Camping with Gibbs 02/?
Two adjoining campsites had been reserved just up a slight hill from their suspect. The restroom was down a gravel path, past their suspect, giving them plenty of opportunities to walk near his tent. Gibbs pulled into one of the sites and climbed out of his truck, rubbing his hands in glee.
"All right, boys, let's see if we can get set up before lunch. That way we can go fishing this afternoon. You guys sharing our tent or do you have one of your own?"
Tim started to untie things and pull back the tarp. "We're all set."
"Uh-huh." Gibbs didn't sound overly convinced, but he was going to let them make the attempt. In the meantime, he and Fornell had a camp to set up. With a thud, Gibbs dropped a large duffel bag that contained a heavy canvas tent. The second bag, filled with poles and tent stakes, landed with a clang that made everyone's ears ring.
On the other side, McGee pointed out an area that looked fairly flat and was obviously the most popular tent spot in that campsite. "Tony, check for any rocks or twigs on the ground there. Remember, whatever is there, we're going to be sleeping on it."
"Yeah, okay. Any chance you brought a couple of beds with you?"
"We'd never hear the end of it if I had."
Tony sighed as he picked up a small pine cone and tossed it out of the way. "You're probably right."
"Don't worry, I've got something else." Grinning, Tim pulled out a nylon bag that contained his tent and a large square that was wrapped in plastic. Along with those two items he brought the tarp that had covered the truck bed. Once Tony was done, Tim stretched the tarp out onto the ground. "Okay, the tarp is the same exact size as the tent, so when we lay the tent out the four corners need to line up."
With only a few simple instructions Tony was able to quickly help Tim line up the tent, the door facing the adjoining campsite. Corner pegs were pounded into place, each through two overlapping grommets, the tent and the tarp beneath it.
Across the way, Gibbs and Fornell were still threading the sections of the large aluminum tent poles together and the two younger men exchanged a smile. Determined to have their tent up first, Tim sped up a little. The poles for his tent were flexible fiberglass with metal links and ends, each section of a pole held to the next with elastic. A quick flick of the wrist and first one, then the other long pole was assembled. A quick check that everything had locked together and the two main poles were ready to thread through the roof of the tent.
--NCIS--
"How old is this tent, Jethro?"
"Hey, they don't make them like this anymore. This thing will last forever."
"In other words, it came over on the Mayflower." When Gibbs gave him the glare, Fornell revised his statement. "Okay, okay, it made its debut during the Civil War."
"Keep threading, you've got three more poles to go." Gibbs glanced over as Tony and Tim bent their poles into place, raising the roof on the large tent. The ends of the fiberglass poles fit into small pockets in the lower edge of the tent, securing it. A second set of smaller poles finished the job of holding the tent up and they were already adding the rest of the tent stakes. By the time Gibbs and Fornell were unfolding their tent, Tony and McGee were tying off the rain cover on theirs.
--NCIS--
"It's not going to rain this week, is it?"
Tim had expected the question ever since they started putting up the rain fly. "Probably not, but this helps keep the dew out, too. Remember, there's a vent at the top of the tent."
"Oh, right. Fresh air's good, but are we going to freeze to death?"
"I've got a tent heater if it gets cold enough."
"Of course you do." With the tent now assembled, Tony looked around. "Now what?"
"Now this." Tim picked up the large, plastic wrapped square and carried it through the doorway of the tent.
Tony followed him and watched as he unwrapped it. Inside was a stack of inch thick foam floor tiles with interlocking edges. Tony recognized their advantage and started helping Tim fit them together to line the floor of the tent. "That'll be more comfortable that the ground."
As they worked, even more advantages became apparent, the best being the layer of insulation it provided between them and the ground. Some of the pieces had straight edges, obviously cut down, and Tim used them to perfectly fit the pad to the size of the tent. When he was finished, there were still a few squares left. Tim tossed half the stack to Tony. "Your bed."
"Cool." Testing it out, Tony found that the double layer made a reasonably comfortable sleeping area. Pleased, he went back out to the truck and brought back his and Tim's sleeping bags and pillows. When he returned, Tim had the two beds made up at one end of the tent.
