Five days have passed. Five days without something new. Five days without Robbie. Five days in which Callen was feeling lonely, again. He felt his bed cooler than normal. His house emptier even with Churchill living around. And things were tense in NCIS. While G and his team were working on their cases, Susan and V were seeking for Robbie. The two agents didn't say anything to Callen; just Nell sometimes explained the case but she didn't tell much.
It was morning and Callen was at the gym, training with the punching bag. This exercise helps him to think and to avoid reality for a minute. But this time was different. He was training with music. It wasn't usual for him. He saw his team working like that but he thought it wouldn't be good for concentration. Obviously, it was Robbie's music. But just one song play on repeat: Alle mine tankar. Callen's favourite song.
G stopped his training when Sam appeared in the gym.
-"How are you doing Callen?"
-"Not good" answered G
-"He will be fine. He is a tough man. He is strong and with a very bad temperate. If I was his kidnappers, I will be shitting my pants" Sam tried to cheer his friend. This case was killing Callen slowly.
-"Thank you Sam" Callen was going to hug him but Sam stopped Callen
-"Go and take a shower Callen"
-"You don't want a hug?"
-"I don't want a hug from a sweaty man. Quickly, we have a case"
-"Few hours ago it was found dead in his house Richard Miller, former CIA agent, and his wife Linda" started Nell
-"The CIA want our help?" asked Deeks
-"The CIA wants to know if it was an isolated case or there is something more" said Granger coming into the OPS.
-"Why do they think that?" asked Sam
-"During the last month it has been reported four more deaths: Angela Bredin, Cliff Moran, Linsey Aston and Sean Martin. All of them former agents, except Cliff Moran who was still in active" continued Nell showing the agent's files in the screen
-"Is there any relationship between those agents?" asked G
-"They all worked during the same years and in many cases, mainly focused in the fight against Soviet communism. Their last one was in 1992, in the city of Kiev." finished Nell
-"Kensi, Deeks, go to the CIA offices and look if Richard Miller has any enemies or knew something. Sam and I are going to his house." ordered Callen
Sam and Callen reached the agent's house. It was surrounded by some police agents who were working in the case too.
-"Who are you?" asked an officer to the agents
-"Agents Hanna and Callen, from the NCIS" said Callen
-"Another couple? This must be really important"
-"What you mean with 'another couple'?" asked G
-"A man and a woman were here an hour ago. They introduced themselves as agents Larke and Taylor"
-"Did they search for something in particular?"
-"I don't know. They didn't stay too much"
-"Thank you officer"
-"What were Susan and V doing here?" asked Sam
-"I don't know. Maybe they knew something about the agent" said Callen
Both agents entered the house. The two corpses were still there covered in blood. The woman received two gunshots in her chest while the man showed signs of violence and has one single shot in his head.
Sam and Callen investigate the bodies and took some photos. They sent them to Eric to seek matches with the other agents. The two agents looked around the house paying particular attention to the office.
Callen sat down in front of the computer, which was on, while Sam was looking some folders and documents. G picks up his flash drive and connects it to the computer to try to collect as much as information he could, however it didn't have much useful data.
Their jobs were interrupted by Eric.
-"Tell me Eric" answered Callen
-"I've search for any comparison with the other cases and they are. The other agents were killed the same way"
-"So the killer is the same one" said Sam
-"Do you have anything more?" asked Callen
-"Maybe it's nothing but Hetty had worked with them in some cases"
-"It doesn't surprise me"
-"Eric we are taking a computer to see what you can do with it. It seems empty"
-"I'll see what I can do"
The agents came back to the headquarters where they met Kensi and Deeks. They didn't find anything new about the dead agents. Callen gave the flash drive to Eric. The investigation was paused while Eric was working with the computer.
G went to Hetty's office where she was talking with Nell. He didn't get too close, just enough to hear the conversation and not to be discovered.
-"So, he isn't dead" said Hetty
-"I don't think so. Someone with his description arrived to L.A. two days ago but with another name. Also, his businesses are still going on and I deduce someone has to control them" said Nell
-"That's the problem with mafia. They always need a head to run properly. Anything more Ms. Jones?"
