"Ziver, my office. Now." Gibbs barked and stormed out the door, his sharp tone bringing her back to life and she quickly followed behind him.
When the doors closed in the elevator she waited until he hit the Stop and the lights went out before turning to face him, feeling his waves of anger rolling off him.
Unconciously she folded her arms, wrapping them around her chest preparing for the worst.
Gibbs looked at her defeated posture and the paleness of her normally tan complexion. The way her normally dark and sparkling eyes were fading with this new round of information and how small her larger then life presence was becoming right before his eyes. He reached out slowly with both hands to firmly cup the sides of her face and took a step closer, closing the distance and forcing her to look at him.
"You do not let this new information take you backwards, do you understand?" His voice was commanding as if it were orders, "You've worked too damn hard to get to where you are to slide back now because of something else that happened in your past. It does not matter what the connection was between your father and Ray. It does not matter to your future. Do you understand what I'm saying? You do not let the take anymore away from your future, Ziva! Not your father. Not Cruz. Not Rivkin. Not Ari. Not Mossad. Not Saleem." His voice softened and cracked slightly seeing the tears pooling and falling from her eyes listening to him and what he was saying, "They have taken enough from you. They get no more, Ziva! Do you hear me? They get NO MORE! You have a future. You have Tony. Don't let them take that away from you now by what happened in the past. You keep moving forward! Even as we investigate what happened in the past that brought us to this moment, you DO NOT let this stop you from living in the here and now and having the future you deserve! You are loved, Ziva David. And they do not get to take that away no matter what we learn. You are loved, Ziva. Do you understand?" His voice was soft and the hold on her face softened as well but the intensity of his gaze remained until she nodded ever so slightly in response. When she did, he pulled her into a tight hug, mindful of her still healing body and let her cry softly as he held her.
Ziva had never in her life heard Gibbs speak so many words all at once and in such a way and they were for her. She knew he was a man who always chose his words carefully and with meaning. That he knew her so well, that in a moment he had caught all that she had been thinking and feeling in that room and brought her into this space to immediately stop them. He was always there when she needed him and he always knew just what to say and do. She took a deep breath and stopped her mostly silent tears, tilting her head up to kiss his cheek and signaling he could let her go. She was okay. She remained holding his hand as they both faced the elevator doors once more and he hit the Release Button, not letting each other go until the doors opened once more and they went charging back into the room as though they never left. Ignoring the concerned looks of the others.
They could see the dried tear tracks on her face but her posture had changed and she was once again 'Ziva: The Force to Be Reckoned With.'
Tony could only assume that Gibbs had taken her away knowing what this was doing to her, to learn of yet another betrayal by her father and by Ray and by them both together. That another relationship in her life had been manufactured for her father's purposes. Whatever Gibbs had said, he was grateful for in the minutes when they were gone from the room, Tony began to think and worry about what he would do if Ziva pulled away again, from him and everyone else as she was so used to doing to protect herself. Whatever Gibbs had said, seemed to get through in looking at her now and he was able to breathe a sigh of relief when she finally looked his way, locking eyes and giving a small nod and slight smile that she was okay and so were they.
"Can you please use your contacts to find out whatever you can on Kazmi's wife and son?" Ziva asked Asa going into mission mode.
"I'll do my best to keep under the radar. Liat explained last night why you want to keep this from Mossad right now and I understand and agree." Asa gave his assurances to Ziva and then smiled softly at Liat. "I'll also keep my eyes open for this Cruz at The Agency this week and let you know."
"McGee, bring up Cruz's file in Leavenworth and tell me what it says." Gibbs asked without looking at him, continuing to stare at the map before him and the connections as Tony taped Kort's photo next to C.I. Ray's and hooked a piece of red string between the two and then to Eli David.
"We are still missing one important person on this board." E.J. spoke up standing back and looking at it from a completely third party stand point. "Perhaps the most important link of all." All eyes flashed to her in question, "Ziva." She turned to look at Ziva and then the board. "Ziva is the one that connects them all." She voiced quietly and they all realized it was true.