The tent was large enough that even with space to walk around the two beds they were using less than half the tent. When Tony started to question why they weren't spreading out, Tim just grinned. Before he could explain, Gibbs shouted from the other campsite.
"Hey, you guys ready for lunch?"
Lunch turned out to be a sack of sandwiches from a deli near the Yard and as it was almost noon, they ate heartily as they sat on a fallen log. Their suspect was walking toward the lake with a fishing pole, so Gibbs scarfed down the last of his sandwich. "Ready for some fishing?"
Tony saw a slight shake of his partner's head. "Nah, we'll catch you next time."
Gibbs had seen the movement too, so he didn't argue. Fornell used the opportunity for some teasing. "If you boys are good, we might share our catch for dinner." Still grinning, he tossed his napkin into the fire pit and picked up one of the poles. Gibbs followed suit and they chose a wandering path to the lake, keeping an eye on the suspect. Tony waited until they were out of earshot before turning back to his partner.
"Well?"
"How do we usually handle surveillance on a suspect?" Not waiting for an answer, Tim started unloading more boxes from the back of his borrowed truck and came up with some tiny cameras.
Tony recognized them, but shook his head. "Okay, those have batteries, but the receiver needs to be within one hundred yards and it has to have some sort of power cause the battery on a laptop won't last a whole week."
"Yep, but let's get these set up while he's away from his camp."
While Tony stood watch, Tim placed the cameras. Several were pointed at the suspect's campsite from different angles, while more covered a wider range - including the closest fishing spot where Gibbs and Fornell were drowning bait along with the suspect.
Once they were back at their own campsite McGee pulled out a power cord and Tony looked around. "Let me guess, you've got a solar panel in the back of the truck?"
"Nah, I thought I'd just plug into the power outlet that came with the site." Grinning, Tim dropped the cord inside the tent and fed it out a small flap on the back wall before using the Velcro to secure the seam tight against the cord. "Don't want crawlies getting in here tonight."
Tony agreed about the crawlies, but he still wasn't sure where McGee thought he was getting power. Curious, he followed him out the tent and around to the back. Sure enough, there was a short wooden post, half hidden by some brush. Flipping open the metal cover on the side, Tim plugged the cord in before making sure it was secure and mostly hidden by the vegetation.
While he was doing that, Tony kicked enough dirt over the cord to hide it from view. "What Gibbs doesn't know..."
"Keeps us comfortable." Grinning at each other, the two men returned to setting up a more modern camp while keeping an eye on the activities at the lake.
--NCIS--
Gibbs and Fornell wandered down to the water, talking about last week's football scores and debating the chances of getting in a full week of vacation before the weather turned cold, all the while keeping their suspect in view. Passing him on the narrow bank, Gibbs gave a nod.
"Afternoon."
"Howdy. Saw you guys pull in earlier. Guess we're neighbors."
They'd discussed the cover story in the truck. "Yeah, guess they're closing down most of the park for the winter." Fornell moved close enough to shake his hand. "I'm Tobias, this is my brother, Jethro and his two boys are with us, Tony and Tim."
The offered handshake was accepted, the grip firm. "I'm Kyle. Yeah, I think the ranger mentioned something about there only being one bathroom still open. No point in cleaning more than that for just a few campers. You guys staying long?"
"A while, or until his two boys talk us into packing up and heading to a resort someplace."
Gibbs laughed at that as they moved further down the shoreline, far enough away that they wouldn't raise suspicions, but close enough that Kyle could still hear them. "Ah, it'll be good for them, Tim especially. He spends all day buried in a computer."
"Nah, no movies, no women - Tony will break first."
"Nope." Gibbs shook his head. He knew some of Tony's fondest memories of his childhood, his only really happy memories of his parents together, were of them on a fishing trip. He also knew that Tim's usual focus with the Scouts was helping them with their various technology based badges as their schedule made weekend camp-outs difficult.
"You ready to put your money where your mouth is, old man?"
"Old man? Really?"
"Hey, I'm not the one with two grown boys. So, twenty bucks that Tony folds first?"
"Twenty bucks? Living large there, Tobias."
