Tony and Ziva looked at each other. Tony cleared his throat. "Director, it is not our intention to capture or kill Bodnar, despite our…motivation. We want to find him, and then let the authorities know where he is so he can be captured. Period."
Vance looked at Gibbs, who nodded. "Understand this, I can't protect you. You have gone off on your own. We will give assistance as we are able, but our hands are tied. If Interpol decides to take a more active role in helping you, that is up to them. We will remain in touch, and you will report in."
"Understood." Tony and Ziva both said. "We'll check back in tomorrow around noon." The line went dead.
Vance looked again at Gibbs. "Well, do you believe them?"
Vignette Eleven: Part Five
Tony and Ziva retired to their hotel room. The "Agent" part of them wanted to hide out and watch the bust, but they knew they couldn't risk detection. All they could do was wait and hope that Interpol acted on their info and everything went as described in the phone call.
"So, I guess we wait to hear if our friends from Interpol decide they are our friends. I really don't like not having a gun." Tony grimaced.
"I would kill for a knife right now." Ziva said, with more heat than she intended. Tony looked at her, concerned.
"I am sorry, Tony. I do not like leaving my work in the hands of others." Ziva stood, looking out the window.
Tony pulled her away and wrapped his arms around her. "I know. But we planned how this was going to go down. This is just like home: we do all the work and Fox 5 News reports that it was 'some government agency'. We are the unsung heroes, and in this we have to be the unknown heroes."
"I know, and I accept that." Ziva placed her head on his shoulder. Tony pulled up her chin and kissed her with passion. "Maybe I need to take your mind off things for a while, hmm?" He smiled seductively.
Ziva chuckled. "I knew I kept you around for something. You know, Tony. I rather like being able to go out in public together as a couple, even if it is as 'Tommy and Lisa'. Abby would say 'TISA' I suppose. It is nice to not have to pretend about our feelings."
Tony was thrilled to hear these words from Ziva. He was worried that after spending so much time together, literally being "stuck" with him, she might rethink this whole relationship thing between the two of them.
His feelings were only reinforced and solidified. He felt with certainty what they had was good, and would stand the test of time. Her words gave him courage.
"You know, before I figured out you were planning to high-tail it, I was going to talk to you about moving in together."
Ziva looked at him in surprise. "Really? Well, I guess you got your wish. I think it will be hard to go back to our separate lives once this is over, yes? Unless you really piss me off."
"Oh, I love it when you talk dirty, Ziva." Tony grinned. He kissed her again and moved them over to the bed.
NCIS-MTAC
Vance and Gibbs stood in front of the big screen, discussing the operation that went down the evening before.
Interpol Paris Chief Michel D'Arcy looked up from his paperwork as he described the events of the night before.
"We apprehended Monsieur Favreau, as he was in the act of selling several crates of high-caliber fully automatic weapons to Dieter Sanger.
He is part of the 'Hamburg' terrorist cell. We have already extracted key information from him." D'Arcy sounded of disgust at the weakness of Sanger.
"We have alerted our Agents in Munich and expect to apprehend several more members, if not the entire cell of jihadists, shortly." D'Arcy was quite sure of himself.
"Has either admitted any involvement with Bodnar?" Vance asked, looking significantly at Gibbs.
D'Arcy looked at his paperwork. "Yes. Sanger knows of Bodnar, although he denies any current contact with him or that this purchase is tied to him. Monsieur Favreau, ah, he is quite the charmer. I am surprised your people were able to turn him in. He is a master manipulator."
"Yeah, well I guess that's why he does so well in 'sales'." Gibbs quipped sardonically.
D'Arcy nodded in agreement. "Still, we were able to determine that he has been in contact with Bodnar recently. We are still working on him for a location. We will have it soon."
Vance looked at Gibbs and nodded. "Have you considered our proposal?"
D'Arcy smiled. "Oui! I have instructions for you, to give to your people."
Vance and Gibbs listened closely as D'Arcy filled them in.
