Oh my god. I really have sucked at updates recently. I'm so sorry. All my friends have gone back to uni now, though, so no more social life= more fanfic writing. To those of you still reading, thank you for your endless patience and I hope you enjoy this. Getting near the end of this silly thing now.
Heinrich Voller displayed all the calmness and composure that they'd come to expect from an intelligence agent. Or maybe it was former intelligence agent. At this point, that was still a bit unclear. But, as he leaned back against his chair in interrogation, he completely epitomised patience. For most people, being knocked unconscious in a hotel room and waking up in a federal building would be a somewhat confusing experience. Only a trained spy could just sit there and almost seem bored by it.
Gibbs was simultaneously relishing and dreading the prospect of trying to break this guy. How much information he divulged would probably depend on where his loyalties actually lied. But, even if he was still MI6, previous experience suggested they still wouldn't be hearing much.
In Observation, Gibbs turned to Kort. ''So, he went undercover to infiltrate The Black Sails?''
''We believe so.''
''And then went rogue? Just like that?'' He still found it hard to believe.
Kort's sigh suggested he wasn't too convinced, either. ''That's what London would have you believe.''
His eyes narrowed slightly. ''And what do you believe?''
''Some covers need to go as deep as possible. It's possible that MI6 put out a burn notice on Voller to make it easier to earn Kaiser's trust.''
That had the Gibbs Gut churning. ''Kaiser's crazy, but he's not stupid enough to fall for that.''
''You know,'' The Brit began with a small smirk. ''me and you are agreeing on quite a lot today.''
''I know. It's making me uncomfortable.''
Kort let out a small huff in amusement. ''I think it's time to introduce you to our new friend.''
Gibbs simply nodded, before turning to the door and leading the way into interrogation. Before he reached for the handle, however, he found it opening from the other side. In stepped Vance, a typically flat expression painted across his face and a trademark toothpick in his mouth. Clearly he was in determined boss mode.
''Have you come to watch, Leon, or to partake?''
His eyes briefly flicked to Kort, and Gibbs could see the small surge of anger in them at the CIA man's patronising tone. ''SecNav's been on my ass all day. They want this wrapped up and pushed into the deepest, darkest recesses of our memory.''
Gibbs nodded. ''Understandable.''
''I've come to oversee.'' Vance added, now turning himself to visually analyse their suspect. ''So this is Kaiser's MI6 puppet.''
''Or the puppeteer.'' Kort chimed in.
Vance's eyes narrowed slightly. ''Which one would prove more useful to us?''
''Let's find out.'' Gibbs said, before leading himself and Kort out of the room.
For the first time in this entire case, he actually felt a surge of hope. They finally had a living, breathing and (hopefully) talking suspect. It finally felt like they had a fighting chance, albeit still a small one. He half hoped that maybe this Voller guy would be a selfish scumbag. They were always willing to part with information by cutting a deal. Something told him it wouldn't be quite as easy as that, though.
When they entered the interrogation room, Voller barely even turned his head in their direction. In fact, he continued staring at the table with an expression bordering on contemplation, as if he was trying to wrap his head around a puzzling dilemma. It was funny, really, because Gibbs couldn't help but feel that his opponent's face symbolised his own internal battle perfectly. He had been trying to wrap his head around this whole damn thing.
Voller's voice was calm and smooth when he spoke. Despite the clarity of his German origin, a small twinge of British was evident in his accent. ''Do I not get a lawyer? Or a phone call, or something?''
''Nope.'' Gibbs said simply as he took his seat, while Kort elected to lean in the corner.
Voller chuckled quietly. ''Okay then. How can I help you gentleman this morning? Well, I presume it's the morning, anyway. I haven't had a chance to look at the time since I was knocked unconscious by my bald friend over there.''
Gibbs was in no mood for this. ''Cut the crap, Voller.'' He spits. ''Where's your boss?''
He raised an eyebrow. ''My boss?''
''Kaiser.''
He smiled slightly. ''Ah, you mean my target?''
