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Chapter Text

Prologue
Northwest Washington, D.C.

The restaurant and parking lot, and surrounding area, overflowed with federal agents and DC Metro police officers. Federal and Metro vehicles ringed a five-block radius around the property.

The Expedition carrying Director Leon Vance stopped thirty yards of the restaurant, and the director stepped out of the vehicle, slamming the door behind him.

Vance strode towards the entrance with purpose; the men and women that NCIS and the rest of the intelligence community had been searching for were found, here, in the basement.

Based on what he was told on the phone, Vance wasn't going to like what he would find.

Before Vance could part through the Metro officers and FBI agents to get inside, he was spotted by Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

A Leroy Jethro Gibbs - not the one Leon had known for years, not the man he and the entire intelligence community was looking for along with 14 other men and women. Another Gibbs.

From another reality.

So much about this mess was unbelievable to Vance, but it was real.

NCIS learned of this Gibbs, and his team and their associates, shortly after confirming the identity of the man who spearheaded the kidnapping of the 'main' Gibbs, and Gibbs' team, and the L.A. team tasked with finding them.

Honolulu, weeks ago

"I've spoken with the governor and he's signed off on this," Vance told Steve McGarrett, Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy Reserves, and the team leader of the Hawaii Five-0 Task Force. "Your background in Naval Intelligence, as a SEAL, with Five-0 makes you the right person to lead this team."

McGarrett, sitting behind his desk in his office at Five-O headquarters, reflected on everything Vance had told him.

The Washington team, hunting for a terrorist named Benham Parsa, ambushed and kidnapped. The Los Angeles Special Ops team, pulled from their assignments, ambushed in D.C. after a harrowing rescue of one of their team members. Criminal and serial killer Marcel Janvier escaping from prison. Clues emailed and mailed to Vance and FBI agent Tobias Fornell. NCIS databases hacked.

The Homeland agents, the head of the Joint Chiefs, Secretary of the Navy Porter, and finally the President himself, telling Vance of something that was both history-altering and unbelievable.

"Alternate reality?" McGarrett told him. "You told them it was unbelievable."

"You could have told me green men from Alpha Centauri and I would have said the same thing," Vance admitted. "Had to see it for myself."

"What did you see, director?"

"Ever watch 'The Day After'?" Vance asked; McGarrett nodded, told Vance it was one of those movies you watch once and forget about.

"What I saw, through a heavy radiation suit, was a bunch of servers in Virginia, set up under a car dealership west of Charlottesville," Vance continued. "Remember how the movie ended, right before the doctor staggering back to his home in Kansas City? Lawrence, the nearby college town. Filled with refugees, still alive."

"And?"

"Except for us, and the Delta Force teams trying to extract those servers? Nothing. Not a damn thing alive, McGarrett. I'll remember it as long as I live."

It was necessary background for the mission Vance was about to tell McGarrett he could not refuse. He could take three of his best people with him - Governor Denning had already arranged for his, and their, replacements.

Thus, Steve McGarrett, Danny 'Danno' Williams, Chin Ho Kelly and Kono Kalakaua found themselves on an Air Force C-130, headed out of Honolulu towards Andrews Air Force Base in Washington.

Northwest Washington, present

"We'll take the back of the building," Chin Ho said to Danno, Kono and one of the other members of their team - Ziva David, a former member of Gibbs' team, recently reinstated by Vance and the second-in-command of the task force.

That Gibbs was somewhere downstairs; Ziva had barely seen him, before being pulled back by McGarrett and the other Gibbs.

Against her will, and under orders, she went back upstairs, and tried to avoid eye contact with the doppelgangers of her former team.

She couldn't avoid it, and found sympathetic eyes glancing back at her. They weren't the cause of this...atrocity...they are helping us.

Finding the 'other' Gibbs team became Priority One after the Homeland and FBI agents told him and the other agency directors that the kidnapper was looking for them.

Vance's task force got to them first, and they were eager to assist the task force in finding the kidnapped agents.

Ten days before, Fairfax, Virginia

"They traded in gold for cash at a bank in Baltimore, then brought clothes and food, then paid 500 bucks for that hoopdie in the parking lot, and then brought a laptop, then hacked into NCIS?" said Danno, as he and the rest of the task force - backed two dozen Marines - converged on a second-floor room at a Days' Inn.

"You are almost as annoying as Tony," replied Ziva.

"You through?" said Gabriel Vaughn, ex-Delta Force, and third-in-command.

"Just going over the timeline," Danno said, as McGarrett turned and gave him a 'shut up' look, before turning to Vaughn.

"What's that computer chip in your brain telling you, Vaughn?" McGarrett said.

"Regarding the targets? Not a thing. Last incursion into the database from this location was 14 minutes ago. Last phone call was two minutes afterwards. Someone ordered two supreme pizzas, was told they closed in five minutes, said McDonald's and White Castle were open down the street."

"Have to assume they're on to us, Steve," said Chin.

"Maybe those people think everything here's open 24 hours," said Kono, who held up her smartphone, which showed 2:22 a.m. on its display.

"You're right, Chin," Steve said. "I really don't want to stay here all night. Let's bring these people in as peacefully as possible, and get them back to Home Plate."

Both flanks converged on the apartment from opposite sides of the hallway.

"Danno," Steve said, as he, Danno and Ziva crept up on Room 327, weapons ready.

Danno knocked. "PIZZA," he shouted.

The door opened, and Ziva - despite her years of training - found herself gasping.

Tony?

A moment later, the sound of another door opening opposite her brought her back into focus.

Task force and Marines had their weapons aimed at the men standing in the doorway of both rooms.

"Boss," said the man who looked like Special Agent Tony DiNozzo. "I think we've been made."

"Ya think, DiNozzo," said the man in the doorway of Room 328 who looked like Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

Northwest Washington, present

Everything regarding this doppelganger team moved at a lightning-quick pace; at SecNav's assistance, they were granted special agent status, and the team was more than eager to assist in finding the missing agents.

A tip off surveillance footage, an email and some hacking teamwork by Vaughn and McGee led to the missing agents being found captive in the basement of a recently opened "family" restaurant in NW Washington.

Now - an hour and forty minutes after the discovery, just after 2 a.m., Vance saw altGibbs looking grim.

"Director."

"Gibbs. Sitrep."

"All of your - our - people are accounted for, and alive," said Gibbs, glumly.

"Should be a cause for celebration," Vance said, knowing it wasn't.

"Should be," Gibbs replied, "but it's not."

"How bad."

"Bad, director...lighting's bad, they may not be as...rough as they looked downstairs. I don't think any of them are getting out of the hospital soon."

In the short time the two men had known one another, they had developed a mutual respect, comfortable enough to occasionally joke around, even when "Gibbs" questioned the director's directives. It was a much better rappor than Leon had with his own Gibbs, when he took over for the late Jenny Shepard as director.

It took years for Vance and his Gibbs to fully trust and respect one another and to become friends. Vance hoped he wouldn't have to bury him now nor anytime soon.

As both men were about to go in the front door, two people opened it from inside.

"Director," McGarrett said. "Doctors are looking at all of them now."

"Will they live?" Vance blurted out.

"Doctors and nurses say they should survive the trip to the hospital," McGarrett replied.

Vance nodded, then looked at Ziva. "Director," she told him. "You should steel yourself."

Ziva never was one to exaggerate, Vance thought. He nodded, walked through the patio and into the lobby, with Gibbs, McGarrett and Ziva following right behind.

The director walked into a dining room full of feds and NCIS agents, old and new. Near the entrance to the back, Vance noticed three of the newer agents, members of Gibbs' team.

Probationary Agents Tim McGee and Ziva David.

And, Special Agent Kate Todd.

The first two were - like Gibbs - ten years younger than their counterparts, and Kate was a year younger than the Kate his Gibbs knew was when she died.

Vance had already dealt with the shock of seeing the two Zivas together, and of seeing this version of Kate alive and well.

At the moment, he was prepping himself for the worst.

"Where are they?" Vance said.

"Downstairs," Kate said; Vance saw that her mascara had run, and that she was obviously putting on a brave face. "Ducky, Jimmy, and Jeanne are looking at them now. Dr. Cranston's down there with Agents Borin and Dorneget. Mike Franks is keeping tabs on it all."

"Tony's still down there?" Gibbs said.

"Yes," said the other, younger Ziva. "With Agent Fornell. Waiting for you, Gibbs."

"They'll get me," Vance said. "Lt. Commander McGarrett, follow me; Agent David the senior, let me know the moment Assistant Director Granger arrives on site."

"Yes sir," said the older Ziva, as Vance and McGarrett went in the back, heading towards the stairs leading to the basement.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

Not long afterwards, NCIS Assistant Director Owen Granger - the man who directly oversaw the Office of Special Projects, and the team operating out of its Los Angeles headquarters - arrived on site.

The older, native Ziva David made eye contact with Granger, who looked he had aged 20 years more than the photo in his dossier, and in need of a shave.

"Assistant Director Granger," Ziva said, nodding at the older man, who nodded back in acknowledgement. After a quick debriefing, Granger asked about the L.A. team members, starting with Hetty Lange, then Kensi Blye, all the way to "Beale and Jones", then about Gibbs' team.

"I'm going down there," Granger told her, but before he could get too far, he was cut off by the senior agent of the alt-Gibbs team, Tony DiNozzo.

Ziva turned her attention away from alt-Tony, who already was getting on Granger's nerves, and continued to scan out the windows for some sign of Janvier, the altSpetsnaz...and perhaps, if he was brash enough, the Impostor delivering a bomb on his motorcycle.

"You OK?"

Ziva was momentarily shaken from her station by one of her task force partners: Danny Williams, detective, Honolulu Police Department and Steve McGarrett's second on the Five-0 squad. On the task force team, 'Danno' was fourth in command, two spots behind Ziva.

"I am fine, Detective Williams," Ziva said, looking outwards after briefly making eye contact with Danno. "You?"

"Oh, just wandering through the thousands of feds and cops in the neighborhood," Danno told her. "Snipers on every rooftop, Navy SEALs, Army. "Normally I'd say something like this is overkill-"

"Rest assured, Detective Williams, it is not."

"I understand that, Ziva...looks like Tony's giving that Granger character a hard time-"

"That is agent DiNozzo," Ziva corrected him. "Tony is downstairs."

Danno, realizing his faux pas, paused momentarily. "Sorry, Ziva...this whole...thing, doubles, parallel realities, it's just unbelievably confusing, you know?"

"I do understand," she said, softly, eyes still scanning outside the building. "My team - my family - and the agents you met during the Dracul Comescu case, they are the people we've known. Those...younger people" - nodding towards what was now referred to as the 'altGibbs team' - "are visitors. Refugees. Doppelgangers."

"I'm starting to think we should issue name tags," Danno quipped, trying to lighten Ziva's tense mood, then noticed Granger breaking off from altTony and heading down the stairs. "Looks like Mr. Fuzzy's headed downstairs...you been down yet?"

"Briefly," Ziva said. "Steve ordered me up here. Agent Fornell suggested I should be up here as a precaution."

Danno nodded. "You'll get to see Tony and everybody else in no time at all," he tried to reassure her. "I'm going back out. Check on Kono and Chin and that crazy Delta Force guy." Danno put a reassuring hand on Ziva's arm, then walked out.

As the alternate Ducky Mallard made his way upstairs, Ziva stood guard. She only stayed because Vance - who technically outranked McGarrett, since Leon restored her NCIS credentials - ordered her to. Ziva really wanted to be down in that basement right alongside Vance and McGarrett, the doctors and the Marines.

Ziva wanted to be back down there with her team, every single one of them. No Parsons to separate them, no Parsa hunting them down, and not that lunatic Impostor who put them there. She wanted to be with her family.

Especially Tony.

"Probie! Next time you get to meet and greet Mr. Warm and Fuzzy," said Tony's doppelganger, surrounded by those of McGee and the long-dead Kate Todd. "Maybe you, Kate. I'm sure he'd love your charming personality."

"Looks like you made a great impression on him, DiNozzo," altKate replied, as snarkily as the...older Tony, McGee and Abby said the original was.

Abby. God only knew what that Impostor and the Chameleon had done to her.

"Maybe we should all steer clear of that guy," altTony said to his audience, with altKate smiling sarcastically and altMcGee - shaved head, baby fat replaced by 20 pounds of muscle - rolling his eyes.

It is just like Abby described to me, Ziva thought. This is like looking back in time.

If her Tony was here, she'd have mixed up the metaphors, just to see his reaction.

The Tony just 15 meters from her position looked, sounded, acted like Tony when they first met, right before she joined NCIS, not yet the man Ziva grew to love as a friend, then more.

That man was downstairs, virtually unrecognizable in the dim light, and she wanted to disobey her orders and run to his side, to nurse him back to health, then to find and kill the men responsible for beating him and the others.

She didn't have long to wait; the first of the stretchers carrying the formerly missing agents was brought up the stairs, and right alongside it was Ducky.

"A Ducky Mallard," Ziva had to remind herself. The one she knew was on one of those stretchers.

The first one making its way through the parted group of agents and officers was Nell Jones, the intelligence analyst from the L.A. group. Here, in the light of the main floor of the restaurant, Nell looked more like her picture than she did downstairs.

"Perhaps it is the better lighting conditions up here which makes her look more familiar," said the other, younger Ziva; in the short time they had known each other, younger Ziva had a irritating tendency to finish or speak out older Ziva's thoughts.

Older Ziva was a little unnerved by that; her thoughts were her own.

"Yes, I would agree," older Ziva said to her younger doppelganger.

"You are looking for agent DiNozzo?"

"I am 'looking' for all of the members of my old team, Officer David-"

"Agent David."

"Agent David," older Ziva repeated, as the second stretcher came up.

"Jimmy," older Ziva gasped, catching her breath at the sight of her Ducky's long-time assistant, like Nell a little more recognizable under better lighting.

"Ziva," she heard to her left, turning to see the both familiar and still-strange sight of Other Ducky, just like her own, only a decade younger.

"Doctor Mallard," older Ziva whispered.

"We're bringing everyone up now," he said, in a sympathetic tone. "Would you like to accompany Anthony in the ambulance?"

Ziva's heart leapt, briefly. "I am under orders to help secure the premises."

"There are, I am told, one hundred and seventeen federal agents and police officers on the premises," alt-Ducky quietly replied. "I am certain they are more than capable of the task...and besides, Lt. Commander McGarrett has signed off on it."

"McGarrett?" Ziva said, just as the third stretcher was being brought up.

Older Ziva said nothing more; younger Ziva watched her walk alongside the stretcher as it was carried outside, and into a waiting ambulance headed for Bethesda Naval Hospital.

Older Ziva's eyes, and touch, and tears said plenty.

As the older Ziva climbed into the ambulance with her beloved Tony, the younger Ziva noticed another set of eyes - just over a meter to her right - observing the scene.

"Could've been me, on a stretcher like that," said the Tony DiNozzo she herself had come to regard as family in the year they had worked together. "Could've been any of us."

"No," younger Ziva corrected him. "It was either survive and walk away or be carried away in a body bag."

"Every single day," Tony mused. "It'll be good not to look over your shoulder every waking moment. To have the luxury of enjoying the scenery, linger on a lovely pair of legs-"

"You would be a fool not to continue to 'look over your shoulder'," younger Ziva corrected him. "He is still out there."

Afterwards, the stretchers came through at a quick and steady pace, and as McGarrett and Fornell walked past Ziva and Tony, they noticed their fellow agents - McGee and Kate - walking towards them.

"Gibbs wants us at Bethesda," Kate told them. "Director wants us to see each one of those people-"

"They're not gonna be up for visitors," Tony interjected.

"Not about that, DiNozzo," Tony heard the familiar voice of his, and the other agents', boss, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, walking up behind them. "The director wants us to know a little more about these people. Who they are. What they've done. Why we're hunting down the bastards who put them in those stretchers."

"Good a time as any," Tony mused. "What's next?"

"New assignment," alt Gibbs said.

"What new assignment, Gibbs?" younger Ziva replied.

"Kill Janvier and kill Ari." Gibbs walked away, stopping only to motion to his four agents, still standing in the lobby, to follow him. "Come on!"

"On your six boss!" yelled Tony, rushing to catch up, Kate, McGee and Ziva right alongside him.

Author's note:

I want to clarify who the characters are and where they are from, as well as to the nature of the phenomenon they're dealing with.

The story is set in what I'll call the 'home' universe/'home' world, based on the current seasons of NCIS, NCIS:LA, Hawaii Five-0 and Intelligence. Every character who's not a doppelganger is from the home world.

The Washington Major Case Response Team (Gibbs' team) was abducted, en masse, around the time they would have wrapped up the Benham Parsa case. Director Leon Vance assigned the Los Angeles-based Office of Special Projects team to find them, ordering Agent Kensi Blye pulled out of Afghanistan to bring them to full strength.

They too were captured, even as intelligence uncovered that Parsa was fronting for the ringleader.

Vance then, in consulation with the heads of the other federal agencies, formed a task force to find both teams and their abductors. McGarrett from Five-0 led the team, and Vance convinced Ziva David to return to NCIS. Progress was slow in finding both teams; leads evaporated or turned into dead ends.

A major break came in the case: the ringleader was found out, springing serial killer Marcel Janvier out of prison. He resembled Ziva's long-dead brother.

He was - is - Ziva's long-dead brother Ari Haswari - from another reality.

Ari is one of the so-called doppelgangers - people from this other reality, where the Cold War lasted years longer and went hot - and where the calendar is ten years earlier than the home world's calendar (there, it's 2004).

While the task force was out west trying to find Janvier, FBI and newly-recruited task force member Stan Burley thought they found one of the missing teams hiding out in a D.C. apartment.

Upon closer scrutiny it was discovered they weren't the missing MCRT.

They also were doppelgangers, looking like they had stepped out of a time machine sent from 2004.

