Chapter Text
Chapter 33
Sheltered, Weeks 12-14 Post Attack, Sept. 26th - Oct. 9th, 2019, continued
Two days later Tim entered the basement from the house, swapping places with Ellie so she could attend DiNozzo's team meeting upstairs. He stopped when he saw Bec standing in the dirt, looking around her. Clearing his throat to attract her attention, he asked if she was all right.
She turned toward him. "Have you tested the dirt down here since the Colonel?"
"No. Do you think we should? It matched the pre-attack soil I gathered. Are you thinking of a garden down here? I've been meaning to ask you about that."
"Yes, I'd feel safer if we planted in here this year. We could build raised beds; that would be easier. Cover the bottoms with weed guard fabric, enough of a barrier. But we'll have to buy clean, that is uncontaminated, soil."
Tim grinned, "Did that already, it's in bags in the back of the storage shed where Jerry and John hauled it when they brought the horses from Oklahoma, the weekend the Threat Level was raised."
"They bought it?"
"No I did, on Amazon. Three separate orders, bought several of the biggest bags offered and had it all shipped here. I was thinking about our need for uncontaminated food after we left the shelter."
"Wonderful! We'll use that soil now and then next spring we'll see how the soil outside tests. We'll need a bigger compost bin that will have to be kept outside. Jethro can make us one; there are plenty of plans online." She thought for a minute, "I'd like to continue using the shelter Garden room for our immediate needs once we're all the way out. I have a list of plants we can plant down here," she grinned, "I've been wanting to plant down here since I first saw it!"
"Cool! What have you got in mind?"
"Avocado trees. We'll need at least two and we'll need bees. We can control them though. Keep the door closed and sealed on the house side and of course the tunnel door. We can rent a hive; I'll be with them to make sure pollination happens. And if we have bees, we could have fruit trees too, maybe several apple trees."
"Wow, I knew about beekeepers but I didn't realize they rent out their hives."
"It's probably not something most people think about. There are about 2 million commercially owned beehives in the U.S. and they're frequently rented out. A few years ago I read that the entire commercial hive population of the country goes to California to pollinate the almond groves there."
"Wow! And you're right, that's not something I've ever considered. So we'll build raised beds for everything, including the trees?"
"I need to think about that, we may dig down and enclose the hole so the trees can set down their roots." She twisted her lips. "Maybe the trees wait until after the baby's born and we know more about soil exposure outdoors."
"All right, but the rest?"
She smiled, "Absolutely and you big strong siblings can handle it. I'll give you the depth needed for the beds for the root vegetables. We should start out with carrots, beets, potatoes, turnips, yams, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, butternut squash, maybe four of those and we need to grow from certified clean plants or seeds started in reputable greenhouses. I believe Shannon brought extra packets of seeds; we'll use those first. For the next couple of years I want to focus on the root vegetables, they'll help nullify some of the possible after-effects of the attack. We also need to continue with the leafy greens and the beans; they're such a good source of protein, vitamins and antioxidants and will help feed our returnees when they get here. If we use our current plants as root stock, we'll be fine; those were all potted before we left Virginia."
"Good point. Ellie and I were talking about putting clerestory windows here in the outside basement wall, it'd bring in some natural light and we'd supplement with the grow lights. And if there are any gardeners among the returnees, they can tend the plants in the shelter."
"I'm sure it'll be a cooperative effort. I like your idea about the windows; if they could open, that would really benefit the garden."
Excited about their plans, they returned to the shelter, finding lunch preparations in full swing. After they ate, teachers and students walked around the cork path before disappearing into the classroom and the feds got back to work. Done with her meeting, Ellie stayed below to work while Tim grabbed his laptop, phone and headed back upstairs to the playroom, hoping he could talk with Leon for a few minutes.
Engrossed in his work, he wasn't aware anyone had entered the room until a throat was cleared - Jimmy. Grinning from ear to ear, he told Tim the news their boss had just given him. "I'm going to perform autopsies all over the country, using robotic instruments. There will be three of us to start with so NCIS won't have to contract out our autopsies as much as we do. Did. Used to. And I won't have to travel! I will at first because I'm going to San Diego for training. I can see Abby and Jared if he's already started at UCSD. But I won't have to travel after that. Oh and each office will have an assistant to go to the crime scene with the field team and pick up the body. I'll be at the scene via video chat, Duo, Skype, Zoom, Face Time, etc. The assistant will also be in the room during the autopsy in case I need something."