Paris, France
Tony and Ziva played tourists all morning, killing time until their call-in at noon. They visited the Musee de Cluny, a gothic home built in the Fifteenth century atop old Roman Baths. It now housed a collection of Medieval Art, including the famous "Lady and the Unicorn" tapestries.
The five tapestries were hung in a circular room, spectacularly displayed. Ziva was enthralled with the workmanship and beauty of these fabrics.
Tony had seen them many times before, mostly in films. It would seem that every castle in Britain has one hanging in it, which is absurd. But he was also awed by the sheer size and majesty of these works of art. They continued to explore, going down to the Roman baths.
Soon, it was time for them to take their leave and find a secluded place to make their call. They found a small park nearby, and after buying some fruit and cheese for lunch at a Farmer's market, they settled down in a far corner shrouded by trees. Tony pulled out the burn phone and dialed the familiar number.
Vance and Gibbs were waiting in his office for the call. Gibbs cell rang exactly at noon. Gibbs again noted the "blocked number". "Is that you son?" He asked conversationally.
"Hi Dad." Tony answered in the same light tone. "Hope you had a good night last night." Tony added, referring to the operation Interpol should have completed.
"Yeah, it was ok." Gibbs said noncommittally, making Tony sweat. Vance smirked at Gibbs, knowing he was letting Tony know that all was not quite well yet between the Agents and home.
"Listen, I sent you something. You can pick it up at…" Gibbs looked at the sheet in his hand. "At the 'Citadines Prestige Saint-Germain-des-Prés'." Gibbs had to spell out the name and address.
"Just go to the front desk and ask for the envelope for Mr. and Mrs. Paddington." Gibbs instructed. "Listen, gotta' go. Keep in touch. Don't have too much fun."
Ziva was getting anxious. She didn't like not being able to hear the conversation this time. She couldn't wait to get inside so she could privately grill Tony. She took the notes from Tony's hand, reading the name and address of where they were instructed to go.
It was located in the 5th arrondissement, or neighborhood of Paris, near the Latin Quarter. She liked the location: it was near the Sorbonne, so it catered to a multi-cultural student population. Prime, fertile ground for radical groups and terrorist cells. There were also several Metro stations in the area. Not that she expected that they would have to make a quick getaway. But it was good to be in close proximity of multiple travel options if the situation should warrant it.
Tony finally hung up and looked at Ziva. "I know you didn't like being out of the loop on that call. Next time, we will do it in our room again so we can be on speaker." He put his arm around her and gave her a kiss, two newlyweds enjoying the sunshine of a Paris afternoon.
He leaned over and looked at the paper in her hand. "We are supposed to go to the front desk and pick up an envelope. Nothing else was said." Tony told her, letting her know he knew nothing about how last night went.
"Do you think it is safe?" She asked. If the mission they had sent Interpol on had failed, or worse if some of their people had been killed, they would not be too happy with them.
Tony looked out over the gardens. "I don't think 'Dad' would send us there if he wasn't sure it was ok. We are going to have to trust them on this one." He admitted truthfully to himself that he didn't like going to a drop without proper backup, meaning a weapon. He sighed.
He stood up and held out his hand. "Let's get this over with. Do you know where this place is?"
Ziva nodded. "I know the area; it is actually not far. We can walk from here. I am sure we will have no trouble finding it. It is a good area, should we need to escape quickly."
Tony wasn't sure he liked the sound of that, but he conceded that Ziva was the Paris expert.
Citadines Prestige Saint-Germain-des-Prés- 53, ter Quai des Grands Augustins
Ziva was right; they were in easy walking distance to the hotel. It was located in the heart of Paris, right on the river and within walking distance of Pont Neuf, and Sainte Chapelle. Also nearby were Notre Dame Cathedral and the Louvre Museum.
Tony looked at the building and its grand entrance. "I hope 'Dad' knows what he is doing." He whispered to Ziva.
Ziva chuckled. "Do you think he and 'Mom' ever spent time here?" Ziva was referring to Jenny. Tony realized that Ziva probably knew a lot about their time together in Paris. He gave himself a mental note to quiz her some later date for the dirty details. But now was not the time.
