CSI Fic: Missing
Title: Missing
Author: Jedi Princess Clarrisani
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: CSI
Rating: PG
Pairing(s): Referenced Nick/Greg
Word Count: 1,991
Summery: When tragedy strikes, Conrad Ecklie finds himself thinking about the members of the Graveyard Shift
Disclaimer: Don’t own ‘em, but wouldn’t mind Greg (or rather, Eric Szmanda) wrapped up as a gift for Christmas.
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Dropping heavily into his seat, Conrad Ecklie ran a hand over his eyes, sighing. Conrad had always been a cautious man when it came to his career, always knowing exactly what his superiors, specifically the Mayor, wanted to hear. However, he knew that at this moment, he was in serious shit.
This case was supposed to have been the one to elevate him further, rising him toward the position of Director. The circumstances of the case were devastating: gunmen had invaded one of the smaller casinos off the strip. It was estimated that there were over a hundred dead once the siege had ended, several of the gunmen managing to escape and now on the run.
Conrad knew he would need to work fast before the Feds arrived, so he had sent every CSI available out to find out who these people were and who the target had been. Conrad already had extra support flying in from San Francisco. Within four hours they had managed to identify where it had all began and even isolated the list down to three possible suspects - local groups, as it happened.
Just when everything had been going right, it all went wrong. And if there was a list of worst case scenarios, this had to be numero uno.
The explosion had occurred sometime after 9 am, originating in the underground levels. It was like the Oklahoma City Bombing all over again, with part of the casino collapsing in on itself. The case had turned into a rescue effort, and Conrad knew he would be held at fault. Standard procedure for sieges or the like was to have the building searched for threats such as explosives - he had skipped over it in his rush to crack the case before the Feds arrived.
Looking down at the desk, Conrad’s lips formed a thin line. He flipped open the folder, his eyes scanning the list of the missing. Already there were marks on the list where the dead, injured and found had been recorded. Most of the dead were law enforcement, but the Crime Lab had taken a serious hit.
There was one dead from Day Shift, a former colleague and pupil of Conrad’s. Three from Swing had been reported recovered only a few minutes ago, although two were on their way to Desert Palm in critical condition. Graveyard…
Ecklie winced, his eyes scanning the familiar names in front of him. The space beside Graveyard was still empty. They were all still missing. No one had seen or heard from them since 10 minutes before the explosion, which was when Conrad had gotten off the phone to Gil. Conrad trailed his finger down the alphabetical list, setting his jaw.
Brown, Warrick. CSI 3.
Conrad didn’t like Brown. Warrick was Gil’s little favourite, receiving special favours and vast amounts of attention. Lately the man had settled down a little - he’d even married. There had been no reports of Brown gambling, and the man’s record was almost clear now. Brown had last been seen heading for the security office in search of the tapes to help them identify the fugitive suspects.
Grissom, Gilbert. CSI 3. Supervisor.
Conrad twitched. His arch nemesis himself. Gil had been part of the Las Vegas team for as long as Conrad could remember. Gil had been here before Conrad had, and the two had never been on good terms.
While Conrad respected Gil, he still looked down on the man as reckless and too trusting, as well as politically challenged. On more than one occasion Gil had said the wrong thing and ended up with the Mayor and Sheriff breathing down his neck, but Conrad had a feeling that Gil didn’t much care.
Sad though it was to think about it, Conrad knew that he really did need Gil. Not just because Gil was sort after and famous in the profession, but because Conrad liked bouncing his ego off Gil’s. Life would be boring without Gil there to patronise. And in all honesty, there were occasions when Conrad considered the possibility of reconciliation between the two of them. He always laughed the thought off quickly.
Gil had been the on-site supervisor at the casino - Conrad trusted no one else to that position. When they had spoken, Gil had been standing in the foyer with plans to return to the main conference room where the slaughter had supposably began and where the also missing coroner David Phillips had been black tagging bodies. Captain James Brass had been with Gil. Brass was missing as well, and the conference room was part of the collapsed section of building.
Sanders, Greg. CSI 2.
Now this one hurt. Conrad had always had a soft spot for Sanders. Greg, only recently CSI 2 by Conrad’s own hand, was overtly eager and willing to please. He was one of the few people Conrad could have a conversation with and know that the other was actually listening to him.
While Conrad had been hesitant at first to allow Sanders to leave his position as one of the best lab technicians in the country, he had never gone back on his decision. After all, how many other labs in the country could boast they had a leading DNA and trace specialist working out in the field?
Only recently Conrad had attended a conference and had taken Sanders with him. It was amazing how many people actually knew who Greg was. In fact, Conrad knew that Sanders could very well be another Gil Grissom in the making, although Conrad hoped that Greg would be a little more weary of the politics of the job, so Conrad had began giving Sanders a lot of advice. He’d even heard the younger man quoting it on occasion, much to the despair of Gil.
