Threads of Deception

[MTAC, EARLIER]

Gibbs walked into MTAC, his mind still on the recent attack on Abby and the current chaotic state of the investigation. He found Morrow sitting at the conference table, a look of deep contemplation on his face. The room was dimly lit, the screens displaying surveillance feeds and data streams.

"Director," Gibbs greeted, closing the door behind him. "You wanted to see me?"

Morrow nodded, gesturing for Gibbs to take a seat. "Yes, Gibbs. We need to talk about a few things."

Gibbs sat down, his expression serious. "What's going on?"

Morrow took a deep breath, his tone steady but with an underlying gravity. "I'm stepping down as Director of NCIS."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. "Why now?"

"I'm taking over as the Deputy Head of Homeland Security," Morrow explained. "It's ..already been decided."

Gibbs slightly taken aback, processing the news. "You would leave NCIS, Director?"

"Someone else will be taking over as Director, Jethro", Morrow continued. "She's capable, and she knows the agency well. But there's something else, as well."

Morrow's expression grew more serious. ". I want you to add Lieutenant Alex Bishop to your team in an official capacity."

Gibbs frowned. "Lt. Alex? He's a Navy officer, not an NCIS agent."

"I know," Morrow acknowledged. "But he's a great asset, Gibbs. He's been instrumental in the fight against Ari. He's resourceful and capable, and he has unique skills that could benefit your team."

Gibbs was silent for a moment, remembering how he saved Kate. which, now that he had time to think back, should have been pretty much impossible. 

 "Why the sudden push to integrate him into the team?"

Morrow, with his gaze intense. "Because we're in a high-stakes situation, Gibbs. Ari is targeting our people, and we need every advantage we can get. Alex has proven his his capabilities. He can help us bring Ari down."

Gibbs sighed, rubbing his temples. His gut was telling him there was something else at play, and he was not being given the full picture. But Morrow was right: Alex Bishop is definitely an asset. He needed to get to the bottom of this.

"It's not going to be easy integrating him into the team. We're already dealing with a lot."

"I know," Morrow said, his tone sympathetic. "But trust me on this, Gibbs." Morrow leaned closer to Gibbs." Jethro, are you aware of the Pantheon?"

"I thought it was a myth, Sir," said Gibbs, his eyebrows raised with slight disbelief.

"Well, it is, and you didn't hear from me otherwise. But hypothetically, if such a ranking system existed in the US, military, Lt. Alexander Bishop would be one among the 25. "

"The Pantheon, supposedly, is an exclusive and prestigious ranking system that identifies the top 25 officers across all branches of the military, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. This list is meticulously curated based on exceptional merits, distinguished achievements, and exemplary service records. Officers who make it to the Pantheon are considered the "crème de la crème" of the military, representing the epitome of leadership, bravery, and strategic prowess." recalled Gibbs.

 Morrow replied. "The existence of such a group is only known to a handful of individuals. The members of the Pantheon are tasked with and have successfully accomplished some of the most sensitive and dangerous missions."

"Director... hypothetically, if such a ranking existed, what would be Lt. Bishop's rank?"

"That's need to know. Now, Gibbs, meet your new Director," said Morrow as the lady 3 rows in front of them stood up and faced them. 

"Hello, Jethro." 

Jenny," he said, his voice filled with surprise and a hint of nostalgia.

Jenny Shepard, the new Director of NCIS, smiled at Gibbs. "It's been a while."

<>

[NCIS Headquarters, Bullpen Area]

 At present, an intense discussion is taking place between Gibbs and Ziva. Ziva believes Ari is innocent, and Gibbs is accusing him without any actual evidence. 

Gibbs and Ziva stood face to face, the tension thickening as their argument escalated.

"Ari wanted you to know the location, Gibbs," Ziva insisted. "He wanted you to stop the missile. It would have blown his cover if he had done it himself."

Gibbs shook his head, his jaw set. "Only an NSA satellite can GPS an encrypted phone. Ari didn't know I had that asset."

Ziva narrowed her eyes. "You give Ari less credit than he gives you, Gibbs. Who hung up first: you or Ari?"

Gibbs paused, realizing the weight of Ziva's words. "Ari knows that a fix only takes 19 seconds."

The room fell silent, the realization hanging in the air. Before the situation could escalate further, Jenny Shepard stood up, stepping between them.

