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Surveillance Vehicle #1 outside Froggies Bar: Tuesday 2231
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"Antoinette Shevloski was officially released…34 minutes ago. What are we doing here!"
Both Kate and Gibbs rolled their heads back to the familiar whine in the back seat. Tony's plans had been disrupted and once again he was not happy and needed to let everybody else know.
Gibbs and Kate then looked to one another, silently arguing with which one of them would inform their beloved colleague of the finer details. As usual, it was the one with the most patience.
"There was a call placed to her voicemail while she was in custody from this bar. It was a cheap pre-paid one but we were still able to trace the number given some 'borrowed' satellite time."
"Is that even legal, boss? Privacy and all?"
"Oo, anything's 'legal' when it comes to the USA hunting down terrorists."
"The Directors taking the heat for this one." Kate translated.
Suddenly Gibbs's pager flashed:
SUS 4BLOC
Kate leaned over to investigate the noise.
"What is it, Gibbs?"
Gibbs looked up and replied, "She's been spotted around this four block area, probably casing the area for us."
Tony, now bored with the details (besides how long can you expect him to sit in one place?), leaned over and began eyeing outside the car window to the street adjacent to where they were parked.
However Gibbs wasn't finished just yet.
"That's why we're keeping a low profile…Tony." Growled Gibbs. Tony ducked his head low into his chest. Avoiding an angry gaze from Gibbs.
They all waited silently for the next draining few minutes as no one else wanted to mention their other…counterpart but suddenly that familiar figure dressed in a large black overcoat was spotted by all three heading inside "Froggies Bar" from the alleyway next to the bar.
Gibbs spoke up, breaking the unspoken tension.
"The Director was able to convince Ari to go in there…didn't seem to mind though. Actually, it seemed as though he was going to suggest the idea himself!" Grumbled Gibbs.
"He…"Kate began"…just has to explain that he was released at the same. Ari is the only one that we know she had been in connection with to the smuggling. He just needs some more time to get some information out of her…"
"…and in the mean time, we can see who else turns up." Gibbs finished. Looking over to Kate, sharing a secret glance.
Tony's eyes were beginning to glaze over. With one last effort he glanced back over to the bar and took some amusement in the decoration of "Froggies Bar", the dancing frog in a top hat. He then sighed back into his seat and spoke up, "So… once she's inside, we'll follow her in and catch her and her contact all at once…"
However he suddenly paused and contemplated the plan, "But what if she recognises him and flips out again? How do you know it won't end up like last time?"
The mood in the sedan instantly deteriorated.
"We don't… that's why we're coming in fully prepared…with a dozen or so back-up teams." Gibbs replied and then added, "…to make sure no-one gets hurt…"
Kate smiled inwardly, softening any fears she had about the operation.
Gibbs glanced at his wristwatch, "We go in five."
Kate opened the glove compartment and handed each of the agents their firearm. Then each went through the routine and finished by concealing the weapons in the holster.
"Tony you go in first. Secure the area and then Kate and I'll enter. Let's go."
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Froggies Bar: Tuesday 2311
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"What is Ari doing?" Whispered Tony as they entered the bar, "He's standing out like Abby in a Supré store!"
Gibbs inconspicuously eyed Ari at the bar. He was shaggily dressed with black pants, shoes and shirts and a cigarette in-between two fingers. It was a stark contrast to the majority of white-collar-after-work patrons seated around the place.
Gibbs had to make some changes and watched as Ari headed towards the Mens. He waited just around the corner and caught Ari by the arm as he walked past.
"What do you think you aredoing!" Growled Gibbs, as he pinned Ari in a small passageway further round.
"I'm …undercover…Agent Gibbs…remember" Ari looks around the corner towards Antoinette making sure that she didn't see their interaction. "She's just arrived and I was checking for …" He paused, looking for words, "…I have to get back before she sees that something is gone awry and she's out of here forever. Let me do my… job… Agent Gibbs…" Ari reported and briskly twisted out of Gibbs' grasp before anyone else took notice of their heated interaction.
Gibbs watched as Ari approached the booth where Antoinette Shevloski was seated. She looked like she could bolt any second.
Ari smoothly sat down next to Antoinette, so that they were side by side with their backs turned to Gibbs.
Meanwhile Kate had come around the other side of the bar, silently guarding their suspects closest escape.
The bar door.
Only a dozen seconds eclipsed between Ari and Antoinette, however Antoinette seemed to immediately excuse herself from the table and head towards the exit. Kate instinctively blocked her path, knowing for sure that if Antoinette went through that door they would never see her again…
However, everything changed in a matter of seconds and the unfortunate part in the scenario was that Antoinette would get out… one way or another…
"Get BACK!" Antoinette screamed, digging a sharpened blade closer to the tendons in Kate's throat than they would have liked.
Gibbs and Tony looked at each other only for an instant in stunned horror. The re-enforcement teams were quick to surround the aggressor and her hostage. More than a dozen law enforced weapons aimed at the two.
Meanwhile as the bar became deserted leaving only the officers, Ari began to slowly lift himself from the booth, carefully avoiding attracting any unwarranted attention. However Gibbs would not let this…one… get away so easily. He caught Ari by the shoulder, swung him around, twisting his arm around his back and dug his 9mm deep into his back.
He was in charge.
