Fic: All Expenses Paid, Chapter 3
Author's Note: Apparently, I lied. This story just keeps growing. I'm not sure how long it's going to end up being, but I don't think it'll be as long as Alienated. It's just…longer than I intended. In this chapter starts the plot, so things should move along at a good clip from now on. Keep in mind that this fic is set just a few weeks after the events of Revenge of the Fallen. It's important for the characters' states of mind. I also want to give a shout-out to my awesome beta, Anasazi Darkmoon. You rule!
I am not a hacker, nor would I ever want to be. I don't endorse, promote, or encourage any type of illegal behavior. That said, I know nothing about hacking, so if I got it wrong, apologies in advance. Hopefully the spirit is right as I intended it. Finally, Epps' colorful description of everyone's favorite political liaison is not mine. That little gem is all Tenshi Of Light21's. It's layered in awesome.
Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or NCIS though I sorely wish I did.
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Chapter 3
Diego Garcia, NEST Headquarters
His entire life, Bobby Epps had always been a man of action. As a child, he was the first kid picked for every sport he played. As a young man, if something needed to be done at home or at school, he was the first one to do it. But as an adult, Epps found his calling with the military. It combined both his love for physical activity and deep hatred of idleness into a perfect balance of a violent ballet. In short, it fit him to a 'T.'
Bobby's specialty was of the 'aim and fire' variety, not of the 'point and click' nonsense. But, both employed and alive were two good things, so Epps figured it couldn't hurt to maybe learn something new. Then again, at the rate Abby Scuito moved, perhaps it would be the wiser choice to just stick with what he knew best.
Epps poked his head into the vacant NEST technology center and catalogued his options. Maybe this was the one time he could actually thank Skids and Mudflap for being the epic diversion they naturally were. All available hands were elsewhere, helping to clean up the slog that was currently the Autobots' quarters. The Sergeant ushered Abby in and motioned to a chair.
"Epps, why did we have to come in here? I have my own laptop with its own internet connection, you know," Abby said, taking a seat in a swiveling desk chair. She unpacked her laptop from its case and set up the various accessories.
Bobby shrugged. "I dunno. I thought maybe this would be more comfortable. Don't you hackers have to be in the mood, or something?"
Abby, sitting in the chair with her back toward the standing Epps, said in a neutral tone, "Yellow light, Sergeant."
Epps scratched his head. "Yeah. That came out wrong. See, what I mean was, well…"
Abby spun around in her chair and smiled. "I was joking. I see you had to go through that stupid sexual harassment training, too. Did they yell at you about hugging, too?"
Epps breathed a sigh of relief and then laughed. "I dunno. I didn't have to go. But I did hear that hugging ain't cool any more, and I think that's just lame."
Abby's face lit up. "You, too? Seriously, when I got here, I hugged Optimus out of reflex. Well, I think I hugged his ankle because he's like, huge, but I hugged him. And then I remembered, and I wanted to hurt the people that are responsible for that. It totally sucks!"
Epps barked a laugh. "That it does, Abby. Now, let's get down to business."
Abby spun back around in her chair. Cracking her knuckles, she said, "Yes, lets. So, what's my objective."
Epps quirked an eyebrow. "To hack NEST. I thought we had that part covered."
"No, I know that! But I mean, what am I looking for? There has to be something specific I'm after, otherwise it's no fun."
The Sergeant looked momentarily perplexed. "What do you mean?"
Chewing gently on her lip, Abby answered, "Well, it's like when I'm hacking a movie company--" She stopped abruptly, eyes darting around the room. "Not…that I'd ever do that, but let's say that if I figuratively hacked a movie company, I'm not just going to hack them for the hell of it. I'm going in to look for a movie that's premiering next month, only I don't want to wait to see it."
"Okay…"
"What I'm saying is, you need to be more specific. I mean, I can get in I'm sure, but if you really want me to test this, I need something to fish for."
Epps shook his head in comprehension. "Well, you heard all about your team's last little adventure with us. How about searching for the specifics on that?"
"Now, that's something I can do. Just let me work my magic, and we'll just see what I can find." Abby rubbed her hands together, blew on them for good luck and went to work. "Watch and learn."
Abby's fingers danced over the keyboard, pushing the data back and forth over the multiple screens she had pulled up on the plasmas in front of her. Epps' eyes began to glaze over when he tried to decipher the lines of code and "geek speak" scrawling before him. Would it be too terribly much to ask for plain old English? He settled instead of grabbing a soda from the small refrigerator kept handy. Yes, it was definitely wiser for him to stick to what he knew best.
For her part, Abby was in her element. She had to hand it to NEST's nerds, for they had done a fairly spectacular job of fortifying the security files. But, they hadn't counted on someone who was as persistent as she was brilliant trying to hack the secret government installation on a dare for one of NEST's insiders. Abby had been cautious to cover her tracks as best she could, less she endanger Bobby's career for a silly bet. In the time she'd been working, she'd managed to breech the main system, hack the firewalls and worm her way into the main server. Now, she was just rooting around, attempting to find the information on NCIS' last encounter with the Autobots and their human allies.
After sitting for a nearly an hour doing nothing but hoping to avoid a massive, technology-induced migraine, Bobby's guilt got the better of him. He alternately cursed Prime for giving him a conscience when it came to delegating his work to others, and thanked the senior Autobot for being such a good example. He stood and stretched, feeling the blissful sensation of all the tightened vertebrae in his back popping to a little symphony of relief. "I'm going to go over and check on the clean up, Abby. I'll be back in about a half hour."
Abby bobbed her head once in acquiescence, not breaking from her work.
As Epps' left foot made the threshold of the door, Abby's yell stopped him cold. "Sergeant! Get your ass back in here, now!"
