On Your Six

Chapter Fourteen - Spooks & Other Mythical Creatures

A/N - Sorry about the delay! I've been sick the last couple of days. I want to clear up any confusion about time frame. Spain is on GMT (+1:00) and Israel is on GMT (+2:00), so about 6-7 hours ahead of EST depending on when they do Daylight Saving Time. The first part of this chapter, at Mossad Headquarters, occurs an hour after David and Rivkin's conversation in the previous chapter. The Guantanamo scene is later the same day in EST. The Rota scene is occurs roughly around the same time as the Gitmo scene. Hopefully that helps. :) Thanks for reading as usual.

Spoilers - S1 to S3

Disclaimer - I own nothing

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Mossad Headquarters, Tel Aviv, Israel, 2:30 a.m.

The deputy director re-entered his office quietly, trudging tiredly to his desk. He'd met with the director to provide a follow-up on the Kaufmann situation and to recommend that Mossad not contest Ziva remaining with NCIS. As he sat down, he glanced at his computer screen. It appeared he'd received a message over the secure connection. Frowning, he wondered if the director had thought of something else. He clicked into the system and read the short communication. His fist right clenched around the computer mouse before he released it and reached into his jacket pocket for the letter. He broke the seal and removed it.

Deputy Director,

I suppose I should address this Dear Father, but that seems wildly inappropriate under the circumstances, don't you think?
The only thing I do not despise you for is sending me to medical school in Edinburgh. Quite useful, that. Combined with Mossad,
whenever I needed a cover whether it be gaining entry to Hamas and Al-Qaeda based on my mother's
spilled blood, treating injured prisoners of war, or gaining the valuable trust of the American FBI and CIA,
I always thought to thank my father for such an excellent opportunity. Speaking of such agencies, there is a Navy
agent named Gibbs that reminds me of someone. Drowning in the pool of his ego and invincibility. And my dear sisters.
One dead before she knew of the world and the other your obedient little assassin. Also quite useful, though. Last and
certainly least, Miriam. I'm sure you are realizing now what an utter failure she was at her mission. To you. For me, she served
her purpose. I will not speculate on how I died, but I will let you know, father, that I believe a bit in reincarnation. The dead
sometimes come back in unexpected ways. For unfinished business.

Ari

David turned back to his computer and re-read the warning from NCIS carefully before deleting it. The phone rang beside him and he picked it up.

"David," He intoned.

"I have been informed that there was a brief breach of the secure connection," the director stated urgently in Hebrew. "It lasted for around one minute it appears and the technical team believes that someone---"

"I will meet you in your office in three minutes." David interrupted abruptly and hung up. He knew the director probably had grounds to fire him at this point, but the less people who knew about the message, the better. If his suspicions proved correct, he was one wrong move away from setting off a national tragedy as well as an international nightmare.

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Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba; 2:36 p.m.

"Are you ready, McGee?" Cassidy said as she knocked on his room. They were staying at the same house as Gibbs, Kate, and Tony when they came down to investigate her after her Arabic translator died in the U.S.

"Yeah." McGee opened the door, pulling his backpack up on his shoulder.

"We're going to meet with Agent Reyes at three o'clock." Cassidy stated as she grabbed her bag. They headed out to the car passing a curious iguana.

"So, you've been an NCIS agent longer than Tony, huh?" McGee asked as they rode along the base.

Cassidy smiled. "Yep. So, what's the deal with you and Abby?"

McGee looked at her in surprise. "Ah, nothing."

She shrugged. "It's none of my business, but it seemed like she gave me the evil eye every time I talked to you."

"Oh, I'm sure it's nothing. Abby's just under a lot of stress with everything and her lab's destroyed." McGee said, hoping to end the conversation.

"That's probably it." Cassidy stated amicably with a smile, sensing his discomfort.

They arrived at the NCIS field office and entered with their gear.

"Agent Cassidy, Agent McGee," A thin man of medium height with curly brown hair said as he came forth to shake their hands. "Right this way."

