Cut Off by [to be announced]
Title: Cut Off
Character(s): Abby, Vance, team
Genre(s): Casefile
Word Count: 1768
Abby sat on the edge of McGee’s desk, waiting for the team to come back from wherever they were. One booted foot swung as she checked the time again. They hadn’t caught a case - Timmy or Tony or Ziva would have texted her to cancel their lunch plans. Movement on the catwalk caught her eye, and she looked up to see the team and Vance coming downstairs.
“There you are.” She stood as they all walked into the bullpen. “What happened to lunch?”
“Not possible, Miss Scuito.” Vance stood in the space between Tony and Ziva’s desks. “Agent Balboa.”
The lead of the Cold Case team looked up from his seat behind Gibbs’ desk. “Yes, Director?”
“Your team will be escorting Gibbs, DiNozzo, McGee, and David off the Yard.” Vance walked over to Gibbs’ desk and pointed to an empty space. “Badges, guns, and NCIS IDs.”
Abby watched as Gibbs pulled his SIG and holster from his desk, then put his badge and ID folder next to it.
“You’re making a mistake, Leon.” Gibbs glared at Vance, but the director just turned to look at the others.
“I only see one badge. There should be four of them.” He looked first at McGee, then Tony, then Ziva.
Abby twisted her hands together and watched as McGee took his gun from its lockbox. She opened her mouth as McGee walked over and placed the weapon on the desk next to Gibbs’. He unclipped the badge from his belt and set it down, his movements deliberate, then stood next to Gibbs, his arms crossed. Before she could say anything, Tony and Ziva did the same thing, until the four members of the MCRT stood facing Vance. Like Gibbs, her Three Musketeers showed no expression on their faces.
Abby shivered, a prickle working its way along her spine. She realized her mouth was still open and closed it, her teeth worrying her lower lip.
“Gibbs. McGee. DiNozzo. David. You are hereby suspended from NCIS pending a complete investigation into the allegations of evidence-tampering.” Vance’s voice was clear and carried through the silent squad room. “You are not to have contact with any staff member of this agency for any reason until the investigation is complete.”
Abby stepped forward, and Vance turned to her.
“I said any staff member, Miss Scuito. That includes you. No phone calls, e-mails, text messages, visits, or any other form of communication or contact.” Vance surveyed the room. “This applies to each of you. Violations will be punished with immediate suspension and a written reprimand in the offender’s personnel file.”
Abby opened her mouth to protest, but Gibbs shook his head, and she sank back onto the edge of McGee’s desk instead.
“Agent Balboa, escort them out.” Vance stayed in the bullpen, watching the procession toward the elevator.
Abby stayed where she was. Who was she kidding? She had to stay. She didn’t think her legs would support her if she tried to stand. What was going on? She hugged herself, wishing it was Gibbs or Timmy or Tony or Ziva comforting her instead. The rest of the squad room remained silent, but Abby knew as soon as she left, as soon as Vance went back to his office, the buzz of rumors would start. Everybody would talk. About her team. About this, this...
“Director, there’s been a mistake.”
Vance slowly turned to face her. “No mistake, Miss Scuito. Not on my part. And when the investigation bears out the accusations, you will see that. The only mistake made was by the agents who thought they could get away with breaking the law.”
“But... But it’s Gibbs. Gibbs! And the rest of them... They would never tamper with evidence. You know that, Director. They would never-”
“Miss Scuito.” He stepped up to face her. “Go down to your lab. Work on the cases that are your responsibility. Leave this one to me.” He paused. “DO NOT think you can get around the no-contact restriction on this. I will be watching.”
Abby wanted to protest, but she didn’t want to get the team in any more trouble. This was already worse trouble than she’d ever seen them in, even the time Chip framed Tony or when Metro arrested McGee or when the FBI was after Ziva or when Gibbs- Oh, Gibbs.
She started to walk out of the squad room, fighting back tears. She was not going to let the rest of the agency see her cry, not when it would just be more fodder for the rumor mill.
Once back in her lab, she locked the sliding door between her office and the main lab, then grabbed Bert and slid down the wall to sit behind her desk, hugging the hippo the way she wanted to hug her team. This had to be a mistake. OK, so the team had been in trouble before, usually because some dirtbag had framed- Wait. That had to be it. Somebody was framing them for this, whatever this was. Well, they weren’t going to get away with it.
