I appreciate everyone reading this story, but I'm wondering if I should keep going with it given real world events. I'll wait and see what everyone's response is. Please, drop a review.

Oh, sorry about chapter titles. They don't exactly describe the chapters, but I've sorted gotten taken with the whole 'building storm'.

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS:LA.


"You guys work fast." Captain Wright shook the hands of Callen, Kensi, and Deeks.

"They came to us. We didn't do anything." Sam answered.

"Got farther than we did." Wright admitted.

"Would have been better if we had saved the father." Kensi added.

"Caught the terrorist as well." Deeks finished.

Captain Write motioned to a man walking up to the group. "This is Dr. Henry Saks. He is leading the containment team. Doctor, these are agents Callen, Hanna, Blye, and Deeks from NCIS."

The doctor nodded his head at each agent then turned to Captain Wright. "From measurements we've taken, the blast pattern, and statements from first responders this was a detonation, most likely from military grade explosives. Also, there was an accelerant used to make the fire burn hotter and longer. Matt did this. He made sure that the explosion brought the pressure wave into the building causing a collapse. Then he insured the fire consumed the chemicals. The only problem is, even when the fire is out, the extensive damage will hinder our ability to determine if anything is missing."

Callen didn't like it, but felt the question had to be asked. "You don't believe this might have been done by the terrorist? To make us feel safe while they transport the weapon to target."

"That would be a possibility if I hadn't seen readings of the fire's temperature. For the completed gas you only need about 1500 Centigrade. The components need much higher temperatures. The fire burned at the necessary temperature for the individual components, not just the completed gas."

"That makes me feel better." Sam admitted.

"We still don't know if they got away with any of the completed weapon though." Captain Wright pointed out. "This is still an active terrorist threat until we can prove otherwise."

Sam's phone rang. "Yes."

"Mr. Hanna. Mrs. Monroe had a USB drive that was given to her by her husband before they escaped. On the drive were pictures and a complete inventory of the components he had on hand. Ashley is sending this information to everyone's phone now. Please have the members of Captain Wright's group see if they can identify them. We are currently running facial recognition, but nothing has come up yet."

"Will do Hetty."

With that Hetty cut the connection.

Sam checked his phone to be sure the pictures and documents were coming across. "I think I have something that will help you. Apparently, the doctor gave his wife a USB hard drive. On the drive was a list of the components stolen and used." Sam handed the phone to Dr. Saks.

Dr. Saks looked at the list. "Damn. Matt was slick. Most of the components he put together didn't do anything. He created inert gas. He did create a small amount of Sarin gas, but nothing close to what he had material for. At least now we know what we are looking for. As soon as the last of the fire is out we can try and inventory what's left." Dr. Saks looked up from the phone. "We have to proceed with the belief that some small amount of Sarin gas is in the hands of terrorist and in the open."

Captain Wright took the phone from Dr. Saks and flipped through the pictures. "Son of a bitch! That explains the security leak. These guys are members of the group that tipped us off about the weapons in the first place. They helped us go in to secure it." Captain Wright handed the phone back to Sam. "We brought the damn weapon in to the country for them. They just waited to grab it and use it."

Callen pulled out his phone. "Eric. Are there any cameras around here? Ok, anything close. Look for anything leaving this area about the time of the explosion. Whatever you find, let me know. Thanks." Callen looked around at the group. "We assume that some of them got out. They will be leaving this area. There aren't cameras on this building, but there are cameras in the area. We know the people we are looking for, so that's running in our favor."

With little else to do the team waited for the last of the fires to be put out. As that point Dr. Saks team began inventorying what they could find. Twenty minutes later Callen's phone rang. "Go Eric." Callen hit the speaker button.

"Just after the explosion two cars, a blue Honda Accord and a Chevy full size van, both leave the area at a high rate of speed. They were moving south heading for the interstate. Kaleidoscope just tracked both vehicles to a house in the valley "

Wright pulled out his phone and tapped the screen. "This is Medicine Man actual. I need immediate priority tasking for two Darkstars for the LA valley. Contact NCIS LA, bring them into the feed. They can give pictures of the vehicles and last known location." Wright put the phone back in his pocket.

Sam was smiled. "Two Darkstars with a phone call? I'm impressed."

Wright just grunted. "With chemical weapons lose, I'll send tanks down Sunset and have Apaches do gun runs on the business district if necessary."


"Wow, these guys are quick." Ashely hit some keys on her board to bring up the live feed from the two aerial drones now over LA.

"I just sent them the location and the pictures of the car and van." Eric said, letting out a whistle. "These must the latest generation. The optics are much clearer and the infer-red is definitely cutting edge."

"Have they made it to the location yet?" Hetty said as she entered the room.

