KIBBS, FOR SURE!!!
Co-wrote with Novasupernova
A/N: This story is written to honor the dolphins that find death giving support to combat and surveillance activities around the world. Their death occurs rarely in the line of duty, but frequent from stress in training and transporting activities.
The Navy Marine Mammal Project exists in real life and has been resisted by many organizations for animal welfare.
For the last few years the Navy has improved maintenance conditions and accepts advice from experts, therefore mortality had been dramatically reduced, but a question arises:
COULD WE HUMANS, INVOLVE THE CUSP OF INTELLIGENCE THAT FOLLOWS US ON EARTH, IN OUR OWN WARS AND FIGTHS?
WHO GAVE US THIS RIGHT?
IT WAS NOT GOD, SURELY.
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The sunset is as glorious as ever, at the end of a warm and calm day. The sun is sinking into the sea like a giant splendid and incandescent fruit. The flat rays enlightening sea and sky in a symphony of oranges and purples.
She runs, climbing the last ascending curve of the sandy road, holding a medium-fast but powerful pace, enjoying the final aerobic phase of her daily run. She needs it, especially today.
Seconds go by slowly and stop. Time is suspended into the light, the incredible golden disc freezes touching the blurred horizon at the edge of the firing water.
She runs, inside her own bubble of sound from her iPod, the sunset light surrounds her. Keeping an easy breath, deep and fast, she breathes into the light air.
Sweat is sliding down her neck, soaking her shirt and she does not notice. She feels comfortable running towards the sun, her feet do not touch the earth, time is not real. She runs. Suddenly… this fucking noise.
And her universe is broken.
Bypassing the loud music in her audiphones, the powerful sound of a chopper is approaching from the East. The massive dark silhouette profiles against the glorious gold and purple tapestry of the dying sun.
The helicopter passes over her, flying much too low as always they do, gyring slowly, greedily, the ominous mass over flies her and goes to take land at the heliport behind the dune. She slows down, cursing between her teeth; waiting for what she knows is coming.
The mass of air trapped between the road and the sand wall of the dune, faces her. Sand grains strike her anti reflective glasses and the furious air whirling in front of her captures her cap into the ascendant column of air.
She looks up, cursing the pilots again while feeling her lax chignon untying lazily and her free hair flies uncomfortably over her eyes and settles its copper mass on her sweat-soaked neck and shoulders. She curses again as she catches her cap.
Damn it! The fluorescent yellow vest is visible enough in the sunset light!! What are they playing at? She runs the last two hundreds meters at her best speed, thinking only of the fresh water down her throat and a warm shower over her heated skin.
Entering the facilities, she indulges herself in her little daily fun and jumps over the security barrier getting the awaited admiring smile from the marine guard, she smiles at him briefly and her eyes go over the heliport, the chopper is poised like a giant dragonfly with the position lights shinning and rotors still going slow.
Three persons (civilians) are descending, keeping their heads down, looking at the concrete floor as it must be, and "Maybe they are not civilians"
They are going to shake hands with the CO who stands straight as a stick at the edge of the white circle.
"You bastard", she curses at the CO and gains to her own domain, not turning her head around, entering safely to the cold fluorescent light and the buzz of her aquaria; her peaceful universe.
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The "Marine Mammal Project" facilities are built at the seaside; white flat buildings surround sea pens and pools. The enclosed seawater mirrors the sun, an incandescent orange.
Despite the noise of the rotors and the helicopter turbulence trip, Kate has been drowsy since they flew from San Diego Airport. She has a headache. That's why the howl from her sexist teammate to someone on the ground is more annoying than ever.
She opens her closed eyes and frowns at him, shaking her head disapprovingly at his shouted words:
"Wowwww!!! Those are good pair of legs, Kate! There is nothing to do at the happy hour here but run alone??? I could suggest a couple of ideas!!!" Tony winks at the co-pilot with a chuckle. "Hey buddy!!! What about being trapped between those legs! It would be…"
"Keep your mouth shut, Tony!!!" hisses Kate, "your words are incredibly sexist and out of place!"
