Dad brought me to work and opened his emails. He found a case, calling over the team that just arrived.
"The body was in the water less than 24 hours. NAS Key West tagged and bagged and shipped it over." He told them, while I looked at the computer.
"We have an I.D.?" DiNozzo asked. I nodded and answered, reading from the computer screen.
"Seaman Russell MacDonald. Nineteen. Assigned to the USS Foster." I recited, before Agent Kate interrupted me.
"Destroyer. Spruance class." She stated, making Dad and I smile a bit.
"Hey, look at that! New kid on the block's been doing her homework." He exclaimed. He continued explaining the case.
"USS Foster left Roosevelt Roads Naval Station two days ago en route to Norfolk." Everyone walked over to the map as dad pointed to a spot on the map.
"This is her position now." He pointed to another spot.
"The body was found here, in the Bahamas." DiNozzo perked up.
"Roosevelt Roads?" He asked. Dad nodded, a bit confused.
"Yeah." DiNozzo grew excited.
"That's Puerto Rico." He exclaimed. I was looking at him weirdly.
"Yeah." I said, trying to understand what was happening.
"I love Puerto Rico." DiNozzo blurted out.
"I'm glad." Dad said in disinterest. DiNozzo shook his head.
"No, boss, you don't understand. I love Puerto Rico!" He repeated. I was curious now.
"You been there a lot?" I asked him. He shook his head.
"No! No, that's just it. I've never been there! I mean, I'm so wanting to go! Ever since I was a kid, I was so wanting. Sorry." DiNozzo said excitedly before trailing off after receiving the looks of disbelief and disinterest.
"I just always..."
"Wanted to be there." I said, finishing his sentence. Uncle Tony nodded to me.
"Yeah." He agreed. Dad continued giving the case to the team.
"Sometime night before last, Seaman MacDonald went overboard." Dad informed the team. I was just listening, watching as they took in the information.
"Anyone see or hear anything?" Agent Kate asked. I shook my head, reading the report.
"No. Didn't know he was missing till he failed to report for duty." Dad told her.
"Anything in the medical?" She asked, causing Dad to shake his head.
"We'll get all that when we get onboard," he replied before we ventured towards the elevator. I reached the elevator, silently asking if I could tag along. Dad nodded before hitting the button.
We all clambered in before reaching the med bay.
"Anything else unusual?" Dad asked Ducky when we reached him.
"This is exactly how he was found." Ducky said, motioning to the victim.
"Dress whites? Why?" I asked, making my presence known to Ducky.
"No one knows. There were no formal events scheduled." Dad answered.
"The sword?" Agent Kate asked.
"Officer's ceremonial." I answered, causing some confusion to appear.
"Our man's enlisted." Tony responded, voicing everyone's confusion.
"Yeah. Doesn't make much sense, does it?" Dad said.
"Here's something for the mystery tour." Ducky said, motioning to the sword. He pulled it out and let us look at it.
"This so-called ceremonial sword is sharp enough to slit someone's throat." He let that sink in before putting the sword back. "Do you know why they drive on the left-hand side of the road in England?" He asked us. We all just stared at him. "Dates back to medieval times. Most people were, and still are, right-handed. It allows them to slash at one another when passing on horseback." Ducky explained before miming the action. "Why, you might ask, doesn't this hold true for the rest of Europe?" Ducky asked. Dad tried to get him back on track.
"Why the chain on the waist?" He asked, bringing Ducky back.
"These.." he started, grabbing weights before bringing them over to us. "These were attached to it, each 25 pounds." I looked at them in horror. "Now, whether he put them on himself or someone did it for him, that much weight sent him down fast." Ducky finished, shocking everyone. I looked around before turning back to the victim. I headed towards the elevator while Ducky dismissed them. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I'll get our poor seaman out of his wet clothes." Ducky informed the group. Uncle Tony spoke up.
"You're not gonna say, "and into a dry martini," are you?" He prompted, causing Ducky to shake his head.
"No. No, we'll save that for later, for me, I'm afraid." Ducky answered before speaking to the victim. We all headed up to the bullpen, and I worked on my homework Dad assigned me.
"The seaman's local. Address is in the file. You don't have to do the dirty deed. CACO already notified next of kin." Dad told them.
"Why me, boss?" Tony asked, confused. "Wouldn't a woman be more sympathetic?"
