"I get it. 'Don't call us, we'll call you.' Ok, well, be careful. Bye." Stan walked with Tony and let himself out.
Tony locked the hotel room door behind him and turned to Ziva. "Do not look at me that way, Tony." Ziva said quietly. "I will not leave and do this on my own. I already promised you. I keep my promises."
Tony engulfed her in a desperate hug, emotions on high as he held her close. He wanted so much to believe her, but it was his greatest fear that he would wake up one morning and find her gone. He had to find a way to ensure she would never leave.
Vignette Eleven: Part Eleven
Stan waited patiently at the entrance to his facility, hoping Samuel Rivkin would show up. He wasn't disappointed: after waiting thirty minutes the novice Mossad Officer showed up and parked. Stan got out of his car and walked over to where Rivkin was getting out of his.
Stan stuck his hand out as he shortened the distance between them. "Hi there! NCIS Special Agent Stan Burley. How ya' doin'?" Stan was smiling wide.
Samuel Rivkin looked slightly startled that Stan approached him first, but recovered well. "Good day." He returned the handshake. "I am Officer Samuel Rivkin, from…"
"Yeah, I know. Mossad." Stan waved his hand like it was no big deal, this happened all the time.
Rivkin paled slightly at Stan's exuberance and knowledge of what he was, but Stan continued chatting, making it sound as if he had been expecting him.
"Just got here myself. Come on, we can chat in my office." Stan led the way, indicating Rivkin should follow him.
Samuel bowed slightly and followed Stan. His thoughts were racing. "Could he have known he was going to contact him? How was this possible?" He panicked, worried that Director Bodnar would find fault with him. He tried to relax, knowing that NCIS and Mossad have a cordial working relationship and this Agent probably just expected some Officer to show up one day. "Perhaps they always come unannounced?" Rivkin rationalized to himself.
Stan threw his bag on the floor and took of his jacket. "Please, sit." Stan pointed to the chair. "Can I get you something? Coffee? Tea? Water?"
Samuel sat stiffly in the chair. "No, nothing, thank you." He answered, not wanting to spend more time with this Agent than he needed to.
His job was to get some Intel regarding Ziva and to give false information regarding Director Bodnar's whereabouts.
Stan sized up the Mossad Officer and didn't change his original assessment: this kid was as green as they come. Stan broadened his smile, if that was possible and began the conversation.
"So, any word regarding Bodnar's whereabouts? I assume you are here to give us some information."
Rivkin nodded. "I am able to share some intelligence with you that have recently come to our attention. He was last seen in Haifa two months ago, our Officers tracked him to Paris and we have been informed that he then traveled to Munich. We have Officers there now continuing the search."
Stan listened quietly, trying to keep his expression neutral as he listened to the bull shit spewing from Rivkin's mouth. He wasn't sure what his end game was, so he didn't call him on his obvious subterfuge.
"Munich you say? I'll report that right away to my superiors. We haven't had any luck tracking him, so I know Director Vance and Agent David will be grateful for this Intel." Stan purposely brought Ziva into the conversation, interested to see how this young man would respond.
"Ah, yes. How is Off…I mean Agent David doing? We are most concerned for her." Rivkin asked, adopting an expression of concern.
Stan almost laughed at how inept this Officer was. If Bodnar was using him to get information, then he had a screw loose. Stan adopted a similar look. "She's doing as well as can be expected. Losing her father was devastating for her. And then Agent DiNozzo's father…well that was just heartless." Stan passed on the lie that Anthony DiNozzo, Sr. had been killed.
"We heard about his death. It was very tragic. And senseless." Rivkin nodded. He didn't realize that he just revealed his true nature, as Mossad had not been informed of the attempt, successful or unsuccessful. By admitting knowledge, Samuel Rivkin had just admitted to being in league with Samuel Bodnar.
Stan considered his options. He had already placed the disk when he shook his hand earlier by the car. He could take him into custody now and let Tony and Ziva break him; or they could follow him and hope he would lead them to Bodnar.
He decided against taking him, mostly because he wanted to keep secret that Tony and Ziva were here and not back in the U.S. Stan continued on in the same vein. "I know Agent DiNozzo well. Losing his father has been very hard on him. They been keeping them both very busy at work to keep their minds occupied." Again, Stan confirmed that Tony and Ziva were still back home.
Rivkin nodded, smiling slightly. He had been pleased to hear how upset both Ziva and especially Tony was at the deaths of their loved ones. "Your pain is just beginning." He thought to himself.