"Tony," Ziva spoke his name gaining his attention and having a silent conversation before he reluctantly passed her his photo folder containing all the images he'd kept from memorable missions or office gatherings. She flipped it open and found what she was looking for and passed it back to him. With a piece of tape, she reached as high as she could above all the others, putting her own image on the top of this pyramid of connections and placed her own photo. The copy of the photo Tony had taken on their assignment in Paris. The one he now had taped to his monitor upstairs in hopes of a future and all the things he wanted in life. This photo from Paris, reminded her too, of all things she wanted in life in waking up with him that morning and for now, it would be her secret beacon when she felt lost moving forward in this battle, to keep focused on the future and not let them take it.
"Boss," McGee spoke up quietly across the room as everyone watched in silence as Ziva tacked her photo on the wall. "It says Cruz is there. In his cell in Kansas and has been since he was checked in weeks ago, never checking out. It's odd though, says he's listed as being held in Solitary Confinement away from the General Prison Population."
"Not odd, McGee, if he's not really there." Gibbs realized what this had meant.
"Boss?" McGee asked in confusion.
"If they don't want anyone to know he's not really there, the best place to put him is in Solitary. Where no one would see him coming or going… or not there at all." Gibbs answered him staring at Ray's photo. "Who signed off on his transfer to Solitary and how long has it listed him as being there?"
"It says he's been listed in Solitary since his arrival and that it was the DOD who signed off on it." McGee answered reading the file from his computer.
"He was never there." Gibbs realized. "What the hell are you guys up to?" He asked the photos of the men on the wall, in his own world thinking things out. "Ziver, get in touch with your contact at MI:6 and see what they can help us with in finding out something more on our Swedish Special Forces guy, Roland Ames." He pointed to the man who'd killed her father and Jackie. "McGee find out who in the DOD signed off on Cruz's orders for Leavenworth. DiNozzo, start tracking down Kort. Barrett, get the files on Operation Frankenstein. Everything we have, we're going through them again. Liat, I need you and Ziver to look in those Mossad files for any clues that may related to any of these men and what connects them. And Officer Abrams," He finally stopped barking out his orders and turned to face the one guest in the room, not on his team but volunteering his help, "If you could get anything on the Iranian connection it would be incredibly helpful."
They all nodded and scattered, leaving Gibbs alone in the room for the moment simply staring at the wall before him; his eyes going over each and every man's face and their connections. Bad, lying and dangerous men, all of them, and at the very top was Ziva. His eyes landed on her photo, looking beautiful and happy on the mission in Paris with DiNozzo. She did not belong on this wall with 'these' kinds of killers and yet, she was the sole connection to them all. "Why?" He asked outloud in the silence of the room.
When they regrouped later in the day Ziva's man in MI:6 still hadn't gotten back to her, and McGee was stone walled with a Black List on orders which they all knew meant that it had been cleared The Agency. Ziva and Liat were now poring over the the Mossad Files while McGee and E.J. combed through the Operation Frankenstein ones with Gibbs. Tony was still trying to track down Kort. And Asa had left to pursue his sources. Given the sensitivity of the Operation Frankenstein files, everyone had now moved temporarily to Ziva's room in the basement and were now sitting on cushions on the floor with documents spread out everywhere around them. The room looked like chaos but they had developed a system for their madness sorting them into groups and piles. Gibbs was the only one sitting in a chair, the one that had previously sat next to Ziva's bed, which he was now using as his desk with the others scattered around his feet.
"Hey," Tony now stood in the doorway announcing his arrival carrying two boxes of pizza, "I thought I'd bring lunch since we've all worked through it. One veggie," He winked at Liat with a smile knowing now that was her favorite, "And the other pepperoni for us regular carnevours." He smiled at Ziva remembering them sharing their first slice as he stood outside her building. He handed over generous amounts of napkins and every passed things around fairly quickly given they didn't realize how hungry they were until the food arrived. Once they'd starting putting connections together, their adrenaline surge had pushed them to keep working through lunch.
