Meanwhile, the little guy...
1:35 pm.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DBn5MMRxNbc/TfWTxxUnV0I/AAAAAAAAEjk/CE1Ys_WGreI/s1600/DSC06585.JPG
Clarke and Shane roll up sleeping bags while Tyler washes the dishes. Camp soap doesn’t emit a strong smell but Clarke likes to imagine it does. He likes to think of the odor of the soap and the grime of the food washing into the grass as another way camping reconciles adventures with domesticity. The appeal of simply being in the middle of the Southern California desert is endless. He knows Jenny and a few others are in the state for a funeral but there are no dead bodies out here for Clarke, just people who love him without expectation. Unfortunately, though it’s freeing, lack of expectation becomes lonely after a while.
They throw their supplies in the back of Shane’s truck. Hugs are exchanged, complete with manly backslaps. Tyler promises to call with updates. Clarke does the same.
3:00 pm.
http://nobodyhikesinla.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/hiking-2011-3-215.jpg
Clarke has selected an easy 10 mile round trip hike for the afternoon. It should take him a few hours, allowing him to experience more of the mountains and avoid arriving at Liz’s stables before Friday evening. He intends to go halfway to Albuquerque tonight and spend the evening in a hotel so he can shower and wash his hair with real soap. He’s stopped three miles in by the buzzing of his phone. He accesses the text, honestly a little surprised that he’s still in cell range, more surprised that Ziva David has sent the message.
Director Shepard has absconded from our detail. Something seems to be off. Tony disagrees. Perspective would be appreciated. Please keep this message between us. -ZD
She’s formal and he’s not surprised. She is generally always this way, even when he was in her bed. He is pleased that she trusts him to be discreet. He also knows he is convenient. Lucky for Ziva, Clarke happens to have firsthand experience of Jenny ditching her detail. He’s not surprised in the slightest.
She’s probably just with Alex. Probably she’s armed. I wouldn’t worry. -CB
6:45 pm.
http://nobodyhikesinla.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/hiking-2011-3-215.jpg
Clarke returns to the trailhead as the sun begins to set. He feels sore in that blissful way that comes after your muscles face harsh demands. He strips his shirt to blot his forehead, sinking to a squat for a drink from his water bottle. He’s startled by his phone ringing. Agent Gibbs speaks in short frank sentences. He does not allow for questions though Clarke has many. Jen is in ICU. There are fatalities at the scene. Clarke needs to get his ass to Lompoc. That’s an order. This is all hands on deck. He tries to ask again about Jen’s condition but Gibbs has already disconnected. He tries to stand but a painful blur forces him to his knees. This can’t be happening. She has to be okay.
He manages a standing position but almost immediately he's on his knees again, retching. Processing Jenny's seriousness just makes him feel sick all over again. He gives himself exactly two minutes to be emotional and sick. After that, he forces himself to continue without emotion. He's been given a direct order. He has a job to do and he won’t let Jenny down.
9:32 pm.
http://www.policebadgestore.com/ESW/Images/ncis1.JPG
Clarke desperately wished he could stop by the hospital. He would have given anything to see Jen’s chest rise and fall with his own eyes, just to see that she’s really hanging in there. He worries she may not have the fight in her needed to survive these trauma, physically or mentally. He hopes he’s wrong. She does seem happy with Alex. He hopes it's enough. Alex better be with her. If she’s alone, Clarke will never forgive himself. He knows Agent Gibbs would never let that happen. Neither would her sister. Even if there is hurt, when your family is in trouble, you’re there. Clarke knows where he needs to be and it’s not in that hospital.
He sends Heather a quick text, telling her in two sentences everyone is working hard on this. He promises to find out what happened. He promises a result. He’s not sure if he’s trying to reassure Heather or himself. Either way, it’s all he can say and he hopes it means something.
9:47 pm.
http://s3.hubimg.com/u/1921266_f260.jpg
Clarke could not have anticipated the true meaning of an "all hands on deck" investigation. The enormity of manpower was second only volume of work in front of them. Everything was triple checked and then double-checked after that. Even when Clarke tried to assure the agent supervising him that he could work with what had already been processed from the scene, she insisted that he pay a it visit. They wanted their asses covered and weren't ashamed to admit it. Clarke could respect that, even if visiting the scene was about the last thing he wanted to do.
He didn't find anything significant than hadn't already been documented so he photographed what had already been photographed to appease them. He measured particle blasts from the wall, he counted slugs, and measured blood trajectory. He simply had to block his knowledge of Jen's involvement in the scene. If he thought about how much blood may have been Jen's, he would not have gotten very far.
11:47
http://images.ctvdigital.com/images/pub2upload/55/2010_8_1N7/ballistics_lab.jpg
He made sure to stay connected to DC at all times. Abby was perpetually on the monitor, while McGee appeared off and on. With tools like the ballistics fingerprint database, it had been easy to indentify the slugs. One didn't need to expel much effort to ascertain which had come from Jenny's weapon anyway. In addition, there were at least four other gunmen. This was consistent with everything they had collected so far. Patience was wearing thin but Clarke refused to take shortcuts. He wouldn't risk inaccuracy just to save time.
