Notes: This is a little more 'case' centric, and is less centred on Callen and Nell, together... but it is laying groundwork for my next fic (set at Christmas)
Callen rolled onto his back, trying to catch his breath, still not believing how he had landed up here.
"If that hadn't felt so good, I would accuse you of trying to kill me"
"I can kill two birds with one stone" Nell joked, as she rolled over to rest her head on his chest.
….
"You have a very healthy glow about you. You bring something 'extra' back from your honeymoon"
Nell just smiled, and threw a pen at Deeks
….
"Marty wasn't wrong. You do look good" Kensi said, as they both walked out to the parking lot
"It was a great honeymoon. We almost called in sick"
"Uh huh. 'we'. He's a bad influence on you" Kensi joked
"So what happened while we were away?"
"Just the usual… worked a couple of cases, Marty tried to get Hetty to take a turn on the mechanical bull,.. oh yeah, and my mom asked Marty when we were going to give her a grandchild…."
"…and… What did he say?"
….
"So what experience do you have?" Callen asked his new partner
The young woman in front of him, couldn't be much older than 25 or 26, was slightly shorter than him, and didn't seem to lack confidence. Perhaps even being over confident
"Well, I went through FLETC, graduated with high marks…"
"I mean what practical experience do you have. You must have something to have been assigned to OSP. What were you? FBI? DEA? ATF?"
"None of them, Sir"
"First off, don't call me Sir… it's just Callen, unless I'm undercover … in which case you refer to me by my Legend. Secondly, wait right here" Callen replied, before walking down the stairs to Hetty's office
….
"You can not be serious about having me train that kid. You can not teach undercover skills, like you would teach processing a crime scene. You and I both know, if I put that kid on the street, there's a good chance that one or both of us could end up dead. How did she even get assigned to OSP if she just graduated FLETC… I thought we needed agents with practical experience"
"I'm not asking you to train her, per say. I want you to assess her, check her trade craft… see if she has the makings of an undercover agent. If she does, then we can look at furthering her training"
"Hetty… I can tell you right now, that girl is not made for this job"
"You said the same about Kensi, when I first assigned her to you"
"Fine, I'll give the kid a chance. But if I come back to you, and tell you that she doesn't have what it takes…"
"…I will let the matter drop, Mr Callen. I give you my word"
….
"How many vehicles have been following us?"
"Sir… I mean Callen?"
"Without actively looking in your mirrors, how many vehicles have been following us?"
"Two?"
"Which ones, and for how long?" Callen asked, ignoring that the young agent sounded unsure
"The Grey Crown Vic for the last 4 miles, and the Silver Suburban for the last two or three blocks?"
"Which is it, Ruth? Two or three?"
"Three… I think"
Callen dialled a number, and lifted his cell to his ear
[…]
"Yeah, Eric… Can you call off Nolan and his guys. Tell him the first two rounds tonight are on me."
Ending the call, Callen returned his attention to his 'student'
"The Crown Vic was tailing you for four miles, the Suburban followed you for two blocks before turning off on East 47th, and then it followed you again from East Slauson for a further two blocks. What you missed was the UPS truck that has been following you for the last three blocks, and the Motorcycle that's been following us since we left the office"
"But you asked how many cars were following us"
"No… I Didn't. I asked how many vehicles had been following us. As far as you should be concerned, anything that has wheels or tracks, should be considered a vehicle. You should be passively watching your mirrors for any vehicle following you, no matter whether it's directly behind you or several cars behind you…"
*Phone ringing*
Callen paused, looking back at his cell.
"Да?" (Yes?)
[…]
Callen could see Ruth trying to work out what language he was speaking
"Дайте мне сорок минут . Ваше место ?" (Give me forty minutes. Your place?)
[…]
Once again Callen ended the call, and slid the phone back into his pocket
"Take us back to the office, quickly" he instructed "By the way, It was Russian. If you want to do well in this field… learn additional languages. The more, the better. If you're going to work in this area… You should learn at least Spanish"
….
Kensi, Nell and Deeks had been sat in the break room having their lunch for some time, when Callen's trainee walked in, and went straight for the coffee machine.
It didn't take a genius to see that she was pissed off about something, But the trio carried on eating their lunch and chatting.
After a few minutes they noticed that she had started muttering to herself. Deeks, being friendly, decided to ask if she was okay
"How's your first day treating you probie?"
