Summary: this is an alternative ending to the episode Rage

Disclaimer: NCIS LA and its characters are owned by CBS, Shane Brennan and the various writers. Thank you for bringing them to life and allowing us to have fun with them

Chapter 1

When Hetty was summoned to Washington DC to a Congressional Hearing over the mission to rescue Kensi from Afghanistan, Assistant Director Granger pulled Callen and Sam off the undercover assignment they were on. As Steven Walinski, Callen had infiltrated a white supremacy group to discover whether they had acquired the medical waste, which could be used to make a dirty bomb, that had been stolen from a decommissioned hospital. Walinski was in prison as an inmate and Sam was a prison guard when they were pulled out. Now the immediate threat over the Congressional Hearing was over, Callen decided he needed to resume his undercover alias and go back to prison, where he was supposed to be in solitary confinement for 6 months. Walinski is released back into general population and teams up again with Charlie Connor & the other members of the white supremacy gang and he discovers that Dallas Alder, the leader, had been released the day after Granger pulled the plug on the assignment.

Needing a way to get Callen out of prison, a plan is devised and, with Granger & Sam posing as prison guards, the bus transporting the prisoners crashes. Callen helps Charlie & Jimmy Ray to escape on the condition they take him with them. Arriving at Dallas's house where Ginny, his girlfriend, the group leader, prepares them a meal. When Dallas turns up, he asks Callen what happened in solitary as his contacts in prison & in the solitary said the guards never went to his cell to check on him or bring him food. Callen says he was very quiet and did not have the need to speak or make a noise.

Kensi joins Callen as his girlfriend and she befriends Ginny. As Callen believes Dallas is suspicious, he tells Kensi to get Ginny away as soon as she can. Back in the Mission Hetty is becoming more concerned about Callen's safety and wants him to get out as soon as possible. However he refuses as he has not yet discovered whether the group have the Cobalt 60.

The white supremacy group rob a bank and hold the staff and customers hostage. The FBI are leading the negotiations and Sam and Deeks join them. Dallas makes his demands for the release of the hostages but is a ruse. The group had previously dug a tunnel that stopped beneath the floor of the vault and whilst the FBI are waiting outside, the group break through to the tunnel below. As they are leaving, Callen makes an excuse to go back to help Jimmy Rae but he knocks him unconscious and leaves him tied to the steel bars of the vault. When the FBI storm the bank, they find only the hostages and Jimmy Ray.

As the FBI & NCIS have no idea where the group are, Kensi goes back to Dallas's house to speak to Ginny, who does not know where they are either. After revealing that she is a federal agent, Ginny is taken to the boat shed for further questioning. Ginny says that when Dallas returns after being away for a while he brings her back drawing paper. Taking a sample of the paper and doing some research, Nell and Eric discover that the company who manufactured the paper have gone out of business. Deducing that Dallas was unlikely to have bought the paper, they search for abandoned shops and warehouses in the vicinity where stocks of the paper may have been left. When they found an abandoned warehouse owned by the paper manufacturers, they let Sam know.

"The coordinates are on your phones now" said Nell.

"Mr Hanna, bring him back safely" said Hetty.

"I will." said Sam.

To herself, Hetty says "Let's hope we're not too late."

In the meantime, Callen and the white supremacy group are in the abandoned warehouse. Callen helps Charlie rig some cables for lighting and communications. Callen asks Charlie how he got in with this crowd and if he wants to get out, Callen will help him get a job.

"Why are you trying to help me?" asks Charlie.

"I don't know" shrugs Callen. "I made some wrong decisions way back but you're bright, you could have a future. You've just got to recognise when it's time to make an important decision" says Callen.

Just then Dallas and two of his group walk in. "What are you two talking about? Charlie get rid of the truck" and he throws him the keys "Drive it about 10 miles away and dump it. Throw the keys away and come straight back but take the bus" instructs Dalls.

"I'll go with him" says Callen.

"No, I've got some work for you here besides Charlie will be less conspicuous."