Holding hands, they entered the lobby and were pleasantly surprised at how modern and clean the inside was. Tony quickly walked up to the front desk.
"Excuse me." He began apologetically, for not speaking French. "No Francais." He added unnecessarily.
The Desk Manager, identified by his name tag as "Claude" smiled widely. "It is of no consequence. We cater to visitors and Parisians alike. May I be of service?"
Tony smiled wide and put his arm around Ziva. "I believe you have an envelope for my wife and me, Paddington?"
Understanding lit his eyes. "Ah, yes. 'Mr. and Mrs. Paddington. Some identification, S'il vous plait. It is respondre aux conditions, uh apology; requirement, yes?"
Tony and Ziva smiled at each other. They each handed over their passports. Claude did his job well, scrutinizing the documents. Tony was starting to worry when Claude smiled and returned the passports to them.
"Bienvenue! Welcome, we hope you will enjoy your stay." He went and pulled out the small envelope and handed it and a room key to Tony.
"Merci." Ziva responded. "Shall we check out our room?" She asked, her voice low and sultry, causing an amused look on the Desk Manager's face.
Tony's face lit up and he winked at Claude. "Oh, definitely."
Claude nodded. "The elevator is around the corner. Please take the time to tour the premises. I am sure you will find it most satisfactory."
Tony and Ziva thanked Claude and headed for the elevator. Their "room" was on the third floor. It was located at the end of the hall, near the stairwell.
Once inside, they looked around in awe. It was an apartment, with a demi-kitchen and full private bath. It was a corner unit, so it had windows on two sides. This could be advantageous, but it could have a downside as well, as windows were great conductors for people trying to listen in.
They sat down on the sofa and Tony tore open the envelope. Inside was a typed letter, two pages.
"Bonjour and Merci. On behalf of my superiors, I wish to thank you for your assistance in apprehending two terrorists. Your efforts have given us significant intelligence, for which we are grateful.
Therefore, we provide for you this apartment to use as your home base. The items you requested are located in the gym bags in the closet. We also took the liberty of "unpacking" your suitcases for you and you will find the closets full of clothes.
We understand the nature of your mission and ask that you contact us directly. You will call me only at the number listed below. You will identify yourself as "Dove" so that there will be no question as to who you are. You will speak to me only.
I have provided additional resources for your use, that I am sure will be of help to you. Should you need extraction, use the code word "Flood". I am hoping you will understand the reference." Sincerely, Michel D'Arcy, 01 55 12 15 55
Ziva immediately went to the closet and came back out with three gym bags.
She placed them on the dining room table and they opened them up. "This one has weapons." Ziva couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. She pulled out several handguns and ammo. She looked closely and saw the serial numbers had been removed by acid.
She then pulled out a variety of other useful items: binoculars, day and night-vision; tranquilizer micro-injectors; covered wire cuffs, duct tape; chloroform and cloths. She was amazed at what they had been given. She pulled out a sheet of clear dots.
"What's that?" Tony asked, also mesmerized by the myriad of supplies they had been given. Ziva looked at them closely and understanding dawned on her.
"Oh, my God. I had heard of these, but never seen one before." She showed Tony the sheet. "These are tracking discs. They absorb into the skin and create a marker that can be traced."
Tony looked at the sheet with interest. "You mean instead of planting a mobile device in someone's pocket or car?"
Ziva nodded but frowned. "Yes, but they are more difficult to place. They must be put on the person's skin. That means…"
"That means us having to be in a position to touch our target of interest. Yeah, I see the downside. But they are cool. Look what I found." Tony got his smile back.
He pulled out an iPad. Ziva frowned. "What is that for? It is not like we are going to use it to send emails and spend our time on the internet."
"Maybe they know you like to read." Tony teased. He turned the device on and saw the icons on the desktop, deceptively non-descript. He clicked on the first one.
To his surprise, the entire database of terrorists, arms dealers and persons of interest wanted by Interpol opened up. "Whoa!" Tony exclaimed. Ziva looked over his shoulder.
