Epilogue

The man slapped the folder down on the circular table.

Other hands swiftly opened it up, pulling out several photos, and documents marked TOP SECRET.

Cigar smoke wafted through the air, twirling lazily under the overhead light.

"This is him?"

"Yes."

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

"Where is he now?"

"Back at work, in DC."

There was a span of silence.

"How do I know you're telling the truth? Latham never confirmed the project was a success."

"Because we have an eyewitness who saw the effect take place."

"Who?"

"One of Ibn Alwaan's men."

"He saw this guy shoot the SecNav?"

"No. It was close, but someone stopped him. He actually had the gun up to Jarvis' head to shoot. If he had been operating alone…"

The man sighed thoughtfully for a moment.

"Close, but no cigar, as they say."

"But close enough to look into."

"Maybe."

He looked at the picture of the smiling man, with green eyes.

"Anthony DiNozzo could still be the prototype for a very profitable project. If he was close to the mark, maybe it would only take a little more for him to be the perfect assassin. Think about the implications. If we could do it with him-"

"We could train dozens. And the profit would be…considerable. But, I'd want to make sure he was more…compliant, than it appears he was with Latham."

The other man smiled.

"There are other methods we could consider, to improve upon the training."

The man took another drag of his cigar.

"I'm all ears."

The (End)

PHEW!

Well, that was one heck of a story.

I'm pooped, people.

But – you all were so good to me – all the reviews and notes really inspired, thank you so so much. They meant a lot.

Some of you (and you know who you are) gave me tremendous support, every day, and truly fueled how quickly I got my chaps out.

Please feel free to review or message your comments & criticisms – I still have much to learn !

After a short rest, I will be researching for the next story – if you are interested in the genre – an NCIS erotic horror tale.

Boy am I excited.

I want to see if I can turn you on, scare you, and intrigue you, all in one story. BUT – it will be rated MA – so only 18 & up on the next one, "The Mirror of Archimedes."

And before I start the next one - i will be going back to put proper line breaks in all my stories (since I was such a newbie and flew through the work - I didn't realize until a reviewer pointed out to me they were needed (thanks for that, you also know who you are !)

Ciao!

MG