A/N: I discovered this little oneshot just tonight. I'd forgotten all about it. In fact, I had to read through it to know what happened because I didn't even remember. It was originally written for the NFA Weekly Skills Workshop back in August 2010. There's not a whole lot going on in it. ...or rather, there's a lot going on, but you don't actually see it much. According to my note when I originally posted it, I couldn't decide whether to go funny or poignant; so it's kind of both. It's short.

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS and I'm not making money from this story.

How to Explain Things to People Who Don't Have a Clue
by Thom E. Gemcity

The camera shook and then stabilized. It focused on an empty chair. None of the surroundings were clear. It could have been anywhere. Then, a man sat down on the chair. He smiled, but there was something strange about his expression.

"Hi. I'm Timothy McGee. I work for NCIS. I'm a member of the MCRT at NCIS Headquarters in DC. I'm a field agent, but a lot of what I do is using my computer skills...and then trying to explain what I've done to the people around me. I'm going to explain to you how this can be done when the people supposedly listening to you don't really care and don't have a single idea about what you do and how you do it."

"Hey, Probie!"

The man stood up. "Coming, Tony!"

The camera went off.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

The camera went on. The man sat down in the chair again.

"Sorry for the interruption. Now, let's say that you have been instructed to track down the current location of a suspect based on his cell phone signal. Obviously, you already know how to do this. What you don't know how to do is explain whether or not you can actually do this...and then tell your boss how this can or cannot be achieved. It's a difficult task."

He shifted in the chair but he still smiled.

"The first step is determining whether or not it's possible. Let's say it is. So you're working on it, and you get pushed to do it faster. There's a limit to how quickly you can get it done. So, you may be tempted to try and explain that you can't get it done. Don't. Don't even try. People who don't use computers, who barely comprehend how to turn them on, they don't care if something has an absolute minimum amount of time it takes. Don't waste time trying to explain that. Just work."

"McGee, we must get going now if we wish to catch up."

"Sorry, Ziva."

The camera went off.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

The camera went on. The man sat down in the chair. He was wearing different clothes.

"Okay, second step. That is to actually do the work. You know how to do this already. Don't worry about that. You have the skills. Don't secondguess yourself. You know what to do and how to do it. Just get the work done and ignore anyone else while you're working. If it's your task and you have the skills...which you do...then, don't let any kind of haranguing bug you. Tune them out. It's easy to do."

The man took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Step number three. This is the hard part. You have to give the results. Let's say that there's a guy and you've triangulated his position to within five feet of his actual position. It was really hard. You worked hard and you know that someone with fewer skills would have failed. You want some acknowledgment for your hard work. You deserve it. So what you want to do is explain how difficult it was and give some details of how you did it."

He looked off camera, came halfway out of his chair...and then sank back down.

"You want to do that. Don't. Don't bother. Don't try. Just tell the information. Get it out there and move on. If you don't do that, you'll only annoy the people you're supposed to be helping and you'll get the opposite reaction to what you want. If you just do the work, sometimes...sometimes you'll get a 'Good job!' and that's all. Be satisfied with that. It means more than you could possibly imagine."

"McGee, it's time to go."

"I know."

"It'll work out."

The man in the chair sighed. "Yeah...maybe. Just give me a minute."

"We'll be outside."

"Thanks, Boss."

The man got up out of the chair, readjusted the camera. A computer could be seen in the background. Now, it was obvious that there was muffled music playing not far away. He sat back down.

"The MCRT is one of the greatest places you could ever work. The people you'll work with are crazy, annoying, unappreciative...and wonderful. Accept that and they'll be there for you. Every time."

He got up and walked toward the camera.

The camera went off.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Time passed. The camera stayed off.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

The camera went on. A man sat down. It was not the same man. He was a bit older.

"Hey, I watched steps. And the Probie's right. Don't bother telling us about what you can do. We do notice and we appreciate it. Step four is understanding that."

The man got up and turned off the camera.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

More time passed. The camera stayed off.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

The camera went on. A man sat down in the chair. It was the first man who had been there before. He was thinner than he had been. He had dark circles under his eyes. As he sat down, trembling could be seen.

"Step five. Never forget that there's no 'I' in team. It's a stupid saying, but it's true. You get the work done as a team. You function as a team. If you remember that, then you'll never have to worry about what you're doing, why you're doing it. Step five is knowing that you are part of something bigger than yourself."

He started to stand and then sat down again.

"...even if they don't have a clue." He laughed and then stood up, walked shakily to the camera and switched it off.

This has been a production by

Thom E. Gemcity, Inc.

Submitted to the competition for NCIS introductory training videos in the following areas:

Teamwork and Field Agent Responsibilities

FINIS!