Bit of a shorter chapter but they cut off that case quickly and there's a few episodes after this I plan to skip so I figured I'd just cut this short and get the next case in the next one.

Morgan stretched carefully in the elevator as she headed up to the bullpen with Russell. For once, she'd gotten a good night's sleep. Her new meds were working well and that combined with the resolution she and Gibbs had come to, meant that she wasn't up all night. It was one less thing to worry about and the added presence of Mann was a bonus. She didn't want to think of what would happen if it was some other superior whom they had to work with, especially if it was someone she'd knocked heads with before. Mann was a welcome relief in that aspect, even if it was a bit awkward when Gibbs was around.

Morgan hadn't quite figured out why that was. She and Mann got on well enough; better than most, really. With their past work experiences, it was hard catching herself when Mann gave her commands. Gibbs was her boss, not Mann, but old habits die hard and it was possible her loyalty to Mann was causing issues between her and Gibbs. Or there's something else going on, she idly mused, brows furrowed for a moment before she brushed it off. It wasn't her business if there was. So, she turned her attention back to the case and the other members of the team as she headed into the bullpen. Shenanigans were already happening judging by Tony and Ziva's smirking faces and she raised a brow as she walked past them and to her desk with Russell.

"Do I want to know?"

"Ooh, here. Take a wild guess," Tony said, showing her a video on his phone of McGee scratching himself as the man glared at them from across the way.

"Ah, poison ivy then?" She commented, allowing McGee to let out a sigh of relief.

"See? She understands. I was itching because it's spreading, okay?"

"This is your second tango with the vicious weed, McGee. Maybe you ought to learn what that stuff looks like," Tony hummed as Ziva nodded.

"And avoid it."

"Yeah, I thought I did," McGee grumbled. "Ugh, this is killing me."

"Did you try baking soda and vinegar?" Morgan suggested. "Worked well in the army. Makes a sort of paste to help with the itching."

"Thanks. I'll try that. Still, when Gibbs told me to check out the forest, I should have just told him—"

"Tell me what, McGee?" Gibbs questioned, having stepped into the bullpen as McGee grimaced.

"No."

"Well, that probably would have been a good idea. Baking soda and vinegar."

"Just told him that," Morgan chimed as Gibbs nodded.

"Not now, McGee. After we catch the terrorist."

McGee grimaced, having started to get up before Gibbs had stopped him. "Oh, that could be a while. All the Club guests check out. Local LEOs report no unusual activity in the area."

"DiNozzo."

"I've gone through the last month of the Club's video surveillance. If a terrorist cell was casing the joint, they hid their tracks pretty well."

Gibbs turned to Ziva. "Your contact at Interpol—"

"Uh, said there was almost no uptick in chatter prior to the explosion."

"Homegrown then?" Morgan questioned. "You'd get less chatter if they're a new group. The bombing could've been their first. A test run or them making their first public move to be noticed."

"However this cell is operating. They found a way to do so without making a shred of evidence."

"Other than a dead Marine," Gibbs reminded them, stepping out and hoping to have more of an idea of where to lead the team by talking to the Director.

He wasn't wrong either. The CIA just handed over information regarding the terrorist cell possibly involved with his bomb case and with Mann on the way, he was quick to get the team together and sent to the location. When they showed up, Mann was already there and passing out orders to her men.

"CID beat us to the punch again. That's twice in one week," Tony complained.

"They were called first," Morgan reminded him as she had Russell hop out and Gibbs gave him a look.

"I didn't know this was a race, DiNozzo."

"Oh, no. It's not. I'm just not used to these joint efforts."

"Glad to see you finally made it," Mann teased as Gibbs headed over and her men moved in. "To be honest, I thought you'd beat me here and headed in without me. Morgan would have."

Morgan shot her a mildly annoyed look. "You know I'm not allowed to run off anymore, right?"

"You weren't allowed in the first place. That never stopped you," Mann replied.

"No, the suspension did," Morgan huffed as they drew their weapons and entered the warehouse.

Everyone spread out cautiously but Morgan frowned, already seeing something off with Russell as the all-clears were called out.

"Oh, that's original," Gibbs commented on the spray paint nearby reading, "Death to America."

"Metro subway maps, national monuments, bridge blueprints," Mann hummed, eyeing the papers on the corkboard nearby.

"Potential targets," Ziva noted before a bark and a whine echoed through the room.

All eyes immediately went to Morgan and Russell, who was circling uneasily.

"What's wrong?" Mann asked, not having seen that response from him before.