She is disturbed by the chauvinism he shows as well as by the fact the pilots have heard him through the audiphones. The co-pilot, obviously the lower ranked of them, and the younger, seems to share his opinion.
"Damn men" Kate curses.
But the officer laughs briefly and says: "Don't even try with her! She is a hardass! With very high positioned friends! Forget it, boy!" And he returns to the control panel of the chopper.
While this conversation took place, Kate noted a slight movement from her right. Gibbs stretches himself and straightens in his seat, sending a casual glance down the road as they fly over the runner.
He caught the flashing color of the yellow vest and the copper shine of flying hair. With no word he reaches his hand over the pilot's seat and the younger officer puts a cup of coffee in it with his thumb up.
He takes a sip, looks at Kate and sees her scowl. His eyes smooth as he focuses on her. "You OK?" he asks in this low "taking care" voice that he reserves exclusively for her.
"I'm fine, Gibbs" She nods with a little smile. She forgets about Tony; her boss is talking to her, asking about her comfort. She is fine.
How could he sleep in a flying chopper? She wonders, he also sleeps on Ducky's autopsy table, under his boat and who knows how many other uncomfortable places.
She looks at him with a bit of envy and feels like an alien between the four of them. Men are strange creatures, Kate thinks.
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The sun had gone minutes ago and the small window shows the first star, the silver spot shining in the sky, still pale and stained with the colors of sunset.
Dr. Sedna Dunn closes the shower curtain and drains the excess of water from her hair, then steps out of the cramped cubicle and lets her wet hair drop along her back wrapping a soft blue towel around her body. Her wet skin makes the body lotion spread easily as she massages her limbs and shoulders thoroughly.
Maybe she could indulge herself in a beer tonight, with some luck they could have Guinness again. She expected her friend Monique to come over, but something came up; if she decided to come, she would have been there before she went for her run.
"Yes, a beer and an early dinner before sleep would be a good medicine to help her stop thinking about Kenny's body on the autopsy table of some anonymous navy forensic bastards!", cursing again, she recalls her earlier meeting with the CO this morning.
Her CO knows as well as her, that the dolphin's autopsy should have been done by her, and he let NCIS take the corpse to D.C. He should have requested her presence for the procedure but he didn't.
She recalls the conversation: "That is not my decision, Dunn, obviously much less yours", he said laconically and bad humouredly. "I have my orders and that's it! " Her CO used to consider her as military staff under his command, he was soooo wrong. She still hears his words.
He just had obeyed his orders, Sir!
Yes sir!
And so must she! Sir! Yes sir
And call to your admiral friends, no fair play sir. No sir…
And tomorrow she must receive a team from NCIS, Washington DC and make their job easy, yes sireeeee, Dunn mocks herself and her CO, while drying herself.
She had stayed in front of him, hands at her sides. She never crosses her arms; to him it means that you need to protect yourself from his words or attitude, whatever. No readable expression emerges at her face while waiting for him to end the meeting. She took advantage from his pause to say.
"OK, Sir" and before he could reply she had turned around and faced the door, opened it and went outside.
She didn't need to watch his face to know he was shaking his head to her back, but he didn't call her. He knows well that it doesn't work and they fact that they had slept together, didn't change a thing and he is "BAD" in bed, by the way.
From the bathroom she hears three taps on the window of her office, followed by Steve's voice, the security guard stationed on the main entrance "Hey, Doc, you have visitors!!!" He shouts as usual, opening the door and letting the visitor inside.
"Thanks Steve!" She bellows from her room. She hears the door close and she steps outside.
She wraps her towel tighter and goes to the next room, her office. Finally Monique is here, she thought the girl has a terrible sense of TIME!
"Good, Guinness is waiting" She finds herself standing at the entrance of her office (in her towel, shit!) facing three unexpected guys, actually two men and a woman.
Suddenly she is conscious of her damp hair, excess water dripping over the floor by her bare feet, her skin still flushed by the heat of the hot shower and the fact she is standing almost nude facing the God damn guys from NCIS!
She is NOT giving them the advantage of running out of their view. From what she can see, they seem to be more disturbed by the "funny towel only" incident than she is. So, she stands still, looking at them with a little smile and her eyes shining.