With that news being passed to Vance, Secretary of the Navy Sarah Porter decided to read him in on an ongoing project related to the origins of these doppelgangers. Vance was taken to the White House's situation room, where - in the presence of top-level government, military and intelligence heads, including the President himself - Vance learned of the other reality, its fate, and the mission to rescue the survivors from its United States.

"altAri" was a terrorist there, affiliated with the Soviet Union's Spetsnaz forces, tasked with destablizing the U.S. homeland as relations between the two countries collapsed. The mystery is why he's here - is he working with other Spetsnaz forces, here or overseas, or is he working on his own? How is Janvier related? Why capture two NCIS teams - is that related to a bigger task or part of his personal agenda?

Chapter Text

Chapter 3
Bethesda Naval Hospital
Bethesda, Maryland

Vance spared no expense in getting the finest Naval surgeons and doctors for his two teams, nor supplementing them with some of the best civilian specialists.

It was close to 9 a.m., and no one amongst the group that accompanied the injured agents to Bethesda had wanted to leave. Therefore, Vance ordered mandatory naps - including himself - of 30 minutes for 'essential' personnel, an hour for 'not-as-essential' personnel.

The task force, Assistant Director Granger, and Vance had all taken one nap apiece between arrival and now, and all had nodded off at various times in the waiting room.

The clock on the wall read 8:54, and the bright sky peeped through the shades over the windows adjacent to it. Right below the clock, Danny 'Danno' Williams nodded off and fell into the lap of the man sitting next to him: Steve McGarrett, who himself was laying back, snoring, mouth wide open.

Ziva - having taken the second of her 15-minute 'bat naps' (the team still had no idea whether she was serious about the phrase or pulling their leg) - walked into the waiting room and saw Danno's head on Steve's lap, both snoring away.

She thought about pouring the coffee on their heads, or perhaps in McGarrett's open mouth - despite the fact he was her boss.

This would be a good trick to play on Tony, she thought, as she crept closer to the duo. Or threaten him with.

Then she remembered this wasn't Tony, and where he was and why he was there, and she stifled a sob.

"HEY!"

Ziva turned around and saw Granger standing in the doorway, holding a large coffee, and shouting towards her.

"Sir?" Ziva asked, but Granger shook his head, as McGarrett woke up.

"Not you," Granger growled to Ziva. "McGarrett!"

"...sir." Steve replied moments later, then noticing Danno more quietly snoring on his lap.

"You two wanna get a room?" Granger grumbled, seeing Danno stir, then noticing his head on Steve's lap.

"I didn't authorize this," Steve answered the assistant director, as Ziva smiled, and Danno - now aware of his position - jumped away from McGarrett.

"You two want to cuddle on your own time, I don't care," Granger continued. "But you might want to make a quick coffee run."

"Hey!" Danno objected. "We ain't together. We like women and I definitely don't like Neanderthals--"

Steve shushed him, as Granger looked on, annoyed at their antics, and Ziva chuckled. Then Steve - more fully awake than his regular partner in Five-0 - straightened himself up.

"Why a coffee run?" asked McGarrett. "The doctors ready to say something?"

"Nothing specific, but one of them may be ready to make a statement," Granger followed. "I want all of you as awake as possible when he does...you can cuddle up later when we catch the bastards who put our people in those rooms."

Granger turned around and walked out of the room, towards who knows where: the man had been all over the hospital in the past several hours.

"We're not a couple!" Danno said to Ziva, then glancing at Steve. "Catherine" - Steve's girlfriend, now running Five-0 in his absence - "would kill me."

"Mm-hmm," Ziva purred, teasing the two men.

"Don't worry about him," Steve said to them both, even as Vance himself entered the waiting room.

"Rest of your team's down the hallway, at the coffee machine," Vance told them. "I see Assistant Director Granger has paid you another visit."

"Oh yeah," Danno replied. "Wonderful guy. Great disposition--"

Vance chuckled; no one on the task force particularly cared for the man, and even Vance himself had to lay down some ground rules for dealing with the team.

Still, Granger cared about the Los Angeles Special Ops team members, especially the woman overseeing it, Henrietta "Hetty" Lange, and one of the agents, Kensi Blye. Vance understood Granger would get on the task force's and his own collective nerves, but would move heaven and earth to find the missing agents and the men responsible for harming them.

"Forget him," Steve said to Danno. "Director. Are the doctors about to talk to us?"

"Anytime," Vance replied. "Secretary Porter's back there now, just got back from the White House--"

"White House?" Ziva interjected. "The President is aware?"

"Since this whole mess started," Vance said. "He, and a whole slew of people from the top down, are following this with extreme interest--"

Right then, one of the task force members - 'Mac' Taylor, a former Marine and currently-on-hiatus head of the New York Police Department's Crime Lab - ran into the room.

"Director," Taylor said, "the Secretary and the doctors are ready."

McGarrett and Danno shot out of their chairs. "Let's go," Vance said to them and Ziva; Taylor waited until Vance walked through the doorway, then fell in line with Danno and Ziva behind McGarrett.

Down the hallway was a larger waiting room. Sarah Porter, Secretary of the Navy, nodded as the foursome followed Vance into the room.

Waiting on them were the so-called 'doppelganger' team, consisting of the parallel-reality doubles of the Washington team from 2004, along with Ziva herself, plus Dr. Jeanne Benoit and the late Mike Franks. Also there was the lead physician of the team of medical specialists, Dr. Lt. Col. Nathan Bernstein, USN.

Right then, Granger led the remaining members of the task force who weren't on assignment into the room.

Along with team leader Steve McGarrett; second-in command Ziva David; Danny 'Danno' Williams; and 'Mac' Taylor, the task force members in the room were:

* Gabriel Vaughn, a former Delta Force member and Army officer and third-in-command to McGarett and Ziva;

* Five-0 members Officer Kono Kalakaua and Det. Lt. Chin Ho Kelly;

* FBI agents Derek Morgan and Ron Sacks;

* John Reese, a former CIA agent and Green Beret;

* NYPD Detective Danny Reagan, a former Marine;

* Secret Service agent Riley Neal;

* FBI technical analyst Penelope Garcia;

* and Harold Finch, a billionaire and software designer.

Dr. Bernstein explained that the agents were in stable condition, especially the eldest - Hetty Lange and Dr. Donald Mallard; whomever kidnapped them, Dr. Bernstein explained, gave them sufficient medical attention to keep them alive.

"That explains the IVs we found with each agent," Vance said.

Lt. Col. Bernstein continued, stating that all of the agents had been battered to varying degrees, enough to incapacitate them without killing them.

"Under normal circumstances, they should eventually recover, physically, from their ordeals," Dr. Bernstein explained. "However, none of the 15 patients have not yet fully regained consciousness. We've narrowed this down to the presence of some type of substance we've found in their bloodstreams."

"Why?" McGarrett asked. "What's it doing to our people?"

"This...substance...is keeping them in a deep sleep, shutting down enough of their brain functions to mimic a coma," Dr. Bernstein said. "We've tried techniques to wake up the four healthiest subjects, which so far haven't worked."

The doppelganger to Leroy Jethro Gibbs stepped forward.

"Do you know what kind of drug you're dealing with?" Gibbs said, looking for some kind of definitive answer.

"We've never quite seen this drug before; it's virtually unknown to us," Dr. Bernstein answered.

"Unknown how?" Vance interjected.

"We have not seen this exact type of drug before - remember, we've had just a few hours to examine it - but there are structural similarities with other military-grade pharmaceuticals - non U.S. military - we've seen before."

SecNav Porter then stepped forward.

"The information I'm about to give you is classified and need-to-know only - for all of you," she said, looking around the room. "This unknown drug affecting our agents is similar to a drug developed for the Russian military which our people refer to as 'Sleeper'. 'Sleeper' puts subjects into a coma for a period ranging from 60 hours to 22 days."

"We attempted to administer known antidotes to the 'Sleeper' drug to each patient, without success," Dr. Bernstein added. "The antidote should have taken affect within 30 minutes, as the patient began to regain conciousness. This did not happen. Our people are currently examining samples of this new drug--"

Gibbs again stepped forward.

"Doctor," he said, interrupting Dr. Bernstein's explanation. "There may be another explanation."

"Is there something you want to share with the rest of us, Agent Gibbs?" said SecNav Porter.

"Yeah," Gibbs replied. "We've seen this before."

"How long you've been sitting on this, Gibbs?" Vance.

"Just the last few minutes. We've seen this before, where...my team and I are from," said Gibbs, referring to the alternate-reality Earth they had come from. "Soviet Spetsnaz agents injected some of our military, government officials, civilians with an agent our people called Coma."

"Like the person was in a coma?" Dr. Bernstein asked.

"Yeah." Gibbs answered. "Abs."

Gibbs' forensic specialist - Abigail Sciuto, a close ringer for her counterpart - stepped next to Gibbs.

"We've seen this before," said otherSciuto, whom Ziva noticed sported a 'rocker' look, with long black hair in place of the pigtails and 'gothic' look her own Abby sported.

"Abs." said Gibbs, nodding for her to continue.

"Well," said otherAbby, "I would need to examine some of the people? And get McGee to help me and your people look at the molecular breakdown of this agent. It sounds like Coma. The good news is you should have the means to synthesize an antidote, which you really need to do asap."

"ASAP?" SecNav Porter and Vance both said.

"Wait long enough and you won't be able to bring them back," Gibbs interjected. "I've seen people die from this thing, waiting too long for an antidote."

"How long?" McGarett said.

"Weeks." Gibbs.

"You're saying that if we had found them later, they might be dead?" McGarrett.

"Maybe," Gibbs replied. "They're here, now. My people are here, now, willing to help. I suggest you take advantage of their knowledge and get those injured people injected with an antidote--"

"Wait," Dr. Bernstein said, holding up his own hand at Gibbs. "Those 15 people are my responsibility. I won't allow just anyone to recommend anything. We're working as fast as we can--"

"May not be fast enough, doctor," Gibbs shot back.

"Hold on!" SecNav Porter shouted, to prevent Dr. Bernstein and Gibbs from getting into an argument. "I can place a phone call to...verify...what Agent Gibbs is claiming."

Everyone looked at one another in confusion.

"What in hell does she know?" Granger whispered in Vance's ear.

Porter stepped to the back of the room, speaking low enough that almost everyone could barely make out her conversation with the Secretary of Defense.

Just over a minute later, she put her smartphone on speaker, and the entire room heard SecDef authorize the doppleganger Abby Sciuto and Tim McGee to begin synthesis of the antidote. After the two were escorted from the room by Marines, to the facility's labs, Porter took the phone off speaker and continued her conversation, to everyone's confusion.

"How much you think they know, boss?" the alternate Tony DiNozzo whispered to Gibbs.

"As much as they can," Gibbs whispered back.

McGarrett gestured to Ziva and Vaughn, and brought them close.

"My guess is she knows a hell of a lot more than she let on earlier," McGarrett whispered.

"Appears the director and assistant director are as in the dark as we are," Vaughn said. "By the way - I've been trying to access every relevant database I can think of and I'm running into roadblocks."

Before joining the task force, Vaughn was an operative for the United States Cyber Command sub-division of the U.S. Strategic Command. Vaughn was implanted with an advanced super-computer microchip in his brain, giving him direct access to the so-called 'global information grid', including government databases.

"Anybody you can...text? Email? Telepathy?" McGarrett said.

"My director, Lillian Strand," Vaughn replied. "If Porter or SecDef haven't already gotten to her."

"What about them?" McGarrett said, glancing at the doppelgangers. "You think they're in on this?"

"I think they are as surprised as we are," Ziva replied. "Knowing of this...Coma drug and its sideeffects could easily have come from past experiences, not from being read in."

"And I wonder how much we're going to be read in," Vance interjected, as he and Granger walked up to McGarrett's huddle.

"She didn't tell you anything?" McGarrett.

Vance pursed his lips as he quickly figured out how to phrase his answer.

"There are things Assistant Director Granger and I know...and things we learn about on the spot...like this," Vance replied.

Porter ended her phone call, and walked to the center of the room.

"The President has authorized CDC to send agents to administer the Coma antidote to our injured people, upon confirmation that they in fact are suffering from its aftereffects," Porter said to the room. "I am headed to the White House for a briefing, and will meet with Director Vance, and Assistant Director Granger, then with all of you later today. Hopefully our people will have began waking up...in the meantime, Director Vance will fill you in on this."

With that, Porter pushed a few buttons on her phone, sending a text and attachment to Vance's phone. "Call me," she said to him, before leaving, escorted by two more Marines, and leaving a room full of speechless people behind.

"Is your SecNav always this...mysterious?" the alternative Ziva said to her counterpart.

"Not to this degree," Vance said, speaking up and getting everyone's attention. "While we await the results from Ms. Sciuto and Agent McGee...and the arrival of CDC...sitrep on the rest of the team."

"That what SecNav sent you," asked McGarrett, looking at Vance's screen.

"Exactly," Vance replied. "Captain Rabb and Mr. Werth may have found Agent Burley. SecDef is sending in a SEAL team to help them extract him."

"West Virginia?" Ziva asked.

"Next to the Greenbrier," Vance said. "Gibbs, your theory paid off. That safe house is a nest of Spetsnaz."

"Our Spetsnaz," Gibbs said, referring to the Soviet secret police agents from his world who - like he and his team - crossed dimensions.

"Or our Spetsnaz," Vance replied. "There's a question how closely the Russians are working with the Soviets."

 "Well, I'd say 'that's unbelievable' but I won't," Danno interjected. "It makes as much sense as all the other ridiculousness going on."

Chapter Text

Chapter 4

White House
Situation Room

It wasn't the first time Secretary Porter had been to the White House; she'd met with cabinet members, senior staff, advisors numerous times. She'd even met with the current President, and his precedessor, in the Oval Office.

She'd never been in the Situation Room at all, though, and certainly not when the President, his advisors, the Joint Chiefs and the Senate and House leaders were present.

Porter recognized almost everyone, including a retired Senate Majority Leader.

She also saw a man who was a ringer for a deceased, and disgraced, former NCIS agent, sitting next to the retired Senator.

"All rise!" she heard, and everyone in the room rose, as President Matthew Santos walked in the room, trailed by his Chief of Staff Josh Lyman, and - surprisingly to her - former President Jed Bartlet.

"You can be seated," said President Santos. "Some of you don't know the man seated to my left - you think you do...I'm looking at you Secretary Porter. I understand you've been quite busy."

"Ah, yes, Mister President," Porter said; she had been busy at Bethesda, and yes she thought she knew the Senator.

"Then, let me introduce you," President Santos continued. "This is not Senator Jim White, Maryland. This is Jim White, former Senate Majority Leader, who rose to the office of President of the United States from his world...he officially is President of the United States of America in Exile from the other reality."

"...I see," Porter replied. "Mr. President."

"Secretary Porter," followed President White, who looked as old as the man she met right after her predecessor was killed last year.

He should look younger, Porter thought. Presidents tend to age greatly while they're in office; he must have been through a hell of a lot during the past few months.

"I'd like to chat with you further afterwards, Secretary Porter," President White continued. "If I may, Mister Presidents. I'd like to introduce the gentleman with me. The acting director of our...America's...Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Riley McAllister."

So it is him, Porter thought, as she nodded to the man and he nodded in return. He looks like he's chomping at the bit to talk...I don't think Leon is going to like this one bit.

"Madame Secretary," President Santos said. "We asked you here specifically to give an update on the recently recovered NCIS agents and employees, including the actions of the task force formed to find them, and the agents from President White's, ah, reality who assisted them."

Porter updated the room on everything to the present, from the abduction of the agents to their recovery overnight, to the discovery of the drug they apparently had been given.

"You're giving them the antidote, right?" Director McAllister spoke up, suddenly, earning him a sideways glare from his President. "Coma. I gave your SecDef the information, he gave it to you."

"Of course, Director," Porter said. "Our people confirmed your people's findings. We're preparing it now."

Bethesda Naval Hospital
Tony DiNozzo's room

The nurse prepped Special Agent Tony DiNozzo's arm, made sure the syringe was filled with the proper amount, and injected him through his arm.

With Ziva and McGarrett looking on - and DiNozzo's doppelganger standing back with the alternate Gibbs, Ducky and Kate Todd - the nurses checked Tony's vitals over the next ten minutes.

Dr. Bernstein rushed in and looked over Tony, checking his pulse and his eyes.

"If all goes well, our patient should be waking up right about now," the doctor said...

AltKate's quietly prayed, clutching her rosary, while altDucky put his hands on her and altTony's shoulders. AltGibbs moved to Ziva's side.

Tony began waking up.

Dr. Bernstein and the two nurses closely looked at the vitals.

"Heart rate normal," one nurse said. "BP normal. Brainwave activity normal."

"Agent DiNozzo," Dr. Bernstein said, gently. "Are you with us?"

Tony quickly came to, looking around in confusion, then tried to bolt out of his bed. His heart rate and blood pressure jumped; the nurses went to hold him down, and Dr. Bernstein tried to calm him down.

"Let me!" Ziva yelled, breaking from Gibbs and McGarrett.

"Ziva. Let them do their-"

"Steve!...Please," Ziva pleaded; a moment later, McGarrett nodded.

"Tony," she said, stepping next to the male nurse. "Tony...it's me. Ziva."

DiNozzo looked at her, confused momentarily, before recognizing her...albeit in shock.

"Ziva?" he said.

"It is me, Tony," she replied. "You are safe. You are all safe."

Bernstein and the nurses noted Tony's vitals had stabilized, and at the doctor's nod, the nurses backed away.

"Agent DiNozzo," Bernstein said. "I'm Doctor Bernstein. Head physician here at Bethesda Naval Hospital. I'm overseeing the recovery of you and your team members."

"I helped find you," Ziva said. "Vance sent a team to find you. I came back."

"Yeah, I see that," Tony said in a low whisper. "Find what you were lookin' for over there?"

Ziva smiled, and brushed his hair from his forehead. "It was here all along," she replied, softly. "I did not stop - we did not stop - until you and everyone else were found."

"Who's we," Tony said, hoarsely.

Ziva looked up, didn't see the doppelgangers and saw only McGarrett, who mouthed 'not yet'.

