Turn of Events
By BH72
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode.
A/N: Thank you for your reviews.
Chapter 8
Callen struggled to keep himself focused on the case, as he and his team digressed the intel Eric and Nell had procured, alongside the information inside the yellow envelope that John had given Elise. They had safely placed them in a house by the beach to stay at for a few days. He hoped that was all the time that they needed to dissolve the threat. Callen was sure is was another of Hetty's houses, that he'd yet to discover, but all the old spy would say was that it was a vacant house of a friend's.
All staff at Mitchell Pharmaceuticals were staying put in the secured premises until Deeks and Kensi told them otherwise. They were their point of contact, with no other agents allowed to deal with them, due to the highly sensitive nature of the company. Their faces were known to the head of security and therefore they were trusted. It was possible for someone to fake credentials and get inside the security to kill them and steal the viruses and chemicals.
"Found them." Eric's voice echoed through the bull pen, where everyone sat, going through the details. He pulled the information up onto the screen, behind Deeks' desk. "This man, Bojan Kostic is a hired hitman for the Zivkovich family." The dark haired man's image looked hard and mean. "He arrived into the country under a false passport, Bogdan Lukac, a Polish businessman. It wasn't until I placed I searched for known associations with the Zivkovich into LAX searches, did I find the anomaly. He had a travel companion." Eric pulled his details up onto the screen besides Kostic's. Short blond hair, a number one at the barbers, just before he left. "Javor Zivkovich, the elder son of Borislav Zikovich. He arrived into LAX also on a false passport using the guise of Miroslav Rosich, a Finish importer from Helsinki."
"These men are professionals. Everything about this organisation speaks well organised and dangerous. The fact that they've managed to get two men in through LAX undetected, with all of our latest facial imagery, it makes me wonder who else has come in undetected." Anger raged through Callen's body as he clenched his fists by his side. "We need all names related to this organisation and every facial from the photos my Father has provided us with. Anything that comes close, in the past six months, I want to know about it." Callen memorised the images up on the screen and the ones his father had gathered. He closed his eyes trying to see if he'd seen any of them following him in recent times. He shook his head when he came up blank. When he opened his eyes, Sam looked over to him with great concern. "You okay, G?"
"Just trying to see if any of these men have been tailing me, other than from the Mitchell house. I don't remember seeing either of these men or any others from these photos. I think it's safe to say, I haven't been burned." He was trying to reason his purpose for leading his team into battle, that he wouldn't put any of them at risk by being there.
"That may be, Mr Summers," Hetty walked into the bull pen, now she had finished updating Director Vance on the situation. She was relieved that Owen had seen the sense in forcing Vance's hand in allowing her early return to the helm of the ship, "however, you look too much like your Father. If any of them recognise you, they won't hesitate to kill you." Concern for him hung like a dark cloud in a storm, ready to battle in the sky with lightening and thunder.
"You can't take me off this case, Hetty. You know this is personal. Just like the Comescus. It's not from any cause of my own that this situation has fallen into our laps. We will deal with it as a team or you know I will carry on with or without a team." Callen glared at her with his steely blue eyes.
"That's what I'm afraid of, Mr Summers. Which is why I have just spent the last half hour on the phone convincing Director Vance that you are to be the one to lead this team into battle." Hetty huffed, with as much strength and determination as Callen had in his protest.
Callen stood down. "Thanks, Hetty. I appreciate it."
"Now please update me on what you have found." Eric and Nell nodded and went through the details from John's intel and what they had discovered. Her eyes never wavered nor showed any hint of the fear that developed for the Summers family in the pit of her stomach. She was renowned for her stoic behaviour: in public, she would uphold that trait, even if it meant, later she would fester her concerns in private.
"Do we have a location for these two men, Mr Beale?" Her voice echoed the seriousness of the situation, being short and clipped.
"We do. We've traced their whereabouts since landing two days ago. They are staying at this address in Pasadena. The address is on your phones." He addressed Callen and his team. "Camera footage on a property across the street, shows the two men to be inside."
"Gear up, team." They followed Callen to the armoury, Nell followed, hoping she could be of help. Callen turned and faced her. "I know you want to help, Nell. But I need you here with Eric to find any others who might be here."
"But," Nell looked up at Callen and saw how serious he was, with no hope for him to budge. "Granger can be my partner, Callen."