"It would be fine, if my instructor wasn't being such an ass hole"
"In what way?" Deeks asked, curious
"He practically tore me a new one, because I didn't notice how many cars we had following us. You'd think he had never made a mistake, especially since he's so old" she spat out, bitterly
"I'm sure he wasn't that bad" Kensi said
"Who trained you?, maybe I could get Ms Lange to have me assigned to them" Ruth asked
"LAPD trained me, Nell was trained by a few different agents, and my beautiful wife, was trained by Agent Callen" Deeks replied
"You were trained by Callen!. So, is he always such a dick?" Ruth asked, directing her question at Kensi
"You have to understand, Callen's been doing this sort of work for most of his life. So he knows what skills you need, to survive in this kind of work. You just need to 'stick it out'. You'll appreciate what he's trying to teach you once you're on an assignment" Kensi offered, aware that Nell was starting to look irritated by the new girl's comments
"Yeah!, right" Ruth added, before getting up and walking out of the room
….
"It's good to see you old friend. I'm glad to see you alive, after the rumours that you had died" Arkady said, seeing Callen walk into his lounge
"So what's the deal? What did you want to speak to me about?"
"Straight to business. I need to call in that favour you owe me.
….
"Who've I to speak to?"
"Sergeant Duncan Smith. Take Ms Morrison with you, I'm sure it will do some good for her to gain some practical experience"
Knowing that there was no point arguing, Callen left Hetty's office to go speak to Eric, and find his trainee
….
"Can you run the name 'Sorin Rus', a Moldovan national, through immigration, let me know if he's entered the country in the last 14 days, and if he has… where he is"
"Sure. I'll let you know what I turn up" Eric replied
"If he's here, let Hetty know before you let me know. Discuss this with no one else"
Eric swivelled in his chair, to face Callen
"Can I get in trouble for this?" he asked just above a whisper
"No. It's all proper and above board. No one else needs to know, yet"
….
"Leave your badge in the car" Callen, instructed Ruth
"Why are we even here? Would this not fall under Marine CIDs Jurisdiction?"
"I don't believe so. After we speak to the Sergeant, we can re-assess that"
Callen started walking from the parking lot, into the diner, with Ruth following a few steps behind
Seeing who they were looking for, Callen walked over and sat down at the table, opposite the Corporal
"Sergeant Smith, I'm…"
"Special Agent Callen. I remember, Sir"
"This is Agent Morrison, She'll be observing. Have we met before?"
"Yes, Sir. My squad and I were assigned to work with you on an extraction several years ago"
Callen thought back to his time aboard the Seahawk
"from the Peleliu. I remember. What can we do for you?"
"Myself and some of my men were assigned to 'take out' a burned CIA asset who had intelligence that couldn't get out, almost four months ago. We were scrambled because we were already 'in country', our assigned Sniper took the shot, and we recovered the intel and verified the kill despite being unable to recover the body. A few weeks ago I received a call from Corporal Simms who said he had seen our target in San Diego, and was following him. The corporal was involved in an MVA before I could speak to him in detail. I passed along the information to CID and my superior, who passed the information to the CIA. CID and the CIA reported that it was impossible, and that Simms must have been mistaken. My CO is the one that suggested I talk to NCIS, when I wanted to challenge the outcome of the investigation into Simms death"
"What country?" Ruth asked, finally opening her mouth
"Sir?" Smith asked, looking to Callen to know whether to answer
Callen nodded
"Azerbaijan"
"Can you remember your targets name?" Callen asked
"Sorin Rus"
Callen was shocked at the mention of the man that Arkady had spoken to him about, but tried not to let it show
"Do you feel in any way at risk, and need protection?"
"I live on base, Sir. There's no where safer"
….
"Rich. It's Callen. I'm wondering if you would be able to tell me anything about a burned asset that was on the company's payroll" Callen said into the phone, while Ruth looked on
[…]
"Yeah I know. But it's to do with a case we're working"
[…]
"Sorin Rus?"
[…]
"Thanks. I'll wait to hear from you"
Putting his phone back in his pocket, Callen turned to his trainee
"Go on… ask"
"Why did he look to you before answering my question?, Is it because of my age?"
"We may have a security clearance, but that doesn't mean that we're always able to be given specifics about certain operations, especially if it's a black op, in a country where we're not meant to be"
"Yeah, if you say so" Ruth muttered under her breath, almost too quiet for Callen to hear
….
