"Yes, I am positive these remains belong to Captain Fisher," Ducky told Fury and Gibbs, indicating the container of ashes lying on the autopsy table. "Abby's tested them for DNA and the sample came back a perfect match to the captain's."

"Damn," Fury said. "Fisher was key to this operation."

"Someone's masquerading as him," Gibbs said quietly. "Let's go find out who."

As they stood in the elevator back up to the squad room, Fury stepped forward and hit the emergency stop switch. The lights dimmed as the cab jerked to a halt, Gibbs turning to face Fury. "What?"

"I'm going to need Bishop and DiNozzo to report to the Triskelion," Fury said, holding up his hand to stop Gibbs' protest. "I wouldn't call them back if I didn't need them, Gibbs, but this warrants investigation. Captain Rogers is going to need the entire STRIKE team to investigate the Gauntlet."

Gibbs frowned. "You're sending STRIKE in instead of just a couple agents to investigate? Fury, what's going on here?"

Fury pressed his lips together. "Project Insight is close to launch," he said after a moment of hesitation. "This whole case is too close, Gibbs. SHIELD will be taking over jurisdiction."

"No, you won't," Gibbs told him. "And what the hell is Project Insight? And don't you tell me it's classified."

Fury met Gibbs' gaze. "Project Insight is a defensive system to protect our nation's security," he said. "It analyzes threats and looks to stop them before they happen. It will increase the US's safety."

"How does it stop threats?" Gibbs asked, eyes narrowed. "It doesn't sound like it's going to ask nicely."

"It won't," Fury said grimly. "It kills."

"You've designed a system to preemptively take out potential threats?" Gibbs demanded. "What the hell, Fury?"

"We have to make tough decisions," Fury retorted. "And if we don't make them, others pay the price. I'm just looking out for the nation's safety."

"Like hell you are!" Gibbs seethed. "We make tough decisions, but that one's easy to shoot down."

"What would you rather have, Gibbs?" Fury interrupted. "Your team safe or the criminals safe? You wouldn't have lost Agent Todd if we'd had Project Insight operational at the time. Ari Aswari would have died before he could even think of killing her."

Gibbs' gaze grew murderous. "But how many of my team end up becoming targets, Fury? How many do I lose to Insight because of something they might do, or some skill they have your system doesn't like? How long before Insight determines you and I are threats because we have our own way of doing things those above us don't always approve of?"

Fury didn't reply, just glared at Gibbs with his good eye. "Gibbs, SHIELD has deemed this project essential to the future," he said after several long moments of angry silence. "This is past debate."

"Is it?" Gibbs demanded. "Is it, Fury? Tell me, what's Fisher's mission aboard the Gauntlet? What are you so afraid of?"

Fury turned away and hit the button, the elevator jolting into motion as the lights came on. Quick as a snake, Gibbs smacked the button and halted the cab again. "This conversation isn't over until I get some answers."

"This doesn't concern you," Fury snapped. "You resigned, remember? Stepped. Down. You wanted no part of it."

"Two of my agents work for you now," Gibbs snarled. "Three, with McGee doing whatever coding you've assigned him. So this does concern me. Or Vance will terminate all inter-agency cooperation and everyone we have working with you will be pulled. You'll lose everything."

Fury's gaze flickered. "'Everything' is a large claim when NCIS only has three agents currently with SHIELD status, those three being DiNozzo, McGee, and Bishop."

And Agent Torres. "You willing to take that risk, Fury?"

Fury was silent for a while, holding Gibbs' glare with one of his own. Then he spoke. "Gibbs, I have as many questions about the sanity of what we're doing as you, but unlike you, I'm no longer a field agent."

"No, you're director," Gibbs pointed out. "So direct, dammit! Stop this before it's too late, or I will."

"While I'm mildly entertained by the prospect of you single-handedly seeking to end Project Insight, it's not that simple. This project has roots above my head, Gibbs, and they don't have the scrupulous conscious that we do." Fury's voice was sarcastic.

Gibbs snorted.