"I need your eyes to help us, Nell. Please!" He walked over to her, placing his bag of weapons onto his shoulder. "I know you're a great agent, Nell. But this is where the team and I need you to be right now. Our eyes and ears. Okay?" He couldn't tell her he worried that something bad would happen to her. Each time they placed Nell alone out in the field or in the boat shed, they always had to come to her rescue. He couldn't handle the guilt if she was injured or killed. He didn't want her facing these Serbians, who had proven to be brazen in entering the country even with their technology looking for known terrorists. He'd been happy for her to stay with Elise earlier, because he knew Elise was no threat to her, but also, if something did arise, Elise was able to protect herself, anyway. He'd seen her clip a weapon into a strap on the inside of her left leg back at the house, so he knew she was carrying.
Nell nodded and accepted his word that was where he needed her the most. It wasn't like when Kensi was away in Afghanistan and they were a man down. She watched them leave, before joining Eric up in Ops.
Callen, Sam, Deeks and Kensi took the Ford truck and parked it around the corner from the house on Cordova Street. Nightfall provided them shelter from prying eyes as they made their way towards the property. Callen and Sam went for the front, waiting for Deeks and Kensi to be in position around the rear of the property. "Ready." Kensi whispered through the comms.
"On the count of three." Callen whispered before Sam and Deeks kicked both front and rear doors down. Gunfire met them as they tried to enter. They were held back, unable to move forward.
Kensi signalled to Deeks to cover her as she ducked down and moved inside to the kitchen. Gunfire flew close past her, as Deeks responded to protect her. He was determined to have her back at every step of the operation. He needed to prove, that although they were now more than partners, he could still function like before. He saw one of their targets move from behind the wall and aim at Kensi. He fired at the man, taking him down with a bullet to the temple. Kensi turned and smiled at her partner, relieved to have Deeks as a partner. They moved forward, with only one target inside, who was being held up with Callen and Sam. She and Deeks covered each other as they moved forward through the dining room and then the living room. Javor Zivkovich hid in the doorway to a bedroom off the hallway, firing at Callen and Sam, who were still out front. Kensi tapped Deeks on the arm, to tell him about her next move. Deeks shook his head, telling her it was too dangerous. She furrowed her brow, knowing it was the right thing to do. Ignoring his plea, she went ahead, knowing he'd back her up anyway. She crawled along the floor, moving silently along to the doorway out to the hallway. Peering around the corner with a mirror, she saw him focused on Callen and Sam. She signalled to Deeks to tell to Sam and Callen to keep their target occupied, as she moved on the floor to aim.
Callen and Sam looked at each other as Deeks relayed Kensi's plan. "She's what? Tell her to abort, Deeks." Callen whispered over the comms, while Sam fired towards their target. "Get out of there, the house is wired." Sam had just pointed the wiring out to him a few seconds earlier.
Deeks moved forward, pulling Kensi up off the floor and out towards the back door. The target moved also as he dialled the set number in his cell. They arrived at the back door at the same time, surprising each other.
Callen and Sam ran from the house for cover, but when they heard gunfire outback, concern for Deeks and Kensi grew. "Deeks, Kensi, what is your status? The house is about to blow." Frustration over not knowing their status caused the team leader to pound his fist into the ground, as he and Sam laid low for protection.
Deeks saw Javor first and fired, injuring the Serbian. He pulled Kensi out of the line of fire as he retaliated, before falling to the floor. Their only way out was to go over him and he was still armed. Deeks turned and saw the dining room window. He pulled Kensi back as Javor fired again, trying to get up with blood pouring out of his leg. Kensi fell as Deeks threw a chair through the window, sending glass shattering to the ground. She looked at her hip, blood poured out of her body, as Deeks lifted her up and climbed out of the window. Pain suddenly hit her as the realisation she'd been hit reached her brain. She held her hand over the entry wound as Deeks continued to carry her, running from the house. More gunfire came their way as Javor also carried himself out of the house. Deeks yelped as hot metal seared his arm, but determination to get himself and Kensi to a safe distance from the house pushed him, till they were safe behind a shed. The ground shook, the sound of glass smashing from all windows of the property as bright orange flames burst out of the building.
"Deeks, Kensi, what is your status?" Callen and Sam moved from their safe location, once the explosion had occurred. They ran up the driveway to the rear of the property in hope to find the younger partners safe. They were met with more gunfire, as Javor laid on the ground, covered in debris, fired in their direction. Callen jumped out of the direction of the bullet, as Sam fired the kill shot at the Serbian. They looked around at the devastation, fear for their team mates grew, when they couldn't find them.
"Deeks, Kensi." Callen and Sam called out.
"Over here." Deeks stood, holding his injured arm to stop the bleeding to reveal their location.
