> 9) Having learned this, lab director and night shift supervisor
> Gil Grissom abruptly declared that he could not continue on the case due
> to a potential conflict of interest, handed supervisory authority to
> Catherine, and went home.

Which is also the point where the credits last rolled.

> Catherine had considered this behavior somewhat bizarre, even
> for Grissom, until she sat down and had a long look at the big picture.
> Now she thought she was seeing the same pattern that had spooked
> Grissom, and if she was right, she didn't blame him for bowing out of
> the case. Administratively, the path ahead was fraught with danger.

But its not the Administrative dangers; and I personally would argue that Griss isnt exactly spooked, Cath. He's got that same bad feelign I do, that Echlie's involved in this up to his neck. Which means that as much as Grissom wants to be involved, he litterally CANT. If he doesnt step out now a smart lawyer will use that potential conflict of interest to have the whole case thrown out. And UF Gil, at least the way I read the way Gryph presents him, would feel rather like a heel if it was his actions that got a case thrown out.

> Caine nodded. "I know that, Catherine," he said. "And I don't
> have a problem following your lead. My team and I are at your disposal.
> Just tell us... " He reached into his inside jacket pocket, took out
> his dataglasses, and slipped them on. "... where you want us."

Umm, Horatio... She just TOLD you where, like 5 lines back! Not really having followed much of CSI:M myself, I take it the glasses of justice stich has grown more pronounced than I seem to recall from the inital crossover launch?

> "Hell if I know," Catherine replied irritably. "Probably
> communing with his dominatrix."

Low blow, Cath. He'd be there if he wasnt damn well aware that any more involvment of his would get this blown out of the water. THough it does rather look like the mystery lady from fragment 2 (or was it 3?) is Lady H...

> "Hazing the FNG, Willows?" asked the security-detail sergeant
> who led the team responding to the vault alarm.

Not exactly fair there. Greg might have just recently moved up from the labs into the field teams, but that doesnt make him the FNG... That distinction really should be Cally's

> "Testing the security system. And your response time, nice
> work," Catherine added. "Can you let Greg out of there, please?

I however, am beginning to suspect. For one, I begin to fear that this represents some rather long term planning.

> Sara looked more bemused. "... Right. Clearly I missed a
> memo."

Dont feel too bad, Greg did too!

> "My time for what?"
> "Well... -this-," said Skuld, and suddenly the room was filled
> with light.

Either Gryph doesnt like Warrik, or you've got something REALLY special planned for him by the end of this I hope...

> Janice grinned. "You're kidding. I get my very own take-
> Cortana-to-the-computer-and-flip-the-switch mission? Awesome. I feel
> so loved." She turned to Skuld. "Are we going right now?"

Doesnt the incident aboard the Hammer count? <<checks datestamps>> Yup, last year. Ok, I can see how you'd put it that way since its a solo job rather than a 'team effort'. Oh, and is the reason she calls John dad something that will be related on screen, or just because she's working with him on a semi regular basis?

> "So," he said, indicating his Lens. "You know anything about
> these things? I didn't get the tutorial."

Yup. There isnt to much OF a tutorial for them, given their individualistic natures; but I'm sure the Master Cheif can explain the basics of care and feeding for you Nick, cause thats well enough known. Does make one kind of wonder what a Criminalist's lens might come up with as far as bonus features, since we know Gris has one too. Hope its something thats important enough for some camera time in the future.

> Dawson picked up the magazine, noted that some thoughtful soul
> had already loaded it, and slapped it into the butt of the Sardak.

Oh SHIT. That's not supposed to be proper procedure, but I think Bobby's been working too many hours to see it. This CANT BE GOOD....

> Both of them found their attention quite effectively grabbed,
> however, by the sudden roar of automatic gunfire and shattering transpex
> that filled the office.

Doncha just hate it when your right?

> "Uh, no, actually... " Sara handed him a .47-caliber bullet.
> "I was stopping you from taking one in the side of the head."

Which, even if he's an unknown detian like Nicky was would STILL pretty much ruin his day. actually, quite a few years, come to think of what happened to Noriko...

> "Oh," she said nonchalantly, "I had a little ol' argument with a
> defective plasmacaster one time...

HA! the question is, was it a deliberate booby trap?
<Reads Flashback>
Oh. actually, Horatio's line here was almost a let down though. I'd expected somehing more witty, given that he pulled out the GLASSES O JUSTICE

> "I'm folding the crime lab into CID," Gryphon explained. "I've
> been thinking about doing it for a while now, but this... CSI
> assassination plot, or whatever the hell is going on, made it a little
> more urgent. Making the lab's field personnel CID officers gives them
> expanded law enforcement powers... "

Such as the questioning of suspects like we see them do all the damn time anyway. Nice touch bridging that gap there, G.

> "'S an internal investigation, right? So you figure it was an
> inside job. Better not to involve anyone who's normally assigned to HQ.
> If I need help, I've got people I can call."

Niel, XXX, Master Chief, right off the top of my head; Corwin or Utena ? Hmm. Dates dont quite match up, so most of the CSI team would be tied up with who shot WHeeljack I think during the time around Utena and Corwin's wedding... And come to think of it last episode we saw Valient taking AoN on their summer tour still. Ok, so maybe not Corwin or Utena. But I digress..

> Geoff folded his hands behind his back and stared straight ahead
> at the elevator doors, his face stonily impassive save for a tiny hint
> of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

An expression readily familiar to readers of Chris Dee's Cat Tales as the Twitch smile.

> "Actually... hang out for a second," Greg said. "I could use a
> volunteer from the audience." Seeing her face tighten, he added, "No,
> don't worry, it's nothing weird. I know you think all my holidays are
> excuses to do crazy things with fudge sauce, but hear me out."

