They were on the ship at 1:05 pm. Dressed once again in their Navy blues, the undercover NCIS inspection team showed their credentials, addressed the Captain and then started their search.
"Gentlemen," Callie began, acting as the C.O. of their group, "if you'll begin the cargo inspection?"
Sam and Callen nodded their agreement and taking the manifest, went below decks to search the shipping containers belonging to their target.
"Commander Kensington, with me," Callie turned her back on the other agent and taking the roster, searched out the two names from their Intel. Looking at the young yeoman who had been assigned to them, Callie replied, "We'll start here, with Seaman First Class Beniquez and Seaman Arturo."
He led the women to the requested quarters and announced their entrance.
"Thank you, yeoman, we'll take it from here," Kensi ordered. And stepping into quarters, she commanded the others present, "At ease, gentlemen."
Callie followed her in. Taking in quickly the fact that two of the four roommates were missing, she turned to one of the others present, "Where are your rack mates, sailor?"
The sailor to whom Harris addressed her remarks paled visibly at being questioned by the senior officer. He began to stutter, "Ma'am, I…They…We…weren't…"
Callie stepped up to the boy, and locking eyes with him said softly, "Take a deep breath and answer the question."
Nodding, he did as he was told and then replied, "They weren't here when we were sounded to general quarters, ma'am."
She patted the sailor on the shoulder and then cut a glance back to Kensi, "Commander?"
She nodded, "On it, ma'am," and stepped outside to notify the others, including Hetty and Eric who were monitoring their progress.
Callie began a quick search of the crewmen's bunks, turning up several things that could be used as evidence. Harris quickly bagged the items. Turning to the other two sailors still standing in the room, she spoke, "You men go across the hall and wait there. No one comes back in here without my permission, understood?"
"Aye, aye, ma'am," they answered in unison and quickly left to do the C.O.'s bidding.
Kensi was waiting for information to be relayed from Hetty when the muffled ping of gunfire sounded through the communications relay.
"What was that?" Callie called, joining the younger agent.
"We've got shots fired," Eric relayed, "You two move carefully."
Kensi pulled her service weapon and started down the stairs, heels from the dress uniform clacking loudly.
"Kensi!" Callie called from behind her, "Shoes!" And following Harris' lead, she kicked the regulation heels off and made the quieter trek towards the storage areas below deck, Callie following.
The door to the storage byas had been left ajar and inside, the women could hear shouts and gunfire. Slowly easing the door farther open, Callie nodded to Kensi who dropped low and entered, motioning for Callie to follow. The girls separated, trying to surround the combatants.
"You don't want to do this, sailor!" G's voice cut across the hold.
The disembodied voice answered back, "You don't know what I want to do!"
"I figure you want to live," G responded reasonably, "And that's not going to happen if you keep shooting at me!"
The girls began to draw closer to the sounds of the arguing men. Kensi saw Callen and the man they knew to be Seaman Beniquez. Moving in closer, Agent Blye was positioned directly behind the sailor before he knew it.
"I can't face Perez," Beniquez argued, "so you gonna have to do whatever you think best, Lieutenant." The sailor's weapon was aimed directly at Callen who was also armed and aiming back.
"Fine, man," And Callen eased his stance, lowering his service revolver.
Beniquez, thinking he had won, started to shoot the surrendering sailor only to feel cold steel pressed against his neck. Callen smiled and walked over, disarming the surprised seaman.
"Guess you'll be dealing with Perez, after all," Kensi smiled, putting Beniquez in cuffs.
Behind them, shots fired again, forcing Blye, Callen and the surprised sailor to duck and cover.
"I got him," Kensi whispered, "Go! Sam and Callie are out there somewhere."
In another corner of the hold, Sam had been surprised by their other suspect, Seaman Arturo.
"What? You thought you could just walk in here and disrupt the entire process?" The question was posed by Master Chief Reynaldo Gomez, the officer they knew had to be involved to make the scheme work.
