Sorry its been awhile since I wrote a chapter. I have been battling either the Flu or a Chest Cold since last week. Its been hard to sit down and concentrate on writing when everything hurts, even my hair. This was a tough chapter to write, just couldn't get the ideas out on the page. Hope its up to your standards.
Matt finally gets to work with Deeks in the field now. Seems Callen has finally accepted him for him. Enjoy.
Review if you want too. I am open to Ideas to use in the next chapters so please PM me or leave it in a review.
Disclaimer: I dont own NCIS LA or its Characters only my OC.
The car ride back was more eventful than the ride down. Callen was more open to conversation, asking about my cases that I worked on for AFOSI. I told him what I could, my speciality was counterintelligence so I couldn't tell him too much. A lot of my cases were classified.
But I had worked a few "normal" cases, if you could call them that.
"My first case was during my first week. An Airman was actually trying to sell stolen items on Ebay of all things using his own personal email," Callen just laughs, "It was an easy setup, I posed as a buyer and asked to meet up with him, we arranged the meet and I arrested him. Kid wasn't the brightest bulb in the pack." I lean my head against my hand thats propped up on the car door.
"Worst case I had to work on, I was overseas. We had an asset that was made by the Taliban, he was drawn and quartered and we found his body parts stretched out over a 6 mile radius. His wife and two daughters was burned alive in their house. His eight year old son was the one who sold him out. That was tough to deal with." I turn my head on my hand and look out the window. That was an ugly case.
"We all see horrible things Matt, we just have to put them behind us and move on.."
"Yeah I know, still don't have to like it."
"That's good, when it ceases to bother you, that's the time you need to hang up your badge and gun." Callen seems very fatherly when he says that. Maybe I finally gotten on his good side.
Callen changes gears in the conversation.
He tests me on my language skills. I was fluent in Mandarin, he already knew that, but I also spoke Polish, Spanish, Russian, and Hebrew, the latter I learned at Georgetown on a whim, comparative religions class. Also was a cute Israeli girl in my class and I wanted to impress her. I was also working on my Pashtun but I wasn't fluent yet, still had a little way to go.
He first tests my Polish. He asks me, in the language, who taught me to speak Polish.
"Kto cię nauczył się mówić po polsku?"
I respond in kind telling him my grandmother taught me. "Moja babcia."
He tries to place my accent, the dialect is different from what he is used to which is Warsaw based.
I explain to him in Polish that my grandmother was from Rzeszow close to the Ukrainian border and that had an influence on my speaking. I told him it came in handy when I was assigned to a Polish GROM Special Forces Unit for three weeks on one of my deployments. I was assigned as their JTAC during one of their missions. I still kept in touch with a few of them.
Spanish was easy, you can't live in the LA area without an understanding of the language.
Next was Russian. I can tell Callen's Russian is of the Northern Dialect from around St. Petersburg. My dialect comes from Southern Russia closer to the City of Kursk, my grandmother taught me both Polish and Russian. He seemed impressed. We didn't try Hebrew cause I know he didn't know it.
Relieved that the testing was over the conversation went back to normal topics. He asked about my family, and why I became an OSI Agent. I told him the same reason I had told Kensi and Deeks. He seemed to understand, just then we pulled back into Ops.
As we walk down the hall towards the bullpen he turns, slaps me on the back and says "You'll do", and continues walking down the hall.
I'm just standing there in the hallway. I let out a deep breath and continue on down the hallway.
We meet up with Sam and Deeks in the bullpen. Nell and Eric are there next to the monitors.
I go stand behind Deeks and Callen walks over to Sam, looking at Nell he goes, "What do you got Nell?"
"We dug into Master Chief Orosco's past and found that he was part of a Joint Task Force with the DEA, FBI, and Colombian police. He was brought in as a salvage expert at the request of the DEA for some of the narco-subs they found on the Colombian west coast." She brings up a photo to the Task Force, Orosco is in the photo. Also there is a photo of a few narco subs that were recovered on the Colombian coast.
"I don't see Samuelson in these photos." Sam says.
"Samuelson wasn't involved with this task force. At the time we was with a Navy Dive Team based out of Norfolk, Virginia," Nell looks up from her tablet.
"Where does Samuelson fit in all this?" Sam is wondering out loud.
Nell shakes her head. "We haven't been able to find a connection. It seems Samuelson may of not known what Orosco was working on. Hetty is having agents find her and bring her to the boatshed for questioning. She came up from Coronado when she heard the news."
"If the Cartel's know about Samuelson she may be at risk." Deeks is concerned for the wife and family.
"We'll put them in protective custody. Any idea who his DEA contact is?" Callen asks.
"From what we can gather his contact was Special Agent Brian Colter," his image appears on screen, "he was one of the DEA agents involved in the Task Force. He is based in Los Angeles now. He works out of the Federal Building."