"So, according to the director, I'm to assist you with this investigation with minimal information." He stated with a smile as they sat down.

"It's a sensitive situation Reyes," Cassidy replied, remembering her own frustration at being left out of the loop. "Based obviously on Gitmo's detention center, it ranks high on the possible targets for an attack. We don't have a lot of time. In fact, we have no idea how long we've got before they carry it out. We're going to interview all NCIS personnel, sit in on any interrogations you feel might yield some information. Also, I need to ask if you've ever seen this man on base?" She took out a photo of Ari from her folder and placed it on the desk.

Reyes leaned forward. "Wasn't he the guy that was helping the FBI close in on a cell in D.C.? He was down here in the area about six months ago according to our intel in Cuba. We were told by the bureau to not interfere with him. I'm not sure how they knew he was trustworthy. He was never on base, I followed his movements closely to ensure that, but he was a busy beaver over the curtain with a couple of cells."

"The curtain, being the 'Cactus Curtain' separating Gitmo and Cuba proper, right?" McGee asked as he took notes.

"Yeah," Reyes said with curiosity. He sighed. "So you want to go over to the detention center now?"

"Yes." Cassidy said. "You've scheduled interrogations for today?"

"Three." Reyes said, reading from his computer screen. "I am doing one in an hour, Agent Blanchard at the same time, one room over. And the last one is in two hours which I am doing as well. I set these up based on what information the director would give me. They are all suspected to be former leaders of cells, from Hamas to Al-Qaeda based here in Cuba as well as Northern Africa."

She and McGee exchanged an interested glance. "Let's go." She said.

Reyes nodded, grabbing his folders.

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Base Naval de Rota; Rota, Spain; 11:01 p.m.

"Finally, that flight is over!" Ziva said as she stepped gingerly down the plane steps with her backpack on, regretting her decision to wear the black sweater set, grey wool skirt and heels on the plane. Trying to remain presentable on the six hour Navy flight did not turn out to be as easy as she'd thought it would. Director Sheppard had arranged a late meeting with the Spanish Vice Admiral and the commander of U.S. Navy contingent at Rota, suggesting they make their best impression.

Dressed in a grey suit and black silk tie, Tony followed after her with a slight smile. "The hops will be much worse. Think rag doll."

Ziva gave him a look over her shoulder as they approached where the two base commanders waited . After what happened between them last night after they'd went to dinner, she'd expected him to behave like a crowing rooster. She'd prepared herself to tell him it was a mistake that would not be repeated, a temporary loss of focus. Ziva was not prudish about sex, in fact she prided herself on handling it the way most men would. A pleasurable fact of life. But she could not afford for Gibbs to fire her over breaking one of his precious rules he'd reiterated that morning for her benefit as the new person. She wondered if the senor field agent suspected anything since he appeared to read minds, but all he'd said to them before they left for the airport was to watch each other's six.

As for Tony, he'd only been business-like when she'd seen him again at the FBI building and on the flight, going over their field plan with his usual odd mixture of irreverence and efficiency. This both impressed and surprised her. Apparently, she'd misjudged Anthony DiNozzo on several counts.

"Welcome to Rota Senor DiNozzo, Senorita David," a man with graying black hair in full military dress stepped forward to shake their hands. "I am Vice-Admiral Carlos Santiago."

The other man, blonde and dressed in navy blues, stepped forward then. "Commander Alan Rowling, United States Navy. Sir, ma'am."

Ziva and Tony shook his hand as well.

"Come," the admiral said. "We will talk in my office. Your fellow agent will join us there." He lead them off the airway and to jeep, driven by a Spanish naval officer.

They entered the lobby of the admiral's building, finding Agent Curtis Wood waiting for them. The African-American man was roughly the same height and build as Tony with a neatly trimmed mustache.

"I just got back from ride along with base security. How was the flight?" Wood asked after greeting them as they followed he admiral and commander.

Tony and Ziva exchanged a glance. "I told her that the hops are worse." Tony said with smile.

"That they are," he responded with a nod of his head. "But the best and safest way to get around, under the circumstances."