2:34 am
http://www.way-to-go.org/img/coffee-jug.jpg
Fuelled by various caffeinated beverages, the aggressive pace of this "all hands on deck" investigation has not slowed. They have a clearer picture now. Clarke could visualize the gunmen trickling in from both entrances. Did they know Jen was ready for them? Clarke brushes away the beginnings of a tear as he thinks of what happened next. Jenny never missed. Unfortunately one of the other shooters didn't miss either. It had to be Vance and everyone knew it. They had more work to do before they could say conclusively that Vance was her shooter and not the gunman to his right but at this point it was practically a technicality. By 3am, everyone was sent home but they knew they had a lot of work ahead of them.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DBn5MMRxNbc/TfWTxxUnV0I/AAAAAAAAEjk/CE1Ys_WGreI/s1600/DSC06585.JPG
Clarke and Shane roll up sleeping bags while Tyler washes the dishes. Camp soap doesn’t emit a strong smell but Clarke likes to imagine it does. He likes to think of the odor of the soap and the grime of the food washing into the grass as another way camping reconciles adventures with domesticity. The appeal of simply being in the middle of the Southern California desert is endless. He knows Jenny and a few others are in the state for a funeral but there are no dead bodies out here for Clarke, just people who love him without expectation. Unfortunately, though it’s freeing, lack of expectation becomes lonely after a while.
They throw their supplies in the back of Shane’s truck. Hugs are exchanged, complete with manly backslaps. Tyler promises to call with updates. Clarke does the same.
3:00 pm.
http://nobodyhikesinla.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/hiking-2011-3-215.jpg
Clarke has selected an easy 10 mile round trip hike for the afternoon. It should take him a few hours, allowing him to experience more of the mountains and avoid arriving at Liz’s stables before Friday evening. He intends to go halfway to Albuquerque tonight and spend the evening in a hotel so he can shower and wash his hair with real soap. He’s stopped three miles in by the buzzing of his phone. He accesses the text, honestly a little surprised that he’s still in cell range, more surprised that Ziva David has sent the message.
Director Shepard has absconded from our detail. Something seems to be off. Tony disagrees. Perspective would be appreciated. Please keep this message between us. -ZD
She’s formal and he’s not surprised. She is generally always this way, even when he was in her bed. He is pleased that she trusts him to be discreet. He also knows he is convenient. Lucky for Ziva, Clarke happens to have firsthand experience of Jenny ditching her detail. He’s not surprised in the slightest.
She’s probably just with Alex. Probably she’s armed. I wouldn’t worry. -CB
6:45 pm.
http://nobodyhikesinla.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/hiking-2011-3-215.jpg
Clarke returns to the trailhead as the sun begins to set. He feels sore in that blissful way that comes after your muscles face harsh demands. He strips his shirt to blot his forehead, sinking to a squat for a drink from his water bottle. He’s startled by his phone ringing. Agent Gibbs speaks in short frank sentences. He does not allow for questions though Clarke has many. Jen is in ICU. There are fatalities at the scene. Clarke needs to get his ass to Lompoc. That’s an order. This is all hands on deck. He tries to ask again about Jen’s condition but Gibbs has already disconnected. He tries to stand but a painful blur forces him to his knees. This can’t be happening. She has to be okay.
He manages a standing position but almost immediately he's on his knees again, retching. Processing Jenny's seriousness just makes him feel sick all over again. He gives himself exactly two minutes to be emotional and sick. After that, he forces himself to continue without emotion. He's been given a direct order. He has a job to do and he won’t let Jenny down.
9:32 pm.
http://www.policebadgestore.com/ESW/Images/ncis1.JPG
Clarke desperately wished he could stop by the hospital. He would have given anything to see Jen’s chest rise and fall with his own eyes, just to see that she’s really hanging in there. He worries she may not have the fight in her needed to survive these trauma, physically or mentally. He hopes he’s wrong. She does seem happy with Alex. He hopes it's enough. Alex better be with her. If she’s alone, Clarke will never forgive himself. He knows Agent Gibbs would never let that happen. Neither would her sister. Even if there is hurt, when your family is in trouble, you’re there. Clarke knows where he needs to be and it’s not in that hospital.
He sends Heather a quick text, telling her in two sentences everyone is working hard on this. He promises to find out what happened. He promises a result. He’s not sure if he’s trying to reassure Heather or himself. Either way, it’s all he can say and he hopes it means something.
9:47 pm.
http://s3.hubimg.com/u/1921266_f260.jpg
Clarke could not have anticipated the true meaning of an "all hands on deck" investigation. The enormity of manpower was second only volume of work in front of them. Everything was triple checked and then double-checked after that. Even when Clarke tried to assure the agent supervising him that he could work with what had already been processed from the scene, she insisted that he pay a it visit. They wanted their asses covered and weren't ashamed to admit it. Clarke could respect that, even if visiting the scene was about the last thing he wanted to do.
He didn't find anything significant than hadn't already been documented so he photographed what had already been photographed to appease them. He measured particle blasts from the wall, he counted slugs, and measured blood trajectory. He simply had to block his knowledge of Jen's involvement in the scene. If he thought about how much blood may have been Jen's, he would not have gotten very far.
11:47
http://images.ctvdigital.com/images/pub2upload/55/2010_8_1N7/ballistics_lab.jpg
He made sure to stay connected to DC at all times. Abby was perpetually on the monitor, while McGee appeared off and on. With tools like the ballistics fingerprint database, it had been easy to indentify the slugs. One didn't need to expel much effort to ascertain which had come from Jenny's weapon anyway. In addition, there were at least four other gunmen. This was consistent with everything they had collected so far. Patience was wearing thin but Clarke refused to take shortcuts. He wouldn't risk inaccuracy just to save time.
2:34 am
http://www.way-to-go.org/img/coffee-jug.jpg
Fuelled by various caffeinated beverages, the aggressive pace of this "all hands on deck" investigation has not slowed. They have a clearer picture now. Clarke could visualize the gunmen trickling in from both entrances. Did they know Jen was ready for them? Clarke brushes away the beginnings of a tear as he thinks of what happened next. Jenny never missed. Unfortunately one of the other shooters didn't miss either. It had to be Vance and everyone knew it. They had more work to do before they could say conclusively that Vance was her shooter and not the gunman to his right but at this point it was practically a technicality. By 3am, everyone was sent home but they knew they had a lot of work ahead of them.