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Chapter 6 - Breakthroughs

Ziva rapidly refocused and apologized, "Tony, I'm sorry, my emotions got the best of me. Your words made me realize Eyal didn't think of me as a mole. That man is more like a brother to me and I could not live with Eyal thinking I had turned on him. I can never thank you enough!"

A smiling Tony, imitating Humphrey Bogart, said, "I was born when you kissed me. I'll live a few weeks while you love me. I'll die when you leave me."

Eyal was leaning on the door frame as he said, "Have another Bogart quote for you guys, 'Acting is like sex: you either do it and don't talk about it, or you talk about it and don't do it. That's why I'm always suspicious of people who talk too much about either.' Stop talking and get your acts together; simulation # 1 is waiting for her actors. Maybe you'll react faster if I say; Grab your gear!"

Tony whisked his people out and as he was passing next to Eyal, Sharon witnessed Eyal winking at him. Walking to the exercise, she asked Eyal, "What are you; a talker or a mute?"

He squeezed her shoulder and answered, "Jealousy doesn't become you. There is a natural comorbidity between sexual appetite and sexual jealousy, between the desire to fuck and the desire to kill!"

Sharon rolled her eyes at Eyal and replied, "Two can play this gloomy quoting game; Love sees sharply, hatred sees even sharper, but jealousy sees the sharpest for it is love and hate at the same time. The knives of jealousy are honed on details! I can see right through you, Mr. Lavin. Watch your step, I'm not as good nature as Ziva."

Shaking his head, he said through his teeth, "Was that a threat?"

"It's what you want to make of it. Know your type; a seasoned player who is very shrewd and subtle in his tactics. They come a dime a dozen in our line of work. I'm usually a good judge of character … you're good, I completely misjudge you, what a waste!"

Eyal shook his head, "Sharon, I promised you a drink and I never go back on a promise. We have work ahead of us but I want us to meet in a neutral environment… I'll show you who I really am … and please, keep that perfume…"

He gently blew on her neck as he added, "It's driving me mad!"

She bit her lips and managed to stumble out, "You're right, work … better I get to it before Agent Quinn comes gunning for me!"

Running to join Ziva, Sharon shot her a look that said it all.

"What up, you're as white as a ghost. Know Eyal can be intimidating at times, but don't let him walk over you!"

"Screw that spy head back on Ziva, now!"

Ziva realized Sharon had new intel on the Spy Another Day (SAD), as Tony was calling the situation they were facing.

Pulling Sharon on the side of an office building, she asked, "What's up?"

"Eyal told me my perfume was driving him mad."

"You're not wearing perfume…"

"That just it, plus he was talking as a macho player!"

Sharon repeated the conversation she had had with Eyal.

Ziva was concerned, "Sharon, that is not Eyal's ways. The man is a knight in shining armor when it comes to women. He is trying to tell you something. Think, girl, think. Of us all, he cornered you, there has to be a reason."

"For now, we are expected at FBI's library. Let's get to it. Now is not the time to attract attention to us."

"You're right, we'll talk later. Wonder why the library, strange place for a debriefs on our first simulation. Eyal read you in on his plan?"

"No, we were told to invent two simulations. Quinn could modify the actions for it to fit her curriculum. I wasn't read-in on his."

They met up with Tony who seemed to be dancing or jumping up to be able to see through a window.

Ziva laughed, "Tony must have spotted a very good-looking librarian!"

"Don't think so, let's join him!"

Ziva asked, "Tony, what's up?"

"Something is not right. It's too quiet. Tim went in and not a sound. I can't explain it but…"

Ziva laughed, "Tony, it's a library … no speaking, remember?"

Tony lifted his eye to the sky and voiced his thoughts, "And you girls were the perfect little nerds and never spoke while in a library! I was expelled many times… Did you ever have to sit out in the corridors of a library? I suppose not! Well, I did, and I realized how much 'noise' people murmuring can do. It's too quiet, something is not right."

Sharon and Ziva immediately went into spy mode. Tony was amazed at how their facial features changed.

"Ziva, Tony is right. It is too quiet. A library is the perfect place to plan a hit. Rows and rows of books to hide people and smother noise. Plus, it's a nerve center of FBI's computer network. Libraries and medical quarters are always the ones to hit when an 'in' is needed."

Ziva replied, "In 'real life' maybe, but this is a real library, real books and it's all wort a fortune. FBI's history is kept here. They would not leave us play with that toy."

