Rule 39: There Is No Such Thing As Coincidence (Tony DiNozzo Love Story)

Trip to the Pentagon

The Next Day

My phone rings on my desk, "Special Agent Carter," I answer.

"Erin, could you please come up to my office?" The director's voice says smoothly.

"Of course," I reply and hang up before heading up to the office. Looking at the others as I head up.

"You can go in," Cynthia says as I walk up. I nod and enter the office.

"Erin, please come in. I need to debrief with you before you're requested to the Pentagon," she says.

"Is there something wrong?" I ask and she shakes her head.

"No, but the Secretary of Defense is going to ask you several probing questions. I did give them an in depth recount that you gave me as premise of the grounds for national security, but as you know things can change."

"So I may end up in handcuffs by the end of today?" She only stares at me. "Right."

"Be honest and tell them what you told me, they will want verification of all your aliases used while working with Claxton and all contract details and associates," she says.

"I can't give some of them," I say.

"Erin—,"

"I can't. There are some out there still working active missions, I can't risk their covers or the work they are doing. They're doing what I did," I reply. The director nods.

"Well, let's hope that they don't ask those kinds of questions. We're expected to be there within the hour. I would say if you need to get anything done on the case you're working, I would say relay any information you have to the rest of the team as we're heading out in ten."

"Yes, Ma'am," I say and leave the office.

"Do you need me?" I ask Gibbs when I return to the bull pen and he shakes his head.

"I think we'll manage," he replies and I nod, grabbing my bag and heading downstairs to the garage.

We arrive to the Pentagon, an escort greeting us upon our arrival. They graciously confiscate our cell phones and take us through the building to where I am to be interrogated. As we walk down the hall, I turn to look at the Director and she looks back at me. I can't read her expression as we finally get to our destination. From the outside it would like any other meeting room with the door closed, but indeed on the other side of the door it was a SCIF. The door is opened and I'm directed to enter the room, at one side of the room the Secretary of Defense and the Vice President with their assistants. Secret Service agents line the room and a stack of files sit on the table in front of the Vice President. The door behind us is sealed shut and locked.

"Agent Carter, please take a seat. Director Shepherd, you did not have to attend this meeting," the Secretary of Defense states.

"I had a clear schedule," she replies. I take a seat and access the room.

"Agent Carter, I would like to say that it is a pleasure to meet you and nice to see that you are alive and well."

"Thank you," I reply.

"How are you?"

I quirk a brow. "I'm fine. I'm sorry if I am blunt, but could we get on with the questioning?"

The VP and SecDef share a look before turning back to me. SecDef grabs a file from the stack and opens it. Glancing at it briefly, they look back up at me.

"Tell us about Najibullah." The request takes me by surprise. This is not the line of questioning I was expecting.