Chapter 5: D.C. bound.

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A/N: next chapter! I'm currently writing chapter 7 and I'm a tad stuck. Reviews would be great inspiration!

The airport in Madrid was busy. It was easy for me to just blend in. I had the dark brown hair and olive toned skin so I could pass for at least part Spanish. I had been on the road for weeks. Hitchhiking, trains, boosting cars. You name it, I did it to get here. Travel was hard in the middle east. Especially for me.

***(flashback)

I was almost 9. I had just killed more people. I had set a bomb in a town square in a small town in Afghanistan. It was risky. Marines were everywhere. There was a premature detonation and I got badly burned and hit by some flying debris. I would be fine with a little first aid but a marine picked me up when I blacked out after the explosion. He took me back to their base. I awoke to find stitches in my forehead and ink on my fingers. I was in the system. I broke Saleem's rule #1.

"what's your name buddy?" a doctor asked in Arabic.

"Husam Muti Ulman. I speak English." I said.

He switched back to English which had a slight southern accent. "do you know where your parents are Husam? You don't look like you're from around here."

This was my chance to find them. But what if what Saleem told me was true? Did they really abandon me? Did they really not want me?

"dead." I said.

He smiled sadly at me and started filling out a form. For the orphanage no doubt.

I waited until they thought I was asleep that night. I slipped out of the tent with ease and made my way back to camp. I was walking alongside the road when a truck came up. 3 men jumped out. They put a bag over my head and threw me into the truck. We drove for a long time and when we finally stopped. Saleem was there.

"where have you been Husam?" he was angry.

"the bomb was bad." I said slowly in English. It was my favorite language which angered Saleem.

"nonsense!" he yelled in Arabic. "let me see your hands."

I held them out gingerly.

He saw them and instantly became furious. The ink residue was clearly there. He hit me so hard, I blacked out for a moment and slammed into the side of the truck.

"what have you done? You have ruined everything!" he yelled at me and kicked me. I cried out in pain as I felt a rib break.

He marched away leaving me in the dust. One of the younger men, Azir, was just 23. He told me once that I reminded him of his little brother. He was the only one who called me Anthony. He picked me up and tended to my wounds. He took care of me for a few days. That's when I asked about them. My parents.

"they were prisoners, to Saleem. From America. I actually helped capture your father. I delivered meals to your mother. She loved you very much. She tried her best to protect you once you were born but..." he looked down and stopped talking. I knew there was something he was not telling me. Little did I know was the fact that he was the one that helped Saleem beat my mother and take me away from her.

"what about my father?" I looked up at him as we walked through the town.

Then a man came up. "Saleem has a mission for you Azir." he said and left.

"I'm sorry Anthony. I will tell you more when I get back." he smiled and left me.

I got news 2 days later that his mission had been completed and he would not be returning. My one chance at knowing at least a little about them was gone. I did not even know their names.

I shook the memories from my head as I headed to the little cafe. I sat down and pulled out my laptop. I started looking at the files Saleem gave me. They were blueprints of buildings, i.d. pass cards, everything. I went to the NCIS website and was immediately met by a stone, stare from a man with salt and pepper hair and steel blue eyes. I read the caption.

"special agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs." I said under my breath. I knew the name. I heard Saleem say it once when talking about what happened in Somalia, or lack there of. That's why I remembered. I asked him about the bullet scar on his chest. This man knew the people I was supposed to kill in a matter of days. He worked at NCIS. This said he was retired. He was exactly the guy to help me save them.

I closed the laptop and started walking. I could easily pass as a native here but with my past. They were bound to be suspicious. I knew they had a terrorist dossier on me somewhere.

Just then, my phone rang. One person knew that number.

"Hola." I said and picked up.

"Just in case something were to happen..." Saleem said. "3 men will be following you shortly. They have another mission as well but will look out for you. Qusam, the lead on this has your number." with that he hung up.

"well adios to you to." I said under my breath.

This was just great. How was I supposed to stop all this with 3 terrorists breathing down my neck making sure everything was done?

I sat back down and just watched the people rushing off, saying goodbye to loved ones or greeting them.

I got up slowly after awhile and stretched my legs. I walked through the airport to the gift shop. I was walking through the aisles when a little boy ran into me with an ice cream cone which then fell to the floor by my shoes.

"sorry mister." he said shyly as his mother came up.

"it's ok kid." I smiled and wiped off my jeans.

The boy's mother smiled at me and I smiled back.

I took out a couple of Euros from my pocket and handed them to the kid. "go get another one."

"Thanks!" he smiled and ran off.

"Miguel wait!" she called after the boy. "thank you!" she said as she followed her son.

The woman had no idea that I killed people for a living. If it was even a living. I kill just to kill more. I don't like to but I can't even feel it anymore. I hoped that that little boy never got hurt by this business. He wouldn't lose a loved one or ever be sucked into this by being killed himself.

"too late for life choices." I thought to myself.

"now boarding gate 3, flight number 24 to Wachington D.C., United States." the automated voice said over the P.A. I got up and went to find my gate.

I waited in line. I was nervous and I shouldn't be. I've never been this nervous about traveling. I've been cautious but not nervous. I've been to the U.S. before, a few times actually. Unfortunately, always a blood trail in my wake.

Maybe it was the weight of the situation. I only had the one bag but it was still risky. I handed the woman at the gate my passport which was doctored. On that, I was a college student from the U.S. If anyone asked, I was going home on vacation. I even had a Norfolk Academy Bulldog Lacrosse T-shirt from my supposed Alma mater high school.

The guard looking at me slightly suspiciously but I passed through and went to find my seat.

I leaned back as the plane took off and tried to catch some shut eye.

•••••

"Fornell," the agent at the desk said.

"what Carlson?"

"we just got an interpol hit confirming chatter." the young agent said.

Fornell walked over and looked at him expectantly.

"well go on!" he said.

"uh," he said nervously. "Husam Muti Ulman, known al Qaeda terrorist connections passed through to board a plane bound for D.C. from Madrid 8 hours ago. He's wanted in over 12 countries including the U.S. His alias is Anthony Brian David." he said quickly.

"what chatter was confirmed?" Fornell asked.

"the assassination attempt on the visiting Mossad and some other federal agents." he said. "Spain just made the connection."

"well done Carlson. Send the intel to all major agencies. We'll pick him up at the airport." Fornell said as he loaded his gun and holstered it.

A/N: I wasn't entirely happy with this chapter so PLEASE let me know what you thought by reviewing. The next chapter should be up on saturday or sunday. Btw, I just want to thank everyone who has reviewed, story alerted, or author alerted.