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Then (Vance):
Leroy Jethro Gibbs sits at the back of the seating area in MTAC. He’s bored out of his mind listening to his direct superior talking about the current missing persons list and the up-to-date most wanted for NCIS. He sighs quietly, not to draw the attention of anyone around him. He knows each of the lists already, he doesn’t need to sit through the complete life story of each suspect or missing sailor. ‘Now, we get to one person who is not going to be on either list, although in my personal opinion he should be on the most wanted.’ Leon grins slightly. Before looking behind him a the big MTAC screen. Gibbs sits up as he clocks the subject of the picture. He knows that face. Intimately. ‘Trent Kort. I am sure that everyone here knows the part of his story that coincides with this agency.’
‘Blew up DiNozzo’s car.’ Gibbs mutters just loud enough to be heard by Director Vance. ‘He still hasn’t been reimbursed.’
‘Yes, and Kort was involved with the Port to Port Killer case.’
‘Why is he on this independent list?’ One of the new team leads asks.
‘Because the CIA are rubbish at cleaning up their own mess. They let Kort roam wild and now they can’t reign him in and they can’t find him to eliminate him.’ Gibbs states not letting Vance get his more diplomatic comments in.
‘And are we cleaning up their mess then?’
‘Just like always.’ Gibbs mutters. ‘Them and the Fibs.’
‘Fibs?’ Gibbs hears the team lead mutter
‘The FBI.’ Comes the dry tones of Rick Balboa. ‘But I think the IRS is number one on Gibbs’ shit list.’
‘Why?’
‘They employ his ex-wife.’ Vance states dryly.
Vance sits in one of the recently vacated chairs in MTAC. He stares at the dark screen. Trent Kort, the bane of NCIS. Kort pisses off the premier Major Crime Response Team of NCIS. Therefore they go either completely off grid or work so solidly that they need three or four days off just to recharge enough to work the standard cases that is the bread and butter for NCIS. He sighs deeply, trust Gibbs to grab control and twists views on a sister agency. Even if the opinion is quietly shared by the majority of senior staff. He leans back in the chair and closes his eyes. The soft snick of the door opening jolts him awake before he even gets a chance to drop off. He looks over at a gently smiling Tony DiNozzo. ‘You’ve been working too much boss of Boss.’
‘There a point in there DiNozzo?’ Vance asks not cruelly but abruptly.
‘Sounded a bit like Gibbs there.’ DiNozzo smiles.
‘Are you in here for a reason?’
‘Yeah, got a conference call with the UK.’
‘Really?’ DiNozzo nods still smiling
‘I booked it out. And if it happens that my contact is a family member I haven’t seen in years then it’s just coincidence.’
‘You don’t believe in coincidence.’ Vance states.
‘Go home Director. Don’t be my father and become a workaholic. Make sure that you spend time with them.’ Vance pulls a face but stands up to move along to the chair line to the isle. When he reaches the free space the screen flickers into life, showing two elderly men sitting side by side. DiNozzo steps forward to be perfectly centred in the camera.
‘Grandfather. Uncle Jeffery.’
‘Tony. Business or family first?’
‘Up to you I think. But for my director here, it’s family only.’ Tony gestures to Vance and gives him a glare.
‘It’s a good idea.’ the elder man says. ‘I should have spent more time with my children, my daughter was lost to me because I spent too much tome at work. So when I said that her chosen husband wasn’t good enough for her, in more ways that the obvious.’
‘But then Tony wouldn’t be here.’
‘Thank you Uncle Jeffery. Good night Director.’ Vance sighs but takes the hint and heads out of the door.
‘Good night Agent DiNozzo.’
Now:
Vance lets himself into the house and the nanny greets him. ‘You’re late.’
‘I’ve already been subtly chewed out once tonight.’ He edges past her. ‘By an agent, his uncle and grandfather no less.’
‘Agent DiNozzo?’
‘How’d you guess?’ he asks dryly.
‘Jared talks to him every so often.’ Vance nods. He heads into his personal office and stops suddenly.
‘How did you get in?’ The newcomer spreads his hands as if to indicate that it is obvious.
‘CIA.’
‘Ex-CIA.’ Vance corrects. ‘They want you dead.’
‘Why do you think I’m staying in the States?’ Vance rolls his eyes at the comment. ‘Nice kids you’ve got.’ Vance’s eyes narrow at the threat to his children.
‘You leave them alone, Kort!’
‘Only if you help me.’
‘Help you how?’
‘Get my bosses, my ex bosses, off my trail.’ Kort’s one eye stares at the NCIS Director
‘No.’
‘I’ll threaten your kids.’
‘You already have. Besides I have the nanny.’
‘The nanny. You go for the nanny.’ Scorn is painfully evident in Kort’s tone and voice.
‘Don’t scorn the nanny. She’s scary. Even Gibbs is respectful around her.’ Kort pulls a face at the comment. ‘Get out of my house before I have to set her on you.’ Vance turns his back on Kort for a second, before turning back. ‘But if you want my advice, go recluse. The mountains, Alaska, the desert, the sea. Anywhere away from people, where you can be alone.’ Vance turns away from the fugitive CIA agent.
‘Go recluse. That’s your advice! Come on you’ve got to have better advice than that.’
‘Could you come up here please?’
‘Who?’ Comes the voice of the nanny.
‘You please.’
‘Why?’
‘I need you to throw somebody out of the house.’