However Gibbs's gut wallowed in fear and trepidation as he approached Antoinette and Kate.
Part of Kate was cursing herself for…again…becoming the hapless victim. Antoinette had one of her arms twisted around her back and she purposely shallowed her breathing to avoid causing the blade to brush closer against her throat.
Kate looked over to Gibbs, he had Ari is a similar position and was heading towards them.
"Get back! Agent Gibbs, I swear I'll do it!" Threatened Antoinette and she pursed the blade closer to Kate's throat.
Gibbs had no idea what he was doing, she would know by now that Ari was an agent, he took a couple more inches before coming up with, "We'll trade… why don't you take this agent instead?"
"Agent…" Antoinette drew a brief confused look across her face, loosing her composure momentarily.
But this was enough and Kate stepped back into Antoinette and used her free hand to knock the knife out of Antoinette's grasp. Her secret service training then kicked in and Kate flipped Antoinette over her right shoulder. The re-enforcement teams then swooped in and handcuffed Antoinette before she could retaliate.
However she was still resistant as before…
"You bastard! Haswari…" She hollered, "…We had a deal!"
She then turned to Gibbs and the other Agents, "He's behind it all…don't listen to anything he says he's only there for himself…" She said, kicking and screaming as she was lead out of the now deserted bar.
Attention was shifted onto Ari, however he seemed to disregard it…"Caitlin I'm so glad you're alright…" Ari said smoothly, looking to Gibbs for a 'deserved' release and…apology?
"But you went undercover as Ari Mosaad…" Recalled Kate, looking from Gibbs to Ari and back again.
"You bastard…."Cursed Gibbs taking aim at Ari and without hesitation…pulled the trigger.
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The Bullpen: Wednesday 0541
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After the eventful operation, the team regrouped in the bullpen after being given the all clear from their usual ME. However there were some other events that they would have rather forgotten.
It was certainly one they wouldn't forget…but someone had to set the story straight.
"So… Ari was manipulating them from the inside. He covertly used access via the CIA, with some of his own 'expertise', so that he could launder money through the 'officials' accounts. He set up the directors as a decoy to make it look as legit as possible. No-one would suspect them because the public trusts them." Said Kate
"He played along during the sting so he could logically shift the blame. He probably tried to get the list from Antoinette Shevloski when she was arrested but didn't count on how desperate she'd be on not getting arrested." Joked Tony.
They all paused for a second to reminisce the events at the collection bay. A shiver went up Kate's spine. She thought that coming to NCIS that her life would be less eventful but it just multiplied instead! However another part of her life was improving enormously. She smiled and looked around the room. However Tony still didn't seem relaxed.
"But where do the smuggled diamonds come in?" He asked.
"Ari brought in the diamonds and explosives using his undercover Alqueda identity so that he could get them to the states and then use his CIA connections to launder the money through their bank accounts so that the money trail would lead to them." Gibbs explained, coming out from around his desk to sit around with the other two agents.
"It was a good plan…but where'd the diamonds and refined explosives have gone?" Tony continued, taking a bite out of a chocolate bar that he had just found in his desk draws. Dusty and all. There was a certain "eeewww" expression and pause from Kate before she replied.
"They…they would have been passed onto US suppliers. Now we know what we're looking for, it'd be simple to tag down within a couple of weeks."
"How much did he get in the end?" Tony asked, taking another bite.
"The records show…about nearly 20 million US." Growled Gibbs, snatching the bar from Tony's grasp before he could take another bite and throwing it direct in the waste paper basket behind Tony's desk.
"Nice shot boss, I never figured you for basketball man…"
Gibbs stood up, returning his chair behind his desk, "I don't, I find it easier with rubbish. You got anywhere to be Dinozzo, or should I try for a 3-pointer?"
Tony didn't need it repeated and he snatched up his coat and thankfully resisted the temptation to retrieve his stolen snack, "Night boss… night Kate."
Gibbs flicked off his desk light and strolled over to Kate who had done the same and looked ready to leave also.
But something stopped her. She knew Gibbs had acted on impulse, only the second time ever, she noted (and one of them was not work related…) Kate knew she had to say something, even if he acted like he didn't need it.
"Gibbs, you had to do what you had to do…we'll get through the hearing… he was dirty and he was going to get away with it…"
"I know by there are always consequences…"
Kate sighed knowing that he was right. But sometimes it was worth the risk, it was heavy-handed but here the end justified the means.
"Let's go home… we'll sort it out tomorrow. We need to get some sleep."
Gibbs took Kate in his arms, looked down into her eyes and smiled.
"Okay… some things are worth the risk."
Well…that's it… over 22,000 words…many, many chapters and through all the ups and downs of "the" season that no kibbs person will EVER forget. I hope you all liked my ending and yers it was planned like that BEFORE the ep so there's no payback…xept Gibbs killing Ari…yes, that was payback.
Kibb-ish things in this issue: Finishing each other's sentences.
Aussie reference: Supré, sighs it was either that or "…sticking out like a sore thumb." And btw Abby needs at least one reference!
That was fic number 1…hope there's many more to come…but who knows….KIBBS FOR EVER! Im going to get into the 2005 NCIS fic award nominees fics… im such an undercover blonde and think that there is ONLY don't shun me ..plz! I need to catch up:P
But to help with the healing:
http/