Disclaimers disclaimed.

Chapter XXVI - Definite Idiot


The woman's voice drew Ziva to return her sig to its holster and back away from Benjamin slowly. She looked towards the door and her heart almost dropped. The almost fragile figure before her drawing a different wave of emotions entirely as she whispered, "Orli?"

The older older and now salt and pepper haired woman smile warmly at Ziva as she stepped further into the interrogation room. She reached out her arms and pulled the younger woman in for a hug, which Ziva gladly reciprocated. It had been years since the two had seen each other and this impromptu meeting was partly welcomed by Ziva, while she partly wanted to know exactly why Orli had come without any prior warning that she'd be traveling to DC, and NCIS in general.

Releasing her from the hug, and knowing exactly what was on her mind, Orli immediately spoke. "While I understand you are in the middle of an investigation Ziva, I would like a word with you in the hall to explain why I am here."

With no reason to protest and out of sheer intrigue, Ziva looked back once to glare at Benjamin then turned and nodded to Orli. Before they exited the room, it didn't go unnoticed by Ziva the glint of complete horror that Orli seemed to produce in Benjamin's eyes. Mossad is his weak point. She made a mental note to address his evident fear when she went back in. For now, as she closed the door behind her, she wanted to give Orlie her undivided attention.

"It would seem, my dear Ziva, that that poor excuse of a man you are interrogating is one that Israel has been searching for for quite some time. Three years to be exact", Orli began. "He has waged many crimes against Israel, and I would like to question him on his escape from our prison. It is known that someone had to orchestrate his disappearance and fund the capital for his complete physical makeover. I need to know who it was that helped him so that they may also be brought down and tried for their crimes against Israel."

Orli paused to study Ziva's face. While it would have been harder for someone else to see it, the seasoned woman knew all too well that Ziva had every answer for her already. She chose, however, not to question it at the moment and continued, "Now clearly, that monster is your mark and this is your house so I'm only asking a favor, on behalf of Mossad, that you allow me to question him ... you know, before you kill him?" The older woman let out a rare laugh after she finished.

Ziva chuckled, "I thought you retired Orli?"

"Ah my dear, I was retired", she responded as she placed her hand on Ziva's back and rubbed it gently. "But then I got tired of traveling and being home, so I took up a cunsultant position with Mossad. It is only when I am needed, like this, when old cases such as Benjamin's comes up."

"I see, so how does Mossad know we have him", Ziva asked more out of curiosity than anything else.

"Well, technically, they do not know. Between us, I noticed that Paza was doing more looking into Benjamin then she had been before when the case was first reopened . I asked her why she was so focused on it when there was a more recent op that should have been taking all of her attention. When she finally stated that you had called about the case and told me about poor Tali, I knew I needed to see you", Orli paused when she noticed Ziva's irritated look. "Ziva, do not worry, Paza has not spoken any of this to anyone else. No one within Mossad, other than Paza and myself know about Benjamin's recent activity. The only reason she broke your confidence to tell me is because she knew I would be able to get more from you and help Mossad's own case."

She waited for Ziva's expression to change then continued, "Given your reason for even calling her on business, I knew it would only be a matter of time before you tracked him down and got him. Which meant I did not have much time to get to you. My being here is strictly off the record. Only Paza knows I am here and why. The beauty of my new position at Mossad is that I am not tied to a schedule nor do I have anyone to actually answer to. I have only come to give Israel peace of mind and to make sure that you and your family are okay."

Ziva smiled, "thank you Orli, we are fine now that we have Tali back. And you won't need to question Benjamin. The man that broke him out of prison three years ago is in the second interrogation room. Agent McGee has been questioning him for a little while now. But, just like Benjamin, he will pay for his crimes on US soil before Mossad gets anywhere near taking him to Israel."

"Oh, I am sure that neither of them will make it back to Israel. If you are anything like your father, rest his soul, you will see to it that they do not have the opportunity to see daylight again."

"You are right", she smirked, "but I will give you a chance to gather whatever information you need to give to Mossad before I do away with them."