Which really isnt fair, because IIRC you mentioned that there pretty much was only one holiday that actually had to do with fudge sauce/pudding...

Greg is the one singing Barrett's Privateers?? *boggle*

> "You know, it's funny. Vincent was right. I -did- go to
> Vulcan hoping I'd learn how to turn my emotions off." She sighed deeply
> and climbed to her feet. "Obviously it didn't -work-," she added wryly,
> "or I wouldn't feel bad about being an emotional cripple."

Well, maybe it would have worked better if it had been a concious decision, Sara. the unconcious mind is funny that way.

> "You weren't thinking of going out on the street alone, were
> you, Inspector?" he asked.
> "How the hell did you - never mind." Catherine raked her hands
> through her hair, blinking rapidly in an effort to wake up. "Do you
> sleep?"
> "Never on the firm's time, ma'am," Geoff replied stolidly.

Suddenly Geoff's making me envision the MIB rif. and it is very very good...

> Catherine stared at the entry in disbelief. "Tim Speedle? From
> the day shift? Why the hell would he do that?" She looked from the
> monitor to Cortana's avatar. "Is it possible that there's another layer
> to this? That someone else did all this and tried to make it look like
> Speedle was framing Greg?"

Nope. which is a shame, and I personally say the only reason Speedle is the dirty guy is cause I was SOOOO vocal in my pointing the finger at Echly.

> He knew this wasn't
> Catherine's own house; though he'd never been there, he remembered from
> some previous conversation that she lived in Crescent Heights, a few
> streets over from the Chief's place.

Bet its Grissoms.

> "You let your -beetle- up on the -couch-?" she asked.
> Grissom shrugged. "He can't see the TV from the floor." He
> extended a large metal bowl. "Chapulin?"

OMG... You guys HAD to have way to much fun blocking this scene out. Though UF Griss as being this into his entemology strikes me as being borderline obsessive.

> "What are you watching?"
> Grissom blinked. "You've never seen 'Them!'?"

That's not helping G...

> Grissom shook his head. "Enrique hates ants," he said. "He
> roots for the people."

*Shatter*

> "Not for the moment. There's still a potential conflict. I
> shouldn't get involved again until you and the others have followed the
> evidence chain all the way to the end. Call me, though, if you need
> anything."

See Cath? I TOLD YOU SO. :P

> Eric "Newfoundland Time" Delko

Now this, I dont get. Ok, I assume its a dig on Delko getting into work on time; but if its come from the source I thought newfoundland and Miami were both eastern timezone...

> Sara put her other hand on the table and leaned over him.
> "Conrad -Ecklie-? You stole money from evidence to finance a hit on
> Nick masterminded by ECKLIE?" Standing up, she folded her arms and
> glared at him, her primary ears pinned back. "I can't believe I saved
> your frickin' life."

Now have I, or have I not been saying Echlie was behind it all along???

> "Grissom sleeps?"
> "Amazing but true. I've seen it."

Yeah Warrick, I know how you feel. You know he must, but somehow you just cant quite visualise it?

> "Great. C'mon down, we need a bank teller."
> "You need a -bank-... okay, this I gotta see."

another scene you folks had WAAAAY to much fun with, I see. Thank Skuld Lulu's in bed, or she'd be ready to mug me over all the obscure chorteling I've done so far.

> Nick, who had watched it all unfold
> in his role as the single hapless bank employee one of the strike team
> would have to interact with, was impressed - so much so that he rather
> wished he could go with them and play a part in the actual caper.

I'd arge that point. Not a heist, small H, but a Heist, capitol, like something out of the Great Train robbery or Ocean's 11, ect...

Oh, and even more embarassing in the fact it just click that its the same team that basicly took Klavvor's brand new toy out during the invasion to boot. Defiatly going for maximum psychological warfare there. Hope we get to see more of this from the other side during later parts of Symph 5...

> "Get -him- out of here," he said.

boy... Kelshar's deveoping a real Nick freakout right about now, isnt he?

> As they waited on line in the near-empty burger stand, Geoff
> expounded on the 'secret' menu at In-n-Out, while Warrick put in
> supplementary information.

Now that is really interesting, as I have yet to come across an In n Out that was not packed to the rafters. and shouldnt they be waiting In line not On line?

> The Black Hoods might not care
> about collateral damage, but he had come to care about it.

Between Logan and the other marvel tranplants, they do pretty good work as far as turning programmed killers back into people, dont they?

> "I don't like this," Geoff said. "Let's get this stuff inside.
> I think this is going to be another busy night for everybody."

Geoff... dont you ever learn? The very fact you said that... well I'm not quite willing to bet Agent A has a K unit attack laid on, because even if she did it wouldnt really be much for the CSI team; but everyone else is probobly gonna be crawlin out the woodwork... PS, I swear to GOD I wrote that before reading the next paragraph!!!

> <GIOL'BERTIS GRISSOM, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?>

I dunno, I swear it sounds more Klingon than Salusian, guys.

> With a snapping hiss he'd heard only a couple of times before in
> his life, a brilliant green bar of light sprang into being before his
> eyes,

Gil, if not a fullup Jedi is at least Lightsaber proficient? LIke I said a couple 10k ago, you either really Hate warrik or he'd getting something really nice later....

> Catherine rolled her eyes at him. "You have a gift for
> understatement," she observed. As she put her wineglass down on the end
> table next to her chair, the gleaming green gem affixed by a silver band
> around her slim wrist caught her eye, and she paused to contemplate it
> for a few moments.

well, clearly I am still confused, as its really hard to tell if this is part of Brightest Day or Skuld did, in fact, give Cath "THE TEST". Cant wait till you decide to let us in on it...