-"Not yet"
-"You can continue with your job" said Hetty making Nell a sign to leave.
"You can come here Mr. Callen"
Callen approached her office.
-"What was all that about?" asked Callen
-"Strictly confidential. May I help you with anything else?"
-"You already know that Richard Miller has died isn't it?"
-"Yes, it's the sad fact of our world. You are not safe enough, even if you are at your own house"
-"I guess you had shared missions with him"
-"That's true. And with his team. They were good, they never failed except their last one"
-"Did it went wrong?"
-"They did it successfully but many innocents were killed by accident, since then they separate"
-"Maybe they made enemies in that mission?"
-"You always make some"
-"Someone who wants to kill them?"
-"Anyone"
-"What about the other mission?"
-"It's progressing"
-"Can you tell me anything about it? I need it" Hetty never saw G like that, with that innocent face. She could read the man and knew what he was thinking.
-"We are getting closer" said Hetty grabbing the man's hand. G was soon going to cry. "I think Mr. Beale wants your attention"
Callen turned his head back and watched Eric running down the stairs.
-"We will continue this conversation later" said Callen. He stood up and went with the computer guy. "What is it Eric?"
-"Someone tried to eliminate the data. Who did it didn't make much effort so I could get many of them. I found some emails between Richard Miller and Cliff Moran about the other agents"
-"Can I read them?"
-"Yes"
Eric showed Callen some of them. They were always short sentences.
-Angela has been murdered
-How?
-One shot in her head. She was tortured.
-Tortured? By who?
-Don't know yet
-"There are two email conversations like that between them" explained Eric meanwhile
-"Same words?"
-"The exact same words. They don't seem to have a good relation. However, after these conversations there is one illustrative conversation"
-I think I know who kill them
-What do you mean? Who?
-He is back. Prikhodko is back.
-I though he died in a Georgian prison
-The other Prikhodko
-Be careful
"Two days later, Cliff Moran was murdered in Virginia" said Eric
"Who is Prikhodko? Is there any mission involving him?"
"There is one mission involving someone called Prikhodko. His name was Yevgeny and he was a chief of a Russian mafia. He had power all over different Eastern European families; he also had good relations with Communist government and control part of the army and spies of the KGB"
"What happened to him?"
"There was gunfire in his house in 1988"
"By the team?"
"Exactly. His wife worked for the CIA. There were some clues that indicate a betrayal"
"They talked about other Prikhodko. Who is it?"
"Yevgeny didn't have living siblings but had three children: Oksana, Dmitry and Roman. Oksana and Roman died in the gunfire while Dmitry escaped"
"Is he dangerous?"
"I found that he died two years ago"
Suddenly G realized one thing. Nell and Hetty were talking about a person who isn't dead, maybe they were talking about Dmitry. He turned his head to Hetty's office but she wasn't there.
"Thank you Eric"
Callen had left the headquarters alone. He didn't tell Sam because he had a theory. Maybe, this case and Robbie's kidnapping were interconnected. It wasn't a fluke that Susan and V were in the agent's house. Also, G thought about the paper Comescu's had in all of this case.
He arrived at his Russian friend's house, Arkady Kolcheck. He was looking for answers. G founded his friend at the pool sitting on a chair enjoying the sun lights.
-"What do you want?" asked Arkady
-"I looking for someone"
-"Can I ask who?"
-"Dmitry Prikhodko"
Arkady's face changed completely.
-"I'm sorry but you are late. He is dead"
-"He isn't"
-"Why do you want him?"
-"He had murdered some agents"
-"I see"
-"What can you tell me about him?"
-"He is a dangerous person. He just wants power. His father even didn't want him to be his heir. He is a psychopath. If he wants something, nothing will stop him. "
-"How do you know that?"
-"I talked many times with his father. Even Yevgeny was thinking in training his other son to become the next chief. "
-"What can you tell me about his family?"
