"What Had To Be Done"
-Chapter Eleven-
The doors to Director Vance's office opened, and Gibbs stepped inside--closing the doors behind him--and then walked over to Vance's desk.
"There." Gibbs said, laying the file folder down on the desk top.
"What's this?" Vance asked, looking down at the file folder, but somewhat reluctant to touch it--much less open it up and look inside it.
"Everything. Its all there." Gibbs explained. "Enough for a warrant and-"
"No." Vance said, rather suddenly.
Gibbs was caught off guard by Vance's outburst. He narrowed his eyes at his boss, unsure--sort of--what Vance meant.
"No?" Gibbs repeated.
"Yes." Vance replied, staring up at Gibbs, and trying to intimidate Gibbs.
"What the hell does that mean--Leon?" Gibbs asked, calmly, but with a slight edge to his voice.
Vance realized, now, that his original tactics would not work--not that they ever did--and he would have to spell everything out for Gibbs.
"No warrant--not this time Gibbs." Vance explained. "Our investigation has been terminated--they shut us down."
"So you're just gonna let these dirt bags go." Gibbs said in protest.
"If I had my way--they'd all be in chains headed for a federal prison--but as it is my hands are tied." Vance explained, looking away from Gibbs. "I got the call a couple of hours ago--I've been ordered to burn any and all evidence linked to either case."
Gibbs studied Vance's eyes and his body language intently as the two men sat through a silence that seemed to last forever.
"I see." Gibbs said at last, quietly, with a slight nod. "Guess that's that then. I'll take care of this ASAP." he said, picking up the file folder off of the desk top.
Gibbs nodded once more, and then turned and headed for the doors. He opened them, and started to step out when Vance called his name--quietly.
"What?" Gibbs responded to Vance's call.
"Good luck." Vance said quietly.
With that Gibbs exited the room.
Gibbs rounded the corner into the bullpen a few moments later. "McGee?" he said, as he cleared his throat.
"Boss." McGee said, jumping up out of Gibbs' desk chair. "I dug further/deeper into the 'files' that you asked me to look into."
"And?"
By now Gibbs was standing right in front of his (own) desk.
"You were right." McGee pointed out. "I looked into the specs for the 'Missiles' developed by Zena-Corp--and they're-" he stopped short, his voice faltering as he tried to continue.
McGee cleared his throat, and tried once more to finish what he was saying. He pointed towards the computer screen.
"These...Missiles...can carry enough plutonium to equal that of seven Hiroshima bombs, yet they are very light weight, and capable of long-distance, stealth travel." He explained to Gibbs. "The new guidance systems are capable of carrying the missiles' payload to its pre-determined target/destination with pinpoint accuracy. In other words...if they were to launch just one of these things at D.C.-"
"D.C. wouldn't exist." Gibbs finished McGee's sentence for him.
"B-Boss," McGee stammered, his voice beginning to waver again. "My sister's in town, for the week, with her boyfriend...If your gut's right, then-"
Gibbs stared long and hard at McGee, and then finally a small, knowing expression crossed his lips. "I need one last favor, McGee," Gibbs said, quietly. "Then I want you and your sister on the first plane out of here, okay."
McGee nodded, a wave of relief passing visibly over him. "What do you need Boss?"
"I need you to find out where those missiles are right now." Gibbs said calmly.
Elsewhere...
Agent Fornell walked into the Director of the FBI's office, closed the door behind him--as prompted--and then sat down in the chair in front of the Director's desk.
"You wanted to see me." Fornell said, as he sat down.
"Yes. I did." the Director replied.
"I have just been informed that there's been a breach in our security." the Director explained. "Someone hacked our computer systems and downloaded several files labeled 'off-limits'."
"And this matter concerns me because?" Fornell asked.
"It concerns you, Agent Fornell, because the identity of the hacker has also been revealed to me--it was a friend of yours from NCIS--Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs." the Director continued to explain.
"The FBI has now labeled this man as a 'dangerous criminal'--and he must be apprehended as such."
