NCIS LA : Revelations

Chapter 1

"Yes, yes; you told me to pick it up yesterday, Kensi." Marty Deeks rolled his eyes as his girl friend of two years continued nitpicking over the phone.

"Don't give me attitude! You forget stuff like this sometimes; I'm just making sure you remember." Kensi paused. "Wait, why aren't you here yet? You left before me this morning."

"Keep your hair on. I'm literally walking in the door right now." Deeks hung up as he walked into the bullpen. Kensi had one eyebrow raised; she had noticed he hadn't answered her question about why he was late.

He shrugged. "I had to stop by LAPD and catch up on some paperwork."

Kensi frowned, not fully satisfied with his answer. She decided to drop it for the time being.

"Come on." Kensi stood up from her chair. "Sam and Callen are in the gym."

Deeks put down his bag at his desk and followed her. He would have to come up with something better to tell her before the subject came up again. Ugh. All the secrecy was seriously starting to annoy him. At this point, the façade was laughably unnecessary. Clearance be damned. His team deserved to be looped in after six years of working together.

Callen and Sam were practicing their knife skills using the practice blade that delivered slight electric shocks upon skin contact. Sam was yelping from Callen's most recent successful swipe.

"Ouch! That actually hurts!" Sam looked down at his arm. "I wouldn't want to come across you in a dark alley, man. You know, you're the first person to actually get me with that thing."

Callen grinned at him. "Was that a humble brag, Sam?"

"Oh, I wasn't being humble." Sam responded, crossing his arms and grinning.

"How 'bout I jump in and help you with the humble thing?" Kensi walked over holding her hand out for Callen's practice blade.

"We were just finishing up." Sam smiled. "Besides, I can think of someone who needs the practice a whole lot more than I do." He looked pointedly at Deeks.

Deeks laughed uncomfortably. And so the lies continued. "I have a gun; what do I need to know how to use a knife for?"

"Get in here, Deeks!" Kensi beckoned with one finger. "An NCIS agent needs to be trained in a range of fighting techniques. You're one of us. Now, show me what you've got."

Deeks sighed and walked over, making a face at Sam as the big man handed him his practice blade. He turned to face Kensi, his stance relaxed. He just had to slow down his reactions. Give Kensi and easy opening. End the practice session quickly. Keep them all thinking he was no good with knives. Deeks sighed again. He was so tired of keeping up this act.

Sam and Callen snickered as Deeks made his way over. He looked so damn uncomfortable with the practice blade in his hand. Kensi was going to crush him.

Kensi was smiling like the cat that ate the canary as she watched Deeks begrudgingly walk over to stand in front of her. She waited a moment for him to take on a fighting stance, but when he did not, she struck out with her blade like a cobra, giving no warning.

Deeks registered Kensi's movement, but held off on reacting until she was inches from his chest. He needed to make it look like his reflexes were slower than hers. He then sidestepped slightly so that the practice blade grazed his left arm.

"Geez!" He yelped. "Give a guy a chance, Kens!"

Kensi swiped at him again and he jumped back out of range just in time to avoid her blade. "On the defensive already, partner? You really are hopeless at this." She laughed.

"Why would an LAPD officer need to know how to use a knife?" He couldn't look her in the eyes as he said this. Lying to Kensi made him feel sick to his stomach. The more serious their relationship got, the more sick it made him. He had to come clean. Shit.

A whistle sounded from the doorway of the gym. Relieved Deeks let the hand holding the practice blade drop to his side and turned to see Eric.

"Aww, Eric! I was just about to kick Deek's butt!" Kensi pouted.

"Sorry. You're presence has been requested in Ops." Eric shrugged.

The team walked into Ops. Hetty was looking uncharacteristically stony faced. Her eyes flickered to Deeks, hoping she could warn him with her eyes before he saw the face of the man on the screen. She really wished she had gotten a chance to pull him aside to talk privately beforehand.

Deeks noticed Hetty's nonverbal communication that he wasn't going to like what was coming. His eyebrows furrowed slightly and he raised his eyes cautiously to look at the image on the big screen. Not possible.

His face was expressionless, concealing the hatred that boiled up behind his eyes, as he looked back at Hetty.

Then Deeks started speaking in flawless Russian, his voice steely with anger. "Why is Volkov on that screen, Henrietta?" All eyes turned to Deeks.

"He's supposed to be dead." Deeks continued, not breaking eye contact with Hetty as he gauged her expression.

Hetty responded calmly in Russian. "It would seem reports of Volkov's death were greatly exaggerated." She then pointedly directed her gaze at Callen, the only other person in the room who could understand Russian, before looking back at Deeks.

He got the message. Detective Deeks of the LAPD wasn't supposed to be able to speak or understand Russian. Who fucking cares! He took a breath, controlling his feelings, and then turned to look at the rest of the team.