"He's found something," Morgan said, glancing up and drawing their attention to the roof beams where a bomb was sitting. "Just wasn't sure how to report a bomb in the roof, I guess."

"I think we know who their target is, boss," Tony muttered as Mann barked out orders to her men.

"All right, secure the building, now!"

"Ziva, Tony, out the back door. No one in until EOD gets here," Gibbs ordered, sending them out as he nodded for Morgan to head out the front.

He waited to make sure everyone was out before heading out himself, not knowing that Ziva and Tony had returned to try and disarm the bomb. Of course, they were both smacked upside the head when they finished and went out to let them know. However, this allowed NCIS to have good, up-close photos of the bombs they were dealing with, which they went to look at upon returning to the bullpen.

"The bomb was set to go off when the cell was called," Tony replied, flicking through the images.

"It's prepaid and disposable. Never been used," Ziva added.

"So, there's no call log," Gibbs concluded as Tony gave Ziva a smirk.

"Thanks to our bomb disposal expert, we still have plenty to work with."

"Looks like two or three people were staying there," Ziva noted at the images showing the bunks that were used.

"Abby's processing it."

"Nice job, Ziva. You do anything like that ever again, I'll kick your ass back to Israel," Gibbs scolded her as Mann got off the phone and headed over.

"CIA refuses to let us talk to their source directly," she informed him.

"Protected."

"The right hand still isn't talking to the left hand, and we have no idea what this source actually said."

"Typical," Morgan huffed as Gibbs called out.

"Oh, McGee."

"Yeah, almost there, boss," McGee chimed, making Mann look at them both in surprise.

"You're not hacking the CIA…"

"No, no, no. Homeland Security. They host a redundant CIA archive," McGee corrected as Mann gave Gibbs a look.

"All right, my superiors are not going to like this."

"Well, don't tell them," Gibbs hummed, making her smirk.

"Smart and devious. That's a dangerous combination. Isn't that right, Morgan?"

Morgan shot her an annoyed look. "Pot calling kettle."

"I'm not the one who used the loopholes in mission protocols to avoid persecution after sneaking around solo."

"No, you just never said anything when you caught me," Morgan chimed in return as Mann gave Gibbs a look.

"You see what I had to deal with?"

Gibbs cracked a small smile as McGee called out and Mann headed over to read over his shoulders.

"I'm in. Okay, the informant's name is Mamoun Sharif. Native of Lebanon. Arrested in Beirut for extortion. Cooperated with Interpol."

"Helped break a stolen weapon ring on one of our bases in Turkey," Mann read.

"CIA moved him to the States. Been on a retainer ever since. Has a small convenience store in Roslyn, Virginia. Address."

McGee held up the paper he jotted it down on and Mann took it so she and Gibbs could head off and make contact to find out what the man knew about the terrorist cell they were after. The team watched them go for a moment before glancing at one another. The only one not paying attention to the looks being passed around was Morgan, who was seeing if there was anything more she could find on the CIA informant. What's more, as Ziva popped open a chat group with the other two, Morgan had no idea the looks were about her.

Did you two see that? Ziva asked as Tony nodded and McGee typed back.

Yeah. Is something going on between Mann and Gibbs?

More than that, probie. We had bets on Morgan and him, didn't we? Tony replied. If things weren't awkward before, they sure will be now with Gibbs eyeing another woman.

But we don't know if that's what's happening… right? McGee offered hesitantly, unsure himself of what was going on.

Mann and Morgan seem friendly, Ziva pointed out as well, shrugging at Tony's look.

I've seen best friends turn on each other like rabid dogs for liking the same man.

Oh, please. Morgan is hardly going to start a catfight over Gibbs.

Wait, McGee stopped them. Does Morgan even know what's going on?

All eyes went to Morgan then and the group collectively winced. No. No, she did not.

"Look, uh…" Tony got up, clearing his throat and nodding toward the elevator. "I need to go for a bit. Doctor's appointment. Won't be long. Hold down the fort, McGeek."

That was the cue for the group to stop their discussion about the possible love triangle going on, though it remained in the back of their minds when Gibbs and Mann returned.

"Look quick!" McGee hissed to Ziva, whom he'd been talking to by her desk when they entered. "Look! Did you see that?"

"See what?" Ziva asked, confused.

"Gibbs let her go first. He never lets anyone go first."

"He lets Morgan go first," she corrected before pausing. "Sometimes… I think."

