Underwater

The line of customers at the bank reflected the fact that not only was it the first day of the new month, but Friday afternoon and the beginning of what promised to be a glorious weekend in the Nation's Capital.

NCIS Special Agent Tony Dinozzo jogged from his car to the bank's entrance, softly humming as he congratulated himself for reaching the glass doors before the establishment closed.

Once he took care of this small bit of business his entire weekend belonged to him.

For the first time in a couple of months, his team did not have the weekend duty at NCIS Headquarters.

Tony smiled delightedly to himself at the door. Tonight belonged to the newest female in his life, a woman named Karlena with whom he had supper and movie plans. A leggy brunette, she resembled a runway model. He had met her at the grocery store earlier in the week, when he cleverly struck up a conversation near the organic produce.

Tomorrow evening his date, Angela, planned to join him for an evening at a local nightclub. They had literally run into each other the week before as she entered his dentist's office and he exited. Luckily, neither has really gotten hurt, but it had allowed unexpected but welcome physical contact.

Oh yes, indeed, he did welcome this long overdue weekend! He could barely contain his anticipation for the next two evenings.

A petite blond reached for the door just as he did. A gentleman, Tony stepped back and grabbed the handle and pulled, allowing her to pass him and to enter first. She thanked him as he came through the door behind her and they joined the line of other customers waiting for service.

Tony removed his sunglasses and slipped them into his suit pocket before he allowed his gaze to sweep over his surroundings.

Certainly he could have availed himself to the ATM machine, or even the drive through service the institution provided. Tony Dinozzo, though, thrived on social contact, and truly enjoyed any interaction from chitchat to heart to heart confidences.

That afternoon, three tellers dealt with the drive through and walk in customers, while two other bank personnel at huge oak desks assisted customers who required more than just check cashing services.

Suddenly Tony realized the blond had spoken to him. He snapped to attention and noted her vivid blue eyes, and the fact that she had an adorable dimple in her left cheek.

She returned his glance, and Tony raised his eyebrows. Evidently she found his long lashed shimmery green eyes and brown hair to her taste, because she tilted her chin to make eye contact.

She could not have stood over five feet two inches, almost a foot shorter than he, yet she possessed a sure bearing and confidence.

"I apologize," he offered with a lively smile. "My mind clearly had devoted itself to something other than paying attention to you. Would you repeat what you said?"

A man stepped back from one of the tellers with an envelope of cash. Tony read the logo of a local auto repair shop on his shirt.

Motioning, the teller waited with a smile as the next person in line took his place at her window.

Tony and the blond moved up in line with the others.

She giggled. "I said that if it were not for standing in line, I would never get a chance to daydream these days. You certainly proved it for me. Where in the world was your mind?"

"Well, I aim to please," he grinned. "Now just where do you work that keeps you so busy that you fail to daydream?"

Another customer vacated the space at the middle window. Tony and his attractive acquaintance moved forward.

"Well, I teach," she grinned, "so I can assure you that free moments rarely come my way in the workday."

"You have me whipped, then," Tony admitted. "As an agent of your federal government I bow to you. Everyone knows educators have the hardest jobs in the world. Your career makes mine a lazy walk in the park."

"Not true," she contradicted.

"Yes, true," Tony shook his head to punctuate his words. "On another note, let me introduce myself so that I can flirt outrageously with you and convince you that you want to join me for dinner some evening next week. You will be joining Tony Dinozzo, a special agent for NCIS, or Naval Criminal Investigative Service." He batted his lashes and raised an eyebrow.

She laughed at the blatant wooing and pretended to curtsy. "Thank you for that outstanding introduction, Tony. I am Rachel Lindgren, a ninth grade teacher of Math and all its components. Lovely though your invitation appears, I must decline. As a single parent to a three year old, those weekday evenings belong to him. He is the man in my life these days."

"No problem," Tony assured her, "I can wait for an open weekend."

Only two people stood in line ahead of Rachel. All three windows had customers transacting business with the tellers.