Dad nodded before pointing to Agent Kate. "That's why Kate is going with you." Agent Kate shook her head.
"I'm sure that Tony can handle it alone." She argued. I looked up at Dad, knowing he hated being ignored. I saw as Dad shook his head and frowned.
"Since when did an order turn into a debate?" Dad asked pointedly. Dad sent Agent Kate and DiNozzo to the house. I watched as Dad just sighed. I went up to hug him. He hugged me back before returning to work. We waited for a few hours before DiNozzo and Agent Kate came back.
"Can I come with?" I asked Dad. He seemed to think a bit before sighing and nodded.
"Yeah, just be careful." He stated. I nodded. "And stay with me at all times." He added. I smiled a bit before saluting him.
"Yes, sir." I said seriously. The four of us were soon on our way to the USS Foster.
----------
When we boarded, we were greeted by the Master Chief Sergeant of the USS Foster. He was taking us into the command center from the loading dock.
"The commander's on a call with LANT fleet, sir." He said while he then took us to the room we would be staying in. "He'll catch up with you as soon as he can." Dad nodded before answering.
"We appreciate it, Master Chief." Dad then continued. "Did you have any contact with Seaman MacDonald?" He inquired. The Master Chief shook his head.
Can't say I did, sir. Kept pretty much to himself." The Master Chief replied. Dad shared a look with the team before giving a slight sigh.
"Seems to be the general consensus or the party line." Dad muttered not so quietly. It grew silent after that. Soon enough, we reached the room we were staying in. The Master Chief tried to break the silence.
"We got you set up in the XO's quarters. It's small, but it's private and secure." He said before opening the doors. He might've even sounded a bit sheepish. I shook my head at the flattery.
Dad seemed to catch on to the mood. "I'm sure it'll be fine." He assured the Master Chief. The Master Chief knocked on the door before waiting for a response.
"Enter." The XO replied, letting the Master Chief open the door. The XO was quickly finishing packing his stuff up before stepping out. Dad tried to shake his hands, but he dismissed him.
"Lieutenant Commander Robbins, Agent Gibbs." The Master Chief stated, introducing the two men to each other. "Appreciate you giving up your -" Dad started, but was cut off.
"Not a problem." Lieutenant Commander Robbins said, curtly. I carefully tugged on the XO's pants before he left. He quickly looked down in surprise before he covered it up. I smiled at him before signing the gesture for Thank you. The XO nodded slowly before leaving, a bit more calm this time. The Master Chief seemed to be embarrassed by the interaction.
"NCIS is always welcome aboard, sir. You can expect excellent cooperation." The Master Chief said, trying to appease Dad. Dad smirked while setting up in the room before turning to the man in the doorway.
"I appreciate that, Master Chief." Dad said, a bit to pleasantly.
"If you need anything-" The Master Chief tried to remind Dad, but Dad cut him off.
"I won't hesitate." Dad promised. The Master Chief left,and Agent Kate turned towards us with a skeptical look.
"Now, why didn't that sound sincere?" She asked a bit sarcastically, but she was slightly curious as well.
"You get used to it. They either stonewall or kiss ass." DiNozzo said before Dad shot him a look for his language.
"To them, we're the Internal Affairs of the navy." Dad added, hoping to clarify some things for Agent Kate.
"So, basically, they hate us." Agent Kate stated.
"No," Dad said sarcastically, while DiNozzo nodded.
"Pretty much." DiNozzo said.
Dad was done with the bickering.
"Set up the laptop and establish a feed from NCIS." Dad ordered. Tony quickly put the laptop on the desk.
"I'm on it." He told Dad, making sure he knew. Agent Kate was looking around, a bit confused.
"We're not all sleeping here, are we?" She asked. When she got no answer, she pressed a bit more. "Together." Dad shrugged, while I just shared a look with DiNozzo.
"I'll take the couch." Dad said, making Agent Kate almost glare at him. I sighed. This was going to be a long trip.
----------
"Afternoon, gentlemen." Dad said as he walked into the bunk area. I stayed by the doorway, since girls weren't really allowed in the men's sleeping quarters.
"Afternoon, sir." The soldiers answered back.
"Okay, let's dispense with the small talk." Dad started, turning to look each seamen in the eyes. "Which one is his bunk, Petty Officer Carnahan?" He asked, turning to the nearest Petty Officer and reading his name tag.