Gibbs walked past and handed a VHS tape to McGee. "Give this to Abby. I.D. on anyone buying a Slurpee. Where's Dinozzo?"

"Uh, he had a doctor's appointment," McGee informed him.

"I want him on that grocery store."

"He said he'll be back ASAP," McGee offered but Gibbs ignored him as he went upstairs and McGee stepped out of the bullpen to call Tony and find out what was going on.

He didn't get much but begrudgingly abandoned Tony for the moment to go do as Gibbs said and take the tape down to Abby. As time went on, the only ones left in the bullpen were Mann and Morgan. Mann was flipping through the crime scene and warehouse photos on the large screen while Morgan was scowling at her computer in annoyance.

"Why does the CIA have to blot out everything?" She grumbled, hitting a key rather harshly before leaning back in her chair and rubbing at her eyes from under her glasses.

"Because that's how they are," Mann replied. "Big government agencies always try to hide things even when they're being cooperative. Still nothing on Sharif?"

"Nothing we don't already know."

"You do realize he could just be a normal informant."

Morgan groaned. "You know I like to cover all my bases."

"You mean you have trust issues," Mann teased and Morgan peered open an eye to glare at her before Gibbs headed back over.

His arms were full of food bags and drinks, making Morgan quickly get up to help him as he kicked an office chair over toward his desk. Mann simply raised a brow, watching the two interact for a moment before she spoke up.

"When did you leave?"

Gibbs just cracked a smirk and Mann sat in the office chair he'd kicked over as Morgan glanced at her briefly. She then turned to Gibbs as she pulled the cups from the holder and he emptied out the food.

"I was going to head home in a minute," she muttered, earning a glance from him.

"And now, you're going to sit here and enjoy some food."

"I should just take it with me," she grumbled.

"Morgan."

She sighed, giving in easily, and just pulled over her own chair as Mann chuckled.

"You're lucky she's a cheap date," she hummed, earning a glare from Morgan as Gibbs glanced at her.

"This is a date?"

"It's a figure of speech," Morgan huffed, not reading too far into it given how she was used to explaining such things to Ziva.

Mann gave Gibbs an "I told you so" look and he shrugged, unbothered by Morgan's obliviousness. He'd just have to be more blunt later.

"So, I've got the food. You two solve the case?"

"No, I was about to when you broke my concentration," Mann joked.

"That easy to break, huh?"

"When I'm hungry. I thought I was close to a break, but now I've got more questions than answers."

"What about you, Frost?" Gibbs asked as they dug into their Chinese takeout.

"I was stonewalled by the CIA while trying to find more info on the informant," she huffed, leaning back in her chair once she'd picked out the celery in her chow mein.

"You think he's gone rogue?"

"Not necessarily. I just don't like not knowing who I'm dealing with," she replied, glancing at him and correcting herself. "Who we're dealing with."

"Still trying to run off on your own, huh?" Mann teased, earning an eye-roll from the woman before she spoke up. "Colonel Cooper, was he specifically targeted?"

"No way to know who'd be in the bunker," Gibbs pointed out as Morgan hummed.

"Random attack at a big military golf course. It's a terrorist attack trying to send a message. They didn't care who they blew up, just that they did."

"Except the explosive was not designed to kill," Mann pointed out.

"Well, the guy in the morgue would probably disagree with that," Gibbs scoffed.

"No, I mean, if the terrorists had packed the bomb full of shrapnel like they usually do, then the son would be dead, too."

"It would make the bomb easier to detect," Gibbs countered.

"Which means the terrorists' priority is clearly to avoid detection."

"Or they're still new to everything and this was their test run," Morgan offered. "Try out a bomb, see if they like it, how much noise it makes, and how far we get looking for them. Then, try it out on a larger scale when they really want to show off. Make adjustments to ensure that whatever we caught on to won't happen when the big show begins and they set themselves up for success. Make a ton of noise, don't get caught, set their place as the next round of big terrorist groups."

"Right, because if they were just covering their tracks, why write 'Death to America' all over their hideout?" Mann hummed, giving her a look. "I forgot how good you were at this, Morgan. Remind me to be glad you're on our side. I'd hate to see you as a terrorist."

Morgan grumbled around her food and Mann cracked a small apologetic smile.

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize," Gibbs stopped her, earning a raised brow. "Sign of weakness."

"I thought it took strength to apologize," Mann countered.

"Depends on who's apologizing," Morgan replied, setting down her empty food container and getting up. "I need to take Russell out and grab him some food from my car. I'll be back."

She headed out and Mann turned to Gibbs.