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The quarters to Prime's personal quarters opened with a gentle swoosh. Optimus was already seated behind the massive desk in his personal office, Ironhide and Ratchet each occupying one large chair adjacent from the Autobot leader. Bumblebee rolled through the door in his alt mode with Lennox and Epps inside. Under his leader's orders, 'Bee had picked them up with as little fanfare as he could manage from the human side of the base after shift change. Abby was perched carefully on the edge of Prime's desk, her free-swinging heels lightly tapping the edge of Prime's desk.
The NEST members exited Bumblebee, the yellow scout transforming into his bipedal form as soon as his human charges were clear.
"What's the deal with this emergency meeting, Prime? Sarah and I had a date tonight," Lennox asked as he found himself a seat on the human furniture Prime kept in his office.
"I apologize for spoiling your plans for the evening, Major, but this meeting was one I did not call personally. It was a request from your Sergeant," Optimus responded, tilting his head toward Epps.
Lennox turned to face his subordinate. Bobby was going to die for cutting into the very little 'alone time' he got with his wife. Not only did they have a date in the truest, most old-fashioned sense of the word, they were also sans child as Annabelle was staying with Sarah's mother for the weekend. Will glared murderously at his long time friend. "And this couldn't wait until tomorrow?"
Abby, chewing nervously on her fingernails, answered before Epps even had a chance. "No, Lennox. It can't, and after you're done listening to what I have to say, you'll be glad I called you down."
Will sighed, resigning himself to a night on the couch with a beer and some cold pizza instead of the spectacular plans he had previously made. He didn't bother hide his grumble, though he acquiesced. "All right. You have my attention. What's happening this time?"
Not wasting any time, the young Goth went straight to business. Perhaps it was all the years spent with Gibbs taught her the importance of cutting to the chase. "I was the one that called this meeting. Well, I told Epps we needed to talk, but I didn't tell him why. I wanted to wait until everyone was here."
"And that would be why, exactly?" Ratchet quipped. Though the medic didn't have spectacular plans as Lennox had, sitting in his boss' office late on Friday night was not the way he'd envisioned the start of his weekend.
Abby took a deep breath. "You guys have a problem. A security problem."
Ironhide's audios perked up at the thought of unauthorized intruders meandering about unchecked around NEST's headquarters. This was his base, and no one got on or off without him knowing about it. 'Hide prided himself on his success as not only Prime's bodyguard, but as the protector in general of all Autobots. He took each failure personally, and worked hard to ensure it didn't happen again. "What kind of problem?"
Abby looked over toward the massive weapons specialist and chuckled. It didn't take much to rile up the imposing black mech. Once again, however, Gibbs had taught her well. The first trick of dealing with her boss is to never be intimidated, a personality trait which apparently filtered through to being summarily unimpressed by a large, cannon toting, trigger happy, towering alien robot. "Heel, Ironhide. This is not the kind you're thinking of, dude. This is a computer issue."
Ironhide, confused, reflexively twisted around and tried to take a look at the backside of his ankles. It made for quite a sight. Turning back around, he put his hands on his hips and asked, completely serious, "What's wrong with my heels?"
Ratchet snorted loudly, Bumblebee synthesized a laugh and Will and Lennox both bit down their chuckles. Optimus' only response was to raise one optic ridge in questioning amusement.
Abby laughed out loud. "I heard you made friends with Ziva. This couldn't be more fitting! She has word troubles just like you!"
"Prime, maybe you should ask Sam to bring Mojo to the base so 'Hide here learns what 'heel' means," Ratchet said with a flippant wave of his hand.
Ironhide's optics dimmed momentarily, his processor searching the term's correlation to the Witwicky's pathetic little lubricating rodent. Finding he meaning, the grizzled warrior's optics narrowed. Pointing one large black finger at the medic, he growled, "If you weren't the one that put us all back together, I'd shoot you in the aft right now just for thinking it."
Prime cleared his vocalizer to stall the argument before it truly gained steam. "Ratchet, Ironhide, if we could get back to the task at hand? I would prefer that my quarters be left intact. I think we've had enough fun cleaning up for one day, don't you agree?"
Both medic and weapons specialist gave one final glare to the other and resituated themselves to continue the briefing. Epps and Lennox worked to slow their breathing, each man staring off at some indiscriminate point over Prime's helm to keep the laughter from beginning anew. Lennox had to live with Ironhide, and Epps didn't want to add one more reason to the list of why he could be squished by an angry giant alien robot.
Satisfied his troops were fully contained, Optimus looked toward Abby. "Go on please, Ms. Sciuto."
She continued, choosing her words carefully. Epps was turning into something of a friend, and Abby didn't relish throwing him under the bus. Vague was likely the best course of action here. "When we were cleaning up, Epps asked me to check the security of the NEST files. I did, and I found that someone recently hacked into the file with the details surrounding NCIS' involvement with you guys a couple of years ago. Specifically, it was regarding someone named Barricade."
The senior Autobots all looked nervously at one another. Ratchet shifted to place his elbows on his knees. "Can you tell us anything else? Did they find anything?"
"I don't know yet because I haven't figured out what they were looking for. I don't have access to your files, and I would need that in order to be able to tell you what was accessed, and when," she responded. Abby paused, sheepish since she had just admitted to hacking yet another federal entity. "Well, I don't need total access, but it would make things go quicker."
Optimus prided himself on being a mech who could see the bigger picture, and knowing what exactly was going on with the NEST files was more important that Abby's breach of professional etiquette. Without hesitation, Prime answered, "You shall have it. I will give you full access to this base and its files if you can find who this intruder was. We cannot risk any more of our secrets getting out to the general public. After all that had happened with The Fallen…" the Autobot leader trailed off. There was no need for further exposition. The room took on a tense silence, every NEST operative reliving the Egyptian fiasco in their minds.