"I am only passing by, I must return to Tel Aviv. I appreciate you taking the time to visit with me." Rivkin stood, having served his purpose.
Stan shook his hand again, smiling pleasantly. He had hoped to talk a bit more, to see if he could get him to accidently spill something vital, but he had no real reason to keep him without making him suspicious.
"Safe travels." Stan said, walking him to the lobby. "Let us know what you hear from Munich."
Rivkin nodded again. "Yes, Sir. We will." He turned and headed to his car. He got in and drove a block before he pulled aside. Taking his cell phone, he called the saved number.
"Yes Sir." He responded. "I have met with the NCIS Agent and gave him the information as requested. I will meet my contact in the morning then continue as planned to Rome. Agent DiNozzo is distracted and upset over his father's death, as is Ziva. It will be easy." Rivkin was supremely confident as he reported his findings to Bodnar's remote answering machine. He hung up and drove to his hotel, anxious to begin his real mission.
Once Rivkin had left his office, Stan strode to Operations to speak to his Field Director, Thomas Batchelder. Batchelder had already been filled in regarding the false Intel reports and the arrests made in Paris. Stan had called him last night after leaving Tony and Ziva, reporting that he had been followed by Mossad and expected to be contacted shortly.
He left out the part regarding Tony and Ziva: not because he didn't trust him but because he had not been given permission from Vance to discuss their mission.
Tom looked up as Stan knocked on his door. "Stan! Come in. I'm already setting up the "let's replace the real Intel report with a fake Intel report before they do" process." Tom had the same quirky sense of humor as Stan and they worked well together. They planned to bypass their courier, Marco Cagnani, picking up the real reports before he did, replacing them with fake ones.
Ilan Bodnar would then receive the Intelligence reports they wanted him to have, instead of the other way around. They considered this a step in the right direction and perhaps a sign that they were going to catch up with the elusive ex-Mossad Officer.
"My friend showed up this morning as expected. He's working with Bodnar." Stan sat down and smiled.
Tom looked at Stan sharply. "How do you know that?"
"He told me that Mossad had heard about the killing of DiNozzo's father." Stan said simply.
Tom rubbed his face. "Is he that stupid? Why would Bodnar use him?"
Stan shrugged. "I don't think he's stupid. I think he is too inexperienced for whatever assignment Bodnar gave him and he was beside himself with excitement and pride at being selected."
Tom nodded and grunted. "And just what is his assignment?"
Stan frowned. "Not sure, other than to give me false Intel on Bodnar's whereabouts. We'll need to put what he told me in the fake reports we have for Cagnani, tomorrow's report I think. But I do have some concerns: his name is Rivkin. If I remember correctly, DiNozzo killed a Mossad Officer named Rivkin several years ago, in self-defense. I don't think it's a coincidence that someone with a link to Agents DiNozzo and David's past is now firmly entrenched in the organization that murdered Eli David."
Tom sat up at that. "Do you think DiNozzo and David are in danger?" He asked.
Again, Stan shrugged. "The threat on Agent David is still being taken seriously. And with the attempt on DiNozzo's father…Tony may also be a target. But Director Vance and Agent Gibbs are fully aware of these possibilities." Stan was having trouble keeping his knowledge regarding Tony and Ziva under wraps, and frankly felt really bad about keeping his boss out of the loop.
"What about this special undercover team they have over here. Have you heard from them?" Tom asked suddenly.
Stan frowned. He wasn't aware that Tom knew about the undercover assignment, or that he, Stan, knew about it.
Tom chuckled at Stan's discomfort. "Hang on." He said. He dialed Vance's secure line. "Leon, Tom! How's DC? Can you speak to Stan and make him feel better?"
Stan took the phone. "Director Vance?" He asked tentatively.
Vance smiled. "Let me guess: Tom asked you about our undercover op and you are panicking because you didn't know that he knew. Am I correct?"
"Yes, Sir." Stan answered quietly.
"Stan, he doesn't know details. Just that there is a team. Keep it that way." Vance ordered.
"Yes, Sir." Stan answered again. He handed back the phone to Tom. Tom chatted for a few more moments then hung up.
"Well, satisfied?" Tom chuckled.
Stan was glad he had such an easy going Boss. Oh, he could be hell on wheels, but generally speaking he was calm.
Still, Stan didn't feel comfortable revealing he had met with them. Making a decision, he shook his head. "No contact yet. But Vance did say I was to assist if they did."
Tom nodded. He suspected that Stan actually had met this team or at least had been contacted by them, but he had no problems with him keeping it under wraps. In fact, he preferred that he did: the less who knew about this team, the greater their chances for success.
