29 When to wake up Leon Vance

Ziva meets Gibbs outside interrogation. "Do you really think he cared about Rebecca?"

"No. He didn't think he'd get caught, but he was smart enough to know harming Rebecca would doom him if he did get caught."

"But why, Gibbs? I don't understand any more than I did before."

"If you want whys, ask Ducky. Ziva, he wanted Tony dead. Don't waste another second of your life wondering about him."

"I'll try not to. Gibbs…thank you. For what you said at the end."

He kisses Ziva on the cheek. "You're on leave until further notice. Go take care of your family. We'll clean up here."

When Ziva's gone, Allen asks, "Is that it?"

Gibbs says, "That's it for Hamilton. He didn't know about the transfers when he was in the office. He's just a tool. I'd be amazed if he was ever in contact with the people who hired Guyadev."

"You think Guyadev will talk?" Burns asks doubtfully.

"Maybe. Why don't you two take a crack at it?" Gibbs says.

Allen goes in alone. The exam is dreary and unproductive. Guyadev first claims his Spanish identity, then doesn't blink when Allen id's him as Guyadev; Guyadev then asks to be turned over to Spanish authorities and doesn't blink when Allen shows him a document from the Spanish government, ceding jurisdiction; asks for a lawyer, doesn't blink when he's informed that he's being held as an enemy combatant and has no right to a lawyer anyway. Guyadev listens to the rundown of evidence against him with no apparent concern.

Burns sticks his head in. "Wrap it up, man."

"But I'm just getting started."

"We got the word from Washington to shut it down."

"Why?"

"We're shipping him to Russia. Director doesn't think we can get anything from him that will equal what the Russians will give us for him."

"What's this mook done?"

"They say he had something to do with that airliner that got shot down three years ago. The one that was carrying the premier's personal judo sparring partner."

Allen whistles. "Ouch. So what do we get for the noseless bastard?"

"Above my paygrade, friend. But you know the SVR's got a cabinet full of goodies, and the Director's just got himself a platinum card of favors."

Allen closes his folder. "You poor guy. Win shooting off your nose is going to turn out to be the highlight of this job."

"My guess is they'll skin this guy and use the pelt as a punching bag. But it's not my problem. I just gotta get the paperwork done and get this guy on a plane this morning."

"Wait," Guyadev says. "You cannot do this."

"Sure I can. Enemy combatant, blah blah blah. Don't mention the EU Human Rights Treaty. You're not an EU citizen and you're not on EU territory."

"I can help you."

Burns shakes his head. "My guess is you're a long ways down the food chain. I'm not waking Leon Vance up for you."

"I didn't shoot down that plane."

"Nobody here cares whether you shot down that plane. All I know is who ordered me to put you on this plane. He's not a man that likes to be questioned. If I'm going to wake him up and ask him to change his plans it's going to have to be for something really good. I don't want to be reassigned to Alaska."

"Like Super Bowl tickets good," Allen suggests.

"Much better than that."

"Like skybox Super Bowl tickets good."

"Nice, but it's gonna have to be better than that, I think. This is Director Vance we're talking about."

"Like skybox Super Bowl tickets, a crate full of Cuban cigars…"

"Closer."

"…and a smokin' hot Porsche driven by Miss December."

"Yeah, that might do it."

"I'll tell you everything if you don't send me back to Russia," Guyadev says.

"That might just hit the Miss Porsche button. Start writing, Tolstoy. And Allen, you go call Vance."

"You're the senior field agent. You call Vance."

"As the senior field agent I'm delegating the task to you."

"I don't want to get sent to Alaska either."

"Well, maybe we should wait and see what the noseless bastard gives us before we wake up Leon Vance. You'd better write faster, Tolstoy. You're supposed to be wheels up at 0800."

Outside interrogation, Gibbs says, "I don't suppose Guyadev realizes that it's only 1800 in Washington. Even Leon Vance doesn't go to bed that early."

"We turned the clock in the interrogation room forward," Allen says.

Burns says, "There's this great scene in Gettysburg where Buford says, Let's go wake up Harry Heth. With cavalry, not an alarm clock. I just wanted to use that."

"It's Win's favorite movie," Allen adds. "The first Superb's in it. He brings it in on every major American holiday."

"Tony hates Civil War stuff, but he lets him play it because he loves that fix bayonet scene."

"Hey, even I love that scene."

Gibbs asks, "And the Russians?"

Burns shrugs. "Eh, we didn't want to wake them up, either. Hey, is it still the SVR, or have they changed acronyms again?"

Comedy gold. Gibbs says, "We'll have to start running down whatever he gives us right away. The birds have probably already flown the coop, but we might get lucky."

"We're not going home tonight, either, are we?"

"No."

"I guess someone had better make some coffee." Burns sighs. "I love Tony like I love my loafers, but what he knows about coffee could be written on half a post-it note."

"I'll send you some real coffee," Gibbs says. "That's good work. Go see what Tolstoy's got for us."

The birds have flown the coop, but there's a single print from a right index finger on a hotel alarm clock snooze button. Four weeks later, that same finger will deplane at Dulles, and Gibbs will have a fresh file on his desk.