I know, it's been like three weeks since my last update. Thats what happens when it gets close to my exams. They start next week and go on for exactly twenty days. Then I have the whole summer mostly free.

Also, a general call for any artists out there, I would really like to see how you picture my OC's, so if you could draw any of them for me and send me a link, I'll post the link on my profile. I know you can't send links via PM so put spaces between the URL.

In return, should you want one I'll give you a shout-out character. (Unless you already have one in which case they get another appearance)

Last time Max had travelled to D.C. it had been in a normal military transport plane. This time there was luxury, she supposed that was because of Gaara. The comfy seats, personal attendant for Gaara, no waiting time, no noisy kids, definitely better than public flights.

A look over the file Max had been given showed no obvious links, that was probably because the person who had compiled the file didn't know what to look for. When she got to NCIS she was digging up everything on these people o at least getting someone who knew the system to do so.

Gaara was dropped of at their hotel ready to get settled in while Max headed to NCIS, it was early in the morning and she wanted to get started as soon as possible. She did however make a short stop at a bookstore, she did not plan on staying bored at any point.

Looking up at the NCIS building she remembered the last time she had been there, barely a couple of hours writing up her code. After showing the ID she had been issued with at the SGC she was given a temp worker pass and escorted up. With her ID she would have to stick with one official alias but 'contacts' should be good enough for any unofficial legwork.

The bullpen was empty, probably a case, she was a bit disappointed, but she'd probably see them later. She was shown into the Director's waiting area and told to wait by the assistant. With Max's superior hearing she listened to the conversation in the director's office, nothing too interesting, a phone call to someone. Sighing she pulled out one of the books she had bought earlier, Deep Six.

About fifteen minutes had passed before she was allowed in. Max recognised the director as Jenny, the second one in the show, after her haircut.

"Sup?" Max said cheerfully. Jenny didn't look too impressed at that. Probably not too impressed at Max's general appearance either, she had at least removed her mask before coming. All three of her tattoos were visible, she had left out her Henge so if things went south she wouldn't have to worry about it failing.

"The specialist I presume." Max nodded, ignoring the body language indicating she should introduce herself. "Do you have a name?"

"Rho. Can I assume you're the Director or what?" Ah to be irritating again.

"I am Director Sheppard." Max idly wondered if she was related to Major Sheppard on Atlantis. But she'd ask later. "I assume you know why you're here"

"Would I be here otherwise? You really don't look impressed, is that because of me?" Max asked, knowing the answer anyway.

"I was expecting someone-"

"Older, more mature, male?" Max interrupted, she may seem rude but she wanted to get on with the case.

"More disciplined"

"You got wha'cha got, so ya gotta make do, I'm the only available person who knows everything about the case," Max shrugged.

"The MRCT has that case, you'll be working with them. They will be taking on other cases too though. However, from what a General Landry just told me, you'll want to be kept busy. If the team doesn't object you may work cases with them"

"Sounds good, do I get to meet them or am I to guess who they are?"

"They should be waiting outside." Jenny picked up her phone and told her assistant to let the team in.

In the hidden countries a new plot was brewing. A red haired girl who shouldn't be there was sat on the top of the water fall at the Valley of the End. This girl had taken all she could, it would end within the week. She owed it to herself.

Besides, technically it had already happened.

"Listen up, this is Rho, she will be working with your team for her stint here," the director said, glaring at the people in front of her, daring them to question it.

"We meet again," Max commented looking at the team in front of her, other than growing older and a different woman the team hadn't changed too much. Jenny ushered them out, her job done. Max observed the reactions she got from the team, most looked indifferent at her presence. Ziva, the Mossad liaison officer, looked suspicious of her. Not actually that surprising, Max knew she should tread carefully but she was confident in her abilities.

"We don't need another tech geek," DiNozzo muttered as they left the room, heading back to the bull pen.

"Did someone tell you I'm a tech geek, you should fire them if they did"

"Last time you were here you had a code that tracked someone down, that screams geek to me," DiNozzo pointed out.

"Appearances can be, and are frequently, deceptive." Max noticed Ziva looking intently at her, Ziva probably figured out she was dangerous by now.

"So what can you do?" Gibbs asked. Max frowned, that was a good point, what couldn't she do.

