I wanted to get this up yesterday but I got a flat tire and then I had to deal with some issues my best friend was having with her ex. So it didn't happen yesterday. Anyway, I'm sure that's more than you wanted to know. Thanks for reading and reviewing and alerting!
I don't own NCIS, but I would love to!
"Gibbs! How is everybody? Are you hurt? Where are Tony, and McGee, and Ziva, and the Director? What's happening over there?" Abby's voice flowed through the speakers of the computer at a nonstop, high-speed pace. She and Ducky stood in her lab video conferencing with Gibbs. There had been reports around the office that there was a shooting death in Israel, but no one had yet been able to confirm who it was. Abby had been calling the entire team over and over, unable to get any of them on the phone. She and Ducky were nervously pacing around her lab when Gibbs had finally called in to give them an update.
"Abby. Everybody's fine." Gibbs didn't want to do or say anything to upset the emotional goth anymore than she already was. He was already feeling the stress taking a toll on his team. He was simultaneously worried about DiNozzo still reliving his mother's death, Ziva's anxiety upon returning to Israel, and trying to figure out what the hell Eli David was up to. He did not need to add anymore concerns to the list.
"What happened over there Gibbs? We heard there was a shooting?"
"Yes, Jethro. We've all been mightily worried about you. Who was shot?" Ducky added.
"Liat."
Abby gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. She was shocked that the tough Mossad officer she had met only a few months before could be taken down so easily. In her mind, all ninja assassins managed to avoid death because they were so highly trained. It was sobering to realize that even they were human. This in turn made her worry more about Ziva than she normally would, knowing just how well the former assassin could take care of herself.
"Was the wound fatal, Jethro?" Ducky asked. He couldn't help but imagine the young girl on his table. Although he would not be performing the autopsy, he still could see her pretty face lying there with the cold stare of death in her eyes. It was the product of performing so many autopsies, especially on those he had known in life. In his darker moments, he had had flashes of all the team members ending up in autopsy one day. That seemed to be a side effect of the job.
"Yea. Two shots to the chest."
"Was anyone else hurt Gibbs?" Abby had been almost afraid to ask, but forced the words out of her mouth, needing to find out the truth.
"No. Everybody else is fine." Gibbs anticipating her next question said, "You can talk to them later. I really need to know if you found anything else out about Roberts or his lackeys."
"Even across the oceans you still have amazing mind-reading abilities Gibbs." Abby wasn't surprised he had known they found something.
"No, I just know my team. What do ya got?"
"Jethro, when the blood results came in there were some interesting findings. It seems that Roberts was on an anticoagulant, Coumadin, which is used to prevent blood clots and treat heart disease. The medication would have thinned his blood, which explains why he bled out so quickly."
"Yea, so?"
"He did not have a prescription for it Jethro."
"Maybe it was under an alias. He has been in hiding since 2005."
"No Gibbs, I checked all of his known aliases and there was no record of the prescription. However, I did check his mail. He was having the prescriptions delivered to his house." Abby related her findings.
"What was the name on the prescription?" Gibbs asked.
"That's where things get hinky Gibbs. The medicine was prescribed to a Nira Lawson."
"Girlfriend maybe? Couldn't get his prescriptions with his name so he used hers?" Gibbs wondered aloud.
"That's what I was wondering Gibbs, so I looked into Ms. Lawson. Her name is on the lease for Roberts' apartment. There is also a Virginia driver's license that says she is 66 years old and lists the address for the same apartment. Also lists her as a naturalized U.S. citizen. What's weird is there's no evidence of Ms. Lawson before 1998. I mean nada Gibbs."
"Another alias?"
"Jethro, I happened to see the picture on the driver's license while Ms. Scuito was running it in the database. There are many genetic markers that she shares with Roberts. The ridge of the brow line is identical and the cheek bones suggest a close familial relationship." Ducky pointed to these features on his own face as he described the details to Gibbs.
"So I ran her picture through Interpol. And you'll never guess who she is?" Abby bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, ready to stun Gibbs with their revelation.
"Roberts' mother." Gibbs guessed correctly quickly pointing all the facts together.
"You take all the fun out of it Gibbs." Abby whined. "Yes. Her real name is Selin Al-Naqeeb Roberts. She was thought to have died in '96. I emailed a copy of her Interpol file to McGee."
"Do we have any idea where she is now?"
"A Nira Lawson bought a plane ticket for Tel Aviv an hour after you guys left. Gibbs she's in Israel."
"Thanks Abs. You too Duck. Good work." Gibbs turned to go, but Abby stopped him.
"Stay safe Gibbs! And make sure the others do too!" Abby couldn't help but let the fear creep back into her voice.
"Will do." And with that Gibbs signed off.
