Well, here's the first chapter! Introducing most of the cast here! Enjoy!

NCIS Navy Yard

Washington D.C., Capitol of the United States of America

"Five . . . six . . . seven . . . "

"Eight?" Timothy McGee guessed as he entered the bullpen at NCIS headquarters.

"Ten . . . " Tony DiNozzo’s counting abruptly stopped, and he gritted his teeth. "Damn it, McGee!"

McGee raised an eyebrow. "What did I do?"

Tony looked up, looking angry, and held up his hand; they were full of chocolate chips. "I always ask for mini chocolate chips on my muffin." He jabbed a finger at the muffin in front of him. "Instead, they give me regular chocolate chips!"

There was a chuckle from across the bullpen, and both men looked over at that desk on that side. Ziva David looked up from her coffee and raised an eyebrow at Tony. "In my opinion, that’s more chocolate for you, Tony."

"Oh, thanks for your opinion," Tony told her sarcastically, "even though I never asked for it!"

"A second opinion never hurts," Ziva countered.

"What’s this about opinions?"

Tony jumped, spilling the chocolate chips back on top of his muffin. He ignored Ziva’s laugh and McGee going to his desk, and he turned to glare at the redheaded woman leaning casually on the wall behind him. "I need to count all over again!"

Natasha Romanoff just smirked and took the entire plate – muffin and chocolate chips. "No, you don’t."

"Hey!" Tony complained, standing up and following Natasha to her desk diagonal from McGee’s. "That’s my breakfast!"

"Not anymore, DiNozzo."

Tony yelped as a hand clipped the back of his head. "Is everybody ganging up on me today?"

"Nope," Gibbs replied, leaning over and grabbing something from his desk. "Gear up. Two navy down on the USS Blackhawk."

"The Blackhawk?" McGee asked, confused.

"That’s down by Mexico," Natasha agreed.

"Not when they’re both SEALs," Gibbs countered.

That shut Tony up. "On your six, boss," Natasha cut in quickly, swinging her backpack over her shoulder. She threw Tony a look that screamed "busted!" as she followed Gibbs to the elevator. Tony rolled his eyes and followed, McGee and Ziva falling into place behind them.

 ***

USS Blackhawk

Gulf of Mexico, United States of America

"Commander Jenkins was doing her rounds this morning," Lieutenant Harding explained, leading Gibbs and Natasha through the USS Blackhawk. "She passed the first six, and she didn’t report to the Admiral after the seventh watch post. Lieutenant Sears never reported in either when asked where she was."

"How many watch posts are there?" Natasha asked as they arrived at the seventh post.

"Ten," Lieutenant Harding replied. "When asked if they’d seen Commander Jenkins, none of the lieutenants there reported ever seeing her. That’s when we checked Watch Post Seven and found them."

"We’ll need the names of every lieutenant on all of the watch posts," Natasha informed him.

Lieutenant Harding gave a curt nod. "It will be at headquarters within an hour."

"Thank you. Dismissed, Lieutenant."

Lieutenant Harding turned on his heel and left, passing Tony in the process. "Ziva and McGee are interviewing the C.O., Admiral Watson, boss," he told Gibbs.

"Good," Gibbs replied, looking down at Commander Jenkins and Lieutenant Sears. "Names?"

"Commander Rosalie Jenkins, always went by Rosie, and Lieutenant Mariana Sears, always went by Marie," Tony replied. "When they’re not on missions with the SEALs, they’re on board the USS Blackhawk. Everyone I talked to said they were admirable officers."

"Someone didn’t think so," Gibbs countered.

Behind them, they heard someone humming a song that sounded suspiciously like "What to Do With a Drunken Sailor." Natasha and Tony grinned at each other, then started singing along. Gibbs glared icicles at Natasha, who instantly cleared her throat and stepped over Lieutenant Sears and Commander Jenkins, and Gibbs clipped Tony on the back of the head again. "Duck!" Gibbs growled.

"Oh, sorry, Jethro!" came a cheerful voice, and Tony rubbed his head as he backed away. The NCIS Medical Examiner, Donald Mallard, pushed between Gibbs and Tony. His assistant, Jimmy Palmer, was close on his heels. "When I’m on one of these ships, the song in me takes over."

"Understood, but it’s contagious to a few specific agents," Gibbs told him, glaring at both Natasha and Tony.

"If you want an apology, Rule Eight," Natasha told him, pointing her camera at him.

Beside himself, Gibbs gave a rare grin to her. "How did they die, Duck?"

Ducky looked over both the Commander and the Lieutenant. "The Commander’s death was instantaneous. A bullet shot to the head, right through her brain. It never came out."

Natasha took a few pictures, then frowned. "The bullet never left her head?"

"No. It must’ve been a low-powered shot."