"Well, what can you tell us right now? Anything else useful?" Lennox asked.
"I can tell you that whoever did it wasn't very good. Like, it was complete amateur hour. They tried to cover their tracks, but it was so sloppy it was totally clear that someone was in there, rooting around for something. I can also tell you that whoever it was spent the most time on the pages with the information about Barricade's remains, whoever that is."
Ironhide's gruff voice cut across the room. "Do you know who the intruder is, Abby?"
"I do, but I don't. Whoever it was probably paid someone to get him in, and then did the rest of the rooting around himself. Afterwards, he probably had the original hacker go in and do clean up. That's likely why that part of it was so half-assed," she answered.
"How long will it take you to figure it out? I would suspect someone like you would have done it already," Ratchet snipped.
The young lady cocked her head to the side and placed her hands on her hips. Ratchet's words sounded dangerously like a challenge, and Abby was not one to take the questioning of her professional abilities with a grain of salt and a smile. Her tone equally as harsh, Abby replied, "I didn't do anything else because I'm not just going to snooping around without talking to you guys first. If this turns out to be nothing, people are goingto find out what I did. And with your track record," she gestured toward the Autobots, "you don't need any more help pissing humanity off."
Optimus brought his right hand up to rest on his cheek. He had to give the young lady points for being wholeheartedly unafraid to tear strips off Ratchet without a second thought. Most humans ran screaming from the cranky, wrench-tossing medic, but Abby was not, even in the tiniest of ways intimidated. Prime was inwardly pleased. "Ms. Sciuto is correct, Ratchet. It was wise of her to consult us first. We don't want to attract any undue attention if we can avoid it."
Looking smugly at the Autobot medic with a, 'so there' expression on her face, Abby reached into her pocket and produced a slip of paper.
Ironhide focused his sensors, trying to get a accurate scan of what the young forensic tech had in her hands. "What is that, Miss Sciuto?"
With her head still down, she replied, "It's Abby, and I took the liberty of running some traces. I was able to figure out who the hacker was, and then I cross-referenced his name with all known contacts from NEST. I got one hit."
"And who might that be?" Ratchet asked.
Abby looked up and searched the room until she found Prime's optics. Staring into them, she asked one question. It brought the room to screeching halt.
"Who is Norman Galloway?"
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Will circled the base for a second time. Dawn had yet to break, and already Lennox had gone four miles. His feet pounded hard against the pavement as drops of sweat fell from his face. Breathing labored, the Major increased his pace to an all out sprint along the backside of the old hangers. When he was upset, there was only one thing that helped calm him down, and that was a good, hard run. And because of the level of annoyance perpetuated by any meeting involving Norman Galloway, that good, hard run had turned into a very long, good, hard run.
In the distance, a yellow search and rescue Hummer and a flame-patterned Peterbilt sat in their alternate forms, quietly observing the young human commander.
:Do you think this has anything to do with that annoying twit Galloway and Lennox's meeting with him this afternoon, Prime?: Ratchet asked over the internal comm, breaking the silence.
:I would venture to guess that is exactly what has Major Lennox so upset. A man with that much political power and an ego to match is a very tough adversary.:
:That's one way of putting it.: Ratchet scoffed, his disdain for Galloway quite clear. :Still wish Will had given the fragger a parachute that wouldn't open, Prime. Would have saved us all a lot of trouble.:
Optimus growled lightly into the comm. :Ratchet, you know the rules. We--:
The medic cut Prime off. :..Don't harm humans. Yes, I know that, Prime. But nothing good will come of this, I assure you.:
:That's quite probable, Ratchet.: Optimus paused. :Now, shall we go stop the Major before he runs himself into a heart attack?:
:He'll be fine, Prime. I've had my sensors on him this entire time. He's in no danger of anything other than the need--:
Ratchet stopped in mid-sentence as Will abruptly halted his run. Lennox bent over at his waist and rested the palms of his hands on his knees. He coughed and choked a couple of times before promptly throwing up what the mess had served the night before onto the pavement below.
Ratchet cycled his vents before rolling slowly away from Prime. He finished his thought through the comm. as a farewell to his leader. :…to purge.:
Optimus turned over his ignition and decided to take a little drive himself. Perhaps a trip around the outskirts of the base would give him the mental strength to work professionally with Galloway once again.
Prime exhaled a hard, hot burst of air, a bit of Ratchet's snark coming through the normally placid leader. 'And Megatron will agree to peace tomorrow.'
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Norman Galloway waltzed confidently into the meeting area in the NEST tactical hanger. He entered the very same hanger he'd been in months previous before Egypt, before the Fallen, and before the entire world knew about the visiting Cybertronians. His posture still held the same cocky swagger of months' past, though his eyes had hardened more around the edges. Norman had a singular goal in mind this time, and he'd be damned if some annoying twit in a uniform was going to keep him from getting it.
It was a very reluctant President who had issued the order to reinstate Galloway as liaison to NEST, something that made the politician in Norman very smug. It had taken a lot of convincing, cajoling and some deal-making, but he was back where he should be. Now, he was facing the same group again, but this time it was he who held the upper hand.
Galloway looked around as he walked up the stairs to reach the platform that was NEST ops. Reaching the top, he noticed Major Lennox was present, along with his annoying sidekick Sergeant Epps. The big red and blue Autobot was there as well, though Norman couldn't be bothered to remember his name. Two more vehicles sat in the shadows, presumably listening to the conversation. Squinting, Galloway thought he saw movement in passenger area of the Hummer, but dismissed it just as quickly as a trick of the hangar's poor lighting.
Will, freshened up from his early morning run and with no traces of the hell he'd physically put himself through visible, greeted Galloway with a cool detachment when the liaison reached him. It was the one reserved for his high school math teacher and most Decepticons with whom he'd made contact. "Liaison Galloway. To what do we owe this dubious honor?"
