"Nothing." His voice was strong and sure and reflected his absolutely surety on the matter. "Least nothing bad," he finished. You know, worry was one of those emotions he hated to see on a woman. Worse, though, was the knowledge that Thrace was burying it as deeply as she could and he was offering little tangible proof to relieve her that.

It wasn't like there weren't options. He could definitely find a loophole with enough time. Too bad time was of the essence.

"You know, they actually made Gibbons stay behind? The guy that brought me in? He's like my... saddlebags. Guy's smart but..." Al smirked. "Bunch of nozzles, you know? Making Gibbs wait for me just isn't right. Can't blame the guy for being sore." He stopped for a moment, reflecting, and when he went on, he sounded a bit more tired than before. "I mean, he's on the line. Don't think he'll make it up there without me, but taking away his chance to try just to make me feel rotten." And he did, no doubt because the U.S. Navy wanted it that way.

But, Calavicci wasn't to be deterred. "Doesn't matter. I can fix it." So confident!