Chapter 5
Touch and Go
2100 hours, 12 October 2000, DiNozzo Residence, Base Housing, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Driving home that night, memories of when he and Mal 1st met flashed through his mind. He couldn't believe that was more than 10 years ago now.
"Sergeant Ben-Gidon?" he asked.
Seeing the lieutenant's bars on Tony's shoulders, Malachi snapped to attention and saluted. "Yes Sir. Sergeant Malachi Ben-Gidon". Tony quickly returned the salute. With Malachi off the hood of the car, the beautiful female drive took the opportunity and quickly sped away.
Sticking out his hand, Tony said "1st Lieutenant Anthony Dominick DiNozzo Jr. But you can call me Tony". Malachi shook his hand.
"And you can call me Malachi" he replied.
We would never forget that early morning on that runway in Haifa. It was the 1st time he and Malachi met. It was also the 1st time Tony had laid eyes upon Ziva. Even now, 10 years later, the mere mention of her name still made his heart skip a beat.
Tony and Malachi had been through a lot together. From JFK.
Pick your team" ordered McCoy.
"Hirsch, Ron, and" he paused to think "Malachi" he said. Malachi, who had been looking at the floor, looked up in shock.
"Me?" asked Malachi. "I'm a trained Assassin. Why would you want me for a hostage rescue?" he asked.
"Yes you. And while you may be an assassin, you are an assassin that cares about human lives. You up for it?" asked Tony.
Without a moment's hesitation, Malachi replied "Hell Yeah"
The Agent led them to a hangar where about 50 National Guardsmen had been setup with cots. "OK Listen up!" yelled Tony. "Who here can show me a Ranger tat?" he asked. 5 men stood up. "Ok then, you 5 with me" he said. The 5 men grabbed their rifles and walked out of the hangar with Tony. "Ok, you two" he pointed to the 1st two rangers "You re with these fine gentlemen" he said pointing to Malachi and Ron. "The rest of you, with me. Move out" ordered Tony.
"Hold it right there" yelled a voice. "General Forrest, Commander, New York National Guard. You are all under my command. And I order you to stand down under I say other wise. Is that clear Lieutenant?" he asked.
"Crystal Sir" said DiNozzo. After the general walked away Tony said "Now Rangers, did you sign up to get out of the house? Or to kick the door in?" asked Tony. When no one backed away, Tony said "alright, let's haul ass" he said.
"Hold it Lieutenant. Where do you think you are going?" asked Agent Greene.
"To save those hostages. Now if you stand in my way, I have my best man across the river. If you stop me, he will kill you" he said. "You, you, you" he said pointing at Agent Greene and the 2 FBI Agents with him "Panic". "The Rest of you. Let's rock and roll".
When Tony had said his "Best Man" he was most certainly talking about Malachi. Mal was without a doubt the finest Operator Tony had ever worked with. They had been through Hell together.
Meanwhile, The 3 HUMVEEs under Malachi's Command were speeding through the streets of the Bakara Market. They were taking fire from all sides. Malachi was firing his M-16 out of the side window, when the 50. Cal suddenly went silent. Both Sergeant Martin and Malachi turned and saw Sergeant Pila had been hit. "Pila!" yelled Martin as Malachi reached back to check for a pulse. When he couldn't find one he shook his head. "Command, we have one K.I.A, repeat, we have one K.I.A, Sergeant Dominick Pila" said Martin into the radio. "Someone get on that 50" yelled Martin.
"It is mine" yelled Malachi as he moved into the back and up through the hatch to the Machine gun.
Tony looked over at Malachi and yelled "Mal, I need an IR Beacon, post ricki-tick". Malachi reached into a pouch that was strapped to his left thigh and pulled out the beacon. Then he tossed it to Tony. Tony turned on the beacon. Aiming for a roof top across the street, he threw it. The beacon was just short as it hit the wall and fell to the street below. "God Dammit" yelled Tony. Tony looked up and down the street and up at the roof top above. He un-slung his M-16 and laid it down against the wall. Malachi watched as this transpired and knew what Tony was planning.
"Don't even think about it Tony!" yelled Malachi
"Too late" yelled Tony as he darted across the war-torn street.