"She has no idea, does she?"

"Nope," he replied easily.

"Damn," Mann huffed, taking a sip from her drink. "What are you going to do about it?"

Gibbs cracked a small smile. "Be more forward."

"That's it? Come on. You can do better."

"I thought you were trying to help her out?"

"You seem decent enough," Mann replied with a small shrug. "You're handling her better than her previous superiors and she hasn't gut you yet."

"You know about the stalker then."

Mann nodded, with a frown. "Completely preventable and it pisses me off it happened in the first place. Still, got her to end up at my base, so there's that. She never gets the decent guys."

"She doesn't seem the dating type."

"Oh, she's not, but that doesn't mean she never caught people's attention," Mann replied easily. "She was just too focused on her work to notice. Any brave enough to approach were waved off and dismissed. Like I said, you've got your work cut out for you. If you're going to be blunt about it, then you better be very blunt."

He shrugged. "We'll see. Like you said, I don't want to end up gutted."

Later that evening, the news came out that the CIA informant that Gibbs and Mann had spoken to was caught in an explosion at his store, and by the following morning, the man's body was down in autopsy. Gibbs and Mann had stepped in to check with Ducky while Morgan went to see if Abby had managed anything on her end. From what they found with Ducky, the man had been burned alive before the explosion happened so they were hoping they had whatever the terrorists were trying to destroy.

"Oh, come on! Down in front, man!" Abby complained as she and Morgan watched the footage Gibbs had sent her.

She went to ask Abby if there was anything of importance on the footage but winced slightly when Mann and Gibbs walked in.

"Do all your people talk to themselves?" Mann asked as Gibbs shot her a glance.

"Don't yours?"

"Morgan doesn't," Mann pointed out and Morgan shifted her glance away a little sheepishly.

Their discussion with Ducky had been shorter than expected and Morgan was a little on edge when the two were around. It was one thing to be awkward around Gibbs after they made up from their fight, but it was another thing entirely to act off while Mann was around. Morgan knew the woman liked to meddle in things and had the uneasy feeling that she and Gibbs were up to something. Something had obviously changed in their relationship given the tension of working with another group had vanished and been replaced with friendly teasing. Morgan was just hoping it wasn't something that might cause trouble later. She knew how workplace relationships could get messy.

"Have you any idea how many Ring Dings are sold each day in your average convenience store?" Abby questioned the group as Morgan turned her attention back to the case.

"A lot?" Morgan offered as Gibbs sighed softly.

"Abs, the customers?"

"The customers! They're talking about everything from the weather to hemorrhoid cream," Abby replied, confusing Mann.

"There's no audio. How do you know what they're talking about?" Understanding dawned on her when Abby signed toward her lips. "Ah, you read lips."

Abby started signing to Gibbs then, who signed back as Morgan shifted a little again. She knew what they were saying and while it wasn't entirely rude, it was still a little odd to be stuck in the middle of a conversation she could understand and the person it was about.

"Okay, you guys want to keep talking about me, or get back to the case?" Mann questioned, seeing enough on Morgan's face and how the two were conversing to know they were talking about her.

"Um, after watching seven hours of the most boring reality show ever made, I have narrowed it down to one final contestant." Abby pointed at the figure on the screen. "He refers to himself as Abraham. He didn't say the name of the golf course, but he did say that the day of judgment was approaching."

"Frost," Gibbs started but Morgan nodded.

"I'll look him up."

Once back up in the bullpen, she brought up the information she could find on the screen for the team to see.

"Maryland DMV records state his full name is Abraham Moussalah. Born 1974, served three years for robbing a convenience store in Baltimore."

"What did he take?" Ziva asked and Morgan shrugged.

"$86 and some ding dongs."

"Spent some time in a psych ward. Converted to a radical sect of Islam," McGee added as Mann spoke up.

"Got a last known for him?"

"His probation officer hasn't heard from him in over a year," Morgan replied. "My guess is he's a homeless guy with mental issues. No credit cards, no vehicles, no addresses, no living family. He's either a terrorist or being used by them."

"I'll check the BOLO. See if there's any hits," Ziva chimed as Mann turned to Gibbs.

"CID should have intel on Abraham's sect. I'll make a few calls."

"I'm going to coordinate with local LEOs and Highway Patrol," McGee offered before looking around. "Where's Tony?"

"Don't worry about Tony. Tony is… fine," Gibbs informed him before answering his phone and getting up to head back down to Abby.

