Silence

[NCIS HQ, The Elevator, stopped]

Alex played the recording of Ari's phone call, leaving out the last part. But even after the recording stopped, Gibbs didn't utter a single word. He stared at Alex for a whole minute.

"You had Ari within hand reach, and you let him go?! But more importantly... Why are you really here, Lieutenant? And don't give that crap about the protection detail nonsense. " Gibbs continued," For this to go any further, you will be straight with me."

Alex was caught a little off guard; this wasn't the reaction he expected. Alex contemplated in silence. He weighed the pros and cons of reading Gibbs in on what was actually going on and finally concluded that having him as an alley/friend might be better in the long run. The man was obviously tight-lipped, and Morrow trusted him. He pressed a button on his right watch. It was a signal scrambler.

"With yesterday's events, even if I had bought Ari in, you as well, I know he would have walked Gibbs. " Alex continued

"As for the other question,*sigh* A few weeks earlier, NSA picked up a chatter that a sleeper cell in DC was being activated. Words like bombs and metro kept repeating. But a particular name instantly spiked the threat level."

"Ari...?" 

"Yes. Because of his peculiar relationship with a certain federal agent, Ari's status has been changed as a possible volatile/unfriendly. With him being officially classified as a Mossad operative by the national intelligence, several inquiries were sent to them. But all the answers we received were, at best, vague; because of the ambiguity, a mission was generated by the high command to get to the bottom of this mess. And as of now, there has been enough evidence to suggest that Ari is a major threat to national safety."

"How much of a threat?"

"Nuclear," said Alex in a sombre tone.

"What's the next step then?" asked Gibbs concern evident on his voice.

"I have been given orders to bring in Ari alive, but...personally, all his actions prove he's too much of a threat to be left 'unattended'." Gibbs understood what Alex meant.

"From the phone call, it's pretty obvious Ari's planning, I have everything I need now to stop him for good." said Gibbs.

"One more thing, Gibbs, nothing against your team, but everything I said stays between us," said Alex as a matter of fact.

"You have my word, Lieutenant. But I think we both know this concerns one more person."

"I was afraid you were gonna say that, Agent Gibbs. I will trust you to handle that part. I have to take care of a few things of my own."

<<scene break>>

[Gibbs residence, Night]

Gibbs walked down to the basement of his house, the familiar creak of the wooden steps echoing in the stillness.

"Hello, Jethro," a sudden voice rang out. It was Ari, his tone laced with a mix of amusement and menace. In his hand, he held a Bravo 51 sniper Rifle; it was Gibb's service rifle.

Gibbs didn't flinch.

"Ari. You must be pretty desperate to come to my house."

Ari stepped into the dim light, holding Gibbs' sniper rifle. "Desperate? No. Tonight, everything ends. I had my fun, Jethro. But playtime time is over, and I have prior commitments that cannot wait any longer. I hope you understand. "

Gibbs met his gaze. "I understand more than you think, Ari."

Ari chuckled softly, his eyes gleaming. "Perhaps. Perhaps not. Either way, it doesn't matter." He levelled the rifle at Gibbs.

Gibbs stared at him, unafraid. "Why did you try kill Kate and Abby?"

Ari smiled. "To cause pain. To you and my father."

"Your father? What does he have to do with this?"

Ari's eyes narrowed his smile fading. "Everything. He groomed me and used me as his pawn. All this I could forgive. But he took away the one person who actually cared for me, treated me like human, like family."

Gibbs sighed, realization dawning on his face. "This isn't about me, is it? The whole thing was about your father."

Ari's grip tightened on the rifle. "You, unfortunately, remind me of him. The same arrogance, the same sense of duty. It's infuriating."

Before Gibbs could respond, the door at the top of the stairs creaked open. Ziva descended swiftly, her eyes darting between Gibbs and Ari but her gun pointed at Ari.

"Ari," she said, her voice steady but laced with tension. "Put the gun down."

Ari's eyes flicked to Ziva. "Ziva. Always the dutiful daughter. Are you here to kill me, sister?"

"This isn't about duty, Ari. This is about stopping you before you hurt more innocent people."

Ari smirked. "You think you can stop me, little sister? Do you have it in you to pull the trigger?"

"It's over, Ari. There's no way out." said Gibbs, taking a step back.

Ari's gaze flickered between Gibbs and Ziva, calculating his next move. "You think you can intimidate me, Jethro?."

Ziva took a step closer, her voice firm. "Ari, listen to me. Just surrender. For you, for me, for everyone. I don't want to you as well, brother."

"Pain is all I've known. But you wouldn't understand that, Ziva? The things I've done, the things I've lost. Maybe this is fate, little sister."

Ari looked at her, his eyes softening for a moment. "I'm sorry, Ziva. For everything."

Suddenly, Ari's demeanour changed; he was just about to pull the trigger on Gibbs when Ziva fired. The bullet struck Ari in the forehead, and he collapsed to the floor, the sniper rifle clattering beside him.

Gibbs looked at Ari's lifeless body, then up at Ziva, who was trembling, tears streaming down her face.

"Achi," she whispered, her voice breaking.

"His father is a deputy director of Mossad?".

Still overwhelmed, a gasping Ziva states, "Yes."

Gibbs looks at Ari and Ziva before gently touching Ziva's left hand as if he's silently thanking her.

With that, Gibbs then heads up the steps, leaving Ziva alone in the basement with Ari's remains. She then sits on a stool and begins singing a prayer in Hebrew while staring sadly at Ari's body.