"Anything." The looks she got were obviously of disbelief. "Seriously, though most of it I'm not supposed to show people, classified and all that jazz"

"You can't legally drink." McGee pointed out. Max smirked, she loved loopholes.

"Can in Europe and as of a few days ago that included England"

"What do you know about the case?" Gibbs said, it wasn't exactly a question despite its wording. The others had sat at their desks and were doing some sort of work.

"Marines dying of heart attacks, frequently, makes the whole deal suspicious"

"And what can you add to that"

"I may know what the weapon is." The look Gibbs gave her implied she should elaborate. "Until you need to know, I can't say, classified and all that jazz." Gibbs let out a frustrated growl, possibly because Max had just repeated herself.

"What can you do to help this case?"

"Advise you on how to deal with potential suspects so not to be killed"

"Anything that could help identify the killer?"

"I can safely say it could be just about any one-"

"Not helpful"

"-But, jeez, let me finish, the time of death is important, depending on how well acquainted the murderer is with the weapon at least"

"We've already pulled surveillance from around some of the victims at the time of death. No common places, people or food," McGee said looking up from his computer.

"Wow this is harder than I thought, I hate classified stuff. The time of death is important, it doesn't matter if anyone was near by, just try to find a pattern in the times of death"

Max heard an elevator ping behind her and quick footsteps approaching, a glance at a reflective surface told her it was the resident lab tech, Abby.

"Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs. Is the specialist here yet?" Max estimated Abby had consumed at least one caf-pow already.

"I assume you mean me"

"Rho! You're the specialist for the heart attacks case? Cus' you know it's really similar to this one case in Japan-"

"I know, I'm here because of the similarities"

"You worked the Kira case!"

"Kira case?" McGee asked, looking up at them in interest. Max had a feeling that at least Abby and McGee had followed the case.

"Yes the Kira case, I only worked it near the end after Kira managed to escape custody, but I have read the case files and have access to someone who personally did"

"Why aren't they here then?" Gibbs asked.

"Most of my team went underground a while after Kira, along with a lot of Yuri's people. I'm currently the only one of Yuri's 'subordinates' currently mingling with society. You're stuck with me"

"So who was Kira?" Abby asked, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Unfortunately I can't tell you out of respect for the family, sorry"

"Uh, boss, the times of death, normally between six and half six in the morning and a few between four pm and six pm"

"Sounds a bit like a school time table, possibly with something after school like tennis or something." It reminded Max a bit too much like Kira.

"You think the killer is a school kid, killing marines"

"It's not a conventional weapon, it's like an assassins dream as it doesn't leave any trace or physical evidence, that's what makes it so dangerous"

"That's impossible, that kind of technology would be closely guarded." Max made a frustrated noise.

"This is getting us no where," Max sighed. "Is there anywhere you can guarantee we won't be overheard? I'm gonna read you in on the weapon"

"I thought it was classified"

"By Yuri, she's given us the authorization to tell anyone who needs to know. I deem you guys as needing to know, if only so I can keep my sanity during this case"

"I'd suggest the medical examiner knows as well." Max shrugged, it would probably be a good idea. Gibbs beckoned her to follow him and as an after thought the rest of the team including Abby. Max had half expected him to use the elevator as a conference room but the M.E. was likely to be in autopsy.

She was right, the cold, white and metal room, she shivered unconsciously, an action not unnoticed by some of the team. On one of the gurneys lay a man, his chest cut open for the autopsy. The sight actually calmed her nerves, the colour breaking the sterile feeling.

"Ah, Gibbs, I haven't quite finished the autopsy but C.O.D. seems to be the same," the M.E. said still inspecting the hole in the dead guys chest, he turned and noticed the rest of the team and Max.

"Hello, you must be the expert, Doctor Mallard but you can call me Ducky," Ducky held out his hand which Max took to shake.

"I'm Rho."

"Pleasure to meet you, so what brings you all down here?"

"I feel you need to know what weapon is being used, trying to solve this case without that knowledge is very difficult as found out in the original case"

"So what weapon can do this?" Ducky asked gesturing to the body.

"You'll need an open mind to accept this, and I mean really open. It's a book" Max said, nothing in the way she was stood or in her expression suggested it was a joke.

"A book…"

"Notebook to be more exact, write someone's name in it while visualising their face and they die forty seconds later of a heart attack"

"Seriously?" DiNozzo asked.

"Yes"

"How does it work?" Abby asked, Max frowned she'd just explained.