"Honey, I'm home" Callen called out, as he closed his front door behind him
"Perfect timing" Nell replied, as she walked through from the kitchen with a few take out containers
"Chinese?" Callen asked
Nell simply nodded
"How was work?"
"Tiring. Hetty assigned me a probie to assess…"
"Yeah, I met her" Nell said, interrupting
"She's like a petulant child. Doesn't like being told she's not doing something right" Callen said, opening the container
"She was in the break room, complaining about her 'old' ass hole of an instructor"
"Is that right?"
….
Nell lay in bed later that night, resting her head on Callen's chest, while she traced a finger over each of his scars
"You know I don't think your old, don't you?" Nell, asked out of the blue
"I know you don't" he replied "I told Hetty that the kid isn't made for this sort of work"
"What did she say to that?" Nell asked, lifting her head, to look at his face
"That I said the same about Kensi, when she was first assigned to me"
Before either of them could say anything else, Callen's phone started to ring
Reaching for it, he answered and lifted it to his ear
"Hey, Rich. What can I do for you?"
[…]
"Can you send me a copy of his jacket?"
[…]
"Thanks again"
Callen dropped the phone back on the bedside table, and jumped out of bed to start getting dressed
"Where are you going at this time?" Nell enquired
"Need to bring in Arkady. I've got a supposedly dead guy that was spotted up near Pendleton a few weeks ago, that I've just been told was a demolitions expert"
"Well you're not going alone at this time" Nell replied, as she too got up and started dressing
….
"You bring me a new woman. You shouldn't have, my friend"
"She's not here for you Arkady. She's here to back me up" Callen said
"Much more attractive than your usual partner." Arkady started, before turning his attention back to Nell "You want to be my next wife?"
Callen left the room to check that no one other than Arkady's security staff was on the premises.
"I'm already married, and I've heard all about what your ex wives had to endure" Nell replied
"Can your husband give you everything you want. I could give you whatever you want"
"My husband gives me everything I want, and need… He has a terrible temper when it comes to other men hitting on me though"
"Who is this man? I'm sure I'm better man than him"
Seeing Callen return to the kitchen, Nell decided to have a little fun…
"You've met my husband haven't you G!"
Callen knew she was up to something by the mischievous twinkle in her eye, but decided to play along
"Yeah. I know him very well" Callen replied, as he started making a phone call
"Maybe I'll let you meet him someday" Nell offered, satisfied by Arkady's reaction to the offer
….
*Door Knocking*
Hearing the door knocking woke Granger, reaching for his SIG, he slid out of bed and started moving to the front door.
Reaching the front door, he looked through the peep hole, being surprised by who was standing on the other side. Lowering his SIG, he opened the door
"This better be urgent, Callen"
"It is. I need you to get ready and come with me"
….
"What's this all about?" Granger asked as soon as he had pulled the car door closed
"You developed an asset named Sorin Rus?"
"Yeah, Over 20 years ago. He was able to provide us with intel from the USSR at the height of the cold war"
"I Spoke to a marine yesterday who reported a sighting of Rus a few weeks ago"
"What's this got to do with me, Callen?"
"I'm getting to that. He was reported as having being assassinated, by a squad of marines, including the man I spoke to. I'm lead to believe that he has already murdered one marine, and is targeting one of my informants"
"Kolchek?"
"Yeah. The CIA are adamant that Rus is dead, and won't discuss the matter any further. I'm hoping you can fill in some blank spots. The jacket that was sent over, is almost entirely redacted"
….
"You seriously expect me to guard a house!. I'm a Federal Agent, not a mall cop!"
"Just do as you're told" Callen urged
"Do you know who I am, Morrison?" Granger asked, walking into the room
"Yes, Sir. You're the Assistant Director" Ruth replied
"Then do what Agent Callen has told you to do"
Ruth said nothing and made no moves
"That's an order Agent Morrison!"
….
"Go watch the house. Don't let anyone in that's not permitted to be there!" Ruth said to herself, mimicking Callen's voice
Ruth sat in the car, already bored after only a few hours on duty, and pulled out her cell phone to order a blu ray from Amazon.
Distracted by a car trying to drive onto the premises, Ruth climbed out of the car and walked over to the car
"I'm here to drop something off for Mr Kolchek" the cars driver explained in a thick Russian accent
"Go on in" Ruth said, as she waved the car inside, wanting to get back to her shopping
….
