Bound by Blood, Forged in Fire

Fratricide

Arbiter had just finished a maritime interdiction exercise, Black Squadron operators utilizing aerial-based overwatch while their Gold Squadron counterparts searched the ship. Jace was on his way to a nearby bar and grill frequented by local military personnel. Staff Sergeant Blake Watson had asked to meet with him, when the two were POWs together Watson had been an active member of the Intelligence Support Activity. When they got back to the States, Blake took an instructor and intelligence coordinator assignment. Three months ago he had returned to the field, a HUMINT operation in Northern Africa. He was due to return in an hour, Jace had arrived at the bar thirty minutes beforehand.

After waiting forty-five minutes past the designated meeting time, Jace tried calling Watson but got no answer. After leaving a voicemail he left, he called Blake's wife Whitney,  to see if she had any idea of the soldier's whereabouts, but she was out of town.

As Jace made his way to his car he got the sense that he had gained a tail. He had a concealed carry permit and his personal Sig Sauer P229  strapped to his side. The sailor reached for it and tried to aim, but an assailant caught his arm halfway. They struggled, Jace minded his training, attempting to regain control of his sidearm but the attacker also knew what he was doing as well. Jace used his momentum to slam the man into a wall and snapped a shot to the temple using his elbow. However Jace's trouble was not over, a second assailant attacked him from behind. Julian instantly got a hold of his knife and stabbed it into the aggressor's hip. He regained control and double-tapped number two in the chest with his Sig. Jace saw the first would-be mugger try to get up and fired similar shots to the chest and a final one to the head.

Jace heard sirens coming his way, he holstered his weapon and sat by a nearby car, waiting for the first responders. Once the adrenalin wore off he could feel the injuries from the hits he had taken to his ribs and back. He slowed his breathing, trying to think through the pain, the recognition of his attackers hit him like a ton of bricks, he had seen them at Little Creek, they were SEALs.

After a minute Jace's surroundings went dark.

...

Gibbs and the team arrived as soon as they got the call, given that Jace was the victim of the attempted crime Gibbs and Ziva had been ordered to distance themselves from the investigation. Meaning it was up to McGee, Amato, and DiNozzo to work the case.

"What kind of an idiot attacks a Navy SEAL on the streets of D.C.?!" asked Tony, while photographing the scene.

"Would you believe me if I told you that the 'muggers' were also SEALs?" asked McGee. "Jace recognized them from Little Creek."

"Special Warfare Operators Rafael Torres and Doug Foster," said Amato. "Originally stationed in NAB Coronado, then they were transferred to Camp Pendelton as part of a Spec Ops Taskforce."

"Then they were transferred to Little Creek two months before Jace joined SEAL Team Six," filled in McGee.

While the three worked the scene EMTs loaded Jace into an ambulance, and Ziva and Gibbs followed in an Agency-issued Taurus. During the drive, the two speculated what the attack could be about.

"Why would two Navy SEALs from Jace's previous duty station attack him at a bar?" asked Ziva. "Operators are supposed to be a part of a brotherhood!"

" I don't get it either, Ziver," responded Gibbs. "We can't be in on the case, but we can be there for Jace."

Ziva exhaled, she needed to straighten out her mind. She and Jace had only been seeing each other for a few months, but their relationship was an intense one. They leaned on each other for years and fought together, there was an understanding between them that was unique to the pair. Gibbs was happy for the two, he was grateful that his son and surrogate daughter had found happiness in each other. Once they reached the hospital Gibbs got a call from Vance; NCIS and Army CID had a joint case, and there was evidence to suggest the Army's case and Jace's attack were connected. Blake Watson, the Green Beret Julian was supposed to meet tonight had been murdered two hours before the assault. The suspects were already in custody and were on their way to the brig at the Navy Yard, they were Special Warfare Operator David Hodgkins and Chief Special Warfare Operator Green. Navy SEALs assigned to DEVGRU.

. . .

NCIS Office of Special Projects Office, Los Angeles, CA

Callen and the others were waiting for Hetty to come out of MTAC, Director Vance had ordered a private call with her. All he knew was that suspects from an old case had been arrested. She'd been in there for at least thirty minutes, judging by the length of the call and the activation of the office's SCIF feature it was no small concern. Nell came down typing on her tablet, judging by the look on her face either Eric was being forced to wear a suit or they had a situation.

"What's with Hetty?" asked the team field leader.

"A case we worked is getting some heat," responded Nell. "The D.C. field office is working a joint case with Army CID and their persons of interest were suspects of ours."

"Which case?" inquired Kensi.

"Our investigation into Taskforce Delta," said Hetty, coming down the stairs. "Two have been arrested for the murder of a US Army Special Forces Soldier."

Sam and Callen stared at each other, knowing that the outcome of their actions at the end of the case had come back to haunt them.

"Another two were killed in D.C. by another sailor, apparently they had ambushed him in the streets, and the victim retaliated with extreme proficiency."

"Who was the sailor?" asked Sam, feeling that it was neither a clerk nor a desk jockey the operators had attacked.

"Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Julian Gibbs," replied the Head of OSP. "A Navy SEAL currently operating under the command of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group."

"I guess I should give Jethro a call," said Callen, unsure of what else to say.

The team couldn't believe what they had heard, the SEALs they kept from facing murder charges had done exactly what they had been suspected of in the first place. An ax was going to fall and no one knew where was safe.