NCIS L.A. - Devil in the Box
Author's Note: Hello, everyone! If you already read one of my stories (for which I'm very, very, very thankful if you did, if not, I'm still thankful you look into this one), you know by now that I'm a Deeks-fan. I actually started watching this show because of him. Therefore, I want to dedicate another story to him.
I started it a while ago, but this is not worked out yet. I post this to hear your opinion if this is actually something... well, worth the exploration? I have a vague idea in mind, but I'm not yet sure if I should continue this or develop it any further. So it would be great if you told me what you think of it.
I started writing this fic because I still hope that they will further contemplate on Deeks's past on the show. I'm honestly waiting for a "Deeks, M." episode, badly. I just think that there is more in Deeks than the guy for comic relief. But enough of my... Deeks-advertisement.
I will not put up great warnings yet because I don't know where to take that story yet, but I have a dark theme in mind, so whatever I unravel in Deeks's past won't be pretty, but I don't think this comes as a great surprise.
As for the setting, this should be somewhere around season 2 to 3, I think... but definitely before Sidorov and before Deeks's and Kensi's "thing" actually became a "thing".
I don't own anything, at all. Never did, won't ever. You know how it goes ;)
Anyway, I think I've bothered you enough with my long Author's Note. I hope you'll like it.
Thanks in advance!
Deeks walks into the bullpen with coffee and a bag of donuts, humming some Rock tune. He drops the bag in front of Kensi on her desk, causing her to frown incredulously, "What? Did you do something stupid or why you bringing me donuts?"
"I decided to be nice and feed the dragon, and that's what I get? Fern, where's the love, huh? Huh? I'm being the partner of your dreams to answer all your cravings – and all I get from you is scorn! So mean!" he cries out dramatically. Kensi rolls her eyes at him, "You little drama queen."
"... But if you don't want them... I can take them back...," Deeks smirks, sliding the bag back, but Kensi already grabs the paper bag, tightly, "No, no, no. Leave them there, tiger."
"Grr," Deeks growls playfully. He walks over to Sam, hands him a tower of two cups, takes the top one to give to Callen before he walks to his desk.
"You sure you didn't do anything? That you bring us all coffee and donuts... you know?" Sam grimaces suspiciously.
"Suspicion makes you wrinkly, didn't you know that, Sam?" Deeks smirks as he takes his bag off.
"It doesn't, you moron," Sam rolls his eyes at the detective.
"Yeah, it does. Scientifically proven, dude," Deeks argues.
"Bullshit," Sam huffs.
"Well, all pseudo-sciences aside for a second, is just... You look happier than usual," Callen says as he takes a sip from his coffee, and Sam adds, "And I thought that this was hardly possible."
"Right, we already thought that the smile would come off!" Callen teases.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, well, went to surf today and caught the most amazing wave since, uh, 1990. Then you gotta be happy no matter what. My legs still tremble thinking about it. Was so friggin' good! That's a high drugs don't buy!" Deeks snickers, causing Sam to frown, "What was so special 'bout the one in 1990?"
"Perfection, Mr. Hanna, simple as that. Right place, right time, right water, right height, right length, right circumstances, easy: perfection," Deeks explains, "Plus, who could possibly forget about 1990 – when Nelson Mandela came outta prison, the WWW established, the first McDonald's in Moscow, The Hunt For Red October, Days of Thunder, the godly Goodfellas, which is one of Scorcese's masterpieces, Die Hard 2: Die Harder with Bruce the friggin' Willis, the life action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie adaptation – and of course one of the most amazing things ever: Thunderstruck by AC/DC. How could this possibly not have been the best wave ever?!"
Kensi laughs out loud since the TMNT part and holds her stomach. She knows her partner is weird at times, but he never ceases to surprise her.
"He just did a Wikipedia on us," Callen shakes his head.
"I'm still not past the turtles!" Kensi laughs.
"Fern, insult me, but not the Turtles, okay?" Deeks argues, keeping a straight face.
"I'd... never," Kensi brings out between huffs of laughter.
"Better be, coz otherwise I wouldn't even know you. I mean, those are... friggin' superhero turtles eating pizza and wielding around those badass ninja weapons. Nothing's cooler than a superman-turtle eating pizza with... badass ninja weapons," Deeks nods to himself.
"You're such a dork," Kensi snickers. She knows that he likes to act like a kid or teenager at times, at best, if he isn't acting like a total child. However, all of them got used to it by now. This is his kind of humor, and part of his personality. Deeks is just, well, Deeks.
"So this wave today came close?" Sam asks, coming back to the main topic.
"Closest thing than ever! I mean, never gonna catch a better one, fine, but... I almost cried when I realized it was over already," Deeks whines playfully.
"You're weird," Sam shakes his head.
"You never tried it, so don't judge it, Big Guy," Deeks huffs. Sam just has no idea how amazing surfing is, this surge of absoluteness, freedom. No, you have to try it before you understand it.