NCIS
Tim and Abby had their heads together, trying to figure out the disk that Tony had sent to them. Abby was fascinated with it, marveling at its simplicity and complexity.
"It appears to have a glycerin base. It might have an electrolyte component, which allows it for it to be picked up as an electrical signal. Or…this is interesting." Abby was squinting at her plasma. "Radioactive?"
Tim frowned. "That doesn't sound safe. How radioactive is it? Is it harmful to the person the gets marked?"
Abby continued looking at her results. She shook her head. "It looks similar to the medical markers used when patients have a Thallium scan. I don't know what this compound is, McGee! This is totally new technology."
Tim looked at Abby in surprise. "So, any idea how long it lasts?"
"Well, it does have many similar characteristics to Selenium, which is a semi-conductor and used in photo-cells, so I can understand how this might work as a tracer. Let me see." Abby's fingers flew over her keyboard. "The closest composition I can find is to Selenium-75. It has a half-life of 119.78 days."
Abby frowned. "But it's not exactly Selenium either. But it's as close as I can get without an electron microscope. And I would think such a small amount is used on this baby that the half-life would not maybe be as long as 119 days, but long enough."
"So, I repeat. Is it safe?" Tim looked pointedly at Abby.
Abby sighed. "It's hard to say. I would hate to think that our European friends wouldn't care if they were causing all sorts of nasty ailments in the people they were searching for. And it is a very, very small amount; so I would say any adverse effects would be minimal or reversible. But it's just a guess on my part at this point." Abby looked unhappy.
Tim nodded grimly. "Ok, I get it. I just want to give Tony and Ziva as much as I can about these things." He looked at the now destroyed tracking disk. "It is, as Tony put it, 'seriously cool' though. They must have some major funding and a room full of scientists to have come up with this."
Abby nodded. "Creating this technology certainly isn't cheap. I would imagine they have a patent on this, but I doubt it's published anywhere. National Security and all. Or maybe in this case, world security."
McGee nodded thoughtfully. "Thanks, Abbs. Want to come with me to report this to Gibbs and Vance? You did all the work."
Abby smiled wide at Tim's offer. She took his arm, and let him lead her out of her lab.
Naples, Italy, the next day
Marco Cagnani waited patiently in the small coffee shop, sipping an espresso. He would be picking up the daily Intel reports shortly for delivery to the major commands in the area. He smiled to himself: it had been ridiculously easy to switch the reports and give these enemies the wrong information.
He shook his head and sighed. And now he had to meet with this new Officer that Bodnar had sent his way. Samuel Rivkin. Cagnani did not know the story behind Rivkin, or why he had been chosen for this task. He checked his watch and stood. He finished the bitter brew in one gulp and threw his newspaper on the table.
He showed his credentials at the main gate of the Naval Support Activity and entered the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station. He waved at the E-3 who was waiting for him, pouch in hand.
"How's it shaking, Nichols?" Cagnani asked in a companionable fashion. He tried to appear as "American" as he could with these men, thinking it would lower their guard.
Nichols smiled and handed him the pouch. "Shaking like a hula dancer on steroids, Cagni."
Marco nodded and laughed at Nichols' joke. "Well, I'm off. Same time tomorrow." He waved as he walked out. As always, he went into the Men's room before he began his report distribution. Once he was in the stall, he carefully removed the "real" intelligence reports, and replaced them with the manufactured ones.
He smiled again. He knew he would be well rewarded once Bodnar came to power. He had hated Eli David and was livid when his attempts at making peace with that animal Kazmi had come to light.
He didn't have anything against Ziva David personally, or that other NCIS Agent, DiNozzo? He was just following orders, which he was very good at. Finally completed with making the switch, he hurried over to his first stop, the NCIS Field Office.
As expected, he was shown right in to Stan Burley's office. Stan looked up as Cagnani came through the door.
"Marco! We meet again. What have you got for me?" Stan smiled.
"Now, Stan. You know I don't read these things. I just carry them around." It had been a running joke between the two of them, but now it no longer rang true. Fortunately, Cagnani was not aware his cover had been blown, so he proceeded as he normally would.
Unbeknownst to him, Stan and Batchelder had already retrieved the real intelligence reports and had replaced them with their own made up version, which was what Cagnani now had in his possession to take back to Bodnar. The tables had been turned, the traitor caught unawares.
Stan smiled wide, and acted no differently than he had before. He reached out and shook Cagnani's hand as always, only this time he placed the tracking disk. Cagnani gave a mock salute and turned to leave, ready to give his next victim his fake report.
