Warnings: Spoilers for Season 7.
A/N: Here's the next part. It's shorter than usual, but I promise a longer update is coming. Enjoy!
"I'm really, really, worried, Gibbs," Abby said, her green eyes wide. "They're…it's just not a safe area."
"Tony can take care of himself, Abs," Gibbs tried to reassure her, but he wasn't feeling it. Truth was, he was having the same bad feelings that she was, even though the senior field agent had checked in over an hour ago after their first twenty-four hours on land. There was nothing for Tony to report and by all appearances, the younger man had looked a little bored to Gibbs. "Both Tony and Natalie were trained cops—they've got each other's backs out there."
Abby pouted, glanced at a black notebook on her table. "Can't you order them back here? I mean you told Tony not to investigate the Damocles or the crew!"
Gibbs sighed and shrugged. "DiNozzo isn't investigating the Damocles or its crew. He's doing threat assessments. And ordering him back here doesn't close our case. Cryer was selling information and we have reason to believe that he was selling it to Saleem. Tony and Natalie have a duty to track that terrorist down before anyone gets hurt. They aren't going into that camp without the Seals, Abs. Promise."
"That location for Saleem may not be accurate," Abby pointed out. "The last Caf-Pow supply was sent over a month ago. Everything we know about him suggests that he moves around a lot to avoid being found by either us or Mossad."
"Are you monitoring the website to see when he places his next order?" Gibbs asked. "Because he's going to run out—eventually."
She looked at him, incredulously. "Of course I'm monitoring that. If Tony and Natalie are going to conduct a raid to arrest the man I want to make sure we have the right location, Gibbs."
He smiled, gently at her and kissed her cheek. "Nice work, Abs. I'll be getting coffee if you need me."
"You're awfully calm about this," Abby said, frowning.
"Well," Gibbs replied as he left, "it's not like I can slap DiNozzo on the back of the head through the feed in MTAC—as much as I want too."
With a silent groan, Gibbs climbed into the elevator and hit the button for the bullpen floor. Truth was he was furious at Tony for leaving the safety of the Enterprise to do "threat assessments". Gibbs knew that was a cover Tony was using to gathering information on where Cryer was selling his information, but that didn't make him any less angry. He had ordered the SFA to stay on the ship. Well, actually, boss, you told me not to investigate that crew or cargo freighter, he heard DiNozzo's voice arguing in his head.
But that didn't matter now. What mattered was that Tony and Natalie were running around in a dangerous part of the world, possibly messing up Eli David's plan and squarely making them the next target.
It was exactly what Gibbs would have done. Which made it all the more frustrating.
"DiNozzo check in yet?" the team leader asked when he appeared in the bullpen.
"Twenty minutes ago. He wanted me to run facial recognition on photos he took with his cell phone," McGee replied, glancing up.
Gibbs peered at the screen, saw a Middle Eastern looking man's face on it while the program rapidly scanned for a match. "Tony tell you why he wanted this done?"
McGee bit down on his lower lip, nervously. "Natalie thinks they're being observed."
Every hair on the back of his neck stood on end. Of course their presence wasn't going to go unnoticed. People would have to be blind not to notice a Western woman with a gun, let alone the heavy presence of marines in the area that were at Dunham's disposal for raids. Slowly, Gibbs let out a breath. "Next time Tony checks in, you let him know that I want to hear from him every hour on the hour."
"Got it, boss. You think they're in danger?"
"McGee…its North Africa…yes…they're in danger. The moment they stepped off that damn ship."
The young man's eyes flickered towards the two empty desks. "I suppose Abby is pacing her lab with worry?"
Gibbs chuckled. "She'll be fine—once Tony gets back to the States." He grabbed is keys and told McGee he'd be back later. He needed a refill on his coffee. Heading out into the warm September sunshine, he sighed again. He wanted to join Abby in her pacing but he had to keep up a calm façade. If he showed the team that he was falling apart with worry—well the rest would fall apart with worry as well. Besides, there really was nothing to worry about at this point. Tony and Natalie were checking in regularly. Gibbs had even surprised called them on the SAT just to make sure.
DiNozzo had joked with him that he was like a father checking up on his teenage kids off on their own for the first time. But Gibbs couldn't help it. Yes, Natalie was a good cop, and yes, Tony was a great agent, but that did not help the unsettled feeling in his stomach that his newest agent just wasn't ready yet for an overseas operation like this. If he had known that Tony was going to be daring and sneaky and leave the ship—Gibbs would have gone with him instead.
He sighed and leaned back against the wall of the elevator as the cab made its descent to the garage. Nothing that can be done now, he thought as he got off and headed towards his car, nothing that can be done but sit and wait.
