Chapter 21

Abby called Vance immediately after she was downstairs that morning. She needed to know what he had found out. She was put through to him right away, but was surprised at his response to her.

"I will call you back in 15. Understood?"

"Yes." she said and hung up.

Abby got up slowly and walked to the coffee maker. What did this mean? Now she couldn't talk to Leon on the phone? The phones at NCIS were encrypted and swept for bugs at irregular times by computer. How come Vance was being so cautious? Or was someone else there when she called? Abby began to bounce on her toes.

Her loving with Jethro this morning had been both fulfilling and frustrating. He hadn't really given her any information. She was aware of rocks, sand and a truck hidden under a ledge with sleeping forms near it. The stars were brilliantly clear…. The stars? Abby rushed to a drawer in the dining room side board. She took out a piece of paper and began placing dots.

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Leon Vance sat with his precise and military posture in his chair at NCIS looking at the man across his desk with a blank cop face.

"I'm not sure what you want me to say Leon," the man said with an equally blank look. "These things are way above your pay grade and really above mine too. I'm just the guy who makes it happen."

"Well I happen to believe in a certain amount of personal responsibility for my people Mr. Secretary. I tried to take steps for my Agent to maintain contact with me. I haven't heard from him in a month. I want to know where he is and more importantly if he's alive."

"Agent Gibbs is a Marine now Leon. He's not your agent. He's doing his job as are the men with him."

"In other words you don't know where he is." Vance's voice grew sharper and he leaned forward putting his folded hands on the desk. He was angry and didn't care if Sec/Nav knew it.

Sec/Nav stood and began to pace slowly back and forth in the office, his hands behind his back. There was a knowing half smile on his face. Vance tried to control himself. He hadn't wanted to believe Abby. Now he knew better.

"Well that's not entirely true."

Vance waited. Sec/Nav turned and reached to the desk for the control for Leon's screen. He clicked it on and hit a code. A satellite photo in infrared appeared. It was of a partially walled enclosure. There was smoke and small fires burning all over. Then the picture skipped out and suddenly there in the dark of the screen was an encampment with small 'comfort' fires burning at various spots inside. A minaret could be seen in the moonlight and what looked like a well in the center of ramshackle buildings.

"This was taken almost 2 weeks ago at 0515 their time. At precisely 0521 this happened. Leon's breath caught as he watched the explosions, rifle fire, and the attempted escape. Small figures were running, more vehicles firing at the running men. The fire fight was obviously fierce and the explosion that dissolved the minaret devastating. Vance stood and moved toward the screen, fists clenched.

He watched silently as in the light of the fiercely burning buildings he saw figures moving out of the shadows. He saw a truck pull slowly up and stop. Men hurried toward it carrying 2 wounded. One figure remained on the ground silhouetted by the bright light of the fire as the satellite started moving past the sight. He could see the long line of a drag bag on one shoulder as well as the M16 rifle extended out from the man's body. As the picture was infra-red from above and to one side there were no faces. But Leon felt he recognized the body language. Gibbs was taking charge. There was no doubt in his mind that it was Gibbs using his arm to direct the men running toward him. He was the last to get in the truck. As the truck left the encampment there were no other people visible and no obvious signs of pursuit.

Sec/Nav snapped off the video and turned to Vance.

"So, as you can see there was a mission and some of the men involved escaped."

"And Gibbs?"

"Sorry, don't have an up close and personal for you Leon." Sec/Nav tossed the control to the desk and picked up his hat to go.

"Where did the truck go?"

"Don't know." He took a step toward the door.

"How hard can it be to find a truck traveling alone in the foothills of the Zagros Mountains?"

"Harder than you think. Can't find anymore bird time to look."

"You fucking bastard." Leon snarled, hands curling into fists. "It's all true! You planned this."

"I can see you're very emotional about this Leon. I won't take what you said personally." he stood frowning at the Director.

"Take it as personally as you like you prick! How 'bout this?"

Leon came up with a sharp upper cut to the gut which bent the bigger man forward for a roundhouse right to the jaw. The Sec/Nav went down with a bang taking out two of the chairs and some of the mirrors on the back wall liquor cabinet. Leon went to stand over him. Chloe came running in.