"Open the other shortcuts." She asked, anxious.
Tony complied and they realized they had the databases for FBI, CIA, Interpol, Israel/Mossad and the Iranian information provided by Kazmi. The last one was a combined database, eliminating the duplicates.
They looked at each other. "Uh, maybe it's just me, but I sure hope they don't expect us to run down and find every one of these people. I would like to go home someday." Tony commented, looking at the huge listing.
Ziva also looked disturbed. "I cannot imagine Gibbs or Vance would agree to that. I think this is just a guide for us. We will need to study these. If we do run across any of these people, we will of'course be obligated to notify Interpol. I think that is our price to pay for all of this." Ziva looked around. "But I will not let this…" she pointed at the tablet. "…sway us from our own mission. It will be helpful, especially if we can determine those most likely to have been contacted by Ilan. And we will be able to see if the names I have are listed."
"I also found this." Tony held up several stacks of Euro's. "It would appear that there was a reward out for our arm's buyer."
"You are not serious!" Ziva took one of the stacks. "And they paid it to us? I find that, odd."
"Do you think this money is being tracked, that it is their way of following us?"
Ziva raised an eyebrow. "Tony, this whole apartment could be bugged, which I suggest we search. I do not want our evenings broadcasted to anyone."
Tony grinned at that, but he had to admit that he didn't like the idea of them being watched either, even if it was by the "good guys".
They proceeded to search the apartment, looking for cameras and listening devices. After three hours, they admitted either there were none or Interpol was too good at what they did. Well, at least Tony did.
Ziva did not believe anyone could hide a listening device that she could not find. Therefore, it was her conclusion that there were none to be found.
"Ok, I'm starved. What do you say we go check out one of those little cafes we passed on the way here? We can blend in with the locals, do a little people watching and enjoy some local cuisine and preferably the local wine." Tony looked at Ziva from his sitting position on the living room floor.
Ziva chuckled. "Yes, let me just go freshen up. I think you could use a little 'freshening up' as well, yes?" They did what Tony called a "spit bath," washing faces and armpits. Ziva reapplied her makeup, wearing more than she usually did.
They pulled out some of their "new" clothes. "We need to get our belongings from the other hotel tomorrow." She reminded Tony.
"Ok." Tony was inspecting a very nice jacket. "How did they get our sizes?"
Ziva smiled. "Yeah, I get it. 'I don't want to know.' Ready?"
Ziva linked her arm in his, and they left the hotel and strolled down the street and turned onto rue Xavier Privas and ended up at a Lebanese restaurant that looked quiet.
They were seated outside at a small table. As Ziva was perusing the menu, Tony grabbed her hand. "Oh, shit." He said under his breath.
"What is it?" Ziva asked conversationally, trying not to look or sound alarmed.
"Look at this, and laugh and smile like I am showing you something funny." Tony had Ziva lean over to him and looked at the iPad, which he had brought with them. He had several thumbnails of photos open, showing members of the First Wave pro-Palestinian group that Gavriela had mentioned to him and McGee.
Ziva smiled and ran her finger over the pictures, chuckling. "If I'm not mistaken, picture number three is sitting over at that corner table." Tony whispered out of the side of his mouth, and then chuckled with Ziva.
Ziva leaned in to kiss him, and laid her head on this shoulder, so she could follow his line of vision.
"I believe you are correct, my love." Ziva kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear. "It just so happens I have some of those tracking dots."
Tony flinched at that. He or Ziva would have to actually touch this person to get the tracking device on him. He amended that: he would have to do it; there was too much risk of Ziva being recognized, since Eli David had been a prime target.
Just then, their wine arrived. Although a Lebanese restaurant, they had a full range of French wines. They clinked their glasses together and took healthy sips, knowing they were about to jump in feet first.
Whine and they will come, just ask my husband. Thanks for the reviews. I thrive on them as they give me the motivation to continue writing. Hope you continue to like this story. I have been to Musee de Cluny and the tapestries are breathtaking. Also, I am not a French linguist. I just looked up what I wanted. The Hotel is real.