Chapter 27
Tim pulled over when he saw Gibbs standing by the road. He looked at Tamara.
"I stay where I am until I'm told otherwise," she said.
Tim nodded and then got out.
And his phone rang. He almost ignored it, but then decided to answer.
"McGee."
"Agent McGee, I thought you might want to know that Jorgenson appears to be on his way down to that address."
"Uh...well, I beat him here."
"So soon? You're not wasting any time."
"I can't afford to. It's been too long already."
"Well, if I'm right, he should be down there in about an hour. If you're going to do something and catch him, you'd better move quick."
"Understood."
Tim hung up and strode over to Gibbs.
"What have you found?" he asked.
"Ziva's still scouting out the property," Tony said in a low voice. "No sign of cameras. Two stories and definite signs of a basement."
There was a slight rustling and Ziva came out of the trees. Tim looked at her.
"Three people in the house. I did not get a good look at any of them, but I think none are Carew. No sign of movement upstairs. There is a basement but I could not get close enough to see inside the windows, and all the basement windows are barred. If they were keeping him here, he would be down there. No one would see him."
"Any sign of movement down there?" Tim asked.
"Not in the basement. Just the three upstairs."
"We can't take too long to do this," Tim said.
"Why not?" Tony asked. "I get that we don't want to delay if we don't have to, but..."
"Jorgenson is on his way down here. Right now. If my source is right, he'll be here in an hour."
Tim looked at them all.
"We need to do this, and we need to do it now."
He looked at Daniel.
"If Logan's here, I'm good. I'll do what I'm told as long as you give me the chance to take him out."
Tim nodded and then looked at Gibbs. "Boss, I could use your advice on this one."
To his relief, Gibbs just nodded. Tim knew he had less experience in planning a takedown. He could probably do it, but he wanted to give them the best chance of success, and he wanted to make sure that as few people were hurt as possible...on his side, at least. Gibbs was better at taking the lead in this kind of situation.
"We need to move in fast and not let any of them get into the basement, but we can't assume that there's only the three of them," Gibbs said.
"It is not a walkout," Ziva added. "The only way in must be inside the house."
Tim looked at the front of the house. It had a traditional look to it, kind of like a farmhouse.
"The stairs are probably right inside the front door," he said. "This house is old enough. I don't see any reason to expect two separate sets of stairs."
"Tony, head for the stairs," Gibbs said. "Ziva, you're with me. We take the front. Once we neutralize the ones on the main floor, Ziva, you head down with Tony."
Ziva nodded.
"I'll take the back," Daniel said. "Just give me time to get in place."
Gibbs nodded.
"McGee, you're with Worthing."
Tim nodded.
"First goal is to get hold of anyone who might be in the house. If Carew is in there, he can't be helped until we know that we've got rid of the captors."
They all nodded.
"Two minutes, McGee," Gibbs said.
Tim nodded and he and Daniel made their way through the trees to the back of the house.
"Logan's not getting arrested, Tim," Daniel said. "Even if he surrenders, I'm under orders to take him out."
"I understand," Tim said, wishing he didn't.
Then, they didn't speak again until they could see their way to the back of the house.
"No sign of anyone in the back," Daniel said. "Let's move in."
They crept forward, making as little noise as possible. They kept to the trees until it was impossible.
"Boss, we're right at the edge of the yard," Tim whispered into his mike.
"Thirty seconds."
"Thirty seconds," Tim relayed to Daniel.
Daniel nodded grimly and checked his gun one last time. Tim did the same.
Then, they waited tensely.
"Go."
"Go," Tim said.
They both ran for the back door. Up the stairs and they had to kick the back door open, hearing the commotion from the front of the house.
"Federal agents! Hands in the air!"
Gunfire in return.
There were two hallways to the front of the house. Tim took one and Daniel took the other.
As Tim ran, he caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye. He ducked, but not quite enough and the edge of a fist clipped the side of his head, throwing off his trajectory. He careened into the wall, a little dazed. He kept on his feet, but he was off kilter now.
And he got his first look at Marc Edward Logan.
For one endless moment, he looked Logan in the eye and he saw the same cruelty that he had seen in the eyes of Jubran, the same cruelty that had been in the eyes of his handler. That terrifying glee at the prospect of killing and causing pain. Ducky had been right. Logan wasn't a cold, calculating killer. He ran very hot.
