Till Death Do Us Part
Disclaimer: NCISLA characters belong to Shane Brennan. All original characters and this story are mine.
Chapter 1
Washington D.C. — February 17th, 2014
Alexandra Holden was in a rush to drop her daughter off at school. Katie was in grade three and thriving. She had lots of friends and when her mom was too busy with work, her grandparents looked after her. She was nine years old and learning guitar. She wanted to be the next Hannah Montana, although after how the actress of the show turned out, her mother wasn't quite sure. But she supported her in her passion in learning the guitar and she was amazed at how much enthusiasm she had in learning more difficult pieces, including more recent songs, such as Rude by Magic.
"Katya?" Alex walked over to one of the moms at school, looking concerned. "Is everything okay?"
Katya shook her head. "No. I've got to fly home, my mother's just died."
"I'm so sorry for your loss." Alexandra's eyes widened at the story about how Katya had to fly to Istanbul and catch another flight into Donetsk, Ukraine, where all the rebels were located and fighting against the country's government. It was too dangerous for her to fly into Kiev, she had been told.
"If you need to contact me with regards to anything going on at school over the next couple of weeks, you can still send me emails and Peter will have access to them. He'll be on his own with Daniel." Daniel was in Katie's class, Alex found herself chatting every so often with his mother, although they themselves weren't friends. But upon hearing her story, an idea came into Alexandra's head and instantly she went into gear.
"Would you like me to come with you to keep you company?" She pulled her cell out and began sending a text to her boss, hoping for his support at her idea. "Just got an opportunity to fly into Donetsk with a mom at school. She's going for her mother's funeral. Do you want me in?"
"It's a go," the reply came in quickly.
"Are you crazy? Do you realise how dangerous it is over there at the moment?" Katya's hands shook with nerves about the forth coming trip. "Don't you have to work?" She knew that Alexandra was a single mom and worked full time with the support of her parents.
"All the more reason not to travel alone. If Peter can't go with you, you should still have a travel companion. Two's safer than one, right?" Alexandra smiled warmly and hugged Katya when tears sprung forth with gratitude. "Plus I'm due a holiday."
"Thank you, you are very kind, Alex."
Donetsk, Ukraine — February 20th, 2014
The news reports hadn't provided the full effect of what life in the country's east was like for the people. Alexandra held Katya close as they passed gunmen who lined the streets and watched their every move. Life was very different from back home, but Alex was thankful that she had the experience in war torn countries as a Federal Agent for NCIS. Twenty years on the job and she was a veteran. But here she was undercover as a friend of Katya, she peered around her with wide eyes like she was in fear. "You weren't wrong when you said it was bad here, Katya. Where's the house where we are staying?"
Katya pointed in the direction. "I need to get some money out. How are you with cash? They've placed restrictions, only eight hundred Hryvnia allowed a day, which is around thirty-five U.S. dollars. If you need more, you've got to travel around the city to all the different banks."
"I'm okay for now." Alexandra was thankful for the envelope that Leon Vance had left for her in Istanbul. Enough cash to cover the two week time frame she was intending on being in Donetsk.
Los Angeles — March 13th, 2014
The team were having a rare morning playing two against two in a game of basketball. Callen and Sam were two points ahead of Deeks and Kensi, when Eric ran into the gym. "We've got a case, guys."
"Oh come on," Deeks called out. "We're almost in the lead here."
Eric shrugged. "Then that makes Callen and Sam the winners."
Callen smirked and Sam chuckled as they heard the moaning from the detective calling out for their unfair win. They followed the Technical Operator up into the Ops Centre and waited to be briefed. Hetty waited alongside Nell, talking over their latest case.
"Last night, there was a break in at this facility," Nell began the brief. Video footage of said break in was caught on camera and Eric pressed play.
Six armed men dressed in black with balaclavas entered the facility through the roof. "How the hell did they get onto the roof without a ride?" Deeks inquired, surprised by what they were seeing. These men were pros and had thoroughly planned their break in.
"This is how," Eric brought up footage from a nearby building, showing the men flying across on a wire with harnesses from the building next door.
"That is way cool," Deeks muttered.
