Chapter 18: Honour Bound
It's been a few weeks since the Boone affair, and the past few days have been... interesting to say the least.
Ziva returned to NCIS, as a Mossad liaison officer, to the G-team, a move that Director Shepard had approved without consulting Gibbs. Predictably, Gibbs wasn't thrilled about the decision, especially since he valued control over his team. However, after some initial tension, Gibbs eventually accepted Ziva into the fold. The bond they shared—a bond forged through a dark, shared secret—played a role in that acceptance.
Kate rejoined the team. Kate's return was a bit more complicated. Her physical injuries were healing well, including the reconstructive surgery on her ear, but the emotional toll was heavier. The ordeal with Ari had left deep scars, and Kate found herself grappling with PTSD. She had believed that Ari was in love with her, and when he attempted to kill her, it shattered her trust and sense of reality.
Despite failing her psych evaluation, Gibbs insisted that Kate return to the team, and Director Shepard eventually caved, albeit reluctantly.
Ziva integrated herself into the team quickly, and her Mossad training was evident in every move. She also had a 'glass half empty' sort of approach similar to Gibbs. Yet, Alex noticed Gibbs' watchful eye on her, never fully letting his guard down. Kate, on the other hand, still had her skills; if anything, she became more cautious, but her spark had dimmed. More than once, Alex caught her lost in thought, fingers brushing against the scar near her ear—a haunting reminder of what she'd endured.
For now, she was put on desk duty.
<<Scene Break>>
"Gear up," Gibbs ordered, his tone sharp and urgent as he strode into the bullpen.
"Missing person case."
"Lieutenant Commander Alex Tanner went missing about an hour ago from an amusement park in Arlington, Virginia," Gibbs replied, the clipped words underscoring the seriousness of the situation.
"Do we always respond to missing person cases this quickly?" Ziva inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"Special circumstances, Ziva," Gibbs responded without missing a beat. "His 6-year-old son called NCIS."
Alex didn't show it, but his internal radar went on high alert. He knew of Commander Tanner—Lucille Porter had mentioned him more than once. Tanner was a brilliant man with dual Ph.Ds. in Number and Chaos Theory from Caltech. He'd been a potential candidate for The Unaffiliated. However, the members of UA had unanimously vetoed his candidacy. Because Tanner came with baggage—namely his son, Zachery; despite his brilliance, Tanner's devotion to his son was marked as a liability, a risk they couldn't afford to take or make. When push comes to shove, the chance of Tanner choosing his son over the mission was almost 100%.
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Upon arrival at the amusement park, the team split up. Alex headed to the security office to review the surveillance footage. Ziva began gathering witness statements, and McGee contacted Tanner's commanding officer to dig up more background information. Tony found the boy—Zach—sitting on a bench, alone.
Tony approached him cautiously, crouching down to meet the boy's eye level. "Hey, I'm Special Agent DiNozzo, but you can call me Tony. You did a smart thing, calling the NCIS."
Zach looked up at him. Tony's voice softened as he continued. "I know this is really scary, but I need you to be brave, okay? Can you do that for me? Think back to what happened today. Try to remember everything, even the little things."
"What do we know?" Gibbs asked, his voice cutting through as he walked in.
"Not much," Tony replied, glancing at the boy. "I think the kid's in shock."
Zach interrupted, his voice steady despite the fear. "No, I'm not. I'm waiting for Agent DiNozzo to ask me a question."
Gibbs gave him a reassuring nod. "What kinds of questions should I ask you, Zach?"
"What I saw. Why did I call NCIS," Zach answered, his small hands gripping the edge of the bench.
"Alright," Tony said, leaning in slightly. "What did you see, Zach?"
The boy's voice was unwavering. "Two men were watching us. I think they kidnapped my dad."
Gibbs's expression grew serious. "Can you describe them?"
"One had dark glasses and a military haircut. The other had a shaved head," Zach replied, his voice becoming more confident.
"How old do you think they were?" Tony asked, trying to keep the boy focused.
"About your age," Zach responded after a moment's thought. "They had iPods, too. But they were only listening in one ear, like this," he mimicked the way they wore the earbuds.