"Someone writes-"

"I meant the technology"

"Don't know, everyone on the case agreed that the knowledge was too dangerous and after the case was solved the book was destroyed. It now seems there were more then one in existence"

"Back to work then"

"I kinda need to visit the bathroom," Max said sheepishly.

"I will escort her," Ziva said, the first time Max had heard her speak. From the suspicious looks she had been receiving from Ziva she knew she was going to be questioned. Unless she asked questions first.

"Where are you from? I've never come across your accent," Max asked, letting some of her childlike curiosity colour her voice.

"Israel"

"Is it nice there?" Max somehow managed to keep this up her entire trip to the bathroom. It was only after she'd washed her hands and gone to exit the bathroom Ziva had blocked the way.

"What are your intentions here?" Ziva asked coldly.

"Huh?"

"I can see it in the way you hold yourself, you are an assassin. Why are you here?" Max figured there was absolutely no point denying the assassin statement, but why was it so hard to believe she was here to help?

"Former assassin. I'm here to destroy the weapon by any means necessary, that's it." Ziva narrowed her eyes, she hadn't expected Max to admit to being an assassin.

"I will be watching"

"Watch away, I'm not here to kill anyone. They would be dead already if I had." Ziva moved out of the way letting them both leave the bathroom but not before giving her a warning look.

Abby had presumably gone back to her lab while the others were back to work. Max wasn't sure exactly what she was supposed to do. She was saved from too much wondering when her phone rang. Seeing the caller ID she moved to a more secluded area before answering it, not unaware of the eyes following her movements.

"Yes Gaara?" she answered in Japanese.

"I'm bored"

"Seriously Gaara, you've been here for less than six hours, suck it up and find something to do"

"Like what?"

"Something that I won't have to clean up later, go shopping or… you know, I have no idea what else you could do, but that's your problem. Have fun," Max said cheerily ending the call in English, she knew Gaara understood bits of English.

"Little brother?" A voice behind Max asked, she turned and saw DiNozzo.

"Not quite." 'Not even close' Max thought, the less they knew though was the best.

"McGee found something, you might want to see this"

'This' turned out to be a link, most of the marines had attended either the same high school or same basic training group as one guy. Said guy had commit suicide a month ago.

Said guy had also had son, sixteen, living with the mother, who worked as a paramedic, in DC.

"DiNozzo, you're with me," Gibbs ordered grabbing his gun. Max went to follow but was met with a glare. "What makes you think you're going?"

"I'm not, but neither are you, did you completely ignore my explanation of the weapon? If the suspect knows NCIS is investigating them then their attention will be changed to us, meaning you'll all be at risk." Max wasn't sure if anyone had realised she had excluded herself from the 'at risk' group.

"Do you even have any proof of this weapon? Oh, wait, it was destroyed." DiNozzo asked sarcastically. Max clenched her fists mentally repeated a mantra to keep herself calm and collected. This was so just infuriating, the first death note had been destroyed and she didn't want to reveal her own. Then she remembered something, she'd had to convince L somehow in the original case. The video. Hopefully L still had it around. If not then maybe Laura did.

A dead body lay at the red haired girl's feet. Her cold eyes inspecting it, making sure it was actually dead. A glint caught her eye, she smirked and crouched to get a clearer look. Her smirk grew, she removed the ring from the charred hand, peeling of the burnt human skin that stuck to the metal.

Her job here was done but she still had more work to do. She left the newly made clearing, a couple of blackened branched still burning in her wake.

The video was very sobering to the team. Max hated watching it, no matter how fake it had been she wondered what would have happened if they had been real people. All the faces had been pixelated for anonymity. An 'L' in gothic script was present on McGee's monitor, L had wanted to personally confirm the video's authenticity, Psi's sacrifice had affected him despite the fact he would never show it. Unfortunately he had a case so couldn't help full time.

"So what should we do?" Gibbs asked, relenting control of the case, temporarily anyway. He was still sceptical of her abilities but this was a bit out of his depth.

"I was thinking undercover op," Max said, her mind was running though possible scenarios she could stage.

"Our suspect is sixteen, none of us have a reason to be even close except as a teacher but that would take to long to set up"

"I have an idea," Max grinned.

"Care to share?"

The next chapter is done, I'll probably post it during my exams so you don't have to wait so long between updates

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