"I'm fine, Jenny."

The director shook her head sadly.

"You don't look fine, Tony. As a matter of fact, you look like hell."

"Thanks…"

"She's right though, Tony. Have you been eating at all?" – Asked Tim, for the first time taking a good look at his teammate in the semi-dark room.

"I… No. Not really." – Tony admitted with a sigh. – "You probably know I was taken straight from the ER, right?"

"Yes, DiNozzo, we already figured that out." – Sighed Gibbs, looking somewhat impatient and annoyed. – "Question is: how and why?"

Tony was staring at the floor, not bearing to see their horrified expressions upon seeing his skinny frame as soon as he had taken off the cape and his suit jacket.

"I don't really know the 'how', Boss. I think I wasn't totally aware. Or not at all… I don't know; it turns out I really did lose a considerable amount of blood. Not enough to kill me, of course. They also might have used some kind of drugs the doctor claimed to be pain meds… Anyway, I do know that I woke up in an airplane, 35,000 feet over the ocean, on the way to Europe. And they told me you all thought I was dead, and that I was not to try to contact any of you, otherwise…"

"Otherwise?" – Ducky prodded carefully. – "Did they threaten to hurt you, my boy?"

"No, Ducky. They threatened to hurt you all." – Tony admitted reluctantly. – "They said if I as much as attempted to contact anyone, 'freak accidents' were going to start to happen and that nobody would suspect anything, since our line of job isn't exactly safe anyway."

Abby and Ziva visibly seethed while Jimmy looked absolutely petrified.

"They threatened us!?"

"Yes, Jimmy. And not just you personally. All your family members and friends too. These people know everything. I mean it: everything about everyone. Boss' father, my father, Tim's grandmother… The list goes on and on."

"DiNutso: who are they?"

"CIA, Special Activities Division. They needed me for an undercover gig."

"Wow." – Was all Tim could say and Abby nodded in agreement.

"What did you have to do, Tony?" – Jenny inquired, feeling sure she wouldn't like the answer.

"Ahm… There was this underground group operating in Berlin. The CIA had suspected a long time ago they might be terrorist but had nothing solid on them. Now they got intel they were probably planning different attacks on multiple targets, like the Eiffel Tower, the Big Ben, the Empire State Building… and others like that. Targets that symbolize the western way of life. CIA only had information about where this group held its meetings but they couldn't be sure of anything. It was in an abandoned building next to a coffee shop and somebody had noticed unusual activity there lately. They had been watching for a while but couldn't really find out anything that way, so, I needed to pose as a barista to keep an eye on the persons frequenting the building and try to get close to them."

"Why couldn't anyone else do it? Someone from CIA?"

Tony snorted.

"They needed someone who was expendable." – He spat the word with venom. – "And someone who knew what they were doing since the CIA couldn't make any headway on its own. I moved into an apartment across the street and I was also expected to enter the building on different occasions during the night or whenever the group wasn't there. Gather evidence. Of course, the boys didn't expect me to survive at all. That's the other reason I didn't try to make contact with you: I figured you buried me already… why should you have to do it again?"

Stunned silence followed this explanation and it lasted for at least two minutes. In the end, Gibbs shook his head and said:

"And how did you get away to come here?"

"We got the terrorists, around a week ago. We got all the evidence; prosecution won't be a problem. It was not easy and I nearly got shot down at least three times. The leader of the group caught me snooping around one night and I had to pretend to be interested in joining the gang. They put me though some very rough initiation process before they finally decided I was to be trusted. In the end, I saw the workings from inside and had everything to get them. When it was finally over, I told the agents that I've had enough; I wanted out. A wanted to go home. They said it was not possible, that I'll get another assignment and will remain with them since to the world, I was dead anyway. Just like a good little undercover agent: nonexistent with nobody to missing them. But I don't want to be a CIA agent, Boss! They repeated the threat if I even thought about talking to you but by then, I had the New York Times articles to rely on. Which was, by the way, ingenious." – He smiled at Jimmy, knowing well it must have been his idea. – "I just took off and ran…" – He finished.

"They wanted to make you disappear." – Concluded Fornell.

"Yes. They promised a new identity, a new citizenship. They said I could even choose wherever I wanted to live and what I wanted to do. I could be a 'sleeper agent' until they needed me again, they said. But I only want one thing: to go home and back to NCIS!" – He sounded desperate by now. – "I don't know how. I'm sure they're looking for me right now." – He was beginning to panic now. – "I think I shouldn't be here any longer. It's dangerous for all of us. I should-"

"You move anywhere and I'll head slap you into next week, DiNozzo."

"But, Boss! Don't you see-"

"Shut up, DiNutso, and let us think."

"I'll bring you some food, Tony. I'll be right back." – Jenny offered.

"No, it's fine."

"It's not." – With that, she slipped out of the room, leaving the others still in stupor, trying to come up with a plan to save their friend, along with themselves.

By the time the director came back with sandwiches for everyone and some pastries, they still didn't have an answer. They ate in silence until Fornell suddenly came up with something.

"We need more power. We're nothing against the CIA. Not alone. But together… And with some more help."

"What do you mean, Agent Fornell?" – Ziva asked before taking a bite of her muffin. – "I supposed I could ask my father whether Mossad would be willing to step in…"

The FBI agent shook his head.

"I mean we'll need the full cooperation of the FBI. I'll talk to my director. And then, he and you, Director Shepard, talk to the President together."

"The president… as in…" – Began Tim, looking confused.

"Yes, Agent McGee: the President of the United States."

Tony chuckled in honest bewilderment.

"Why would the President of the United States be interested in what happens to me!?"

Jenny smiled.

"Actually, it's a good idea. He will definitely be interested in stopping unauthorized and arbitrary actions of one agency against another. It's not, nor should it be permitted to become a war between agencies. If they want you, they should make you an official offer and let you decide."

"Just like I do. So, DiNutso, if you ever decide-"

"Tobias: over my dead body."

"I know, Jethro. Trust me: I know…"

Tony fidgeted nervously.

"Actually: they have been making offers for ages…"

"WHAT!?"

Gibbs bellowed:

"I know they've wanted you but I've always thought all their prompting came to me! And I never told you…"

"I think they figured it out, Boss, because they began sending me letters around a year ago. And since then at least once a month… But I always ignored them, promise!"

"Why didn't you report it?"

"I didn't think they were dangerous, Jenny! They were just offers, harmless like those from Homeland Security or-"

"DiNozzo!" – Barked Gibbs. – "When we all get back to DC, we'll have a serious talk about all this!"

All the while Ziva was muttering under her breath something that sounded suspiciously like 'unfair' and 'unbelievable'.

Tony ignored her and turned to Gibbs instead.

"Boss, there's nothing to talk about! I didn't ask for them and I don't care and…" – He received the full blow of the infamous Gibbs-glare at that, momentarily halting his tirade. – "Ahm… Gotcha, Boss. We'll have a talk…"

In the end, they managed to focus enough to decide on carrying out the plan and also agreed on all the important the details. Tony would stay in Rota while the others would make their way back to the UK the same way they had come ("Oh, no! Do we have to?" – Whined Abby), to fly home from there and to talk to the director of the FBI then the President right away.

It was all a chess game with the CIA now and it was their time to make a move. They were determined to finish it with a checkmate.