"Fine. We'll make it a hundred and no influencing them either. Our new friend, Kyle, will keep things honest."
Gibbs looked over to see their suspect grinning and enjoying the show. "Fine."
"All right, boys, let's see if we can get set up before lunch. That way we can go fishing this afternoon. You guys sharing our tent or do you have one of your own?"
Tim started to untie things and pull back the tarp. "We're all set."
"Uh-huh." Gibbs didn't sound overly convinced, but he was going to let them make the attempt. In the meantime, he and Fornell had a camp to set up. With a thud, Gibbs dropped a large duffel bag that contained a heavy canvas tent. The second bag, filled with poles and tent stakes, landed with a clang that made everyone's ears ring.
On the other side, McGee pointed out an area that looked fairly flat and was obviously the most popular tent spot in that campsite. "Tony, check for any rocks or twigs on the ground there. Remember, whatever is there, we're going to be sleeping on it."
"Yeah, okay. Any chance you brought a couple of beds with you?"
"We'd never hear the end of it if I had."
Tony sighed as he picked up a small pine cone and tossed it out of the way. "You're probably right."
"Don't worry, I've got something else." Grinning, Tim pulled out a nylon bag that contained his tent and a large square that was wrapped in plastic. Along with those two items he brought the tarp that had covered the truck bed. Once Tony was done, Tim stretched the tarp out onto the ground. "Okay, the tarp is the same exact size as the tent, so when we lay the tent out the four corners need to line up."
With only a few simple instructions Tony was able to quickly help Tim line up the tent, the door facing the adjoining campsite. Corner pegs were pounded into place, each through two overlapping grommets, the tent and the tarp beneath it.
Across the way, Gibbs and Fornell were still threading the sections of the large aluminum tent poles together and the two younger men exchanged a smile. Determined to have their tent up first, Tim sped up a little. The poles for his tent were flexible fiberglass with metal links and ends, each section of a pole held to the next with elastic. A quick flick of the wrist and first one, then the other long pole was assembled. A quick check that everything had locked together and the two main poles were ready to thread through the roof of the tent.
--NCIS--
"How old is this tent, Jethro?"
"Hey, they don't make them like this anymore. This thing will last forever."
"In other words, it came over on the Mayflower." When Gibbs gave him the glare, Fornell revised his statement. "Okay, okay, it made its debut during the Civil War."
"Keep threading, you've got three more poles to go." Gibbs glanced over as Tony and Tim bent their poles into place, raising the roof on the large tent. The ends of the fiberglass poles fit into small pockets in the lower edge of the tent, securing it. A second set of smaller poles finished the job of holding the tent up and they were already adding the rest of the tent stakes. By the time Gibbs and Fornell were unfolding their tent, Tony and McGee were tying off the rain cover on theirs.
--NCIS--
"It's not going to rain this week, is it?"
Tim had expected the question ever since they started putting up the rain fly. "Probably not, but this helps keep the dew out, too. Remember, there's a vent at the top of the tent."
"Oh, right. Fresh air's good, but are we going to freeze to death?"
"I've got a tent heater if it gets cold enough."
"Of course you do." With the tent now assembled, Tony looked around. "Now what?"
"Now this." Tim picked up the large, plastic wrapped square and carried it through the doorway of the tent.
Tony followed him and watched as he unwrapped it. Inside was a stack of inch thick foam floor tiles with interlocking edges. Tony recognized their advantage and started helping Tim fit them together to line the floor of the tent. "That'll be more comfortable that the ground."
As they worked, even more advantages became apparent, the best being the layer of insulation it provided between them and the ground. Some of the pieces had straight edges, obviously cut down, and Tim used them to perfectly fit the pad to the size of the tent. When he was finished, there were still a few squares left. Tim tossed half the stack to Tony. "Your bed."
"Cool." Testing it out, Tony found that the double layer made a reasonably comfortable sleeping area. Pleased, he went back out to the truck and brought back his and Tim's sleeping bags and pillows. When he returned, Tim had the two beds made up at one end of the tent.
The tent was large enough that even with space to walk around the two beds they were using less than half the tent. When Tony started to question why they weren't spreading out, Tim just grinned. Before he could explain, Gibbs shouted from the other campsite.