She steps closer to the oldest one, who is one step in front of the others in the middle of them. "Obviously, the Leader" she tells herself, almost as old as her CO "And much more intimidating… hmm"
"The leader" is looking at her politely, right into her eyes, ignoring her attire (or her lack of it). She is used to manage people; she is very good at analyzing human behavior, but can't help avoiding trembling just a little bit from inside under his stern gaze.
"Hell, those eyes", bright and deep blue, piercing and professionally unreadable, he's an interrogator and a damn it good one," she acknowledges. Despite his civilian clothes, a pale sport coat over a blue shirt, there is something very "military" about him.
"His posture and complexion, his weird ‘GI' haircut, the immaculate white T-shirt under his shirt 'A former Marine,' Dunn guesses, "dangerous and attractive too".
The younger man is now looking at her and her dripping wet body, mouth opened, not even trying to hide that he likes what he sees.
"Civilian" Dunn bets, relaxed attitude, fashionable informal clothes: jeans and an expensive leather coat. A nice stylish haircut, unlike the leader. He smiles, perfect teeth, his eyes slide down her features stopping at each curve of her towel. She laughs to herself. "Jerk, just try me "
And the woman:
The pretty brunette in apple green sweater and white pants, one step behind her boss but standing closer to him than her buddy; hmmm she feels safe with the leader, Dunn can feel it, she is the boss' "protégé", sharp, but definitely kind. The woman is small built: her eyes are at a level with hers and thin, but it is certain she uses her gun with the same efficiency than her male buddies and is able to fight as well.
The flush on her cheeks shows some shy nature, she is certainly familiar with the tendencies of her young teammate and maybe imaging his little dirty thoughts about what is under the blue towel.
Breaking the silence the former marine shows his ID: "NCIS, Special Agent Gibbs and Special Agents Todd and DiNozzo"
Sedna looks critically at the photo on his ID card, and briefly studies the hand that holds it: large palms, long fingers used to handiwork, nails short and clean, rough.
"OK, although it doesn't seem that I'm…"
"Dr. Dunn I presume" says the "Latin lover", attracting a glance from his boss that reduces him to silence.
"Sedna Dunn, I was waiting for you, I thought you'd arrive tomorrow. Forgive me if I don't shake hands, I'm soaked in body lotion, with the sun and all, have to take care of…you know? Wait just a moment, I'll get dressed"
"OH Yes, I know, don't worry about…you look very good in this…" starts Sir Lancelot again but his words are interrupted dryly by the barked:
"DiNozzo!!!" And his boss slaps the back of his head, hard!
Sedna disappears behind the door and closes it noiselessly. The three of them sigh. Kate shakes her head at "sorry, Dinozzo"
DiNozzo murmurs to his boss: "The CO was right, Boss! She "IS" mad! What kind of woman greets unknown people in just a towel? And feels comfortable?"
Gibbs looks at Kate, who is just thinking what to say (after all she is his profiler): "I don't think that's what her CO meant, DINOZZO!!!" She snaps at him and looks back to her boss
"One extremely ‘self confident', Kate?" Gibbs asks her.
And Kate answers with her affirmative nod and her boss with his personal smirk, nods. "I knew it"
Gibbs thought to himself again, "women are not hard to figure out, unless you already slept with them…" he scratches his head absent mindedly.
"Focus, Jethro!" He scolds himself. Kate is standing very close to him and he can smell the fragrance of her shampoo- not good for his concentration.
He looks around, the yellow vest is hanging from the chair and over the desk is the blue cap with "NAVY" in white characters. Now he knows who the runner was and Gibbs smirks recalling what the pilot had done on purpose. It lets him guess a lot about her.
He knows how the Navy guys react to civilian authorities and she IS the authority there: "Give her the treatment she deserves and you‘ll have her at your side, Jethro, after all she is in charge of the NMMP and no one but her can help them to solve this strange case." He finds himself sniffing the smell of coffee. There is a coffee pot on the desk and it smells like "real coffee"; no mugs or cups around, bloody annoying.