Gibbs narrowed his eyes, but it was Kort who finally spoke up. ''According to our friends in London, you're a double agent.''
''MI6 are not friends with anyone, Trent, let alone you.'' Voller's bitterness was clear, but whether it was towards the CIA man or his old (maybe current?) employers remained a mystery.
Gibbs wanted to keep them on track. ''If you're not on his side, then tell us where he is.''
He stared down the NCIS agent with confidence. ''What makes you think I know where he is? Have you met this guy? He's not exactly predictable.''
''You know him better than anyone.''
Voller seemed to consider that for a few tense seconds, and something in his eyes told Gibbs that this 007 wannabe was yet to show his full hand. ''I suppose I do.'' He agreed eventually.
Gibbs was rapidly losing his patience. ''You're just one phone call away from being turned in to the CIA. Something tells me you don't want that to happen.''
Voller actually had the cheek to smirk slightly. ''Something tells me you don't want that, either. You don't like those clowns at Langley any more than I do.''
''You think I would hesitate throwing you to the wolves?''
His eyes narrowed slightly. ''This is personal now, isn't it, Mr Gibbs?''
''You're damn right it is.'' Gibbs shot back sharply. ''Your boss made it that way when he targeted my team.''
The mysterious spy rolled his eyes. ''I told you, he isn't my boss.''
Kort spoke up again from over Gibbs' shoulder. ''You don't seem to have any problems with following his orders.''
''Does undercover mean nothing to you?'' Voller replied in a somewhat irritated tone.
Good, so they were starting to chip away at his calm persona. This could be the opportunity Gibbs was waiting for. ''Does the loss of innocent lives mean nothing to you, Heinrich?'' His expression suggested a chord had been struck. ''People have died because of Kaiser's orders.''
Voller let out a heavy sigh. Perhaps he was human, after all. ''Countless more innocent lives will be lost if you don't start treating me like an ally, and not a threat.''
''Then you better do the same.'' Gibbs countered sternly. ''You can start by telling us everything you know about him. His real name, his history, his plan, everything.''
''I wish I could.''
This was starting to really piss Gibbs off. So this guy wanted to be treated like an ally, but wasn't willing to part with a single piece of helpful information? What was he looking to bargain with? There was no way he- or anyone else at NCIS, for that matter- was going to trust him, so working with him was out of the question. The optimistic side of Gibbs was vainly hoping that he would just tell them where to find Kaiser so he could be apprehended. Of course, apprehended in this case meant killed.
Gibbs was in the middle of working out his next move when the door to interrogation opened. Any angry glare he was preparing to send to the intruder was reeled back when he realised it was Vance. ''I need you for a minute.'' The director's cool voice and blank expression could have been enough to fool most people, but not Gibbs. He could tell just from his boss' posture that something important was going down. With a simple nod, and a steely look at Voller, he stood up and made his way to the door. It was only when both he and Kort had entered the corridor, and the door was firmly closed, that any words were spoken.
''Just spoke to Fornell. FBI found something when they swept Voller's hotel room.'' Vance started, a hint of determination in his voice. ''I don't think he's being particularly honest with us about where his loyalties lie.''
Gibbs was almost tempted to use his trademark 'ya think?' on his boss, but thought better of it.
''There was a briefcase full of money behind the air conditioning vent.'' Leon added.
''Voller's pay package?'' Kort asked.
Vance shook his head. ''It's definitely someone's pay package, but not his.''
''How do you know?'' Gibbs inquired with a frown.
''Tobias said it would be easier to show us. He's on his way now.''
It was becoming more and more clear that Tony was going loopy again. He didn't seem to be able to concentrate on anything or even hold a conversation. It was a state that Ziva had become all too familiar with over the previous week or so, and one she very much hated. She didn't even want to think about what would happen when he got to the hallucination stage again. All she knew is that he should be locked in a safe room when he did.