"Enough," Jenny said firmly, her tone brokering no argument. "Gibbs, even if you're right, we owe everyone some proof."

"That's all we ask," Ziva stated, her voice steady. "Don't kill the wrong man."

Ziva glanced at Jenny, who nodded. "Assure your deputy director that even though Ari Haswari is a suspect, no action will be taken until we have evidentiary proof."

Jenny then turned to Gibbs, her expression stern. "Proof before action, Gibbs."

.

At the same time, Alex exited the Mtac, and he had heard most of the exchange.

'She's right. Gibbs did end the call. But time was of the essence. If they were delayed by even 10 seconds, the results would have been disastrous.' 

When Gibbs saw Alex coming down the stairs, he gestured to follow him as he got on the elevator.

Gibbs and Alex stood in the elevator. Gibbs pressed the stop button, bringing the elevator to a halt. He turned to Alex, his blue eyes intense.

"Bishop, I need you to do something for me," Gibbs said in a calm but serious tone.

Alex nodded. "What do you need, Gibbs?"

Gibbs took a deep breath, choosing his words carefully. "I need you to tail Ziva. Watch her every move. Report everything back to me. "

 "You think she's in contact with Ari."

Gibbs nodded, his jaw set. "She knew it was me who cut the call. I need to know if Ziva is helping him; we can use that to our advantage."

Gibbs continued his expression serious. "Find anything that ties her to Ari. Phone calls, meetings, anything suspicious. If they're in contact, we can use her to track him. But be careful."

Alex nodded" I'll be discreet."

<>

Ziva left the navy yard in a cab. After making sure there was at least a distance of 700 meters between them, Alex followed her on his 92 Honda CBR 900RR FireBlade. He got close as 500 meters and honed in. Ziva was on a call and was taking in Hebrew. Alex was fluent in a few languages Russian, German, French, Korean, Mandarin, Arabic and Hindi. Hebrew wasn't one among them

But while he couldn't read or write Hebrew, he understood the general gist of the conversation. She was making plans to meet someone at the Embasero Hotel and was going to drop off something important there. Once Alex got to the destination, he took off on another route, parked his bike in an alley close to the hotel, and waited in the shadows. Once Ziva reached there, she booked a room. Specifically, she asked for the first room from the elevator. Before she left the reception, Ziva looked around like she was searching for something or, in this case, someone. 

Once the coast was clear, Alex entered the hotel and got a room adjacent to Ziva's. He got on the elevator and reached the floor of Ziva's room; 

'Something's not right.'

He realised someone was right next to the door of the first apartment. It was Ziva. Her breathing was composed, but her heartbeat was slightly elevated. Alex deduced she was peeping through the door viewer. 

'Clever lass.' thought Alex with a chuckle. He ducked under a peephole and darted and quietly entered his room. The past few days have been hectic, and he didn't have a chance to shower, eat or change clothes. Alex went to take a bath. And eventually she stopped spying and made a call. Alex ordered room service and kept listening.

Ziva paced the room, her phone pressed to her ear. The tension in her voice was evident as she waited for the call to connect. Finally, a male voice came through the line; Alex noticed it was the same voice that talked with Gibbs.

"Ari, it's me," Ziva said in Hebrew, her tone urgent.

"Ziva, what's the situation?" Ari's voice was steady, but there was an undercurrent of concern.

"i reached the hotel."

"Were you followed?

" ... "

"Strangely enough, no. But Gibbs still thinks it was you who shot Kate and Abby. This irrational need for revenge is blinding him to the facts that are right in front of him.

" Ziva, I told you this was going to happen. We proceed with the backup plan. Use the drop and send me the cash and passport."

" and it pains me to say this, sister, but it's not safe for us to be in contact anymore, at least till I reach Paris."

Ziva's heart sank at his words, but she kept her voice steady. "Ari, we need to stay connected. How else will I know you're safe?"

"I can take care of myself," Ari said firmly. "You've done more than enough, sister."

Ziva felt a lump form in her throat. "Ari, I can't just—"

"Shalom, Ziva," Ari interrupted. "Take care."

Simultaneously, Alex was making a call of his own. He did not know if this backup plan was legit thing or a misdirection. But Ziva was using a 2002 model burner phone, A phone that made specific notes when a button was pressed. He easily deduced Ari's number. 