"Thank you Ziva." She cleared her throat, "but before we continue on with business, I must check-in to my hotel and rest a little. That ride from Tel Aviv is longer than I remember and I am tired. This old woman needs a nap and I will return later in the afternoon."

"Of course, I understand. Please, be safe, and call me when you are on your way back." With that, Orli hugged Ziva once more and began to make her way down the hall and out of sight. When Ziva turned back to re-enter the room, she noticed McGee standing at the other end of the hall looking at her quizzically. She shook her head, "Yes Tim?"

He walked up, closing the distance between them. "Was that Orli", he asked in a whisper with his eyebrow raised.

"Yes it was", she answered plainly.

"As in former Director of Mossad, Orli?" He tilted his head in more confusion.

Ziva shook her head again, "Yes Tim, why?"

"Well ... I mean, that's the last person I'd be expecting to see walking the halls of NCIS", he answered honestly.

"Yes, me too. But don't worry, she is on our side with this and Mossad will be as well." She stared at the dumbfounded look that intensified on his face then chuckled, "Tim, really, Orli is good people and has been since she took Tali for me and brought her to Tony, 15 years ago. I trust her with my life and her visit is strictly focused on getting information to feed to Mossad as they are searching for Benjamin."

"How does Mossad know we have him?"

"You sound like me a few minutes ago", she rubbed her forehead and sighed. "They do not know, at least not yet. They are, however, searching for him and when I made contact with my friend there about him kidnapping Tali, she told the only other person we both trust ..."

"Which is Orli", McGee was catching on. "So Orli, being one of few people who knows almost everything about you, figured that you'd track him down sooner or later before Mossad ever could?"

"Precisely, but we can talk about all this later. I am sure you did not leave out of your own interrogation just to spy and pry, yes?"

McGee nodded, "right, Amadi just confessed to being behind the setup for Hunter and Tali to be kidnapped. He's also ready to break on why he's setup terrorist attacks to hit the major agencies."

"Ready to break", Ziva asked in an annoyed tone. "Why are you out here talking to me if he has not broken yet?"

"Well, that's the issue ..."

"What is the issue McGee", she interrupted while raising her voice, "you press him until he breaks. Your interrogation was not interrupted so there should be no issues!"

He sighed, "Ziva, relax. There's no need to be in angry Mossad ninja mode alright? I'm just saying that he no longer wants to speak to me, he wants to speak to you and you only."

Ziva rolled her eyes then took a deep breath to calm herself down. "What is hw playing at?"

"I don't know, but he's not budging anymore. I'll go in with you, but he specifically requested that you be the one he told his grand plan to."

"Fine", she sighed, "Let's go."


.


At the hospital, Tony and Tali were watching a movie while Anthony took another day out with Gibbs. It was one of Tali's all time favorite princess movies, and Tony smiled in delight as he watched her giggle like she was a toddler again.

My sweet little Talikins.

He couldn't help but wonder how long the movie marathon would distract her from all the pain and hurt that was faintly hidden behind her current smile. Knowing, eventually, she would have to address the hurt in order to heal, Tony wondered if she'd be strong enough.

Of course she will, Tali's just like her mother ... hopefully she just won't have to disappear for three years in order to do it.

His thoughts, however, were brought short as Dr. Copeland entered the room seemingly abrupt. Tony and Tali both looked up at her confused

Sensing her own demeanor, the doctor took a deeo breath and apologized, "sorry for barging in, I was hoping Agent DiNozzo would still be here. There's been a change in Officer Amadi's condition."

"Hunter?" Tali sat up straight and looked in panic. Tony noticed her mood shift and reached for her hand but she moved it away quickly. "What's wrong with him?"

Dr. Copeland looked to Tony, who nodded for her to speak. "Well, Officer Amadi has woken up from his coma but, he has severe memory loss and is experiencing trauma that we haven't really seen before which is causing him to act out."

"What do you mean by 'act out' doc", Tony asked concerned.

"He's violent and combative", she paused to gauge their reaction then continued, "we don't really know how to handle him. He's been partly sedated for now but he will wake up soon. His doctor and I both agree that it may be too dangerous to fully sedate him given the nature of his head trauma. We do not want to induce another coma."