"Where's Kensi?" Callen swallowed hard, feeling the responsibility on his team heavily on his shoulders.
"She's here. Shot in the hip." Callen ran over and took a closer look. Kensi had a look of pain in her brown eyes, which worried him.
"Eric, we need paramedics to this address. Deeks and Kensi have been shot." Sam called through the comms.
"Let me have a look, Kens." Callen spoke calmly, although his hands shook from the adrenaline that pumped through his body. He saw the entry wound and the amount of blood that Kensi was losing. He took his shirt off and pressed it onto the wound. "I need to know if there's an exit point, Kens." She nodded stiffly as Callen gently turned her for further examination. "The bullet is still inside you. Don't move. Paramedics are on their way."
Sam looked closer at Deeks' injury. "This is more than a flesh wound, Deeks. Sam looked around for something to tie over the wound and decided Deeks' shirt would have to be it. He pulled out his knife from a leg strap and ripped his red plaid shirt from his left arm and then tied if around the wound on his right. "This is going to hurt, Deeks, but it will stop the bleeding." Deeks nodded and prepared himself for the pain. He was already in a great deal of pain, but he wasn't prepared for the intensity when Sam tied his favourite shirt over the wound. "It's a through and through." Sam announced. He looked over at Callen and saw he was taking good care of Kensi. "What happened?"
"Kensalina got this wild idea to crawl onto the floor to take Javor out around the doorway from the living room. After Callen said to get out, I grabbed her for the back door. We arrived the same time as Javor. I fired, hitting him in the leg, but he fired back. I pulled Kensi back, knowing we had to find another way out. I smashed the window with a chair and when I turned around, she was on the floor. I picked her up and climbed out the window and ran for cover. Javor was also trying to flee, he shot me in the arm, I couldn't defend us, while carrying her."
"You did good, Deeks. You got the both of you out of there before it blew." Sam tried to appease the younger man.
Deeks shook his head. "I should have pulled her back earlier."
"You didn't know it was wired, nor that you'd meet Javor at the back door. You did all you could to escape. Don't beat yourself up about it."
"But," tears of emotion welled up in his eyes.
Sam disconnected the comms in his earwig and signalled Deeks to do the same. They walked over to where Javor's dead body laid. "You better pull yourself together, Deeks, before Hetty or Granger see you this emotional over Kensi. You did the right things and saved both of you. Yes you both got hit, but you're both alive and will live from these injuries."
Deeks nodded and knew that Sam was looking out for his best interest when it came to him and Kensi. "Thanks, Sam."
Sirens rang loudly through the night, getting louder as they approached the property. The fire brigade arrived first to put the flames out, soon after the paramedics and the police. Callen and Sam allowed the paramedics to deal with Kensi and Deeks, after providing them details of their injuries. They stood back and watched them being led away and knew they had to deal with LAPD without their liaison.
It had been a long day and night for Callen and Sam when they walked back into the mission. Hetty and Granger met them on arrival and suggested they go home for the night. Nell bounded down the stairs, relieved to see them unhurt. "How's Kensi and Deeks?"
"They'll live. Kensi's in theatre, the bullet was lodged against her ilium, where the muscle attaches to it. They're trying to remove it without further damaging either the bone or soft tissue. Deeks was a through and through, so he's been patched up and will stay with Kensi, for company."
Nell sighed, thankful that no one had been blown up.
"Deeks did good out there, Hetty. It was a tough situation, but he managed to get them both out before the house blew." Sam retold what Deeks had reported to him, to Hetty and Granger.
"I realise it's been a long day, gentlemen, but if you can write your reports on today's events before you leave, I would be grateful for it. I've got to explain the situation about having two injured members of our team to the Director." Hetty strolled off for her office, Granger followed, knowing the Operations Manager needed to get her fears for her team's safety and that of the Summers out in the open.
Nell followed them over to the bull pen. "I'm heading out for some Chinese, either of you want me to bring you some back?" Food was the last thing on either agents' mind, but the thought of Chinese did make their stomachs grumble.
"Yeah, thanks, Nell." Callen slumped into his chair, trying to unravel the day's events out into his report. He managed to exclude his personal situation from the case, by stating names of Fellowes, the Mitchell and Summers families without his own. All he stated was that Emily Summers was John Summers granddaughter, and that the Serbians were after Emily, not any viruses or chemicals stored at Mitchell Pharmaceuticals. It closed an old case that spanned forty odd years, for now. He knew from experience from dealing with the Comescus, that another member of the family would be back for revenge. It always went that way.
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