"Oh shit. Covering Fire!" yelled Malachi. The Rangers who could here him, including Sergeant Martin, turned the fire to the roof top above Tony. Tony had made it across the street and he retrieved the beacon from the pile of rubble and tossed it up onto the roof top. Then his radio cracked in his ear
"Alpha-01, we have IR Beacon spotted, beginning gun run" said the little bird pilot. The Little Birds swooped in and hovered right over Tony's position. The Little Birds' M-242 Chain Guns spun up and started spewing out death at 5,000 rounds per minute. The scolding hot brass from the guns fell to the ground below, right on top of Tony.
"AHHHHH!" he screamed as the hot metal burned his flesh. "Son of A Bitch" he screamed. After what seemed like an eternity for Tony, but was in reality only 2 minutes, The Little Birds pulled away. Tony stood there stunned for a few seconds, before he snapped out of his daze and darted back across the street. When he got there, he found Malachi and Sergeant Martin waiting for him.
"Permission to speak freely Sir" said Martin.
"What?" asked Tony, nearly out of breath.
"Your fucking crazy sir" said Martin with a smile on his face.
Tony smiled and said "Damn Right"
Somalia had put Tony, Malachi, Chester and Tom Colleton, as well as everyone else who fought there through hell. Some of them didn't make it home. Since Day One, Malachi and Tony had had each other's backs, no questioned asked. They were more than Best friends, they were brothers.
2200 hours, 12 October 2000, Senior Sergeant Malachi Ben-Gidon's Apartment, Bachelor Non-Commissioned Officer's Quarters, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Even though it was very late, Malachi continued to pack. He was very depressed. He had spent 10 years in America. He did not want to go back to Israel. Since he would be wearing it on his flight, he left out his Israeli Commando IDF dress uniform. Everything else he packed into boxes to be shipped home. In his go bag, he packed his more personal things.
His Jersey. For his birthday years ago, Tony had gotten him a Delta Force basketball jersey. It was the typical shape of a regular basketball jersey, only this one was camouflage covered. It had the #5 on both the front and back, and his last name "Ben-Gidon" was stitched across the back as well.
The Iraqi Republican Guard Uniform he wore when Alpha Team infiltrated that Iraqi prison back in January of 1996
His 22. Caliber Pistol. That pistol was one of the 1st things Tony had given him when he first joined the Unit.
Malachi had been training with The Unit for a month now. He really was enjoying being part of the team. One night, after dinner, Tony told Mal to come with him out to his shed. When they got there, Tony unlocked the shed opened the door, and they both went inside. At the back of the shed, was an old ammo crate. Tony opened the crate and pulled out a wooden box, about the size of a composition notebook. "Went The Unit was founded in 1977, every Operator was issued a 22. Caliber Hi-Standard Pistol with a silencer. A few years ago, The Army moth-balled it. However, the Army's entire stock pile of these guns, magically disappeared" he said as he handed Malachi the box. Malachi opened the box to find the gun that Tony had just described. "Me and Master Sergeant Kearns liberated the stores for this gun. An every since, we've give one to every Unit Member. Welcome to The Unit…. Brother" said Tony.
Malachi was speechless. He didn't know what to say. He had never been accepted into anything like this. "I honestly don't know what to say" said Malachi. "Thank you so much" he said as he couldn't stop smiling.
That memory brought a tear to Malachi's eye. Tony was without question his best friend. But what Tony had said that day, 10 years ago still rang true, they were… brothers. Malachi walked over to his desk and opened the draws. The 1st thing he pulled out was a forged Iranian id card with his photo on it. It was from his 1st sole mission. The next thing he pulled out was a letter from former Russian President Boris Yeltsin. The letter had expressed the President's gratitude for saving his life.
Despite being Jewish, Mal had always loved spending the Christmas holiday with the Unit. He had always felt like they were one big family.
