United Under Fire

Digital

Jace had reached Syria with his father, DiNozzo, and Specialized Skills Officer Joanna Teague. The rest of November and Echo Team were spread across the market. They were tracking a class of teenagers who were operating under The Calling, a terror group NCIS had begun tracking recently. This group had wreaked havoc in the United States and Europe, killing families, a naval officer, and NCIS Special Agent Ned Dorneget.

Jace recalled the few times he met Ned, a handful of times when he visited his father and Ziva at the Navy Yard, and when Dorneget had worked to support one of JSOC's Combined Joint Task Forces. They met again when Ned spoke at a career lecture at his daughters' school. He was a good man and Jace wanted to put The Calling's ring leader in the ground for Ned's sake.

As much as Jace refrained from letting missions turn into personal vendettas, this one was a declaration of war against the United States and NCIS in particular. Jace was packing an MP7 and his secondary, with four extra magazines for each one. He wanted to bring the kids in alive, but if they were devoted to their cause they were a danger to everyone.

ISR picked up the group in the west corner, preparing to board a bus. All elements converged on them covertly. They let the older Gibbs and Teague approach the bus while everyone else set security. Jace saw his father do a double take, Luke, the boy the retired Marine sought to help pulled a 1911 on him and shot him point blank.

The crowd surged in all directions out of panic, no one had a clear view of their target or Teague and Gibbs. The TOC ordered everyone to fall back, Jace saw Officer Teague carrying his father out of the crowd, he and Tony moved to help her load him into the SUV, Jace provided field care as they drove off. He managed to clamp the aorta and patch up the wound.

Julian helped load his father into the Seahawk which transported him to a carrier for surgery. He reconnected with the others.

"You don't have to be here," said Tony. "Everyone will understand if─"

"Thanks, Tony, but I need to be here."

Their orders were clear, tear Syria apart, find Daniel Bud, and either bring him to the U.S. in cuffs or a coffin.

. . .

It had been a few months since the teams left Syria, in the meantime, they had been operating with little to no contact with JSOC. Jace had heard that his father had recovered from his injuries. Now they were trading one nonpermissable AO for another.

They flew into China under CIA-issued aliases on a private flight owned by an Agency shell corporation. They were equipped with QCW-05 assault rifles and Type 64 pistols; donning balaclavas and black fatigues. There could be no American fingerprints for this operation.

They were outside of a warehouse waiting for their greenlight, Officer Teague's sources said that it was home to a Calling cell. It was likely that kids were operating it, hopefully, they would be overwhelmed and intimidated by their show of force and surrender, hence the black clothing. If Luke was in there Jace wanted to bring him back to the States, for his father's sake and the remaining family the boy had.

One of the things Jace hated about terror groups was how they took advantage of troubled youths and used them as kamikaze foot soldiers. Justifying their actions with perversions of religions and belief systems. However, the Calling was worse, Daniel Bud was doing all this to compensate for his ego.

Teague and DiNozzo gave them the green light. 

Jace led his team to the front door of the warehouse, they used tools to breach the door instead of explosives to avoid hurting the kids. Jace tossed a 9-Bang Crash Grenade into the room, and everyone else flowed in. They had the kids cornered, which is when the kids started destroying the computers. Other than that, the youths showed no resistance.

"Luke?" called out Julian. "Luke Harris?"

The boy stepped toward Jace, the SEAL lowered his rifle as a sign of friendliness to, but the others remained cautious.

"I'm Jace, remember me? My dad wanted to help you."

"I─I'm so sorry," cried the boy, tearing up immediately.

Julian had no anger towards the child, he was hurt and confused, and The Calling took advantage of that.

"It's fine, just come with us and we'll get you back to your folks. Your aunt wants to take you in, my dad forgives you."

"He's alive?"

"Yes, just take my hand and let me get you out of here."

Luke did as Julian said, and the other kids surrendered, letting the operators use flex cuffs to ensure security. Jace guided Luke into the SUV with Tony and Teague.

They sent the kids back to the U.S. on an unmarked plane.

They got word to stand by for orders, and Navy Intelligence sent them a warning that China was preparing to launch a nuclear attack. It was a Code Red.

Jace and the others were going stir-crazy, they were on the frontlines of the start of World War III and may wind up in nuclear collateral. But until they were told otherwise, Bud was still their objective.

Tony got word from NCIS that the Chinese missile launch was a ruse. Daniel Bud hacked into Ned's laptop and used his Security Clearance to hack into the Pentagon.

McGee used this to locate their target to a hotel, they set a perimeter and waited for The Calling founder to come out.

They watched as the Brit departed from a meeting with Chinese military officials. Tony called him to distract him. Jace and Reese moved in to subdue him.

They were five feet away when Bud turned around, seeing Jace with his pistol.

The terror group leader fled, and everyone pursued him.

Finally Jace and Tony cornered him in an alley, they had him cornered. Tony ordered Bud to surrender, and in return, the latter reached into his jacket.

Both men fired until the threat was subdued.

. . .

Once they returned home Jace checked with his father.

"You did good," said the older Gibbs.

"It's what we do," answered Julian.

"You cleared to eat red meat yet?" asked the SEAL. "I'm ready for steak."

Both men laughed, walking together to celebrate an Easy Day.