Tim's grin was as wide as Jimmy's. "Wow, that's really cool and exciting!"
"I know, huh? I have to go, I haven't even told Breena yet; don't tell her I told you first, ok? It's just that I was bursting and heard you clicking away."
Laughing, Tim gave his friend a hug and sent him on his way. A few minutes later he was back at work, working on a particularly complex case when his boss poked his head in. "Got a few minutes?"
"Sure, just give me a second to - ok, got my coding done."
"Big one?"
"Complex and nasty, not sure yet how big it'll be. I am sure it will take most of my team to figure this out and identify the perps. Be nice if they're all in one place but it's not looking like it."
"Mm, lots of coordinating then."
"Oh yeah. Helps to have people in different time zones; we're covered except for the East Coast."
"Can't do much about that. I'm told the internet is still sporadic as far north as Montreal."
"Wow!"
"Yeah. Wanted to talk to you about a couple of things. First of all, we're not going into the Marshals' building, too much danger of compromising their operations."
Tim nodded, "Thought we might be there temporarily but just as well."
"Right. DoD is working on a lease on another office building in town. It was formerly occupied by the FBI so it's fairly well configured for what we need. We'll have the whole building, six floors and a basement with a heavily secured drive-in garage for the vans and well, you know. We'll make that our evidence garage, same sort of setup. I have a video meeting with the property manager and a representative from the DoD on Friday. I'd like you, Ned and your father to join me. Ned because he worked the evidence lockup for so long, you because you have the eyes of a contemporary field agent and the best organizational skills I've ever seen and your father because between you three you'll ask the right questions. The leasing agent recorded a virtual tour so we'll see that first and then we can talk details."
Tim grinned, "Sounds good! Where's the CCU going?"
Leon chuckled, "You mean your office?"
"I'm hoping my department, Leon. I'd like some of my staff here, maybe hire newbies. With tech, as you know, have to keep up with the changes, keep hiring young and hope the rest of us can keep up."
"Good! That's exactly what I've been thinking. No more basement. Because the CCU is in office 99% of the time, I want to put you on the sixth floor."
Tim frowned, "Where's your office going?"
"Fifth floor with MTAC. The field teams will be on the fourth floor, Legal and HR on the third. First floor is autopsy although I'm not sure we'll do that many here. It'll also house Palmer's office and he'll need some space. If we have a lab, we'll put it on the first floor too. Basement is two parts, main and sub. Main basement links to the evidence garage. The subbasement will house our holding cells."
"Great! Any chance of a fitness center?"
"Yes, one side of the basement has a lap pool and fitness center. And there's a roof garden up top."
Tim's face lit up, "That's great! The one at the Marshals' sure saved our hides while we were there with the kids. Two toddlers shut in for days in a small suite. Not to mention Dad and I going crazy just sitting around!"
"Speaking of the kids, the leasing agent told me there's vacant space that used to be a day-care in the building next door. I like the idea of dropping in to see the littles, keeps things in perspective. I haven't mentioned it to Lara yet but I'm betting she'll want to run it."
"Great! That'll ease my wife's mind, mine too and I'm sure the DiNozzos' and Palmers'."
"There are cafes and delis nearby, no need to drive anywhere for lunch. There's also a parking garage and DoD will deliver our vans and assigned sedans. And I've been assured the city will welcome us warmly. NCIS headquarters means top brass Navy and Marine visitors who'll need hotel rooms and restaurants. Not to mention the politicians." Leon sighed, "It won't be the Navy Yard but it'll eventually feel like home."
"It's not temporary?"
The other man shrugged. "Who knows? Right now, they're squabbling about which state or states should cede the land needed for the new capital. Ranges from West Coast to well, the Midwest. Porter thinks it'll be somewhere in the true center of the country, which is Lebanon, Kansas, and I agree. So we'll be within driving distance."