"You sure you don't want me to get some agents to watch the place?" Callen asked as he pulled up outside Arkady's house
"No need. I am very secure for tonight" Arkady replied as he climbed out of the car
….
Callen was just about to pull out onto the road from Arkady's drive, when his phone rang
"Yeah Eric?"
"That guy you had me looking for, I've just had 2 sightings… both from Arcady's security system" Eric's voice said, over the speaker
"When?"
"A few hours ago, and then again about 10 minutes ago"
"I'm still here. Get me some agents out here, and get Morrison down to the boatshed" Callen replied as he put the car in reverse and started back up the drive
….
By the time that Callen had got back up to the house, he found that it had been set alight. Licks of flame were to be seen inside the building and smoke was billowing though the open front door
Hoping that Eric already knew about the house being on fire, Callen wasted no time calling it in, instead he got up and ran into the burning building.
The smoke was making it very hard to see and breathe, the heat was almost unbearable.. but He kept pushing onwards, hoping to find Arkady.
Eventually he found his friend on the floor, seemingly unconscious.
"Come on you Russian bastard, get up, and don't make me have to carry your drunk ass out of here" He shouted as he tried waking Arkady, before eventually resorting having to carry the Russian out of the building.
Breathing in the smoke made it feel like his throat was burning, as he pushed through the smoke, avoiding the burning walls, just barely managing to drag Arkady behind him
Once he had got them both outside and far enough from the building, Callen lowered himself to the ground and leaned back against the car, trying to catch a breath of fresh air
The next thing he knew, Sam was slapping him
"G... Wake up man"
"Arkady?" Callen croaked, his throat hurting, not helped by his intermittent coughing
"Still alive. Lets get you to the hospital, come on" Sam replied and he pulled Callen up from the ground
"Boatshed. Hospital can wait. You got any water?"
Sam handed him an already opened bottle and helped his ex partner round and into the passenger seat"
….
"She in there?" Callen barked in his still croaky voice, as he walked into the boatshed
"Hetty and Nell are in with her just now" Deeks said
Callen started walking towards the hallway that led to the interrogation room, before Sam grabbed hold of him and pushed him down on a chair
"Just sit there. You can wait for Hetty to finish with her first" Sam, ordered him
Deeks pressed a button, and the video feed from the interrogation room appeared on the screen, just in time to see (and hear) Nell slap the probationary Agent
….
Hetty and Nell walked out of the interrogation room, leaving Ruth sat in the room
Callen didn't know who he should be most afraid of at that moment… Hetty or Nell
"Take your Husband to the hospital, Get him checked over" Hetty instructed Nell, before turning her attention to Sam and Deeks
….
"What was the slap for?" Callen asked as Nell helped him into the car
"No. We're not talking about this until a Doctor's seen you" Nell said, as she pushed Callen into the car
Once Nell walked round and slid into the drivers side, Callen reached over and put his left hand on Nell's right arm
"You angry?" He asked, concerned
"Not at you" Nell replied
"Is it too soon to joke about seeing the bright white light?"
Nell didn't reply, instead she slapped Callen's chest before starting the car engine
"We're married for little over a week, and you're already trying to make me a widow"
Nell knew that she had been scared in the past, whenever Callen got injured on an assignment, or at all for that matter. But this was different… they were married now, they had so many things still to do together… She honestly believed that she wouldn't be able to cope if anything happened to him now… if she was told that he had been killed in the line of duty. 'Just keep it to yourself' she told herself 'Don't let him know how worried you are'
….
Callen lay back on the hospital bed, breathing in the clean oxygen from the mask.
Nell was out in the corridor speaking to the Doctor, hopefully being given good news.
"You're gonna be okay" Nell said and she entered the room "You're able to come home with me tonight"
"Can I take off this mask?" Callen asked, his voice slightly muffled by the plastic mask
"The doctor said you can"
"Where's Arkady?" Callen asked, and he pulled off the mask and got up on his feet
"He's upstairs. Hetty has agents securing him.
"Lets go have a word with him then.."
Callen started out of the room, with Nell following close behind
….
"Arkady! Wake up" Callen said, as he shook the Russian
Arkady opened his eyes, and looked about the room… and started to smile
"You brought my new wife with you!" Arkady barely managed to say legibly
"Not your wife, my wife… and she brought me" Callen said, light heartedly, before turning more serious. "What do you remember after I dropped you off?"