Inside Director David's office, Gibbs filled Eli and Leon in on what his team had discovered about Roberts and Selin Al-Naqeeb. Vance grew increasingly agitated wondering what other turns this case might take before they were through. He felt his early sense of foreboding was now justified. Eli on the other hand took the news with his usual calm expression on his face revealing nothing. However, Gibbs did not think he seemed the least bit surprised Robert's mother was still alive.
"So the question is what is the Selin woman up to now that her son is dead?" Vance said, asking the question that was on everybody's mind.
"And how did she know her son was dead?" Gibbs added.
Eli was suspiciously silent on the matter. Gibbs and Leon shared a glance, finally getting on the same page with this investigation. It was clear now to them both that Eli knew more than he was willing to share. Each trying to figure out the best way to extract that information.
"Something you'd care to add Director David?" Gibbs decided to be direct. Eli's silence continued, prompting Gibbs to add, "Hey, I got all day. This is your country that's in jeopardy."
Eli finally reached an internal decision and began to speak. "She is coming to finish the job."
"A 66 year old lady? She's our mad bomber?" Vance found that hard to believe.
"It is unwise to underestimate her. I assure you." Eli responded vaguely.
"Your assurances really don't count for a lot." Gibbs was done playing around. He wanted some answers, and he wanted them now. "Who is she really?"
"She is a former Mossad officer. She was assigned an undercover assignment infiltrating Hamas. They turned her and she became a double agent. Selin is ruthless and will do anything to complete her mission." Something flashed across Eli's eyes so quickly Gibbs would have missed it if he had not been steadfastly glaring at him. It looked suspiciously like pain. Gibbs would have sworn Eli uncapable of such deep human emotion.
Gibbs' gut told him there was more yet Eli was withholding. "What else aren't you telling us?"
Vance wondered why Eli suddenly began to look so guilty. "Roberts?"
Eli hesitated for a moment, but finally came clean. "He was a sleeper agent. He joined your marines as his cover. He gained contacts within the U.S. and its allies. Gained inside knowledge and fed it to back to his handlers."
"How long have you known?" Vance asked. Eli's eyes shifted back and forth between Gibbs and Vance, unwilling to answer the question. "How long?" Vance yelled, wanting to know why his friend was lying to him.
"We have been watching Selin since she double crossed us," was the only thing Eli offered.
"So that means…" Vance trailed off.
"That you've known the entire time." Gibbs finished, his anger skyrocketing to a new level.
"We relayed the information to the CIA. What they chose to do with the intel, I cannot answer." Director David was growing tired of this conversation. It was not his fault the CIA hadn't informed NCIS. He had a suspect that he still needed to interrogate and an attack to stop on top of the fact that he had just lost a promising young officer. They were wasting precious time. "It is not uncommon for an intelligence agency to keep the identity of a mole secret, so they can feed information through him, false or otherwise."
Vance was still reeling from the news and couldn't believe that Eli had been withholding something of this magnitude. He began to look at their friendship in a new light. It had always been obvious to him that they each had their own agendas to fulfill, but he had assumed they could be truthful with each other on such important matters.
"Now if that is all, I have a suspect to interrogate. Agent Gibbs, you are welcome to join me."
Now Gibbs was thrown. Just what game was Director David playing here. "I don't know if our interrogation techniques really complement each other." Gibbs assumed Eli favored the technique of torture first, ask questions later.
"I trust your judgment, but it is your choice." And with that Eli walked out of his office to interrogate the only suspect left standing from their earlier raid.
Leon and Gibbs were left standing there staring at each other. "Go." Vance ordered still fuming. And so Gibbs set off after Eli to interrogation.
Malachi had been missing since they returned to the squadroom. It seemed that he wasn't handling Liat's death well. Ziva felt for him, knowing how hard it was to lose someone close. Although she hadn't been too friendly with her former colleagues lately, she still did not wish this upon anyone. And her fight with Liat in D.C. months ago now seemed childish. They were supposed to be on the same side. Ziva now realized she would always mourn those who died in defense of her birthplace and former home.
Ziva stood with Tony and McGee watching the interrogation from the conference room on a plasma screen. It had astonished them all that Director David had asked Gibbs to join in on the interrogation, and they were now anxiously awaiting the results of this experiment. Ziva's earlier suspicions about her father were now intensified. She added that to her own growing list of concerns. Just like Gibbs, she was uneasy about the state of things. Tony was all but giving her the silent treatment now. He only spoke to her when absolutely necessary, and even when he wasn't speaking to her he seemed distracted and distant. She knew he was still deeply troubled, and the trained investigator part of her was pushing her to question him about it. The sane part of her told herself this was a bad idea. Ziva pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind, and focused on the scene unfolding on the screen.
"You are wasting your time. I will tell you nothing." The man who had jumped from a second story window practically into Gibbs' waiting hands, was now sitting across from them, refusing to cooperate in any way.