"I just can't imagine that...," Sam wants to argue, but that is when Eric chooses this moment to make his appearance and beeps at them with a mini trumpet.
"Guys?" Eric proclaims dramatically. The agents follow him and walk into the Ops.
"I thought Hetty would be around?" Callen glances around.
"And Nell," Kensi adds. The two analysts are inseparable after all.
"Nell is at a dentist appointment," Eric explains, "and Hetty is still talking to Director Vance about something, top secret, most likely."
"She in trouble?" Sam grimaces.
"Don't say that out loud! That's just like Bloody Mary curse," Deeks cries out.
"What, talking about Hetty or that she's in trouble?" Sam grimaces.
"Both? But especially the latter. You know how it is, you say it, then it happens, well, except for Maya Apocalypse. That was just bogus, but like...," Deeks looks around nervously.
"You're really that superstitious?" Sam makes a face. He actually didn't take Deeks for the type.
"Not superstitious just superspicious," Deeks nods, happy about his new word creation.
"What's that?" Sam knits his eyebrows. The other two snicker. A little while ago, Sam has started to take it upon himself to actually... ask about Deeks and his word creations. Now those two will always discuss Deeks's weird theories, or rather, Deeks is totally excited when he delivers his theory or explanation and Sam just gives him this "bullshit"-look. That interaction is simply hilarious.
"Suspicious of the superstitious stuff. Superspicious," Deeks explains.
"Another Deeksism for the jar," Kensi smirks.
"We have a jar for that, like a swear jar?" Deeks blinks at her.
"I will not answer that," Kensi snickers.
"C'mon, if there is a jar for my wonderful word creations, I gotta know! I got a right! Those are my ideas after all!" Deeks exclaims.
"Shut up already!" Kensi nudges him in the side.
"I will start a 'Kensi's mean jar' - I bet I'll have a million dollars by the end of the month! And then I go to dinner without you!" Deeks pouts playfully.
"You try, you die," Kensi sticks out her tongue.
"That makes two dollars for the Kensi jar," Deeks smirk.
"So... Eric, whatcha got for us, for real? To put an end to this?" Callen says. Someone has to get the group to focus here after all. This can be such a kindergarten at times.
"Uhm, Lt. Sergeant William Baker, Navy SEAL," Eric explains, "He was found dead in a warehouse near the peer by a group of junkies who wanted to get high in said warehouse."
"Maybe some of them quit thanks to that experience," Sam suggests.
"Then it may have something good after all... either way... he was shot in the back. He was instantly dead," Eric explains.
"Blitz attack," Sam nods, "This guy didn't want to face him, that's for sure."
"Or it was two... one distracted him, and then the other one took him out," Kensi argues.
"Either way... cowardice," Sam grunts.
"Was anyone seen around the scene?" Callen asks.
"Not directly, but... we were able to get Baker's phone working again. And he got called by this number fifteen minutes before he was caught on video surveillance upon entering the building," the analyst informs them.
"So the murderer ordered him there," Callen nods.
"And Baker didn't know that place – or else he would've bypassed the camera," Kensi adds.
"Well, the people or person who did this was smart enough not to be caught on cameras near the scene, but... I was able to track down the phone with which Baker was called... and that lead me to a person by name Francis Harper. Now this guy gave me no valid address, for some reason, but... since I'm simply amazing, I tried to trace back the source of the call... and it led me to this café, and... it has video surveillance... and of the time of the call, there were only three people on the phone: a teenage girl, a woman... and this guy," Eric explains. He shows a picture of the man on-screen. Deeks, who stands a little behind the guys, is visibly tensing up, but that goes unnoticed by the rest of the group.
"Good job... so what we got on that guy?" Callen asks.
"And this is where the mystery starts: There's nothing 'bout him. No valid address, no nothing. It's as though this person didn't exist until he was caught on camera, like one of those creepy ghost captures you find on the internet. Only becomes real the moment it's banned on camera, yikes," Eric makes a face.
"So this guy got a new identity little while ago," Callen concludes.
"From the looks he he hasn't been to military, or at least not for long," Sam throws in.
"Yeah, the posture doesn't fit," Callen tilts his head.
"Maybe he's just out of training," Kensi argues.
"Yeah, might also be," Callen nods.
"So the challenge is to find out who that guy really is. He might be our best candidate to be responsible for Baker's death," Kensi adds.
"... Don't bother," Deeks speaks up, his voice suddenly almost hoarse.
"What was that?" Kensi blinks at her partner. Deeks walks up to the screen, his eyes wide, his features tense.
"You know this guy from a case for LAPD or what?" Callen questions.
"No," Deeks shakes his head. If only that were true...
"Then what?" Sam grimaces.
"... Guys, meet Gordon John Brandel," Deeks says, pointing at the screen. Kensi stares at him, gaping. The others do, too, but look rather confused.
"Who?" Sam blinks.
"My father," Deeks says.
Silence falls.