2030 hours, 24 December 1997, Marshlands Plantation, St. Matthews, South Carolina. Friends and Family a like had journeyed to The Colleton Family plantation for Christmas Eve dinner. It had been a rough year for The Unit, and yet, it had ended on a high note. Yes, Tony had been shot in the chest, and Bravo Team had lost 2 more members. Sergeant 1st Class Jason King had retired and Master Sergeant Barry Hopper had lost any eye on a mission in the South Pacific. And yet, the night is always darkest before the dawn. While The Unit had lost 2 of its own, they had gained 2 as well. 2nd Lieutenant Billy Hazard had received his Unit tattoo and been given his 22. Caliber Hi-Standard Pistol. And most important, Tali Colleton had finally shaken off the shackles of her previous life. She was officially adopted by Colonel Colleton and her name was now legally Tali Colleton. She was now a US Citizen and a Staff Sergeant in The United States Army. And with her Colonel Colleton's blessing, and with Chester and Meg standing as her Godparents, she decided to convert to Roman Catholicism, and she was baptized. But most importantly, Tali now had something she never truly had before, A Father, and A Family.
As the clock struck 2030 hours sharp, everyone filed into the dinning room. At the head of the table sat The old man himself, Colonel Thomas Colleton, down one side was his family,, his daughter, Tali, his younger sister, Ann, who was 26, and his younger brother, Jacob, who was 21 and had just graduated from West Point in June, and was a 2nd Lieutenant in The 82nd Airborne Division. Next to them were Captain Bauer, his wife Terri, and their 13- year old daughter Kim. Next to her was Lieutenant Commander Harmon Rabb Jr. of The US Navy Judge Advocate General Corps. On the other side of the table, Tony sat next to Colonel Colleton, with Kate and Three next to him. Sitting next to Kate was Malachi, with Chester and Meg next to him. and finally rounding it all out, was Colonel Colleton's aide, 1st Lieutenant Bridget Sullivan and 2nd Lieutenant Billy Hazard.
As everyone settled into their seats, Tom used his knife to tap his glass and get everyone's attention as he stood up. "It has been a tough year for all of us. And yet, through all of it, we have come through strong as ever. Yes, we lost a few along the way, but we gained just as much. 1st, there's Billy, or 'Billy The Kid' as Tony likes to call him" he said as everyone laughed. "Billy, who for some reason, his weapon of choice 1st debuted on the battlefield more than ½ a century ago, has joined our little family, and we welcome him to it with open arms. And then there is another" he said as tears came to his eyes. "It in this job, as many of you know, you have little time for a personal life. Chester and Meg are the rare exception to that" he said "When General Garrison offered me this job 4 years ago; I knew that taking it would effectively end my social life. but I took it, because you people, you brave men, you Covert Warriors, you Unsung Heroes, needed someone to have your back, someone you could trust. I hoped that person could be me. And, it is. I never thought I'd have a family of my own, a wife and kids. Hell, I still don't have a wife" he paused looking over at Tali. "I started to believe that such things we're impossible for me. Until I met someone very special. Someone who stole my heart from day one. That person is my beautiful daughter, Tali" he said, with tears in his eyes. Tali eyes began flowing with tears of joy. "I love you Tali Colleton, you are my family, my daughter" he said. "Mi Hija" he said in Spanish.
Tali jumped out of her seat and ran over hugging her father tightly. "I love you Daddy" she mumbled through her tears.
"I love you too sweetie pie" he replied, hugging her just as tightly. As they reluctantly ended the hug, Tom put his free arm around Tali's shoulder. With his mother hand he raised his glass. "So on this beautiful Christmas Night, Here's to those we have lost, and to those we have gained. Here's to Family, and spending this wonderful Christmas with them" he paused "Here's to… The Unit" he said as everyone raised there glasses.
For 10 years The Unit had been his family, and Fort Bragg had been his home. And now he had to leave it all behind.
0130 hours, 13 October 2000, Colleton Residence, Base Housing, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Sergeant 1st Class Tali Colleton had cried herself to sleep that night. The fact that the man she fell in love with was leaving had been too much for her. she one thing she was glad for was that she had a house to herself. After her father was forced out, she had been able to keep it. Until now, the really hadn't mattered to her, but all of a sudden, it did. She just wanted to be alone with her thoughts. She would miss everything about Malachi. His smile, his laugh, his rock hard abs, oh god would she miss those. She would miss the times they were in the field together.