Abby pushed herself up off the floor. She needed to figure out what Vance was charging them with and who could have set them up. And she needed to stay under the radar. She didn’t doubt the director’s promise to suspend anybody who broke the rules on this one, and she’d be even less help to the team if she was suspended.
She unlocked the sliding doors and walked into the main lab, putting Bert on the shelf by her computers so he could remind her the team would be OK. She took a deep breath, then went to the bathroom down the hall to wash her face. She felt better after that and returned to her lab, determined to get justice for her friends.
“We will fix this. Right, Bert?” But she had to be careful. If the director caught her snooping, she’d be lucky not to get fired. Good thing she’d always been sneaky.
Brain Matter would have helped her concentrate, but it would also keep her from hearing somebody come in the lab, and she couldn’t afford that. If anybody caught her snooping, she’d be suspended.
Balboa almost caught her when he came down for the results of an AFIS search she’d been running for his team, but she was able to switch screens before he could see what she was up to.
The sun set, and only the small desk lights and glow from the computer monitors lit the rooms. Abby moved to her desk for a while, fingers tapping on the keys as she dug deeper. It was late, past midnight, before she figured out the case she needed to focus on. It was an embezzlement case the MCRT had worked with Agent Krone’s team last month, so she hadn’t been involved with it. But several files within the master case file were sealed. She needed to access those files and do it without leaving a trace. She grinned. Good thing McGee was the only person at NCIS who might - might - be able to out-hack her.
She took a deep breath. Gibbs couldn’t give her a get-out-of-jail-free card on this one. If she got caught... Abby bit down on her lip and tried to will away the creepy feeling at the back of her neck. It was late. The office was almost empty. Nobody had a hot case; nobody would be coming in looking for evidence. Not this late.
Abby started digging, hacking her way into the secure files. The more she read, the worse it looked for her friends. If the agency made these charges stick, they were all going to Leavenworth for the rest of their lives. She blinked back tears. No. She wouldn’t let that happen. This had to be a set-up.
Click. She stopped, fingers frozen above the keys. She kept her face turned to the computer, but slid her eyes to one side, then the other, looking for the source of the noise. Nothing. Abby waited. Still nothing. She started digging again. Another secure file. Another code to-
She stopped. Looked around. When she saw Harry push his cart of cleaning supplies past the lab door, she felt her shoulders sag in relief. Just Harry. He wouldn’t know what she was doing; he couldn’t tell what was on her screens without his reading glasses. Still, she needed to be more careful. If somebody caught her, told Director Vance...
Abby transferred the searches to the computer by Major Mass Spec and moved to the main lab, where she would be closer to the door and better able to hear before someone walked in on her. The deep shadows around the room made her shiver, but she shook them off. She was going to find answers.
As she returned to her digging, her hopes sank. There was too much evidence to be a mistake. Too many files that needed explanation.
She stared at the file currently on her screen, mutely shaking her head. Impossible. He knew them better than that, knew they would never break- OK, so they would break rules and protocol. But they did that to get justice, not subvert it. He knew they wouldn't tamper with evidence, knew Gibbs would headslap anybody who dared, even himself. She'd even told him that earlier today - well, yesterday - that the team would never-
He hadn't answered her. She'd said he knew they wouldn't, and he had changed the subject. But... She grabbed Bert and hugged him close. Abby drew in a shaky breath and let it out. There had to be a reason. He’d had a reason for splitting up the team. He'd had a reason for staying friends with Eli David. He must have a reason for this.
Abby looked around, giving in to her paranoia that he was watching over her shoulder, but there was nobody there. She swallowed hard and set Bert down. She had to find answers before people started coming in for the day. Before the director came in. The minutes ticked by, and Abby forced herself not to rush, not to get caught because she was desperate. But she couldn't find a thing to explain why the director had set up the team.
Every file had come from Vance's office. Vance headed the investigation. Vance logged his findings. He had even submitted the whistleblower form, accusing the team of tampering with evidence.
"Why are you doing this, Leon?"