He is dying for coffee.
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He notes a slight movement from his left and looks up, Dunn was standing in the door frame (she opens doors really silently) holding three cups and smirking at him. Fortunately, she is dressed. "Seems like you need one of these…." Dunn hands one to him, "Help yourself, please, I was sure you prefer black"
He mirrors her smirk and reaches for the cup. "Sure thanks"
Sedna looks at the others: "The same for you, milk and sugar over there"
Kate denies politely with a smile "No, thanks, no coffee in the evening. I wouldn't be able to sleep"
Sedna smiles openly to her. "Yeah, I know. It's the same for me. And you, DiNozzo? "
He is startled, not because she remembered his last name perfectly, but because he had been looking eagerly at her shorts and white sweatshirt with no bra.
"Eeee, yes, I'll get sugar and milk, thanks"
"I've two guest bedrooms here for both of you guys. Don't think you care to share," she laughs in her heart as Gibbs rolls his eyes.
"And you can use my bedroom, Kate" Dunn says
"No, no, don't worry" Sedna interrupts Kate's protesting words
"I am used to sleeping in my boat, believe me, and it is more comfortable than here and not far, she is equipped as oceanographic vessel. I've satellite TV and internet also." She notes the glint of interest in Gibbs's eyes, and she continues: "not too big, she's twenty four meters long and the captain's cabin is pretty comfy."
"Wow, boss!" Says DiNozzo with a stupid - thinks Gibbs - laugh, "you couldn't build that one in your basement!" Sedna gives Tony a weird look.
"You can have this vacant desk." She clears the table's surface while talking, "There's the wireless connection, no access to classified material from here, sorry but I guess you'd get your own connecting to your HQ. You can ask for your dinner by dialing 0121, that phone; or you can call delivery and get a decent dinner in minutes, there is a list on my desk. I suggest the last one for tonight unless you all like "toasted" chicken from the base menu."
Gibbs points the desk with a sharp head movement: "Kate, Tony, HQ, I want to talk to Abby and Ducky."
They nod and say: "Got it, Gibbs" "Got it, Boss".
He gets his stuff and heads down the corridor facing Dunn and giving her an imperceptible smile:
She stops him with a little touch on his arm and looks up at his now less scary eyes. "Ducky, you mean Dr Mallard?"
Gibbs notes the touch of emotion and hope in her normally controlled voice and answers quietly: "Yes, Dr Mallard. You know him?" making an affirmation rather than a question he looks down at her intently.
"Yeah I do, 'know' is not the exact word." Her smile is open and warm now.
"He was a very close friend of my father, almost an uncle for me. I lost contact after daddy passed away, fifteen years ago."
Kate has followed the entire conversation as she sets the laptop and files on desk. She notes the change in Dr Dunn's attitude and disposition to them, from the very moment that Gibbs mentioned Ducky, she became warm and confident. Before she was polite and correct and cold.
She sees - even from her place - the unique golden color of Sedna eyes getting dark, her pupils dilated. She changed, she was excited about something, and she is WITH THEM from now. Gibbs changed too. His voice is less professional and kinder now:
"Tomorrow, we'll interview all the MMP staff, would you arrange that, Doc?"
"Most of them, except the SEALS," Dunn quickly replies, "You guys have to ask the CO about them," she pauses a second, then says "Press 0012, it's his direct line" She smirks again, looking up to Gibbs with a glint of revenge in her eyes.
"Wake the damn bastard, he goes to bed with the birds! See you tomorrow, Special Agents, enjoy yourself, the coffee is in the second box, just in case you want make fresh stuff, get water from the dispenser, and don't drink the tap water. Goodnight!"
Gibbs nods and keeps silent, looking at her closing the door and smiles.
Oh yes…sure, women are predictable, till the moment you sleep with.
Men - are the complete opposite.
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-Tbc-dolphinsiren-novasupernova/2007/BETA(MV)
Story Notes:
Co-wrote with Novasupernova.
Author's Chapter Notes:
They never faced a case like this before, one of the victims is not a human being...
Chapter End Notes:
Co-wrote with Novasupernova.