"Let me talk to him ..."

"What? Tali, no! Absolutely not", Tony ordered.

"Abba please! I can help him", Tali cried then looked at Dr. Copeland, "please, I know I can help him."

Dr. Copeland looked deep into Tali's eyes, "how do you know?"

"We just escaped from the same hell. We witnessed each other's torture. He needs someone who understands how his brain is working right now and I'm that someone", Tali spoke confidently.

"Although it is against my better judgment", the doctor admitted, "it does make sense, and it could possibly work."

"Um, did you NOT just hear me", Tony interrupted their exchange. "I said no, as in NO! You're injured Tali and he probably doesn't even remember you. You could get hurt even more."

Tali started getting off her bed, completely ignoring her father's orders, "Dr. Copeland, if you remove this annoying IV, you and the agents outside can escort me to Hunter. I can help him."

"Tali, you are not leaving this room", Tony shouted again, trying to get through to her. Maybe she is too much like Ziva.

"No offense abba, but you can't really stop me. Plus, I have to do this."

Tony shook his head and sighed deeply. "Why", he asked sharply.

"Because", her suddenly watery eyes locked onto his, "Hunter nearly died trying to save me in that cell. I owe him."

"And this is your screwed up way of repaying a debt, putting yourself in harms way", Tony countered.

Tali chuckled, "you can ground me later for this but, you of all people should understand my logic right now dad ... it's just like Somalia, only Hunter is his own captor right now and he needs to be saved from himself. I can save him, just let me try."

Oh she's definitely going to be grounded ... maybe for the rest of her life ... but she could be right. Tony shook his head again, "fine, you can go, but if anything happens to you I will ..."

"Personally kill Hunter yourself, I know", she interrupted. "Just trust me, I know what I'm doing."


.


Ziva cleared her throat as she leaned against the glass in interrogation while McGee took his seat across from Director Amadi.

"I thought I made it clear that I only wanted to speak with Agent DiNozzo", Amadi spoke arrogantly.

"That's not how this works", Ziva responded. "Agent McGee stays while you say whatever it is you need to say."

The South African laughed then looked at her menacingly, "afraid to be alone with me, just like your little girl?"

Ziva started to charge towards him but McGee stopped her. "On the contrary", McGee explained, "I'm afraid if I leave her alone with you she will kill you. I'm the only thing keeping you alive right now Director, so I'd advise you to play nice and leave my neice out if the conversation when Ziva is in the room ... unless, of course, you have a death wish. If you do then, by all means, I will see myself out. Your choice!"

Director Amadi looked on, completely at a loss for words as Ziva regained her rationale and went back to her quiet stance against the glass. McGee retook his seat and raised his eyebrow as a signal for Amadi to talk.

After a few more moments of silence, he began, "You Americans are so arrogant and think you are so privileged while the war in Africa grows more horrific by the day. Your troops have not seen the real fight. Yes, you have tens of thousands of soldiers over there but more are needed. You have chosen to have a blind eye to what real war is. It has been centuries since your country has seen war on its own soil. I plan to change that. You will feel the same wrath that my people do every day and ..."

"Hold on", McGee interrupted, "the point of us signing a deal with you was to help your people in their fight. We have been the ones coming to your aide for sometime now. If it wasn't for us, your entire country would have been taken over by now."

"Is that what you think? Hmm, I only signed that deal to make you feel secure. Truthfully, I could careless about what is happening in the motherland right now. My real target has always been this country. Once I got the politicians to believe that northern Africa was threatening the way of life for our people, it was easy to incite war there. Oh, but how much easier will it be to bring peace between both sides and focus on the common enemy?"

McGee looked at his in confusion but Ziva caught on quickly. "You purposely started a war between two nations so you could end it and have those nations attack the US?"

"Very smart Agent DiNozzo", Amadi smiled at her.

"I'm lost", McGee admitted. "How exactly were you planning to make that happen?"