They were all in Abby's lab, trying their best to work with what little information had been collected so far. Well, McGee and Abby were, anyway. Tony and Ziva were never great with the computer stuff, not that this was the only factor. The senior field agent didn't seem to be in any condition to work on anything, and his loyal (and somewhat irritated) partner was far too busy babysitting him to be of any use to her other colleagues. God, she was so sick of this.
''Hey, McGoo, what is that flashy light thingy?''
McGee rolled his eyes, not even bothering to glance at Tony, who was peering over his shoulder at the monitor. ''I don't think I could even begin to explain that to you right now, Tony.''
That didn't seem to deter him. ''Have you triangulated that earpiece yet? Or whatever it was you were doing.''
Abby span around from beside McGee and held up her hand sternly. ''Okay, can you stop pretending to keep up with all our technical mumbo-jumbo?'' She asked with a slight smile. ''You struggle enough with it at the best of times.''
He seemed taken aback- and perhaps even offended- at her words. ''I'm not pretending to do anything.'' He said defensively. ''Seriously, I'm fine. No craziness in this brain. I am sound of mind. Completely, totally…'' He trailed off and gazed at Abby with a confused frown. ''Why are you wearing your hair down? You never wear your hair down.''
Ziva was sure she could hear a collective sigh from everyone in the room, except Tony, of course. She sensed that a time for her to step in on the conversation may have been fast approaching.
''Like I said- twice, actually- I didn't have time to do my hair in that crappy hotel this morning.''
He didn't seem convinced, for some reason. ''But how long do pig-tails take?''
Abby ran an exasperated hand over her face, and McGee closed his eyes in frustration. ''Oh my God. Ziva, please help us out here?''
She could hear the impatient exhaustion in Tim's voice, and knew she should get her idiotic partner out of their hair. It was only when she approached him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder that her feeling of annoyance completely disappeared. He looked like a lost child when he met her eyes. He was scared and confused and probably just as frustrated as the rest of them. Yet, none of it was his fault. He was the victim in all this and just needed support, not to be treated like a nuisance or a burden.
''Tony,'' She began softly. ''Maybe we should go and see what Ducky has for us, yes?''
He held her gaze for a few loaded seconds, before dropping his head slightly to stare at the ground. ''I'm doing it again, aren't I? Being a pain in the ass.''
''Yes.'' McGee answered, rather harshly for Ziva's liking. Abby did the honour of slapping his arm in admonishment.
''No, I just don't think we are of any use in the lab.'' Ziva assured him carefully. ''We should just get out their way.''
He considered that for much longer than someone with a fully functional brain would. ''Yeah, okay. You're probably right, as usual.'' He turned around and made for the doorway, but didn't leave before issuing his final senior field agent order to McGee and Abby. ''Call me if you get anywhere, my little hacker squad.''
''We will, Tony, don't worry.'' Abby assured him with a dismissive wave of her hand.
Just before Ziva followed her partner out of the door, she got her gothic friend's attention and pointed at herself before mouthing the words 'call me'. Tony was in no frame of mind to be running things, and Abby clearly got the message, a quick thumbs up confirmed that. 'Good luck' were the silent words that left the forensic scientist's mouth, and by God, Ziva was going to need it. The whole team did at this stage.
On their way through the bullpen, a loud and abrupt whistle caught both their attentions. Ziva's head snapped around (about three seconds before Tony's did), and the source of the sound became clear. Their boss, along with Fornell, Vance and Trent Kort, of all people, were all standing around a desk looking at what appeared to be some sort of briefcase. Gibbs flicked his head, gesturing for them to approach. Needless to say, they did it without hesitation.
''Have we got something new, boss?''
Their fearless leader nodded. ''Oh, yeah.''
''What is it?'' Ziva inquired, a jolt of professional excitement passing through her.
''A little present Voller left us in his hotel room.'' Fornell informed them. ''Two hundred thousand in cash.''
Tony's eyebrows raised slightly. ''That's a lot of dough.''
''Could it be Voller's slice?'' Ziva asked.
''Cut.'' Tony corrected with a small chuckle.
