Fallout

Chapter 1

Sunday, April 21, 2019

Gibbs stood straight and tall, chuckling at something his wife said to him before looking at his family. Grinning, he said, "It's done! The house renovation is complete!"

Cheers, whistles, stomping feet and applause resounded around the table as they celebrated the renovation of their ranch house outside Albuquerque.

Eighteen months ago, acting on a tip from the Ortizes, the Gibbs-Mallard clan and Ellie's parents purchased a parcel of 600 acres at auction. The property included a 140-year-old dilapidated house, a similarly falling apart barn and several outbuildings. Since then they'd spent almost all of their holidays, vacations and leave time on the ranch working to make the old house livable and rehabilitating the barn to make it structurally sound, leaving further renovation of it and the outbuildings for the future.

Their work complete, the entire family was in New Mexico for Easter, enjoying their first vacation in the 12 bedroom, three-story home. As Sarah and her fiancé Bob Chalmers brought champagne and sparkling beverages around, Ellie smiled at her husband, gesturing to the non-alcoholic cider. Tim grinned back at her and the couple waited until everyone had a beverage.

After they toasted the work and the workers on the house, which included everyone except the babies of the family, Tim stood up. "Ellie and I have news to share."

She stood, took his hand and smiled at their kids who'd been very good about keeping the secret, before squeezing her husband's hand and saying. "We're pregnant! The baby is due the first of December; we know it's traditional to wait for the end of the first trimester but we couldn't resist telling everyone while we're all here."

Shannon grinned like a mad fiend; she'd told Jethro she was sure Ellie was pregnant. She'd been thrilled last December when her son and daughter-in-law brought a 3½-month-old baby girl named Lia home to foster. Since then they'd initiated adoption proceedings that would be final in a month or two, in plenty of time for Lia's first birthday in September. Now Shannon shook her head as she realized Mom and Dad would have two kids in diapers for a couple of years; no need to bring that up now. She loved being a grandmother to all three kids: Tyler and Bryn, now 6½ and almost 5½ and baby Lia, 7 months and couldn't wait to help with the new baby.

Grandpa Mac's smile was so wide it looked like it hurt. He loved all his kids, from Shannon and Jethro right on down the line. But his 'littles', his great-grandchildren, held a special place in his heart and now there would be a new one!

Jethro had tears of happiness in his eyes to match his grin. He loved his children and grandchildren beyond measure. After so many years of grief and loneliness, they filled his heart with a joy he never thought possible. The miraculous return of his beloved wife and daughter added another layer of impossible joy and the icing on the cake of his newfound happiness.

Barbara and Jerry Bishop were grinning as they congratulated their daughter and son-in-law. They too loved their grandchildren and were happy to welcome another child.

Tim thought it was funny that his mother and mother-in-law hugged each other and their dads shook hands and slapped backs before finally turning to their pregnant daughter and son. But then they had kept them waiting longer than planned. With all the tumultuous events before and after their wedding, they'd decided to wait before adding to the family, giving them all some necessary time to breathe.

Eventually, the commotion died down and the family finished their meal with dessert. As Tim and Jerry were the chefs that night, they left the cleanup for others and went for a walk, baby Lia riding in her Daddy pack on Grandpa Jerry's back. They talked about the new baby, the adoption proceedings and plans for the Gibbses' next trip to Tahlequah. Then Jerry stopped abruptly, turning to his son-in-law, "Tim, you know my hobby."

Tim smiled affectionately, "Watchdog of the world?"

"Yeah, well amateur watchdog of the world. There's talk, more talk, scarier talk than there's been in years; it's actually the scariest I ever remember. About an attack on the United States, one that would take us down."

"An attack like 9-11?"

"Worse, a nuclear attack."

"The attackers in the US?"

"No, from what I've heard it's not domestic."

"Any time frame?"

"No, just that there's a plan already in action."

Tim sighed, "Thanks for not bringing this up in front of the others. Ellie has another few weeks to go to the end of her first trimester; I'm hoping we can get there without upsetting her. Outside of routine upsets, I mean - we do have three young children."

"That's a good point, Tim and I won't say anything more. I just wondered if you knew anything, were hearing anything."

"There's always some rumor going around or some hot spot that the government worries about."

Jerry nodded, changing the subject. Days later he realized Tim hadn't answered his question. An uneasy feeling settled in his stomach.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

The day before they left Albuquerque for home, Tim rode around the property on 'his' horse Vámonos. While the Ortizes owned him, Tim had learned to ride on him and whenever he was at the ranch, Vámonos was his. As they trotted through trees and grass, stopping for a drink at the creek, Tim thought about the rumors Jerry had heard and looked around him, more thankful than ever that they'd bought the ranch. It gave them options; any or all of the family could move here.