Waiting had never been his strong suit. Gibbs was a man of action. Sitting around NCIS while two of his agents were flies circling a deadly spider web, hoping not to get caught, wasn't easy for him. It was no secret the intense desire he had to protect his team. Since he had failed to keep Shannon and Kelly safe, he felt that he owed it to them to devote the rest of his life to helping and protecting people—keeping his team safe was on the top of that list.
"DiNozzo," he whispered, as he got into the car, "watch your six out there."
Natalie pulled her hair back into a low ponytail and slung it through her Red Sox cap. For the last twenty-four hours she had been doing "threat assessments" with Tony in the hopes that they were going to locate the terrorist that Cryer was selling his information too. People weren't talking much and if they were, well, the messages were rather cryptic. It was certainly stretching her profiling abilities thin. And in the end both of them kept coming back to the same conclusion—no one in this damn little village knew what was really going on. So, that left them with nothing.
All she knew was that it was dusty and hot and she really, really wanted a shower. And perhaps a decent cup of coffee.
Propping her feet up on the dash of their Jeep, Natalie waited for Tony outside. The owner of this pawn shop of sorts hadn't been thrilled when a female started asking questions. Many of the men looked at her as an object, some spat at her feet when she walked by and others cursed her in languages she did not understand but she knew that what they were saying wasn't very nice. Given the circumstances, Tony thought it best for her to stay out side. In the hot sun. Yeah, this was a fantastic idea.
Natalie let out a slow breath and fixated her gaze on the tiny tables at the café across the street. She had been aware since sometime yesterday that they had been under observation. Tony had sensed it too and both agents had been on high alert, but so far, whoever was watching them hadn't made any attempts to make any sort of contact with them. Tony had snapped some photos of them on his cell phone and sent them to McGee for facial recognition. They were still waiting on that and McGee had said it was going to take time thanks to how grainy the photos were. Natalie knew that they were the best they were going to get. If they busted out a camera now and started snapping away their observers would surely take them out, no questions asked.
"Old man says that there's a settlement not far from here," Tony announced, climbing back into the driver's seat of the Jeep. "We're gonna meet up with Dunham, see if he knows anything about it."
"Good. I could use a change of scenery," Natalie snarked.
"Aw, what's the matter—don't like sand?"
"Not the sand I don't like—just the feeling that everyone's eyes are on me."
Tony started the Jeep up. "That's because they are, Nat. Western woman, with a gun—they know what you are. Actually, you could be one of two things in this part of the world—spy or arm's dealer."
Natalie rolled her eyes underneath her sunglasses, keeping them fixed on the tiny café across the street, where she knew she was being watched by at least one man and one woman. They had been following the pair of federal agents since they arrived in this village. And even though the couple hadn't tried anything, Natalie still got an uneasy feeling when they popped up everywhere that she was going with Tony. She briefly wondered if this is how someone who was being stalked felt like, because that's how she felt—like they were prey. "Our friends went to have lunch. Think they'll want to follow us to base camp?"
"And meet with a whole unit of Marines? Doubtful. They're just making sure we behave ourselves."
"How long will it take us to reach Dunham?"
Tony glanced at his watch. "Probably about an hour, give or take. They're pretty far out, still searching for Saleem."
Natalie eyed him cautiously. "Saleem or Mossad?"
"Perhaps both," he replied, steering the Jeep through the tiny streets of the village. "Either way—Dunham's expecting us."
"Well, then I guess we shouldn't keep him waiting," she said, with a smile.
Tony grinned and pushed the Jeep through the desert, hopeful that by nightfall they would be back on the Enterprise and awaiting transport back to Washington.
It was like watching everything they had worked for the last several months go up in smoke as the American agents dug around, sticking their noses in where they didn't belong. Both watched as a cloud of dust billowed behind the Americans jeep as it tore out of the village, headed towards where the Marines were supposedly camped.
They hadn't found the camp yet, and even if they did it would be suicide to try and attack it. Once the two agents were in safe confines of that camp there would be no touching them. Everything was in Jeopardy as long as the two American agents were around. He pulled his cell phone out and gazed at his female companion. Something had to be done and fast. Lives depended on it. Dialing, it did not take long for his intended contact to answer. "The American agents have left the village. What do you want us to do?"
"Are they heading to meet up with the Marines?" a low, dark response came out of the line.
"Yes. I'm sure the old man gave up the settlement for some American money," he replied with a scowl. "He was always too easy to trust with that kind of information."
An angry breath was released, "Deal with him another day. First, take care of the Americans."
He snapped his phone shut and nodded at his companion. Before they could complete their first mission they were going to have to complete another one—they were going to have to make the American agents disappear—forever.