"You got married. You should have said. Where did you register?"
"Arkady!.. Focus"
"Very little. I went into my office, then all I remember is pain. Then I woke, here"
"That man you mentioned to me, that you were worried about… He was in your house. One of my guys saw him on your security feed"
"Then how am I alive?. If he had come for me, I would be dead"
….
The alarm clock was beeping and buzzing, making it impossible to remain asleep.
Callen reached out with his hand and randomly tried hitting where he thought the alarm clock was.. after a few goes, he lifted his head from the pillow and turned to look in the direction of the appliance, before finally managing to hit the cancel button.
With the alarm reset, he lifted a pillow and pulled it down to cover his face, wanting to sleep for just a little longer. Nell however, had other ideas
"Morning" She said, sounding cheery as she walked into the bedroom and placed a mug of coffee on his bedside table
"Too early" he replied, his voice muffled by the pillow
"Come on, Get up. Hetty wants you in early. And I want you to take another shower, you still smell smoky"
"
….
"He lives!"
"Yeah yeah. Real funny, Deeks" Callen replied as he threw his bag under Nell's desk "How is it that only Nell or I seem to get injured?"
"Just the same bad luck, that explains why you're not as graced with my good looks" Deeks, taunted as he walked out of the bullpen
….
"So what?, you want me off this case?"
"No, certainly not. I want you to dig deeper" Hetty explained
"There's only so much I can actually do, while I'm supervising the probie"
"Ms Morrison is no longer your responsibility"
"The hell she isn't!. She messed up, She's gonna learn from her mistake. Once we're finished, you can do whatever the hell you like with her"
"As you wish, Mr Callen. Make use of Mr Hanna's team. I have a feeling you will need the extra support"
"Who has the lead?"
….
Callen walked into the conference room, slamming the door shut behind him.
She had glanced up, when she heard the door open… Seeing who it was, she started mumbling that she was sorry
Callen quickly interrupted her, ignoring the meaningless apologies that the young agent was trying to spout
"Shut up!. You fucked up… disregarded my orders and put the life of an informant at risk. I gave you an order, and I expected you to obey it. You have no idea how lucky you are, that Arkady and I are alive, and are not going to suffer any lasting effects from that fire. OSP is a very small community, You need to be able to trust any other agent you're partnered with… The mistake you made is the sort of thing that can quickly lead you to becoming a pariah" Callen paused briefly, taking just long enough to take a breath and to analyse the young woman's reaction to what he was saying
"Hetty informed me that you're to be transferred out of OSP. I told her that she can do whatever she likes with you… but not until we close this case. You're going to listen to what I say, do what I tell you, and just maybe, we'll make an agent out of you. Be downstairs, and ready to go in 10"
Callen moved to leave the conference room, when something occurred to him
"…oh by the way. I'd suggest that you try not to piss off my wife again. She may be small, but she's ferocious"
Callen walked out of the room, heading for OPS, leaving Ruth to think about what he had told her
….
"Did anyone collect my car, or is it still at Arkady's?"
"Lana went and picked it up this morning. Should be out in the parking lot" Deeks explained, before he turned his attention to the staircase.
Callen turned to see what he was looking at. Finding that it was only Ruth, he turned back to face Kensi and Deeks, and found Deeks playing with his phone
"You're worse than a teenage girl" Kensi pointed out, once she realised what her husband was doing
"What? I just wanted to be ready, so I could video Nell slap her again"
"No one's slapping anyone, other than Kensi slapping you" Callen stated
Seeing Sam walk back towards the bullpen, Callen turned his attention to the ex SEAL
"Hetty speak to you?"
"Yeah"
"I'm not trying to step on anyone's toes, Sam"
"I know. I've no problem with you taking the lead. Means I'm not gonna have the biggest pile of paperwork to do" he joked
….
"Sam, you and Deeks check with any CI's… any sightings or reports of any new players in town trying to pick up explosives or other artillery, feed them back to Eric. Kensi, you and Nell head down to Pendleton, speak with Sergeant Smith, and then speak to the CID agent responsible for the investigation into Corporal Simms' death. See if they missed anything. Probie and I are going to go speak to Arkady, and see if he can remember anything else from before the fire. Take full tactical gear with you, since we don't know what way the day will go. 'Rus' is dangerous, and I want every one of us able to go home tonight"
….