"Your cooperation now might help you avoid any unpleasantness later on in this interrogation." Eli David warned while an evil smirk played across his lips, leaving his future interrogation techniques to the imagination of his suspect.
"I will be a martyr. Allah will reward me," was the man's repeated response. He clearly felt he had already succeeded.
Gibbs opened a file in front of him, pretending to peruse its contents. In truth he had already memorized what it said. "Amir, is it? Well yea. I'm sure God is ready and waiting with all those virgins. But what about your sister? Nadia? Should she suffer for your sins?" Gibbs pulled out a picture of a beautiful young girl and slid it across the table.
Amir couldn't hide a look of surprised fear that they had found his sister. He had been so sure there was no evidence to link her to him anymore. He quickly clamped down on his fear however and continued to stonewall them. "She is of no concern to me. Allah is the one I live and die for."
"This interrogation can be extended to include Nadia, if that's what you wish Amir?" Eli seemed to believe that threats would work on this man.
"You are too late. This cannot be stopped. You can threaten me all you want. It is useless."
"Your sister is on a student visa studying at Brown University. That's in the U.S. in case you weren't sure where your money is going." Gibbs threw some more pictures of Nadia across the table to Amir. These photos were of the surveillance variety.
Amir was now beginning to sweat profusely. And his face had taken on a decidedly greenish pallor.
"We can have her brought up on charges of terrorism. Have her questioned by the FBI. How does that sound?"
"You can't do that." Desperation shaded Amir's voice. "Nadia has done nothing. She does not even know where I am."
"And why should we believe that? We are getting nowhere with this. I think it is time to move onto phase two." Eli stood up, the legs of the metal chair beneath him scraping along the concrete floor. The harsh sound echoed off the walls of the room.
"No. Wait. Nadia knows nothing. She is not a part of this."
"Tell us what your plan is and we will see what we can do for Nadia," Eli offered still standing with his hand on the doorknob.
"I…it's too…uh…" Amir stuttered.
"Fine. I'll be phoning the FBI." Director David opened the door and took a step into the hallway.
"Wait. I will tell you. If Nadia is left out of this. Promise me you will leave her alone."
"That depends on what you have to say Amir." Eli sat back down.
Amir glanced at Gibbs hoping for reassurances for his sister, but finding none. He sighed and sat back in his chair.
"Milo Roberts was set to attend the business summit, posing as the Vice-President of a U.S. shipping company. He was going to fake a heart attack. Not a difficult feat, as he had one himself two years ago. Security breaks down when there is a medical emergency. Our men would bring in the explosives posing as the emergency response team. No one takes time to check the bags, when a man is lying on the ground dying. They would leave the bag with the bomb behind and exit in the ambulance, detonating as they drove away."
"What's the plan now that Roberts is dead?" Gibbs asked.
"That is what the meeting was about. I cannot tell you, as you have killed all my brothers." Amir spat out, his eyes filling with hatred.
"Who is the new leader of the cell, since Karim is dead?" Eli questioned.
"His sister. Selin Al-Naqeeb."
Tony stood outside on the sidewalk, letting the sun beat down on his head. Beneath his feet he could feel heat radiating off the concrete. He had needed a break from this case and had thought that fresh air would do him some good. Now he was regretting that decision. It was midmorning and already hotter than six shades of hell.
Another sleepless night was taking its toll on him, and he now felt more exhausted than ever before. It was yet another reminder of the advancing years. He had to face the fact that he was no longer a college frat boy. Tony wondered just how much longer he could flounder through his life. It might just be time to grow up. Heck even Peter Pan chose to grow up one day, if you chose to believe the movie Hook and its storyline.
The events of late had caused Tony to really take a hard look at his life and where he wanted it to go. The night he had spent with Travis had stirred some longings in him that had previously lain dormant. He had caught himself wondering what it would be like to have a son of his own. A son he could teach how to shoot a basketball on the hoop over their garage. One who share his taste in movies and muscle cars.
Inevitably thinking about a kid, made him wonder about a potential Mrs. DiNozzo. Certainly half the fun of having a kid was spent trying to conceive. Right? Of course this line of thought brought him right back to the source of his tension. Ziva. What were they doing? And could he really see himself married to someone like her one day? Even if he did, that didn't mean she would necessarily be on board. He knew it would take extreme measures for her to even admit to a weakness like having feelings for another human being.
Tony sighed, feeling a knot forming in his neck from the tightness of his shoulders. He rubbed his neck, his thoughts turning again to his mother. Her face floated in front of his eyes, and he was glad to finally have some good memories of her to think about. Deep down he knew that part of him had avoided serious relationships because of her. He didn't know if he could handle losing someone he loved that much again. What if he and Ziva did get together, and she was killed on the job? Would he lose it the way Gibbs had when Shannon and Kelly had died?