The room was spacious and richly decorated with Spanish navy memorabilia. He gestured to everyone to sit down as he took seat behind his desk. The commander and Wood took the ones beside them. "The director of NCIS told me that you will only stay at Rota for half a day, until tomorrow afternoon?" The admiral asked.

"That's the plan," Tony responded. "We're going to go over Agent Wood's report on any viable threats and if necessary, stay later to interview anyone of interest."

"But, you don't think Rota is the target?" The commander asked.

"We're not ruling anything out," Ziva supplied. "Rota does not possess the characteristics we are looking for, but considering who we are dealing with, we can't afford not to look at every possibility."

"I trust your director and NCIS," the admiral began, "but I feel we are being left out of the loop in some way. Agent Wood would only tell us that Rota was one of several possible attack sites threatened by a person or persons your agency is investigating. That it may involve U.S. Navy sailors."

Commander Rowling looked agitated by that comment, Ziva noticed, but remained silent.

"And that's all we can share at this time, Admiral," Tony said. "Once we talk with Agent Wood and do some looking around, we can tell you more as it pertains to Rota."

"With all due respect, sir," Rowling interjected, "Our unit is a small, close knit one. There's no way any of my people are involved in something like this. They are excellent sailors serving their country."

"Then there's nothing for you to worry about." Ziva said calmly.

"We're here to protect Rota, Commander," Tony added. "We'll need full cooperation tomorrow morning from you and your sailors."

"You'll have it." The commander responded with a brisk nod.

"We can go back to my office, if you're both up to discuss my report?" Wood asked.

Tony nodded. "We were hoping to do that tonight."

The admiral stood up and everyone else followed. "Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to facilitate your investigation."

"We will," Tony said as he and Ziva shook the admiral and commander's hand again before leaving with Wood.

He directed them to his jeep. "Can I drive?" Ziva asked suddenly.

"No," Tony said before Wood could respond. "It's my turn, Ziva."

"We're not in the U.S. right now, Tony." Ziva said with a shrug. "Our bet does not apply."

"How are you figuring that?" Tony asked with a frown. "That wasn't in our agreement."

"It's implied," Ziva responded, gesturing for Wood to hand her the keys.

"I wouldn't if you value your life," Tony stated ominously, receiving a glare from Ziva. "We might never make it to your office."

Wood smirked as he got in the drivers seat. "How long have you two been working together?"

Ziva threw Tony another look as she got into the passenger seat. "Two days." They said unison.

Woods shook his head with laugh as they drove toward the navy office building in the humid Spanish night air.

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Ben-Gurion International Airport, Tel Aviv, Israel; 12:03 a.m.

Director Sheppard grabbed her small luggage off the carousel and walked to stand next to Gibbs. "Ready?"

"I was ready seven hours ago." Gibbs replied pointedly.

Sheppard only smiled. "In due time, Jethro," She said. "Let's get to the hotel, first. We're trying to not draw attention to ourselves." The director led him out to the car she'd rented in advance, taking the keys from the valet. SECNAV had ordered her to make any reservations for her team under fake names where applicable to avoid tipping anyone off. After the valet left, they checked the car as discreetly as possible for bugs. Gibbs ran his hands underneath his seat and found something round and small. He gestured to Jenny to do the same. Their eyes held as they silently communicated whether to disable them. They nodded at each other and pulled the bugs from under the seats, Sheppard passing hers to Gibbs. He got out of the car and took a tissue out of his pocket, wrapping the bugs in it to wipe off the fingerprints and then releasing them into the trash receptacle. He returned to car and raised his eyebrows, asking silently if she'd found anymore.

"No, I checked the trunk, the radio, the speakers, it's clear." Sheppard responded. "They could not have known we were coming, Jethro. This could be standard procedure by Mossad, too."

"Then let's pay a visit to Mossad, Jen. We need to find David now. We'll just phrase it as a courtesy visit while we're checking in with Navy and Marine units in the area." Gibbs said gruffly. "Ari wants us to continue to lay low while his people toy with us. The more time wasted, the better for them and the more vulnerable we become."