"Boss, my contacts just got back to me on Kort." His smile faded as he spoke and held everyone's attention, "He was last seen in May 2011," he paused and eyes shifting to Ziva, "in Tel-Aviv." He added quietly knowing she wasn't going to take that well. "No one has seen or heard from him since. They said he's off Grid."
"Ziver, when was the last time you saw Cruz before he disappeared on his Special Assignment?" Gibbs immediately turned to Ziva trying to bridge the gap between Kort and Cruz.
"It was right after Cobb…" Ziva answered quietly remembering the Port-to-Port Killer quite well, "Middle of May 2011."
"Okay, let's put it up there." Gibbs nodded towards the wall of connections, "Kort goes off the Grid in May 2011 and Cruz goes on his extended assignment at the same time. Officer Abrams sees them both around this time outside Director David's office. And you first saw Cruz again when, Ziva?" He asked E.J. started mapping the connections on the wall.
"It was just after New Year's 2012. After Cole." She answered remembering catching another assassin who'd been after E.J.
"And C.I. Ray gave you an empty ring box before he left on that Special Mission," Tony spoke quietly through barely concealed anger following his gut hunch and thinks starting to make more sense, "And returned with ring in hand to propose. Something tells me he asked Daddy David for permission to ask you to marry him in that time frame." He wasn't angry at Ziva but from the fallen look in her eyes he knew she'd taken it that way and moved quickly to correct the assumption. "Ziva, I'm not angry at you. I'm angry with your father and Cruz and yet more deceptions from the two of them. I'm not angry with you." He repeated not caring if the others were in the room or they were at work when he cupped her face with one hand and arm with the other forcing her to look into his eyes and see that he wasn't.
The others ignored the gesture, giving them the moment of privacy knowing how difficult this was for Ziva to have her life so thoroughly examined and on display. And if Tony was going to help her through it, they needed a little slack.
Ziva agreed with Tony on his assumption about Ray, the ring and the timing of it all with her father in Israel. It digusted her that not once but twice now her father had manipulated the men in her life in regards to her relationships. First with Michael and then with Ray and she was also seeing now how he'd done so in regards to Tony, only instead of manipulating him into her life as the others, he had found ways to manipulate him 'out' of her life. His demanding that she prove herself loyal to him, Mossad and Israel by staying behind after Michael's death was just one such way. Her anger usually clouded her judgement when it came to her father and Tony and the men in her life but right now, it was making things very clear. These betrayals and something else came to mind.
"Operating on the assumption that Ray was in my life at my father's bidding," She started to speak and everyone stopped to listen as she turned to look over the board, her tone confident and edged with anger, "his 'help' to us in finding Cobb, I also find rather suspicious now. Cobb was in the Operation Frankenstein Program. He wrote Ray's number on the side of the car where he had stashed E.J." Her eyes flashed to the other woman and saw her swallow hard, giving a small apology with just one look of understanding to know how terrifying it was to be taken by the crazed killer and believing your life was over, "I went to his apartment based on that information and was taken by Cobb who never really hurt me. Why? He had no reason 'not' to kill me. He could just as easily left my body in that barn, and still drawn your attention away from NCIS."
"You think C.I. Ray and Cobb knew each other from the Frankenstein Program?" Tony knit his eyebrows, thankful for whatever reason the man didn't kill Ziva then but her question of it now with these connections began to make sense. It 'didn't' make sense that Cobb hadn't killed Ziva and left her body for them to find. It would have been just as easy, actually easier for him to just kill her and cause the distraction he needed and yet he left her alive. "That he spared your life because of what you meant to Ray?"
"I do not know, but if that were the only reason, why take me to begin with?" Ziva couldn't understand this part. "Why take me at all? Why use Ray the way he did with the phone number and drawing me to his apartment?"
"Send a message of some sort to Cruz, maybe?" McGee pointed out. "By not killing you but showing he could have."
"Like he didn't kill, E.J." Tony added remembering her scrubbing the marker line off her neck where Cobb had drawn on her skin to indicate a slit line that he could have made to kill her. "He was only using her to send a message to her uncle."