Returning to English, he spoke in a professional voice, betraying none of his anger. "The man on the screen is Vladimir Volkov." Deeks paused for a moment to craft an edited version of the real story that provided enough of an explanation as to why he knew about Volkov, without dredging up a past he didn't want any of his teammates to ever know about. "Some years back, the LAPD worked with the FBI to shut down an international sex-trafficking ring with a base here in LA. Volkov was the guy in charge of the ring. All the kids involved in the ring here in LA were successfully extricated and relocated by WitSec, but Volkov got tipped off about the raid and fled back to Russia so the ring's operations in other countries continued. A couple years ago, Volkov was reportedly killed by a business rival and his trafficking ring was supposed to have been shut down after that." Deeks looked at Hetty then, inviting her to brief him and the rest of the team.

Hetty nodded at him. "Thank you for the introduction, Mr. Deeks." She turned her head to look up at the man on the screen before continuing. "Volkov was flagged by facial recognition software around four AM this morning when he ran a red light outside a club called KickBack. Since then, LAPD has been notified that officers need to be briefed on the details of the Volkov case and made aware of his old running mates. The FBI has been made aware as well." Hetty purposefully avoided looking at Deeks as she said the last part.

"So… Deeks, you worked this case before?" Kensi asked, confused by his previous angry outburst in Russian.

Deeks didn't meet her eyes right away. "I…" He swallowed against the sick feeling in his stomach and raised his gaze to meet hers. "I was involved in it, yes." He looked away again before continuing. "I actually went undercover in the organization."

"Hold on a second!" Callen was looking at Deeks, slightly shocked still. "Since when can you speak Russian, Deeks? We've had missions before this where that could have been useful, and you didn't say a word!"

"It's been a while and I'm not totally fluent; I just know what I learned while undercover for the Volkov op." Deeks shrugged, not meeting Callen's eyes.

"Hetty… did you know about this?" Callen narrowed his eyes as he turned to look at Hetty. Of course you did.

Hetty met Callen's gaze steadily. "I did indeed, Mr. Callen."

"And you didn't think that was something the team should know about?" Callen asked, frustration seeping into his voice.

"Had the time come that it became necessary, I would have asked Mr. Deeks to utilize his knowledge of the Russian language. His aptitude for the language was not a secret that he or I intentionally kept from the team; it merely never came up." Hetty responded, looking over her glasses at Callen. She held his gaze until he shook his head in exasperation.

"Now, let us return to the matter at hand." Hetty gestured for Nell to continue the report on Volkov.

"Right." Nell's eyes flickered between Callen and Hetty nervously. "There have been a few reports of child trafficking here in LA over the last couple weeks. We now think that this means Volkov's ring is still operational and that he's returned to reestablish a base here in LA. This is where we think Volkov's base of operations is this time around." She looked down at her tablet and pulled up another image on the big screen of a warehouse.

Deeks made an angry noise. "There have been reports of child trafficking in the area over the last couple weeks? What the hell? Why weren't we made aware of this before now?" He was glaring at Hetty.

"Mr. Deeks, let us speak privately in the hall." Hetty didn't wait for a response before heading into the hall. Deeks loped after her, not making eye contact with the rest of the team.

(In Ops)

The team stared as the door closed behind Deeks.

Callen turned to look at Kensi. "Did you know Deeks spoke Russian?"

Kensi shook her head, trying not to be hurt by the fact that her partner (and boyfriend) had kept a secret from her. There's an explanation. He'll have a perfectly reasonable explanation. She was sure of it.

Callen watched as Kensi's eyes went unfocused. His eyes flicked to meet Sam's. Sam raised his eyebrows and widened his eyes to convey he had no idea Deeks had an aptitude for any language, including Russian.

"What do you think they're talking about out there?" Nell asked quietly, her eyes still trained on the door.

"Hetty's probably telling Deeks to get his temper in check." Sam said. He was surprised the detective could even get angry. "You know… I don't think I've ever seen Deeks be that… serious. He's always joking around. I didn't know anything could get under his skin like that…" He furrowed his brow now, growing concerned.

"He can get angry." Kensi whispered.

Everyone turned to look at her. She looked up at them and then back down at the floor. "About a month ago, a couple and their kid, a little girl, moved into the apartment above mine. One time, when Deeks was over, we heard the dad yelling and the little girl crying… Then there were these crashing sounds, like someone getting thrown around. We could tell it was bad." She paused before continuing. "Deeks jumped up and grabbed his gun. I was right behind him. We went up the stairs and Deeks knocked on the door and the guy that lives there came out. Deeks told him we'd heard some noises and asked if everything was alright inside and the guy got all in his face and was mouthing off about how he could do whatever he wanted in his own house; he told Deeks to mind his own business. Deeks got all quiet and then he shoved the guy out of the way and went in the apartment. Deeks came back out carrying the little girl. She was crying, beaten half unconscious. He handed her to me and then he turned around and he lost it, nearly killed the guy." Kensi looked up at all of them. "I've never seen him like that; he was like a different person."