Hetty turned and glared at him. "I can arrange it for our next team building exercise, if you wish, Mr Deeks."
"You can?" His eyes widened in surprise, but then he saw the glint of mischievousness in their Operations Manager's eyes and he realised she was pulling his leg. "Oh, very funny."
Kensi nudged her partner, slightly amused before refocusing on their case.
"What did they get away with?" Callen brought the focus back onto why they were there.
"Microchips in a safe on the fortieth floor," Nell responded.
"Microchips for what?" Callen asked again.
"For these." Eric brought up the missile launchers and they all knew what damage they could do. It brought back memories of Tracy Rosetti again for Callen and he sighed, thinking he had to see her again.
"Are they the same microchips Tracy had in a locker when White was trying to kill her?" Sam asked, after noticing the tense muscles underneath Callen's purple plaid shirt.
"The very same." Nell brought up the details of the previous case that involved James Thomas Mason. "Mason made bail a week ago and it's no coincidence that these microchips were stolen so soon after his release."
"He's out already?" Callen's voice bordered on anger from disbelief over the fact that a well known terrorist and a psychotic one at that, could have made bail after such a short time.
"Unfortunately, Mr Callen, he's been a model prisoner and he has paid for a very good lawyer." Hetty sighed, not liking where this case was heading. "Because Miss Rosetti had us involved in the last case due to FBI's rogue agent, John White, we've been asked by SecNav to find the microchips and proof that Mason was behind this theft."
"I presume seeing Mason is out on bail, you have an address for him?" Sam asked Nell and Eric.
"We do. It's on your phones." Eric's body tensed as Owen Granger entered the room and stood to the rear.
"Mr Callen, may I remind you that the last time you met with Mason, it didn't go well. May I suggest that you take your partner and visit the crime scene and have Detective Deeks and Miss Blye visit Mr Mason."
"Yeah you're right, Hetty." He turned to leave but was stopped by Owen Granger.
"Not you, Agent Callen." Granger stood firm to prevent him from leaving.
Steam could have be seen coming out of Callen's ears if he had been in a cartoon. He was peeved and everyone in that room knew it. "What do you mean, not me? This is from an old case that I had a huge part in the last time we dealt with Mason. You can't just take me off this case."
"I haven't. This has come from Director Vance. Grab your go bag and take these." He handed him an envelope. "Your tickets to D.C. Flight leaves in ninety minutes, don't miss it."
Callen turned to Hetty for help. "Hetty?"
"I'm sorry, Mr Callen. I have not been informed about any of this. There's nothing I can do." Hetty glared at Owen, she was not amused by the timing of Callen being taken away, nor the fact that she had been kept out of the loop.
Sam patted him on the shoulder. "Now who do I take with me to the crime scene?" He looked intently at Owen daring him to say him.
"Take Nell," Owen returned the glare, pleased with his counter move. He was still very much in the dark himself on why Vance requested Callen's immediate presence in D.C.
Downtown Los Angeles
Nell observed the annoyed behaviour of the former Navy SEAL, who, to his credit, kept his opinions to himself. He knew it wasn't Nell's fault that Callen had been shipped off to D.C. for whatever reason, but it didn't mean he had to like it either. As they pulled up outside the fifty storey building, they entered through reception and showed their identification. They were led to the elevator and taken up to the fortieth floor by one of the building's security staff. When they stepped off, the floor was flooded with FBI and LAPD.
"This is a FBI case," Agent Cassidy told them once their identification had been known to him.
"Actually it's ours," Sam replied. "We dealt with White, Rosetti and Mason the last time these microchips were up for grabs. We know that Mason made bail last week, and White was your rogue agent. We want all the crime scene evidence sent through to our lab for analysis." He stood firm with his cell in his hands, when he saw that Cassidy wasn't going to budge. "I'll call Hetty then."
Cassidy furrowed his brow, he'd heard about Henrietta Lange from his peers that she wasn't one to mess with, nor her people. "I'll call my boss." He turned and made his call, unimpressed that it was true that he had to pass the case over to NCIS. "Give them all you've got," he called out to his team. "This is now an NCIS case." There was a flurry of activity on the floor where the microchips had been kept safe for four years and up to the roof. FBI staff were quick to hand Sam and Nell all their evidence collected so far and details on their prognosis of entry was run down with them, as they followed Cassidy up onto the roof.