Galloway pushed his jacked aside, resting his hands on his hips in a similar motion the one he'd used when he'd first met the Autobots. "I have orders from the President, gentleman. You all made one hell of mess over there in Egypt, and now we have no choice but to admit what's been going on here. We've got to do some damage control."
Epps, leaning casually against the railing, spoke. "So make something up. You politicians are good at lying. It's second nature!"
"Thank you Sergeant. Perhaps you'd keep quiet this time. You know what I think of you," Galloway cut in, his tone cold and condescending.
Epps took one challenging step forward. He brought his hand up and pointed his right index finger at the politician. "Keep talking, and I'm gonna show you how good I am at my job!"
Lennox put a hand over Epps' chest as Prime shot the enlisted man a look of warning. The Autobot leader's voice had a calming effect on the Sergeant, and on Lennox as well. "Sergeant, calm down."
Epps sneered at Galloway and threw up his hands. "All right, dude. I'm out. I don't want to do something I'll regret, and he ain't worth it." Giving Galloway one good glare as he passed, Bobby's footsteps clambered down the metal stairway and tromped out the door of the tactical hanger.
Will sighed. Epps did have a bit of temper, but the Sergeant usually showed it with his reflexively sarcastic mouth, not his fists. Most of the time it was a blessing, but in cases of Washington politicians, it could also be a curse. "Can we just get on with this, Galloway? I've got things to do today."
Norman smirked. "Yes, of course. I wouldn't want to keep you from your duties here at NEST." Turning, he paused for dramatic effect. He raised one hand in the air before speaking again. "But, I don't know for long that will last."
"And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Will was agitated. The prick in the monkey suit knew exactly what buttons to push and with how much force, a fact that was beginning to disturb the Major.
Galloway tossed one finger up in the air. "Aha. You see, therein lies the problem. The President has his hands tied now, since The Fallen broadcast worldwide for that child's location. We cannot explain that away, so he needs…how shall I put it? Incentive to let your friends stay on Earth."
Optimus beat Will to the punch, the Autobot leader's habitually warm baritone cold and irritated. "Mr. Galloway, with all due respect, the "child's" name is Sam, and though I regret the circumstances under which our existence has been revealed, the young man did save the planet. In doing so, he was gravely injured himself. Please do not forget that sacrifice."
Galloway nodded, though his eyes held a glint of contempt for the Autobot leader. "Oh, right. And he brought you back, too, didn't he?"
Prime nodded. "Yes. And I am thankful for that each and every day."
"Uh huh. Well, that still does not change the President's decision. He needs something from you," Galloway gestured toward Prime, "to let you stay."
Optimus inwardly counted to ten when he heard Ironhide and Ratchet's pissed-off voices over the internal comm. Each was threatening various body parts and alternately insulting Galloway's mother, father, sister and dog. For once, Prime wished he could grant his soldiers' profane requests. Ironhide's bloodlust and Ratchet's wrench-throwing temper would make for a spectacular way to dispatch NEST's biggest critic. Maybe if he just turned his back…
Prime regained his composure, working hard to give no external clues to Galloway that might show his mounting frustration. "If your President is holding out hope I will give you any of our technological secrets, my answer is still no. You are a young race, and I fear you are not ready for weapons the strength of ours. We will have to come to some other arrangement, because on this topic, I will not yield."
Galloway bit his lip. This was going to be harder than he'd originally planned. "Then we have a problem, gentleman."
Will's fists were balled so tightly at his sides that his fingernails were cutting into the palms of his hands. The Major's heart rate jumped, the sound of his blood rushing through his body ringing in his ears. "Yeah, I'd say we do." Lennox took a step toward the government agent and intentionally invaded his personal space. Whispering, Will narrowed his eyes and addressed the politician. "What is this really about, Galloway? Are you still pissed that I dumped you out of the plane? Is this your revenge?"
Norman did nothing but adjust his glasses as Will cocked his head to the side. He looked the army officer up and down, and with words dripping with sarcastic condescension said, "No, Major. Not at all. I wouldn't do something that childish, you must understand. No, this is simply about me doing my job."
Lennox wanted nothing more than to put his fist straight through the smug, fake friendly smile plastered all over Galloway's face. Instead, he settled on an equally sarcastic, "No, of course not. You're a professional."
Both men stared, Galloway finally yielding his gaze. Stepping back, he clasped his hands together in front of his chest. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a report to go write to the President."
Will and Prime watched Galloway walk down the stairs and depart for his Hummer. Privately, both leaders wished a freak meteor would somehow fall on top of the pompous ass in the suit and spare them all of the trouble. Will climbed down from the catwalk as Prime folded himself down into his alt mode. Ironhide and Ratchet rolled up and joined Optimus and Will on the floor, Epps sauntering in once he saw the temptation for bodily injury had departed.
"Did you hear all that, Abby?" Will asked.
Ratchet's passenger door popped open and two tall, black platform boots poked out to find their purchase on the running board. Abby's feet hit the concrete, her face agape with barely contained surprise and rage. Gesturing wildly, she nearly shrieked, "That's Norman Galloway? That…that…ass is the liaison to NEST? How has no one shot him? I mean, I barely know him. Well, I don't know him, but even I want to shoot him!"
Epps chuckled. "Believe me, it's been tough. That dude sucks enemy scrotum, hardcore. In fact, he probably does it literally."
Lennox raised an eyebrow at his friend's latest description of NEST's appointed political advisor. Bobby's rather colorful choices of vernacular integration never ceased to amaze the Major. Shaking his head, Lennox asked, "Epps, where the hell did you hear that one?"
"From Simmons," the Sergeant replied succinctly, his hand resting on the handle of his issued Springfield .45.