"Below mine, sir." Petty officer Carnahan told Dad. Petty Officer Carnahan and Dad started walking away, while I waited for them to be done. Dad looked back at me, but I shook my head. I didn't want to go in the room, especially not to their sleeping quarters. That's an invasion of privacy, plus I bet the seamen would've made it extra clean, if they knew a female was going to be onboard.
"Thank you, Petty Officer." Dad said, with a bit of force. I waited in the hallway for Dad to come back. I counted the seconds go by.
After 369 seconds, I heard Dad come back out. I turned to him and followed him as we left. "Did you get anything?" I asked him. Dad shook his head.
"No, just that he kept to himself and that he liked his work." Dad informed me. I nodded but I could see he was holding something back.
"We'll just have to see what we get from Uncle Tony and Agent Kate." I said to him, while trying to organize the facts in my head and giving Dad a chance to tack on whatever he was hiding. Dad sighed.
"Yeah, but how does no one know him on the ship?" He asked me. I shrugged before explaining my half-built thought.
"Maybe he didn't like socializing, or maybe he didn't like the other officers. Like, what if he was made fun of, or what if he was thinking someone was plotting against him? Like, he became extremely paranoid. But what would cause him to jump off a ship, or even get pushed off a ship." I said, before trailing off. Dad nodded, listening to my ramblings.
"I don't know Aubrey. It feels like we're missing something." He said. I nodded. We went back to the XO's room, before meeting everyone on the deck. As we were walking, the wind picked up, especially with the speed we were traveling, so Uncle Tony started yelling. Before he started, he turned to me and motioned for me to cover my ears, and brace myself for the loud noise.
"So, here's what we got." DiNozzo said. I could still hear him, but it was a bit muffled. However, the sound wasn't as sudden or loud. "A dead kid wearing dress whites for no reason, with a sword he shouldn't have on, which is not supposed to be sharp, at the bottom of the ocean, with weights on." Uncle Tony recapped for us, before Agent Kate added on.
"He was a brilliant, but troubled computer tech who lived at work, and had a mysterious friend." Agent Kate added. Dad nodded before taking in the information so far.
"Okay, so, given the circumstances, probably not an accidental death." He started before I jumped in.
"So, that leaves two options, suicide or murder?" I stated, before ending with a question. DiNozzo spoke up first.
"The CO suggests he could have killed himself." Uncle Tony stated, before Agent Kate add her piece.
"The corpsman he confided in and his mother are adamant he never would have." Agent Kate affirmed. Dad sighed before pulling out a book. Everything clicked into place. He couldn't tell me earlier because that meant that the others could overhear. Besides, scuttlebutt travels fast on a ship.
"Alright, something else to consider. I found this in Seaman MacDonald's rack. You know that razor-sharp sword he was wearing, he was teaching himself how to use it." Dad said grimly. A few things connected in my head as I processed the information. I wouldn't say anything yet though. I wanted to wait to see what Aunt Abby and Uncle Ducky found. We all traveled back to the room we were using and huddled around the computer.
"We found a couple more things on MacDonald's body. He was wearing this around his neck." Abby told us, holding it close to the cameras, before putting it back down. "It's just your average St. Christopher medal. But here's what's really odd. He had this in his pocket." She said, showing us a little booklet. "My guess is it's some sort of character charter for a fantasy game." She informed us. Dad looked confused, but to be fair, I was also confused.
"What kind of game?" Dad asked.
"It looks like an MMORPG." She stated, like we were supposed to know what that meant.
"MM, what?" I spoke up, asking Abby.
"Well, Mini Gibbs, MMORPG, is a massive multiplayer inline role-playing game. They're huge on the internet." She answered me, making me smile as i took in the information.
"And a character charter would be what?" Dad asked Abby.
"It's like a character's manifesto. His goals, moral stance, creed." She listed, making Dad sigh and me shake my head.
"You're kidding me." Dad said, in his hoping for her to say yes, but knew she wouldn't, tone.
"No, they really get into this stuff." Abby said, shooting down Dad's desire for things to not be so stupid or complicated. "There can be, like, thousands of players on one site alone." She said, making Dad and I share a look.
"Well, it's comforting to know that Russell's computer skills were being put to good use on $1 billion ship." Dad muttered, but loud enough for the mics to catch.
"He's a computer geek?" She asked. I nodded my head, while DiNozzo answered her.