Ziva sighed, "By using America's history against itself. Our nation has always been perceived as the powerhouse, but only because we've exploited the goods and materials from the various African nations in order to be the best ..."

"Precisely", Amadi interrupted to continue explaining. "But when the powerhouse is weaken, and my people see that we can overthrow you all to become a powerful nation once more, they will gladly stop their fight on homeland and bring it here. Destroying everything you love and hold dear. Just as your government has done to us."

McGee rubbed his temples as a sharp pain ripped through his head. "I'm getting a migraine and you are going back to lockup. Your plan is done. We have you so there's no way to carry it out now."

He stood to remove Amadi from the room and have him returned to his holding cell but paused when Amadi spoke directly to Ziva again, "Nothing is done. You think my men were only in that warehouse? Foolish! We are everywhere! Just because I am here does not mean they will stop. The day of reckoning will soon be upon NCIS and all of the US government."

"Enough", Ziva yelled, "get him out of here!"

"You will wish to speak to me again Agent DiNozzo! We are not through", Amadi yelled as McGee pushed him out of the door and into the hall. "The Tribe will rise!"

Ziva listened until Amadi's shouts were muted once he was completely carried away. She finally sat in one of the chairs and let out a deep sigh.

I thought all this was over. Now I have to search for The Tribe? I don't even know who they are .. Get it together, you will get Amadi to talk later. You need a break.

Shaking her head, Ziva pulled out her phone to check in on Tony and Tali. To her surprise, Tony answered on the first ring.

"Hey my sexy darling wife, how's it going? We really miss you over here. Still coming back for lunch?"

Tony's voice sounded strange and Ziva quickly picked up in it, "what happened to Tali?"

He let out a nervous chuckle, "what? Nothing! Why would you even ..."

"Tony we have been married for too long for me not to know when you are covering up for one of our children. Now, since Anthony is with Gibbs, I know something is up with Tali. You have five seconds to tell the truth."

"Babe, really, everything is fine."

"Four ..."

"I'm serious, we're all good", he continued to try to convince her.

"Three ..."

"Zi, come on! I'm not covering for Tali and nothing happened."

"Anthony DiNozzo, Jr ... TWO!"

"Okay, okay", he finally conceded. "Hunter woke up but he has severe memory loss and is being extremely combative, Tali decided it was her obligation to go and try to help him remember so the doctors wouldn't have to put him back in a coma."

"WHAT!?" The sound of Ziva's voice made Tony cringe on the other end of the phone. "Why the hell would you let her go Tony!? She could get hurt! Or it could trigger her own psyche about what happened! Are you insane!?"

"Zi, please, I thought and said the same thing but our child is just like her mother .. stubborn as all hell. Plus, she didn't go alone. The doc is with her and two agents as well."

"I am coming back now!" Ziva stood and exited the room to head out while still reprimanding Tony, "This is utterly stupid! How could you even let it happen!?"

"Well, she kind of made a valid point to convince me", Tony laughed at the throught of his daughter's genius that got him to cave.

Ziva, however, did not find anything amusing, "this is NOT funny Tony! And there is no point that can be made to justify allowing her to negate her own need to heal just to go into a room with a boy that will probably not remember her and definitely might hurt her ... ugh! Hold on!" She moved the phone from her ear and placed it on speaker when she made it to the squadroom and saw McGee had made it back to his desk. "Tim, I need you to come with me to the hospital."

Seeing that his friend looked like she was ready to rip someone's head off, McGee asked, "Is everything okay?"

"No, it is not okay because Tony is an idiot", she yelled into the phone.

"Hey, I'm not an idiot! Probee dont listen to her, she would have done the same thing I did if Tali had said what she said to her!"

"Dammit Tony, you have to stop letting her have her way with everything! We will discuss this when I get there!"

Before Tony could utter another word, Ziva hungup the phone. McGee followed behind as she walked to the elevator and got in.

As it started to descend, he looked at her, "so, care to explain why Tony's an idiot this time?"

"He let Tali go see Hunter Amadi, who is now awake in his hospital room being combative with severe memory loss."

McGee's eyes widened in disbelief then he shook his head, "yup, definite idiot."