Callen, Sam, Nell, and Eric exchanged looks. Nell spoke up then. "You guys all know by now…" She paused glancing at the door again to check that Hetty and Deeks weren't coming back in yet. "I mean… you guys know about Deeks's dad, right?"

"What about his dad?" Callen asked puzzled. He looked questioningly at Sam, who shrugged.

They looked at Kensi who was nodding sadly. "He shot his dad when he was eleven."

"What!?" Callen, Sam, and Eric all exclaimed. Callen's and Sam's brows furrowed as they realized how little they knew about their teammate.

"Yeah. Apparently…" Nell paused before deciding to continue. "Apparently, his dad was horribly abusive, of Deeks and his mother. Deeks shot his father in self defense." Kensi nodded again, her eyes clouding as she thought about the love of her life being abused.

"He only really truly gets angry when it comes to kids, when it comes to people abusing kids." Kensi explained. "It really gets to him, affects him in a way nothing else does."

Ops went quiet as the team absorbed this new information about their teammate.

"He's always so damn happy…" Sam was looking at the door Deeks had left through. "I always thought… I mean I just assumed he didn't have anything like that in his past. Shit. Some of the stuff I've given him crap about..." He pinched the bridge of his nose, looking at the floor, ashamed for his careless judgment of the detective.

"It's not something he talks about. Every once in a while, though, something he'll say… it'll just hit me that it's… about his father." Kensi was looking at the floor again. "I'm pretty sure his alias Max Gentry… is based on his father. I can tell how much he hates being that person, how sad it makes him to have to put on that god damned leather jacket. It hurts to watch." She looked at the door.

The room was silent for a moment. "What do you think is taking them so long?" Nell asked quietly.

Before anyone could answer, the sound of footsteps became audible. A moment later, the door opened and Deeks walked back in followed by Hetty, his mouth set in a grim line.

(In the Hall)

They hadn't walked far before Hetty stopped and sighed. She turned to look at Deeks, allowing her unhappiness to show on her face.

"Mr. Deeks… I know this must be a bit of a nightmare for you. If there had been time, I would have warned you before briefing the rest of the team." Hetty stopped speaking at the withering look Deeks gave her.

Deeks looked away from Hetty then and stared unseeingly down at the people milling about on the floor below. "He's supposed to be dead, Hetty." His voice shook with dread. "This part of my past is supposed to be…" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I don't want the team to know. I don't want them to know about this." He looked at Hetty now, his eyes fearful.

"Oh, Mr. Deeks…" Hetty paused to control her own emotions. "Of course we don't have to tell them. That is your story to share or not to share as you please." In an uncharacteristic gesture, she reached out and squeezed his arm reassuringly. "If this case hits too close to home for you, I can make arrangements so that Ms. Blye gets a temporary partner for this op. You don't have to be involved."

"I…" Deeks's eyes went unfocused for a moment, a look of pain etched into his features, as he was temporarily pulled into a painful memory. His eyes focused again and he looked at Hetty, his mouth forming a grim line and a look of determination settling over his features. "I can't walk away… as much as I might want to… Fuck. I have an in. I have an in that'll get me right into the inner circle. I can't ignore that; I can't walk away when I'm the only one who can save those kids… all those kids." A look of dread cast a shadow over his face.

Hetty frowned. "Mr. Deeks… you can't mean you want to go in as Martin Brandell…?" Her frown deepened as she took in his expression confirming that that is exactly what he meant. "Volkov might have… shown a special interest in you when you were a teenager." Hetty's voice was brittle as she said the words, feeling sickened. It took her a moment to continue. "But that doesn't mean he'll have any reason to except you into his organization as an adult. Plus, there's a good chance he knows you were cooperating with the FBI and LAPD last time. He could easily shoot you on site."

Deeks was shaking his head before Hetty finished speaking. "The way it all went down… my connection with the cops wasn't revealed." Deeks's eyes clouded as he remembered the night of the raid. He shook his head to dispel the memory and then turned his attention back to Hetty. "And… Volkov wasn't a pervert; he wasn't into little boys… he was just… inordinately infatuated with me." Deeks voice went dead as he finished speaking. He took another deep breath before continuing, his eyes dropping to the ground. "He's been looking for me." He whispered this last admission.

Hetty was rarely surprised by information. A rare look of shock appeared on her face at Deeks's words. What!? Hetty composed her features before asking her next question. An undertone of horror still managed to creep its way into her voice, though. "What do you mean Volkov has been looking for you?"