Tim grinned, "At least now we'll know when the Brass is on its way."
Vance made a noise, "Yeah. As soon as they decide on the location and it's deemed safe, they'll start on the buildings. The FBI, NSA, and most of the alphabets aren't waiting which is why we're able to jump in. FBI wants to be somewhere near O'Hare, which means they will have to wait for another couple of months, no idea where the others will end up. And they'll have to do something for the Joint Chiefs, another Pentagon if you will. Which will need to be close to the President's Office or White House or whatever we'll call the new one and…everyone else."
"And while they're squabbling about all that, any news on what's happening with our fellow evacuees?"
"Not much; can't really put any plans into motion until everyone's out of shelters, or at least everyone not on the East Coast. Those poor folks, the combined services are using airdrops for food and water now, either they continue that or start airlifting people out. That's probably what's going to have to happen eventually. They estimate over 6 million people are in shelters from southern Maine to mid Florida, right about where Mac's winter quarters are." He sighed, "With a big gap where DC, Maryland and north central Virginia were. And that's the East Coast; I haven't looked at how many are sheltered east of here."
"And we're not all the way outside yet, 1900 miles west. Wow."
"Yes, Porter says West Texas will be released two or three weeks after we are. That'll be a bunch of people returning to the world."
"I hope there are many people working online or the unemployment rate is going to remain in the stratosphere."
"I agree."
"If the building deal pans out, how soon after we're released can we move in?"
"About a month, might be a bit longer for MTAC as we're getting the upgraded version we were scheduled for last month. And we have about 6700 square feet that will be vacant, a little over half of the second floor. I want to have that configured into temporary apartments for returnees. Jared's been doing some research and calculations, says we can create 6 apartments out of that, each with 3 bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms. I'm thinking we might do a mix, 3 apartments with 2 bedrooms, 1 bath and 3 with three bedrooms, 2 baths. And we'll have space for a common area or a laundry room, maybe a combination. Anyway, we'll have to have a professional architect on it so we'll see. There are already two separate entrances and the vacant space is wired and plumbed; I believe the Bureau occasionally sequestered witnesses there."
"Good! I'm glad we can help as an agency and individuals."
"Me too. I've been in contact with O'Connell in HR, asked her to let me know how many of our employees from the East Coast are sheltered or were evacuated out of the country. I'd like to help them as much as possible."
Tim nodded. He knew all the NCIS HQ employees had either been transferred or moved out ahead of the government's evacuation process but he didn't know about the DC Field Office or its subordinate offices in Bethesda and Annapolis. Or Philadelphia or any of the other Northeast offices.
"Back to your staff, where do you want to start your recruiting?"
"I've been poking around here and there; couple of kids locally."
"Kids? How young?"
"College age, Leon. Over 18, one's 21 the other's 19."
"Yikes!"
"Hey, 19 is legal and they're not out in the field or carrying weapons. Although I would like to include some time in the field for training. Think that would make a huge difference in a tech's understanding of what we, the agency, does. And I was 21 at FLETC, 22 when I was hired."
"Huge difference between 19 and 22. Although with your background 22 was probably more like 32. Give me a proposal for field training, I like the idea."
Tim huffed, "32 or 12 and yes, I'll send you my proposal."
They talked for another few minutes about Tim's plans for his department. Tim was happy with the news; he could hire more techs and transfer a few of his staff here if they agreed. He was relieved the agency would have its own building and would be happy to have his children close.
He worked for a couple of hours and then went downstairs to the shelter for Ellie; they had a Skype appointment with Ms. Dullea, the principal of the school Tyler and Brynie would eventually attend.
The principal was glad they'd set up the meeting and told them she'd also heard from other parents of elementary school children. When she was told the children had been attending classes since they moved into the shelter, she wanted to know more. Ellie gave her the names of the instructors and an outline of what they'd taught. When Ms. Dullea had a question about math classes, Tim was able to answer with some authority. He hadn't taught math to the younger kids but he'd helped with the high school and college kids and couldn't help overhearing what the younger kids were doing. And of course he and Ellie had seen Ty and Brynie's work.
