Fall Into Darkness
Into The Ukraine
"It's been three days, Eliot." Kenna paced back and forth in front of the couch. Her husband looked up from the magazine he was reading.
"What's been three days?"
"Nate and Sophie haven't called in three days."
"Darlin', they are in the middle of bum fuck nowhere." He took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "You know that cell reception is sketchy at best."
"They have real live phones in the Ukraine, Eliot. They may still have rotary phones in some of the more desolate areas but they do have phones."
"They flew out in the middle of the night and got there in the middle of the night Kenna. With the hours we put in on the last job and the jet lag they probably just passed out for a day before they picked up the kid."
"Do you really think that, Eliot? Do you really think Nate wouldn't call one of us to say they landed safely no matter how tired he was?" Her brown eyes were clouded with worry. He stood and went to his wife.
"Give it a little while longer darlin'." He kissed her. "They're just excited about the adoption and forgot to check in."
"Nate doesn't forget to check in. If it was one of us he would be worried."
"Kenna if it was one of us he would have every right to be worried." He knew that she wasn't in the mood to joke but he needed to lighten her up a bit. "I'll go talk to Hardison. I hope Parker is sleeping. She doesn't need any more stress." He turned to go to the door but Kenna stopped him.
"I'm sorry…I just… "
"I know Kenna. " He kissed the top of her head and went to talk to Hardison.
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"I tried calling both cells and I got nothin'." Hardison looked at the computer screen in front of him. "I'm tracking the signal now but the satellites over the Ukraine are as old as Sputnik." He turned and looked at Eliot. "Do you really think they might be in trouble?"
"I know my wife doesn't worry about things and when she does I better look into it." Eliot sat on the chair next to the hacker. "How's Parker doing?"
"She's quiet. It's kinda scary."
"The quiet is the scariest part. I thought after Kenna came home that I would cherish the quiet but sometimes it brings me back to when she wasn't there to bitch at all."
"I hear you." The computer started beeping. "Eliot…does the Ukraine still have those lousy prisons?"
"It's been awhile since I've been in one but I'm pretty sure they haven't gotten any better in the last few years. Why?" He turned the screen to face his friend. "There is no way…ahhh c'mon…damn it Hardison."
"The GPS doesn't lie." Eliot shook his head.
"How's your Russian?"
"No…no way are we going anywhere near a Ukrainian prison Eliot."
"Nate and Sophie's phones are in a Ukrainian prison, Hardison. Where do you think Nate and Sophie are?"
"Aw hell." He turned back to the computer. "Four tickets to the Ukraine, coming right up."
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"Parker this is non negotiable. You will work from the hotel." Eliot told her. They stood at the front door of Nate's apartment.
"Who died and made you the boss of me." She crossed her arms. Eliot rolled his eyes.
"I'm not saying it to be bossy, I'm saying it because you're not back to one hundred percent yet and I don't want you over doing it."
"If we have to break Sophie and Nate out of prison, who's going to pick the locks?" She raised her eyebrows.
"I'm pretty capable of taking care of a lock or two." Kenna said as she placed the last of her things in her bag.
"What about repelling?" The thief looked at them.
"I'm pretty sure I can handle that." Eliot said.
"What…"
"Parker just don't worry, we'll work it all out on the plane." Hardison patted her on the shoulder. Just then the door opened. Kenna looked up from what she was doing to see their nanny's boyfriend Hunter Sinclair.
"What do you want Sinclair? We have a plane to catch."
"I'm going with you." He said.
"The hell you are." Kenna picked up her bag and turned to face the man. He was six foot three, two hundred and ten pounds of muscle.
"I know that prison inside and out Kenna. I know we have shit between us but I want to help Nate and Sophie. I want to help you."
"It's a little late to slip on the white hat now Sinclair." Kenna pushed passed him but he grabbed her arm. Eliot took a step closer to them just in case he had to break the two up.
"I don't care how you feel about me but those kids of yours love Nate and Sophie like family and I will not stand by and watch them loose all of you one by one. I know how it feels Kenna and damn it I won't let that happen to them. I spent two years in that cold dark hell hole. I can help you. Let me."
"When?" She said softly, looking him in the eye.
"Five years ago. They sent me on a simple recon mission and I got caught sneaking into Kiev. It was an unauthorized mission so of course no one could claim responsibility. It took McGarret two years to get me out. I know you remember the man I was before but after two years of that place I realized what kind of man I was and what kind of person I should have been." He looked at the four people in the room. "You all changed. Why can't I." Kenna let out the breath she was holding.
