Bound by Blood, Forged in Fire

Stateside

The team was reviewing the footage of the ambush, two assailants with automatic weapons ambushed the Military Police escort with an IED. They fired nonlethal shots at the responding MPs and broke the prisoners out of the back of the vehicle.

"This was the work of professionals," said Amato. "All the SEALs associated with Hodgkins and Green have been accounted for so we're looking for operators outside of Dam Neck and Little Creek."

Sam left the squad room and found himself vomiting in a sink in the men's bathroom. The men he protected on behalf of the Trident went off the reservation and attacked two service members, one of whom was a fellow SEAL, the other dead at their hands. How did it get so out of control?

When he returned to the squad room he saw that G had returned from talking to Gibbs.

"BOLO's out on Hodgkins and Green," said Callen. "We got a vehicle?"

"Not yet," replied McGee. "We're combing through surrounding traffic cameras now."

"Get a roster of operators on the Reconnaissance Taskforce Watson was in," said Amato, studying the footage of the ambush. "See if there are any Marines."

"What makes you think they're Jarheads?" asked Deeks.

"Look at the way their gear is set up," pointed out Kensi, following Raya's lead. "And the way they set up a perimeter."

"The IED was set up like a claymore mine," explained the retired Gunny. "They anticipated the route the MPs were going to take and set up the mine for the attack."

"Got it," said McGee, sending the roster to the plasma. "A squad of MARSOC Marines was part of the JSOTF. Gunnery Sergeant DiMarzio and Staff Sergeant Reims are the only two that have been seen with our SEALs."

"They flew in from Africa to Camp Lejeune the day after the SEALs were arrested," Kensi read aloud.

"Flight records show that they hopped a cargo plane to Quantico as soon as they landed," continued Raya.

"It looks like Watson cited them along with Green and Hodgkins for being late for a meeting at the French Embassy in Africa," said McGee. "Wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't the first time they got off on the wrong foot with our victim."

Raya got a phone call from DiNozzo, she immediately grabbed her service weapon from her desk.

"That was Tony," said Amato, signaling the others to follow. "Green was last seen at Fort Belvoir outside Watson's house accosting the deceased's wife."

The Agents bolted for the elevator. Callen called Nell and Eric in MTAC, ordering them to run a trace for the suspects.

. . .

Ziva got off the phone with Ducky, he had confirmed that four people had been holding down Watson during the assault. She and Jace were getting ready to leave the hospital, the team was on their way back from Fort Belvoir. Their suspects were last seen together outside the Watson house, external security cameras confirmed that the four had split up, the Marines in one car and the SEALs driving off in another car they stole.

As Jace got dressed he recalled the situations in which he called the scars across his body, he had been stabbed during his time in Team 3, shot covering Holloway during their first tour together, hit by shrapnel shielding Wesson as he treated him during a firefight. With every scar came a time when he and his brothers had each other's backs. Nothing hurt worse than when the men in that same brotherhood disrespected the Trident.

Two had killed his friend, another two tried to kill him.

He looked at a knife his in-laws had given him, a folding knife with the Naval Special Warfare Insignia on the handle. It had never felt heavier.

. . .

The MCR and OSP teams were on their way back to NCIS, they discovered that the suspects had knocked out four MPs that resembled them, stole their uniforms and credentials, and made their way into the base. DiMarzio and Reims broke into Blake's office while Green and Hodgkins went to the house. The Marines tore up Watson's workplace but nothing had been stolen, but they had tried to access the computer.

Once base security found the missing soldiers the alarm was sounded and the four bailed.

DiNozzo got a call from Virginia State Police and hit the accelerator, the stolen cars had been spotted outside of a hospital.

The one Jace was staying in.

. . .

Jace was signing out at the nurses' station when the power went out, and the sound of automatic weapons echoed through the halls. Everyone barricaded themselves into rooms, Jace and Ziva returned to his room and locked the door. None of the phones worked, Jace's Sig was still at the forensics lab at NCIS.

"I made out three maybe four gunmen," said Jace.

Ziva took out her backup weapon, handing it to Julian. Self-defense is not a violation of Posse Comitatus. Jace followed her lead as they cleared the hallways.

. . .

The NCIS teams rounded up with the State Troopers, they were going in as quietly as possible. Their goal was to clear the hospital and evacuate as many civilians as possible. Any shock and awe would only force the fugitives to react and possibly take hostages. Everyone got ready for the breach.

"How did they know Jace was here?" questioned Amato. "He was transferred here from D.C. after the attempt on his life."

"Must've tried looking for him in D.C. and figured that he was moved closer to Dam Neck," said Sam. "If they waited longer he'd be released or transferred to a Navy hospital if his command saw fit."

"Yeah, but why do they want him dead so badly?"

. . .

Jace and Ziva watched the assailants from the balcony of a staircase, listening in on their conversation. The other two gunmen were Marines, based on their lingo, and they were going to set up shop in the surveillance room while the SEALs went after Jace.

"We need to get out," urged Ziva. "We can take as many civilians as we can and find a way out."

"By now they've sealed the exits or rigged them to blow," said Jace, not taking his eyes off the criminals. "We need to take them out."

"Julian, we're outnumbered and outgunned!"

"Then we pick them off one by one," responded the sailor. "Zee, these men need to be taken care of."

Ziva knew that Jace was focused on his objective, if she couldn't stop him she'd help him.

. . .

Eric, Abby, and Nell were going over the contents of Staff Sergeant Watson's computer, they came across an encrypted file not originally set up with the standard system. It was set up remotely from a secured line originating from Africa on a SOCOM-issued laptop. Logs showed that it accessed transaction history from a DOD black budget account.

"It looks like Watson looked into a withdrawal of fifty-thousand dollars approved by JSOC," said Abby, looking through the transaction history.

"That's the standard sum used for paying out informants," said Nell. "It's divided amongst HUMINT groups for intel gathering."

"I'm not seeing any evidence that the money made it to the teams," added Eric, chaffing in the slacks he was wearing for the trip to Washinton. "None of the logistics for each sub-group has it logged."

"The money would've been converted to cash in unmarked bills."

"Watson copied the data onto a flash drive," said the Goth. "According to the shipping manifest, he sent out a package to the Navy Yard."

"To who?" asked Nell.

"Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs."