Chapter 12

Gibbs and Kostas returned to the base. There they found a very excited trio of intelligence gathering Nina, Ziva and Yiannis doing their best to unravel the connections between the Albanians and the Turkish MIT, the possible front and funding corporations of MIT and the movements and connections of Lt Nanos and his wife in the island, in and out of Greece and the possibility of connection in and out of the base and the United States.

They also found a very displeased and disappointed forensic duo and a dead in his feet McGee. Abby and Yelena had exhausted any possible clues could be gathered from the forensic evidence and were now sitting idle not having anything to do. The two girls were sitting in the small laboratory talking and looking very disappointed with themselves. McGee on the other hand was like a walking dead version of himself. Having pulled an all nighter the previous night with Yiannis uncovering the MIT connection he was beat.

Gibbs and Kostas knowing very well that a nervous and disappointed Abby and Yelena was a recipe for mischief and destruction told to have the day off until they were recalled or needed.

"Take him too with you and have fun but let him rest because he is useless now. You might as well go to the beach. You all need a good exposure to the sun to resupply in Vitamin D" Kostas told them. We are going for a coffee and maybe some booze. Tell Antonis to take Tony and come find us when they come back."

Yelena and Abby didn't think twice to argue.

"I will take you both in one of the most beautiful beaches you've ever seen" told Yelena to Abby and McGee.

"We could also work out our tan" she added.

After a few minutes the two girls dragging McGee with them drove off for Marathi beach.

Once they arrived there, McGee was like he was hit by a thunder. Wherever, he could look, there were women sunbathing, lots of them topless. Yelena saw this and decided to have some fun.

"Abby it's one in a time opportunity to work on your tan and you can do it without worry about tan lines."

Yelena sat on one of the sunbeds and took of the upper part of her tiny bikini and started putting oil on her body.

McGee hearing her turned round so quickly that he could hurt himself and when he saw the Yelena topless he blushed and bowed his head.

Abby followed her example and that was the time that McGee was almost to his limit. Even though he had seen her naked before seeing Abby topless in public was a major shock.

The two girls saw how uncomfortable he was and started giggling.

"Oh god I forgot how puritanical and conservative you Americans can be. Don't look so flushed McGee. Just enjoy the view while you can." Yelena told him.

At the headquarters

Nina, Ziva and Yiannis had started to analyze all possible connections between the Albanian terrorists, the MIT and Lt Nanos. Each of them had taken a part and was looking for information. Nina had logged in the databases of the Greek police, the Coast Guard, the National Intelligence Service and the CyWINT command for everything she could find. Ziva was on the phone using her contacts and talking to Mossad and her father trying to find information about the Turkish. Yiannis on the other hand had the most tedious job of deciphering all the corporate connections the front corporation had with other corporations in order to find out if some of them were also part of the MIT's cover and funding corporations. He had spoken to some other people from the CyWINT command and now had the use of a whole team of forensic accountants in his disposal.

Suddenly Ziva and Yiannis heard Nina swearing. She called someone to the phone and started commencing orders for surveillance, visual and electronic for five or six different names.

Ziva and Yiannis waited for her to let the phone down before asking what was happening. Nina was beyond herself with anger. She was mumbling something about incompetent assholes and corrupt politicians and more incomprehensible things. She lift her head and saw the two others look at her questionably.

"I don't know why we bother have a National Intelligence Service and a Counterterrorist and Security division in the police. Look what I found."

She proceeded showing them surveillance photo's of the villa. In the photo's were known members of the movement going in to the villa and coming out of it. In the reports coming with the surveillance photos it was noted that the villa was "rented" to a high ranking member of the movement but after a month or two the lease was over, the villa was occupied by a high ranking member of the owning company and the movement members stopped going in so the surveillance had ceased.

"You see? The idiots didn't even bother to check the company. We could have had this lead long before the explosion and we could've prevented it. Anyway I've ordered full time surveillance of the villa. Yianni continue digging the connections with the other companies and see if you can find a connection with the Gas Mining Company. If the Turks have their hand in the company they might recruited Lt Nanos' wife straight form there and then she recruited her husband."