"Agent DiNozzo," he said. "I'm Lt. Commander Steve McGarrett, head of the Hawaii Five-0 task force - and of Director Vance's task force. Ziva's right. We didn't stop until we found you guys. All of you."

"You know...the director," Tony whispered.

"I do now," McGarrett followed. "And a whole lot of people...before, I knew Agent Hanna. We were both Navy SEALs, and my people met the rest of the L.A. team."

Tony paused, then coughed.

"You need to finish up," Dr. Bernstein said. "Agent DiNozzo's signs look good; he seems to be responding to the antidote...which I intend to begin administering to the others. But this man needs rest."

"Tony," Ziva whispered. "I am going to check on Gibbs, and McGee and Abby-"

"Check on Bishop," Tony said, more urgently. "Those bastards...did a number on her..."

Bernstein put a sympathetic, but firm, hand on Ziva's arm. "He needs his rest," he said.

"I will be back, very soon," she said, grasping his hand; he smiled, and the nurses continued checking his vitals.

McGarrett and Ziva walked out; McGarrett saw Kono, and instructed her to observe. "Just to be sure they're doing their jobs," he said.

Dr. Bernstein's next stop was Leroy Jethro Gibbs' room.

AltGibbs stopped Ziva on the way.

"Rule 12?" he said, to altKate and altDucky's horror; altTony simply looked on.

"Unbelievable," Ziva answered him. "Really?"

Before altGibbs could respond, Ziva followed up: "On the other hand...don't," she said, and walked away, towards the room of the Gibbs she had known for years.

"You got a real pair, you know, Gibbs," McGarrett told him. "That's not a compliment, in case-"

"I know he's gonna say the same thing," altGibbs shot back, nodding towards Gibbs' room.

"How the hell do you know," McGarrett shot back, before brushing past him to join Ziva and Director Vance.

The acting Multiple Threat Assessment Center room, Bethesda Naval Center

"Sounds like Gibbs," Vance said after McGarrett debriefed him, on McGarrett and Ziva's exchange with the alternate Gibbs. "And doesn't sound like him...he's known something was going on between DiNozzo and David for some time. And, it isn't against NCIS rules."

"I just thought he was being an ass," McGarrett said of altGibbs.

"Lots of people say the same about the elder Gibbs, too," Vance added, before glancing at his watch. "SecNav should be online about now."

Assistant Director Granger came into the room.

"How's the L.A. team?" Vance asked him.

"Stable, just like the Washington team," Granger replied. "They're all about the same...doctor was worried most about Henrietta, just as he was about Mallard. But she's a fighter. Asked me for a sitrep, then told me to move Deeks and Blye into the same room."

"Did you?" Vance asked him. Granger flinched, hinting that perhaps one of the more persistent rumors about the L.A. team might have some truth to it.

Vance wouldn't raise the topic in front of McGarrett, but the director had his own rules - and Granger wasn't going to break any of them on his watch.

"I'll take care of it, director," Granger said.

"And I'll wait while you call the nurse's station," Vance followed. Once the director was satisfied Granger had followed through, he made a note to tell Bernstein to make sure Blye and Deeks had the same room, and split up only on Vance's authority.

"The nurses are aware," Granger said. "The Secretary isn't going to come back here?"

Vance nodded towards the screen; moments later, her face, along with "Director" McAllister's, appeared. Vance and Granger were both surprised, though this wasn't the time to follow up on the brief note SecNav texted to them both.

"Riley," Vance said. "Welcome."

"Director," McAllister responded, "though I'm certain our dual status will be addressed very soon."

Granger glanced at Vance. "Does he know what the other-" whispered the assistant director.

"No," Vance whispered back, then turned fully back to the screen. "Director. I understand you have some urgent issues you wish to discuss."

Of course he did. And, over the next 15 minutes, Vance, Granger and McGarrett became convinced this man was crazier than a loon.

McAllister went all over the map, accusing Gibbs and his team of insurbordination, theft, murder, and starting the Third World War.

"They stole gold out of my personal vault!" McAllister said, very loudly. "They tried to keep my people from going through the wormhole. And you know the Ziva girl is the very sister of the terrorist who put your people in that hospital!"

As McAllister ranted about Abby Sciuto's unprofessional look and the fact that Gibbs had women on his team, and accused him of some sort of conspiracy, McGarrett had enough.

"Sir," he said, forcefully. "My team has worked with those people, and we're no fools. We've met our share of bad people, criminals, terrorists, murderers. These people you're accusing - your own people - are nothing like that."

"They're evil and need to be apprehended immediately," McAllister said.

"Can you prove any of your charges?" Vance said; how did he or anyone else on his world know who any of these 'travelers' really were? All they had to go on was records from a series of supercomputers recovered from the altEarth's Charlottesville, Virginia, and nothing indicated any issues with Gibbs or his people.

"How?" McAllister yelled. "Any of my proof got nuked! Take my word for it! They're not who they claim!"

"Who are they then? Spetsnaz? Al-Qaeda? Haswari's people?" Vance asked, cringing at the insinuation, while realizing that passing as friendlies would be a great way to infiltrate his agency.

"They're freaking aliens!" replied McAllister, and this was the moment the three men, and Secretary Porter, knew they were dealing with a bonafide nut.

"Director McAllister, we will...address your concerns," Porter said to McAllister. "Thank you for bringing them to us. Now if you'll pardon me, I need to speak to these men privately."

"Soviet aliens," he said. "Gibbs stole my DAMN GOLD and I want it back! And him in your jail, Vance! And we'll talk. I should at least be the Assistant Director-"

Vance, Granger and McGarrett noticed two Marines enter the picture, grab McAllister and drag him away. That was followed by the appearance of the alternate President, Jim Hayes, who profusely apologized for McAllister's actions and briefly explained how he became director.

"Tom Morrow didn't make it," Vance said, "and McAllister outranked Gibbs and was in the right place at the right time when things went bad."

"Correct," President Hayes replied. "Secretary Porter informed me that your own McAllister tried to murder you, before he was killed...needless to say, my people have kept an eye on him for some time. Until we learned Gibbs' team made it through, we thought he was basically a figurehead for a one-person agency...check the records from the Charlottesville and Torrington supercomputers, or the USS Vinson."

"I'll tell our people to check the computer, what they have on McAllister," Granger said; Vance nodded in response.

"Will do, Mister President," Vance said, and Hayes said his goodbyes before stepping away.

Porter, with a couple of Marines guarding her, took a deep breath.

"I wanted you to meet Mr. McAllister, and get your opinions before I made my final decision about his status in our NCIS," she said. "Leon?"

"Madame Secretary," he replied. "No way in hell do I want that idiot anywhere in my chain of command. I don't want him within a continent of the Navy Yard, L.A., Rota, even the Naval outpost in Greenland."

Porter chuckled. "I can't keep him out of the country, Leon. But I assure you, he won't be in your chain of command...now. I want a sitrep on Agent Burley."

A techie connected the task force team from Greenbrier, West Virginia; the screen split, with Porter on the left and Burley, former Navy Commander Harmon Rabb and former Marine Damon Werth on the right.

"I'm alive," Burley said. "Those guys were legit Spetsnaz - with an edge."

"Define edge, Agent Burley." Granger.

"A little less human than the old Soviet secret police had a reputation for being," Burley followed. "Best thing in my favor was they didn't pay much attention to me; those guys could have killed me if they wanted. If I had put up a fuss, they might have killed me."

"What did they want, Stan?" McGarrett.

"Commander McGarrett," Rabb replied. "You know the Greenbrier Hotel was to have been the emergency headquarters for the Vice President, in the event of an exchange between ourselves and our Soviet Union. I and the head of SEAL Team Ten concur these Spetsnaz were, in effect, 'casing the joint'."

"Checking out our defenses," Granger added. "Any signs of where those men went?"

"No sir." Burley.

"Get back to base on the double," Vance said. "And Harm. Asst. Director Granger and Lt. Cmdr. McGarrett will meet you at Andrews and discuss the next stage of the mission."

As the feed cut, Vance looked at Granger and McGarrett.

"Our people at Bethesda are doing well enough, but none of them are going to be close to ready to get back in the field anytime soon," Vance said. "That's where you come in, Steve. Office of Special Projects. As of now, you're Special Agent in Charge."

"Yes sir," McGarrett replied.

"You'll report directly to Granger. I want Ziva here for the time being, though she has agreed to join you later on," Vance continued. "I can give you Reese and Vaughn now, and you can choose the rest of your team from the task force, from Five-0, from NCIS."

Tony DiNozzo's room

Ziva held Tony's hand, as the senior agent slept. She checked the machines above his head and besides him every thirty seconds when he wasn't awake.

"You really should get some rest, Ziva," said the alternate Tony. "Even super Ninjas, and Gibbs, need their sleep."

She looked at the younger man, who looked just like Tony did when she first met him at the Navy Yard, the morning after her brother murdered Caitlin Todd.

"I appreciate your gesture, Tony," she replied, "but I will be fine."

"Mind if I sit with you, then?" he asked. "I'll be quiet - or, if you want, I can regale you with endless film trivia."

She smiled, and chuckled; altTony seemed to be a really good guy...as decent of a man as Tony himself.

"Then, thank you," she said, stroking Tony's hand and forearm, as altTony pulled up a chair on the other side of the bed.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5
March 4, 2014
Bethesda Naval Hospital

Steve McGarrett was given an offer he literally could not refuse: the position of Special Agent in Charge, Alpha Team, Office of Special Projects, Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

Director Leon Vance and Secretary of the Navy Sarah Porter both clarified that Alpha Team was NOT the Los Angeles-based team whose members were recovering at Bethesda Naval. Technically, Alpha Team was separate from that team and both could operate separately and concurrently.

In reality, every doctor who examined the L.A. and Washington members said it would be a long time before any of them were physically ready to go out into the field: Dr. Bernstein simply said 'several months at best'.

McGarrett didn't put it past his old friend and former SEAL teammate, Sam Hanna, to be the one person to beat that prediction...if everything went right, all the breaks went his way and he got some divine intervention to boot.

Steve knew he couldn't kid himself. He was in this task force, Alpha Team, whatever the hell the feds decided to call it for the foreseeable future.

Assistant Director Owen Granger - the man who McGarrett would report to - gave him a few days to 'tie up loose ends', personal and related to his former position as team leader of Hawaii's Five-0 task force.

He offered all three of his teammates jobs in Team Alpha. All - including a man whom McGarrett considered to be his best friend - turned him down.

"I want you to know, Steve, that you're not the problem. But. If I've got a choice in the matter, I'm not doing that," said Danny 'Danno' Williams, Lieutenant Detective, Honolulu Police Department, and McGarrett's best friend. "Grace needs me back home."

Grace is Danno's daughter.

"I'm sure Rachel's doing a great job taking care of her, but I gotta be there," Danno continued. "What you're going to do? That's not me. I can do Five-0. I can do Five-0 joining some task force to rescue agents from a psychopath. I can't do special ops, SEALs, Delta Force--"

"Danny," McGarrett said, putting his hand on Danno's shoulder. "Danny...it's not a problem. I get it. I understand...Chin and Kono said no, too."

"I figured they would," Danno replied. "They're cops, like me...we ain't cut out for what Granger wants you to do. You. You're cut out for it--"

"I love Hawaii," McGarrett said, interrupting Danny's monologue.

Both men remained silent for nearly a minute.

"I love Five-0," McGarrett continued, looking down at the pavement in the parking lot outside the hospital - 40 yards away from a contingent of Marines helping guard the hospital grounds - and away from Danno's face. "I love you, I love Chin, I love Kono, Grace, Rachel, Kamekona...I even like Grover."

Danny chuckled. "What. You two having a bromance or something behind my back, Steve?"

Steve himself laughed, for the first time in weeks. "Nah...nah. I just realized he's a good guy, that's all."

McGarrett opened a can of soda, and took a couple of drinks, as he and Danny leaned against the Mustang NCIS provided for Steve's use. "I love Catherine...and this is gonna be hard."

"Not as simple as 'hey, Catherine, I got drafted into being Jack Bauer, come work with me while we chase down a couple of psychopaths'," Danno commented.

"No," Steve replied. "I'll offer her OSP, and send a recommendation to the Governor that she continue on with Five-0."

Neither man followed up with the implication that McGarrett's position could mean the end of his and Catherine Rollins' relationship.

"My country needs me. And it's only until we find those sons of bitches," Steve said, repeating his rationale for the hundredth time. 

"Yeah," Danny answered. "You, that Army guy with the chip in his head, that CIA guy with the computer, maybe even that former Mossad ninja chick...working together. You'll find both of those guys in no time."

"Mm," Steve muttered, finishing off his soda. "They're doing good at hiding their tracks...but let's say we find both of them in a couple of months. There's others that have to be investigated and captured..."

"That...could take a pretty long time," Danny replied.

"Yeah."

Both men leaned against the Mustang in silence, in the dusk of a cold, early March weekday.

"Hey," Steve finally said. "When you get back. Weather will be fantastic."

"Never thought I'd say this when I left Jersey," Danno responded. "I could care less if I ever see snow again, or feel a cold breeze anywhere other than my refrigerator."

Both men laughed, quietly. 

"Steve," Danny said. "Before you go--"

McGarrett held his palm up - quieting Danno - and pulled a paper from the inside pocket in his jacket.

"I can't give this to anyone else," McGarrett told him. "Including you."

Danno unfolded the sheet of paper, looking it over.

"No one told me you, Chin or Kono couldn't read it," Steve added.

Danny looked down at it, and read as quickly as he could while memorizing its contents.

FR: NCISDIR VANCE

TO: SAC MCGARRETT, OSP

CC: NCISASTDIR CRAIG, NCISASTDIR GRANGER

BCC: SECNAV PORTER

"There are two dates," McGarrett told Danno. "'A' stands for the other place, what they're calling the alternate reality. 'P' is our place, our world. P for Prime...they're nine years behind. 2005 there. 2014 here...that clear enough to you?"

"Yeah," Danny told him. 

TIMELINE

1.20.2004A/1.23.2013P FIRST CONTACT MADE WITH ALTERNATE REALITY, USN JOINT RESEARCH FACILITY, QUANTICO, VIRGINIA

5.12.2004A/5.15.2013P NAVY YARD BOMBED IN PRIME UNIVERSE

5.25.2004A/5.28.2013P IN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE, HASWARI ATTEMPTS TO TORTURE NCIS AGENT TODD INTO GIVING INFORMATION ON ALLIED SUMMIT; TODD RESCUED BY SAC GIBBS AND HIS TEAM, MOSSAD OFFICER DAVID AND COMBINED SEAL/DELTA FORCE UNIT.

6.2004A/6.2013P - 11.2004A/11.2013P - BREAKDOWN IN RELATIONS BETWEEN US/NATO/ALLIED FORCES AND USSR/WARSAW PACT/COMINTERM FORCES IN PRIME UNIVERSE

11.25/2004A/11.28.2013P - HASWARI MAKES FINAL JOURNEY FROM ALTERNATE TO PRIME UNIVERSE

12.19.2004A/12.22.2013P - SOVIETS SEND 50,000 TROOPS TO SUPPORT NORTH KOREAN INVASION OF SOUTH KOREA THROUGH THE KOREAN DEMILITARIZED ZONE, OPENING THE CONVENTIONAL STAGE OF WORLD WAR III IN THE PRIME UNIVERSE

12.24.2004A/12.27.2013P - PRIME: FOUR SEPARATE NUDENTS IN WESTERN AND EASTERN GERMANY, TWO ALLIED, TWO COMINTERM; SAC GIBBS, HIS TEAM AND 25 OTHER NCIS EMPLOYEES AND CIVILIANS JOURNEY THROUGH NAVY YARD WORMHOLE TO PRIME UNIVERSE; FOUR HOURS LATER, PRIME NCIS DIRECTOR MCALLISTER AND HIS TEAM JOURNEY THROUGH PENTAGON SQUARE WORMHOLE

12.25.2004A/12.28.2013P - FULL NUCLEAR EXCHANGE IN PRIME UNIVERSE BEGINS

1.12.2014P - WASHINGTON MCRT KIDNAPPED BY HASWARI AND TEAM OF PRIME SPETSNAZ AGENTS

1.21.2014P - LOS ANGELES OSP TEAM CAPTURED BY HASWARI'S TEAM, NOW INCLUDING JANVIER

1.29.2014P - JOINT FEDERAL TASK FORCE AUTHORIZED BY NCIS, FBI, NSA, HOMELAND AND CIA DIRECTORS, WITH OVERSIGHT BY SECDEF AND SECNAV, 'AT THE LEISURE OF' POTUS; STEVE MCGARRETT, LT. CMDR USN (RESV.) APPOINTED TEAM LEADER

2.1.2014P - ZIVA DAVID REJOINS NCIS, ASSIGNED TO TASK FORCE

2.28.2014P - WASHINGTON MCRT AND LOS ANGELES OSP TEAM MEMBERS FOUND ALIVE IN SUBURBAN WASHINGTON, D.C.

3.2.2014P - NCIS SSA ANTHONY DINOZZO BEGINS TO RECOVER AFTER HE IS GIVEN COMA ANTIDOTE; OTHER 14 AGENTS SUBSEQUENTLY GIVEN ANTIDOTE, ALSO BEGIN RECOVERY

3.3.2014 - TASK FORCE DISBANDED, TEAM ALPHA AUTHORIZED BY NCIS AND SECNAV, GIVEN TASK TO CAPTURE HASWARI AND JANVIER, AND OTHER HOSTILE PRIME UNIVERSE AGENTS

"At least I understand what's going on," Danno said to McGarrett. "I think...this whole parallel reality thing. It's still kinda unbelievable to me, you know?"

"Believe me, I know," McGarrett told him. "I went to Charlottesville, brah, when they excavated those mainframes. Saw the town. Just like The Day After, without people. Or animals. Or birds..."

"Hey," Danny interjected. "Don't go there. You're here, all right? And you're gonna find those guys, put them behind bars, and come back to Hawaii to Catherine, and Five-0. And soon, ok?"