Without warning, the bank's front door slammed open with incredible force and four figures wielding rifles raced into the bank.

Dressed in colorful clown make up and oversized clown suits, the outfits made it impossible for the patrons to pinpoint their gender or focus upon identifiable features.

An almost collective holding of breath provided the response to the initial assault, but as bank customers and employees interpreted the danger they faced, terrified voices filled the building.

Before the robbers could even yell their first command Tony yanked Rachel to his right hand side. She stumbled, but he continued to push at her so that she moved to the periphery of the area under attack.

Grabbing her urgently around her waist he hissed, "Dial 9-1-1 on your cell. You do not need to say anything, just leave the line open. Do it now, Rachel!"

He watched as her slender hand slid inside her pocketbook then he thrust his own left hand into his pants pocket. Working hurriedly, he pressed his boss's number before moving his hand out into the open.

In those seconds required for him to alert the outside world, two of the clowns had jumped the counter. One held the tellers lined against an inside wall, their hands up in surrender, while the other grabbed cash from the drawers and stuffed it into a satchel.

The third and fourth had forced the other bank employees to join the customers in the middle of the bank, and the clowns barked out orders for everyone to lie facedown on the floor.

As Tony and Rachel scrambled to comply the agent wiggled them further away from the group, whispering to Rachel to slide as far away from the others as she could.

Before any of the criminals actually focused upon them Tony and Rachel had made it onto the carpet and halfway around the first desk.

"Stay calm," Tony whispered into her hair, "and do whatever they say. They want to rob us- not kill us."

She whispered urgently in reply, tears evident in her voice, "Caleb just has me, Tony. He needs his mama, and I need him!"

"Shhh," Tony cautioned, rubbing his hand on her back to calm her. "We definitely want to avoid bringing attention to ourselves."

One of the gunmen strode between Tony and the customer to his left. His pants leg fanned the side of Tony's face as he stalked past, a sentry intent upon keeping his captives helpless.

The NCIS agent groaned to himself at the distance he still needed to cover. Circumstances necessitated he redouble the efforts to get further away from the core of captives.

Inching towards Rachel, Tony motioned her to continue sliding towards the right as he moved. She regarded him wide eyed, her expression frantic and unsure, and he whispered, "We will come out alive, Rachel. I have no intention of having your baby lose his mother. Just trust me. Remember that I am an Agent of the Law."

Both of their heads shot back down as the lookout's circuit brought him into their vision and earshot again.

The second he passed they slid to the side yet again, consumed with the urgency of getting away from the madmen.

Tony grasped the nape of Rachel's neck to get her to face him. "Keep going, no matter what happens in here. That side exit door opens onto the parking lot that faces the street. Get yourself safe- get some distance from the building and run to that flower shop. Have them call the authorities there if they have not made it to the bank yet. Make sure you warn them all four have weapons on them- tell them three have one gun each, but the ringleader has a sidearm, in addition. They need to know also that I have counted eleven hostages and that I left my own sidearm in my desk at work. I do not have a weapon."

She started to cry softly, and replied in a shaky whisper, "I know I can not do all of that. I am scared, Tony. What if I get shot?"

"I will protect you- just go, Rachel. This is the reason I have moved you as far out of sight as I can. Start moving faster and get out and get help for us!"

She met his gaze and clenched her jaw in decision. "Ok," she answered simply. "I understand."

Behind the counter one gunman demanded the three tellers join the customers already prone on the floor. Herding them in front of him, the group passed the bank's manager who raised himself up and regarded his employees quizzically.

In unison, all three shook their heads slightly, alerting him to the fact that none had managed to hit the silent alarms under the counter.

The attackers had gotten to them first, evidently savvy to the fact that catching the tellers by surprise would decrease the chance of triggering the alarm.

Someone had planned the takeover strategically, from the timing to the costumes.

Obeying the command to join the other hostages without argument, the tellers threw themselves down onto the parquet floor with the bank's customers.