Mann was also on his tail and as they stepped out, McGee hissed across the bullpen.

"Ziva. Tony is…?"

She shrugged, not knowing herself and Morgan spoke up.

"If Gibbs says he is fine, then he's obviously doing something Gibbs doesn't care about," she said, picking up the phone. "I'm going to check with soup kitchens and homeless shelters in the area and see if there's anything there. All we can do is cover his workload while he's gone."

That being said, it wasn't long before Gibbs and Mann returned with a phone number they handed over to McGee to trace. A phone number having been used by the terrorists to test the cell phone from the bomb they'd recovered from the warehouse location.

"The incoming call came from the warehouse Sharif gave the CIA," McGee confirmed with the map pulled up on screen. "Must be where Abraham was testing the detonator."

"He's not there now," Gibbs informed him.

"The place has been crawling with EOD since yesterday."

"Can you trace that call?"

"If it's on. Ziva?"

"Almost done," Ziva replied as McGee explained to Gibbs and Mann.

"I'm having Ziva scan the cell-tower control-track frequencies, looking for the cell's registration request."

"McGee, it just powered up," Ziva called out, making Gibbs immediately concerned as they hurried over to Ziva's computer.

"Tell me he's not making a call."

"Nope, not yet. Ah, I've got his location. M Street and Wisconsin."

Morgan hung up her phone as she started to grab her things. "I just got confirmation from the Georgetown Ministry Center that he's been staying nearby and going in to get food when he can. It's less than a minute from those crossroads."

"When did they last see him?" Gibbs asked as the others started to get ready as well.

"This morning. He dropped in to get something for breakfast," Morgan replied as they hurried to the elevator and Mann pulled out her phone to get her team situated. "They said he's got some major mental health concerns but is generally an easy-going guy. I know anyone could be a terrorist but I'm betting he's being used. Might be able to talk him down."

"It all depends on him," Gibbs said, making a call himself to Tony to give him a heads up of where they were heading as the team piled into the cars.

They were going to need everyone on this.

"You guys weren't planning on starting without me, were you?" Tony complained when he hurried up to where Gibbs and the team were fitting in earpieces.

"Who's that?" Ziva joked as Mann sent her men off to get in position and Gibbs turned to him.

"Clear the civilians. Quietly," he added to the local cops nearby. "DiNozzo."

"Princeton," Tony informed him, regarding the decision the Colonel's son had decided on pursuing.

Mann was the first to point out Abraham though, having heard from the officers nearby where he was. "There. Abraham on the bench."

"If he sees us clear the Promenade, he may detonate," Ziva warned as Mann glanced at the crowd.

"If it's a tripwire, any of these people may detonate it."

"He's got a phone out," Morgan pointed out as they moved in. "They used a cell phone on the warehouse bomb."

"It's not connected to the backpack though," Tony replied, a little confused.

"Tripwire, cell phone. Who knows how he armed this one," Gibbs said, starting to take off his coat.

"A dead-man switch?" Tony suggested before seeing what Gibbs was doing. "Or not."

"Dinozzo, you keep your ears on me," Gibbs said as he took out his earpiece and glanced at Morgan. "Start clearing space around us. Use Russell and be subtle."

"Will do," she said, cutting away from the others and starting to walk Russell in a wide half-circle around the bench.

She was far enough away at the start to not be noticed and with Russell's size and appearance, it was easy to herd people away without them even realizing it.

"What the hell is he doing?" Mann questioned Tony though, uneasy about Gibbs heading off to confront the possible terrorist.

"What he always does," Tony replied easily as Gibbs took a man's hat and an officer started helping to herd civilians away from the area.

"Four marriages. Negotiating is probably not his thing."

"You'd be surprised," Tony hummed.

"Oh, I have been so far. Suppose this means he trusts her quite a bit."

"Who?"

Mann gave Tony a look. "Morgan. She said Abraham is probably a homeless guy with mental health troubles being used and we should talk him down. I get the feeling that if Abraham was a little more… terrorist-like, he wouldn't even think about this."

Tony gave her a surprised look, not having expected her to catch onto the possible blooming romance. "You're not jealous?"

Mann scoffed. "God no. I'm rooting for him. Lord knows Morgan could do with someone like him."

Gibbs spoke to them through his palm radio then as he approached the bench. "The cell's not the detonator." He then approached Abraham on the bench, hoping Morgan was right and spoke up nonchalantly. "My son, Tony, he plays that same game. What's your name?"

"Abraham," the man replied.