''Whatever.'' She sent him a glare. Of course, no amount of drugs in the world would prevent him from jumping on her every linguistic mistake. ''Perhaps Kaiser placed it there for him.''
Fornell picked up a piece of paper from the desk. ''That's what we thought, but then we found this underneath the money.''
He handed her the paper, which turned out to be a postcard with a picture of the Washington monument on it. She sent Gibbs a confused frown before turning it over. She could feel Tony leaning over her shoulder to read it, and tried to ignore the sudden presence of butterflies in her stomach. He could feel his breath on her neck, and she had to fight the urge to push him away slightly. His close proximity somehow made her feel guilty in front of Gibbs. Never the less, she composed herself and read the words on the postcard.
The handwriting was neat, but looked informal. It seemed friendly enough, and yet something about the message seemed unnerving. It was as if there was an underlying threat in the ink:
Dear James
Thank you for all the delicious coffee you produce and share with the world. All our friends enjoyed your new recipe very much. I hope this is an adequate imbursement for everything you have done. We have your contact details if any further action is necessary. It would be a shame if it had to come to that. Keep up the good work, my friend.
Yours Sincerely, Mr K.
''Mr K?'' Ziva asked with a scoff. ''I can guess who that might be.''
Gibbs nodded. ''We all can.''
''There's no address on this.'' She stated. ''Voller may have been assigned to deliver it to this 'James' person himself.''
''That's our theory.'' Vance confirmed.
Ziva read the words over again, and couldn't help but be confused. ''Why does it mention coffee? Is that some sort of code?''
''Maybe.'' Gibbs said simply. ''It's not much to go on.''
Fornell gave him a slap on the shoulder. ''Well, let's get back to interrogation and squeeze something out of our MI6 buddy. Maybe he can tell us where to find James the coffee guy.''
''Hey maybe he's related to Jay the coffee guy.'' Tony said with a smile. ''Right, Ziva?''
She turned to him when he nudged her with his elbow. ''What?''
''You know, Jay?'' He tried to elaborate. ''They guy who always messes up our orders? We go to his coffee shop all the time, you must've met him before.''
''I, um, do not…'' She trailed off when Gibbs pretty much squared up to her partner.
Tony winced slightly. ''Sorry, boss. Off topic.''
''What's Jay short for, DiNozzo?'' Gibbs asked seriously.
''I don't know. His name tag always says 'Jay'. I never really thought about it.''
Their boss had that look in his eye. It was the one Ziva often saw when he had just done some serious dot-connecting in his investigative brain. He shared a brief look with Vance, who seemed just as clueless the rest of them, before grabbing his cell phone and hitting a number on his speed dial. Everyone else in the room looked at each other in question as he waited for an answer.
''McGee? I want a full list of employees from the 'Pick-Me-Up' coffee shop down the street.'' After a few muffled words from the other side of the line, he snapped, ''Just do it. And print me off a copy.''
''You think this 'Jay' could be working with Kaiser?'' Vance asked. His tone of voice suggested the idea was slightly ludicrous.
''It is a bit far-fetched, Jethro.'' Fornell added.
Gibbs looked up and faced them, his eyes narrowed slightly. ''DiNozzo and McGee were both drugged. Kaiser made it clear that my team were the targets. All three of them.'' They all nodded, following his train of thought carefully. ''But Ziva was clean, meaning she never had whatever the other two ingested.''
Oh god, it was starting to make sense in Ziva's head now. She turned back to Tony. ''You and McGee always go to Pick-Me-Up, but I sometimes get tea from the Thai place a few blocks away.''
Gibbs nodded. ''Kaiser might not have known that.''
''Wait just a second.'' Fornell said confusedly. ''Are you saying that Jay the coffee guy was paid by Kaiser to drug you guys, but he only served McGee and DiNozzo on that particular day, so they never got to David?'' His expression suggested he was having a hard time keeping up with this.
As did Tony's. ''Jay drugged my coffee? And his real name is James?''
