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Girls' seemed to notice Jack's nervousness, and Grandma Heidi waved him, "Young man, don't be so nervous. I've already spoken with David Rossi. Since the FBI won't release you, what do you think of the title of NCIS Special Advisor?"
Jack was startled by this, and instinctively tried to be humble, but then realized that he was now in the American workplace. At times like this, a smile, a nod, and a "I'm honored" would suffice.
In fact, while it might seem a bit strange for an FBI agent to hold the title of consultant within the military's internal investigations department, it wasn't entirely uncommon.
Since the Hoover era, the FBI has positioned itself as a useful tool for various factions to constrain presidential power, while secretly colluding with the military.
This alone suggests that J. Edgar Hoover, who served as Director for nearly half a century, serving under eight presidents and single-handedly forging the FBI's legacy, was at least somewhat knowledgeable about imperial studies.
Even though the FBI is now a far cry from its former self, having become a tool of partisan strife, it still maintains many "fine" traditions, including its long-standing relationship with the military. While
the FBI theoretically has jurisdiction over all federal criminal cases, when it comes to domestic military crimes, it typically delegates its jurisdiction directly to internal military investigative units,
such as the Navy's NCIS or the Army's ACIC (Army Criminal Investigation Command).
While the FBI also theoretically has jurisdiction over corruption cases within the military, in practice, most such cases are handled by the IGO Office of the Inspector General.
Furthermore, the FBI maintains close collaboration with the military in domestic counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and special forces training.
Jack's participation in DEVGRU training and his participation in Team B's campaigns against drug lords in Mexico are not unique; the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) regularly conducts joint operations abroad with DEVGRU and Delta Force under the guise of counterterrorism.
"Of course, this consulting job doesn't come with a fixed salary. The hourly rate is only $50, calculated only when there's a mission. There won't be any formal ceremony. I hope you don't mind."
A mischievous smile crossed Grandma Heidi's wrinkled face as she handed Jack a document she'd prepared long ago.
Jack certainly didn't mind the small amount of money. Having this little document meant he wouldn't have to resort to favors when he wanted to board a military aircraft.
The US Navy was a serious, first-class force. Though a bit aging these days, he'd still love to take a tour of one of their active aircraft carriers if he had the chance.
"It's an honor to serve my country," Jack said, his voice unpaid, as he mentally began to recall episodes of "NCIS."
Unfortunately, he couldn't recall many cases, but he did remember a few key characters: the quirky Abby, the ever-immature Tony, the Mossad-trained Jiva, and, of course, the silver-haired Gibbs.
"Welcome to our team." Although they had only known each other briefly, Karen and Hannah had a favorable impression of Jack and extended their hands to shake his as a gesture of welcome.
After pacing back and forth in front of her desk, Grandma Heidi's expression grew serious again.
"Okay, gentlemen, let's focus on the present. The situation is dire. You should know what the consequences would be if the media got wind of this, right?"
"It would be complete chaos," Hannah replied without hesitation.
"The entire city would instantly descend into a state of hellish chaos." Grandma Heidi nodded.
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"All kinds of rumors will spread across the Internet, citizens will lose their minds, fear will spread, and people will flee the city in panic, causing traffic jams, riots, and looting."
Karen paused here, "You can basically refer to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina."
But at this moment, Jack sang a different tune, "Excuse me, given the current situation, it seems unnecessary to be overly pessimistic. I believe LAPD has made sufficient plans in this regard."
Then he talked about the hemorrhagic fever virus attack he encountered when he was still an ordinary LAPD police officer.
He concluded, "After analyzing Jarod Broadman's experimental footage, the CDC concluded that while his 'modified' smallpox virus prolonged the incubation period and delayed the herpes stage, the virus's transmission method remained unchanged.
Compared to other dangerous airborne viruses, smallpox is not very viable in the air, so the means of releasing it are relatively limited.
Even if the situation deteriorates to the worst-case scenario, the LAPD could issue a public warning under the guise of a bomb attack, which should have some effect."
Grandma Heidi pondered this and nodded slightly. "If something unfortunate were to happen, that would indeed be a good idea. But until then, I grant you full authority to use all means to prevent this tragedy."
Kensi Bly hurried over. "We've got news from the taxi company investigation: someone matching Broadman's description got into a taxi at the airport and got off at the Ocean View Hotel in Venice Beach."
"Very good," said Grandma Heidi, pulling an aluminum box from her desk drawer and heading to the nearby office area. "But before you continue your investigation,
Agents Dex, Williams (Danny), and Kelly (Cheng Hao) need to get the smallpox vaccination."
Of the three named, the furry Maddy Dex and Danny's faces immediately grew visibly nervous.
Dex even stuttered. "Why only us? What about the others?"
"Because we're all regular soldiers and need regular vaccinations." Hannah returned to her seat, watching the show with a forced smile.
"Can't I take a pill?" Dex swallowed subconsciously as he watched Grandma Heidi remove a syringe from the aluminum box—a frightening double-ended needle.
"Or a patch or something?" Danny tried to hide his nervousness; it was clear Dex wasn't the only one afraid of injections.
"Honestly, I don't really like them." Dex was the most fearful of needles, his voice even trembling.
"Wait, why doesn't Agent Tavol need it?" He seemed to have grasped at a lifeline.
"I was vaccinated during my training at DEVGRU." Jack grinned at him, and then he thought of an obvious question: Grandma Heidi must have seen all of his supposedly highly confidential files.
(End of this chapter)