As far as Conrad was concerned, Greg could do little wrong. Sure Sanders had failed a couple of tests, and had almost broken following the explosion. There was also the question of Sanders love life, as evidence had recently come to Conrad’s attention to say that Sanders was shacking up with Stokes. Conrad was more than happy to overlook this little matter, however, so long as both men remained professional at work which they so far had. He’d been meaning to question Greg about it once this case was over.
Sanders had been processing the gaming room in order to find out what had been used to distract the casinos security when the attack had begun. The rescue unit still hadn’t made it into that part of the building, but expected to within the next hour or so. Conrad was holding his breath.
Sidle, Sara. CSI 3.
Gil’s little girlfriend, or so she wished. Conrad really had no issues with Sidle, other than her devotion to Gil. She would happily investigate the members of the Graveyard shift without bias, and on occasion had even recommended the removal of certain members from the team. Her main target had been Brown, the other Stokes.
Conrad knew that Sidle did like her colleagues, but also knew that she worked for the survival of the team. If one member was making wrong decisions and weakening that team, then something had to be done, without personal feelings involved. Conrad admired that in Sidle.
Conrad had heard a report that Sidle had been following Gil shortly before the bomb had exploded. She was supposed to have been overseeing Sanders - Sanders was her protégé - but it was nothing new for her to become distracted if Gil was nearby. So, basically, no one knew exactly where Sidle had been.
Stokes, Nicholas. CSI 3.
Yes, little Nicky Stokes himself. Conrad scowled. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about Stokes. In the past Conrad would have been happy to fire Stokes - the man had a tendency to make bad decisions, such as the Kristy Hopkins incident. But the Walter Gordon case had made Conrad reassess his opinion of the Texan.
Stokes was strong, that was certain. Anyone else in his position probably would have shot themselves. And the fact Stokes had come back to work was either courage or sheer stubbornness. Conrad was guessing it to be the latter.
Stokes could sweet talk anyone into liking him, specifically women. He could make suspects and victims alike trust him, but had a tendency to let cases become personal, especially of late. Conrad knew that Stokes was still in contact with Cassie McBride. Sanders had told him.
The whole Sanders/Stokes thing had led to further reassessment. If this ‘thing’ had been ongoing over an extended period of time, then Stokes had earned Conrad’s respect. Greg could be more than a handful, and anyone who could date him, let alone live with him, had the patience of a saint. Conrad liked that in his people.
Stokes had last been seen talking to Detective Sam Vega. Vega, who had been found alive roughly an hour ago, had reported that Stokes had been heading off to see how Sidle and Sanders were going. No one knew if Stokes had made it to the gaming room, but Conrad secretly hoped that he had.
Willows, Catherine. CSI 3.
Conrad sighed heavily. He liked Catherine. He knew that she hated him, but he liked her. She knew how to play the game when it came to the Mayor and Sheriff. Knew how to keep them happy without straying far from her personal beliefs. Catherine would go out on a limb when one of the Graveyard team was in trouble, and Conrad had meant it when he had told her that if he were ever in trouble, he would go to her.
Gil’s protégé and a long-term member of the Las Vegas team, Catherine knew almost everything there was to know. She was the ‘people person’, and would often put work first unless there was a situation with her daughter. Conrad recalled how he had once even had a slight crush on Catherine - she was so fierce, determined and loyal, and not to mention a visually appealing woman.
Conrad sometimes wished that Catherine was in charge of Graveyard, which was why he had promoted her to the head of Swing. However, after the Walter Gordon case, Catherine had been more than happy to slip back into Gil’s team, although Conrad suspected Catherine and Gil worked more as partners now than they ever had.
Catherine had been with Brown before the explosion, only she had been going to question the head of the video surveillance team. It appeared that the man had been lying, and if anyone could get the truth, it was Catherine. Vega was supposed to have joined her, only he had never made it that far. The fact Vega had been found alive brought some hope that Catherine and Brown may have survived too, but only time would tell.
Closing the folder, Conrad trailed his fingertips over it and sighed. It had been one hell of a long day, and it would be an even longer night. The Feds were due to arrive soon, and the military was coming to assist with the rescue effort. Already Conrad had had to beat off several news crews, and had finally had his calls screened.
Coming to a decision, Conrad stood, scooping up his jacket and pulling it on. He stepped out into the corridor, ignoring the looks he was receiving as he stepped toward the front desk, stopping and gaining the receptionists attention.
“If the Mayor calls, tell him I’m at ground zero.”
She looked up, eyes wide. “I think the Feds-”
“You can tell them the same thing. And the military.” Conrad began toward the door, jaw set as his eyes blazed, knowing that he was taking a leaf out of Gil’s book. Right now he didn’t care politics. He didn’t care about his career. He didn’t care about anything except making things right again.
“The Mayor is going to ask why,” the receptionist said.
“Tell him,” Conrad said, pausing at the corner, “that I’m going to find my people.”
Nothing else mattered.
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END