Tony seemed proud of himself, "Oh my little ignoramus. This building is going to be torn down. FBI needs more space for training facilities and bookworms needed more fresh air to nurture their precious brains. This library will be moved to a greener pastor in the 547-acre FBI occupies within Marine Corps Base Quantico. When you arrived, I was trying to see if this 'library' had books!"

Sharon nodded and told Tony to get on his hands and knees. She stood on his back and saw rows and rows of empty shelves. Jumping down, she said,

"Tony is right, it's simulation time. Tony, what is your plan?"

Tony shot Sharon and Ziva a surprise stare, "W.h.a.t are my plans?"

Ziva smiled, "Well, you are our leader … remember!"

Between his teeth, he whispered, "Campfire, NOW!"

They gathered near the entrance, observed for a while and started talking.

Sharon spoke first, "Nobody going in, nobody going out, very unusual. Tony, do we have tools to work with?"

"Nope … welcome to the real world; terrorists don't give advance warning before striking. One of us needs to go in."

Ziva objected, "That what is expected. For one of us to go in and try to come back out. It won't work. They are expecting that course of action."

Tony looked at Sharon, "OK, change of plan, we stay put, they come out! Sharon, your forensic … how can we create a diversion strong enough to force the occupants of the library to come out? They come out, two of us go in and defuse whatever is in there."

Sharon spoke, "They have Tim and will use him as a bargaining chip. My guest, he's strapped with a device of some kind. Ziva, you have bomb disarming experiences?"

Ziva nodded while Tony heavily breathed in and out, "Sharon, I have none whatsoever. You two are going in. I'll create the diversion. What can nature give us to force them out?"

Sharon was smiling, "Tear gas!"

Tony rolled his eyes at Sharon, "What did you not understand of what I told you; We don't have tear gas!"

"But we have access to the cafeteria, in our quarter we have - a covered frying pan, vegetable oil and a stove. We make our tear gas."

Ziva's face lighted up. "Damn, spy training 101! Yes. I'll get a couple of those large shakers of dried cayenne pepper the cafeteria has."

Sharon added, "Tony come with me, I'll explain."

As they were running toward their compound, Sharon read in Tony.

"To make tear gas; take a frying pan, add three or four tablespoons of vegetable oil and set the burner to "HIGH". When the oil is boiling hot, shake a large amount of cayenne pepper into the oil. Mix the pepper thoroughly into the oil. Leave to simmer for a few minutes. Stop when you smell it burning. When the oil begins to vaporize, emitting a thin cloud of acrid smoke. You've got tear gas. The final step; take the pan off the burner, run with it to the library, place it in the back entry and pour cold water from the hose on the side of the building into the pan. The water will vaporize on contact with the hot pan, taking the cayenne pepper with it, causing a huge, thick cloud of water vapor and pepper gas to explode. This cloud will quickly expand to fill the library, pushing our 'terrorists' out."

"Brilliant, but after the 'terrorist' are out, we need to get in those quarters, we don't have masks."

"Don't need masks. It's not as toxic as real tear gas. We only need wet towels. Plenty of those in our quarters."

"Let's not forget one for Tim."

Sharon smiled, "How cute, you're thinking of your friend!"

"He's a friend but more important; a member of my team. I don't leave a team member behind!"

"OK, we bring four towels. Let's plan this!"

Ziva arrived and they planned their intervention. Tony would make as if he's entering the building and pestering about the girls not returning from a trip to the rest rooms. Sharon and Ziva will take a run for it behind a row of trees and carry the hot pan to the back door of the library. They'd water down their tear gas and enter with the hope of the 'terrorists' being cornered by Tony.

All went as planned. Tony saw four people run out. He had had the brilliant idea of asking two FBI Canine squad personnel who were walking by, to help him with an NCIS training. He told them to order their dogs to hurdle the prisoners that would come out. Sharon and Ziva rapidly appeared with a crying and squinting Tim in tow!

All three were quite proud of themselves. Seeing Quinn and Eyal squinting and rubbing their eyes was a proud student moment!

Suddenly Ziva yelled, "Guys, send the attack dogs on Eyal. He has a remote and is going to blow this building!"

Too late, Eyal gave Ziva a defiant stare that froze her blood as he pressed the button. He swore out loud and in Hebrew when nothing happened.

Looking up, he saw Sharon shaking a devise of some sort. She spoke, "I'm extreme extractions, I don't leave home without my electromagnetic fields (EMF) blocker! Never know when those ba_tards are going to try to blow me up as I fly over them!"