''That was why they broke into my apartment.'' Ziva explained. ''They swapped out my painkillers with pills containing Kaiser's drug formula. He clearly wanted to play with all our heads, like he promised you.'' She pointed at Gibbs to signal who she was referring to. ''I am lucky it was made into a crime scene.''
''You're welcome.'' Kort's cocky voice travelled across the bullpen.
She looked over to see him sitting at Tony's desk, leaning back in the chair like he sat there every day. She couldn't help but feel a wave of hatred for the man. He only ever brought trouble with him. Before she could give him a verbal dismissal, however, her partner stepped in. ''No one asked you, Long John Silver.'' He said bitterly. ''And get away from my desk.''
''I say we find out where this guy is, and go talk to him.'' Gibbs suggested, getting back on topic. ''I'm gonna go talk to our guest downstairs first. You guys give that employee list a good look over.''
It turned out that Jay from the coffee shop was, indeed, called James. With that information confirmed, Fornell, Gibbs and Ziva all headed out to his address in hope of finding him and learning something useful. Ziva couldn't help but feel a little sceptical, though, despite the potential break in the case. As much of a lunatic as Kaiser clearly was, he seemed to be a careful one. This whole postcard thing seemed incredibly careless for a criminal like him. She didn't bother informing Gibbs of that, however. He'd made it clear that, if Kaiser was setting any traps, then he was going to walk right into them. A ridiculous statement in itself.
His loyal agents would always follow, though. Just like she was doing.
''This is the place.'' Fornell said, just as they pulled up outside a grotty looking bungalow.
Gibbs undid his seatbelt. ''Let's go see James.''
They exited the charger and made their way over to the house, keeping an eye on the surroundings as they did so. When they reached the door, Fornell knocked heavily on it. ''James Dawson? Federal Agents.''
No answer came, and Gibbs gave Ziva the silent signal to check around the back of the house. He followed her around the side and past the closed garage door, before something through the dirty windows caught her attention.
''Gibbs.''
She waved him over. A flash of realization could be seen across his face as he squinted through the single panel glass and into the garage. There was a black van inside. She could tell, without the need for words, that this was the getaway vehicle Gibbs told them about from the explosion at his house. Before any discussion took place, they had their guns drawn and primed. They made their way back to the front door with a new found haste.
''Find anything?'' Fornell asked, his hand now reaching for his own firearm,
Gibbs nodded. ''Yep.''
Fornell opened his mouth to inquire further, but didn't have time to get the words out before Gibbs had kicked the door down and swept into the building. Ziva simply shrugged at him when he sent her a questioning look, before following her boss into the house. They cleared the first few rooms quickly, making sure no square foot went unchecked. It was the bedroom at the end of the house that proved to be the game changer.
Ziva saw her boss standing in its doorway, a look on his face that could pass for shock if you didn't know him better. In reality, he was just annoyed. It was only when she joined him that she realized why. There, on the bed, lay James 'Jay' Dawson. Only, he was in no condition to make coffees anymore. In fact, he was in no condition to do anything except rot.
He had a bullet in his head.
Great. This was just getting better and better. ''Damn it.'' She said in exasperation. ''Looks like he won't be any more talkative than Voller, after all.''
Gibbs shook his head in disbelief. ''Maybe we can lift something from the-''
He cut himself off when something at the other end of the hallway caught his eye. When Ziva turned around to see what it was, she felt an icy chill spread through her entire body. It was Fornell, but he wasn't alone. A blank faced, well-built man was beside him and holding a gun to his head. He wasn't the one who caught her full attention, though. Next to both of them stood a man wearing a suit. He had cold, blue eyes and a long scar down the side of his face.
She didn't need any introductions.
Her gun was half a second away from being raised, but Kaiser held up his hand. ''Before either of you try anything, I think you should know that I have the building surrounded…again. Things could get a bit messy if you try and fight.''
Her heartbeat was racing so fast she thought her blood might start boiling.