"I guess I haven't given you much a reason to tell me this whole story before and I'm really sorry I didn't think you could have had reason to change." Kenna looked at her husband and friends. "I guess a fresh pair of eyes with knowledge of the place would come in handy."
"One more ticket to hell, coming right up." Hardison said as he made one more reservation to the Ukraine.
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"Did you know about his time in prison?" Kenna sat next to her husband in the darkened first class section.
"I knew he was missing in action for two years. Where he was falls under the sharpie marker law of the US Government." Eliot looked at his wife. He knew her mind was going a mile a minute. In her mind she was already in Kiev, half way to the prison.
"He was such an ass for so long. There was a time I wished him into a Cuban prison." She looked at the plans in front of her. "I know people can change Eliot, we're proof of that. But he was soulless and cold."
"Do you know his back ground?"
"I know he's an orphan. Grew up in foster care and we both know how hard that is on any kid. But the attitude he had back then…it was almost inhumane." Kenna looked across the aisle at the younger man. "But that man wouldn't have stepped up and protected our children from a man who he knew could tear him to shreds just to stay in the good graces of a girl." She looked back at Eliot. "The Hunter Sinclair I know wouldn't have volunteered to go back to that place for all the money in the world."
"So now you think he's changed?"
"I think he loves Amy and he cares about our kids." She took his hand in hers and leaned back against the seat. "Maybe he has changed but I still have this nagging feeling he's hiding something."
"Most likely his fear of you." Eliot looked at his wife. "I know you've seen his dark side Kenna, give him a chance to see his light." Kenna looked at him.
"Wow…that is profound Eliot Spencer." He kissed her hand and laid back against the seat.
"Get some rest baby." Kenna curled up in the big seat and laid her head on his chest.
"I'm worried about them Eliot."
"Me too, darlin'. Me too."
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"Still no word from them and their phones are still in the prison." Hardison booted up the GPS screen.
"The modern part of the prison has been remolded into an orphanage." Parker looked up from the papers she was looking at. "Why would the combined an orphanage with a prison."
"Maybe they're just combining their resources." Kenna said.
"No, their covering up what's going on in the prison." Hunter looked at the map. "Gun running, drug smuggling, human trafficking, it could be anything.
"My odds are on all three." Kenna pointed to the inferred scan. "There's heat coming out of this wing and there isn't a laundry. This wing here has no heat, so it may hold guns. The orphanage probably is a crooked as they come."
"Would Nate and Sophie just walk into something like that without telling you?" Hunter looked at Eliot.
"No. They didn't tell us the name of the orphanage either. We were all too busy worrying about what was wrong with Parker. Hardison looked into it but he couldn't find anything but their plane tickets."
"It's not like Nate not to leave an itinerary for Hardison." Parker said as she scanned the plans.
"We were all out of sorts because of the prison bombing. They probably just forgot." Eliot paced the room. "Nate would have tried to call one of us by now."
"I just talked to Amy. There hasn't been a call to Nate's or your phone." Hunter pulled up Nate's phone records on one of the laptops. "The last call he made was to the Russian Consulate two days ago."
"That's where we start. Find out who Nate talked to." Eliot told Parker. "You work on that and me, Kenna and Hunter will head out to scope out the prison."
"Eliot, maybe we should stay together." Parker looked concerned.
"You and Hardison will be safe here. I would rather not have to worry about you two."
"Or you would rather not worry about the crazy girl and what might happen to her?" Parker shot back. Eliot ran his hands through his hair.
"Parker you were just in a coma for eight days." Kenna reached for her friend but she pulled away and walked to the window. "You're not strong enough to crawl though those vents."
"And you are?" Parker turned and glared at Kenna. "When was the last time you wiggled your way through an air shaft?" The thief crossed her arms over her chest.
"Parker…"
"No, Kenna…Nate and Sophie are my family too."
"Then be here for them when we bring them home." Eliot stood in front of her. "We're not punishing you crazy girl, we're protecting you. The doctors still don't know what caused your coma. The damp, cramped vents of the prison are no place for you right now." Her blue eyes met his.
"I hate feeling so helpless." She stuck out her lip and pouted.
"Hardison will have plenty for you to do. I promise." Eliot ruffled her hair like he did to Faith when she needed reassuring. "We stay in constant communication. No one turns their coms off." Eliot looked at the people in the room. "We are gonna bring Sophie and Nate home." They all nodded. Hardison pulled up the screens and they started formulating a plan.