If only it were that simple, McGarrett thought. 

"Thanks, brah," Steve said, reaching out to shake Danny's hand - and then feeling himself being drawn into a long, tight hug.

Steve broke it. "Got a few 'loose ends' to tie up," he told Danny. "Call Grover. Call Catherine. And help you as best I can easing into head of Five-0."

That last sentence didn't register with Danny for a few moments; when it did, his jaw dropped.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6
March 12, 2014 PRIME
Washington, Navy Yard, NCIS
Director Vance's Office

Director Vance and Secretary of the Navy Porter stood in front of Vance's desk; with his office fully secure from eavesdroppers and other potential threats, they got down to business.

First topic of discussion: what to do with the alternate world's Acting Director of NCIS, Riley McAllister.

"I've spoken with Drs. Getz and Wolf - and read their reports - and both agree that the man is fully mentally unstable and paranoid," Vance said to Secretary Porter. "I can appreciate the circumstances that may have driven him to that point. Nevertheless, I cannot have him anywhere in or near my chain of command."

"Okay," Porter replied. "I agree with their assessment. And yours."

That surprised Vance, though he kept his neutral disposition. He didn't like showing emotion, appropriate or not. "Secretary, I'm...pleased...you agree-"

"And a little surprised," Porter replied. "You thought I'd argue the merits of giving him a position. Even as Assistant Director of Something Or Another With No Real Power To Speak Of."

Vance chuckled. "I admit, I did," he admitted. "Why do you agree with their assessment?"

"The man is certifable," Porter said. "President-In-Exile White said as much himself. That's enough to keep him from a position, but not my main concern."

"What is your primary concern, then?" Vance asked.

"The President-In-Exile, and his staff members and top military officers who knew McAllister from before their Third World War told me some rather disturbing facts about him," Porter replied. "Driven. Bitter. Held grudges and took them out on people. Paranoid, driven to concoct unbelievable stories about other agents."

"Like Gibbs-his Gibbs," Vance followed.

"And others," Porter continued. "President Santos said he would go with President White's recommendation to assign McAllister to the Camp David Complex, and pay him as a cabinet member. With no authority whatsoever other than to go to the head and vending machine on his own and sleep without an agent in his bedroom."

"And that is where Mr. McAllister will be left?" Vance said.

"Not at all," Porter told Vance. "We'll have FBI agents watching him like a hawk, to make sure he doesn't pull anything."

"I'm headed back to Bethesda to check on our people," Vance said. "I understand you've read my memo regarding the families."

Porter pulled out her smartphone and called up the file. "I have," she said, nodding. "I agree with your choice, and Dr. Cranston's observations could give us another, helpful, point of view...although you realize we can't truly use them objectively, given how close she will be to the situation."

"I realize that," Vance said, opening his briefcase and looking for a folder. "I've known Dr. Cranston long enough that her observations - as biased as they will be - will be helpful. And go a long way in regards to reading in the other families."

"Subject to someone high above both of our pay grades," Porter cautioned. "I had to lobby Josh Lyman hard to get approval for Dr. Cranston."

"And you can tell Mr. Lyman neither he nor his boss will be disappointed," Vance followed. "I have that much confidence in Dr. Cranston. Speaking of, may I?"

"By all means," Porter said, and Vance pushed a button on his desk phone. "Agent Borin. Please bring Dr. Cranston with you...yes, directly to my office...thank you." Then Vance dialed his cell phone. "Agent Dorneget? I trust you and Agent Todd have had a good lunch?...good...that's good, Agent Dorneget. Please bring her to my office's reception area immediately, then follow up on Agent Borin's project."

Fifteen minutes later

Vance and Porter gave Dr. Cranston the 'cliffs notes' version of events, and followed up with top-secret files and photos.

"This is...rather difficult to accept," Rachel told them. "Unbelievable, in fact."

"Not the first time someone has uttered that particular word," Vance replied. "I assure you, Dr. Cranston, this is no joke...not even one of Dr. Ryan's 'mind games'."

Porter, noting Rachel's confusion and discomfort, walked over and put a supportive hand on her arm. "Take as much time as you need," she said, softly. "What we're explaining to you is unprecedented - and very extraordinary...and is real."

Cranston looked through the files, and photos, again, then eyed a folder on Vance's desk.

"May I see that particular file, again, Director?" she asked him; he nodded, and handed it to her. She leafed through the photos of each of the so-called 'doppelganger' team, one by one, beginning with its Agent Gibbs.

"They're...so young," Rachel said, leafing through until arriving at the last one.

"Caitlin Rose Todd," she said, grabbing a tissue and dabbing her eyes, before looking up at Vance, Porter and Borin. "Is this ... this is true?"

"She's outside, waiting," Porter replied. "She can't hear a thing in here right now, until Director Vance removes his office from secure mode."

"There's a million things swimming through my mind right now," Rachel blurted, before taking a few moments to compose herself, then looking at Porter. "I'd like to see her, if that's okay."

"It is okay," Porter added, and Vance punched a few buttons, lifting the secure shutdown mode the office had been in since Rachel entered. "Clarice," he said, pushing a button on his desk phone which went to his secretary. "Please tell Agent Todd to join us."

Eight seconds later, the door opened, and a young woman confidently entered, looking at Vance, Porter and Borin - then freezing in place after seeing Rachel.

"Dr. Cranston," Porter said, smiling. "This is Agent Kate Todd - the doppelganger of your sister...and Agent Todd. This is Dr. Rachel Cranston - the doppelganger of your own sister."

Both altKate and Rachel stood, silently, trying to believe the unbelievable.

Rachel was the first to make a move.

"Hello," she said, walking to Kate, stretching out her hands. "I'm Rachel."

"And I'm Kate," said altKate, pushing out memories of a last phone call with her sister, sirens blaring in the background, eight 'I love you's given and seven and a half 'I love you's given in return, followed by a terrible silence - and her sobbing in Abby's tight embrace.

"If you would like, ladies," Vance said, breaking the silence, "we will give you the conference room, in privacy, as long as you need."

Both women seemed uncertain, and curious.

"I would like that," Rachel finally said. "If Agent Todd does."

"I'd...like that as well," altKate added.

Third floor, NCIS
The bullpen of the Washington Major Case Response Team
The desk of Acting Special Agent In Charge Abigail Borin

"Have Dorneget keep an eye on them," Vance said to Borin, who worked from agent Gibbs' desk; even now, his desk had been left untouched, except for regular cleaning. Borin added a few of her personal belongings, but otherwise treated the desk as if she was a temporary occupant.

"Not a problem," Borin said. "I'll have Omagi and Grady help...I'd do it myself, but I've got to get to Quantico to give my assessment of Agent Todd's teammates."

"If you don't mind, Agent Borin, I'll join you," Vance said. "I want to see first-hand how they're doing in their accelerated course. Ride's on me."

"Four weeks," Borin said, grabbing her gear, and they both walked towards the back elevator. "Federal Law Enforcement Training accelerated course. At least they don't have to go down to Georgia."

"They know most of it already," Vance said, as the elevator doors opened and both stepped inside for the short trip down. "Accelerated FLET-C will get them on the same page as our own agents."

Somewhere in West Virginia

It took 45 minutes to go through the back roads, and two hours for the FBI to set up a string of relays allowing for cell phone coverage in an area that none of the civilian communications companies had bothered to provide access for.

The federal agents comprising Team Alpha, supported by SEAL and Delta Force teams, had eyes on the targets, who set up shop in a shack in the thickest part of a forest.

"They say forest, I say woods," said the team's leader, Steve McGarrett.

"Thought they didn't have woods in Hawaii," said Team Alpha's second-in command, Harmon Rabb, who winced after putting his knee wrongly on a rock. "Dammit...I'm getting too old for this crap."

"You got some miles left in you and you know it, Commander," McGarrett said. His cell phone buzzed.

"McGarrett."

"Got confirmation," said Team Alpha member John Reese. "Vaughn and Werth do as well...check your phone."

Ten seconds later, a series of .gif files appeared in McGarrett's email app; he and Rabb looked over two in particular.

"That's Haswari on the left," McGarrett said of one photo, then swiped for another. "And that's Haswari and Janvier."

"Gentlemen, we got confirmation," Rabb said into his phone, communicating with the SEAL and Delta Force team leaders. "Stand by to move in on Alpha One's signal."

Two minutes went by, long enough for McGarrett to make sure his team and its support were fully in place.

"Ready to snap the ball?" Rabb said to him.

"I was a quarterback in high school, remember?" McGarrett answered Rabb. "Yeah, I'm ready...everyone. Omaha. Blitz. Red One. Blue Beta. Green Triple.

"Hike."

Chapter Text

Chapter 7

March 13, 2014

PRIME reality

west of Baker, West Virginia, a mile south of Old Highway 55

Officially, no local would ever know the reason that the West Virginia National Guard and State Police put part of the region on lockdown - including the town of Baker.

Unofficially, the rumors started to fly as soon as a local conspiracy theorist spotted men in black suits climbing out of a state police patrol car; an idea from a NSA agent led to the governor going on area radio, announcing the state was participating with "federal agencies" on counterterrorist operations.

Keeping a lid on the firefight going down between the real counterterrorist task force Team Alpha and a group of otherworldly Soviet special forces, in the forest between Baker and Interstate 81, was someone else's problem.

Team Alpha's was navigating that firefight to secure its targets.

In the end, the good guys overwhelmed the bad guys, although all of the Spetsnaz agents had to be killed to secure the primary targets.

Team Alpha leader Steve McGarrett personally found one of the two targets, and Ari Haswari - specifically, the one from the alternate reality - was willing to give himself up.

McGarrett read up on every piece of intelligence about the Prime universe's Haswari that the FBI, NCIS, CIA and Mossad could provide, and spoke at length with the terrorist's sister, Ziva David.

So, when McGarrett and four Delta Force members stormed the bedroom where Haswari awaited them, McGarrett was expecting Haswari's alternate to go down shooting.

His hands-up, surrender posture momentarily surprised the Hawaii Five-0 leader. Haswari's Cheshire Cat smile-bordering-on-cockiness - and the arrogance in his eyes - kept McGarrett from letting himself be thrown off guard.

"Secure him," McGarrett ordered two of the SEALs, who proceeded to handcuff and secure the terrorist, who maintained eye contact with McGarrett.

"You must be one of the local agents," altHaswari finally said, with a cocky smile.

You're no bin Laden, McGarrett thought, maintaining eye contact. The al-Qaida leader hid behind women shortly before his death; altHaswari, in contrast, was cocky as hell, like he knew the task force was coming for him.

"May I ask your name?" altHaswari asked, just slightly grimacing from the very tight and very thorough bonds the SEALs secured him with. "I like to be acquainted with the men who pursue me."

"Lt. Commander McGarrett, United States Navy," said the Team Alpha leader. "Ari Haswari, you are under arrest for crimes against the United States of America."

After hearing the charges against him, Haswari looked out the entrance to the bedroom, and back at McGarrett.

"May I ask how Jethro and Caitlin are doing, and their family? The war must have been hard on them. I am certain Jethro is trying his best to comfort her, though he'll fail. I'm the only one who can, although my method is rather...final."

Haswari smiled broadly, and his eyes were pure evil.

"Get this son of a bitch outta here!" McGarrett barked, as the SEALs dragged the terrorist out of the bedroom, and house, like a dog.

As soon as they got outside, McGarrett spotted Cmdr. Rabb and Acting Agent Reese with the other target, serial killer Marcel Janvier.

Unlike altHaswari, the so-called Chameleon - who was very much a resident of the PRIME reality - was quiet and, judging from his eyes, uncertain.

Janvier was known to be a sociopath who cared only about two things: money and killing NCIS agent G Callen. Janvier could disguise himself as anyone - hence his moniker - and was extremely intelligent. Janvier manipulated people and situations like pieces on a chess board, and often got the upper hand on his opponents by thinking several steps ahead of them.

That's how the American intelligence community thought Haswari was able to capture the PRIME universe's Washington Major Case Response Team and the L.A. Special Ops team sent in to rescue them. Janvier outsmarted Leroy Jethro Gibbs, then Henrietta Lange, and G Callen.

Certainly, it would not be above Janvier to have himself and his accomplice be captured.

Or would it?

McGarrett and Rabb attempted to read Janvier's eyes and face, as the Chameleon sat on a large rock, securely bound, three Delta Force members aiming their weapons right at his skull.

"That one's hard to get a read on," Rabb admitted, as he and McGarrett looked on from a short distance. "He's hiding something."

"Maybe," McGarrett said in a low voice, hand over his mouth. "He didn't expect to be captured this soon, in this manner...he thought he and Haswari would escape."

"How can you tell?" Rabb asked.

"His eyes," McGarrett replied. "He's a chess player. He likes to set up the board, move the pieces, know what moves his opponents will make. Here, he got caught, maybe he couldn't quite control Haswari, or he can't control the full force of the government."

"You think he's reassessing his situation, so he can get back in control?" Rabb.

"Or thinking about making a deal," McGarrett added. "Get himself back on more familiar turf, so he can move the pieces."

"Both of these guys...concern me, McGarrett," Rabb said. "I can't think for the life of me why the government wants them alive. Both of them ought to be shot, to put them out of our misery."

"They don't scare me, Rabb," McGarrett replied. "But you gotta stay on top of them, and not let either get the upper hand."

Quantico, Virginia

U.S. Marine Corps Base

Russell Knox Building

Federal Law Enforcement Training Center Temporary Field Office

Dr. Rachel Cranston couldn't help but use her observational skills to evaluate the doppelganger team, and their Prime universe instructors.

For the doppelgangers, this was Rachel's chance to step back in time and see how Team Gibbs operated when her sister was alive. Everything she saw was consistent with what Kate had told her years ago about her boss and her teammates, even with the element of Ziva added in.

Rachel did notice that altKate tended to gravitate towards altTony, though she worked well with all the doppelgangers.

AltGibbs, altAbby, altMcGee, altDucky and particularly altTony were as her own sister described their counterparts nine and ten years ago. AltTony cut up constantly, altMcGee looked wide-eyed at times, and altGibbs was...cranky? Curmudgeonly?

He certain administered his share of head slaps, all to altTony. AltKate got in a few elbows as well, but altTony always bounced right back from an elbow or headslap with another joke, observation.

AltZiva reacted to everyone, bantering with altTony when he wasn't badgering altKate; interestingly to Rachel, she tended to stick with altMcGee, and actually seemed to be training him.

Maybe the kid appreciated someone treating him like an agent and not like a punching bag.

Rachel watched as the doppelgangers took turns at the shooting range. AltGibbs ordered each of his people to put their personal items above the bullseye on their respective targets.

Vance, there to observe for his own reasons, told altGibbs that wouldn't be allowed, and for a few moments both men had a standoff of sorts.

AltGibbs smirked, and walked to his own spot, glaring at the director all the way.

"Agent McGee," Vance shouted. "You'll be first."

AltMcGee was perfect.

"Damn, Probie!" altTony yelled. "I'm impressed. Just remember, what I said, and you'll score with that chick in reception-"

SMACK!

Rachel had no idea where altGibbs came from, but there he was, delivering the 20th slap of the afternoon to the back of altTony's head.

"Sorry boss," he replied, and Rachel took another moment to observe the doppelgangers as altZiva lined up for her shots, and the dynamic between Vance and altGibbs.

"Interesting," Rachel said softly to herself, not noticing the man sliding up right alongside her.

"Doesn't look like those two mix too well," said the man, surprising Rachel.

She turned around, and saw Gibbs' former boss, Mike Franks. Who was supposed to be dead.

"I'm with them," the man replied, thumbing towards the doppelgangers. "The other me's in the ground, from what I hear." Both people introduced themselves, and altFranks explained why he wasn't out there on the range.

"Your director doesn't know quite what to do with me," he explained. "I'm supposed to be retired. Was, until the Russians flexed their muscles, and Gibbs asked me to get the hell out of Mexico."

"He added you to his team?" Rachel asked.

"As an advisor," altFranks continued. "The moment the Russians flew over the Korean DMZ, Morrow gave me back my gun and badge. Told me to watch Gibbs, make sure he didn't do something crazy...watching what happened to Diane...and what happened to his dad with him stuck in D.C., was hard as hell on the man."

Rachel filed that bit of information away, opting to pry into it at a later time.

"You look like you're not ready to ride off into the sunset just yet, Mr. Franks," Rachel said, with a smile.

"Trust me, lady, I was ready for retirement a long time ago," altFranks chuckled. "I've still got Baja on my mind. Looks like I'm gonna be here awhile, with them, till they figure out what to do with us."

Rachel sat with altFranks in silence, figuring the man had said his peace for the day, and she wasn't there to do an eval.

Russell Knox Complex, Building D

FLET-C Medical Training Center

The "training center", like the rest of the FLET-C complex, was put together well, and very much a temporary fixture; when the doppelganger team completed their training, the Quantico FLET-C would be dismantled, and reevaluated for future usage.

In Building D, the doppelgangers of Drs. Donald "Ducky" Mallard and Jeanne Benoit and their assistant, Jimmy Palmer, were being evaluated for their proficiency in the field.

The evaluators gave each their highest grades and were particularly surprised by Palmer, who graded higher than his expected level of training and performance.

"Drs. Mallard and Benoit trained me well," the young man said, modestly.

The evaluators also noted how quiet the alternate Palmer was - his Prime counterpart tended to ramble endlessly in his early days with the MCRT. This Palmer only spoke when spoken to, or to offer a pertinent point.

Such as when his mentor, the alternate Ducky, offered his thanks to he and the alternate Dr. Benoit after each received their grades.

"I believe we can help this agency now," altPalmer said forthrightly. "I'm ready. I hate sitting around, waiting."

"As do we, Mr. Palmer," replied altDucky, whom evaluators noted was the same as his PRIME counterpart. "Be that as it may, we cannot insert ourselves into the field, in a world we have barely learned about. Patience, in this instance, truly is a virtue."