Eric speaks up, "We found a few encrypted emails from Colter to Orosco, so it seems all those intercepts came from Colter." The emails pop up on the screen.
"Eric dig into Colter's background, emails, financials, the works, see if anything stands out. See if he is working with the Cartel's now." Eric nods his head and turns to face his computer, "Any idea where he is right now?"
"He is not in his office. His cell phone signal is showing that he is in Culver City. He has been there for about and hour." Eric answers the question.
"Deeks and Matt go pick him up and bring him to the boatshed. Hetty you don't have a problem with that do you?" Callen looks over at Hetty making sure that it was ok, she nods.
"Mr. Callen I didn't bring him here for Mr. Deeks to sit on the sidelines. Go ahead Mr. Deeks take your new partner out."
Deeks turns to walk out, "On it." I am on his heels.
"I;ll send the address to your phones and let you know if he moves." Eric tells us as we are leaving
I follow Deeks out to Kensi's Cadillac SRX.
"She's letting you drive her car huh?" I take a look down the passenger side of the car.
"Well its more of 'our' car, she just has to drive all the time." Deeks opens the drivers door.
"Uh huh, then you better fix this scratch on the door before she gets back." I look down at a nice ten inch scratch on the rear passenger door.
"What? You're lying." He walks around the car to my side, I point to the scratch. He has a little bit of panic come over him, "No...no...no…that had to of been there before she left."
"I'm sure it was Deeks. Looks like you lost a battle with a shopping cart or parked too close to another car." I just laugh and get into the passenger seat. Deeks rubs his hair and walks back around to the drivers side and gets in. He then turns to look at me.
"Lets not tell Kensi about this when she gets back." I let out another chuckle.
"Just drive Dainty."
We head out to Culver City. Eric tells us that Colter's phone hasn't moved. He seems to be at a diner. Must be having lunch.
"You ready for this partner? The Marty Deeks experience?"
"The Marty Deeks experience? Sounds like a bad movie. If your regular partner was here she would so slug you right now."
"Oh sit back and watch my friend, you may learn something."
"Ah Deeks….. we are just going to find another Federal Agent to bring him in for a few questions. It seems pretty cut and dry to me." I can't help but smile.
I decide to change the subject.
"How are yah doing Deeks?"
"What do you mean?" He looks at me quizzically.
"Deeks don't blow smoke up my ass. It's me" I tell him this in a serious tone, "Kensi is worried about you and Hetty pulled me out of a war zone and flew me 8000 miles to be your partner. Obviously something is up?"
I can see his demeanor change. I knew the fun loving jokester from a minute ago was a front. He was very good at hiding how he was feeling.
"It's been a rough few weeks Matt. Haven't been sleeping well. I finally told her how I felt, she told me that we could work on our 'thing" together and the next thing I know she is gone. I don't know where she is or what she is doing, she's my partner. It's been difficult not having her here. I'm worried about her. Plus the holidays are coming up."
"Deeks when I saw her she was good. We both know how tough she is. She will be fine."
"How can you be so sure?"
"I don't know, faith maybe? Look, do you trust her?" I look straight at him.
"Yeah I do."
"Then have faith in that trust. She will come home. I have no doubts. And while she is gone I got your back. You trust me right?" He nods, "I just hope that I can live up to her reputation." I give him a shrug on his shoulder.
"Thanks, Matt."
"No problem, now quit acting like a chick and lets go to work." I get a laugh and a smile in response. We pull up to the diner were Colter is.
We walk into the diner. Deeks is in front with myself a few steps behind. We scan the booths and tables for DEA Special Agent Colter. I spot in in a corner booth on the right side and I let out a little whistle to Deeks and nod my head in the direction.
I let Deeks take the lead, I was the outsider to this group. Deeks walks up to Colter.
"Special Agent Brian Colter, DEA?" Deeks asks him before sitting down in the booth across from him.
"Yes can I help you?"
"I am LAPD Detective Marty Deeks," he flashes his badge and credentials, "and this Major Matt Lee, Air Force OSI," I flash my badge and creds trying to look intimidating, "we need you to come with us."
"Why is there something wrong?" Colter looks confused.
"No, nothing is wrong NCIS just needs to ask you a few questions dealing with a current ongoing investigation." Deeks replies nonchalantly while playing with the salt and pepper shakers on the table.
"NCIS? Why did they send a LAPD Detective and Air Force OSI Major to come fetch me."
I take this opportunity to say something "I wouldn't really think about it too hard, it'll only give you a headache. Dang budget cuts." And I wave my hand towards the door, "Please."
The DEA Agent leaves money on the table and follows me and Deeks out of the diner. Deeks drives the SRX while I ride with Colter in his vehicle. I lead him towards Sam and Callen who are waiting at the boatshed.