"How did you slip through security?" Speak of the Devil. Ziva stood next to him. He hadn't even heard her approach being so absorbed in his thoughts.
"I'm not completely incompetent, you know," he responded taking out his stress on her.
"I know. I was just wond…never mind. I didn't mean to make you angry."
"It's fine. I shouldn't have jumped down your throat."
They stared at each other for a moment, both unable to come up with anything to say. Ziva looked thoughtful for a minute, and then she said, "Follow me." And with that she took off down the street.
"Where are you going? Ziva. Ziva!" Tony called after her. When she didn't respond he jogged to catch up with her. "Where are you taking me?"
"Just follow me and you will see," was the only response she gave him. And although he questioned her for a full ten minutes she refused to respond. They walked quickly, Ziva obviously having a definite location in mind. She took a left, a left again, then a right, two more lefts and kept going. Tony was perplexed as to where she was taking him.
Finally they stopped outside a building that might have been considered elegant when it was first built, but was now showing signs of wear and neglect. Ziva stared up at it with a look of what could only be termed nostalgia on her face.
"See that window there on the top floor. The second one in from the end." He followed her finger to where she was pointing.
"Yea."
"That is the window to my old bedroom. My old apartment was on the top floor."
Tony stared up at it, surprised that this is where she had taken him. The moment suddenly felt very personal. It wasn't often that Ziva let someone in on her private life.
"It was my first apartment when I joined Mossad. It is really tiny, but it has the most amazing views of the city and it was within walking distance to work.
"It looks…nice," Tony ended lamely. All of sudden he wasn't sure what to say, afraid to ruin whatever this moment was. This strange instant where she actually let him in.
"I loved living there. And there is a park right around the corner where I would run every day." Ziva pointed off to the right where he could just make out a park down the road.
"Do you miss living here?"
"Sometimes. But lately not so much."
"Why?"
"Because this is no longer my home. And I am ok with that. Also nothing can take away the good memories I have of this apartment." Tony stood there staring at her, feeling privileged that she had shared this with him.
"Thank you for bringing me here."
"You're welcome." She took her eyes off the building and turned towards him. Their eyes met and he felt that inexplicable pull between them. Tony watched as her eyes unfocused and slid off to the right. Her eyes narrowed slightly. She stepped towards him, but was no longer seeing him. He began to turn his head but she stopped him with her hands. Ziva cupped his head in her hands and took another step towards him.
"What?" he whispered into her ear. She was now practically on top of him.
Ziva wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. "There is a black sedan down the road that has been following us."
Tony could feel her breath on his ear and had to fight to suppress an urge of desire as he felt her body pressed up against him. Quickly he wrapped his arms around her, hearing her breath hiss out, and turning her so that he could see down the road to the car she mentioned. "So I guess that explains all the walking in circles and zig-zagging on the way here."
"Yes. I was not sure, until just now when I saw the car again."
"Do you think they realize they've been made?" Tony wondered.
"Oh yes. They are pulling out now." Ziva had turned them again and saw the car pull away from the curb. She detached herself from Tony and took off down the road after them.
"Ziva. Ziva! Where the hell are you going? Ziva!" Tony yelled after his partner as she took off running after the car.
"Tony. I think Selin was in that car!" She yelled back to him.
"Ziva. Wait! This is so not a good idea." Tony muttered to himself as he ran after her.
The car took a few quick turns, but Ziva was able to keep it in eyesight. She turned a corner just in time to see the car disappear into a old building. Without a thought she set off towards the building. It seemed to be an abandoned building and when she looked inside she could see the car, but no living person. Tony finally caught up to her and was wheezing softly behind her.
"What the hell are you doing? We don't have any backup. We need to call Gibbs."
"If we wait we may lose Selin." Tony saw that she had already made her decision and there was no way he was going to be able to stop her. God help him, but he would back her up. That's what partners are for. When he was ready he gave her a nod and they made their way into the building.
The room seemed to be empty except for the car. They looked around wondering where its occupants had gone, when they heard gunshots from behind them. Each ran to take cover behind the car. Tony and Ziva shot back at the source of the shots, unable to fully make out who was targeting them. Before they knew what was happening, the door slid shut in front of them. And next came the sound of a bolt being slid home.
Ziva ran over to the door checking to see if she could get it open. It was locked. She searched around the large room for a way out, running to check the other doors. All of them were locked.
"We're locked in here Tony." She called over to him.
Tony was standing at the back of the car looking in the window at the back seat.
"Ziva. There's something you need to see." She walked over to see what he was talking about.
In the back seat of the car sat a stack of explosives. Attached was a timer that read 2:00:00. It started running as she bent over to look at it.