‘I’m not your body guard.’
‘He threatened the kids.’ By this time she is on the same level as him. Her eyes narrow at the words. The steel in the woman’s frame stiffen and Vance can see the fury in the eyes.
‘He’s out of here.’
‘Thank you.’ Vance kisses her on the cheek and heads down the stairs and into the kitchen to join his children as they eat their evening meal. The nanny walks in with a smug smile.
‘It’s done.’
Then (Kort):
One of my contacts reached out to me. To let me know the CIA had given up. Well not exactly given up but handed the gauntlet over to another of the Unites States agencies. Primarily, NCIS, the pain in my behind. I just knew that I would become the next bone that the dog of the MCRT would be after. A dog with a bone is a very apt description of the seven agents: Gibbs, DiNozzo, McGee, Sciuto, Mallard and Palmer. Don’t know much about Bishop but if the shoe fits.
On the flip side, I am on my own list. I’m neither a wanted suspect nor a missing person. But I’m on the briefing list for people to look out for.
But like I said I don’t want to be the next bone. I don’t want to be the next Pedro Hernandez, Ari Haswari, Port to Port, Dearing, Hernandez juniors, Rivkin and the Saleem guy who tortured David. Probably many more but you can’t know them all.
It seems to me that the CIA are actually playing by the rules since NCIS has had a go at them several times. No CIA agent is aloud to take out a target on US soil. If I stay stateside then I can at least avoid them easily.
I have to go a different way to get NCIS off my back I have to attack where they’re weak. I think that’s Vance. I think. This plan could backfire spectacularly. But I have to go through with it. Now all I want to do is be left alone. Hell I’ll even throw in five classic cars for DiNozzo, if I have to, if it means a quiet life for the rest of my days.
I scope out the house of Director Vance quickly as an unknown woman leaves the house, probably the school run or something similar. I glanced at my watch, it’s slightly early so more likely the grocery shop and school run combo. I need to get in. It’s quick and it’s easy. Too easy. The alarm is cracked at the second go, marriage and death of the wife. News clipping just out of sight. I slip in and reset the alarm on the timer. I can stay still for hours if need be. I make it into the office easily and I settle down to wait.
The kids and the nanny come home and move about the house. They come up and down the stairs several times but don’t come into my room (my room being the office). It’s a while till I hear the movements of Vance:
‘You’re late.’
‘I’ve already been subtly chewed out once tonight. By an agent, his uncle and grandfather no less.’
‘Agent DiNozzo?’
‘How’d you guess?’
‘Jared talks to him every so often.’
Game on. Vance is coming up the stairs. ‘How did you get in?’ I spread my hands to indicate that the answer is just so bleedingly obvious.
‘CIA.’ I state just because I want to.
‘Ex-CIA.’ He had to go there. ‘They want you dead.’ And there. I managed to refrain from rolling my eyes.
‘Why do you think I’m staying in the States?’ Vance rolls his eyes at the comment. Childish. ‘Nice kids you’ve got.’ I didn’t threaten his kids. Much, I wasn’t going to do that.
‘You leave them alone, Kort!’ Come on at least be a tiny bit original.
‘Only if you help me.’ The titbit is out there. He’s interested or at least intrigued.
‘Help you how?’
‘Get my bosses, my ex bosses, off my trail.’ I think my one eye creeps him out a little. Hell it creeps me out.
‘No.’
‘I’ll threaten your kids.’ I know I shouldn’t have gone there.
‘You already have. Besides I have the nanny.’
‘The nanny. You go for the nanny.’ I may have been slightly scornful in that.
‘Don’t scorn the nanny. She’s scary. Even Gibbs is respectful around her. Get out of my house before I have to set her on you.’ Hey don’t turn away ‘But if you want my advice, go recluse. The mountains, Alaska, the desert, the sea. Anywhere away from people, where you can be alone.’ Vance turns away from the fugitive CIA agent.
‘Go recluse. That’s your advice! Come on you’ve got to have better advice than that.’ Recluse, I have to admit, it does have merit. I do want to be left alone after all. Recluse. He’s left the room and I hear him talk to the nanny.
‘Could you come up here please?’
‘Who?’
‘You please.’
‘Why?’
‘I need you to throw somebody out of the house.’
‘I’m not your body guard.’
‘He threatened the kids.’ She is now outside the door.
‘He’s out of here.’
‘Thank you.’ A kiss on the cheek. How sickly. She comes into the room. she has fire in her eyes. She’s scary. Very scary.
‘Get out of this house.’ Quiet and strong.
‘Get out of this house and do not come back. You are not going to hurt those children. You aren’t going to go near any other agents of NCIS. You one free pass and this is it. He has given you one chance. No get out of this house. And do not bother even thinking about darkening and NCIS door again. Do so and you will be die.’ Scary woman that. Think I will do as suggested. They don’t need to know. I’ll slip out of town. Where would be the most likely place that I would be least likely to bump into any NCIS creep? Although knowing our luck (theirs and mine) we would bump into each other anywhere. I think, stay on the move and very remote. Lessons the chances. Do not want to tangle with her again. She follows me down the stairs and watches as I leave the house. I linger in the street long enough to hear: ‘He’s out of here.’ Wonder how long it’ll take them to find my little presents.
‘KORT!’ Not long at all it seems. Better get my move on before they catch up and oblivion awaits. Don’t want that, not yet.