"Marty told me about you slapping Callen's partner… Care to fill me in?"
"Nothing to tell. She wasn't wanting to accept any blame for what happened. She kept making excuse after excuse"
"So you just slapped her?" Kensi asked, still very curious
"No!. I shouted at her that G could have died because she didn't do her job properly, and then I slapped her"
"and… ? Come on, Hetty must have said something to you, about your outburst"
"Well…"
….
"Agent Morrison, this is Arkady Kolchek. Ex KGB, Occasional CI and the other man that could have died through your actions" Callen said, completing his introductions "What's the doctor saying?"
"Ah. Says I have to stay here for 6 more nights. Which is probably good, since I have no home to go back to"
"Yeah, yeah. Enough playing the martyr..." Callen smirked "Do you remember anything else from last night?"
"Just as I told you when you asked me last night. Is just pain and then waking up here"
"The fire marshal reported use of an accelerant. Do you remember smelling anything.. maybe gasoline?"
"No, No… well brief memory of smelling... something… maybe Vodka? Brandy?"
"Okay. Look, I've got 2 agents outside that door, no one's getting in unless they are on the approved list" Callen said, pointing at the sole entry/exit to the room "Feel free to supplement my agents with your own guys if you want" Callen continued, as he moved towards the door, indicating that Ruth should follow.
"Can you tell the nurse I'm ready for my sponge bath!" Arkady called out after Callen
….
[…]
"Any response to the BOLO?"
[…]
"Okay Eric, text me the details, and let Bates know what's going on. We may need LAPD support"
Ending the call, Callen place the phone in his jacket pocket, before starting the car and pulling out of the hospital parking lot
"This gonna be your first visit to an evidence garage?" He asked, without glancing at the young agent sitting nervously next to him
"No Sir"
This earner her an quick, irritated glance from Callen
"I mean, Callen. Can I ask… how long you've been doing this?" Ruth asked, sounding still quite nervous
"Driving? Since I was 16." He responded, trying to put her at ease. "But you meant this job. I've been with NCIS for the better part of 10 years, ignoring a brief period where I was dead" this earned him a puzzled look "I've worked in undercover roles since I was 18… NCIS, FBI, CIA, DEA and a couple of others"
"Is it not hard to have any real friendships or relationships, if you're always pretending to be someone else, though?"
"I don't know what they told you before you were assigned to OSP, but yeah, it can be hard… most of us end up having to lie to almost anyone we know. Sometimes we can get approval to be honest with a partner, provided they pass a pretty intensive security check. But as I told you before, OSP is a tight nit community, so you have a group of people that you don't have to lie to, and pretend to be something or someone you're not. That make sense?"
"Yeah, I guess so"
….
"Is this the car you let into Arkady's?"
"Think so, yeah."
"Then put on your gloves. Time to put your education into practice. Look for anything that could tell us where he has been, what his capabilities are, whether he's working alone" Callen instructed before opening the trunk
Opening the rear passenger side door, Ruth leaned into the car, looking for anything that could stand out. Reaching under the seats, she realised that Callen hadn't made any moves away from the trunk.
"Have you found something?" she asked as she continued checking the compartment
"Not actually found something, but something troubling nonetheless"
This piqued her interest. Wondering what he had meant, she moved to join him
Standing by his side, and looking into the spotless trunk… she was confused
"I don't see anything"
"What do you smell?"
"…I don't know. Whatever it is, it's quite sweet… maybe fruit?"
"Almonds"
Ruth looked up at him, utterly confused
"What?"
"Something I was taught years ago, and reminded of a few months back when I was working at the.. that doesn't matter.. Military grade explosives have a very distinct chemical smell, whereas commercial grade, or makeshift explosives often emit a….?"
"Sweet smell?" she asked, still confused
"Typically an Almond or Plumb scent. Either he had kept explosives in this trunk, had it full of almonds or had used a fruity smelling air freshener"
"So why abandon the car, why not burn it?"
"Good question… Think about it. He's got to know he's been caught on camera at some point at Arkady's… This guy is a demolitions expert, and instead of blowing up the house, he sets it alight. I would guess that he didn't get a chance to plant his explosives as Arkady returned home earlier than he maybe expected… Instead he knocked him unconscious and set the house alight with what was laying about. Arkady has cases of Vodka and other alcohol he's imported from Russia…"
"So he abandoned the car because he was in a rush? Was seen around the property, couldn't execute his plan… so he just took his stuff and dumped the car. Probably switched to another vehicle he had stashed, or something he stole… but probably not a stolen car because that would eventually attract unwanted attention, right?"