"Not yet Hetty." Nell fielded the question. "They are about to make the first past to identify the target, after that, if the target is confirmed, they will enter an orbit around the location."

"What's the height?" Hetty asked.

"Hard to say." Ashley tilted her head to look at the screen. "The optics are so good it looks like they are only a couple of hundred feet, but they have to be high enough so they can't be heard."

Granger entered the room. "Are they armed?"

"No sir. Captain Wright can't get authorization to fly armed drones inside the continental United States. Not even on a black op like this." Nell answered.

"Damn. We could just do the house right now and walk away." Granger commented.

"Wouldn't that release the gas?" Eric asked.

"Not with Hellfires, but even if it did, we would have a better chance of minimizing the destruction rather than send agents into a shootout where they get exposed or one of the terrorist escapes." Granger took a close look at the infer-red feed. "Five people in the house? That means at least four killed in the explosion at the warehouse, assuming that the house was empty before they arrived."

"The question is, Owen, what are they going to do now?"


Captain Wright along with his team and the group from NCIS stood around a TV screen at the make shift command tent set up at the warehouse.

"That's the location the cars were tracked too." Callen said pointing at the screen.

"Warm bodies inside." The Sargent in charge of the reaction force commented.

"Alright. Everyone in MOP gear. We are going to hit this target now. We roll out in ten." Captain Wright turned to the NCIS group. "I really appreciate the help, but I would feel much better if just my team went in."

Callen threw up his hands. "Hey, we are hard chargers but chemical weapons are nasty things. It's your show and you have the gear. You don't mind if we follow to the staging point though, do you?"

"Not in the least. You are the guys that got us this far. Now if you will excuse me, I've got to get ready." With that, Wright walked over to his team and began preparing for the raid.


"There are only about a million ways this thing can go completely wrong." Sam slid the Challenger in behind the tactical van."

"You have a better idea?" Callen had been thinking the same thing.

"Other than striking the house with A-10 attack aircraft armed with laser guided bombs? No." Sam admitted.

"I'm not sure that's a better idea. Besides, a lot of innocent people could get hurt delivering that much ordnance to a crowed city. That's not your style." Callen looked at his friend.

"A lot more innocent people are going to get hurt if these idiots use Sarin gas in a crowded city."


"This can go wrong in so many ways." Kensi looked at Deeks as he drove, unknowingly echoing the thoughts of her teammates in the car in front of them.

"Yeah. I always assumed there was some sort of standard failsafe protocol in situations like this."

"Like what?" Kensi was curious to what he thought would happen.

"Like you see in the movies. The 3rd infantry division rolls in and shuts down the city. Every house and person gets searched one by one. Anyone who runs is arrested."

"You watch too many movies, Deeks. You know that would cause panic in most people and hostility in others. Not to mention the fact that when everything was over the legal and political ramifications would be horrific."

"Maybe, but it all seems like a small price to pay when weighed against the loss of thousands of lives."

"Then we just have to make sure it doesn't happen."

"One day our luck is going to run out."

"Yes, but until then we just keep trying." The tactical van, two SUVs and Challenger pulled over to the side of the street around the corner from the target house. Deeks pulled the Charger in behind Sam. "Well, this is our stop." Kensi opened the door and climbed out of the car.

As they exited the car, Sam and Callen came to the back of the Challenger, opening its trunk. Sam pulled out Callen's vest, handing it to him, before pulling out his own.

"I thought we were just watching this one?" Deeks looked at the senior agents somewhat confused.

"We are." Sam fastened the Velcro of the vest on both sides before reaching back into the trunk to retrieve his thigh holster and rifle. "However, these being extreme circumstances, G and I thought it would be better to be safe than sorry."

"Right." Deeks turned to go retrieve his equipment from the car. Kensi quickly followed. As the two put on their vest and grabbed their rifles, Deeks moved the syringe from his pocket and put it on his vest.

"Have you ever used one of these things?" He looked at Kensi. "I mean, stabbed yourself in the heart with a needle like this?"

"No and I would prefer that we not do it today either." Kensi said as she adjusted the sling for her rifle. Kensi shut the trunk and they walked back toward Callen and Sam.

The team watched the tactical group lead by Captain Wright assemble outside the mobile command and prepare to move toward the house. The large group used the house on the corner to hide their movements as they approached the target house from the side. As they reached the yard, they split into two groups, one headed for the front door and the other heading to the back yard to enter from the rear.

As they were lining up to make entry into the house Eric came on the NCIS communication net.

"Guys, we still have the feed from the drones. Two cars just pulled U-turns behind you. They circled around the block and are coming from the other direction. One of the cars just stopped. Four people got out and they are armed. They are cutting through the back yards. The first car is still moving toward the front of the house from the other end of the street. I don't have comms with Captain Wright's team. You have to warn them."