"What?" Fornell said, somewhat shocked at what he was hearing. "You're not serious."
"THIS is a VERY SERIOUS matter--Agent Fornell." the Director explained, his voice rising a little bit. "Jethro Gibbs is to be considered 'armed and dangerous'--and deadly force is authorized."
"You sure?" Gibbs asked the person he was talking on his cell phone with. "Alright--for what its worth--I'm sorry." he apologized, and then he hung up.
Gibbs dropped the file folder he'd been holding into a manilla envelope, while standing behind his desk.
"McGee. Go get the car started, but don't leave--wait for Abby--she'll be right behind you." Gibbs instructed McGee from across the bullpen.
"Sure, okay. Um--why?" McGee asked.
"Trust me Tim--its better if you don't know the 'WHY'." Gibbs answered as he threw the younger agent the car keys.
Then Gibbs walked out from behind his desk, and headed for the stairway--instead of the elevator.
Gibbs strolled into Abby's lab a few minutes later. He had almost turned around and skipped this part more than once on his way down the stairs. This would probably be one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do in his entire life. But he'd walked away without a single word once before, and this time he owed Abby a little more than that.
As he strolled into the lab everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, at first, as he looked around the room for what he figured would be the last time--his eyes even fell upon that Sweet Goth Forensic Specialist he'd come to think of as sort of an unofficial adopted daughter. He knew that SHE would be one thing he would miss most of all.
"Abs," Gibbs said quietly.
Abby turned around from her workstation to face Gibbs. "Gibbs." she replied quietly, detecting a hint of something she knew she probably was not going to like.
"Abs--" suddenly his mouth, lips, and throat ceased to be able to perform the tasks which they were designed for.
Abby what was in the silver-haired man's eyes, and stepped forward--throwing her arms around him and pulling him into a tight hug. "You're leaving again--aren't you?"
"Don't have a choice." he replied hoarsely.
"I know. I just wish that you did." she said quietly.
"Me too." Gibbs agreed, quietly.
"I need a favor Abs," Gibbs said.
"I got the 'thing' that you wanted." she replied, hastily.
"Good." he replied. "But that's not what I was talking about."
"I've never said this before, but YOU are the HEART of my team--I need you to continue to be that HEART for whoever takes over the team--should we succeed of course. Can you do that?"
Abby nodded her head, as she wiped a few tears from her cheeks.
"I wish you'd go with McGee and his sister," Gibbs started to say.
Abby shook her head, as more tears fell to her cheeks. "If you go--I go." she whispered, through the tears. Her make-up was running all over like crazy at this point. "I wouldn't be able to live without-"
Gibbs wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her into a strong, warm hug as they stood there. Her sentence was cut short as she clung tightly to the silver-haired man.
"Abs," Gibbs whispered quietly. "You've always been--" he struggled, temporarily for the words. "Like a daughter to me." he finally whispered the words into her ears.
Abby's heart broke even more as she listened to the words rolling off of his lips right then. She felt like someone was stabbing her in the chest hundreds of thousands of times repeatedly.
"And I-" he started to say.
"I know." she choked out, silencing him mid-sentence. Abby pushed away from Gibbs finally, and looked up into his piercing, blue eyes. "Gibbs-" she started to say, but then she corrected what she was going to say.
Then before either one of them could say anything else, Gibbs' cell phone began to ring in his coat pocket. He pulled it out, answered it, listened to McGee on the other end, and then finally he hung up.
"That was McGee. He's waiting." Gibbs said.
Abby nodded, and then started to turn away. Gibbs reached out, and cupped his hand around her cheek gently. He stared into her fierce green eyes for a beat, and then he turned and walked out of the lab, looking like someone who was carrying the fate of the world on his shoulders.
"I love you too--dad." Abby whispered silently, through tears, as she watched Gibbs walk away, for what she felt would be the last time ever.
-Chapter Twelve-
.........To Be Continued.........
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