"Lt. Alexander Van Bishop requesting a priority 1 tracking on phone number 945 112 **** to EAGLE EYE."

<>

"Confirm ID code." the mechanical voice replied.

"Alpha-Romeo-Bravo-Hotel 457531."

"Identity confirmed. You will receive an email; please enter OTP within 30 sec for the request to initiate."

Alex took this laptop from his backpack and checked the watch on his right hand that generated the OTP. He completed the process and got a confirmation mail. 3 hours, that's the time it will take for the request to go through. 

 While all this was happening, Ari, true to his nature, had successfully 'kidnapped' Dr Donald 'Ducky' Mallard and had set into motion the endgame for this whole cat and mouse game. After some time, Ziva left her room, and Alex followed, keeping a significant distance. She was heading for the hotel pool, and there she 'met' with another pretty woman. Alex noticed 2 things: they left with each other's robes and a passport with a red cover page. Alex called Gibbs and let him know all the things he wanted Gibbs to know like the description of the woman Ziva met with and Ari going to Paris. He obviously left out the part where he was tracking Ari. 

Gibbs' phone rang, breaking the silence in his office. He glanced at the caller ID and answered.

"Gibbs, I got something," came the steady voice of Lt. Alex Bishop on the other end.

"What do you have for me, Bishop?"

"Ziva met with someone at the Embasero Hotel. They made an exchange there, money and a passport with a red cover page."

"French?"

"Yes.

"What about the woman she made the exchange with?"

"Brunette, mid-twenties, about 5'7", and she also had a Star of the David necklace like Ziva. I am guessing she's a Mossad official as well."

Gibbs' eyes narrowed. "Did you catch anything else?"

"No"

"Were you made?"

"Negative."

"Good. I want you to continue watching Ziva, but before that, text me the license plate of the other women. She might be going to Ari's, so I am going to follow her."

"I will. Bishop out."

<>

[ Downtown Washington DC, Night time]

Once Alex received Ari's location, he immediately bailed. Nothing note-while after the exchange. Well, Ziva took a shower, humming to *Raindrops keep falling on my head* Ari was using a secure satellite phone, so it took a while for him to get the coordinates. He got his bike from the alley and hurried to the place. He was close by, about 25hs miles from the Embasero Hotel. Alex stopped by a thrift store and completely changed his outfit. He got a dark green half-sleeve shirt, blue jeans and sneakers. In 15 minutes, Alex and Ari were about 10 meters from each other at a restaurant. Only Ari had no clue about any of this. Alex took a seat two rows facing away from Ari. 

He was on the phone speaking in Arabic with someone. The person on the other side seemed annoyed.

"I had plans for Esfiri, and you threw him away for your childish games." said the angry voice.

"It was a necessary sacrifice, brother. This will ensure nobody will come after us anymore. I won't deny the fact it has given me immense pleasure in the agony of the agent, But do not doubt be brother when I say I hold had our mission in my heart. "

"Ari...you say that, but you are not finished yet, are you?"

"I can't have any loose ends. Agent Gibbs is too dangerous to be left alive. I give my word everything will done by tomorrow, brother, and I will make sure nothing ever related to him will survive after tomorrow night. After this day, Leroy Jethro Gibbs will be a memory."

"Then, as planned, we will let America taste the same despair we faced in 2 days. Finish up your business, Ari. For after that, he will honour our fallen brethren."

<>

[NCIS HQ, Navy Yard. Next Day]

It was a bright, sunny morning, unlike the past few days. When Alex reached the bullpen. The whole team was present, including Ducky Director Shepard and Ziva, except for Kate.

"All evidence points to the fact Mohamed Esfiri is the sniper Gibbs. He shot at Kate and Abby. There is no conspiracy. It is safe for your agent to resume day-to-day life. The prep is dead." said Jenny Shepard.

The night before, there was an attempt on Gibbs and the Director. The perp was shot dead by Agent Gibbs. Once his weapon was processed, it turned out to be the same weapon that shot Kate and Abby.

Gibbs was calm, almost to an eerie level. All evidence did indeed point to Esfiri, but his famous gut was telling him otherwise. And then he noticed Alex in the corner. Unlike the uncertainty that was on the bullpen, he seemed different, calmer, and focused. No words were said, but he knew Alex wanted to speak to him privately.