When they didn't get a response, they kicked the door in. when they saw Zwelling's body sprawled out dead on the bed, they raised there AK-47s and pointed them at the women. "Los Manos en su cabeza, ahora" they ordered. The women shut her eyes and did as they ordered. She dropped to her knees as the 2 men approached. She heard 4 gunshots rang out. After a few seconds, she realized that none of the shots had hit her. She opened her eyes and saw the 2 soldiers, lying dead on the floor. she looked up and saw a man standing by the open door, he was holstering his M9.
"Malachi?" she whispered. He quickly rushed over and picked her up off her knees.
"Come on Tali girl, you didn't think I was gonna just up and leave ya?" he asked sarcastically.
"Thank you" she said as she kissed him on the cheek.
"Come on, we gotta get to the Marina" he said as he grabbed her hand and pulled her out the door.
0120 hours, 7 March 1998, Level 2, Parking garage, Las Palmas Hotel, Havana, Cuba. "Malachi, how are we getting out of here?" Tali asked, her hand still intertwined with Malachi's.
"This" said Malachi as he turned the corner and rolled out a Motorcycle "a 1998 Kawasaki XJ9 Ninja" he said. He jumped on and kick started it. He put on his helmet and then handed one to Tali. "Come on get on" he said with a smile. she put on the helmet and climbed on to back on the motorcycle. She locked her arms around Malachi's abs. Damn! She thought as she felt how well built he was. She slide forward and pressed her body to Malachi's back. Mal hit the throttle as they sped off into the night.
It wasn't just his amazing body she would miss either. For the past 3 years, they would have lunch together every Friday, or at least when ever Mal wasn't "otherwise occupied". But one of her most cherished memories, had actually happened, quite byb accident.
0630 hours, 18 June 1998, Tactical Operations Center, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Malachi and Tali had been in the T.O.C all night, waiting to hear from Tony. At about, 0430, both of them had nodded off to sleep. When Colonel Colleton and Chester walked in the next morning, they found both Tali and Mal, asleep on the floor. Malachi was laid out on the floor. The stupid fuck can sleep anywhere, just like Top Chester thought. Tali had fallen asleep with her head on Malachi's chest, with her left arm draped across him stomach. In turn, Malachi had his left arm wrapped around Tali's shoulder, hugging her close. Both Tom and Chester looked at each other and laughed. The sound of their laughter rose both Tali and Malachi from there slumber. They both sat up and looked at the 2 men standing before them. "Oh shit" Malachi mumbled. Tali blushed bright red. Chester burst out laughing. Colonel Colleton, however, was not as amused.
"Ya know, I was in your situation once with Meg, when we were in Naples. Except, it was Tony that roused use, not Meg's Father" said Chester smiling. Malachi responded by flipping him off. "Nothing happened"
"Any word from Movie Buff?" asked Colleton, trying to change the subject while also resisting the urge to punch Malachi's lights out.
"We've been here all night Sir, nothing yet" replied Malachi.
"Your not helping your case any" snicker Chester.
"Shut up" gritted Tali through her teeth as she punched Chester in the arm.
It was very shortly after that, that her Abba was forced out by The Washington Higher-ups. Everyone in the Unit had been very understanding, but Malachi had been there for her from the beginning. Every night she would cry and Malachi would hold her in a warm embrace, rocking her back and forth in his strong arms.
It had been a rough few months for Tali. She still performed all her duties, but she seemed like a zombie while she did them. The only person she did open up to was Malachi. Every night she would cry her eyes out as he held her in his arms. Tony felt really bad for Malachi. Although he had no concrete evidence, he suspected that Malachi had deep feelings for Tali, despite their age difference. The problem, at least what Tony perceived it to be, was that while Malachi had been with The Unit for 7 years now, he technically was still "on loan" from The Mossad, and could be called back at anytime. Thankfully, the current Mossad Director, Abraham Gold, saw no point in doing this and had let Malachi do his own thing for the past 7 years. But Director Gold was very old, and very sick, and unfortunately Eli David was in line to succeed him as Director of The Mossad.