And Tim tried to fight through his daze to fire, but he couldn't seem to get his mind in gear enough, even with that eternal moment.
...but then, it didn't even matter. The gun was up, but it didn't fire.
Someone else's did.
"Remember me, Logan?"
Logan looked away from Tim and there was a smirk on his face.
Another shot and he fell to the floor, the burning desire fading from his eyes.
Then, Daniel came into view.
"You okay, Tim? Did he get you?"
"Just winged me," Tim said. "I'll be fine."
"Clear back here!" Daniel shouted.
"Clear up here!" came the response.
Tim rubbed at his head and straightened. He looked down at the dead man on the floor. Daniel followed his gaze. There was a moment of silence. Even from the front, there was little sound.
Finally, Daniel took a deep breath and let it out loudly.
"Carew?" he asked.
"I don't know," Tim said.
They hurried into the front room and found Gibbs with one man in handcuffs. Two other men were dead on the floor.
"Tony? Ziva?" Tim asked, lowering his gun slightly.
"Downstairs," Gibbs said.
"It's clear!" Tony shouted. "McGee, you'd better get down here."
Tim looked at Daniel.
"I'll stay up here," Daniel said. "I'd better keep to what I'm authorized to do. Go."
Tim nodded and ran down the stairs into a full basement. There was a small room with a number of doors. Tony was beside one and Ziva was just coming over to join him.
"Levi?" Tim asked,
"This is the last room and the only one that's locked," Tony said, gesturing. "I was just about to get the door open. No sign of wiring or anything. It's just locked."
Tim walked over to the door. Tony looked very unsettled. Even Ziva seemed uncomfortable.
"What is it?"
Tony gestured wordlessly to a room with an open door and a foul stench wafting out of it.
"If he is here, we found where he must have been tortured," Ziva said quietly. "It is...not pleasant."
Tim nodded and didn't look at it any more closely. He didn't need to see more evidence of torture.
"He may be dead," Tony said. "Or he may not be in here at all."
"Won't know unless you open the door, Tony," Tim said.
Ziva quickly picked the lock. It was a normal doorknob. Tony and Tim raised their weapons. She hesitated and then opened the door.
There was little inside the room. It looked like a room used for cold storage. Where the other areas of the basement had been sheetrocked and had tile flooring, this one was still all concrete with only one small barred window that was either frosted or just covered with dirt. The only other thing in the room was Levi Carew, lying on the floor, not moving. He was on his back. He did not look like the mysterious, often aggravating director of the CIA. He looked like a weak, old man. There were no obvious signs of whatever had been done to him, but they all knew. Somehow, they all knew.
He was broken.
Tim hurried over and knelt down. He took hold of Levi's wrist. There was a pulse. It was weak and irregular, but there was a pulse. He was alive. He touched Levi's shoulder and shook him gently.
"Levi. Can you hear me?"
For a long moment, there was no response. Then, Levi's eyes opened slightly. At first, he just stared straight up at the ceiling.
"Levi, where did they hurt you? What places shouldn't I touch?"
Then, Levi's gaze shifted just enough to see Tim. His mouth quirked into an almost smile and he let out a puff of air that might have been a laugh. His eyes closed again.
"Of course..." he said breathlessly, almost in a whisper. "Who else...would randomly show up here when no one could have...known? Of course. Did you miss...our little chats... that much, Agent McGee?"
Tim grimaced briefly. He knew that no matter how softly Levi had been speaking that Tony and Ziva would have heard that...and would eventually think to ask him about it.
"No. That's not it," Tim said.
"Then...how did you... know I was missing? No one...knew."
"Tamara told me."
Then, Levi's eyes opened all the way. Those disturbing black eyes were looking at him in a way he never had. Or almost never. He had seen them this way once when Levi had been delusional. They were full of emotion. In this case, a deep, painful grief.
"Tamara... No. She's dead," he said.
"No, Levi," Tim said. "No. She's alive. She got out of the house and then she walked all the way back to D.C. and came to me for help finding you."
"No..." Levi said again. "Didn't... see her. House was... destroyed. Must be a...mistake."
"She got out. Levi, I wouldn't lie to you about this. I promise. She's actually right outside. She insisted on coming with us."
"No."
Tim looked up at Tony. Ziva was no longer there.
"Call the..."