He had come to the supply hold as general quarters had sounded, joining Arturo and Beniquez. When the two officers from the inspection unit had arrived, Sam and G had been ambushed. Separating, they knew one of them would be going two against one and were hoping the girls would know to come and back them up.
This was the situation Callie now approached. She could hear Gomez and Arturo continuing to brag about their operation as the burly Master Chief rained blows on Sam. It was a calculated risk, but she knew Sam only needed a small window to take care of Arturo. She could handle the other one.
Exposing her position, she called, "Shame, shame, Master Chief. Disgracing your country and your uniform."
He stopped in mid-motion and turned on the pregnant agent. Laughing, he answered, "And what are you going to do about it, little mama? You think you can take me on?"
Callie smiled, coldly, "Without a doubt, Master Chief. From where I stand, you're just a coward."
In a rage, he lunged at the NCIS agent, only to be brought up short by her sig, aimed squarely at his face. Stepping forward, she spoke menacingly, "Please, give me a reason."
Behind her, Arturo had been surprised, first by the appearance of the agent and second, that she would challenge a man like Gomez. It was all Sam needed to drop the Seaman and lock him in cuffs.
Gomez still wasn't in hand, yet. Callie could read his face and knew he was contemplating one last move. Not wanting to give him the chance, Harris stepped closer to him, lowering her weapon as she did, and exposing herself to assault. Sam and Callen, who had managed to work his way to the agents, watched as Callie continued to bait the big sailor. Standing it no longer, Gomez made his move, allowing Callie to sidestep him like a matador to a bull, tripping the Master Chief on his way by. As he hit the ground unexpectedly, Callie took him the rest of the way, her knee to his lower back, her weapon at his head.
"Dude, hasn't anyone ever told you, you don't mess with a pregnant woman?" Sam laughed, joining Callie and securing the suspect with her cuffs.
"Especially a pregnant woman with a gun," Callie added.
Callen dragged Arturo up and moved him to join Kensi and Beniquez.
"I didn't think she would do it," the officer grumbled, as the team was joined by backup who took the three sailors into custody and led them away.
"Good work," Callie responded enthusiastically to the agents, "Now, we get them in Interrogation and get the rest of what we need. When SecNav calls Perez to renegotiate his contracts, the first step he sets on American soil will be leading him right to a Federal lock up."
Sam and Kensi were as enthusiastic as Callie. "Then, let's go finish this up, shall we?" Kensi asked.
"After you," Sam made a grand motion and the two agents headed out. Callie was stayed by Callen's hand on her arm.
"Not you," his tone was serious. Sam heard the quietly spoken words and looked back only to be nodded off by his partner. Giving a quick nod in return, Sam left the other two agents in the hold.
"What's up?" Callie asked, not sure why the sudden change in mood.
"That was reckless," he admonished.
Callie locked eyes with the Senior Agent. "I knew you were all right there. I was never in danger."
"I don't really care what you knew or didn't know. There were still a hundred things that could have gone wrong, all of them spelling trouble for you and your baby," Callen continued.
Harris studied the agent intently before responding, "What are you going to do?"
"I don't know yet," Callen answered seriously, "I just know it was done for all the wrong reasons. You had nothing to prove and nothing to gain. I don't like agents like that."
"Callen," Harris replied evenly, "I know from your own personnel file that you're an agent like that. So don't play all 'holier than thou' with me."
He stopped himself before responding and changed tactics, "Fine. I just know Gibbs won't be happy to hear how you baited a suspect into attacking you."
"Gibbs is not privy to the details of this operation." She replied knowingly, "This is classified."
Callen only smiled as he left the pregnant agent standing behind him. "We'll see." She heard him say and he walked off.
Beniquez and Arturo folded quickly under Sam and Callen's interrogation techniques. In addition to Master Chief Gomez, the sailors identified Senior Chief Montanez and Senior Chief Nogales from the other two ships the team had inspected as key players in Perez' organization. Harris had been right, across the board. The report was made quickly to Director Vance and the Secretary of the Navy so that Perez could be brought to the U.S. under the pretense Callie had described earlier. By the end of the month, the Panamanian drug czar would be in custody and a major part of his smuggling operation would be ended. Not bad for a week's work of undercover.
