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THE PEOPLE YOU KNOW
Kenzi kept her back turned as she started to get up from the mat where Deeks had thrown her. Knowing she had rolled a few feet she scurried back and spun, trying to sweep at his legs. Deeks wasn't there. Staying in her crouch, Kenzi looked up at Marty Deeks, her partner, boyfriend, lover. Deeks was leaning against the bench that was sitting to the side of the work out sparring mats, drinking from a squeeze bottle.
"Hey!" Kenzi harrumphed.
Deeks looked slyly over to Kenzi; he then tossed the bottle to Kenzi.
Taking the water bottle, Kenzi took a long drink before spraying herself down with a splash of water.
Deeks mouth dropped slightly.
Kenzi got up off the mat and went over to her gym bag for her towel, bending at the waist she winked at Deeks as she patted herself down and wrapped the towel around her neck, the ends falling over her chest.
"Ha- Wha- Why, Why," Deeks stammered with a smile on his face. "Why would you do that?"
Kenzi picked up her bag, tossing it over her shoulder, as she made her way past Deeks she smacked him with the towel.
"Hurry up, Marty," Kenzi said over her shoulder.
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Nell looked up from her computer screen to Hetty who had appeared beside her.
"Miss Jones," Hetty said.
"Yes Hetty?" Nell asked, continuing her search for files on the Navy officer Director Granger had asked for.
"JAG San Diego messengered a folder to me last night," Hetty began. "I recognized the Lieutenant's name when Owen briefed me on the operation."
Hetty paused when her team of Callen, Kenzi and Deeks, and Hanna entered Ops. Looking to the four Hetty pointed to the big screen.
"This is Lieutenant Roger Brinklow, Naval Intelligence. His last billet was an aircraft carrier in the Pacific, until he was sidelined with a medical issue and he was transferred to a desk at the west coast branch of the JAG corp. San Diego messengered his personel file last night; their people did a check of his apartment after he didn't show for duty in the last 36 hours. Putting it mildly, him simply being missing is a problem, people."
Deeks looked at the officer's photo on the screen, Briklow was an average looking mid forties man of medium build with brown hair parted at the side.
Hanna pointed to the screen at Brinklow's record then said, "He was on the Nimitz as the Intelligence officer until 2 months ago, and has been at JAG for the last 5 weeks. Do they have any ideas as to why he disappeared?"
"What was the state of his apartment?" Deeks asked.
Hetty nodded to Nell, who then tapped at her tablet. Photo's of Briklow's apartment began appearing on screen.
Nell explained what the JAG file described.
"The door was unlocked when MPs got to the apartment," Nell said. "They said it looked like someone had left in a hurry. Nothing ransacked, no computer in the apartment, no file cabinet, but they did say they found traces of a burn bag."
"Well," Kenzi said. "He certainly was prepared."
"What is his digital footprint like?" Callen asked.
"Next to nonexistent," Nell said.
"Phone?" Callen asked.
"On his desk at work," Hetty said.
"Any contact to old shipmates?" Kenzi asked.
"All reports say that the Lieutenant didn't have many, if any friends on the Nimitz. He kept to himself, any relationships were perfunctory at best. A Petty Officer Vosller, signals operator was the closest the Captain knew about."
"Where is the Nimitz now?" asked Deeks?
"She makes port of LA in 2 and a half hours, 2 if the Captain puts the hammer down," Nell reported.
"Well. - We may need him to do that." Director Granger broke in on the videoscreen.
Five sets of eyebrows shot up at the Director's appearance. Owen Granger was in his living room clad in pajamas and a robe, sitting in an armchair.
"You doing alright sir?" Kenzi asked.
"Getting better Ms. Blye, thank you," Granger said with a grimace.
"The Lieutenant has access to prominent intelligence data: fleet movements, subs, personnel, assets in the field, communications, the list goes on."
"That," a new, female voice, broke in from the door to Ops. "Is an understatement!"
"General," Granger greeted through the video link. "I'll leave you to it"
Granger's face disappeared from the screen.
The Brigadier General walked over to Hetty, her heals clicking on the floor.
"You got the file?" she asked.
"Yes," Hetty said. Looking to her team she waved to the woman. "This is—."
"Sarah Rabb," Deeks spoke up with a smile.
"General Mackenzie," Hetty corrected. "Commanant of the JAG Corp on the west coast."
Kenzi looked sideways at Deeks and elbowed him.
"And how the hell do you know her?" she asked. "First that basketball player, now her."
Hanna and Callen both turned to look at Deeks.
"I kinda want to hear this too," Hanna said. "Did you hit on her in a bar or something?"
Sarah laughed at that.
"No," she said. "Nothing as mundane as that."
"Remember," Deeks said to Kenzi. "How I told you I started flying lessons while I was away?"
Kenzi nodded.
"Deeks I think you of all people shouldn't fly things," Hanna said jokingly.
"He's not that bad," General Mackenzi rejoined.
"My instructor was her brother-in-law," Deeks said. "I did my final test last week, Harm said I passed with flying colours and can go up anytime. I'm saving up for a plane."
Kenzi leveled a look of disbelief at her partner.
"You're going to buy a plane?" she asked.
Deeks nodded excitedly with a smile on his face.
"I have my eye on one that Harm said we can fix up."
"Is that where he's been going on weekends?" Sarah spoke up.
"I've been with him Saturday afternoons," Deeks said. "I can't speak for the rest of the time."
"Ah guys?" Nell piped up from beside the smart table, and gesturing back to the big screen, "The Lieutenant."
Deeks was the first to return his attention, asking, "What has he been doing at the office? Has he been looking somewhere he shouldn't? Extracurricular activities?"
"I don't think his dodgeball habit has much to do with his disappearance, Deeks," Sam said.
Deeks grinned at Sam, rolling his eyes "No Sam. Was he doing anything off book? An Intelligence officer might moonlight."
"Not that we've found yet," Sarah Mackenzie said. With a glance at Hanna she asked "Delta?"
Sam straightened up, "Seal," he said proudly.
"Well," Sarah said. "If my husband were here, he'd be giving you more crap."
With a swipe Sarah opened her briefcase and pulled out a folder, handing it to Hetty.
"This was in his desk drawer," Sarah continued. "I asked him about it one day. He said he used it to unwind. But my Russian isn't that rusty, I just haven't found a date on anything yet. It has to be older, with what and where they're talking about. They were moving something."
Hetty looked down at the folder, starting to read.
Callen head checked over to Nell.
"Show me his academy records and first billets," G demanded.
"Manners," Nell admonished as she pulled up the records.
"What are you thinking?" Kenzi asked.
Deeks put a hand on Kenzi's shoulder whispering to her, "Don't." then motioned with his head from Callen to Hetty.
"Top marks in linguistics, history. Excelled in cryptography. Speaks German, French, Russian; no Arabic or Farsi." Nell said.
"What's in the folder Hetty?" Kensi asked.
"Russian signals intercepts," Hetty said. "Old ones, and some new ones off the Nimitz."
"Did he break anything?" Deeks asked.
Hetty nodded.
"They aren't troop movements are they?" Deeks asked softly.
"No Mr. Deeks," Hetty said somberly. "They are not."
Kenzi looked from Hetty to Callen to Deeks, confusion on her face.
"What am I missing?" she asked.
General Mackenzie had a similar look on her face.
"My father," Callen all but whispered.
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