Ziva was still looking at thee photos. She turned to Yiannis.

"Can you enhance this photo; right there the right guard, his left hand?"

Yiannis did as he was told.

Ziva saw the photo and started shaking;

"Whatever you do, do not show this picture to Kostas or Yelena, not without me here ok?"

The other two were looking her with interest

"Can you be more specific on the reasons?" Nina asked.

"This one is the only one who got away from the hunt a few years ago. We fought and I managed to cut off his little finger as you can see but he managed to stab me and ran. Kostas didn't pursuit him because he was worried about my injury."

Nina nodded with understanding. Yiannis looked perplexed but then his face lit with acknowledgement.

"So you are that Mossad agent?"

Ziva just nodded.

Meanwhile

Kostas and Gibbs were seated at very discreet little coffee place and Gibbs tasting for the first time the delights of the Greek or Turkish (depending on which side of the Aegean you were) coffee. Kostas had ordered two double coffees for both of them and Gibbs was astonished when he saw the way the coffee was prepared.

"This thing is good but not too much." Said Gibbs

"Yeah because is too strong. All those coffees you drink even the espressos are strong but not strong as this because this is not filtered. Anyway now we're getting to the good stuff … and the talking."

Kostas ordered a couple of rakomela* with accompanying finger food and salads. The two men started talking for various matters while eating and drinking. After a few shots the two men were relaxed enough to talk about a little more serious matters.

"So I believe that you read my file thoroughly Gibbs although I also believe that it cost you an arm and a leg with Director David, right?"

"Nothing gets past you? Nah, the old SOB was more than happy to give me the file. He's thinking that with you I've met my match. What did it cost you?"

"Nothing, I wouldn't expect. Mostly cooperation and maybe a visit in Haifa after this whole mess end, maybe taking Ziva with me."

"That wouldn't bode well with Dinozzo."

"No, it wouldn't, would it now? Although, he's got nothing to be jealous for. My relation with Ziva is the same with Yelena. She's like a little sister. So now we got this out of the way you can ask what you want."

"Okay, did Ziva help you hunt down the men that killed your family?"

"Yeah, it was a highly unorthodox, unsanctioned and illegal operation. And believe me after Eli got wind of what was happening I paid and I'm still paying for him sanctioning the operation. He even got my boss to agree to "lend" me to Mossad for the "operation"."

"It was just you and Ziva or you had help?"

"Well it started with me, Ziva and Yelena. Me and Yelena wanted revenge and Ziva wanted to repay a debt. Then Eli found out what was going on and persuaded my boss to send some help. That got Antonis involved and somehow Yiannis got involved after I screwed up some hacking for records. He was still in the Naval NCO College, an eighteen year old cadet with more talent I had ever seen in this particular field and a lot of attitude ready to be thrown out because of said attitude. So I pulled some strings, I had him TAD with me as logistics support and had Antonis to train him and put him down a peg or two. The mission went well and only one man managed to walk away and only because he injured Ziva. After that I had my team and Ziva had to go again to try and control that uncontrollable SOB that was Ari. And from then on I lost her. Did I answer your questions Gibbs?"

Gibbs nodded. He was right. It was a hell of a story.

"So Gibbs now it's my turn to get some answers. The most important question. What the hell happened to Ziva? See Gibbs when I last saw my little drow elf she was a spitfire. She was a young woman that was unbeatable, untamed and wild. Now? Now she's still a force to reckon but she seems … how can I say it? Subdued. So…?"

Gibbs sighed. How was he gonna tell this young man what had happened to his dear friend? Well there wasn't any other way he knew other than straight. So he told him the whole story of how Ziva killed Ari, how she was involved in the protection of Jenny and the worst of all how she was captured and tortured, all about Somalia.

Kostas was hearing all this and although he looked unfazed by the story he had clenched his fists and he was grinding his teeth. And after a while a single tear ran down his face.