''Gibbs, don't worry about me.'' Fornell said sincerely. ''Just get yourselves out of here.''
Kaiser rolled his eyes. ''Shut up, FBI, no one's talking to you.'' His mouth formed an unnerving, psychotic smile. ''This is between me and Gibbs. Anyone else who gets caught up in it…may just regret doing so.''
When his soul-piercing gaze switched to Ziva, she could feel the fire erupting in Gibbs' mind. He stepped forward and put his body between her and their foe. ''You're right, this is between us.'' The venom in his voice was enough to make even Ziva fear him. ''No one else needs to be involved.''
Kaiser's smile fell, but the intensity in his stare never faded. He shook his head and tutted a few times. ''No, no, no. Gibbs, I know what kind of a man you are, okay? You love your team more than anything. You are far more scared for their safety than your own. If I have a gun pointed at them, I have you under control.'' His smile returned triumphantly. ''Why would I let myself lose the upper hand?''
Fornell spoke up angrily from his position of struggle. ''Because you're a crazy son of a bitch!''
Kaiser scoffed. ''Oh, I'm crazy? You are the ones who stormed in here with only three agents.'' He turned back to Gibbs. ''Thank you for that, by the way, it made things much easier.'' He reached into his pocket and produced some kind of radio. ''Now, like I said, I have this place nicely locked down. It would be a good idea to drop your guns.''
Gibbs and Ziva shared quick look. ''How do we know you won't just kill us?'' She asked, in as firm of a voice as she could possibly manage.
Kaiser simply shrugged. ''Because that would be boring.''
That didn't do much to reassure her. But, when Gibbs gave her a nod of approval, they both dropped their weapons and kicked them away. After the undignified act, they raised their hands above their heads.
''Very good.'' Kaiser praised. ''You are like my trained puppies. Only, I bet you have one hell of a bite.'' He shot Ziva a wink, which had her almost seeing red with rage. ''Now, follow me.'' He ordered, as if he had any authority over them whatsoever.
Well, Ziva supposed he did in this case.
It only took a few minutes of tense silence in the bullpen before Tony started getting uncomfortably restless. It didn't help that Kort was sitting at the desk across from him, and it really didn't help that half his team had just gone off to fight war he was also a part of. Loopy or not- and right then it felt a lot more like not- he should be there with them. What if something went wrong? He had no clue why Gibbs thought three agents would be enough.
''For the love of God, would you stop fidgeting, DiNozzo?''
Kort was leaning back with his head rested in his hands, looking as relaxed and self-assured as ever. How could he be? ''I can't help it, all right? I'm a restless guy. We can't all be laid back, bald, one-eyed secret agents, you know.''
Kort simply rolled his one eye. ''Is he always like this?'' He asked McGee, who had previously been keeping a close eye on his monitor.
''Kind of.'' McGee answered honestly. ''It gets worse when Ziva's in the field without him.''
DiNozzo scoffed. ''I like being there for my team. Sue me.''
''I know, and I appreciate that, Tony.'' McGee said calmly. ''But let's face it, you're not comfortable unless you've got your eyes on Ziva's six all the time.''
He'd hit the nail on the head. But Tony wasn't going to start delving into this right now. He went down the safe route instead, the one that would perhaps be expected of him. ''Well, it is a nice six to look at.''
McGee rolled his eyes. ''Oh, please.'' He said in what sounded like a disappointed, yet all-knowing, tone. ''We all know it's more than that.''
Of course it was, but he wasn't supposed to know that. ''I don't know what-'' He was abruptly shushed by his tech-savvy friend, however, when the younger agent's attention seemed to suddenly refocus on his monitor. ''What is it?''
''That's the tracker signal.'' McGee said with a sudden fire in his eyes. ''I think Gibbs' plan is working.''
We are getting there. I know the whole plot is...well, crazy really, but it'll end with a bang. Sorry for the relative lack of T/Z goodness in this chapter. I'll seriously try and wrap this up quickly. No more excuses. Thanks for reading, I love you guys.