"So Cobb was using Ziva, to send a message to Cruz?" E.J. spoke quietly and swallowed hard, not liking any of this conversation. The memories or the implications.
"Ray must have had some part in Operation Frankenstein." McGee looked at the wall frustrated, "But what part did he play? We can't find anything on him in these files."
"If C.I. Ray, did have a part in Frankenstein, Cobb was intent in killing all those who started the program, and trained him; so why would Cobb, when given the chance to make C.I. Ray suffer," Tony was trying to piece it together as well in their brainstorming,"Not take it? He could have killed Ray. He'd already made it inside his apartment. Cobb chose to use Ziva instead."
"I don't think Cruz was a part of starting the Frankenstein Program or training. He would have been too young." Gibbs spoke up taking in what they were saying, "More likely, he was in the program like Cobb in someway."
Ziva's heart was starting to pound thinking about such a prospect.
"Would explain why he didn't hurt Ziva, yet used Ray and Ziva as a distraction to get inside NCIS. He needed to use them, but felt enough for Ray not to hurt Ziva." McGee looked from Gibbs to Ziva with sympathetic and grateful eyes, that she'd not been killed.
"He made it a point of telling me the story about his beloved horse and farm, knowing it would lead us to Ziva." Gibbs spoke recalling those events and how quickly Cobb had given him that information, wanting Ziva to be discovered just as quickly.
"That he put her in such a place says a lot about his psychology at the time." E.J. crossed her arms watching as McGee posted a photo of Cobb next to Ray and connecting them with Ziva. "He loved that horse. He loved that barn. Those were his happy memories. Where he felt safe. And that is where he chose to keep Ziva. Safe. That says something. And he never drew a line on her throat like he did mine, taunting us and sending the message he could have killed me. He didn't send us the same message with Ziva."
"We weren't the ones supposed to receive the message." Tony tried very hard to continue to keep his anger in check at the thought of Ray putting Ziva in such danger with the crazed killer Cobb.
"But what message was he sending Ray by doing that?" McGee was just as frustrated.
"That's what we're trying to figure out, McGee." Gibbs sighed.
Ziva's phone started ringing and ceased all discussion. "It is my contact." She looked at the caller ID and told them before answering and stepping out of the room. She wasn't gone long before coming back in with news. "My contact said that Roland Ames had two homes. One in Stockholm where he lived in the summer but another home here in the U.S. in Reston, Virginia." Her eyes were slightly wide in disbelief they'd not known this, "His wife and child are there now."
"Our Swedish Assassin was living right in the CIA's own backyard in Northern Virginia and they didn't know?" Tony asked the incredulous question out loud that they were all thinking. "How is this possible?"
"It isn't." Gibbs sighed growing more angry by the minute that someone was purposefully excluding this information from them in the original investigation. "DiNozzo, McGee, grab your gear. You three," He pointed waved toward Liat, E.J and Ziva, "Find me something in those records."
"Gibbs!" Ziva called out immediately not wanting to be left behind again on this one, "May I come? Please?"
The pleading tone and look in her eyes tugged at Gibbs heartstrings, "Not yet, Ziver. We got this." He hated the fallen look in her eyes but she hadn't been cleared by medical yet to be in the field, even for questioning in the event something would go wrong.
Tony and McGee flashed her sympathetic eyes to be leaving her behind, especially since she'd found this information and followed Gibbs out the door.
They arrived at the home of Director David's assassin, Roland Ames, an hour later due to traffic and Tony gave a small whistle and the grandeur and beauty of the home. Two story Colonial in design with a brick siding façade and collonades.
"I guess we know why he needed the money." Tony said under his breath walking up the sidewalk to the front door, thinking of the payoff the man received in exchange for killing Eli David. A house like this would not be cheaply maintained.
He knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer with Gibbs and McGee waiting just behind him. A tall beautiful blonde woman answered the door and eyed them suspiciously. "Are you Julia Ames?" Tony asked getting out his badge, "I'm Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, these are Special Agents Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Timothy McGee. We're NCIS, we'd like to ask you a few questions about your husband Roland."