Natasha cocked her head. "When I was in Russia, there was no such thing as a low-powered shot to Yekaterina."

Tony snorted. "Brainwashing does that."

Natasha glared at Tony. "Shut up."

"And the Lieutenant," Ducky put in loudly to cover up Tony, "died much slower. I put her dead around the same time as the Commander even though she was stabbed first."

"Stabbed?" Gibbs echoed, kneeling down.

"Stabbed," Ducky confirmed. "But by what kind of weapon I do not know . . . "

As Gibbs leaned down, Natasha stood back up, taking a few pictures of the watch post, then noticed something odd. Frowning, she lowered her camera – and met a civilian’s emerald green eyes. When she blinked, the man was gone. "What the heck?" she said out loud.

Gibbs looked up at her. "What?" he asked.

Natasha shook her head. "Must’ve just imagined it," she mumbled.

Tony looked weirdly in the direction Natasha was just looking in. "There’s nothing there," he commented.

"Exactly," Natasha snapped. She pushed her camera into Tony’s chest. "‘Scuze me."

Tony looked after Natasha as she stomped away in the direction she saw the person. "Is she all right today?" he wondered out loud.

***

Natasha looked around the corner, watching as several navy officers strode businesslike through the corridor. "Damn," she whispered. "I thought I had you."

She remembered the last time she’d seen those emerald eyes – over a metal cuff that hid his mouth as his brother was ready to take him home as a prisoner. Shaking her head, she walked on the right side of the corridor, her right hand showing her badge to several of officers who threatened to stop her. Her left hand hovered on the holster of her left-hand gun.

She turned another corner, then realized that it was completely empty. She leaned on the wall, panting. "Wrong turn," she muttered blankly, then turned to leave – only to slam right into the man she had seen previously.

In a flash, she whipped the gun from its holster, but the man was faster. He grabbed her shoulder and thrust her against the wall, pulling her arm towards him, squeezing her wrist so that all feeling left her hand, and she dropped her gun in the process.

Natasha gritted her teeth. "Loki," she growled. "What a surprise."

Loki smirked back at her. "I had hoped you would be the first of the five Midgardians I would run into," he informed her. "Really. You should be feeling honored."

"Really?" Natasha asked sarcastically. "Because right now, all that I’m feeling is numbness." She lifted her left hand and waved it in front of his face.

Loki smiled and shook his head. "That was necessary. I didn’t want to be shot at."

"Natural instinct," Natasha snarled. "So, are you going to kill me or what?"

Loki looked surprised. "No. Not kill you. I am not that mean."

"Really? Because last time you were here, you killed because it was fun!"

"I killed so I could get what I needed."

Natasha snorted. "What, Barton?"

Loki snarled. "Damn you."

The last thing Natasha saw before she blacked out was Loki’s hand reaching out and clamping around her neck.

***

"It’s no knife wound, that’s for sure," Tony commented, snapping a few pictures of the wound in Lieutenant Sears’s stomach.

"I won’t know for sure until Abigail can get a reading," Ducky concluded. "Mr. Palmer, shall we get them ready for autopsy?"

"Yes, we shall, Doctor," Jimmy confirmed, looking through his supplies.

There were footsteps, and Gibbs looked up as McGee and Ziva walked up. "We checked in with Admiral Watson," McGee explained. "He said that Commander Jenkins was a role model for all of the other Navy officers to follow."

"He also said that Lieutenant Sears was just recently promoted," Ziva added. "No one spoke out against it. All in all, there should be no reason for their murders."

Gibbs growled. "Well, we’ll figure out if there is or not." He looked around, frowning. "Where’s Natasha?"

"She went after her illusion," Tony replied. "She went that way." He pointed.

Gibbs stood. "If she’s not back yet, I’m beginning to wonder if it was an illusion or not. Come on. DiNozzo, with me. Ziva, McGee, around."

"We’ll just . . . stay here," Ducky put in. He and Jimmy looked at each other worriedly. "I do hope they find poor Natalia."

***

McGee led Ziva around as they watched Gibbs and Tony start to head down the hallway. "Do you think she found something out?" Ziva asked.

"She would’ve called and mentioned it," McGee replied, shaking his head. "No, something must’ve happened to her."

"And if she’s dead, I’m personally going to kick her attacker’s ass," Ziva stated.

McGee grinned, and they both pulled their guns out as they walked down the hallway parallel to their partners’.

***

Tony entered the hallway first, gun raised for any sign of danger. All of the navy officers looked up at him as if he was crazy. He sighed, gesturing for them to get off of the right side of the corridor. "Boss?" he whispered.

Gibbs entered the hallway next, flashing his badge at the officers. In response, all of them made a mad dash for the left side. "It’s all in the badge, DiNozzo," he whispered back.