"Oh." Nodding, Lennox scratched his head and mused, "Explains a lot."
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Next Up: NCIS LA finds some interesting information, and Optimus and Abby have a conversation about life, death and everything in between.
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Chapter 5 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 1
I am not a hacker, nor would I ever want to be. I don't endorse, promote, or encourage any type of illegal behavior. That said, I know nothing about hacking, so if I got it wrong, apologies in advance. Hopefully the spirit is right as I intended it. Finally, Epps' colorful description of everyone's favorite political liaison is not mine. That little gem is all Tenshi Of Light21's. It's layered in awesome.
Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or NCIS though I sorely wish I did.
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Chapter 3
Diego Garcia, NEST Headquarters
His entire life, Bobby Epps had always been a man of action. As a child, he was the first kid picked for every sport he played. As a young man, if something needed to be done at home or at school, he was the first one to do it. But as an adult, Epps found his calling with the military. It combined both his love for physical activity and deep hatred of idleness into a perfect balance of a violent ballet. In short, it fit him to a 'T.'
Bobby's specialty was of the 'aim and fire' variety, not of the 'point and click' nonsense. But, both employed and alive were two good things, so Epps figured it couldn't hurt to maybe learn something new. Then again, at the rate Abby Scuito moved, perhaps it would be the wiser choice to just stick with what he knew best.
Epps poked his head into the vacant NEST technology center and catalogued his options. Maybe this was the one time he could actually thank Skids and Mudflap for being the epic diversion they naturally were. All available hands were elsewhere, helping to clean up the slog that was currently the Autobots' quarters. The Sergeant ushered Abby in and motioned to a chair.
"Epps, why did we have to come in here? I have my own laptop with its own internet connection, you know," Abby said, taking a seat in a swiveling desk chair. She unpacked her laptop from its case and set up the various accessories.
Bobby shrugged. "I dunno. I thought maybe this would be more comfortable. Don't you hackers have to be in the mood, or something?"
Abby, sitting in the chair with her back toward the standing Epps, said in a neutral tone, "Yellow light, Sergeant."
Epps scratched his head. "Yeah. That came out wrong. See, what I mean was, well…"
Abby spun around in her chair and smiled. "I was joking. I see you had to go through that stupid sexual harassment training, too. Did they yell at you about hugging, too?"
Epps breathed a sigh of relief and then laughed. "I dunno. I didn't have to go. But I did hear that hugging ain't cool any more, and I think that's just lame."
Abby's face lit up. "You, too? Seriously, when I got here, I hugged Optimus out of reflex. Well, I think I hugged his ankle because he's like, huge, but I hugged him. And then I remembered, and I wanted to hurt the people that are responsible for that. It totally sucks!"
Epps barked a laugh. "That it does, Abby. Now, let's get down to business."
Abby spun back around in her chair. Cracking her knuckles, she said, "Yes, lets. So, what's my objective."
Epps quirked an eyebrow. "To hack NEST. I thought we had that part covered."
"No, I know that! But I mean, what am I looking for? There has to be something specific I'm after, otherwise it's no fun."
The Sergeant looked momentarily perplexed. "What do you mean?"
Chewing gently on her lip, Abby answered, "Well, it's like when I'm hacking a movie company--" She stopped abruptly, eyes darting around the room. "Not…that I'd ever do that, but let's say that if I figuratively hacked a movie company, I'm not just going to hack them for the hell of it. I'm going in to look for a movie that's premiering next month, only I don't want to wait to see it."
"Okay…"
"What I'm saying is, you need to be more specific. I mean, I can get in I'm sure, but if you really want me to test this, I need something to fish for."
Epps shook his head in comprehension. "Well, you heard all about your team's last little adventure with us. How about searching for the specifics on that?"
"Now, that's something I can do. Just let me work my magic, and we'll just see what I can find." Abby rubbed her hands together, blew on them for good luck and went to work. "Watch and learn."
Abby's fingers danced over the keyboard, pushing the data back and forth over the multiple screens she had pulled up on the plasmas in front of her. Epps' eyes began to glaze over when he tried to decipher the lines of code and "geek speak" scrawling before him. Would it be too terribly much to ask for plain old English? He settled instead of grabbing a soda from the small refrigerator kept handy. Yes, it was definitely wiser for him to stick to what he knew best.
For her part, Abby was in her element. She had to hand it to NEST's nerds, for they had done a fairly spectacular job of fortifying the security files. But, they hadn't counted on someone who was as persistent as she was brilliant trying to hack the secret government installation on a dare for one of NEST's insiders. Abby had been cautious to cover her tracks as best she could, less she endanger Bobby's career for a silly bet. In the time she'd been working, she'd managed to breech the main system, hack the firewalls and worm her way into the main server. Now, she was just rooting around, attempting to find the information on NCIS' last encounter with the Autobots and their human allies.
After sitting for a nearly an hour doing nothing but hoping to avoid a massive, technology-induced migraine, Bobby's guilt got the better of him. He alternately cursed Prime for giving him a conscience when it came to delegating his work to others, and thanked the senior Autobot for being such a good example. He stood and stretched, feeling the blissful sensation of all the tightened vertebrae in his back popping to a little symphony of relief. "I'm going to go over and check on the clean up, Abby. I'll be back in about a half hour."
Abby bobbed her head once in acquiescence, not breaking from her work.
As Epps' left foot made the threshold of the door, Abby's yell stopped him cold. "Sergeant! Get your ass back in here, now!"
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The quarters to Prime's personal quarters opened with a gentle swoosh. Optimus was already seated behind the massive desk in his personal office, Ironhide and Ratchet each occupying one large chair adjacent from the Autobot leader. Bumblebee rolled through the door in his alt mode with Lennox and Epps inside. Under his leader's orders, 'Bee had picked them up with as little fanfare as he could manage from the human side of the base after shift change. Abby was perched carefully on the edge of Prime's desk, her free-swinging heels lightly tapping the edge of Prime's desk.