"I have to agree with Ducky," altJeanne added. "I'm itching to get out there, too. I guess they have good reasons to make us go through this training, to make sure we're ready for their world."

AltPalmer nodded, and went back to reviewing his assessment.

AltDucky knew a big reason their team was being held back was that the agency was determining how best to integrate them into their new world.

He also had been told the agency - Vance - wanted everyone to be prepared for all contingencies in regards to a potential meeting with altJeanne's counterpart.

The Prime Jeanne Benoit had put the episode involving herself and Agent DiNozzo behind her, but was still angry over it.

Vance wanted to know how she'd react to Dr. Benoit's doppelganger, and friendship with the alternate DiNozzo, before releasing altJeanne to the public.

Russell Knox Complex

Reception Room B, outside the FLET-C shooting range

After altFranks left her company to join his comrades, Rachel made her way to the vending machines. She realized a Snickers bar wasn't good for her, but she put the dollar in the machine anyway and pushed the buttons for it.

After grabbing the candy bar, she stepped over to the coffee machine, wondering if she should walk the 40 yards to the building's cafe instead and get some real coffee.

Walk will do me good, especially after eating this thing, Rachel thought.

"Mind some company?" she heard from behind her; she turned around, looked hard, and determined it was the alternate Gibbs. Her own Gibbs wasn't ready to get out of the hospital this quickly.

"Not at all," Rachel replied. "I'm going to the cafe, for some coffee."

"Gotta be better than what's in that machine," altGibbs replied. "I'll buy. My treat."

"Thank you, but let it be on me," Rachel offered, only for altGibbs to hold his palm up. "I insist," he said, and she nodded, as they began their walk to the cafe outside the building's courtyard.

Rachel decided to make small talk, and learn what she could from light conversation with this man who was both familiar and a complete stranger. She realized he was doing the same with her, and also that altGibbs seemed to enjoy her company.

She looked in his eyes as they talked about the weather, and saw a deep sadness in his eyes.

What on earth has this man endured, Rachel thought.

Chapter Text

Chapter 8

March 19

Bethesda Naval Hospital

Tony DiNozzo and Tony DiNozzo were having dinner in a hospital room, with Ziva David looking on and occasionally contributing to the conversation.

"A bad joke in the making?" said the 'prime universe' Tony, who laid in his bed while eating Chinese take out.

"Dunno," said the 'alternate universe' Tony, who brought in the take out. "I don't really see the punchline."

"Perhaps there is no punchline to be had," said Ziva, also from the prime universe; her doppelganger was somewhere else in the hospital, probably in its gymnasium. "You are two men, two brothers, two friends, enjoying dinner with another friend."

Prime Tony looked at Prime Ziva and smiled. Man am I glad you're back, he thought.

"Sounds alright," said altTony. "My Dinner with Andre. 1981, Wallace Shawn, Andre Gregory, discussing deep issues of life over dinner in 110 minutes. Interesting movie, actually, though don't tell Kate and Ziva - the other Ziva - and Probie I said that. Not worth the trouble convincing them my film interests run pretty deep."

"I can relate," Prime Tony replied. "Try them, anyway. You'd be surprised. Had Tim come over and watch some David Lynch films - Mulholland Drive-"

"The Matrix?...No. The Wachowskis, not Lynch," altTony corrected himself. "Still, keeping on our original topic. Movies with doppelgangers...Matrix doesn't count, unless you want to compare us to the guys in the black suits."

"Also, only counts if we were in a simulation, which we're not." Prime Tony finished the last of his orange chicken dish. "As far as I know we're not hooked up to a supercomputer. We're in a reality. Two realities, to be precise. Not in the same place...guess my brain's fried after...recent events."

altTony smiled, not wanting to stir that pot any more than he had to. He wondered which subject he should switch to.

"I know a...comrade in Mossad. She is a science fiction enthusiast," Prime Ziva interjected. "I am certain she could find a film, or television program, or a novel that applies to our...unique situation."

"Or we could ask our Probies," alt Tony said.

"We all know what's gone down," Prime Tony added. "Two universes. Another Ari wreaking havoc in my own. The Abduction. You guys showing up, Kate's included, that being a separate thing and a big deal that's gonna raise a whole bunch of issues in and of itself. Two mes - two you's to you - two of her, two McGees, two Abbys, two Duckys, two Palmers, another Kate. And let's not forget Mike Franks."

And the Jeanne Benoit who showed up with you, Prime Tony thought. Talk about memories.

Ziva smiled; altTony chuckled. "Oh no, can't forget Mike Franks. I know I can't."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Prime Ziva asked, curious and nosy and intrigued.

"Only if you want to talk about Jeanne," altTony replied, looking at Tony. "Heard things."

"Not a conversation I care to get into...right now," Prime Tony shot back. So much to say about that hornet's nest, and the conversation would probably drain him enough right now to keep him asleep two or three days.

"I understand," altTony said, thinking he needed to change the subject now. And he had the perfect topic. "You said you and your McGee get along great now?"

"Absolutely," Prime Tony said. "Tim's come a long way. He's a great field agent, smart, resourceful, tough-"

"And you're about to say my Probie is the same way, has the same potential," altTony added.

"Yeah," Prime Tony replied. "I hope you're treating him good...better than I did."

altTony winced; Prime Ziva looked at Prime Tony, as if to say 'do you want to have that conversation with him now?'

"I meant nothing but the best," Prime Tony continued. "But I hazed him a lot, and hazed him pretty harshly. That started to change after Kate's death, though it took time to go from me being an ass to us being friends. There were plenty of times he stood up to me, even challenged me, too."

"My Probie's done the same thing," altTony replied. "I pushed him hard, tried to toughen him up, falling back on how we dealt with freshmen in the locker room and rookies on the force. There was one time - right after Ari kidnapped Kate and we rescued her - when I superglued McGee's keyboard. Whoa-ho-ho...still makes me chuckle, despite myself."

"I remember the superglue thing all too well," Prime Tony said, smiling...then wincing as altTony continued his story. He superglued altMcGee's keyboard. And desk. And computer. And along the edges of his desk drawers. And the seat of his chair and the bottom of its legs, and all this right before one of the Joint Chiefs came to the Navy Yard to visit the Director.

"Damn," Prime Tony could only reply.

"Gets worse," altTony continued, now blushing and no longer smiling. "Right after we got him out of his clothes - he wore boxers by the way - I went down to the evidence room. And told the girls there McGee loved men."

"And you thought that was hilarious?" Prime Ziva said, indignantly. "Where is this going? Tim is our friend. We would never do that to him."

"Actually, Ziva...I did the same thing," Prime Tony said, embarrassed at what he did to Prime McGee. "But, my alternate DiNozzo, Ziva has a point. What are you getting at?"

"What I'm getting at," he said, matter of fact, "is that Probie had balls I didn't know he had."

altMcGee went down to evidence, thinking Gibbs sent him to pick up the handlebars from the motorcycle Ari abandoned at the rescue site. The girls asked him if he was gay - then told him what Tony had done. And, together, they came up with a plan to get back at him.

The next day, Tim brought an "old friend from MIT" on a visit who instantly took a liking to Tony. Then Abby came up with two of her "old friends" who also took a liking to Tony.

"These were big guys, built like linebackers or WWF superstars," altTony continued. "They grabbed me by the hand, and took me on a tour of the Yard, doting on me...then they hung out the rest of the day. Boss didn't notice a damn thing, though I know he did. Kate couldn't peel her eyes off the spectacle, Ziva was chuckling, and I know Probie was enjoying the whole thing."

altTony laid back, smiling at the memory. "We ended up, all going out to some gay bar that Abby went to every so often, had a great time," he added. "A couple of guys asked Probie if I was available...all he did was laugh and say 'ask him yourself'. Which they did...my respect for Probie shot through the roof afterwards."

"Because he stood up to your pranks," Ziva stated.

"Yeah," altTony added. "That, and how he performed in the field afterwards...you don't need to tell me he's got potential. I've seen him realize it already, and he's gonna be great, probably end up the best of us."

"Here's to Tim," Prime Tony said, holding up his can of cola. "Both of them."

"Here's to family," altTony added, raising his own can of soda to the other Tony's.

"To health, to family, to life," Ziva concluded, raising her coffee cup. "The only things that truly matter."

Soda cans and coffee cup touched, in a toast.

"I don't know about you two, but the cable TV here sucks," Prime Tony said. "If I see another Army CID rerun I'm gonna lose my mind...Jayne Brook's no Hollis Mann, I'll tell you that right now."

Prime Tony got out of his bed, and put on his slippers and the burgundy bath robe his father FedExed to his room.

"Who's Hollis Mann?" altTony said, standing up to stretch.

"A real person, not an actress," Ziva told him. "A former Army CID Lieutenant Colonel, now attached to the Department of Defense."

"And she has a history with our team," Prime Tony added. "And one Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

"Now that's a story I want to hear," alt Tony told them.

"Maybe after we do the hospital crawl," Prime Tony replied, making his way to the door. "You guys coming? Or do you really want to check out 'Fast Food Kings' on the Reality Channel?"

"Right behind you, my brother," altTony said.

"Pride's already having an affect on you," Prime Tony said, referring to the NCIS agent from the New Orleans field office who stopped by to visit earlier that afternoon.

"I am right behind you," Ziva said. "Someone has to keep you two out of trouble." With that, the three headed down the hallway, towards Leroy Jethro Gibbs' room.

Navy Yard

NCIS Headquarters

"So much for your mystery, Madame Secretary. Up to 400,000 new Americans, all looking to get the hell out of a radioactive hellhole."

Director Leon Vance looked at a map of the alternate United States. Hundreds of black dots representing nuclear explosions, and almost all in red which represented radiation. "They really screwed the pooch, didn't they?"

"Those people didn't," Secretary Sarah Porter reminded Vance. "That's the enemy's fault."

"This whole thing has a lot of people on edge, including the Russians. They may not be our best friends but they don't want old-school Soviets kicking them out of their Kremlin to start World War III," Vance added.

"And nobody wants the bombs to start flying here," Porter said. "Nor over there."

"So we take in the survivors, find the outliers, and move forward," Vance said. "Or is there something else?"

"More than something," Porter replied, sitting down at the meeting table next to Vance's desk. "There're plenty of questions our people have and they're looking for answers. One of them is very close to home, Leon. The doubles of your Major Case Response Team. Why are they here?"

"We've heard the explanation from the team, their Gibbs, and McAllister," Vance said, sitting across from Porter. "Seems like they were in the right place, right time."

"But why them?" Porter took a drink of sparkling water from her glass. "They shouldn't have been on any evac list, not even NCIS. They should've stayed to defend the director and assistant directors."

"Maybe Tom Morrow wanted Gibbs and his team to have a chance to survive," Vance retorted.

"Gibbs got out before McAllister, who was the acting director," Porter said. "SecDef and the Joint Chiefs are...curious about that. And want you to look into it, to see if their escape was on the up-and-up..."

"...or not," Vance followed. "They want to know why a group of mere federal agents, and not someone more worthy, like a Congressperson or officer, or lobbyist or other more influential person, made it over."

Vance's glared, and sarcastic tone, signalled whom he sympathized with.

"That's exactly it," Porter said candidly. "Why them. I know your history with the McAllister from this world, I know the other McAllister shares a similar history up through his 2005, and I know you don't like him and he doesn't like you. He's not the only one asking the question, Leon."

"But he's probably putting it in people's heads, Madame Secretary."

"Nevertheless...the question is being asked and demands an answer, Leon. And I want that answer, quickly."

Bethesda Naval Hospital

Both Tonys knew their respective Gibbses to retreat to the basement of their homes when thinking through a work-related problem, or as relaxation on a rare day off.

Although the Prime Leroy Jethro Gibbs's recuperation was way ahead of schedule, he wasn't yet cleared to leave the hospital. So he turned his room into a basement of sorts.

He had Vance bring in a workbench, where he proceeded to build model boats, one after another. All were small enough to be carried out by hand, and easily fit through the doorway. In fact, Gibbs was building another model boat, now.

It seemed like that's all he did, other than visiting the other agents, since the workbench was installed in his room.

"Hey boss," Prime Tony said as he walked in, followed by Prime Ziva and altTony. "Building another boat?"

"Yeah, DiNozzo," Prime Gibbs said, not turning to face them. Both Tonys and Ziva were thankful Gibbs wore his NIS T-shirt and sweatpants instead of a hospital gown.

"At least we know how these boats get out of the room," altTony added. "Gotta tell us sometime, Gibbs, how you got those boats out of your basement. Since my boss won't tell me-"

Gibbs turned around, and stared at altTony.

"-I figured maybe you would-"

"Make you wait to find out, DiNozzo?" Gibbs added, with a smirk. "Both of you."

Prime Tony sat down in one of the chairs beneath the TV set, Prime Ziva and altTony joining him.

"Check on everyone else yet, Tony?" Prime Gibbs asked his long-time senior field agent.

"About to do the 'Bethesda crawl' for the second time today," Prime Tony answered. "They're all awake, even Henrietta Lange. As you know, she and Ducky are pretty bad off, they sleep most of the time. Hanna's been using a walker since yesterday morning. Blye and Callen are itching to get outta here. So is Deeks. Beale won't respond to my jokes, although Assistant Director Granger seems annoyed at my humor. Wonder if 'spare funny bone' is included in his medical plan-"

"Tony. Ziva," Gibbs interjected. "How's our team?"

"Abby seems to be herself-" Ziva.

"-with the pigtails-" Tony.

"-and is asking questions, about how well the others are doing-" Ziva.

"-when Kate can come hang out-" altTony.

"-when she gets to meet her own counterpart - and why she looks like Joan Jett." Prime Tony.

"I have questions about the pigtails and the whole Goth thing." altTony.

"DiNozzos," Gibbs interjected, annoyed.

"Sorry boss," both said in unison.

"Palmer. Bishop," Gibbs.

"Palmer is...hyper," Ziva said. "He asked me about my, ah, extended leave which I could not answer-"

Or won't, Prime Tony thought.

"-then excitedly chatted about every subject under the sun related to the hospital, the food. He is asking questions about Breena, and the adoption."

"I'll talk to Vance and see about getting the families in here tomorrow," Gibbs said.

"Gibbs," altTony said. "My boss says Vance told him the families are in town, trying to get them read in by tomorrow."

"Sounds like Leon's doing his part to cut through the red tape," Gibbs said. "How's Ellie."

"Ellie Bishop - she's our new Probie," - Prime Tony said to altTony and Ziva - "quiet. Real quiet. Gets out of bed, sits in a chair, walks around. Doesn't say very much. And she's not sitting Indian-style on her bed or the floor or the table. Eats whatever they put on her tray without question. Ziva snuck in a Snickers bar, we offered it to her, she politely declined."

"Let me handle Ellie," Gibbs counselled Prime Tony. "You guys. Go check on everyone else. Me and Ziva have some catching up to do."

"On it, boss," Prime Tony said, with altTony nodding and following him out the door, shutting it behind him.

"Gibbs," Ziva said, sitting in her chair.

"See Leon gave you your badge back," Gibbs replied. "Nice to see you back. Hope it's permanent."

"Thank you Gibbs. And yes, I believe it is permanent."

"Got a lot to talk about," Gibbs told her. This was their first face-to-face since she left America for Israel, after resigning. "Eli. Bodnar. Parsons, Israel. That Ari. The Abduction...Tony."

"There are some things I am not yet ready to discuss with anyone," Ziva quietly said. "Yet. Not even with you. Or Tony."

"May have to before you think you are," Gibbs said.

Both sat in comfortable silence, Gibbs getting up to work on his model boat, Ziva watching in silence.

Down the hallway, both Tonys departed the "Washington wing" of the floor and entered what was informally known as the "LA Wing".

They didn't get far before being spotted by Marty Deeks, officially still the Los Angeles Police Department's liaison to NCIS.

Deeks, Prime Tony noticed, was the most resilient of the Los Angeles Office of Special Projects team and probably would get back into fieldwork before Tony himself.

"Tony, my brothas," Deeks said, greeting both men with a hug.

"Deeks, my brotha," Prime Tony replied; though none of the agents had talked much about what happened during the Abduction, NCIS's psych evaluators noted that Deeks and DiNozzo were like close brothers.

"One of the best things about today? That Dwayne Pride guy showing up," Deeks continued. "'Hello my brother' is going to be my greeting from now on. I'm stealing that for myself but don't tell him that."

"Can't steal what's already been stolen-waitasec. You can...we stole it," altTony added.

"We gotta go on a road trip, definitely the three of us, bring in both McGees, both Palmers, that Getz guy-" Prime Tony.

"-gotta bring Nate, and don't forget Eric," Deeks continued. "And Monty. I got the perfect destination, too."

"New Orleans?" altTony asked. "French Quarter. Mardi Gras. Best spring break trip ever!"

"Not a bad destination, my brother," Deeks answered. "I was thinking, however, of Oahu. Plenty of sun, some of the best surfing outside California and the most gorgeous beaches and ladies you'll see, again, outside California."

Neither Tony answered, though both reacted, interested and amused, to the person behind Deeks, who noticed someone's presence.

"Loretta, I know you're the head nurse, I know you're a black belt, but I am cleared not just to walk, but to go above and beyond. In fact, it is unhealthy for me to lay in that bed any longer than I have to, and I'll tell you what I told you this morning. I am going to sprint from here down to the other end of that hallway by the end of this week. Next week I am going to run circles around Bethesda-"

"You've already got me climbing the walls, Deeks," he heard the woman say, as both Tonys grinned and chuckled.

Kensi Blye - Deeks' partner in the field - stood there with her arms crossed, looking coyly at him, and amused at his antics.

"You're doing good so far," she said, taking her fingertip and tracing a line from his nose to his chest. "But you're not going to run circles around Bethesda that soon - and I think your little bromance road trip is a long ways off."

"First off, it's not a 'bromance'. It's guys, buddies, brothers from other mothers-"

"That what you call it, fine by me. I'm not here to judge you, Sven."