"Have your people cordoned off the other building where the thieves entered and exited yet?" Nell scanned the neighbouring building for further analysis.
"No. We've been busy just on this building." Cassidy was annoyed to have had this case pulled out from under their feet, but it was always messy when one federal agency pulled ranks over another.
"We'll get our people in next door then," Sam told him.
Nell quickly pulled her cell out and dialled Eric. "Eric, we need a team inside the building next door to analyse anything that will help us identify who these six men were."
"On it, Nell." Eric quickly typed in the details and issued for a crime scene unit to the location.
"Sam and I are heading over there now. It looks like the FBI and LAPD have been thorough inside this building. We'll send through what we can via phone. The rest we can pass onto our CSU."
"Thanks, Nell. Stay safe." Eric disconnected the call and saw the tension in their Operation's Manager. "Hetty?" Her non recognition of him worried him even more. "Perhaps a soothing cup of tea might be in order for you?"
Hetty refocused on her Tech and nodded. "That sounds like a good plan, thank you, Eric." He sighed as he watched her exit the tech filled room for her office. He pulled up live footage of her brewing a pot, but she sat in her chair staring out into space again. Something was certainly on her mind.
Beverly Hills
Deeks hesitated as he and Kensi approached the front door of Mason's property. It was well tended, not what one would expect of a criminal who had spent the previous four years in jail. But Mason had money and he obviously had continued to pay his employees well for the upkeep of this fine establishment in the heart of Beverley Hills. "This place doesn't have any indication of what kind of man lives inside here. You don't think it's a bogus address, do you? I mean, Mason is a psycho and a terrorist."
"What were you expecting, Deeks? A sign to warn you of the man inside?" Kensi retorted.
"Now that would be helpful. "Warning: one bell, we'll attack you from the front, two bells, we'll attack you from the back."
"Really Deeks? You're quoting Paul Revere at a time like this? We're coming to ask him questions, not for an all out battle to rescue Boston from the Brits. Not that we're on the East Coast either."
"I'm just saying he's not right in the head and we need to be prepared for anything." Deeks tried to explain his concern over visiting James Thomas Mason. "Especially if he has the microchips in his possession."
"But he doesn't have the missiles, Deeks. Remember, we took hold of them four years ago."
"That doesn't mean he hasn't attained some more since."
Kensi took in a deep breath and pressed the door bell. Her hand neared the small of her back, her nerves were on edge with Deeks' ramblings on about Mason.
"May I help you?" A tall man in his sixties answered the door, dressed in a black velvet jacket and grey trousers. He was greying around the edges and well groomed. Something Deeks could learn from, Kensi pondered to herself.
"Hello. I'm Special Agent Kensi Blye and this is my partner, Detective Marty Deeks. We're here to ask James Thomas Mason some questions."
"I'm sorry, my son is not here. I haven't seen him in over five years." The man furrowed his brow. "He's not in trouble with the law, is he?"
Kensi opened her mouth to answer, but her partner beat her to it.
"Your son hasn't been in touch with your for over five years?" Deeks looked to his partner, suddenly concerned over the whereabouts of their fugitive.
"No, not since he left Law School. His mother and I worry about him. We wished he would call home once in a while."
"Do you have an address for him?" Kensi asked the man, who appeared to have no clue on his son's criminal acts.
"No, but we know he's employed by Hector and Sons Law Firm, downtown. They send cards and gifts on his behalf for our birthdays and Christmas." David Mason advised them.
"Thank you, Sir, you've been a great help." Deeks and Kensi left the premises and drove for downtown L.A.
"Eric, we have a problem. There was no sign of Mason at his parent's house. They haven't seen him in over five years. They think he's employed by Hector and Sons Law Firm. We're heading there now to see if anyone there can help locate him."
"That's the building next door to where the thieves got access to the secured building. Sam and Nell are there right now. I've sent a CSU to that location as well."
"Tell Sam we'll be there in fifteen." Deeks pressed his feet firmer on the pedal and hoped their colleagues were safe.