Stan waited fifteen minutes after Cagnani had left before he called his boss. "Tom? Yep, worked like a charm. 'Operation Marco Polo' has been instituted." Stan hung up. He wanted desperately to talk to Tony and Ziva, but it had been made clear that he had to wait for their contact.
He figured they would not call until tonight, but that didn't mean he couldn't contact Vance and Gibbs and let them know what had transpired over the last twenty four hours. His brief conversation with Vance in the presence of Tom did not allow him the luxury of filling him in on the latest developments.
He looked at his watch. It was too early to make the call, so he sighed and went back to work on his reports.
NCIS
Gibbs was in Vance's office, going over a secured transmission they had received in the middle of the night from Interpol in Paris.
Gibbs grunted when he was through reading it and handed it back to Vance. Vance tried to not smile, but didn't succeed. "That's it? A non-committal grunt? Your team assisted in the capture of the entire Paris cell of the First Wave and you can only grunt?"
Gibbs shifted in his chair. "Well, yeah, I read that Leon. I'm glad they were able to do something constructive. But they are not 'my' team over there."
Vance clasped his hands in front of him and looked directly at Gibbs. "Is there going to be a problem when they return? Assuming they do return and don't decide they like the life of a nomad and being secret agents."
Gibbs smiled at that. "They'll be back. Ziva may be used to it, but Tony likes his stuff. He won't want to stay out there, so I know at least he'll be back."
"You have doubts about David returning?" Vance sat up straighter in his chair.
Gibbs rubbed his face. "I don't know Leon. She told me she wanted to give up that life, which was one of her arguing points when she asked to come back to NCIS. But it is a seductive lifestyle and one that Ziva is very comfortable with." He shifted in his chair.
"They've been working on their own for over two months now, taking orders from no one. It's going to be a hard transition to come back to."
Vance considered what Gibbs just said. "Are you saying you don't want them back on your team, Gibbs? Is this about them leaving without discussing it with you first? Or about them being a couple?"
"None of it, all of it. Hell, I don't know, Leon. I miss having my Agents here. I want them back, on my team. But I don't know who is coming back or who they are going to be when they get back. Things have changed for them and this experience will change them as well."
"DiNozzo's getting a new set of skills. That can't hurt." Vance offered.
"Yeah? It may make him bored with what he has here, though. Ziva has already shown she can step away."
"So you are really more worried about DiNozzo, then?" Vance stated.
Gibbs looked defeated. Vance had hit a nerve. He was worried about Tony, and the effect this whole mission may have on his outlook regarding is career. Prior to this, Tony had been quite happy with where he was, taking orders from Gibbs and being Senior Field Agent. Would that change now that he and Ziva had been running their own op, with no orders or interference from anyone? Deciding when and where they went?
"Gibb, can I offer you a piece of advice? Wait until they come back. I don't think you have anything to worry about, and the fact that you are worried shows how much you do want them back, both of them." Vance spoke quietly.
Gibbs was about to answer when Cynthia broke in. "Excuse me, Director. Agent Burley is in MTAC waiting to speak to you."
He looked at Vance and stood. Quickly following Vance out, he leaned over the railing and called out McGee's name. McGee's head popped up and he ran up the stairs to join them.
"Agent Burley, good morning. Or is it afternoon there?" Vance said as he entered the secured room.
"It's actually twelve thirty in the afternoon, Director. Agent Gibbs, McGee. I have some updates for you. I met with Tony and Ziva. What a surprise that was, I have to say. They look good, by the way, and I think, in case you are wondering, that they have a good attitude about all of this." Stan was trying to be subtle and let Gibbs know that his Agents hadn't gone off all crazed and were out for blood.
"Understood, Stan." Gibbs answered. "So they are in Naples now?"
"Yeah, Boss. They contacted me in a bar. I had no idea who they were at first. I later met them at their hotel. But not before they called to warn me that I was being followed."
Vance, Gibbs and McGee looked at each other in alarm. "Do you know who was following you, Agent Burley?" Vance asked.
"Oh, yeah." Stan answered drily. "Tony and Ziva recognized him and told me who he was. Then he showed up at the office yesterday morning. Samuel Rivkin. Name ring a bell?"
The three Agents stood in shocked silence at the name. "You're kidding!" McGee blurted out.
"Wish I was, McGee. He came to me yesterday. Or rather, I went up to him before he had a chance to do anything. Boss, he's working with Bodnar. I casually mentioned how Tony was doing after his father's death and Rivkin stated how shocked Mossad was to hear about it. Unless they found out some other way, he could only know because he is Team Bodnar."