The NEST members exited Bumblebee, the yellow scout transforming into his bipedal form as soon as his human charges were clear.
"What's the deal with this emergency meeting, Prime? Sarah and I had a date tonight," Lennox asked as he found himself a seat on the human furniture Prime kept in his office.
"I apologize for spoiling your plans for the evening, Major, but this meeting was one I did not call personally. It was a request from your Sergeant," Optimus responded, tilting his head toward Epps.
Lennox turned to face his subordinate. Bobby was going to die for cutting into the very little 'alone time' he got with his wife. Not only did they have a date in the truest, most old-fashioned sense of the word, they were also sans child as Annabelle was staying with Sarah's mother for the weekend. Will glared murderously at his long time friend. "And this couldn't wait until tomorrow?"
Abby, chewing nervously on her fingernails, answered before Epps even had a chance. "No, Lennox. It can't, and after you're done listening to what I have to say, you'll be glad I called you down."
Will sighed, resigning himself to a night on the couch with a beer and some cold pizza instead of the spectacular plans he had previously made. He didn't bother hide his grumble, though he acquiesced. "All right. You have my attention. What's happening this time?"
Not wasting any time, the young Goth went straight to business. Perhaps it was all the years spent with Gibbs taught her the importance of cutting to the chase. "I was the one that called this meeting. Well, I told Epps we needed to talk, but I didn't tell him why. I wanted to wait until everyone was here."
"And that would be why, exactly?" Ratchet quipped. Though the medic didn't have spectacular plans as Lennox had, sitting in his boss' office late on Friday night was not the way he'd envisioned the start of his weekend.
Abby took a deep breath. "You guys have a problem. A security problem."
Ironhide's audios perked up at the thought of unauthorized intruders meandering about unchecked around NEST's headquarters. This was his base, and no one got on or off without him knowing about it. 'Hide prided himself on his success as not only Prime's bodyguard, but as the protector in general of all Autobots. He took each failure personally, and worked hard to ensure it didn't happen again. "What kind of problem?"
Abby looked over toward the massive weapons specialist and chuckled. It didn't take much to rile up the imposing black mech. Once again, however, Gibbs had taught her well. The first trick of dealing with her boss is to never be intimidated, a personality trait which apparently filtered through to being summarily unimpressed by a large, cannon toting, trigger happy, towering alien robot. "Heel, Ironhide. This is not the kind you're thinking of, dude. This is a computer issue."
Ironhide, confused, reflexively twisted around and tried to take a look at the backside of his ankles. It made for quite a sight. Turning back around, he put his hands on his hips and asked, completely serious, "What's wrong with my heels?"
Ratchet snorted loudly, Bumblebee synthesized a laugh and Will and Lennox both bit down their chuckles. Optimus' only response was to raise one optic ridge in questioning amusement.
Abby laughed out loud. "I heard you made friends with Ziva. This couldn't be more fitting! She has word troubles just like you!"
"Prime, maybe you should ask Sam to bring Mojo to the base so 'Hide here learns what 'heel' means," Ratchet said with a flippant wave of his hand.
Ironhide's optics dimmed momentarily, his processor searching the term's correlation to the Witwicky's pathetic little lubricating rodent. Finding he meaning, the grizzled warrior's optics narrowed. Pointing one large black finger at the medic, he growled, "If you weren't the one that put us all back together, I'd shoot you in the aft right now just for thinking it."
Prime cleared his vocalizer to stall the argument before it truly gained steam. "Ratchet, Ironhide, if we could get back to the task at hand? I would prefer that my quarters be left intact. I think we've had enough fun cleaning up for one day, don't you agree?"
Both medic and weapons specialist gave one final glare to the other and resituated themselves to continue the briefing. Epps and Lennox worked to slow their breathing, each man staring off at some indiscriminate point over Prime's helm to keep the laughter from beginning anew. Lennox had to live with Ironhide, and Epps didn't want to add one more reason to the list of why he could be squished by an angry giant alien robot.
Satisfied his troops were fully contained, Optimus looked toward Abby. "Go on please, Ms. Sciuto."
She continued, choosing her words carefully. Epps was turning into something of a friend, and Abby didn't relish throwing him under the bus. Vague was likely the best course of action here. "When we were cleaning up, Epps asked me to check the security of the NEST files. I did, and I found that someone recently hacked into the file with the details surrounding NCIS' involvement with you guys a couple of years ago. Specifically, it was regarding someone named Barricade."
The senior Autobots all looked nervously at one another. Ratchet shifted to place his elbows on his knees. "Can you tell us anything else? Did they find anything?"
"I don't know yet because I haven't figured out what they were looking for. I don't have access to your files, and I would need that in order to be able to tell you what was accessed, and when," she responded. Abby paused, sheepish since she had just admitted to hacking yet another federal entity. "Well, I don't need total access, but it would make things go quicker."
Optimus prided himself on being a mech who could see the bigger picture, and knowing what exactly was going on with the NEST files was more important that Abby's breach of professional etiquette. Without hesitation, Prime answered, "You shall have it. I will give you full access to this base and its files if you can find who this intruder was. We cannot risk any more of our secrets getting out to the general public. After all that had happened with The Fallen…" the Autobot leader trailed off. There was no need for further exposition. The room took on a tense silence, every NEST operative reliving the Egyptian fiasco in their minds.
"Well, what can you tell us right now? Anything else useful?" Lennox asked.
"I can tell you that whoever did it wasn't very good. Like, it was complete amateur hour. They tried to cover their tracks, but it was so sloppy it was totally clear that someone was in there, rooting around for something. I can also tell you that whoever it was spent the most time on the pages with the information about Barricade's remains, whoever that is."