"Doing what, Miss Scuito?"
Character(s): Abby, Vance, team
Genre(s): Casefile
Word Count: 1768
Abby sat on the edge of McGee’s desk, waiting for the team to come back from wherever they were. One booted foot swung as she checked the time again. They hadn’t caught a case - Timmy or Tony or Ziva would have texted her to cancel their lunch plans. Movement on the catwalk caught her eye, and she looked up to see the team and Vance coming downstairs.
“There you are.” She stood as they all walked into the bullpen. “What happened to lunch?”
“Not possible, Miss Scuito.” Vance stood in the space between Tony and Ziva’s desks. “Agent Balboa.”
The lead of the Cold Case team looked up from his seat behind Gibbs’ desk. “Yes, Director?”
“Your team will be escorting Gibbs, DiNozzo, McGee, and David off the Yard.” Vance walked over to Gibbs’ desk and pointed to an empty space. “Badges, guns, and NCIS IDs.”
Abby watched as Gibbs pulled his SIG and holster from his desk, then put his badge and ID folder next to it.
“You’re making a mistake, Leon.” Gibbs glared at Vance, but the director just turned to look at the others.
“I only see one badge. There should be four of them.” He looked first at McGee, then Tony, then Ziva.
Abby twisted her hands together and watched as McGee took his gun from its lockbox. She opened her mouth as McGee walked over and placed the weapon on the desk next to Gibbs’. He unclipped the badge from his belt and set it down, his movements deliberate, then stood next to Gibbs, his arms crossed. Before she could say anything, Tony and Ziva did the same thing, until the four members of the MCRT stood facing Vance. Like Gibbs, her Three Musketeers showed no expression on their faces.
Abby shivered, a prickle working its way along her spine. She realized her mouth was still open and closed it, her teeth worrying her lower lip.
“Gibbs. McGee. DiNozzo. David. You are hereby suspended from NCIS pending a complete investigation into the allegations of evidence-tampering.” Vance’s voice was clear and carried through the silent squad room. “You are not to have contact with any staff member of this agency for any reason until the investigation is complete.”
Abby stepped forward, and Vance turned to her.
“I said any staff member, Miss Scuito. That includes you. No phone calls, e-mails, text messages, visits, or any other form of communication or contact.” Vance surveyed the room. “This applies to each of you. Violations will be punished with immediate suspension and a written reprimand in the offender’s personnel file.”
Abby opened her mouth to protest, but Gibbs shook his head, and she sank back onto the edge of McGee’s desk instead.
“Agent Balboa, escort them out.” Vance stayed in the bullpen, watching the procession toward the elevator.
Abby stayed where she was. Who was she kidding? She had to stay. She didn’t think her legs would support her if she tried to stand. What was going on? She hugged herself, wishing it was Gibbs or Timmy or Tony or Ziva comforting her instead. The rest of the squad room remained silent, but Abby knew as soon as she left, as soon as Vance went back to his office, the buzz of rumors would start. Everybody would talk. About her team. About this, this...
“Director, there’s been a mistake.”
Vance slowly turned to face her. “No mistake, Miss Scuito. Not on my part. And when the investigation bears out the accusations, you will see that. The only mistake made was by the agents who thought they could get away with breaking the law.”
“But... But it’s Gibbs. Gibbs! And the rest of them... They would never tamper with evidence. You know that, Director. They would never-”
“Miss Scuito.” He stepped up to face her. “Go down to your lab. Work on the cases that are your responsibility. Leave this one to me.” He paused. “DO NOT think you can get around the no-contact restriction on this. I will be watching.”
Abby wanted to protest, but she didn’t want to get the team in any more trouble. This was already worse trouble than she’d ever seen them in, even the time Chip framed Tony or when Metro arrested McGee or when the FBI was after Ziva or when Gibbs- Oh, Gibbs.
She started to walk out of the squad room, fighting back tears. She was not going to let the rest of the agency see her cry, not when it would just be more fodder for the rumor mill.
Once back in her lab, she locked the sliding door between her office and the main lab, then grabbed Bert and slid down the wall to sit behind her desk, hugging the hippo the way she wanted to hug her team. This had to be a mistake. OK, so the team had been in trouble before, usually because some dirtbag had framed- Wait. That had to be it. Somebody was framing them for this, whatever this was. Well, they weren’t going to get away with it.