The director sighed and started the car.

Gibbs flipped his phone open and dialed a number. "Hey, Abs, any word?" Gibbs asked as soon as the forensic scientist answered.

"Not from David. Everyone has checked in, though. McGee and Cassidy are sitting in on three interrogations today with Agents Reyes and Blanchard. Ari was in Cuba six months ago and McGee said that the three detainees have ties with cells in Cuba and Northern Africa, so it's still looking like Gitmo or Le Monier or Bahrain. Tony and Ziva are meeting with Agent Wood right now and Tony said he'd call me back after they were finished."

"Thanks, Abby. Call me right after you talk to him. Leave a message if I don't answer." Gibbs said.

"No, problem. Just, you know, come back alive and in one piece. You and the director. I've already told the others. Anything else is unacceptable." Abby said worriedly.

"Duly noted, Abs." Gibbs said with a smile as he hung up.

Gibbs relayed the information to the director. "So, it's looking more and more like Gitmo for the base." Sheppard commented as she drove.

"Hmm," Gibbs grunted, deep in thought. "Or it's the red herring."

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Base Naval de Rota; Rota, Spain; 11:57 p.m.

"I've done some scouting out in the surrounding cities with local intelligence to get some info on any cells in the area. There is one for Hamas operating out of Granada. I've got a few names and pictures. It seems that they've never shown any interest in Rota or been near the base. North Africa is their focus, according to the intel." Wood said as he handed over the file to Tony.

"And what about the sailors, Agent Wood?" Ziva asked. "Do they often go off base?"

"Yes," Wood replied. "A lot of them have their families with them and go visit the sites if they've got leave. Rota's been pretty quiet for a long time, though. It's mainly here to provide back-up and support for our fleet in the Mediterranean and to the Air Force in Southwest Asia."

Ziva nodded and reached into her bag and pulled out the photo of Ari. "Have you ever seen this man near Rota or in Spain at all?"

Wood looked at the photo and nodded, gesturing to the file. "He's in there. Goes by Haswari."

Tony held up one photo from the file for Ziva to see. It showed Ari in sunglasses in a conversation with another man, whom she appeared to recognize, he noticed as he watched her dark eyes narrow. She indicated with a slight nod that she would explain after the meeting. He thought about how quickly they'd become a solid team and of last night. He wasn't sure what to do about that, given his typical impulse to avoid anything messy and the fact that Gibbs might actually fire him if he found out. He probably already knew somehow and was just waiting until this op was over to give him the mother of all headslaps. On the other hand, Ziva was beautiful, intelligent, possessed an odd sense of humor that he appreciated, and could kick his ass if he didn't handle this the right way. He just needed to figure out what way that was exactly. She appears completely unaffected, he thought with some annoyance.

"I couldn't get much else on him, though. He was in Granada about four months ago." Woods finally said, after looking over his files on his computer again for a couple of minutes. "He didn't stay long, maybe a week. The other guy in that picture is a ghost. I checked all intel outlets, but got nothing. Not even from the locals. And we don't get a lot of bulletins from the CIA and the like. We're not in the need to know loop it seems. I had to pull teeth to get what I did."

"The CIA does that to pretty much everyone," Tony remarked wryly. "Don't take it personally."

"Granada is a famous tourist site, so some of the sailors no doubt visit there as well?" Ziva asked distractedly, her mind still focused on Wood's 'ghost' reference to the other man in the picture with Ari. Does Jen know? She wondered as she realized that this went beyond just Ari and his quest for revenge against Gibbs and their father.

Agent Wood nodded with understanding. "Yes, they do. You really think there's a traitor here at Rota?"

"There's at least one somewhere, Agent Woods," Tony said closing the folder and nodding to Ziva. They stood up. "I need a log of all sailors that were on leave or off base in Spain during that week he was in Granada. We're going to pay them all a surprise visit. Tonight."

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Up Next...Chapter 15 - End Game

Rosemeade