Eyal approached as Sharon handed him her wet towel to cover his eyes.

He said, "Well done, now can I have MY fun and blow this building. The experts are expecting a blast at some point."

The building was brought down in seconds. Nobody was hurt since it was planned that way. Dynamite experts had placed the charges for the building to "implode", that is, make it collapse down into its footprint.

Gathering in the cafeteria, Tony was not proud of himself. "Well, we'd be all dead had it not been for Sharon. She's part of the trainers and doesn't count meaning we failed!"

Eyal got up, "Tony, you succeeded as a team and what you learned today is more important than the conclusion. These simulations are for NCIS to learn, not outsmart the teachers. Sharon could have read you in on her plan, but she didn't. It was for your team to realize that with terrorists it is never over. You were successful with your plan to push us out and rescue Tim, but it was not over. With terrorists, you can't, as you do with a crime, definitely shut or solve a case. They always have a back-up. Never and I repeat, never let your guards down! That is the lesson that I want you to take out of this simulation."

Quinn spoke, "Tony, your team was impressive. You noticed a problem, warned your team and all worked brilliantly to solve it. Very well done, we were all impressed by your witty imagination. The homemade tear gas, never saw that coming! Annoying as hell but brilliant!"

Tony shook his head, "The tear gas was Sharon's doing!"

Eyal scowled Tony, "Tony, each played a role in the success of your plan. You noticed something was up when Sharon and Ziva were clueless. And also, knew of the planned demolition of this building. Very important, in our line of work, to be well 'read'. Ziva argued that your first thought for resolving the problem was what would be expected. You came up with the subterfuge idea, Sharon gave you the means to pull it off. Most important; you placed your people where they should be; Sharon and Ziva as action and you as a decoy. Ziva easily defused the bomb that was on Tim and Sharon countered my back-up plan. Tim, don't feel bad. You're the tech specialist of this team, this simulation didn't call on your strong points. We expected you'd be the one to be taken hostage. You are the one that learned the most. And that's the point of 'training' days. We, your bosses are not expecting perfects scores … if it was so, you would not need any training. Give yourself some slack!"

Tony stood and shook Eyal's hand, "You, Eyal, are right. Thanks for the reality check!"

Turning towards his team, he said, "People, I'm sorry for being down on myself. We did well! I realize these five days are going to be a needed learning process. Was never one to seek training days must admit I often found ways to get out of them! But we/I learned a lot today. Quinn, Eyal, Sharon, thanks. You've made a believer out of me. I do have a lot to learn!"

Eyal added, "At the rate this world is evolving, we all have!"

In the cafeteria, they ordered some food and the teasing and banter started. Sharon noticed Eyal pulling away from the group. As she approached, he squinted and rubbed his eyes.

She asked, "Your eyes hurt?"

"I was at the front end of your plan. Got a face full!"

"Sorry…"

"Don't be sorry for a job well done. You have some imagination Officer Welby. Jot down that homemade recipe for me, OK?"

"Will do. I also can help with your burning eyes. Come with me."

He followed her to FBI's medical quarters.

Ziva put her hand on Tony and pulled her head for him to see Eyal and Sharon leaving. He was about to get up but Ziva stopped him.

"Tony, think Sharon is on to something. Before the simulation, Eyal spoke to her in a cryptic manner. Not at all like him. Leave her be."

"Why didn't she read me in?"

"Tony, we cannot have a campfire at each piece of intel! Yes, we are a team, but will need to act on 'gut' feelings as Gibbs says. He was a spy before being a Special officer, remember! We don't know what Eyal is dealing with and must presume that we are watched. One of us has an in, he/she must act on it. Sharon is doing what spy training mandates; follow a lead when it's hot. She'll come clean when the time is right. In the meantime, we work with her, not against."

"Damn, this is going to be a long five days. Ziva, I feel like a damn probie!"

Laughing, she added, "You are, being a boss and dealing with terrorists are not your usual cup of tea!

"True… Since we have some down time, what was that kiss all about?"

"Tony, I was expressing my relief that Eyal didn't think of me as a mole, nothing else!"

"The hell it was. Ziva, that was not an 'I'm grateful' kiss. I'm not probie at that game. Ziva…"

With the back of his hand, he lovingly stroked the side of her face and said, "We will talk when this is over. Must admit; I liked how it felt and will dream for more … is there a possibility…?

Ziva's face turned a slight shade of red as she whispered, "Maybe, maybe not, don't push please."