Abby pushed herself up off the floor. She needed to figure out what Vance was charging them with and who could have set them up. And she needed to stay under the radar. She didn’t doubt the director’s promise to suspend anybody who broke the rules on this one, and she’d be even less help to the team if she was suspended.
She unlocked the sliding doors and walked into the main lab, putting Bert on the shelf by her computers so he could remind her the team would be OK. She took a deep breath, then went to the bathroom down the hall to wash her face. She felt better after that and returned to her lab, determined to get justice for her friends.
“We will fix this. Right, Bert?” But she had to be careful. If the director caught her snooping, she’d be lucky not to get fired. Good thing she’d always been sneaky.
Brain Matter would have helped her concentrate, but it would also keep her from hearing somebody come in the lab, and she couldn’t afford that. If anybody caught her snooping, she’d be suspended.
Balboa almost caught her when he came down for the results of an AFIS search she’d been running for his team, but she was able to switch screens before he could see what she was up to.
The sun set, and only the small desk lights and glow from the computer monitors lit the rooms. Abby moved to her desk for a while, fingers tapping on the keys as she dug deeper. It was late, past midnight, before she figured out the case she needed to focus on. It was an embezzlement case the MCRT had worked with Agent Krone’s team last month, so she hadn’t been involved with it. But several files within the master case file were sealed. She needed to access those files and do it without leaving a trace. She grinned. Good thing McGee was the only person at NCIS who might - might - be able to out-hack her.
She took a deep breath. Gibbs couldn’t give her a get-out-of-jail-free card on this one. If she got caught... Abby bit down on her lip and tried to will away the creepy feeling at the back of her neck. It was late. The office was almost empty. Nobody had a hot case; nobody would be coming in looking for evidence. Not this late.
Abby started digging, hacking her way into the secure files. The more she read, the worse it looked for her friends. If the agency made these charges stick, they were all going to Leavenworth for the rest of their lives. She blinked back tears. No. She wouldn’t let that happen. This had to be a set-up.
Click. She stopped, fingers frozen above the keys. She kept her face turned to the computer, but slid her eyes to one side, then the other, looking for the source of the noise. Nothing. Abby waited. Still nothing. She started digging again. Another secure file. Another code to-
She stopped. Looked around. When she saw Harry push his cart of cleaning supplies past the lab door, she felt her shoulders sag in relief. Just Harry. He wouldn’t know what she was doing; he couldn’t tell what was on her screens without his reading glasses. Still, she needed to be more careful. If somebody caught her, told Director Vance...
Abby transferred the searches to the computer by Major Mass Spec and moved to the main lab, where she would be closer to the door and better able to hear before someone walked in on her. The deep shadows around the room made her shiver, but she shook them off. She was going to find answers.
As she returned to her digging, her hopes sank. There was too much evidence to be a mistake. Too many files that needed explanation.
She stared at the file currently on her screen, mutely shaking her head. Impossible. He knew them better than that, knew they would never break- OK, so they would break rules and protocol. But they did that to get justice, not subvert it. He knew they wouldn't tamper with evidence, knew Gibbs would headslap anybody who dared, even himself. She'd even told him that earlier today - well, yesterday - that the team would never-
He hadn't answered her. She'd said he knew they wouldn't, and he had changed the subject. But... She grabbed Bert and hugged him close. Abby drew in a shaky breath and let it out. There had to be a reason. He’d had a reason for splitting up the team. He'd had a reason for staying friends with Eli David. He must have a reason for this.
Abby looked around, giving in to her paranoia that he was watching over her shoulder, but there was nobody there. She swallowed hard and set Bert down. She had to find answers before people started coming in for the day. Before the director came in. The minutes ticked by, and Abby forced herself not to rush, not to get caught because she was desperate. But she couldn't find a thing to explain why the director had set up the team.
Every file had come from Vance's office. Vance headed the investigation. Vance logged his findings. He had even submitted the whistleblower form, accusing the team of tampering with evidence.
"Why are you doing this, Leon?"
"Doing what, Miss Scuito?"