"Sounds about right to me. We may well make an agent out of you yet. Finish checking the car, I need to check in"
….
"Come on…We've got a sighting" Callen shouted as he climbed back into his car
"Right, I'm coming" he heard her groan as she closed the suspect's car before sprinting over to the car
"Have you actually fired your service weapon at a live target?"
"No. But I have done live fire exercise training… with paintballs. I don't know if that counts though"
"It'll have to do. We get where we're going, we split off into teams and clear the building. You follow me, do what I tell you and don't take any stupid risks"
"I'll not screw up again, I swear"
….
"You still trust me, Sam?"
"Always"
"Right then. Here's the plan. Deeks, I want you to go with Kensi and Nell…." Before Callen could say another word they were all distracted by a van that pulled up along side their own cars.
The van hadn't come to a complete stand before the doors opened, and out poured a full tactical team, a man that none of the agents could recognise, followed by Assistant Director Granger
"I figured you could use a few extra hands"
"Never Hurts, Sir" Callen replied, before looking at the mystery man, hoping Granger would offer an introduction as to who he was and what agency he represented
"This is CID Special Agent Hunt. He was the investigating agent on the death of Corporal Simms"
"If I may, Sir. With the utmost respect, I'd like to do this while it's still light out. Sam, Deeks, go with Kensi and Nell, head to the western stairwell. Myself, Morrison, Hunt and the Assistant Director will take the Eastern Stairwell. "4 of us per floor, working from either end till we meet in the middle. Callen then pointed to 3 of the tactical team "You go with Agent Hanna. When I give the signal, Secure the stair well access at ground level, No one other than any of us gets out" Then pointed to the other 3 members of the tactical team "You 3, are with us… again, Secure the eastern stairwell access at ground level, same orders. Any issues or concerns?" Callen continued, as he slipped the radio ear piece into his ear and indicated that Ruth should do the same "No? Okay, then. Let's get started"
….
"Sir, do you and Agent Hunt want to take this floor or the next?"
"We'll take this one, Callen. Try not to do too much damage!"
Callen and Ruth continued up the stairwell to the next level,
"You good?" He asked, noticing that she had been very quiet
"I will be. It's just a bit different doing this for real, instead of using paint rounds or firing at dummies"
"First time is always the worst. Just remember your training, and try not to waste rounds. You ready?"
As soon as she nods her head, Callen opens the door from the stairwell and points to the right hand side of the corridor, while positioning himself to the left hand side.
They start clearing the floor, room by room. Callen making sure to give Ruth enough time to properly clear a room before moving on, after all this would be her first real world experience at clearing a building.
Just after they had cleared the first quarter of the floor, Sam's voice came through the radio, advising shots fire, requesting back up, and advising that Deeks had been shot
"Tactical teams, Move up to secure second floor access point" Callen instructed, as he turned and ran back to the stairwell to go down one floor and back up the rest of his team. Pulling out his phone and dialling while descending the stairs, he instructed Eric to have an ambulance dispatched to the scene.
….
When Callen reached the section that Sam had radioed from, he found Deeks on the ground a trail of blood stretching from one of the doors, Kensi leaning over her husband pressing a torn off section from Sam's shirt against a neck round
Callen looked to Granger for instructions. Were they to catch 'Rus' or stop him by any means?
"If this is Sorin Rus, the CIA are demanding he be handed over to them alive" Granger started "Since we are the ones here, attempting to apprehend him. I don't care whether he is secured dead or alive"
That was what everyone wanted to hear.
Everyone with the exception of Kensi and Deeks, holstered their handgun and lifted their assault rifles, ready to storm into the former class room and end this situation one way or another.
Callen and Sam exchanged a number of hand signals between them as they prepared to burst into the room, stopping only to give instructions to the others seconds before storming through the doorway, weapons drawn and ready to fire…
….
"They can have what's left of him, if he survives" Callen suggested, while watching Nell follow Kensi and the paramedics out to the ambulance
"If he survives, we'll be interrogating him before we even think about handing him over to the CIA" Granger replied
"Excuse me sir. But if he was responsible for the death of Corporal Simms, an active US serviceman, on American soil, would that not classify him as a terrorist?. Suggesting he should be transferred to GITMO as soon as he is fit to be moved?" Ruth asked, still sounding a little shaken from her first live fire situation
….