"Dammit!" Sam yelled sprinting toward the tactical van. He pulled open the doors and pulled a radio out of the charger while the three people in the back just stared at him. He keyed the button on the radio. "Captain, you have inbound hostiles. Four cutting through the back yards from the opposite direction. Also a car coming to the front of the house from the same direction. They are armed. NCIS is still monitoring the drone feed."

One of the techs in the van hit several keys on the keyboard in front of them changing two of the screens to show the video feed from the drones. "Shit. Sir, they are closing fast. You should assume the people inside the house have been warned also. "

Over the radio Sam heard Wright yelling. "Grab cover. We've been made. Hostiles from the north." The next thing Sam heard was the very recognizable sound of an AK47. Sam turned around jumping back down out of the van. He saw Deeks, Kensi, and Callen jumping into the Charger.

"What are you doing?" Sam said running to the passenger rear door.

"If necessary, I'm going to ram the other car." Deeks yelled. "Besides, I hate running into a fire fight." Deeks hit the gas, accelerating around the corner. As the street came into view the team saw the hostile car in the middle of the street, with three occupants moving toward the front of the house. The front half of the strike team was hiding inside the garage of the home. It was obvious that someone had used a grenade to open the door. Deeks drove toward the car in the street until the gunmen looked at him. He spun the car out in the street with the passenger side holding Kensi and Sam facing the hostiles. The windows were rolled down so Kensi and Sam put their M4s out the window and began firing. That sent two of the gunmen to the ground with fatal wounds and drove the last to cover.

"Come on Deeks." Callen yelled jumping from the car and heading for the garage.

Deeks turned to Kensi and Sam. "You guys alright."

Kensi didn't look away from the car where the last gunman was hiding. "I'm good. Sam?"

"I'm good. Waiting for this guy to put his head up." About that time a head popped out from behind the corner of the car's bumper. Sam depressed his trigger. "Got him. We secure the car, go with G." Sam opened his door and left the car.

As Callen and Deeks reached the exploded door they saw several wounded members of the strike team.

Deeks made the call to OPS. "Eric, we need a bus. Several of them in fact. Get them rolling."

Callen looked around, they were all very painful, but only one looked threatening. "Where is everyone else?" He asked one of the wounded.

"They had to go ahead with the entry. They started shooting through the door when we came through the garage door."

"Callen! Deeks!" Kensi's voice exploded across the comms. "Hostiles are coming out the front door." Everyone heard the chatter of the AK47 from the front yard followed by responding pops from M4 rifles. "They are trying to get to the cars."

Deeks and Callen looked through the hole in the garage door and then back at the wounded men in the garage. If they tried to emerge from the whole in the door they would be sitting ducks for anyone approaching the cars in the driveway. The other problem was they were like fish in a barrel if the gunman started shooting through the garage door into the garage. Callen slung his weapon, kneeled, and lifted the wounded man from the floor heading for the house. Deeks helped another man with a leg wound from the floor and headed for the door to the house. The other three individuals, though wounded, were mobile.

"They are coming this way. We have to find cover." Deeks yelled to them. The three men leveraged themselves up and moved toward the house.

"What's the situation?" Callen asked into the comms.


Kensi and Sam were crouched down behind the front of Deeks's car when they heard Callen's question.

"Not good." Sam replied.

Kensi looked around the front bumper of the car when the rifle fire stopped. She watched as five individuals from the house, one carrying a large overnight bag piled into an older Crown Victorian in the drive way. Kensi remembered being surprised she could hear the car start after all the gun fire. "They made the car, Sam, they are pulling out."

Both Sam and Kensi stood up, leaning across the hood of the Charger to stabilize their weapons and opened fire on the car as it backed out of the driveway. The back window of the car disintegrated under the withering fire. One of the gunmen attempted to turn around to aim an AK at the duo, but was cut down before he could bring the rifle to bare. As quickly as the car had started accelerating out of the drive way it began to slow down. As it reached the street is was barely moving and slowly bounced over the curb on the opposite side of the street coming to rest in a neighbor's yard.

Sam and Kensi reloaded their rifles, pointed them at the stopped car and slowly approached. Sam took the lead with Kensi following closely behind. As they reached the car, Sam peered in through the shattered window. He immediately turned and began running. "The container is leaking."

Kensi needed no encouragement. Both raced back to the Charger. Sam reached into his vest pocket, pulled out the injector, and ripped off his vest. "We've been exposed Kensi!" With that he pulled the cap off the needle, jammed it into his chest, and pushed the plunger.

"FUCK ME!"

Kensi followed his actions and did the same.

"SON OF BITCH!"

Both fell to their knees, rolling to their backs as the drugs took effect.