Tony exchanged a look with Gibbs. "Dark glasses, earwigs… sounds like feds, Boss."
Gibbs frowned, already calculating the implications. "If they're feds, what are they doing here? And why take Tanner?"
"It's also weird that they left a small child alone in a crowded park."
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In the security room, Alex meticulously combed through the surveillance footage. His eyes scanning for details. Then he saw it—Commander Tanner, flanked by two men. From the first glance, you could tell something was off. Tanner's body language was distraught. He wasn't walking with them willingly. His steps were hesitant, his posture tense.
'His body language suggests he didn't want to go. So...abduction. And the people who took him are definitely professionals.'
Alex went through several surveillance footage and noticed that the abductors intentionally faced away from the cameras. Alex took out the second phone.
"Rogue 0-7 to Actual, We have a situation. Lt. Cmdr. Alex Tanner has been kidnapped. Respond ASAP."
After a while, the team regrouped and compared notes. McGee was able to get Tanner's background information from his CO. The commander was working on a highly classified DOD project; McGee also informed the team that Zach's mom died four years ago in a car crash, and there was no next of kin. Ziva didn't have much luck, she wasn't able to find a witness or standby who noticed the alleged kidnapping. Eventually, the team decided to return to HQ and bring along the young Zach with them.
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[Bullpen, NCIS HQ]
Ziva had worked with Zach to sketch the two men who had taken his father. Tony, Kate, and Alex huddled around a monitor, reviewing the footage. There was something about this that didn't sit right with Alex. Zach, why was he left alone in a crowded park? It felt deliberate, like a move in a larger game.
McGee looked up from his screen. "Commander Tanner has been working as a project liaison for a DOD contractor called Q&R Software. He's the project lead on something classified, codename 'Honour Code.' It's top-level stuff, Boss—everything's locked down tighter than Fort Knox. We may have to go there in person to find out more details."
Just then, a social worker entered the bullpen, a woman in her mid-thirties with a kind but no-nonsense demeanour. She approached Gibbs and handed him a file and a few papers, who gave her a brief nod before turning to Zach.
"Zach," Gibbs called softly, kneeling beside him. "This is Ms. Hopkins. She's here to take you somewhere safe."
Zach looked up at Gibbs, confusion and fear flickering in his eyes. "But what about my dad?"
"We're going to find him," Gibbs assured him. "But for now, you need to go with Ms. Hopkins. She'll take care of you."
As Ms. Hopkins gently took Zach's hand, Alex couldn't shake the feeling that this was a mistake, a dangerous one. The perpetrators had gone to great lengths to kidnap Tanner—leaving Zach behind felt too convenient.
Alex waited until Ms. Hopkins and Zach were almost at the elevator before he made his move. He hurried over to Gibbs, his voice low and urgent. "Gibbs, wait."
Gibbs turned to him, brow furrowing at the tone in Alex's voice. "What is it, Bishop?"
"I don't think Zach should go with social services," Alex said firmly.
Gibbs studied him, his blue eyes piercing. "Why not? It's protocol, Alex."
"Exactly," Alex replied, leaning in closer. "And that's why he needs to stay here. Think about it, Gibbs—these guys are pros. They left Zach alone in a crowded park. Why? Because they knew someone would pick him up. What if sending him with social services is exactly what they're counting on? What if this is part of their plan?"
Gibbs narrowed his eyes, considering Alex's words. "You think they'll come after him?"
"I think it's a possibility we can't ignore," Alex said. "They've already proven they can kidnap someone without raising alarms. And if Zach goes into the system, they'll have an easier time finding him."
Gibbs glanced over at Zach, who was now standing by the elevator, holding Ms. Hopkins' hand. The boy looked small and fragile. Gibbs weighed Alex's words, his mind racing through possible scenarios.
"We keep him here, Gibbs," Alex pressed on. "At least until we know more. I'll stay with him if I have to. But letting him go… it feels wrong."
Gibbs was silent for a moment as he processed everything.
"Alright. We'll keep him here."
Gibbs turned and strode over to Ms. Hopkins, intercepting her just before the elevator doors closed. "Hold on. Change of plans. Zach's staying with us."