"They've already came to talk to me about Roland a month ago. What is this for?" She seemed upset at another intrusion and the mens' ears perked at the mentioning someone else had been there before her.
"We just have a few questions, Ma'am. We won't take much of your time." Tony gave her a charming smiling and she let them in.
"You mentioned someone was already here?" Gibbs asked casually looking around the house.
"Yes," Julia seemed flustered, "They came right after I was informed of Roland's death. Asked a bunch of questions and wanted to look at his Study. They said they were with Homeland Security. My husband was a good man…at least I thought he was." Her tone and posture fell, "I had no idea he had become a Contract Killer."
"Do you mind showing us your husband's study?" Tony asked quietly.
"It's in here." She moved through the living room to a set of French Doors and opened them. "They already looked through everything. Tore it apart and left a mess for me to put back together. You aren't going to do that too, are you?" She gave them a stern look that suggested they'd better not even think of it.
"No, Ma'am, we won't tear anything apart." Tony assured her with a smile while McGee and Gibbs strolled around looking at things. "Did they take anything with them?"
"Only my husband's laptop," She shrugged and then pointed to an empty frame in the bookcase, "And they took the photo that was in there. I have no idea why. I only noticed it was gone when we were putting the room back together."
"What was the photo of?" Gibbs asked quietly with interest peeked they'd remove such a thing. His mind flashing back to Hadar doing the same in Ziva's apartment with the photo of her as a child before he blew it up.
"Just a photo of my husband with some of his Fraternity brothers."
"Your husband went to Yale? That's a great school." McGee took notice of the framed degree behind the desk.
"My husband was a brilliant man. His degree was in Chemical Engineering. We met at Yale. I was a Business Major."
"Do you have a copy of the photo that was in the frame?" Gibbs asked hoping she had as it was likely a large clue to this puzzle. Important enough that whomever had gone through this office before had taken it with them. He knew there would be no point in searching the room again as it had already been cleared, but the photo at least would hopefully provide some insight.
"Maybe, I kept the main digital library on my own laptop. I printed that photo for him as a gift several years ago. It may still be there."
"Can we see it please?" Tony asked with another soft smile trying to pursuade the woman with his charm. "Maybe get a copy?"
"I'll go get it. Please wait here." She seemed slightly annoyed by the request but set off leaving the three of them alone.
"Well Roland Ames wasn't just a Mercenary for hire. Graduating from Yale." McGee gave them both a raised eyebrow, "In Chemical Engineering. That's a tough degree."
"So he was a smart killer for hire." Tony answered sarcastically in a quiet voice picking up a photo of the man with his child from the desk. He'd looked every bit the part of loving father with raging smile holding on to the little boy sitting on his shoulders. "He should have put that fancy degree to a better use." He shook his head, thinking of the little boy in the photo who would now grow up without a father and knowing someday what his father had become: A killer for hire.
"Do you think it was really Homeland Security who came through here, Boss?" McGee asked Gibbs as they waited for the woman to return. "I mean, why wouldn't they share that with us? NCIS is the Lead Team for the attack on Eli David and Director Vance's wife."
"I think we're on a wild goose chase, McGiblet." Tony answered when Gibbs just sighed and shook his head, clearly upset for the same reasons.
"This is the photo." Julia Ames returned with a printed 8x10 photo in hand, passing it to McGee as he was the closest to her. "I don't know why they'd want it."
McGee scanned the faces and froze, unable to breathe for a moment, "Uh, Tony…" His eyes looked up to catch Tony's across the small room and silently signaled him over, not wanting to alarm the woman next to him.
Tony's heart began to pound at the suddenly ashen look on McGee's face and closed the distance quickly taking the photo from his hands. His eyes rapidly scanning the faces of the several men as well and sucking in a sharp breath when they landed on the same face that had caused such distress in McGee. A face he'd never forget as long as he lived. He looked up at Gibbs whose eyes were intent with wonder, passing the photo over to him to look at. "Saleem." Tony whispered in a breath of disbelief.