"Nothing to judge, Fern. Nothing wrong with taking a guys-only road trip...you jealous?"

"Moi? Jealous? Of what? A bunch of bro-men going on pub crawls?"

Both Tonys looked on, intently, very much enjoying the banter.

"Breaking Rule 12, are they, my brother?" altTony whispered.

"They have a thing...their thing. A complicated thing," Prime Tony replied.

"A thing." altTony.

"Complicated."

"Uh huh."

A minute later, the 'Densi' banter was interrupted, as the LA team's Special Agent in Charge, G Callen, walked into the hallway.

The one guy on their team I can't quite get a read on, thought Prime Tony.

"What's up, G?" Kensi.

"How're you doing, Callen?" Prime Tony.

"Fine," Callen replied.

"How's Hetty?" Deeks asked; Callen was the only one of the LA team who had visited the Operations Manager's room since their arrival at Bethesda.

"About the same," Callen said, his voice trailing off. "She's a fighter."

"Yes she is," Deeks added.

"Just like Ducky," Prime Tony said. "They'll both be up, chasing bad guys and bossing around autopsy gremlins and flip-flop wearing techies before you know it."

Callen wasn't going to tell them yet what Ducky's alternate counterpart confided to him and Granger.

"'The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak'," altTony stated, to the surprise of the others. "I overheard Ducky talking with Granger...great leader you guys have there, Callen. Mr. Fun and Barrel of Laughs."

"Granger, Mr. Fun. Don't we know it," Deeks added before correcting altTony. "Granger's not our leader. It's Hetty."

"I stand corrected," altTony replied.

"How's Hanna?" Prime Tony asked.

"Sam's...struggling," Callen said. "Wants to ditch that walker and beat the hell of Janvier and Haswari."

"Between what those two did to him...and Sidorov to him last year...Sam's having a rough time, physically," Kensi said.

"He's a warrior. He'll be back," added Deeks, who was with Hanna when Isaak Sidorov captured them and tortured them. "They tried to break his body. They didn't break him."

Callen, Prime Tony observed, didn't react. Same poker face he had when Other Ari and the Chameleon and their Spetsnaz friends were...doing what they did to us.

"I'm going to check on Nell," Kensi said of the team's intelligence analyst - and Hetty's understudy - Nell Jones, who was asleep. "I still can't imagine what this has done to her mentally."

"Rachel - Kate's sister - said Nell was trying to fight her way out," Prime Tony said. "Said we'll have to show her the way out and help her as much as we can."

"I'll go check on Eric," Deeks said. "We need to help him out of that Christian Bale brooding Bruce Wayne thing, too. Doesn't really suit him. Need to get Nate on that, G."

"You know Beale's getting to be best buds with Mike Franks, of all people?" altTony said. "You might be surprised. He's a pretty good listener."

"Think we all need to start winding down," Callen interjected. "Tomorrow's a big day."

"We're getting out?" Deeks.

"We all wish," Prime Tony.

Callen said one word.

"Family."

Chapter Text

Chapter 9

March 26

Bethesda Naval Hospital

Nell Jones had not said a word all day.

Her actions, and reactions, were more than sufficient to speak for her.

She woke up from her hospital bed, nodding and smiling at the nurses who attended to her.

Nell waved and smiled at and nodded to the others on their floor but wouldn't say a word, even when gently prodded by some of the others.

She spent parts of four hours at the bedside of her mentor, Hetty Lange, who slept the greatest part of the day. When Hetty did come to, she barely had the strength to do more than smile.

Leon Vance watched them from the doorway to Hetty's room.

She'll be ready for your job one day soon, Henrietta, Vance thought. Not right now, however.

Nell turned around, and saw the director of NCIS leaning against the door.

"Miss Jones," Vance said with a smile. "How are you feeling today?"

"Okay," said Nell, the first time she had spoken since last night.

"Everyone tells me the proverbial cat has your tongue," Vance continued. "Everything okay?"

"Sure," Nell said. "No problems."

"You tired? Sleepy?"

"No...no, director."

"Good," Vance said. "Two hours, after you've had lunch, you'll have some VIPs here to visit you."

"Oh?" Nell replied.

"Yes. Your family." Vance grinned. "It's the next step towards getting you out of here. See how you react to meeting with your real loved ones, whom we are debriefing now."

Nell's reaction changed instantly, from a reserved pleasantness to outright surprise, and then to joy. "You...you're saying my family is here?"

"Yes. Safe and sound," Vance added. "I told you Janvier lied to you."

Nell didn't notice the tears falling from her face, nor herself rushing to embrace the director, who put an arm of support around her shoulder.

Nearby, Hetty looked on at her protege, and grinned.

Bethesda Naval Hospital, Reception Room B

This was one of the largest reception areas available to patients in the complex. With the buffet spread, it was more than sufficent to house every one of the injured agents, their loved ones, and other pertinent parties.

The families of all of the agents - all the relatives and significant others who were healthy enough to travel - had perhaps the biggest reunion of their lives with their loved ones.

There were half a dozen Marines stationed inside the room, and a dozen more outside, along with a few psychologists watching the proceedings.

One of the psychologists - Nate Getz - made his way amongst the Los Angeles team members and their families, outnumbered by the Washington team and their relatives.

Deeks and Kensi hung together, going between the L.A. and Washington groups, the L.A. group consisting of the families of Nell, Sam Hanna and Eric Beale.

The Washington group included the families of Jimmy Palmer, Tim McGee, Tony DiNozzo, Abby Sciuto and Ellie Bishop, with Ziva David going back and forth.

Ziva chose for the moment to avoid the Todd family, having its own reunion in a corner of the room with the counterpart of the daughter and sister murdered by Ziva's brother nine years before.

It wouldn't last long. Rachel Cranston motioned for Ziva to come over, as did Kate. And Tony walked her over to make sure she didn't sneak out.

Kate was the only person from the alternate universe in the reception area.

All but two of the other alternates were in a separate room, preparing themselves to meet versions of their own, now-dead relatives.

Conference Room L

The two not there - Gibbs, the leader and his mentor, Mike Franks - were in a room on another floor with his counterpart, plus Vance, Secretary of the Navy Porter, Agent Callen and FBI Agent Fornell.

Riley McAllister's claims of shadiness and underhandness on part of the Gibbs team had, to altGibbs' and altFranks' chagrins, not been dismissed by authorities. The Secretary of Defense, the directors of the other federal intelligence agencies and the President himself wanted answers.

"The more that idiot opens his mouth the more people listen to him," Franks complained. "Haven't you gotten the message by now he's completely full of crap?"

SecNav Porter met Franks' - and Gibbs' - stares with one of her own.

"I realize Mr. McAllister's actions have disqualified him from any real position of authority within the agencies of any government-" Porter began.

"-for someone you think is on the same level as a conspiracy nut you're giving him a lot more credit than he deserves!" Franks spat back.

"Mike!" interjected the prime Gibbs, quieting down the cranky ex-NIS agent - the alternate of the one who died in Gibbs' arms a couple of years ago.

"Our scientists know who crossed over here and when," Porter continued. "We merely want to hear your version of events so we can check them against our records...our scientists, from here. Not ones from your government in exile."

"Not my 'government in exile'; I didn't vote for the bastards," Franks said as altGibbs shot a glare at his former boss.

"You got something to say, Probie?" altFranks grumbled.

"Yeah, Mike," altGibbs replied. "I'm the Special Agent in Charge. They wanna hear what happened. I'll tell 'em."

"It'd be nice," said the older Gibbs. "Abby's gonna bust in and drag us back downstairs if you don't."

Vance chuckled, as Porter shot him a look.

"Our gothic forensic analyst, and her Joan Jett appearing counterpart aside, gentlemen," Vance said, "we need to hear your side of the story, agent Gibbs."

"Just tell us what happened, agent Gibbs," Callen said to the younger Gibbs. "Just tell us the truth. No B.S."

The alternate Gibbs proceeded to tell the truth, as he saw it.

The alternate reality

Dec. 18, 2004A/Dec. 21, 2013P

Washington, D.C.

As Gibbs finished filling out paperwork on the team's latest case - finding a Petty Officer who went AWOL hiding in the corner of a 7-Eleven in Quantico - McGee watched ZNN.

The U.S. Navy sent more ships to the Sea of Japan in support of the Japanese and South Korean navies after 2,000 Soviet "advisors" landed on the North Korean side of the Korea Demilitarized Zone.

"What're you still here for, McGee?" Gibbs barked at him. "Go home, to the hotel, see your father and your sister."

Admiral McGee – Tim's father – Sarah – Tim's sister – and other relatives decided to stay at a hotel, under heavy guard, after 'suspicious personnel' were seen near the Admiral's home.

"Boss they're a few blocks down the street at the hotel. I need to be here-"

"Go to them, Tim."

Gibbs rarely called the probationary agent by his first name, and it threw the young man for a loop.

"McGee!" Gibbs barked again. "Go!...keep your phone on. I'll see you in the morning."

McGee nodded, and hurried to the elevator, taking him to the Humvee that would take him the four blocks to the hotel the McGee family was staying in.

Gibbs went up to MTAC, where Director Thomas Morrow gave him some sobering news: the Soviets were preparing a full land, sea and air invasion of South Korea. By tomorrow the conventional stage of the Third World War would begin.

Gibbs shook hands with Morrow, then left the Navy Yard, drove home with an escort, and began going through his house to gather necessities and mementos.

The boat he named Shannon & Kelly would not leave his basement.

Dec. 19A/Dec. 22P

As the team filed in to the squadroom, they saw McGee asleep at his desk, and Gibbs' things piled around his desk. Gibbs was nowhere to be seen.

"Perhaps Gibbs is downstairs with Abby and Caitlin," mused Ziva David, the team's liaison from Israel's Mossad agency.

"Or in the morgue with Ducky," said the team's senior field agent, Tony DiNozzo, who walked over to McGee's desk. "Just one week ago, one week, Ziva. I'd have superglued Probie to his desk."

"What is stopping you now?" Ziva asked. Things had changed drastically in the past seven days.

On McGee's desk was the folded, front section from the Dec. 17 Washington Post, with only a headline superimposed over a photo taken from a burning Bloomington, Indiana, of a mushroom cloud to the north.

'JUST LIKE THAT'

INDIANAPOLIS NUKED

100 MEGATON BOMB DETONATED

SOVIETS DENY INVOLVEMENT

US MILITARY NOW AT DEFCON 2

Tony, seeing one of McGee's manuscripts on the opposite side of his desk, laid it over the newspaper.

"I don't have the heart," Tony somberly said.

Gibbs was in fact downstairs, first visiting forensics, where Abby was trying to lift the spirits of a despondent Kate Todd.

Almost all of Kate's relatives, and many of her friends, were in Indianapolis. All Kate had left now were her sister Rachel - who was stuck in Miami, which was under martial law - her ex-colleagues in the Secret Service, and her teammates on the Major Case Response Team.

Gibbs spent 15 minutes hugging Kate; his shirt was drenched in tears when she finally allowed him to break the hug.

"I'm gonna check in with Ducky and Palmer, then with DiNozzo and Ziva upstairs. And wake up McGee if they haven't already done it themselves," Gibbs said quietly, with a half-grin.

"The Admiral and Sarah and the others left yesterday for his cabin in North Carolina," Abby said, quietly. "McGee came back here and fell asleep, upstairs."

"I know, Abs."

"McGee's alone, Gibbs."

"No he isn't, Abs. Neither are you two."

Gibbs turned and headed towards the elevator, then stepped on to go to the morgue.

His cell phone rang; recognizing the phone number, he stopped the elevator. The people calling were a young field agent from the NSA and her supervisor.

"We owe you one, Gunny, and you damn well better collect," said the supervisor, whose family - and his probie - were saved from certain death by Spetsnaz terrorist agents, thanks to the intervention of Gibbs; a SEAL team which happened to be in the area; the sniper shooting of Ziva and a daring rescue effort on the part of Tony, Kate and McGee.

And the sacrifice of agent Paula Cassidy.

The probie, sitting Indian-style on her boss's desk, told Gibbs where an entryway near the Navy Yard was located and how long it took to activate it: forty seconds to get it going and get through, before the crowds overwhelmed them - or government officials shot them dead.

"I don't want to see your asses getting trampled trying to get to it," said the supervisor, Jack Holleran, who ended up with three more precious weeks with his family.

They all died when a bomb detonated at the restaurant they ate in, while he was putting in an 18-hour shift.

"I'm sending Ellie home to Oklahoma today," he told Gibbs. "I'm staying here. My loved ones are waiting for me at the Pearly Gates. No reason you and your people and my probie have to go there with me."

"Jack," Gibbs said. "Don't-"

"It's either me or Ellie," said Jack. "She's on an Army plane headed to Tulsa this afternoon. And if things get like I expect, you're going through that Stargate thing-"

"'Stargate' thing?"

"Stargate, for the television show," said the probie; this was the first time she spoke to Gibbs. "A wormhole, from our dimension to the other."

"There's one in her corner of Oklahoma for herself and her family," added Jack, the supervisor. "You're better off staying here, and running like hell when the bombs fly. When they do, I'm going home to meet the Lord and my wife and kids. You and your team? Save yourselves."

The agent hung up.

And Gibbs, after restarting the elevator, reviewed his team's options.

The Admiral probably had told McGee to stay put while he evacuated to his cabin near Asheville, North Carolina. His sister Sarah was likely in rural Pennsylvania at the camp for relatives of high-ranking Navy officials.

Both sites, according to Director Morrow's sources, were medium-profile targets by the Soviet special forces; when the war went hot, if the Russians had the means to attack them, they would.

With Washington armed to the teeth, the Admiral knew McGee was likely safer here. The Admiral would have gone along with Sarah's request to leave, thinking she, as a civilian was safer at the camp.

Ziva's mother and sister were dead. Her father, Eli, was killed not long ago by her brother Ari, who as far as Gibbs was concerned could rot in hell. Eli David's murder led to Israel putting itself at a virtual state of war with its neighbors AND the Warsaw Pact, since Ari had switched allegiances to the USSR.

Gibbs called Fornell right after McGee found Kate's sister, Rachel, alive in Miami.

Gibbs begged the FBI agent to get her out of Miami. The city and South Florida were under lockdown, due to impending threats from the Cubans and the Soviet, Venezuelan and Finnish ships in the Caribbean. No one in, no one out.

Tony's father was gamely carrying on with life as usual; FBI had found him in New York. Ducky's mother passed away a month ago in her sleep; Palmer's family lost in the rocket attack on the jetliner that went down over Tennessee; Abby's brother Luka was missing in New Orleans.

The team, for better or worse, was all they had. That included Jeanne Benoit, the daughter of the arms dealer the former deputy director was trying to apprehend.

Jenny Shepard, without consulting with Gibbs and informing Morrow, ordered Tony to 'work' Jeanne. Three weeks later Morrow fired Jenny, especially since Rene Benoit - La Grenouille - was working covertly with the CIA.

Tony came clean with Jeanne, and to his surprise she didn't reject him.

They fell in love. Rene Benoit was killed shortly afterwards by an Eastern Germany operative.

Jeanne became part of the quirky, colorful and very capable MCRT family.

Dec. 22A/Dec.25P

As air and ground fighting tore up western Europe, and U.S. naval forces struggled for control of the Caribbean and the Persian Gulf, Gibbs and the team worked their last case: the murder of Director Thomas Morrow.

Morrow was shot twice through the skull in his limo; two more shots killed the driver.

Navy SEAL Sam Hanna shot the killer, a Bulgarian Spetsnaz sniper, dead. The team processed the wreck of the lim32o, and Ducky pronounced Morrow dead at the scene.

Riley McAllister was named Acting Director of NCIS by SecNav at 11:04 p.m.

Gibbs later wondered if Hanna made it out of Washington alive.

Dec. 24A (Christmas Eve)/Dec.27 P afternoon

By now, every television station in America was carrying non-stop coverage of the war from one of the major broadcast networks, or one of the cable networks like ZNN, or kids' or religious broadcasting.

The team now lived out of the Navy Yard, carrying their 'go gear' at all times. McAllister went nowhere without a personal guard of 12 Marines, and kept calling Gibbs to tell him to be ready to work a case.

Gibbs humored him, and continued with his own plans.

"Wonder if he knows, Boss?" Tony said to Gibbs, as talking heads babbled about NATO troop movements in the Rhine. "About the escape plan?"

Gibbs said not a word, but gave Tony a curt nod. "Find your father yet, DiNozzo?"

"Still in New York," Tony said. "We...argued. He's decided to stay. Wished me godspeed."

"Did your best, Tony," Gibbs replied. "Can't make somebody do something they don't want to do."

"Tried to call New York this morning, one more time to talk him into coming down," Tony continued. "You can't get through. Everything either is beep-beep-beep or goes to voice mail. It's like that in Miami. Still can't get Rachel out."

"Tony." Gibbs said, quietly. "Where's Kate?"

"Abby's lab, with Jeanne. Why?"

Gibbs called up an email, sent by Fornell. Classified, for his eyes only, not that it mattered anymore.

FBI field agents confirmed 27 dead, 31 injured in rioting at Safeway, read the subject line.

Tony and Gibbs read the list of the dead.

It included Rachel Todd.

"Christ," Tony muttered.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs said. "This doesn't go beyond us until I speak with Kate myself. Not even, and especially to, Abby. Understand?"

"Yes boss."

Tony wandered to McGee's desk, tossing a bottle of Super Glue. McGee was with Ducky and Palmer, Ducky undoubtedly regaling the younger men with one of his long stories.

"Ziva says she can't contact her friend Schmiel in Manhattan," Tony said. "Disconnected calls, or voice mail. Emails are sporadic."

"Censored," Gibbs said. "Russians are putting themselves in place there. Feds are trying to control the flow of information."

An hour later, the most unexpected person showed up in the squadroom.

Mike Franks arrived from Mexico, wearing a Santa cap, bearing gifts of ammo and guns and grenades and even a rocket launcher.