They thought she was pleased to hear about the classes and then were surprised when she said the district schools wouldn't reopen for some time after the Release from Shelter. She explained that people had been sheltering in the basement there and some of them were evacuees from the blast zones. They'd stay at the school until they found homes and then the campus would have a thorough cleaning and safety inspection. She asked if she could visit their classroom after the Release and Tim and Ellie looked at each other, it wasn't their decision to make. They settled for promising to pass the request on to their teachers and one of them would contact her.
Shannon, Eileen and Jazzy laughed when they told them. Eileen said she'd call her and arrange for a Skype visit but they wouldn't tell their students who she was and they wouldn't do anything out of the ordinary.
In the meantime, the college students submitted their transfer forms to their colleges of choice and responses were flooding in. Mateo was thrilled when he received emails advising him he'd been accepted at all three of his choices. There was an additional note from one Dean of Admissions who told him that George Washington University had opened a campus in Denver the previous year, it was now their lead campus and they planned to expand to Santa Fe in the near future.
The Dean said he was more than welcome to join their university but she wanted to make sure he knew about GWU. That was excellent news and he clicked on the link included. That led him to the people he needed to talk with at GWU Denver. By the end of the week, he'd decided to start his final undergrad semester at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. If GW Santa Fe opened before he finished, he might transfer but he doubted that would happen. The folks he'd spoken with at GW Denver didn't have a firm date on the campus opening and Mateo didn't want to wait. In the meantime, he could start taking a couple of online classes at UNM.
Kayla also received acceptance letters from the universities where she'd applied. She already knew she wanted to attend UNM and was pleased that there were online classes she could also start taking.
Jeff Crane had applied although he didn't yet have his high school diploma. His shelter instructors were impressed by him. He hadn't had the units necessary to graduate because he took care of his younger brother and mother during her final illness. His foster, soon to be adoptive parents contacted a private school where he would be tested for his knowledge levels in various subjects, get credit for those classes and focus on what was left to do. Jazzy told Dave and Liz she expected Jeff to be finished within a month. He'd started applying to colleges and was now getting conditional acceptances. As his grades had been good prior to the last term and there were letters from the foster agency and his mother's physician explaining his absences, no one thought he'd have any problems.
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
Two weeks after Tim and Leon's conversation about future plans, the shelter residents had a phone call from the county office of Environmental and Public Health saying their property and the Ortizes' would be tested the following day.
Shelter dwellers in Albuquerque had been released two days before so this wasn't a complete surprise although Tim, Pete and Jethro thought it would take longer to get to them. However, the National Guard had been deployed to assist with whatever needed doing and they were currently working with the Environmental offices throughout New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and Montana. With their assistance, each county was able to test much faster than anticipated.
The windows in the house were jammed the next day; they even opened up the bedrooms so everyone could watch the soil and surrounding flora being tested. Just seeing human beings in their protective suits moving around outside was a thrill.
Spotting the anxious faces lining the windows, the environmentalist and assistants taking various samples smiled at them and the numbers. While the scientist couldn't yet give them a thumbs up as there was some additional testing to be done in the lab, the numbers looked very good.
With five ranches to test on this side of Bernalillo County and the drive to and from the lab, it was the next morning before testing was completed and then only because the lead environmentalist slept in her office and resumed testing before it was light out. The Gibbs' and Ortiz' ranches were good to go, three of the others situated in valleys southeast of La Serenidad and the Ortizes, were not. The scientist sent a confirming email to the heads of households of the two 'good' ranches and then picked up the phone to call the other three, the ones who would have to wait.
Tim found himself pacing the walking track the next morning, waiting for the phone call, afraid the silence meant bad news. When he looked at the clock, he chuckled to himself - it was only 0600! Back in the day, even Boss wouldn't make local phone calls that early. Unless it was a kidnapping.
Tim logged onto his laptop and opened his email. Nothing from the county. Then with an eye roll at his forgetfulness, he went to find his father. "Hey, the county has you listed as the head of household for the ranch."
"And?"
"Would you please check your email?"
His dad gave a quick nod. "You know my password? It's been awhile."