Then Colonel Bell showed up, who had nearly pushed Tali to the breaking point. She still fondly remembered their late night/early morning "discussion" when they got back from D.C
0105 hours, 15 September 1998, Main flight line, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. When the 6 men deplaned, Tony sent Billy and Cole home to get some sleep. The remaining 4 men were met on the flight by Tali, who had driven up in her classic black 1968 Pontiac GTO, which Tony and Malachi had helped her restore. Sitting on the hood of the GTO were 5 cups and a file folder. "Tals, that better be coffee, cause we all in for a long night" said Tony, who was exhausted.
"Tony, coffee, milk, and the same for Malachi and Jack" she said handing them there coffees. "And Chester, one Irish Coffee" she said, sounding less than amused. Chester smiled as he took it from her and took a sip.
"Irish?" asked Malachi.
"It means it has alcohol in it" said Tony. Then he turned to Chester. "Really Ironman, Irish?" Tony asked.
"Well I wanted to make it Belgian, but the waffles wouldn't fit in the cup" said Chester, which caused everyone to laugh.
"Alright come on, let's get this done." Said Tony, who pulled a flash light from his pack. "Is that Colonel Bell's file?" Tony asked, pointing to the file folder Tali had brought.
"Yep" said Tali as she slid it over to him.
"He ever seen Combat?" asked Bauer.
"Dude, I don't think he's ever even heard shots fired in anger" said Tony, laughing.
"Really?" asked Jack.
"Here, see for ya self" said Tony as he passed the file over to him.
"Looks like he's been playing the political game his whole life, ever since he graduated form Oklahoma University in 1975" said Jack as he read the file. "Wow, look at these APFT scores" said Jack. "180, the bare minimum"
"You can get that low?" asked Tony.
"Not in The Unit you can't" said Jack. In the Unit, you needed a score of at least 270 to be an operator. Tony, had maintained a perfect Score during his entire Military career, 300.
"So how much do we tell him?" asked Chester. Tony and Jack looked at each other and nodded.
"Nothing" they both replied at the same time. Tony checked his watch.
"Ok, its 0130, our wives are already gonna kill us, lets not make it worse" said Tony as he closed Bell's file.
It was a few months later that Tali truly learned just how much she meant to Malachi.
0805 hours, 6 January 1999, Tactical Operations Center, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. It had been a long night of nothing but sheer boredom for Malachi. He had had the watch that night and absolutely nothing had happened. He was doing his best not to fall asleep when Colonel Bell stormed in, with Tali, who looked as if she had been crying, followed quickly behind. "Tali! What's wrong?" said Malachi as he shot out of his chair.
"This is what's wrong" said Bell as he slapped a file into Mal's Chest. He opened it and saw that it was Tali's personnel file.
"What about it?" asked Mal.
"It's a bunch a crap. Staff Sergeant Colleton wasn't born in South Carolina, hell, she wasn't even born in the United States" Bell complained.
"So, neither was I" Malachi pointed out.
"Which is exactly why I don't trust you neither" said Bell as he spit on the floor. Malachi lunged forward and grabbed Bell by his lapels and slammed him into the wall.
"If you ever, say ANYTHING negative about Tali again, so help me God, I will break you in 2. Tali is my best friend, and the daughter of your predecessor, Colonel Thomas Colleton, who, unlike you, had this job because he was good at it, not because he knew the right politician, you paper-pushing, brown nosing piece of shit" he yelled as he threw Bell to the ground. Then Malachi noticed something. Tali's cheek was bright red. Malachi walked over. "Did he hit you?" Malachi asked. Tali nodded slightly. Then Mal turned back to Bell, who was still on the ground. "You hit her?" Mal asked, becoming more and more enraged by the minute. No waiting for the answer, Malachi jumped on top of Bell. He began pounding Bell's face in with punch after punch, alternating between rights and lefts.
Realizing that Mal would be in serious trouble if he continued, Tali quickly went over and tried to pull him off Colonel Bell. She grabbed his shoulders as she yelled "Mal stop! Mal Please, he's not worth it". When that had absolutely no effect, she tried a different approach. "Mal Please, I can't lose you" she pleaded.