"Right," Tony replied blankly. "All in the badge." He shook his head, starting down the corridor. Gibbs followed right on his heels.

When they reached a fork in the corridor, Tony gritted his teeth. "Damn."

He felt a tap on his shoulder and looked behind him at Gibbs. Gibbs pointed at himself, then at the three o’clock corridor. "I guess I’m going on," Tony muttered. "Great."

Gibbs clipped Tony on the head again before disappearing down the corridor. Tony winced as silently as he could before going on.

***

Ziva let McGee lead the way down the corridor before it split into a fork. McGee looked behind her, then glanced down the nine o’clock hall. Ziva got her cue and nodded. She turned down the nine o’clock hall and started down that way as McGee continued down the original way.

***

Gibbs checked each and every corridor he could, but every doorway was locked. He couldn’t check every single one. He was on his way to try another door when he heard footsteps from the other direction.

Freezing, he turned silently and hid in the doorway. He turned to look at who was coming from the other direction, gun raised.

A dark figure came around the corner, holding a gun as well. It stepped into the light –

"Ziva?"

Gibbs asked, stepping forward.

Ziva pointed her gun straight at Gibbs before lowering it. "Gibbs. Have you had any luck?"

"No," Gibbs replied, looking around. "I sent Tony on. Where’s McGee?"

"We reached a knife in the hall," Ziva replied.

"Fork," Gibbs muttered. "Fork in the hall."

Ziva frowned at him. "McGee went on. I came this way."

"There’s no luck here," Gibbs told her, turning to leave when he felt his foot slip on something. Thankfully, Ziva’s arm shot out and grasped his before he fell. "What is it?" she murmured.

Gibbs shook his head, looked down, and his eyes widened. Ziva looked down, too, and from her face, Gibbs knew that she wished she hadn’t.

A pool of dark red had pooled out from under the doorway.

　***

Tony did one more sweep down his corridor, then turned back the way he came. Along the way, his phone buzzed in his back pocket. He took one look at it, then stopped short and answered. "DiNozzo," he spoke.

"Tony. It’s me," came Ziva’s voice. "Get down to where Gibbs left you."

"I was on my way when you called," Tony replied, starting to speed up. "Why? What happened?"

"There’s blood spilling from one of the doors," Ziva replied. "This was the way Natasha came."

Tony’s eyes widened, and he ran even faster. "What the hell was she doing down there?"

"I don’t know. I’m picking the lock right now. Tony, hurry."

"I’m coming." He snapped his phone closed and continued right on.

He was so focused on running that he didn’t notice Loki staring after him before turning and walking away the way Tony had just left.

***

McGee felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He took one more quick look around the corridor, then answered. "McGee."

"McGee, go back the way you came," Gibbs ordered sharply. "We have a problem."

"What happened?" McGee asked, turning and walking back down the corridor.

"Break off where Ziva left you," Gibbs replied. "There’s blood coming from one of the doors down here. Possibly another murder or Natasha."

McGee’s eyes widened. "On my way, boss." He snapped his phone shut and ran the rest of the way.

***

"Hurry, Ziva," Gibbs growled under his breath.

"I’m going as fast as I can," Ziva replied, wincing as she broke another one of the hairpins. "I don’t usually use hairpins for this."

"Where’s your knife?"

Ziva stopped, then slid her knife from the back of her belt and started working on the lock again. Gibbs smirked to himself, then he heard footsteps running and raised his gun to his left. Tony rounded the corner and rushed up. He slid to a halt when he saw Ziva picking the lock and Gibbs pointing his gun straight at him. He raised his hands up. "Just me, boss."

Gibbs lowered his gun as McGee rounded the corner from the other side. "And me. What happened?"

"Good question," Gibbs replied, looking at Ziva.

There was a click, and Ziva lowered her knife and reached for her gun instead. "I got it."

She pressed up against the right side of the door, Gibbs on the left. He looked at Tony and nodded, and he snap-kicked the door open.

Inside, lying in a heap on the floor and obviously unconscious, was a redheaded woman dressed in NCIS attire.

"Natasha," Tony breathed in disbelief.

"She was right," Gibbs told him. "Someone was watching her."

"And she paid the price," Ziva added.

"Find Ducky," Gibbs ordered. He kneeled by Natasha and heaved her into a position so that she was sitting with her back against the wall. Her skin was white, and when he checked her pulse, it was slightly speeding. "Now!"

Ziva and McGee were already running in the other direction.

*** 

Dun dun DUN! Something happened to Natasha, and Loki's back on Earth! He he he . . . I feel evil. Anyway, feel free to review!

And this dedication goes to KatieGuinn. Girl, you know your NCIS and the Avengers! I'm glad you're reading! :)