Years ago, Tim had taken control of his father's personal passwords while Ellie and Tony controlled his agency passwords. This morning, the second one Tim tried worked. By now, more people were pacing and waiting, people who usually weren't up at this hour. And everyone who wasn't awake soon joined them when Tim whooped with joy.
"We're clean, we're free!"
People poured out of their rooms in various stages of undress, the first person out of the teens' room hammered on Uncle John and Aunt Cissy's room. The kids came running while Tim, his father and whoever else was there grabbed hold of each other. The noise woke the babies who didn't appreciate it. The crowd was making so much joyful noise the babies' crying could hardly be heard. Once their adults appeared, they calmed down and then managed a five-baby squeal.
When people quieted or were perhaps pausing to catch their breath, Tim held up his hand. "Here's the official letter."
He read it aloud, Bec and Mel translating the scientific terms. Then putting the laptop down, he grabbed the people closest to him, "We can leave the shelter, all of us. The numbers are so good even our pregnant mamas can leave! All of us can safely step outside. We can drive our cars on the roads into town. We can leave here, go to town, and go anywhere west of here!" He stopped for a minute, "But the roads east of here aren't good yet. We passed as did the Ortizes but there are three ranches about ten miles southeast of us who didn't get good news. I believe those roads and the ranches are in valleys. So when we drive out of here, turn left, not right!"
Eventually the pandemonium really did die back, especially when the wonderful smells of bacon, eggs and pancakes cooking drifted through the shelter. When they turned toward the kitchen, Jacob grinned at them. "Party breakfast! And maybe our last one together. I imagine our vehicles will need some work, but Elaine and I still have escrow to close on our house in Oregon!"
His wife smiled, "Eat first, then we'll make plans."
As that sounded like a good idea, tables, and chairs were once again pulled from the classroom and library so they could eat together. Over their breakfast feast, they discussed plans, everyone's plans. From Brynie's wish to ride her bike to the Rourkes' need to secure their new house. It was Wednesday, October 9th, fourteen weeks after they'd moved into the shelter, fourteen weeks since they'd lost thousands of neighbors and millions of homes and businesses to the nuclear attack.
When they could think again, they made a couple of decisions. One was that because it was Wednesday, classes would continue for the rest of the week. Parents would contact the school district again to see if they had a firmer date than when Tim and Ellie had spoken with Ms. Dullea.
College classes might go for longer provided their instructors were available. As the Bishops, Mel, Bec, Geo, Sarah, and Tim weren't going anywhere anytime soon that was fine.
Realizing their classroom would be full of distracted students and instructors, class this morning would be a walk outside in the sunshine.
Their second decision was to go outside together, all of them. Hearing that, Kelly climbed up on a table and whistled for attention, just as she'd learned from her father when she was 6 years old.
"We've been inside for 14 weeks, without any real sunlight. If we go out now without protection, we'll fry in the first 5 minutes. Everyone must apply sunscreen; wear long sleeves and long pants, sunglasses and hats. This is not a request; it's an order from your doctors. If we don't see that you've protected yourself adequately, you will not be allowed out until you do. Sunscreen, long sleeves, sunglasses and hats, that's all we ask."
When some people claimed not to have any sunglasses, Jimmy held up a box. "We have plenty."
Rob had tubes of sunscreen and Ducky passed out baseball caps. "It's October, normally many of us would be wearing hats of the playoff and World Series teams."
People laughed but they'd come this far in protecting themselves and saw the sense in the doctors' directives. Sunscreen was applied, shirts with long sleeves dug up, hats were donned with sunglasses in hand or perched on the hats, waiting until they were needed.
As they prepared, their joy and excitement started to build again. This was their freedom, they could start to move on from the worry and fear in preparing to evacuate, the intense caravanning to safety and the horror that eclipsed everything else, the attack an hour after they'd sheltered.
With the littles in strollers and Daddy packs, and the other kids nearly dancing in excitement, they were ready to go. They walked out through the main door, blinking happily in the bright sunlight, rejoining the world above ground, outside of the walls that kept them safe, breathing fresh air and facing their new reality with hope. This was After.
The End