When he reached the top, he saw Alex armed with his M4. 

"Part of me didn't think she was gonna do it. It might seem cruel, but it was the only form of closure that they could have had. Ari was too far gone."

Gibbs just grunted at that. 

"We have the location of the terrorist cell base. I know you are retired, but since you have been read in...I could use a sniper Gunny." 

" I still have a few shots left in me, Lieutenant."

After Gibbs was told about his operation, Alex tracked down the base of the terrorist group, a warehouse in DC Metro. There were 20 heavily armed combatants in the enemy camp. Usually, in situations like Alex's, he dealt with the problem by himself. But this time, he decided to ask Gibbs to help him. He used to be one of the best snipers when he was active in the Navy. Besides, there were nukes involved.

The warehouse had 2 floors. 20 armed enemies. And 2 nuclear bombs.

[Warehouse No.12, Washington Metro]

The night was still and silent as Gibbs and Alex prepared for their assault. Gibbs had set up his sniper nest on the roof of the building opposite the warehouse, his Bravo 51 sniper rifle trained on the entrance guards. Alex was on the ground he was a tactical armour, with body cam his M4 Carbine at the ready, moving stealthily through the shadows. Alex planted a C4 charge on the nearby transformer that provided supply to the warehouse

Alex's voice crackled in Gibbs' earpiece. "The C4 will go off in 30 seconds. The backup generator will start running in 2 minutes. We'll have to take out as many as we can by then. Ready, Gunny? "

Gibbs' voice was calm and steady. "Ready. Let's do this."

Alex nodded. ". Three... two... one... go." Just then the C4 exploded the lights went out.

Gibbs fired the first shot, taking out a guard at the entrance with precision. The silenced shot barely made a sound, and the guard crumpled to the ground. Alex moved in, his footsteps silent as he jumped over the 2-meter gate.

Inside, the terrorists were in disarray, Trying to figure out what was happening. Alex breached the door with a swift kick, entering with his M4 set in semi-automatic mode raised. He fired two quick bursts, taking down the first pair of enemies before they could react.

Gibbs continued to provide cover from his vantage point, picking off targets with deadly accuracy. Another guard on the second floor fell, and then another at a window, trying to get a bead on Alex.

Alex moved through the first floor with lethal efficiency, his movements precise and controlled. He took cover behind crates and pillars, using the environment to his advantage. A terrorist emerged from a doorway, and Alex dropped him with a single shot to the chest.

"Clear on the first floor," Alex reported, his voice low and calm.

"Copy that. Moving to the second floor," Gibbs replied, his eyes scanning for any additional threats.

Alex ascended the stairs, his weapon at the ready. The second floor was more heavily guarded, but he was undeterred. 

Gibbs took advantage of the chaos, picking off the disoriented enemies one by one. Alex moved in, clearing the room with a series of controlled bursts. The terrorists were overwhelmed, unable to mount a coordinated defence.

"Five down, fifteen to go," Alex muttered, his eyes scanning for more targets.

On the ground floor, more terrorists began to converge on Alex's position. Gibbs saw them first, his rifle finding the targets with practised ease. He took out two more guards, the silenced shots barely audible.

Alex pressed forward, his movements a blur of speed and precision. He engaged the remaining enemies, his M4 spitting fire as he moved from cover to cover. A terrorist tried to flank him, but Alex was quicker, his reflexes honed by years of training and experience.

"Ten down," Alex reported, his breathing steady despite the intensity of the battle. But then the backup generator kicked in. He tossed a flashbang into the room, the blinding light and deafening noise stunning the terrorists inside.

Gibbs scanned the warehouse, his keen eyes spotting movement near the nuclear bombs. "Watch your six, Lieutenant. They're trying to secure the bombs."

Alex moved swiftly, his focus shifting to the primary objective. He engaged the terrorists near the bombs, his shots precise and lethal.

Gibbs provided cover, taking out any terrorists who tried to approach Alex from behind. His shots were methodical, each one finding its mark with deadly accuracy. "Fifteen down."

Alex reached the bombs, his M4 still at the ready. He saw three more terrorists attempting to arm the devices. Without hesitation, he fired, taking them down with quick, controlled shots. Gibbs took care of the remaining 2.

"Clear," Gibbs called out, his voice steady.

Alex scanned the area one last time, ensuring there were no remaining threats.

"All clear."

Alex moved to the bombs, securing the devices. He was calm and methodical, his training taking over as he carefully neutralized the threat.

"Bombs secured," Alex reported.

Gibbs let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Nice work, Lieutenant."

Alex nodded, "We aren't completely in the clear, Gunny. I will call in the Missions bomb squad. The plutonium must be removed asap."

Gibbs packed up his sniper rifle. 

Alex and Gibbs regrouped outside the warehouse, and their mission was complete. The terrorists were neutralized, and the nuclear threat was averted at least for now.

They walked away from the warehouse as a few armoured trucks and SUVs entered the premises; They were here to deal with the aftermath.

Alex glanced at Gibbs. "Guess you still got it, Gunny."

Gibbs smiled a rare expression of satisfaction on his face. "You were not so bad yourself self, Lieutenant."

The night was still and silent once more; the danger had passed.

<<Scene break>>

"We will rendezvous at the location VII at 0230 hours. There have been a few new developments. Attendance cut short from 10 to 5."