"Doctors said anything, is Deeks gonna be okay?" Callen asked as him and Sam joined Kensi and Nell in the waiting room
"He's going to be fine. Just a flesh wound according to the Doc. Although if you were to believe Marty, you would think he had been repeatedly shot in the chest" Kensi replied, before thinking about what she had said "…Sorry Callen, I didn't mean…"
"It's okay, Kens. I know what you meant. He being kept in, or…" Callen asked, as he sat down next to Nell and reached out for one of her hands
"They're just putting a dressing over the wound, and then he's free to come home, where he expects a sponge bath"
"Too much information Kens. Hetty has instructed me to inform you that neither of you have to show up to work tomorrow"
Sam and Nell chuckled, finding it amusing that after so many years, Kensi could still make Callen uncomfortable
"I could use your help, if you're up to it" Callen whispered to Nell
….
"Special Agent G Callen needs my help" Nell teased, as they walked down the hospital corridor
"I didn't say I needed your help" He countered
"No, you didn't say it…. but you do, don't you!"
"Okay Mrs Callen… You're right, I need your help"
"What can I do?"
"I need you to speak to my Probie"
"No. I'm not gonna do that"
"Come on, Nell. I know you don't exactly like her, and considering what she did, I can't say I totally blame you. But I need someone to talk to her, someone who can relate to what she's going through, more than say, a forty plus, male Agent"
"Come on G. There has to be someone else, someone more suitable" Nell pleaded
"Yes there are other female agents. But not many in OSP, and even fewer that have been in the field for only a couple of years. I need someone I trust… and there is no one else on this earth that I trust more than you, Nell"
….
Nell looked through the window into the conference room, watching the young probationary agent trying to fill out a stack of forms.
She didn't even want to be here, she didn't even like the girl. Nell knew that she had made mistakes when she became a field agent, small things. But she also knew that she'd had the benefit of watching Callen, Sam, Kensi and Deeks for several years before she became an agent. Years of picking up proper procedure, tips, and additional training, over and above NCIS requirements.
Thing was, that Nell could barely look at Ruth without being reminded that she had put Callen in severe risk. Since Nell and Callen had gotten together, she had watched Callen be shot, poisoned, and almost tortured, only for him to be put in a situation where he could have been burned alive. To say nothing of having him be reported as dead.
Nell knew that despite what had happened, Callen saw something in Ruth, something that now made him believe that she could be a good agent, if given the right training and a patient training agent.
Damn him and his beautiful blue eyes. At times, Nell almost believed that she would do just about anything that he asked, so long as she looked into those deep blue pools that she could find herself getting lost in.
'It's now or ever' Nell told herself as he pushed the door open…
….
"Special Agent Jones. I'm sorry, do you need me to leave the room?"
"No, and it's Special Agent Callen. But you can call me Nell" Nell paused, wondering if she should be formal, or casual in what she had to say "Callen asked for me to talk to you. He thought that maybe it would help to speak to another female agent about what happened today"
"There's nothing to talk about" Ruth replied, timidly
"That was your first fire fight. The first time you've really seen a fellow agent shot. The first time that you were put in a situation where you stood a chance of not walking out of it, right?"
"… Well, when you put it like that…"
"Look. The first time I killed someone. I… well, I didn't cope all that well. I almost resigned. That didn't happen to you today. But eventually it will happen. These things are part of this job, so you need to find a way to cope. Find support in your colleagues, or from agency psychologists. I heard what you said about G, yesterday. And yes, he can be a pain in the ass, you will probably want to slap him … but he knows this job. He knows what skills an agent needs. And he knows if someone has potential.
He trained Kensi, and now she is one of the top agents assigned to OSP"
"I know all that, and I appreciate you talking to me. But I don't know if I honestly believe that I can handle this. Being here, doing what we did today…"
"Just think about it, okay?. OSP has some of the best Agents in the agency. The simple fact that you've come this far, says volumes about your capabilities."
….
"Well?"
"Do you honestly believe she has what it takes?"
"With the proper motivation, I do"
"I love you G Callen, You know that right?"
"I do, and I love you too. Although I still don't know what I did to deserve you, though"
"We're not talking about this again G. Now, how about we grab some take out, and go home…"