Wednesday

Chapter 14

The group finally reaches the end to the rocky area which they entered into the previous day. The amount of rocks become less and less as they continue moving. They hear the sound of running water. The nine people who were captives become excited over hearing water because they're thirsty. Everyone is thirsty but they remain to the side behind some rocks while Ziva's crew checks and secures the area.

There's a small cliff where a running stream flows down. The cliff is just over fifteen feet high. The small waterfall it creates lands in a lake. The lake is large in size compared, but small at the same time when compared to the average lake size. The perimeter of the lake is protected by its rocky surroundings which cover about seventy-five percent of the area along the sides. The other twenty-five percent is an area clear of rocks and in which a camp is setup. The camp is on the other side of the lake from where the group is near the waterfall. Ziva uses the binoculars to get a closer look at the small camp. She sees the people in the camp are soldiers and heavily armed. Ziva cracks a smile at the sight of a vehicle they can use. She turns to her companions and starts speaking in Hebrew to them.

"Yair, Jael and Seth… Circle around… Come in from each direction. Seff, stay here and cover us with the sniper rifle." Ziva ordered. "Neutralize all hostile targets. The objective is to acquire the truck."

"What will you do?" Jael asked.

"I'm going for a swim." Ziva stated.

The three of them leave. Seff opens the bag with the sniper rifle and starts putting it together. Ziva prepares to get in the water. The important equipment Ziva needs is placed into a plastic bag which is sealed to be airtight.

After a couple minutes, Seff is in position near the water's edge. He's kneeling behind two rocks. The barrel of the sniper rifle is resting on the bottom of the 'v' shape as the rocks meet. Seff keeps an eye on the camp from his position.

Ziva runs to the waterfall and uses the falling water to cover her as she enters into the lake. She moves along the edge of the water. A thin bamboo stick is poking out of the water because Ziva is using it for air so she can breathe while under the surface of the mucky water.

After a couple minutes, Ziva is under the dock. She slowly pops her head out of the water. Seff watches her through the sniper scope. Ziva hears footsteps as two soldiers are walking on the dock.

Ziva takes the airtight plastic bag off from around her waist. She swims to the edge of the water under the dock. The bag is opened. Ziva puts an earwig in her ear. From the bag, she takes out the handgun with the attached silencer. Ziva places the gun across her mouth and bites down in order to hold it above the surface of the water so it doesn't get wet. She moves further out into the water while staying under the dock. The two soldiers are standing close to the end of the dock.

Both of the soldiers start taking their clothes off. Seff tells Ziva what's going on. Ziva moves toward the boat and quietly slips her silencer handgun under the boat cover. The soldiers continue to get undressed. Ziva places a knife across her mouth and bites down on it. She takes hold of another knife from her waist. The soldiers each strip down to a pair of shorts. Ziva lifts her left arm out of the water. She places her hand onto a board of wood above her head, under the dock. She uses her strength to lift herself. Ziva places her feet against the support beam for leverage.

One soldier jumps in. Seconds later, the other soldier does the same. Ziva holds a knife in her right hand, ready to be thrown. The second knife is still being held across her mouth. The first soldier pops his head out of the water. The knife is thrown and immediately penetrates into the soldier's head; killing him instantly. Ziva uses her feet and legs to push away from the support beam. She moves swiftly under the water. The second soldier's head finally pops out of the water. He looks around. His friend is nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, the soldier feels something and is pulled under.

Ziva finally pops her head out while once again under the dock. The two soldiers who went for a swim are now dead and tied under the water to a support beam. Ziva moves toward the boat. Her hand moves under the boat cover and grabs the silencer handgun. The other three members of Ziva's crew move in from their positions.

Ziva moves out from under the dock. She runs to the truck. Ziva gets on the ground and rolls under it. There's a soldier on the other side. Since no one is around other than this one soldier, Ziva quietly slides out behind the man who is smoking a cigarette. The soldier turns around. A knife is quickly thrust up into the man's jaw; upward into his head and forcing his mouth shut while he dies. The soldier is quickly dragged under the truck. Dirt is brushed out from under the truck to cover the blood. With the remaining specks, Ziva's hand comes out from under the truck. Dirt is sprinkled on the last of the visible blood.