The agents celebrated late into the night as Callie was due to fly out the following afternoon.
They all joined in the main hall of the OSP building, a mini-receiving line to see the visiting agent off. Her driver had already arrived and stood waiting patiently by the front door. Eric and Callie walked down the stairs together, the tech guy carrying her luggage.
"Next time, just ask me direct. Going to Abby is like throwing gas on a fire. It's only going to cause it to spread," Callie admonished the man over his background check and picture forwarding adventures during her stay.
Eric smiled, "At least tell Abby I said 'hi'?"
Callie nodded and gave Eric a quick pat on the shoulder. While he moved her suitcase to the door, Harris spoke to Hetty.
"It was a pleasure, ma'am." Callie used the term of respect.
Hetty only smiled as she answered, "As it was for me, Special Agent Harris. You're welcome back anytime, if for no other reason than we lesser statured folks need to stick together."
Callie smiled knowingly before turning to the resident psychologist, "Nate? Still think I target the alpha males?"
"Most definitely but I would guess you just can't help it. It's probably some type of deep seated character flaw." He grinned as he added, "Have a safe trip back to D.C."
Nodding she turned next to Kensi and pulled the younger girl into a hug, "I was very fortunate to work with you, Special Agent Blye. You're a wonderful person and a hell of an operative." Callie whispered.
Breaking the hug, Kensi pulled a small package from her pocket, "Okay, so I know your guy thinks the baby is a little girl but since you're not completely sure, I hope you don't think this is too lame." The sentence was spoken in one breath.
Smiling, Callie took the small package and opened it up to reveal a baby-sized I LOVE L.A. t-shirt. "That's too perfect!"
"You'll let us know when the baby's born?" Nate added.
Callie was surprised, "You would want to know?"
"Of course!" Kensi punched her on the arm, "We've all got bets riding now on how long you're going to go, if it's a boy or girl…" She leaned in conspiratorially to Callie, "I could make a ton of money."
Callie laughed and returned the gift to its package before turning to Sam.
"Chief Hanna?"
"Chief Harris?" Sam replied.
"I…" Callie fumbled, and then, taking a breath, she stared into chocolate brown eyes and said, simply, "Thank you."
"You're welcome." And the hug they shared said the rest of their conversation.
Turning to the team lead, G and Callie continued to size each other up.
"I guess you know I lied to you when you first got here," Callen finally spoke, admitting, "I really had checked you out with Gibbs."
"And?" Callie wanted to know.
"He said you were reckless, willful, arrogant, and stubborn, didn't know your own limits and would push yourself relentlessly," he enumerated her more indelicate attributes.
"And?" Callie asked again.
"I told him it sounded like you would fit right in," he smiled mischievously.
Callie returned the smile, "Glad you thought so, Callen. It was an honor."
"Same. Anytime you get tired of D.C. come back here. I'll take you in a heartbeat."
"Thanks but I think I'll stay in Washington. Pretty sure my future's there." She added, patting her belly.
"Figured you'd say that." G answered, "Have a safe trip."
And Callie gave them all one last wave before turning to the driver. "Guess I'm ready now."
"You sure?" She heard a familiar voice reply.
"Tony!" And Callie threw herself into the arms of the waiting chauffeur.
"Who's that?" Eric asked.
"The baby daddy, I think," Sam laughed.
Oblivious to the others, she said, "What are you doing here?"
"Came to get you but seeing as how I have time off and neither one of us is due back in Washington until Monday, I thought we'd make a weekend of it." DiNozzo explained.
"Really?" Callie was delighted.
"Sure." Looking over her head at the other team, he glanced down at Callie and added, "We don't fly back until Sunday and you and me would still have all day and all night Saturday. Think they'd come?"
Callie turned to look over her shoulder, "Venice Beach, 7pm?"
Smiling, the group responded with a chorus of "yes" and "absolutely" at the reunited couple. Life was good.