Stan scratched his head. "I made sure it was clear that Tony and Ziva were in the U.S. and working at NCIS."
Vance looked concerned. "What was his purpose in meeting with you?"
Stan wagged his hand. "Back in the 'good old days' the Mossad Officers in the area always stopped by for a meet and greet and to share Intel. Rivkin made it a point to tell me Mossad's latest and greatest regarding Bodnar. All lies I am sure." Stan relayed the news Rivkin had told him regarding the tracking of Ilan Bodnar.
"I am positive that he was lying, to throw us off. This brings me to another issue. One of the names you gave Tony and Ziva: Marco Cagnani."
"Yeah? You know who that is?" Vance asked.
"Uh, huh. Remember how I was complaining about the lack of Intel in my Intel reports. Well, Marco is our courier. He's been switching out the reports before we get them and giving Bodnar the real Intel."
"Well I'll be a son of a bitch." Vance spat out. "Where is he now?"
Stan smiled. "Oh, he's being tracked as we speak, as is Rivkin. Tony gave me some of those tracking disk things. Here, let me give you the numbers so you can put them in your software." Tim wrote furiously as Stan read out the numbers.
"We have taken the reports before Cagnani gets in and we are replacing them with our own fake Intel report. What he takes back to Bodnar will be what we want him to see now." Stan opened his mouth to continue but was interrupted by Vance.
"Very good, Agent Burley. Tell me, any problems keeping Agent Batchelder out of the loop?"
Stan shook his head. "Not now that I understand what he knows and doesn't know. By the way, Tony gave me a copy of his database that Interpol gave them. I don't know why these things aren't shared to begin with."
Stan frowned. "Listen, Tony and Ziva are concerned now that they can see that Rivkin has been recruited, given his relationship to Michael Rivkin and the circumstances of his death. He is his youngest brother."
Gibbs sucked in his breath at that. "Retaliation? Ziva told me that there were some at Mossad that were angry Tony wasn't punished for Rivkin's death. If this Rivkin is quite a bit younger, he may not know the whole story, only what Bodnar has told him."
Vance and Stan both nodded in agreement. "My guess? I think he has been recruited to take out DiNozzo. Bodnar has a history of hiring out his guns. And this kid is the perfect choice: he's young, emotional, has a personal tie and is easy to persuade. I'm not too sure of his killing skills and he sticks out like a sore thumb. I would think it is not out of the realm of possibility that Bodnar considers him expendable, a means to an end and really doesn't care what happens to him when all is said and done."
Gibbs and McGee looked sick at that. "Well, this tracking disk should be able to tell us if he comes over here, right? If he does, we'll be ready for him." Gibbs said. "Could be he is after Ziva as well. I believe she was an original target of Bodnar's, so it would make sense to go after her rather than Tony."
"Not if his intention is to cause pain and flush Ziva out, for him to make the kill. Look at what he did by going after Tony's father? He is going after those that Ziva loves." Tim gulped, realizing he just said to the room that Ziva loved Tony. If anyone was shocked or angered by his remark they didn't show it.
"You're right, McGee. He is going after those close to Ziva. I think he does want a final show down between him and Ziva." Stan agreed with his assessment.
"Then we need to do whatever we can to make sure that doesn't happen." Gibbs murmured. "When do you speak or see Tony and Ziva again, Stan?"
Stan shrugged. "Whenever they contact me, but I have a feeling it will be tonight since they know I was probably going to be in contact with Rivkin by today. And they know about the problem with the Intel reports. I need to give them the disk tracking numbers as well."
Vance nodded his approval. "Very well, Agent Burley. Continue to offer whatever support you can to Agents DiNozzo and David." The transmission ended.
Vance, Gibbs and McGee all looked at each other, knowing that things were moving fast. "McGee, I want to go to both Tony and Ziva's apartments and have them outfitted with video and listening devices. Hopefully we will know when he gets here and be waiting for him, but just in case…" Gibbs didn't finish the statement.
"On it, Boss." McGee responded immediately. As scary as the thought was of someone coming to kill Tony or Ziva, he now felt he was doing something instead of waiting around to hear what was happening on the other side of the Atlantic. "I've got you." McGee whispered to himself.
Thanks as always for the great reviews. Sorry for the delay: I was at the state convention for my Masonic Youth Group that I help with, .org. Wonderful group of girls. Also, I am not a scientist, so I made up what the disk was made of, I have no idea if Selenium even makes sense.