Ziva slides out from under the truck. She runs to a building and takes a quick peek around it. There's a soldier on the other side; near a door. Ziva holds a knife in one hand and the silencer handgun in the other. She rounds the corner of the building.

The knife is thrown into the soldier's chest and double tapped in the head. Ziva grabs the soldier before he falls. She kicks the door in to the building, aims the silencer handgun and triple taps the soldiers inside, in the heart. Ziva pulls the outside soldier into the building. She lays him on the floor. Ziva leaves the building and closes the door behind her; leaving two dead bodies inside.

Ziva quietly sneaks inside a building where she hears laughter. Three soldiers are sitting around playing a game of cards. One soldier stands and walks to a refrigerator around the corner, close to where Ziva is. The freezer door is opened. From the other side of the freezer door, Ziva approaches. She moves behind the man. Ziva grabs his head. The soldier's neck is snapped. He's placed gently on the floor to not make a sound which would alert the other two. As Ziva approaches the corner, another soldier enters. The three men start greeting each other in the Korean language.

Ziva hears one of the men walking in her direction. As the soldier rounds the corner, his neck is sliced. Blood gushes out. Ziva rounds the corner. A knife is thrown into the head of one man as the other is shot; triple tapped in the heart and double tapped in the head. Both soldiers drop to the floor. In a matter of seconds, the three soldiers were taken out swiftly and quietly.

Ziva opens the door to the building and steps out cautiously. A gun is pointed at her head. She hears the click of the gun being cocked.

"You're getting sloppy, Ziva." Yair said.

"Ha!" Ziva laughed. "You would've never gotten the shot off in time."

Yair begins to pull the trigger. Ziva makes a swift move. Suddenly, Yair's head is pressing against the building. The hand which was holding the gun is twisted behind his back. Ziva is pointing Yair's own gun to his head.

"Very good, Ziva." Yair complimented her.

"I still got it, Yair." Ziva stated. She lets him go. "Besides, your gun isn't even loaded."

"And what makes you so sure?"

"Cause this is your custom modified gun. When cocked and it has a bullet ready, it makes a very low ping sound. Not noticeable if you haven't heard it before."

"Maybe I got it fixed since then."

Ziva quickly points the gun to Yair's stomach and pulls the trigger. Nothing happens.

"Told you." Ziva said. "I know you too well to know you never got it fixed." She grins. Yair chuckles slightly.

Ziva and Yair walk away. They walk to an area where they can see the waterfall. They both wave. Seff sees them and disarms the sniper rifle. He motions to the group its safe to drink from the waterfall now; the lake is mucky, but the water from the waterfall is crystal clear. After drinking enough water, the group follows Seff to the camp.

After a couple minutes, everyone is in the camp.

"Seth, Seff…" Ziva tries to get their attention. She takes out a map. They walk over to her. "The camp has one vehicle which can fit eleven people. I want both of you to take the nine captives and follow this route…" She points to the map. "…To the southern boarder." She finished the sentence as Seth takes the map from her hand. "We'll travel faster without the malnourished ones."

Yair starts speaking to all of the captives; in each of their ethnic languages so they can understand what's going on. The nine captives start climbing into the back of the truck. The woman who helped Chioke when he was hungry and cold is standing near the truck, ready to get in. She turns to look at Chioke who is being held in Tony's arms. The woman smiles at him. Chioke squirms in Tony's arm unto he's set down on the ground. Chioke runs to the woman and gives her a quick hug. She hugs him back and kisses him on the head. The woman backs away, turns to the truck and gets inside. Chioke stands there waving to them all. The truck doors finally close. Seff gets in the passenger seat. Seth gets in the driver's seat. The engine is started. The truck moves. It drives down the dirt road. Eventually, the truck is out of the remaining peoples view.

The remaining people left to walk to the southern boarder, consists of: Ziva, Yair, Jael, Gibbs, Tony and Chioke. The six of them have to bear through the dense, rugged North Korean terrain in order to reach the southern boarder.