Deeks eyes flickered up briefly at the tone of Hetty's voice and then back down to the floor as he answered. "Every few months, certain inquiries get made about the current whereabouts of Martin Brandell. Before you told me my father had died… I just assumed it was him, trying to find me." Deeks stopped speaking for a moment, swallowed against the lump in his throat that formed at the mention of his father, and then continued. "So when you told me he was dead, I looked into the source of the inquiry and all I could learn was that the calls were coming from outside the U.S. I'm pretty sure… I mean now that I know Volkov isn't dead… I'm almost positive he's the one who's been looking for information on Martin Brandell." Deeks finally looked up to see Hetty's horrified expression.

"When did he last inquire about the whereabouts of Martin Brandell?" Hetty asked, her voice a deadly whisper.

"A few weeks ago." Deeks answered.

Hetty looked searchingly at Marty Deeks now. "Is this really something you feel like you have to do?" Her voice was a whisper still, but sadness permeated her words now. "No one should ever have to do what you are volunteering for, Mr. Deeks. That man sexually abused you for years." Hetty's voice was filled with loathing for Vladimir Volkov. "And you are suggesting we send you in so he can abuse you some more." She hissed, hating the entire idea.

Deeks's determination didn't waver. "I'm in a unique position to help, Hetty. No one else on the planet can do what I can for this case." His eyes burned as he looked back at the tiny woman.

She sighed, closing her eyes in defeat. "If this is something you feel you need to do, I suppose I can't stop you. I can't disagree that you are in a unique position to help bring this case to a close. But," Hetty's voice softened, "if you find that you can't handle it, that it's too much, you come to me and I will pull you out. Promise me." Deeks nodded.

"Well," Hetty looked at the door to Ops, "time to brief the team. I'll leave the explanation for your alias up to you to fabricate. It might be difficult to keep the team from learning about your past if you do this." She raised an eyebrow at Deeks, who blanched at the thought of the team knowing.

"I don't want them to know, Hetty." He said vehemently. Then he sighed. "If you have to loop some of them in as the case progresses…" His eyes clouded with the thought. "If you have to, do it, but only on a need to know basis. Make sure they don't say anything to the rest of the team." Hetty nodded sadly in agreement, knowing this was the only thing she could do to make things easier for the detective.

Deeks opened the door to Ops, his mouth setting into a grim line as he thought about what he had just committed to doing. Fuck.

(In Ops)

Everyone was quiet as the detective walked back in with Hetty and went to stand at the foot of the table.

He looked up at them then, some emotion none of them could identify coloring his features with a seriousness none of them had ever witnessed on his face before. "I have a way into Volkov's organization. The alias I used the last time around is still sound. I'm going to use it to go in under deep cover."

"Wait, wait. How the hell do you know your alias wasn't burned!?" Sam asked incredulously. "The FBI and LAPD raided Volkov's base of operations. He has to know there was a rat; he's gonna suspect anyone that was around last time he did business in LA. It'd be much safer to send in one of us, present a face he's never seen before."

"The alias wasn't burned. The way things went down during the raid… made my alias stronger than ever, where Volkov is concerned." Deeks responded, remaining as vague as he could. "He'll trust me right of the bat… I'll get easy access to his inner circle. Using a new face would mean wasting months to do what I can do in twenty-four hours."

Sam's eyebrows shot upwards. "You're that confident that Volkov is gonna just welcome you back with open arms? Get real man."

Callen jumped in. "Deeks, even if the alias wasn't burned, Vokov still hasn't been in touch with you for years so there's no way he'll just trust you if you walk in off the street." Callen said, skepticism creeping into his voice and his features.

"Look, I know exactly how Volkov's mind works. Believe me when I say, I'm the best in we've got. Trust me." Deeks met both of their skeptical looks, his confidence in his words showing on his features.

Sam and Callen looked to Hetty, then, still not convinced. "Mr. Deeks will be going under deep cover using his old alias. End of discussion." Hetty responded, meeting Sam and Callen's eyes one after the other. And so it was.

"Deeks!" Kensi called, chasing after him as he packed his things for his undercover mission. "You can't go in alone, without back up! These guys are seriously—"

Deeks cut her off. "Kensi." His eyes burned with intensity. "We're talking about hundreds of kids being trafficked here in LA, about thousands of kids being trafficked internationally." His voice broke slightly with emotion as he turned his back to her then. "I'm the only one that can do this, the only one. I have to go. I have to."

Kensi's eyes filled with tears at the pain in his voice. "I know." She said, wrapping her arms around the man she loved and hiding her face in the back of his shirt. "Please be careful. I can't lose you." Her voice cracked with unshed tears.

Deeks didn't know how long they stood there like that. Finally, he sighed and Kensi knew it was time for her to let go. She hugged herself as she watched him walk out the door, an unfathomable look plastered on his face.

END of Chapter 1