Ironhide's gruff voice cut across the room. "Do you know who the intruder is, Abby?"
"I do, but I don't. Whoever it was probably paid someone to get him in, and then did the rest of the rooting around himself. Afterwards, he probably had the original hacker go in and do clean up. That's likely why that part of it was so half-assed," she answered.
"How long will it take you to figure it out? I would suspect someone like you would have done it already," Ratchet snipped.
The young lady cocked her head to the side and placed her hands on her hips. Ratchet's words sounded dangerously like a challenge, and Abby was not one to take the questioning of her professional abilities with a grain of salt and a smile. Her tone equally as harsh, Abby replied, "I didn't do anything else because I'm not just going to snooping around without talking to you guys first. If this turns out to be nothing, people are goingto find out what I did. And with your track record," she gestured toward the Autobots, "you don't need any more help pissing humanity off."
Optimus brought his right hand up to rest on his cheek. He had to give the young lady points for being wholeheartedly unafraid to tear strips off Ratchet without a second thought. Most humans ran screaming from the cranky, wrench-tossing medic, but Abby was not, even in the tiniest of ways intimidated. Prime was inwardly pleased. "Ms. Sciuto is correct, Ratchet. It was wise of her to consult us first. We don't want to attract any undue attention if we can avoid it."
Looking smugly at the Autobot medic with a, 'so there' expression on her face, Abby reached into her pocket and produced a slip of paper.
Ironhide focused his sensors, trying to get a accurate scan of what the young forensic tech had in her hands. "What is that, Miss Sciuto?"
With her head still down, she replied, "It's Abby, and I took the liberty of running some traces. I was able to figure out who the hacker was, and then I cross-referenced his name with all known contacts from NEST. I got one hit."
"And who might that be?" Ratchet asked.
Abby looked up and searched the room until she found Prime's optics. Staring into them, she asked one question. It brought the room to screeching halt.
"Who is Norman Galloway?"
========
Will circled the base for a second time. Dawn had yet to break, and already Lennox had gone four miles. His feet pounded hard against the pavement as drops of sweat fell from his face. Breathing labored, the Major increased his pace to an all out sprint along the backside of the old hangers. When he was upset, there was only one thing that helped calm him down, and that was a good, hard run. And because of the level of annoyance perpetuated by any meeting involving Norman Galloway, that good, hard run had turned into a very long, good, hard run.
In the distance, a yellow search and rescue Hummer and a flame-patterned Peterbilt sat in their alternate forms, quietly observing the young human commander.
:Do you think this has anything to do with that annoying twit Galloway and Lennox's meeting with him this afternoon, Prime?: Ratchet asked over the internal comm, breaking the silence.
:I would venture to guess that is exactly what has Major Lennox so upset. A man with that much political power and an ego to match is a very tough adversary.:
:That's one way of putting it.: Ratchet scoffed, his disdain for Galloway quite clear. :Still wish Will had given the fragger a parachute that wouldn't open, Prime. Would have saved us all a lot of trouble.:
Optimus growled lightly into the comm. :Ratchet, you know the rules. We--:
The medic cut Prime off. :..Don't harm humans. Yes, I know that, Prime. But nothing good will come of this, I assure you.:
:That's quite probable, Ratchet.: Optimus paused. :Now, shall we go stop the Major before he runs himself into a heart attack?:
:He'll be fine, Prime. I've had my sensors on him this entire time. He's in no danger of anything other than the need--:
Ratchet stopped in mid-sentence as Will abruptly halted his run. Lennox bent over at his waist and rested the palms of his hands on his knees. He coughed and choked a couple of times before promptly throwing up what the mess had served the night before onto the pavement below.
Ratchet cycled his vents before rolling slowly away from Prime. He finished his thought through the comm. as a farewell to his leader. :…to purge.:
Optimus turned over his ignition and decided to take a little drive himself. Perhaps a trip around the outskirts of the base would give him the mental strength to work professionally with Galloway once again.
Prime exhaled a hard, hot burst of air, a bit of Ratchet's snark coming through the normally placid leader. 'And Megatron will agree to peace tomorrow.'
========
Norman Galloway waltzed confidently into the meeting area in the NEST tactical hanger. He entered the very same hanger he'd been in months previous before Egypt, before the Fallen, and before the entire world knew about the visiting Cybertronians. His posture still held the same cocky swagger of months' past, though his eyes had hardened more around the edges. Norman had a singular goal in mind this time, and he'd be damned if some annoying twit in a uniform was going to keep him from getting it.
It was a very reluctant President who had issued the order to reinstate Galloway as liaison to NEST, something that made the politician in Norman very smug. It had taken a lot of convincing, cajoling and some deal-making, but he was back where he should be. Now, he was facing the same group again, but this time it was he who held the upper hand.
Galloway looked around as he walked up the stairs to reach the platform that was NEST ops. Reaching the top, he noticed Major Lennox was present, along with his annoying sidekick Sergeant Epps. The big red and blue Autobot was there as well, though Norman couldn't be bothered to remember his name. Two more vehicles sat in the shadows, presumably listening to the conversation. Squinting, Galloway thought he saw movement in passenger area of the Hummer, but dismissed it just as quickly as a trick of the hangar's poor lighting.
Will, freshened up from his early morning run and with no traces of the hell he'd physically put himself through visible, greeted Galloway with a cool detachment when the liaison reached him. It was the one reserved for his high school math teacher and most Decepticons with whom he'd made contact. "Liaison Galloway. To what do we owe this dubious honor?"
Galloway pushed his jacked aside, resting his hands on his hips in a similar motion the one he'd used when he'd first met the Autobots. "I have orders from the President, gentleman. You all made one hell of mess over there in Egypt, and now we have no choice but to admit what's been going on here. We've got to do some damage control."