"Hey, Abraham. Jethro," Gibbs greeted, holding out a hand that the man shook easily, revealing a wire connecting his wrist to the backpack.

"Jethro?"

"That's the name they gave me."

Abraham was paying attention to him now, interested. "That means friend of God. The father-in-law of Moses. He walked with the Israelites when God parted the Red Sea. You know why God parted the Red Sea?"

"No."

"To show the people that sea creatures were totally dependent on God's will," Abraham explained.

"What is he talking about?" McGee questioned.

"I'd say this guy's a few puppies short of a pet shop," Tony replied as Ziva hummed.

"Most suicide bombers are."

"I still think he's just got health issues," Morgan replied over her own comm. "He latched onto religion like an addict latches onto drugs. Deep dove into things to try and find peace with himself. Make him easy picking for a terrorist who doesn't want to blow themselves up when they can get him to do it for them."

"If he's not the terrorist though," Mann started and Morgan cut her off.

"I know. I'm watching the crowd but there's a lot of people here and as good as Russell's nose is, I don't think he'd be able to pick him out here."

"You think the terrorist is here?" Tony questioned as Ziva too looked at the crowd.

"If Abraham isn't the terrorist himself, it's possible. Killers like to come back to the scene of the crime, don't they?"

"Abraham, can I ask you a question?" Gibbs said then, cutting off Abraham's biblical rant and earning a nod. "Do you think it's all right for someone to hurt innocent people?"

"No, Jethro!"

"I didn't think so. What are you doing here, Abraham?"

"I'm waiting for my friend. He's going to take me to dinner," Abraham informed him easily.

"Did your friend give you the backpack?"

"Mhmm. About an hour ago. He said so I don't lose it."

"What's this friend's name?"

"Sharif."

"Shit," Morgan spat under her breath, eyes whipping around to check the crowd for the face she'd been burning into her mind the previous evening.

"So, who's lying in autopsy then?" Tony muttered as Abraham continued.

"He was supposed to meet me here at three o'clock."

"Ziva!" Gibbs called out and Ziva rushed for him with the rest of the team to help Gibbs diffuse the bomb.

Morgan though, was still scanning the crowd, eyes flicking through the people in worry. Even if she did find Sharif now, she wouldn't be able to pursue him without the risk of him detonating the bomb early. There was always that possibility even if Abraham was the one who would trigger it. Most terrorists wouldn't risk not having a failsafe should their victim be uncooperative.

"Abraham, is it all right if we take a look in your backpack?" Gibbs asked and the man nodded as Tony hung up his phone.

"EOD's still on their way, boss."

"We're out of time," Mann argued as Ziva eyed the bomb in the backpack.

"You want me to diffuse it, because before you said you'd kick my ass if—"

"Do it!" Gibbs ordered. "The rest of you go! Go on! Get out of here!"

Instead of leaving, the team knelt down as Ziva asked for a knife and Abraham glanced at McGee.

"What is your name?"

"Uh… Tim."

"It means 'he who is about to wet his pants,'" Tony joked, confusing the man as Ziva cut the wire to stop the bomb.

"Why is he going to wet his pants?"

Gibbs took a look around and spotted Morgan then, who was holding onto Russell. He caught her gaze and she lifted a hand, signing to him. He hadn't expected her to know ASL but when he saw what she'd said, he clenched his teeth. A quick glance at the team showed they'd disarmed the bomb and he turned to Morgan and did a quick sign back. She nodded and instantly released Russell and rushed for the crowd of onlookers. He barked as he ran and she kept pace with him easily as some of the people screamed or ducked out of the way.

She'd spotted Sharif and hadn't moved initially due to the risk. She had tried to creep forward on her own slowly but had still been too far off to do anything. She couldn't risk the team to try and take him down alone, even if it's what some people might have done.

The few for the many. It had always been her focus when she was in the army. She worked with different people and teams but she'd never grown attached because she knew that at any moment, she might need to abandon them in order to save her country. It was stupid thinking but she had nothing. She'd grown up with nothing and the military had been her lifeline for decades. It was only after being abandoned by them that her thinking had to take a drastic change in the other direction. Why risk her life for one terrorist when she could keep her team safe by waiting a few more moments?

Of course, when she broke through the crowd and hurried after Russell down the street, it was too late. Sharif was gone and Russell whined as he paced in a circle around her, sniffing about. He hadn't known who he had been running for and there was no scent for him to follow when he was clueless like this. So, even though she'd seen Sharif and run after him, once he was out of sight, that was the end of the chase.