"Crazy ass McAllister dragged me out of my cabin," Franks grumbled to Gibbs, as the rest of the team arrived to meet him. "Put me in a Humvee, crossed the border in Tijuana, put me on a plane at Coronado that went straight here. Son of a bitch met me at Andrews, standing next to a truck, had so many Marines with him you'd think he was about to invade the Kremlin."

Gibbs chuckled, then embraced his mentor.

"Sorry about your dad, Probie," Franks told him; Jackson Gibbs died a few months ago from a heart attack.

"It was his time to go, Mike," Gibbs replied, as McGee saw something on one of the TVs. He frantically turned up the volume on it and the other TV screen behind Gibbs' desk.

ZNN has learned of four separate nuclear detonations in Western Germany, along the NATO/Warsaw Pact front.

Every TV on the floor showed either ZNN, CBS or CNN coverage.

Three believed to be in Western Germany, one over the NATO Allied Force Command headquarters in Heidelberg. One in Eastern Germany, possibly over a Soviet Army base near Nordhausen.

Gibbs scanned the floor. Everyone was here, including Ducky, Abby and Palmer. With their gear.

Sources tell ZNN diplomats from the United Nations are attempting to broker a ceasefire between both sides.

"McGee! Go with Ducky and Palmer, get as much medicine and equipment as you can," Gibbs said quietly and methodically. "DiNozzo. You and Kate and Abby get the gear from her lab. Jeanne, you're with them. Then meet me and Mike in the garage."

Reuters and TASS both report fighting has ceased along the portion of the front where the detonations occurred. Fighting continues in along the Greek front and in the Mediterranean.

The other agents on the floor went their separate ways, some to conclude NCIS business, some to take care of their own.

Team Gibbs took care of Phase I of Operation Exodus in under four minutes; by the time anyone else thought to check forensics or the morgue, Gibbs' team was in the garage, piling into one of the medical vans.

The van left the NCIS building, heading to a destination eight blocks west.

"Thought that thing was in the building Gibbs!" Kate screamed at Gibbs, who was driving the van at 90 miles an hour.

"Director's 'thing' Kate," Gibbs said, as the van closed in on his destination. "Not ours."

The van pulls to a stop, in an alley behind a bank branch; McGee jumps out, punches a code into a numerical pad, and moments later something out of a sci-fi movie appeared in the alleyway: a circular wormhole, a pathway to another world, another Earth.

The best analogy was the wormhole from the Stargate SG-1 movies and television shows, or the one from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. This one was much smaller, but sufficient for everyone to pass their gear, and themselves, through to the other side.

"GO!" Gibbs orders, and the able-bodied men and women begin throwing gear and supplies through the wormhole. "We got less than two minutes!"

As the last of the gear was thrown through and Palmer and Tony lifted Ducky over the bottom portion of the wormhole, a car sped to a stop.

Fornell jumped out of the car, running towards Gibbs.

"McAllister knows," Fornell yelled. "Sent NCIS agents here. FBI's on its way, too. Your guys better get their asses through there...goes for you too."

Mike Franks was lifted by Ziva and Tony into the wormhole from the other side. Gibbs turned and ran towards it, then stopped two feet short, with everyone on the other side yelling at him.

"GIBBS!" Kate shouted. "We're running out of time!"

"Fornell!" Gibbs turned, calling out to Fornell. "Come on!"

"Diane and Emily are dead," Fornell replied, as sirens blared in the distance from both ends of the alley, getting louder by the moment. "Agents will be here-"

NCIS and FBI vehicles entered the alley from the opposite side; Fornell's car blocked them from the near side.

"Jethro! GO! NOW!" Fornell shouted, drawing his weapon. "Ten seconds!"

Tony, McGee, Kate and Palmer grabbed Gibbs by the shoulders; between his jump and their yank, Gibbs barely made it through the wormhole.

When it closed, Fornell fell to the ground, dead, riddled with bullets from FBI and NCIS agents acting on orders of the acting directors of their respective agencies.

The agents on site tried in vain to reopen the wormhole, then searched in vain for the code in the medical examiner's van and on Fornell's body.

The present

"That's how we got through," altGibbs said. "Took our gear. Including the gold Fornell got for us. Cashed it in, lived in secret until your people found us."

"McAllister, as the director, had access to the code," Vance replied. "NSA tells us some of the FBI and NCIS agents stole it from the director's files; a few of them and their families managed to make it out of Washington the next day, just before the bombs hit."

"Helluva Christmas gift," altFranks replied.

"Director himself, and his people, went through the wormhole outside headquarters," Vance added. "3 a.m., went to their rendezvous point. I found out two hours later."

"What were his accusations, Leon?" Prime Gibbs asked. "Did he say those agents killed somebody to get here?"

"I believe what it boils down to, Agent Gibbs, is Riley was pissed off the other Jethro and his people got out," Porter replied. "We know his accusations are largely baseless. We have to fully investigate."

"Will you find they're blameless?" Callen asked Porter.

"Blameless, and that McAllister's accusations are without merit," Porter said.

Fredericksburg Federal Penitentiary

Fredericksburg, Virginia

Team Alpha's leader, Steve McGarrett watched as Ari Haswari and Marcel Janvier were processed and put into separate holding cells, in this newly built federal facility.

Putting them at Gitmo - Guantanamo Bay, Cuba - was too far. Every government, intelligence and military official wanted the two bastards close by, for processing, trial and execution.

McGarrett looked at the list of charges both men faced.

Haswari's was by far the longest, reflecting crimes committed on both worlds, one including assault on special agent Kate Todd and another murdering special agent Stan Burley in cold blood.

Almost more than anything, McGarrett wanted to return home to Hawaii, and to his friends and family, and to his job as leader of the Five-0 task force.

Right now, though, he wanted nothing more than to see Haswari and Janvier fry in the chair.

Honolulu

Hawaii Five-0 headquarters

Honolulu Police and U.S. Marines outnumbered the lean, wiry East German woman 24 to 1, and to their relief and chagrin, she didn't resist arrest.

The cops were happy the alt Spetsnaz agent didn't put up a fight. The Marines were itching for one.

All 24 marched her into the interrogation room used by the Five-0 task force, and all of them had their weapons locked and loaded and ready to gun her down if she even breathed wrongly.

Five-0 acting leader Detective Danny 'Danno' Williams and his acting deputy, Lt. Chin Ho Kelly, entered the room.

"You're a pretty popular woman," Williams told her. "Nice to give yourself up, causing a wreck on the H-5. Be glad you're not facing murder charges for that family you caused to spin out."

The agent spat at Williams.

"Why are you here?" Chin Ho said, getting to the point.

"Haswari and Janvier are not the threats you should worry about," she growled. "We. Spetsnaz. We are your worst nightmare."

"How do you think that?" Danno said to her. "We have your leaders. We're hunting your people down. We're gonna find them all shortly."

"I have information you will be interested in," she said. "Especially your leader. Alpha leader McGarrett."

Danno and Chin Ho looked at one another.

"I can tell you where McGarrett's father is on the other side," she told them. "In exchange. My freedom. And the rescue of my people in central Bulgaria. Food. Water, medicine. And."

She said nothing for several moments.

"And what?" Chin Ho demanded.

"Information on a 100 megaton nuclear bomb smuggled from the other side into your United States."

Chapter Text

Chapter 10

April 21, 2014

Washington

Navy Yard, NCIS headquarters

Director Leon Vance's office

"The best intel we have suggests the informant lied about how powerful the bomb is," Vance said to Deputy Director Jerome Craig and Assistant Director Owen Granger. "That same intel also confirms survivors in the other Bulgaria, as she told Five-0."

"And that same intel also confirms there is a bomb, somewhere?" asked Craig.

Granger had spoken with Craig, briefly, on four separate occasions; he had a low opinion of the man between he and Vance on the agency ladder, thinking of him as a tad timid for the job and a bit uncertain as to whether he even wanted to have it.

Granger himself probably should have taken it when it was offered, but he liked overseeing Office of Special Projects, including the field work that came with it.

"The intel is solid on the location?" Granger asked Vance.

"They're sure it's near Cheyenne Mountain," Vance said of his contacts, who worked for the CIA. "Operation Retrieval is set for 45 minutes from now. Delta Force, SEAL teams with ground and air support leading a team of specialists who are to defuse the bomb. Best case scenario, they recover the bomb without a problem."

"And the worst case?" asked Craig.

"The bomb explodes, we lose our team, and some of the fallout reaches Colorado Springs. The mountains will shield much of the impact. White House is most concerned about mass panic from telling the public about the bomb, and is hoping the cover story Langley concocted stands under scrutiny."

One floor below Vance's office, in the Washington Major Case Response Team's squad room

"So this is our desk, Caitlin. And her desk. And Ned's."

Ziva David and Kate Todd stood together, for the first time, at the desk Ziva, her predecessor and her successor worked at. Special Agent Ned Dorneget – part of the interim MCRT led by Abigail Borin – had most recently used it.

This was the third time since returning to the United States that Ziva had been in the squadroom she worked in for eight years. All three times were not the same for her, not without the people she worked with being there.

Tony went in once, in the middle of the night. McGee went past it on the way to see Vance.

Neither Abby nor Palmer had yet gone to the bullpen, though Abby had visited her old forensics lab to help her alternate set up shop, and Palmer to the morgue, to help his alternate and the alternate Ducky do some rearranging to suit their needs.

Bishop had gone back to her hometown in Oklahoma, staying with her parents while her husband finished up a case before taking personal time to spend with her. Scuttlebutt around the Navy Yard was that if Bishop ever returned to Washington, it'd be to work for the NSA, and the husband was investigating "opportunities" in Oklahoma City and Dallas.

Ducky had been moved into hospice care, and always had someone from one of the Team Gibbses with him.

With Gibbs, the story was that Vance decided it was best to concede to his wishes and visit the man in his basement; the sight of seeing two Gibbses, and one Mike Franks in that house was said to be surreal.

That's what Tony told Ziva, anyway. He'd visited the trio a few times himself, and gotten headslapped only once - by Franks, after stealing the last thawed-out steak.

To Kate, the squadroom looked pretty much like her own, other than the more modern monitors and, obviously, Ned's sparse decoration of his cubicle.

"The team that's here is moving, to the next row of cubicles, aren't they?" Kate asked Ziva, about the interim MCRT.

"That appears to be the case," Ziva replied. "It will be as if you never left."

Agent Borin's team was, in fact, moving one row behind, to make room for the alternate Team Gibbs, which had been fast-tracked into NCIS.

AltGibbs was the Special Agent in Charge, altTony and altKate his senior agents, and altMcGee and altZiva the junior agents. His team would split cases with Borin's team, her team getting cases in DC and north, his team cases south and west.

No one yet knew what would happen to the Prime Team Gibbs - least of all its individual members.

"Are you busy right now, Ziva?"

Kate was waiting for the right opportunity for her and Ziva to have their 'heart-to-heart' and this was as good a time as any.

Ziva's gut told her this was about something more substantial than a coffee run.

"I am guessing you do not want to 'chat' about the weather."

"No...I want to talk about more than that," altKate said to her. "I want to get to know more about you. And you more about me."

"That is something your sis-that Dr. Cranston suggested," Ziva said, cringing at mentioning altKate's now-deceased family. Ziva didn't want to bring Kate, nor her fellow 'travelers', any more pain over the loss of their homeworld than they already must be suffering.

"Yes, Rachel suggested it, but I also wanted to have this conversation myself," Kate said pleasantly. "Nothing heavy, no pressure, just two friends having a nice chat."

"Friends."

Ziva still struggled with the idea, due to her Mossad past and how her father raised her to be an assassin. The only friends she had were on her own Team Gibbs, plus her mentor Monique and a few people she stayed in touch with from her Mossad days.

"Friends," altKate said. "I'd like to see what she missed."

"What who missed?"

"Me. Her. The other me. The one who died...what she missed by not getting to know you. The person the other Tony, and McGee, and Abby tell me is an amazing person."

Ziva grinned. "There is...good...coffee in the reception area. Or better coffee from the café. It is safe to...chat...in the park outside, and quite nice as well."

"Yes it is, a lot nicer than being stuck inside."

"And...for what it is worth...Tony, and McGee, and Abby and Ducky and Gibbs said you...she...said she was an amazing person herself. I'd love the opportunity to see for myself what I missed - and the opportunity to get to know you a bit more."

Now, Kate grinned, reached out and embraced Ziva in a hug; Ziva awkwardly reciprocated; she wasn't a hugger.

"And, you can tell me about Tony," Kate said, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her towards the reception area. "I have so many questions."

"In that case...there are so many stories to tell about him. Shall I begin with the one where he and I went undercover..."

Both women laughed, and joked, and told stories all afternoon.

Neither knew what was happening half a continent away, and in the NCIS building.

Multiple Threat Assessment Center room

Vance, Craig and Granger gathered to watch satellite footage of the mission to find and disarm the bomb. Secretary Porter was watching the same feed from the White House, with the President; President-in-Exile; and others.

The Delta Force and SEAL teams discovered the bomb in a stolen Walmart truck two miles from the entrance into Cheyenne Mountain, and secured it. Now, they provided cover for the techs assigned to disarm it.

When the lead tech gave the thumbs up, everyone in the theater-like room exhaled.

One bomb secured, who knows how many others to be discovered.

Later that evening

Leroy Jethro Gibbs' basement

Gibbs Prime sanded the boat that he and his alternate named Caitlin. He sanded one portion at a time, moving on to the next only when satisfied that the finish was just right.

"Are you going to let her get shot in the head too, Gibbs?"

It was a good thing that he had put his tools back on the table, next to the nail jar full of bourbon.

He looked up, towards the staircase, and saw a ghostly Kate Todd, wearing the same clothes she wore when his own Kate was shot dead, almost nine years ago. Ghost Kate had a bullet hole in her forehead, but otherwise was alive, and as indignant and pissed as Kate Prime could be when she was...

"Alive, Gibbs," Ghost Kate said. "When I was alive. She's alive, too...for now."

Prime Gibbs hadn't taken a drink yet, so he couldn't credit it with Ghost Kate's visit from the beyond.

Maybe it was the thug who hit him with the tire iron while his team checked on that false lead on Parsa months ago.

"You would've seen me then, Gibbs, if that was the case."

Or, alternate Ari trying to waterboard him in that building, while he thought he heard Bishop's screams and Blye yelling to her to stay with it, not give in to them.

"Definitely not then, and definitely not with that Ari. Not with the doppelganger of the guy who murdered me."

Gibbs drank down the jar, then refilled the glass, took another jar, filled it, and sat down at his table. He rubbed his eyes, put on his glasses, and looked to the stairwell.

Ghost Kate was still there, and he swore he saw pairs of legs on the stairs.

Gibbs Prime looked to the other bourbon jar, then gestured to Ghost Kate to come over.

"Wanna drink...Kate?" he said.

"Will you protect her from him?" she said, hands on her hips. "From Parsa? From Alejandro Rivera? The next maniac who starts with killing a petty officer or posing as a dead body and ends up killing her, Abby, Bishop, the rest of your team?"

Six times, Gibbs Prime rejected offers from Dr. Rachel Cranston to talk about his ordeal. He shot down Nate Getz twice, and told Vance to tell Wolf and any other shrink not to bother.

He'd work through his mess in his own way.

But seeing Ghost Kate, angry, as if she was accusing him of not only sending her to a premature death but acting in a way that would murder another Kate:

That was a little too much.

Before he could say or do anything, he saw something fill up the basement behind her. He blinked his eyes twice, then saw the rest of them.

Ghost Jenny Shepard and Ghost Paula Cassidy, flanking Ghost Kate.

Then Ghost Michelle Lee. Ghost Brent Langer. Ghost Chris Pacci. Ghost Jackie Vance. Ghost Lara Macy.

Ghost Clayton Jarvis, Simon Cade, Michael Rivkin, Elin Bodnar, Rene Benoit.

Ghost Merton Bell, Paloma Reynosa, Jonas Cobb, Jonathan Cole, Harper Dearing, Riley McAllister.

Ghost Eli David.

Prime Gibbs emptied his bourbon jar, then the other bourbon jar, then took a swig out of the bottle of Jim Beam he placed on one of the shelves.

He looked again and again; yep, his basement was filled with his ghosts.

Then, Gibbs heard a noise to his right, turned and whipped out his pistol.

He saw two of his biggest demons: Ghost Ari Haswari and Ghost Pedro Hernandez.

"Damn. I'm finally losin' my mind," Gibbs muttered. He put away his weapon - no point in shooting up his basement without a live enemy to fire at - and stood away from his table.

The ghosts were silent.

"Well, since you're here, ya might as well say somethin'," he said. "Do somethin'."

Ghost Ari finally spoke up, with a grin.

"If you want to blame someone other than yourself, Jethro, blame him," Ghost Ari pointed to Ghost Eli, who just...stood there. Like the rest. "He made me. You can blame him for her murder, but really you should blame yourself."

Over the next hour - or minutes - every ghost had his or her turn at the man, blaming and accusing him.

Right after the sun went down and the last vestiges of daylight gave way to nightfall, Ghost McAllister almost put the man over the edge.

"Instead of taking a drink, Gibbs, why don't you take your gun and put a bullet in your head?"

"After you write your confession to Parsons and Vance and Porter," added Ghost Hernandez.

For a few moments, he wondered if they were all correct. If these were his demons preparing him for his rightful journey into Hades. If that Russian drug the Chameleon used on him was sending him into insanity.

If McALlister and Ari and Pedro and Reynosa and Bell and Langer and Kate and Pacci and Jenny were the voices of God, telling him judgment day had arrived.

Another, familiar and more sympathetic voice, entered the conversation.

"You listen to those fools and off yourself, you're the biggest fool of them all."

Gibbs looked up from his feet and saw Ghost Mike Franks, verified by Gibbs' feeling air when he tried to touch a shoulder.

"I ain't the other guy, but I know he's upstairs and on his way down here, wondering what in hell's happening. He'd tell you the same damn thing I'm about to tell ya," Ghost Mike continued, getting right in Gibbs' face to where he was the only thing Jethro could see. "Don't listen to your demons. Don't listen to your doubt. Listen to your friends, Probie."