"Hey, you guys ready for lunch?"
Lunch turned out to be a sack of sandwiches from a deli near the Yard and as it was almost noon, they ate heartily as they sat on a fallen log. Their suspect was walking toward the lake with a fishing pole, so Gibbs scarfed down the last of his sandwich. "Ready for some fishing?"
Tony saw a slight shake of his partner's head. "Nah, we'll catch you next time."
Gibbs had seen the movement too, so he didn't argue. Fornell used the opportunity for some teasing. "If you boys are good, we might share our catch for dinner." Still grinning, he tossed his napkin into the fire pit and picked up one of the poles. Gibbs followed suit and they chose a wandering path to the lake, keeping an eye on the suspect. Tony waited until they were out of earshot before turning back to his partner.
"Well?"
"How do we usually handle surveillance on a suspect?" Not waiting for an answer, Tim started unloading more boxes from the back of his borrowed truck and came up with some tiny cameras.
Tony recognized them, but shook his head. "Okay, those have batteries, but the receiver needs to be within one hundred yards and it has to have some sort of power cause the battery on a laptop won't last a whole week."
"Yep, but let's get these set up while he's away from his camp."
While Tony stood watch, Tim placed the cameras. Several were pointed at the suspect's campsite from different angles, while more covered a wider range - including the closest fishing spot where Gibbs and Fornell were drowning bait along with the suspect.
Once they were back at their own campsite McGee pulled out a power cord and Tony looked around. "Let me guess, you've got a solar panel in the back of the truck?"
"Nah, I thought I'd just plug into the power outlet that came with the site." Grinning, Tim dropped the cord inside the tent and fed it out a small flap on the back wall before using the Velcro to secure the seam tight against the cord. "Don't want crawlies getting in here tonight."
Tony agreed about the crawlies, but he still wasn't sure where McGee thought he was getting power. Curious, he followed him out the tent and around to the back. Sure enough, there was a short wooden post, half hidden by some brush. Flipping open the metal cover on the side, Tim plugged the cord in before making sure it was secure and mostly hidden by the vegetation.
While he was doing that, Tony kicked enough dirt over the cord to hide it from view. "What Gibbs doesn't know..."
"Keeps us comfortable." Grinning at each other, the two men returned to setting up a more modern camp while keeping an eye on the activities at the lake.
--NCIS--
Gibbs and Fornell wandered down to the water, talking about last week's football scores and debating the chances of getting in a full week of vacation before the weather turned cold, all the while keeping their suspect in view. Passing him on the narrow bank, Gibbs gave a nod.
"Afternoon."
"Howdy. Saw you guys pull in earlier. Guess we're neighbors."
They'd discussed the cover story in the truck. "Yeah, guess they're closing down most of the park for the winter." Fornell moved close enough to shake his hand. "I'm Tobias, this is my brother, Jethro and his two boys are with us, Tony and Tim."
The offered handshake was accepted, the grip firm. "I'm Kyle. Yeah, I think the ranger mentioned something about there only being one bathroom still open. No point in cleaning more than that for just a few campers. You guys staying long?"
"A while, or until his two boys talk us into packing up and heading to a resort someplace."
Gibbs laughed at that as they moved further down the shoreline, far enough away that they wouldn't raise suspicions, but close enough that Kyle could still hear them. "Ah, it'll be good for them, Tim especially. He spends all day buried in a computer."
"Nah, no movies, no women - Tony will break first."
"Nope." Gibbs shook his head. He knew some of Tony's fondest memories of his childhood, his only really happy memories of his parents together, were of them on a fishing trip. He also knew that Tim's usual focus with the Scouts was helping them with their various technology based badges as their schedule made weekend camp-outs difficult.
"You ready to put your money where your mouth is, old man?"
"Old man? Really?"
"Hey, I'm not the one with two grown boys. So, twenty bucks that Tony folds first?"
"Twenty bucks? Living large there, Tobias."
"Fine. We'll make it a hundred and no influencing them either. Our new friend, Kyle, will keep things honest."
Gibbs looked over to see their suspect grinning and enjoying the show. "Fine."