Epps, leaning casually against the railing, spoke. "So make something up. You politicians are good at lying. It's second nature!"
"Thank you Sergeant. Perhaps you'd keep quiet this time. You know what I think of you," Galloway cut in, his tone cold and condescending.
Epps took one challenging step forward. He brought his hand up and pointed his right index finger at the politician. "Keep talking, and I'm gonna show you how good I am at my job!"
Lennox put a hand over Epps' chest as Prime shot the enlisted man a look of warning. The Autobot leader's voice had a calming effect on the Sergeant, and on Lennox as well. "Sergeant, calm down."
Epps sneered at Galloway and threw up his hands. "All right, dude. I'm out. I don't want to do something I'll regret, and he ain't worth it." Giving Galloway one good glare as he passed, Bobby's footsteps clambered down the metal stairway and tromped out the door of the tactical hanger.
Will sighed. Epps did have a bit of temper, but the Sergeant usually showed it with his reflexively sarcastic mouth, not his fists. Most of the time it was a blessing, but in cases of Washington politicians, it could also be a curse. "Can we just get on with this, Galloway? I've got things to do today."
Norman smirked. "Yes, of course. I wouldn't want to keep you from your duties here at NEST." Turning, he paused for dramatic effect. He raised one hand in the air before speaking again. "But, I don't know for long that will last."
"And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Will was agitated. The prick in the monkey suit knew exactly what buttons to push and with how much force, a fact that was beginning to disturb the Major.
Galloway tossed one finger up in the air. "Aha. You see, therein lies the problem. The President has his hands tied now, since The Fallen broadcast worldwide for that child's location. We cannot explain that away, so he needs…how shall I put it? Incentive to let your friends stay on Earth."
Optimus beat Will to the punch, the Autobot leader's habitually warm baritone cold and irritated. "Mr. Galloway, with all due respect, the "child's" name is Sam, and though I regret the circumstances under which our existence has been revealed, the young man did save the planet. In doing so, he was gravely injured himself. Please do not forget that sacrifice."
Galloway nodded, though his eyes held a glint of contempt for the Autobot leader. "Oh, right. And he brought you back, too, didn't he?"
Prime nodded. "Yes. And I am thankful for that each and every day."
"Uh huh. Well, that still does not change the President's decision. He needs something from you," Galloway gestured toward Prime, "to let you stay."
Optimus inwardly counted to ten when he heard Ironhide and Ratchet's pissed-off voices over the internal comm. Each was threatening various body parts and alternately insulting Galloway's mother, father, sister and dog. For once, Prime wished he could grant his soldiers' profane requests. Ironhide's bloodlust and Ratchet's wrench-throwing temper would make for a spectacular way to dispatch NEST's biggest critic. Maybe if he just turned his back…
Prime regained his composure, working hard to give no external clues to Galloway that might show his mounting frustration. "If your President is holding out hope I will give you any of our technological secrets, my answer is still no. You are a young race, and I fear you are not ready for weapons the strength of ours. We will have to come to some other arrangement, because on this topic, I will not yield."
Galloway bit his lip. This was going to be harder than he'd originally planned. "Then we have a problem, gentleman."
Will's fists were balled so tightly at his sides that his fingernails were cutting into the palms of his hands. The Major's heart rate jumped, the sound of his blood rushing through his body ringing in his ears. "Yeah, I'd say we do." Lennox took a step toward the government agent and intentionally invaded his personal space. Whispering, Will narrowed his eyes and addressed the politician. "What is this really about, Galloway? Are you still pissed that I dumped you out of the plane? Is this your revenge?"
Norman did nothing but adjust his glasses as Will cocked his head to the side. He looked the army officer up and down, and with words dripping with sarcastic condescension said, "No, Major. Not at all. I wouldn't do something that childish, you must understand. No, this is simply about me doing my job."
Lennox wanted nothing more than to put his fist straight through the smug, fake friendly smile plastered all over Galloway's face. Instead, he settled on an equally sarcastic, "No, of course not. You're a professional."
Both men stared, Galloway finally yielding his gaze. Stepping back, he clasped his hands together in front of his chest. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a report to go write to the President."
Will and Prime watched Galloway walk down the stairs and depart for his Hummer. Privately, both leaders wished a freak meteor would somehow fall on top of the pompous ass in the suit and spare them all of the trouble. Will climbed down from the catwalk as Prime folded himself down into his alt mode. Ironhide and Ratchet rolled up and joined Optimus and Will on the floor, Epps sauntering in once he saw the temptation for bodily injury had departed.
"Did you hear all that, Abby?" Will asked.
Ratchet's passenger door popped open and two tall, black platform boots poked out to find their purchase on the running board. Abby's feet hit the concrete, her face agape with barely contained surprise and rage. Gesturing wildly, she nearly shrieked, "That's Norman Galloway? That…that…ass is the liaison to NEST? How has no one shot him? I mean, I barely know him. Well, I don't know him, but even I want to shoot him!"
Epps chuckled. "Believe me, it's been tough. That dude sucks enemy scrotum, hardcore. In fact, he probably does it literally."
Lennox raised an eyebrow at his friend's latest description of NEST's appointed political advisor. Bobby's rather colorful choices of vernacular integration never ceased to amaze the Major. Shaking his head, Lennox asked, "Epps, where the hell did you hear that one?"
"From Simmons," the Sergeant replied succinctly, his hand resting on the handle of his issued Springfield .45.
"Oh." Nodding, Lennox scratched his head and mused, "Explains a lot."
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Next Up: NCIS LA finds some interesting information, and Optimus and Abby have a conversation about life, death and everything in between.
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Chapter 5 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 1