"Ziva already did," Tony said. He looked more than a little disturbed.
"Then, let's get him out of here. No reason to leave him in this place."
"Out?" Levi repeated.
"Yes. We're getting you outside and to Tamara. Then, to the hospital."
"I almost...made it to... Tamara," Levi said. "Closest...I ever got...to the end of the...path."
Tim bent over and began lifting Levi up. He seemed almost boneless. So weak that he couldn't even lift his head.
"I was... going to make it, but... Quinn...wouldn't leave. Couldn't... ignore him..."
Tim knew that Quinn was dead, that he had been for years. For Levi to be mentioning him now...
"Come on, Tony. Help me," Tim ordered.
Tony nodded and holstered his gun. He took Levi's other side and they lifted him up. Levi's head flopped forward and then lolled toward Tim's shoulder.
"Wanted to... go back to the farm. One more time. Would have... made it. Seen her again."
"You'll see her. Just wait."
It was awkward going up the narrow stairs with Levi balanced between them, but they managed it. Then, it was out of the house completely and to the porch. And then...
"Levi."
Tim looked up and saw Tamara standing there, waiting. Gibbs must have told her. Or Ziva.
Levi lifted his head, the expression on his face one of complete disbelief, even though she was right there.
Tamara walked up the steps.
"I'm here, Levi."
"You were...in the house," Levi said.
"No. I heard you call for me. I got out."
"You were... in the... the house," he said again.
"No, Levi. I wasn't. I'm alive."
Then, to Tim's surprise, Levi suddenly stood on his own and lurched forward, pulling free of Tony's and Tim's grips. Then, he took a step, collapsed onto Tamara and began to sob. Weak, breathless cries that had almost no sound to them, but his shaking was visible as he struggled to breathe through his tears.
"You...were...dead..." he managed to say.
"No, I wasn't. I never was, Levi. I'm alive and I'm right here."
Tamara sank down to the floor of the porch, Levi in her arms and she began rocking him back and forth as he sobbed over and over again that she was dead, that he had seen her die, that he'd almost made it. Tamara just rocked him and soothed him, rubbing her hand over his head and holding him close. Eventually, his words ran out and he was just wheezing as she comforted him.
"I've got you, Levi," she said. "I won't let you go. I won't ever let you go. Not now. Not ever."
After a little bit of silence, Levi looked at Tamara once more and he whispered in a language Tim couldn't understand.
"Afafuni chevlei mavet, v'nachalei v'li-al y'va'atuni
Chevlei sh'ol s'va-vuni, kid'muni mok'shei mavet
Batzar li ecra Adonai, v'el Elohai ashavei'a, yishma mei'heichalo coli, v'shavati l'fanav tavo v'oz'nav."
A hand on Tim's shoulder startled him and he turned back to see Ziva, looking down at Levi and Tamara.
"The sorrows of death surrounded me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid," she said softly.
Tamara looked up Ziva for just a moment and then went back to Levi.
"The sorrows of Hell surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called on the Lord and cried to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even to his ears."
She lifted her eyes to Tim.
"It is a psalm. He is speaking Hebrew. I did not know that he knew it."
Tim hesitated and then said, "He's Jewish. Most of his family died in the Holocaust."
Ziva looked down at them again.
No one else said a word. Tim watched, feeling both happiness and a sense of disquiet he couldn't identify as yet. Tony was standing there, looking like he didn't know what to do. Gibbs and Daniel were both inside the house with the bodies and the one man they had taken into custody.
After a few minutes, the wail of a siren could be heard as the ambulance approached the house. When it arrived, the EMTs got out and came over.
"I don't know what's been done to him," Tim said, "but he's been missing for nearly three weeks. I'm sure he wasn't fed and I know they must have done something to him, but..."
They nodded. Carefully, they pried Levi away from Tamara, but they let her stay right beside him, holding his hand, stroking his forehead. They got him on a stretcher, checked all his vitals and then, with Tamara right beside them, they loaded him on an ambulance and drove away.
As soon as the ambulance was out of sight, Tim let out a long, slow exhale. Then, he looked at Tony.
"Was he worth saving, Tony?" Tim asked, unsure of what the answer would be.
Tony didn't look like he wanted to answer, but then, he nodded once.
"Yeah, McGee. Right now...yeah. Maybe not later, but right now... he was worth saving."