"Yeah, worked in the Combat Information Center." DiNozzo informed her, making her smile.
"That is a perfect gig for a power gamer. I mean, he was working on combat, it was just more like the medieval kind." She said. Dad shook his head, trying to get back on track.
"Abby, are games like this violent?" He asked. She shook her head before listing everything.
"Well, there's poisonings, thievery, stabbings, decapitations, the occasional garrote." She listed, making Uncle Tony turn to us with a shake of his head.
"I'd say that's violent." Uncle Tony remarked. Dad sighed before asking another question.
"What should we look for on his hard drive?" He asked her, but I already knew this answer.
"If he's any good, he won't leave any footprints." She answered.
"So, where's the evidence if there is evidence?" Dad asked. I jumped in before Abby could.
"Cyberspace." I said, making Abby nod.
"Theoretically, yes." She said. I looked at her, already knowing what Dad would ask.
"Can you find it?" I asked her, making her face drop a bit before giving us a more serious look.
"Maybe. These gaming sites are run by anonymous server clients in every country on the planet." She started out, but Agent Kate and I gave her a few more parameters.
"MacDonald's file didn't show and foreign language skills." I started, letting Agent Kate finish my thought.
"You're probably looking for something run in English." She added. Uncle Tony jumped in next.
"The machines are state-of-the-art. Think government access." DiNozzo told her.
"That's good. Well, that'll eliminate the weekenders, and the lo-fi guys. I mean, I'll give it a shot, you know." She said turning towards her computer, before whipping back around. "Oh, the sword!" She exclaimed.
"Yeah, what about it?" Dad asked her.
"The blade has nicks in it. Contacts with hard metal." She told us.
"Another sword?" Agent Kate inquired.
Abby shrugged. "It's possible." She said. Dad sighed again.
"Two sailors playing with sharp swords." Dad said, while turning to look at Agent Kate.
"Once in a while you might miss. I'm on it." She said, getting Dad's message. Dad turned back to the computer, while saying good bye to Abby.
"Abby, have fun with you MMROPG." He said before shutting off the feed to her lab. Uncle Tony just stared at him. Dad looked at him confused. "What?" He asked him.
"MMORPG." DiNozzo said, correcting him. Dad kind of just stared at him.
"Thank you." He said, thinking DiNozzo would stop staring.
"You're welcome." DiNozzo said, not getting the hint. They had a staring contest for a bit before Dad spoke up again, a bit irritated.
"Can I talk to Ducky now?" He asked with a bit more force in his voice. DiNozzo looked down, a bit sheepish.
"Yeah." DiNozzo said. Dad called the morgue where Ducky was.
Ducky popped up, along with the dead seaman and a lot of blood. Dad quickly covered my eyes before I could look to closely. I just shrugged a bit before carefully removing Dad's hand and leaned against him. "You might wanna warn us about what you're working on after lunch, Ducky."
"Yes, I suppose gazing directly into an exposed digestive system doesn't aid the actual process." Ducky
"Not after the meal we just had." DiNozzo
"Yes, I'm sorry about that, my friend, but sometimes gaining valuable insight requires suffering small indignities. I recall one case, a young woman, not much older than yourself. She ingested a small piece of jewelry..." Ducky
"Ducky?" Dad interrupted, slightly frowning at the delay.
"Yes?" Ducky answered.
"What have we got?" Dad asked, trying to bring Ducky back on track.
"Oh, aah... Anoxia, sea water in the stomach,
foam in the trachea." Ducky said, while walking around the exam table and pointing out what he was saying.
"Classic death by drowning." DiNozzo muttered while glancing at Dad, only to realize that Dad was already looking at DiNozzo.
Ducky continued. "A slight hemorrhaging of the inner ear possibly caused
by this rapid shift in pressure." Ducky stated.
"Because he sank so fast." I said, speaking up for a bit.
Ducky nodded, before continuing. "That's correct. Then here we have dirt," he said while motioning to under his fingernails. "Yes, his fingers grabbed whatever he was touching when he succumbed. There's a good chance Abby will deduce the dirt came from the ocean floor."
"Which means?" Dad asked, a bit impatient.
Ducky sighed before delivering his summary. "That Seaman MacDonald was alive when he went into the sea." He said, before turning away. Dad turned off the computer and shared a look with DiNozzo.