"That's more than I expected. I'll be on my best 'baby steps', Scouts honors!"

Tim and Quinn were back with drinks, Tim spoke, "Ziva, Tony was never a scout. He's lying, whatever he said!"

"And being a scout helped you a lot today!" was Tony's answer!

Quinn rolled her eyes at Tony as she warned him, "Tony act as a leader!"

Sharon reassured Eyal, "I'm not a Mossad doctor, not even a doctor, but promise I won't make matters worse. You need a simple eye flush. Water being the principal and only medicine."

As she entered the medical facility, the nurse she and Ducky had encounter came to meet them,

"Another 'I don't need to know' moment. You prefer I left you alone. I cannot give you access to any drug…"

Sharon spoke, "Yes, it's another one of those moments. Thanks for understanding, Nurse Nancy. We played with tear gas and my friend needs an eye flush. Do not worry, I can properly handle it."

"How is your arm?"

"Nice clean cut. Dr. Mallard stitched it up, no problem whatsoever."

She left them alone. Eyal pulled her arm and looked at her cut. She heard him swear, laughing she warned, "Remember Eyal, I'm fluent in Hebrew."

"Why did you participate in today's action with that cut? Bacteria are always lurking and more and more difficult to fight! Sharon, don't let that get infected!"

"Sit here Daddy Warbuck and try to keep your eyes open. I need a good 15 minutes to fully dilute the chemical or pepper powder."

"There, all done. How do your eyes feel?"

"Still watery but at least the sting is gone. Thanks."

As he opened the door, he turned his head and his eyes teared up. Sharon pulled him back in, dug in her shoulder bag and handed him a pair of sunglasses.

Eyal chuckled and pushed them back, "I'll get mine. They suit my face better."

"Eyal, the walk from this building to our quarters is less than two minutes! Put the damn glasses on!"

"Did it ever dawn on you that I won't be able to put them on? A man has a wider face than a woman … biology 101!"

"Get with the 21st century!"

She handed him the glasses as she flattened them out.

"Rubber frame! Not a brand name as yours surely are but very practical one size fits all!"

As he put on the glasses, his eyes wandered. He squinted and pulled his hand to his forefront while strangely looking at Sharon's neck.

Shooting him a teasing smile, she asked, "Something wrong?"

"Headache. I get some doozies at times. Tell Tony I won't be joining the happy hours. I'm turning in early."

"Hey, I have a book from a Canadian author Ziva said you liked; A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny. I can get it for you if you want. It's disquieting … powerful … artful ... and chilling."

"Love Louise Penny. Have read most of her books. That one is her last would like to read it. I'll take you up on your offer! You read?"

"No, I pull it up on a computer screen and memorize it! Yes, I read … the paper version, the old fashion way."

Eyal laughed as he put his arm around her waist. She shivered and felt the hair on her arms stand on guard, the same reaction as the first time he so gently put his arm around her waist.

'Welby, get over yourself. He's just being a Gentilhomme! He's not interested in your type, don't go getting your hopes up. Quinn is more his style.'

Sharon came out of her room and handed him the book.

He asked, "Can I keep the 'all size fits all' glasses for the night. They seem to be softer on my eyes than mine. Must be the woman touch with them! My head is pounding, I don't want to add to it."

"Would you like some med? I have some Excedrin Migraine."

"No, thanks. I have a prescription for this kind of headache."

Seeing Sharon's worried expression, he added, "Don't worry, I'll be OK. It's my body telling me that I need to follow his rules. I'm not the obedient type, sometimes he forces me to listen. I need some sleep, that's all. Jet lag is cashing in!"

Sharon took his index finger, opened the book and said, "Well, for tonight let your finger do the reading. I know it seems childish, but when I want to read and have a headache I follow the words with my finger. It helps, try it if you feel like reading."

The smile and hug he gave her made her want to lose herself into his arms. She had to restrain herself.

She came close to losing it when he kissed her forehead and whispered, "Once a mom always a mom; thanks for mothering this old spy. I owe you Sharon Welby! Go and join the other, the night is young."

Getting back to Tony, she sat and waited for the questions. Ziva cornered her,

"Sharon, what's up?"

"Ziva, I borrowed your shades and gave them to Eyal. He's reading one of my books. He'll be seeing nice colors, rainbow style!"

Ziva's face fell as Tony asked, "Sharon, plain English please!"

Sharon looked around, "Where Quinn?"