Ghost Mike stepped aside, and now Gibbs saw only Kate, Paula, Jenny, Jackie, Pacci, Langer, Macy, Michele, even Eli.

He also saw the alternate Mike Franks, standing at the bottom of the stairwell.

And, flanking him, Ghost Shannon and Ghost Kelly.

"Dad," Ghost Kelly said, suddenly appearing at Gibbs' side, along with Ghost Shannon. "The diner. Remember?"

"I remember, sweetheart," Gibbs replied.

"We love you, Jethro," Ghost Shannon followed. "We're not here any longer, but a lot of people still are. Your team needs you. Your dad needs you...and you really need to take the time to go see him."

"Ya, I know," Gibbs said, smiling.

"Don't listen to your demons," Ghost Kate said. "The past is the past, what's done is done. Move forward, help those who are still here. They need you, Gibbs."

"She's right, Probie," Ghost Mike said. "Ain't time for you to retire yet. Ol' Jack, may not be around as long as you think." Ghost Mike nodded towards the alternate Mike Franks, now walking down the staircase after hearing the commotion downstairs. "Get him to drive you, to Stillwater."

"Your team needs you," said Ghost Shannon; now, she, Ghost Kelly, Ghost Mike and Ghost Kate were the only ones left. "Ziva, Tony, Tim, Abby, Palmer. Ducky really needs you, and Bishop does too."

"And the other team, not just their own me, but the rest," ghost Kate added. "Their home is gone. They're refugees. They need you and the others to take them in."

"Can't do that if you quit," Ghost Mike said.

"Who said I'm quitting?" Gibbs replied, and the next moment, only he and altMike were left.

"We'll hold you to it, Gibbs," he heard ghost Kate say - in his mind? - "or we'll be back to kick your ass."

AltMike, having poured himself some bourbon, sat at the table and took a drink.

"Seeing ghosts, Probie?"

"You could say that, Mike."

"Still seein' them?"

"Think they left," Gibbs said, pouring himself another drink. "Gonna go up to Stillwater, see Dad, then come back here and make sure everyone's alright."

"Can't drive yourself," altMike said, pulling some keys out of his pocket and jangling them over the table. "How bout I drive ya? Let the other Jethro finish Kate's namesake behind us? Hell, we can go right now if you want. I'll leave a note."

Gibbs Prime took a drink. "That'd be good. Fill up my go bag, we'd make it by midnight."

And with that, altMike and Jethro Prime went on a road trip, the last time Jethro would ever spend with his dad.

Los Angeles

Office of Special Projects

"How long has it been? Since we were here, last?"

Kensi Blye stepped out of the car in front of the doorway of the 'abandoned' building the OSP operated out of. The courtyard looked the same as always - except for the two Marines standing guard.

"Months," said Marty Deeks, still behind the steering wheel, having just turned off the engine. "Wanna bet everything's just like we left it?"

"I'll take that bet," Kensi replied. "I need some extra cash anyway."

"Ha ha," Deeks retorted. "I'm sure everything is spotless and along with a few extra Marines they've restocked the kitchen. There is one thing, however, and one thing alone that I hope that hasn't been thrown out."

"Ahhh. Sven's fabulous sweater."

"No, that's in my closet, no pun intended."

"Ah ha. Monty's food dish."

"Maybe, might need to make a Target run, but that's not what I'm talking about."

"Then what on earth are you talking about, Deeks?"

"The box."

"The box."

"Is there any other box?"

"That box."

"Yes, Kensi, that box, the one and only box."

"Only one way to find out," said Kensi, opening the door into the building. "Let's go."

The two agents walked into the building, which had most of its lights off, and was empty save for four Marines, and Special Agent in Charge G Callen.

"Callen?" Kensi said.

"Your box is still there," he told them. "Hetty's not coming back."

Kensi and Deeks stood speechless. "Hetty's. Not. Coming. Back." said Deeks, half monotone, mostly in shock.

"Officially, not until she's fully recovered," Callen replied. "Granger, who's acting Operations Manager, says Vance has authorized him to look for a replacement. He's going to interview her in the morning, here."

"Who is he, or she? Is this...person NCIS?" asked Kensi.

"All Granger told me is he's looking outside the agency," Callen replied. "That...and that you, Deeks, are to fill this out."

Callen handed him a stack of papers.

"It's my NCIS application," Deeks said, "signed by Granger...and Hetty."

"She recommended you for FLET-C," Callen replied, "and Granger wants you to start ASAP. He'll talk to you about it in further detail in the morning."

Washington

MTAC

Team Alpha leader Steve McGarrett met with Vance in MTAC to discuss the latest developments: a joint U.S.-Bulgarian team, including the Red Cross, was about to cross over into alternate central Bulgaria.

Another similar team was prepping for a similar operation in Hawaii, outside the town of Lihue.

"Thousands of survivors," Vance said. "We've made preliminary contact...the island is under a joint military/civilian government. The Navy is moving ships over to participate in the evac, along with civilian ships. We'll put some of them on Oahu, some outside Hilo, some will stay in FEMA camps being set up now outside Lihue."

"That's nice...that's good," McGarrett said. "You need us for what, though?"

"You and Five-0 are going over," Vance said. "I want you to find a person of interest...Ms. Felice. Put the file up on the screen, please."

McGarrett looked at the photo and the biographical information attached to it.

JOHN MCGARRETT

SGT., HONOLULU POLICE DEPARTMENT

"My dad's dead," he told Vance.

"That person of interest is his counterpart," Vance replied. "Our intel suggests he is part of a camp of survivors on the other side of Kaua'i Island from Lihue. I want you to find him, Steve, not someone else."

McGarrett caught his breath, and looked back at the screen.

"I...appreciate that, Director," he finally said. "When is the operation?"

"1600 hours local time tomorrow," Vance replied. "Get to Andrews, a plane will take you to Coronado, another plane to Honolulu. You and Five-0 will go to Lihue, through the wormhole, and find Sgt. McGarrett."

McGarrett nodded, and went to leave the room.

"Steve...good luck," Vance said, to McGarrett, who quickly left, heading towards his car, intentions to get to Andrews Air Force Base as fast as he could.

Chapter Text

Chapter 11

April 20, 2014 Prime timeline

Washington

Navy Yard, NCIS

Secretary Porter took the remote control for the monitor in Vance's office and hit a few buttons, calling up a map of Bulgaria from the other reality.

"We found survivors outside the town of Gabrovo," she told Vance. "'We' being a task force of American and Bulgarian special forces personnel. There were casualties - a few civilians, the others being soldiers pushed to 'fight to the death' by the political officers whom had killed the colonel in charge. We've secured the facility and are bringing survivors over into our Bulgaria."

"Good to hear," Vance replied. "You'll want to know that Five-0 is preparing to cross over into the other Hawaii to bring several thousand survivors across, one hour, 15 minutes from now."

"McGarrett's going back to Five-0, from what I understand?" asked Porter; Vance nodded affirmatively. "I also understand Henrietta Lange is considering retirement."

"Janvier and Haswari hurt her bad," Vance replied. "She's a survivor; she's a fighter. If anyone can make it through it's Hetty-"

"I'm glad you took my advice on the new Operations Manager for your special operations team," Porter interjected. "Ms. Lange has served her country well over the years, and it's time for her to recover from her ordeal. I'm confident in the future she'll serve her country well in an advisory position. A new Cold War has been forced on us. The ideas your new ops manager has will help us greatly in fighting that war.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," Porter said, picking up her briefcase and walking towards the door. "I don't want to be late for my briefing with SecDef. I'll touch base with you later this afternoon."

Vance nodded, hands folded behind his back, and made a mental note to have Granger quietly begin vetting candidates for the job that Hetty herself had not yet resigned from.

Candidates who saw it as a temp job - and not a stepping stone.

Los Angeles

Owen Granger and Hetty Lange had a lengthy conversation in the courtyard of the care facility that Vance had put her in. He, trying not to wear her down, she pushing herself past her limits.

"I don't want this woman doing your job," Granger confided. "I don't know her. I don't trust her. I don't like her agenda."

"Short of taking over the duties...yourself...who else do you have?" Hetty said, with a half-whisper. "You need Mr. Callen out in the field. Ms. Jones is not fully ready."

"I'd rather have Nell than...that woman," Granger replied. "I'm going to keep looking. The Secretary of the Navy can't micromanage everything this agency does. And I'm not leaving Special Ops in the hands of an outsider."

Hetty smiled, and Granger noticed that she had a glint in her eye, and that it had been quite awhile since he had seen that from her.

"I may be stepping down," she whispered. "But who said I'm going to let myself be put out to pasture."

Granger grinned, and chuckled.

Kauai Island, Hawaii

Lihue

Fourteen wormholes appeared, side by side, surrounded by machines and as many NSA and CIA techies as Red Cross workers.

The haggard survivors, crossing over from the other universe's Kauai Island through the wormholes, reacted only to the bright sunshine. It was sunny, 86 degrees, and Hawaii wasn't expected to get rain until the weekend. The survivors were led in single lines to the numerous FEMA camps ringing the town.

"One of the Special Forces guys tells me it won't be this nice when we get over to the other side," said Steve McGarrett, who had just formally retaken command of the Five-0 task force. "Cloudy, mid-50s. Coldest it's ever been."

"I guess Carl Sagan was right about nuclear winter," replied McGarrett's second, Honolulu Police detective sergeant Danny "Danno" Williams.

"I can't imagine what those people must be thinking," said officer Kona "Kono" Kalakaua. "So many people, packed on a small island."

"Honolulu's blasted off the map, you can't even get to the Big Island because of the radiation," added HPD Det. Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly.

"Someone tells me you're going through a wormhole to a better world on a good day, I'd say amen to be polite, and ask them to plug the hole in their head if they pushed it," Danno followed. "Nuclear war? Cold, cloudy, miserable, glow in the dark, and it's dark day and night because there's no sunlight. I'd get away from that too."

McGarrett noticed personnel gathering near a rear wormhole, and felt his cellphone buzz.

"Grover?" asked Danno.

"Catherine," McGarrett replied. "There's a...situation."

"A situation." Danno.

"Which isn't our concern at the moment," McGarrett said, as he sighted an Army Major jumping out of a Humvee next to the wormhole. "That's our cue. Let's go find those survivors and bring them home."

Alternate reality, Kauai Island

Na Pali Coast State Park

"Everyone's accounted for," said U.S. Army Major Stan McGraw, leading the task force assigned to rescue everyone in the park's ad hoc refugee camp.

While the task force, FEMA personnel and Red Cross rounded up the survivors, McGarrett, Danno, Chin Ho and Kono searched for a single man.

McGarrett had his team look throughout the camp, then on the edges, then in the forest. McGarrett pushed himself to search, and his teammates kept pace.

Two hours after passing through the wormhole, Five-0 finally found HPD Deputy Officer John McGarrett.

He was buried, with 82 other people, adults and children, behind the camp's chapel.

Steve McGarrett stared at the grave, in shock, then kneeled in front of it, wept, gathered himself, and stood up.

"Let's go home," Steve said, quietly, to his team.

April 21

Prime reality

Washington

Navy Yard, NCIS

Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David were rested, refreshed, and ready to start work.

Both walked off the elevator, stopped momentarily to take in their surroundings, and walked to their desks, which were already occupied.

"Holy Doppleganger, Batman," shouted the alternate Tony DiNozzo, sitting in Prime Tony's desk. "Is there enough room in the Batcave for two Batmen and Robins?"

Prime Tony looked at altTony strangely. "I don't recall Burt Ward ever saying that on the TV show, my brother."

"TV show?" altTony replied. "My brother, Batman and Robin was never a TV show. I quoted from Batman and Robin 2, 1967, Cesar Romero as the Joker, William Shatner as Harvey Dent and guest-starring George Reeves as Superman, Clark Kent AND Bizarro."

"You're not making that up," Prime Tony said; altTony shook his head. "Wish I had brought it over. Classic '60s movie. You say Batman was a TV show?"

Meanwhile, Prime Ziva noticed altKate sitting behind her desk, and the two women hugged, and Prime Ziva quickly walked over to hug her counterpart.

"I am certain you two could learn to share?" Prime Ziva asked both Tonys, as altZiva and altMcGee looked up from their own desks.

"Or my Tony could share with my McGee," altKate said to Prime Ziva, then looked at both Tonys. "Older Tony, I know you'll be a mature influence on the other Tony, but to be honest I'm not sure I could handle two Tonys sitting across from me...even with two Zivas in the same building."

"I'm sure we can handle two dead Marines in Fairfax," said the alternate Gibbs, who appeared out of nowhere holding a large coffee, walking past Kate and Ziva to his desk. "Died eating breakfast at a Taco Bell. Grab your gear...all of you."

That meant Prime Tony and Ziva, too.

"Taco Bell has breakfast?" altTony said, as the team walked to the elevator.

"Waffle tacos," Prime Tony replied.

"I was gonna ask," altTony added, "if the breakfast burrito did in the Marines-"

WHACK!

Prime Tony swore he felt something hard on the back of his own head, though Gibbs and altTony were on the other side of the elevator.

"Sorry boss," altTony said. "I'll wait for Ducky to determine cause of death."

Los Angeles

Office of Special Projects

G Callen walked into the OSP building to work, for the first time since the alternate Haswari and his goons got the drop on Callen and his team.

Strangely, coming to work this morning was just like the other mornings before the abduction, until he got to his team's bullpen.

There were Deeks and Kensi, bantering about Facebook.

And, to Callen's surprise, there was Sam Hanna, with a walking stick, listening on.

"Sam!" Callen shouted. "Didn't expect to see you here so soon...thought Michelle was benching you for another couple of weeks."

"She relented," Sam replied. "I was gonna drive her crazy. So she told me to take the morning and afternoon off, five days a week. She sent me here, G."

Then Sam glanced across his desk. "Hear you're headed to Georgia to become a federal agent, Deeks."

Deeks nodded. "Acclerated training, leave tomorrow," he replied, as Kensi looked on. "Told Kensi before we got in. I resigned from LAPD last night, filled out the paperwork and gave it to Granger when I got here. Two and a half weeks in FLET-C, if all goes well I'll be back here before you, Callen and Kensalina know it."

Callen and Sam both shook Deeks' hand, offering congratulations, interrupted by a whistle from the nearby stairs.

Eric Beale - the team's technical operator - also was back on duty. And wearing pants, instead of his usual shorts.

"Welcome back, Sam," Eric said.

"Granger finally imposing the agency dress code on you?" Callen.

"Not Granger," Eric replied. "Hetty's replacement. The new Operations Manager. We caught a case."

As Beale walked up the stairs - in khakis - the four Special Ops agents looked at each other.

Sam refused to let the others help him walk up the stairs, and all four decided to enter the Ops Center together. They walked in, and saw two familiar faces in Beale and Nate Getz and four new faces - two women, two men.

"I'm Lillian Strand," said the blonde-haired woman. "I'm the new Operations Manager for the Office of Special Projects. You know Mr. Beale, and Mr. Getz."

The other three new faces were all new-to-NCIS agents. The men, Gabriel Vaughn and John Reese, the woman, Riley Neal.

"I'm guessing all of you passed Go and collected your NCIS badges, and didn't have to get them from FLET-C," Deeks joked.

"Our new agents are fully trained and capable and are fully experienced," Strand said. "Mr. Deeks, since you will be leaving tomorrow for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, your presence is not required. And, Mr. Hanna, you have yet to be cleared for field work, so your presence is not required."

Deeks, Callen, Hanna and Kensi were speechless, momentarily. Callen held up his hand to signal the others to stay silent, then approached Strand.

"We're a team," Callen said. "Sam, Kensi, Deeks-"

"-are all a part of this team that I run, Mr. Callen," Strand shot back. "My word is final and I will not tolerate any dissention. Do I make myself clear?"

Callen said nothing.

"Mr. Callen?"

"Yes," he said a few moments later. "You've made yourself very clear."

"Good," Strand said, as Vaughn, Neal and Blake exchanged looks. "Because I need my Special Agent in Charge to take his interim partner, and integrate the three agents who are here and the one who will arrive later today on a case vital to national security. Mr. Beale."

Eric tapped on his tablet, and a large photo of Russian arms dealer Isaak Sidorov, flanked by screenshots of a meeting in a parking garage, appeared on the big screen.

"Sidorov's dead," Sam said. "I shot him myself."

"This is an alternate Sidorov," Strand said to Hanna. "And this case is for active personnel only. Which is why I need you and Mr. Deeks to step out."

Stillwater, Pennsylvania

While one Gibbs worked a case at a fast-food restaurant in northern Virginia, the other Gibbs washed dishes in his father's kitchen. He then prepared a bowl of chicken soup, and a turkey sandwich, and took it upstairs to his dad's bedroom.

Jackson Gibbs hadn't been out of bed in two days, and despite his protests, Gibbs knew something was wrong.

"Doc's coming by this afternoon," Gibbs said, "just to take a look at you."

"Son, how many times I gotta tell you I'm fine?" Jackson complained. "Let me sleep this off, tomorrow I'm as good as new."

"You've been sleeping it off for the past couple of days, dad," Gibbs replied. "Mr. Jenkins took off work to keep the store open."

"Jethro, you're way too worried about me," Jackson said, between bites of his sandwich. "I'm no spring chicken...but maybe some of this is because I was worried sick about you."

Jethro looked at his dad. His gut was nudging him, persistently: make the most of this time with him. You may not have much more left.

"I got through it, dad," Gibbs said, drinking his coffee. "Mike's helping Mr. Jenkins today, and tomorrow, and the rest of the week if necessary."

"I still don't understand that deal, son," Jackson said. "I thought Mike was dead. And what does that have to do with...your abduction?"

Gibbs looked at the floor.

"Most of it's...unbelievable, dad," Gibbs said to his dad. "Gotta start somewhere, I suppose.

"RIght before we were kidnapped, we caught a case..."

THE END