Ms Hopkins looked surprised and started an argument with Gibbs regarding rules. Eventually, though, she released Zach, and the boy hurried back to Gibbs, relief washing over his face.
"Bishop, go with Ms Hopkins and take care of the necessary paperwork."
"Tony, McGee, go to Q&R software. I need to know everything Lt.Cmdr has been involved within the last 6 months."
"Got it, Boss."
But before Alex left, he asked Zach to borrow his cell; the boy was a bit hesitant but agreed eventually. Gibbs raised his eyebrows at his actions.
"Just a hunch, Boss."
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[Department of Social Service, Virginia]
It took about 15 mins for Alex to fill out all the forms detailing that Zach would be under the protection of NCIS. Just as he exited the building, he got a text on his second phone. It was a text message from actual specifying an address.
Just as Alex was about to enter the NCIS Dodge Stratus, he scanned the area, <Focus Vision>. He noticed someone watching over the Social Service building from inside their car, and he instantly realised the guy looked similar to one of the perps that Zach had sketched; he was alone and scouting the building.
'Bald guy, glasses, suit; Polo.'
Frankly, Alex was hoping something like this would happen. He knew he had to be smart; since he was fed now, he couldn't sneak up behind him and knock out the guy. It would be an illegal arrest, and the perp would lawyer up and walk right out.
It was rush hour; he had to be quick and precise. Alex unholstered his Beretta M9 <Caliber: 9mm Luger, Magazine Capacity: 15 rounds, Effective Firing Range: 50 meters (55 yards), Max range 1800 meters.>and dashed toward the Perp's car.
"NCIS, Step out of the vehicle."
But as expected, the perp tried to flee. Alex underloaded on the car's tyre and punctured it. The perp got his gun in his hand, ready for shoot out, But just as he got out, he felt a punch to his throat, and before he could even react, he felt an uppercut to his chin before the lights went out.
Alex took out his badge and raised it.
"Federal Agent, everything under control."
The gunshots scared the passers-by civilians. He wanted to let them know the situation was handled.
<<scene break>>
"That was pretty quick; Actual, it took, like, what 4 hours."
Alex was inside a phone booth in a remote location. The address that he received earlier was to this place.
"Don't be a wise-ass, Alex, I working on a secure form of communication. Unfortunately, for now, caution takes precedence; *ahm* The situation... may be more serious than I initially thought....," continued Actual, a.k.a Lucille Porter "The whole thing reeks; this could be related to them."
Alex perked up at that.
"I am guessing all of this is tied to this Honour Code thing somehow?"
"Affirmative. Honour code is trouble; Basically it's a cyber master key that can disable any kind of password encryption, ranging from an email password to bank details to the Pentagon's highest classified files."
"I hacked into Q& R, and to my surprise, it looked like the firewall was breached with a virus intentionally planted by someone; specifically, the virus entered through the terminal of one Lt.Cmdr Tanner."
Alex pondered for a second.
".....hm....don't think so Actual, Tanner doesn't seem like type."
"My thoughts exactly. He is being set up. And I think I might know who."
"I'm listening, Porter."
"This obviously an inside job, so the people who had access and who could have done this are Tanner's XO Cmdr. Harry Wilder, Q&R head of security, Frank Connell and finally Q&R CEO Mike Wells."
"I will know who did it when I talk to them."
"What's the current situation, Alex."
Alex briefed the situation on his end, like how Zach was with them and how he got one of the kidnappers.
"Wait!!..What? You should have started with that. Any chance can you bring him to me."
"Don't think so, Porter; shots were fired. It will raise questions if I don't bring him in."
"Hm...I want his call logs and messages."
"Sure thing."
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[NCIS HQ, Navy Yard]
Alex bought the perp to NCIS. He was still knocked out cold, so Alex had to carry him in on his shoulder like a towel. An agent was sent to fetch the perp's car and bring it to Abby. Gibbs looked slightly amused.
"That hunch worked out huh, Bishop?"
Ducky gave the unconscious man some kind of injection, and he woke right up. After this, he was immediately taken into interrogation for questioning.
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