Tim replied, "She turned in early. Think she was annoyed that you had left with Eyal. The woman has a crush on the guy. Don't need to be a spy to see that fact!"

"OK, hide my face so nobody will be able to read my lips. I came clean with Eyal on what we know and gave him a way to communicate with us. By the way Tim, I didn't 'leave' with him. He needed an eye flush. My pepper spray hit him full face. While I was flushing his eyes, I put fluorescent power on his index finger. Next gave him Ziva's special shades and he read the message I put on my neck. Eyal knows what I'm up to and he didn't stop me, meaning I got my in! He's presently reading my Louise Penny book, but Inspector Armand Gamache is of no importance to him. If he can safely open that book and read my briefing of what we know, he'll add to it. I stocked the left tip of the page with fluorescent power … he more he turns the page, the more he can write. Tomorrow, he'll return my/Ziva's glasses and book and we will be able to read his intel."

Tony interrupted, "You did what?"

Tim explained, "Tony, it's like invisible ink. You must have special shades or a black light to see it. Remember when you and Ziva went undercover as a couple of assassins. Ziva shades could pick up ultraviolet lights of the FBI team that was watching you both. They can also reveal ultraviolet power on anything. In the same way we find traces of latent blood in a crime scene. We spray BlueStar or Luminol. Eyal, instead of spraying is going to write and we are going to read his words as easy as we see blood. Sharon, that's brilliant."

"Not my idea … it was Ziva's!"

Tony rubbed his face in an up and down fashion. "Eyal is not the only one with a headache. You girls are way ahead of us on this. You are the feminine version of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid; you're lethal and way out of my league."

Sharon explained, "Tony, can you stop putting yourself down! Yes, this SAD affairs as you call it, is spy work at its highest level. You and Tim are not spies and are not expected/mandated to become one. If you want a job, you both have the needed talent, but some training will be necessary. It takes many years to be where Ziva and Eyal are at…"

Ziva interrupted, "Add yourself to the list Sharon. You're right up there with Eyal and me. You came up with the idea of the fluorescent powder, I just gave you my shades. If there is one thing I'm going to do is teach you how to point, shoot and kill. MI-6 is better off having you as a field officer than an extraction specialist!"

"Hold your praises, I will stumble at one point, I always do! Don't take your eyes off of me, please."

Tony smiled, "That I can and will do. Expect me to be 'in your face', Welby!"

Ziva asked, "Sharon, the words Eyal said to you, did you make any sense of them?"

"No." Looking at Tim and Tony, she asked, "Do they know?"

Ziva answered, "Tony, yes, Tim, no."

Sharon explained her encounter with Eyal, his saying that her perfume was making him mad and his phrase; Jealousy doesn't become you. There is a natural comorbidity between sexual appetite and sexual jealousy, between the desire to fuck and the desire to kill!

Tim seemed to be repeating Eyal's phrase over and over. Tony pocked his arm and said, "Strong words, Timmy. Don't mull over them, they won't get any softer."

"Tony, Eyal is sending Sharon a message, I'm trying to figure it out. Feel pretty much useless as is, if I can help to figure this clue, I'd sleep better tonight."

Turning toward Sharon, he said, "Think comorbidity is the key word and sex must also be present in some way. Sharon, Eyal pretty much completed his medical study. You were pre-med before dropping out. Could he be talking in medical terms?"

Sharon shot Ziva a look that could kill, Tony even pushed his chair back seeing the intensity of the stare.

"Ziva, it was not me Eyal wanted to meet up with. You were his target! Him telling me I was wearing perfume meant that I wasn't the one he destined his words for. Let your life flash in front of your eyes and listen to these words; medicine; sex; fu_k; kill; jealousy; comorbidity

Tony to lighten the mood joked, "Timmy, think you are going to sleep like a baby tonight!"

Ziva spat out; "Ari was the son of Dr. Benjamin Weinstein (the undercover alias of my father, Eli David), and Dr. Hasmia Haswari, an Arab woman while they were both doctors working together at a hospital in Jerusalem. In 1994, Ari graduated from Edinburgh Medical College (the same alma mater as Ducky). Ari was a double agent for both Mossad and many terrorist groups, one of them being al-Qaeda. Ari killed Kate and I killed Ari. That pretty much covers medicine; sex; fu_k; kill; jealousy and comorbidity."

Sharon sat up and said, "You're missing one important comorbidity! Sorry Tim, we're not sleeping tonight, because you just made the breakthrough of the day!"

To be continued.