As Charlie leaves, Callen finishes hanging the cables and Dallas stands looking at him. "What's up, Dallas?" "You, Walinski. Tell me again how Jimmy Ray got caught."

"The Feds were storming the bank, I heard shooting and a cry and went back to see Jimmy Ray on the floor, with the Feds coming for him. I would've helped him but he wasn't moving – I thought he was dead - so I hurried back down the tunnel to catch up with you guys."

"Funny – nothing's being said about anyone being shot on the news" said Dallas.

"They won't, will they? Some information is withheld from the public; the Feds control the media in situations like this" countered Callen,

"What do you know about situations like this?" asked Dallas.

"C'm on, Dallas, I've seen enough cop shows to know how it goes down. I've also spent a fair amount of time in jail. It makes sense. They know we'll be watching for news so they won't want to give any information away which would help us."

"May be but I'm not convinced" said Dallas.

At that moment, another member of the team came up behind Callen and swung a baseball bat at his head, which knocked him unconscious. When he was on the ground, the other two came up and kicked his inert body.

"Enough!" shouted Dallas "I don't want him dead – not yet. I've got some questions for him. Come with me and bring him with you."

When Callen came to, he was standing up straight but tied crucifixion style to a horizontal metal railing. His head throbbed and his vision was blurred. It hurt to breathe so he thought his ribs were cracked at least. He was aware that his bomber jacket and shirt had been removed, though he was still wearing his jeans and boots.

Dallas was sitting a short way from Callen and when he saw he had regained consciousness, he got up and walked over to him. "Good, I thought they'd gone too far with the kicking; now tell me who you are."

"Y'know who I am – I'm Steven Walinski."

The blow came so fast that Callen could not do anything to lessen the impact as Dallas's fist hit the side of his face and his head flew back, spraying blood. He spat out blood.

"Who do you work for? What are your orders?" demanded Dallas.

"I don't know what you're talking about – I escaped when the bus crashed."

This time the blow hit him in the stomach, knocking the air out of him and he coughed, gasping for breath as he lurched forward as far as the constraints would let him.

"Again – who are you?"

"Steven Walinski. I helped Charlie and Jimmy Ray escape."

Dallas had picked up a metal bar and brought it down on Callen's left arm. Callen screamed in pain as the bone broke and punched out through his skin because the railing that he was tied to did not allow for any movement. He passed out.

One of Dallas's thugs threw a bucket of cold water over Callen, bringing him round. "If you don't want any more pain, tell me the truth. Who do you work for?"

"I don't understand. Why are you doing this? I got them out!" said Callen, a little groggily.

"Wrong answer" said Dallas, as he hit him again with the metal bar, this time across the body.

At that moment, Charlie enters. "Dallas, what are you doing? He's one of us."

"Is he?" asks Dallas.

"Yes – let him down" said Charlie and as he moved over to Callen to release him, Dallas says "Stay away from him. He's a cop or something."

"No, he's not!" countered Charlie. "He helped us escape and he was in on the bank raid with us." As Charlie went to untie Callen, Dallas moved behind him and slid a knife he had exchanged for the metal bar into his back between the ribs and up into the heart.

"No!" shouted Callen as Charlie looked at him with a look of disbelief on his face and blood dribbling out of his mouth before he stumped to the floor dying.

"You didn't have to do that. Why?" said Callen.

"He was too soft; he'd never be like us. Again – who are you? Why are you here?" continued Dallas.

Callen was in too much distress and pain to answer so Dallas used the knife to slice through Callen's flesh.

"I know just how deep to go to cause pain without killing you" Dallas said with glee, slicing him again. Callen gritted his teeth against the pain and groaned. Dallas continued to interrogate Callen. Dissatisfied with the answer, Dallas stabbed him in the left side and Callen grunted and gasped as the blade slid in. As Callen now could not answer the questions put to him due to the pain, Dallas stabbed him again whenl Callen slump forward unconscious.

"F**k it! Wake him up again! I want him awake when I kill him" snarled Dallas to his men.