere to stay till this mess with the Russians blows over."
"Should've called ahead, Mike," Gibbs replied, realizing he was grinning for the first time in days.