"This whole situation involving Operation Blackout is concerning me, though," Fury admitted. "Morris and Mason are already dead from their connection to this project and Whitt is next, hence why I've just ordered him into protective custody. Maria Hill is retrieving the data from him for the Blackout Interface. And Fisher's death going unnoticed by the USS Gauntlet....Gibbs, this doesn't bode well."

"What is Fisher's mission?" Gibbs asked.

Fury looked grim. "Fisher and his team are arming the Interface satellite. Our ship the Lemurian Star has already launched the other satellites necessary to the project. The Interface puts Operation Blackout into effect."

"What's Operation Blackout?" Gibbs asked.

"It's for the worst case scenario, if the US were to fall," Fury told him. "It allows for...certain procedures to be carried out. That's all I can say. Most of the project is still under wraps."

Wordlessly, Gibbs reached out and pressed the button, starting the elevator up again.

"SHIELD will be taking over this case, though," Fury added. "Between the enhanced individuals and the deaths all connected to SHIELD, we'll be assuming jurisdiction."

"I'm chasing down the enhanced beings," Gibbs said. "With or without jurisdiction."

Fury laughed humorlessly. "Oh, I'm counting on it."

****

"So wait," Loki said, holding up his hands. "SHIELD can take our case, just like that?"

Fury nodded and Fornell snorted, muttering something about "damn case-snatchers and alien-hunters."

"Bishop, DiNozzo, gear up, you're going to the Triskelion," Gibbs ordered. "McGee, you're going, too. Loki, Hailstohm, focus on tracing Agent Sniper and her allies."

Bishop frowned. "I thought SHIELD was taking the case?"

"They are," Gibbs said. "But we're still tracking the enhanced. SHIELD's just pursuing a separate line of investigation than we are. We're sharing jurisdiction, in a way. Loki, you're running point."

Loki's eyes widened. "What?"

Gibbs turned to face him. "You've got lead. Your case. You're in charge."

"Is that even a good idea?" Jane asked, standing up from behind her desk.

Gibbs just turned and looked at her, and Jane sat back down, raising her hands in submission.

"Where are you going?" Loki asked Gibbs, furrowing his brow. He's putting me in charge?

"With them," Gibbs said. "Fornell, you, LaCroix, and Skye are welcome to continue working from here."

"Oh, I'm not leaving," Fornell declared. "Not if Loki here is in charge. I wouldn't miss this for the world."

Bishop kissed Loki on the cheek as she grabbed her backpack, Loki still shocked from hearing he was now in charge. "You'll do great, baby," she said, smiling up at him. "You got this."

Belatedly, Loki grabbed her in a hug and kissed her. "Ugh, PDA," he heard Darcy comment as he released Bishop.

"I love you," he murmured.

"Love you, too," Bishop said, and then followed DiNozzo, McGee, Gibbs, and Fury to the elevator. Loki, Hailstohm, Jane, Darcy, Ian, LaCroix, Skye, and Fornell watched them leave.

"So they're really not taking the case if we're still doing all the work," Skye commented with a wry smile, and LaCroix laughed.

"Loki," Hailstohm said quietly. "What shall we do now?"

Loki jumped. "Right. I'm in charge. Uh...I haven't the faintest idea of what we do now, besides find Sniper."

"That's a good start," Fornell said.

"Hey, Laufeyson," Agent Tom Carpenter said over the partition separating Gibbs' team's space from the rest of the office. "Go see Ducky and Abby, see if they've got an update for you."

Loki breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Carpenter. All right. LaCroix, Skye, go over everything and compile data on everywhere Sniper and the others have been. Darcy, Ian, help the FBI agents with whatever they need. Jane, come up with a way to explain the gravity anomaly data in a way that I'll understand. Fornell, Hailstohm, with me."

"I've got nothing at the moment to do," Carpenter said. "Can I help in some way?"

"Help however is needed," Loki said, gesturing. "Let's go see Ducky."

/**/

Gibbs put Loki in charge. This is going to get...interesting.

What did you think? Of Gibbs and Fury's argument, of the team returning to SHIELD, of Loki being put in charge?

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!

Skylar Wittenborn