When Mal heard her say that, he realized something too. I can't lose her either he thought. His rage slowly died down, and he lost all energy as he fell back into Tali's arms. He quickly composed himself and pulled Tali into his arms. "You'll never lose me" he assured her. "I promise" he said. Then he turned to Bell "You ever touch her again, and I'll kill ya" Malachi threatened.
It was on that day that Tali truly began to believe that Malachi loved her as much as she loved him. But for some reason, neither of them had ever brought it up. In the past 3 years, each of them had had their far share of dates, and each had been supportive of each other. They had been doing the same dance for 3 years, and she was tired of it.
1800 hours, 13 October 2000, Charlotte International Airport, Charlotte, North Carolina.
Malachi watched on as his white 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS was loaded into the special C-130 that would be flying him back to Israel. He was dressed in his Israeli Commando IDF dress uniform. He spun around as he heard footsteps approaching from behind. He smiled as he saw Tony approach. "You didn't think I'd let you leave without saying goodbye did ya?" Tony asked rhetorically. Tony walked forward and gave Mal a hug. Stepping back he continued "We had a hell of a run Mal, hell of a run" commented DiNozzo as he shoved his hands into his jean pockets. "I see you're taking the Chevelle with ya" Tony observed.
"Yeah, I figured it quite the item in Israel" said Mal with a smile.
"Mal, keep Liat safe will ya" Tony asked him.
"And Ziva too right?" Mal asked with a smile.
"I have a wife Mal" Tony countered.
"Don't worry, I'm a man of my word, I won't say anything to Kate about you falling head over heals for a girl you've never even met" Mal assured him with a smile. Tony smiled, and then he snapped to attention and threw Malachi a salute.
"Good Luck Senior Sergeant Ben-Gidon". Malachi quickly followed suit.
"Good Luck Lieutenant Colonel DiNozzo". Off in the distance, a familiar sound approached, it was the roar of the engine in Tali's 68' Pontiac GTO.
"I think someone else wants to say goodbye" Tony said. He walked away just as Tali pulled up. As she stepped out of the car, Malachi could see that she had tears in her eye. She slammed her door shut and slowly approached Malachi. Mal knew it was now or never.
"Mal, I" was all the she was able to get out before Mal closed the distance between them and captured her lips with his own. They let all of their love and emotions fly as their respective tongues fought for control. They let everything go, all that love that had been building up for 3 years. After a minute, they broke to catch their breath.
"I Love you Tali Colleton" said mal, his eyes filled with tears.
"I love you too Malachi Ben-Gidon" Tali quickly replied.
"Tali, leaving you behind will be the hardest thing I have ever done. But I have to go, if I don't I'll be putting all of you at risk" he said as he used his thumbs to whip the tears from her eyes. "Shalom Ahuvi Shelli" he said as he kissed her one final time before reluctantly walking away and boarding the aircraft. Tali collapsed back into tears. Tony stepped forward once again and pulled Tali into a loving embrace. They watched from the runway as Mal's plane took off. They stood there, in silence, for a few more minutes before Tony's sat phone rang.
"Go for Movie Buff" he said answering. He listened for a couple of minutes. "Copy that Ex-Caliber, Freedom and Myself en-route, Movie Buff out" he said hanging up. He looked down at Tali. "You up?" he asked. She didn't respond. "Freedom" he said, putting a little more authority in his voice. "We got a lead on The Cole, you up for it?" Tony asked.
"Yes" she said, the confidence she always had slowly coming back to life. "Where are we going?" she asked.
"Yemen"
Next time on "28 Seconds: Strength & Honor"-
With The Unit still reeling from the departures of Captain Bauer and Malachi; they are called into action once again. Tony and Tali head to Yemen to track down a naval Officer who may have had a hand in the bombing of The U.S.S Cole. Once there, they encounter an MI-6 Agent, who knows a little too much about Tony's closely guarded past.
A/N- Had to send him off right. I want to see emotion people, let's send "Blue Star" off with a bang. Let's shoot for 20 reviews on this one, PLEASE!
P.S- PLEASE REVIEW!