"Sec/Nav tripped and took a fall Ms. Dietz. He's fine." Leon turned back to the man moaning on his floor. "You're right Mr. Secretary. That felt much more personal and fulfilling. Now get your ass up off the floor and we're going to continue our conversation and this time you're gonna listen!"

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Abby was now on her computer fitting the star pattern she had seen into a star map application in order to figure out where Jethro was. She was overwhelmed with the feeling that this was going to be very important. Vance had not called back yet and to tell the truth Abby didn't want to talk to him until she figured this out. It was confusing her because as the day progressed, the details of her memory blurred. There was no response from Jethro, she continued to know that he was alive but that was all. It was almost 0500 am there in the Middle East. She was convinced that he was somewhere there.

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Gibbs sat on the high point above his men on his turn at watch. There were a few who were up and moving around, the rest still sleeping. He checked the horizon in all directions with his binoculars in an almost constant rhythm. After sighting a suspicious spot on the horizon he watched for about 2 minutes. He rose and whistled. Heads lifted and he made a circular motion with his arm. The men below quickly began rousing their squad mates. Gibbs scrambled down the loose rocky shelf.

"Gunny?" Ford looked at him with a question on his face.

"Column coming. At least 2 vehicles. Can't see who and don't care. We're outta here. Should be a better spot for defense up here according to the topo map."

Trudeau got the truck moving and they headed out into the early predawn light.

Within an hour Gibbs had the truck hidden in a dry wadi. His men were spread out along the track and hidden well in cracks and crevices of the natural cover. Schlesser had his pistol again and lay quietly listening. Within 15 minutes they could hear the growl of slow moving vehicles. As the 2 vehicle column appeared Gibbs saw what he had suspected was true. A group of 3 weapons carrying men walked ahead of the canvas covered truck and a jeep.

The men on the ground were in various pieces of clothing, three of them were barefoot. They were obviously focused on the ground looking for sign. There were approximately 10 other men in the open sided truck with four more in the jeep. Not professional military Gibbs thought. Some kind of tribal or pirate types. Professional thugs. Glancing to either side he saw his men ready and waiting. It seemed like forever until the thugs were all below them in the narrowing roadway.

One of the men ahead talked into an old hand held radio of soviet vintage. He stuck his head and arm out pointing to the slope the Marines had taken for the jeep riders to see. With a loud 'CRACK' he fell with a hole perfectly in the center of his forehead. Gibbs ejected the cartridge and called up another as his men opened fire. He was aware of the sound of Ford and Peters' rifles along with the chatter of M16's. The men below tried to fire back, but it was a blood bath. Peter's rifle made the last shot finding one last target hiding under the jeep.

Making their way down the slope Gibbs and 4 of the men checked weapons and bodies. Gibbs pulled his revolver and finished off one gasping survivor. He was uninterested in information, just in water and gasoline. Trudeau and Rivers one of Saldano's men quickly determined the enemy vehicles were beyond use.

"Beside's the carrier would eat twice as much gas Gunny and never fit where we're headed. We can siphon gas off into our containers from both of them. Gotta start with the jeep 'cause it's leaking a little."

"Go ahead Trudeau. Take who you need and let's get it done."

"We got water Master Guns." said Peters. "Don't know how clean it is but it looks OK."

"Good. Get it loaded up. We gotta get out of here. This fight could be heard in Baghdad."

"Yes Gunny."

"Wright!" He had turned and looked for somebody at the top of the rise.

"Yes Gunny!" he cried.

"Get up on the high ground and watch for more!"

"Aye aye Gunny!"

Gibbs moved up the slope a bit so he could see all that was going on. There was an almost continuous line of men moving down with water and gas containers and returning with the same full. Despite their severe rations limits his Marines moved with alacrity and speed. Within a short period of time they were all loaded up. Gibbs had his men shoot the tires that were still intact on the enemy vehicles and then they lit fuses of torn pieces of fabric stuffed into the gas tanks. By the time they reached the top of the rise where the truck waited there was a loud 'WHUMP' from behind them as the fumes inside the tanks exploded. The hope was that the disabled and destroyed wreckage would either deter or prevent anyone from following them.

Gibbs grabbed the outstretched hands of two of his men and leapt up into the truck bed. He moved to the front, stopping long enough to make sure Schlesser was resting on as much padding as they could improvise. After grasping Schlesser's hand tightly he moved to his usual spot and smacked his hand down on the roof.

"Let's move out!"