He and his father had first considered buying the house they'd lived in during their time in WITSEC but quickly realized it was too small. The idea of a ranch occurred during Tim's first visit to his in-laws' ranch in Oklahoma but then he, Dad and the kids moved home, he and Ellie got married and then Mom and Kelly reappeared after 25 years in WITSEC.

They'd added rooms onto Dad's little cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains but the nearly day long drive meant it would never be a gathering spot for the entire family. When Roger Ortiz called about the 600 acres going up for auction Dad presented the idea to the whole family and found a lot of interest.

Now, purely as a mind exercise, Tim thought about moving to the ranch. There was plenty of room for everyone. On the land, anyway, the house itself couldn't hold them all! However, there were several outbuildings of varying sizes and a large barn, all on the list for future renovations. Water could be a problem, water was as precious as ever in the region; they'd need to inquire about digging a well, hire a hydrologist to find sources. That took him back to Jerry's comments and Tim grimaced as he considered what was waiting for him in Washington.

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Five weeks ago, he'd answered his desk phone late one afternoon. In the middle of reviewing a case file and expecting a call from his wife, he answered without looked at the caller id.

"Hello."

"Agent Gibbs, Secretary Porter."

Tim straightened his posture so fast he knocked a stack of paper to the floor. Rolling his eyes, he left them there.

"Afternoon, Ma'am. What can I do for you?"

"Need you to come to the Pentagon for a meeting; it is need to know and for now that means just you. No word to Leon, not yet. I'm not even at liberty to tell you the topic of the meeting."

Tim's eyebrows rose, "Yes Ma'am, when do you need me there?"

"Today, as soon as possible."

"Need to arrange for pickup for the kids." Tim's fingers flew on his cell phone.

"Eleanor is on a case?"

"Yes, they picked up a double homicide in Waynesboro this afternoon. Not expecting them back for a few hours."

"Let me know if you can't make it, Timothy. Time is of the essence but I also don't want to do this over the phone."

"Ma'am, I sent a text while we were talking and we're covered. I can come now if that works with your schedule."

"Yes, it does, thank you. Come in the south entrance."

"Will do; on my way." Gathering his jacket, Tim was out the door in minutes. As he left, he told Dallas, his second in command, that he had an offsite meeting.

Driving against the early evening commute traffic, he was at the Pentagon and in Secretary Porter's office in a matter of minutes. Ushered straight into her inner office, he nodded at Secretary Porter and then was surprised to find Socrates Finch there. He nodded to the NSA Director; they'd met at a party he'd attended with Ellie. "Director Finch."

"Special Agent Gibbs."

"Thank you for joining us, Timothy."

He nodded and when the SecNav gestured, he and Finch sat with her at the conference table.

Quickly Finch explained the reason for the secretive meeting. "Two U.S. agents intercepted a set of files said to contain information hostile to the United States. Unfortunately, we have no idea what's on the files as both agents were brutally murdered. However, one of them managed to get a thumb drive with the information to an ally and she got it to us. We need you for that thumb drive. There are three files on it, all heavily encrypted. We have our best cryptologists on it and they were the ones who mentioned your name. I understand you broke encryptions several years ago when the Domino Plan was stolen."

"We broke 7 of the 8 layers of encryptions, Sir. As time was of the essence, I uh…"

He turned to Secretary Porter who knowing the agent's history interpreted the gesture as meaning he'd done something illegal, probably with the tacit approval of Leon or his predecessor.

"Immunity granted, Agent Gibbs. Director Finch, none of this will be repeated, ever."

"You have my word, Secretary Porter, Agent Gibbs."

"I accessed the Pentagon for the hash number."

"And by accessed you mean hacked?"

Tim nodded and Finch continued, "That was the final outcome? But you'd already decrypted 7 of 8 layers."

"Yes, Sir."

"That's good enough for me." He held out his hand, "Welcome to the team, Agent Gibbs. You'll be working at our office for however much time Secretary Porter can spare you."

Tim shook Finch's hand, taking the packet he was offered as the man strode out of the office. He turned back to the Secretary.

"Which is easier for you to do, Timothy, NCIS in the morning and leave for NSA in the afternoon or the other way around?"

"NCIS in the morning, Ma'am. I assign cases, review what's active and that's generally when Director Vance schedules meetings."

"Good, then report to NSA tomorrow afternoon. That packet has an NSA id and parking pass for you as well as the pass code to the room you'll be working in. Timothy, aside from the seriousness of this, it's quite a feather in your cap, if you will, to be selected for this. You're the only one outside of the NSA on the team. The team lead recommended you, said you had a solid reputation and a balanced outlook."

"A balanced outlook?"

"I believe that means you'll verify before you jump to any conclusions."

"Oh, then yes ma'am. Learned that from my father when he was Boss Gibbs."

She smiled. "I imagine there's a rule or two about that?"

Tim nodded "Three and eight."

"If Leon questions you, refer him directly to me, don't say anything else."

"Understood."

"Two more things. Because of your wife's history with the NSA, Director Finch has given you permission to tell her that you're working with them on something. Not what, just that you're on a team. And I remember Leon saying something about 'all the Gibbses' being away for a vacation. Whenever that is, you'll still be taking it, we don't want any unnecessary questions."

Tim managed to keep his sigh of relief internal but the Secretary smiled anyway.

"Now, get home to your tribe! How are the children?"

"Growing like weeds and doing well in school. Ty's in first grade; Brynie is in kindergarten. And at 7 months, Lia's starting to move around like she's thinking about crawling."

She smiled, "As much as I want my daughter to accomplish her career goals, I also hope to have grandbabies someday."

Tim nodded, "Both sets of grandparents are pretty enthralled with them but then they are wonderful kids. Even if I am totally biased!"

With a smile, he tucked the packet into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and left the office. Driving home, he thought about his new assignment, wondering what they'd find.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

What they found over the next five weeks was perturbing. Although as far as he knew nothing had yet been verified, the team managed to break through the encryptions on the first two files. Once the information was decoded, it had been taken from them and they'd signed non-disclosure forms. Their team lead later told them that Intel analysts and others were now working to verify the information. When Tim left on vacation, the decryption team was still working the last piece of the second file and starting work to break open the third one.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

Back in DC from the ranch and vacation, the Gibbses unpacked, settling into their routines. Tim was not looking forward to telling the SecNav and his NSA leads that the rumors were out there and were not only specific but very close to what they'd found. He wondered if the information had been verified and if that had somehow triggered the rumors. Jerry's suspicions had far more substance than he'd imagined.

The first day back at work he spent the morning catching up with his crew and reviewing the cases they'd handled in the ten days he'd been away. Of the 14 new cases in, they'd sent one to the Singapore CCU, one to Seattle and one to San Diego and handled the rest internally, successfully closing six. That left five new active cases; he read the reports on those, satisfied with the work and progress they'd made. He worked through lunch, feeling guilty about deserting his post for his 'other job'. On the way to the NSA offices, he used a burn phone to call Secretary Porter about the rumors heard by an ordinary citizen in Oklahoma.

Parking the Acura in his designated spot, he had the sudden thought that they should all drive diesel fueled, four-wheel drive vehicles. He could easily convert them to "Fry Power"; that is the use of cooking oil as fuel. They could grow the ingredients for cooking oil, who knew how long fossil fuel would last or even be accessible.

When he reached the room where the decrypting team worked, he took a deep breath before entering. After quietly telling the team leads of the rumor he'd heard, purposely neglecting to mention the source, he got to work. He was dismayed to find another layer of encryption had been cracked with information that was even more alarming than what they'd seen previously.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

Life continued and Tim found comfort in his family's routine. Ellie reached the end of her first trimester in May and they had their first ultrasound. They couldn't see much but there were no chromosomal abnormalities and they breathed a little easier. In early June, the kids finished school and started a new routine of days of fun at the beach in Fenwick with Grandpa, Poppy, and Nonny, frequently joined on the weekends by Daddy, Mommy and some of the aunts and uncles. Even Aunty Breena got into the fun, bringing Granducky and the Palmer 'cousins' to Grandpa's for a day at the beach. Grandpa Mac loved all the company; these last four years had been the best since Kelly was little!

Other fun things were closer to home; the kids and their parents enjoyed playing with their dog Neo. A young standard poodle, they'd brought her home as an 8 month old puppy when her owner, a neighbor of Kelly and Rob's, died suddenly.

She was the perfect dog for them, quiet, loved her immediate family as well as her grandparents, aunties and uncles. Best of all, Tim, Tyler, and Brynie could breathe around her without problems. When Poppy and Nonnie, or any family member, took the kids to Grandpa's, Neo always went with them.

Whenever their adults weren't available, the children continued their day care attendance. That was fun too as there were always interesting activities there in the summer. Both pools made their debut in May, one on either end of the block of E. Laurel occupied by Gibbses. That made everyone happy!