-"A powerful family but like the big ones they had a dramatic fall. Many of my friends compared them with the Romanov, even there is a mystery around their little son"
-"Roman"
-"If you know the story, why are you here?"
-"I'm looking for answers"
-"Your search could kill you. Dmitry's motivations are power and revenge. It would be a shame losing you"
-"Yeah, sure" said Callen being ironical
...
-"Are you going to tell me where she is or not?" asked Dmitry sat down on a chair cross-legged
-"Fuck you" said Robbie
Dmitry made a sign to one of his subordinates. The man punched hardly into Robbie's face. It was the fifth punched he received.
-"I will repeat the question"
-"The answer is still no"
-"Why do you do it so complicated?"
The two men beat Robbie up. Robbie was exhausted, he wouldn't resist anymore. He will collapse any time now.
-"I like your faithfulness but I don't still get why are you protecting her"
-"She is my family"
-"She killed your family. We were a happy one and they destroy us. They deserve it" Dmitry stood up and approached the English man. Robbie spat him. The Russian man cleaned his coat. "I'm sick of you" Dmitry pointed his gun at Robbie. "Where is the lady?" Robbie didn't speak so he received a shot in the shoulder. "Next one will be below. One, two, thre"
-"Alright, alright" cried Robbie "I'll tell you"
-"Good boy"
...
Callen was sitting in his workplace thinking. Dmitry Prikhodko, a dangerous powerful Russian man was behind the murders of the CIA agents. G was certainly sure that Dmitry was also behind Robbie's kidnapping. But why? Why was Robbie important to the Russian man?
Suddenly, Susan and V ran into the headquarters. G followed them with the look; they went to Hetty's. They didn't spend too much time talking and went to the OPS. Callen run behind them because he feels someone was going on and nothing good.
-"What is it Hetty?" asked Callen
-"I prefer you to stay out of this" said Hetty
-"I'm not going anywhere"
-"We are going to start" interrupted V
-"Start what?"
In the big screen, someone played a video conferencing. G looked at it without losing detail. In the video there were two men in a dark room: one of them sitting down and the other stood up supported on a cane beside him. Callen quickly identified Robbie. The English man was awful, bruises all over his face and bloodstains on his shirt. G and the team could fell he had suffered, surely he has been tortured. Before anyone could say something, the man standing started to talk.
-"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I'm looking for the so called Henrietta Lange"
-"Who are you?" asked Callen
-"Me?" laughed the man "No one in particular"
-"Release him Dmitry, this is between you and I" said Hetty
-"Look, who is it Roman" said Dmitry to Robbie "The woman who destroyed our family"
-"Don't listen to him Hetty, I'm fine" said Robbie
-"Тише! (Silence!)" said Dmitry smacking Robbie with the cane
-"What do you want?" asked Hetty
-"I want you to suffer for what you did" started Dmitry "Americans think you are the lord of the world. You only act by interest without thinking in the consequences"
-"What do you want me to do?"
-"I want a reunion with you. You and me. Alone. No guns, no bodyguards"
-"Where and when?"
-"Your computer guy will found out. I'll be waiting"
The screen went black and the conversation ended.
-"Mr. Beale, track the video" ordered Hetty
-"I'm on it"
-"Mr. Larke, Ms. Taylor get ready"
-"Roger"
-"Hetty, do you have a minute?" asked Callen
-"I'll wait you in my office"
-"Could you explain me what is going on? What does he want from Robbie?" asked Callen. He didn't understand yet what the point of kidnapping Robbie was.
-"Revenge"
-"Revenge?"
-"Mr. McNamara is not who he really is"
-"What do you mean?"
Hetty sighed. "His real name is Roman Prikhodko" Callen was shocked for a minute.
-"I thought he was dead"
-"He wasn't"
-"How all started?"
-"I gather you already know his story" Callen nodded in silence. Hetty got him, again. "Where do I start?"
-"What about with the beginning?"
-"It was November 1988. Anastasia, his mother, was thinking of telling the truth to his husband"
-"What truth?"
-"She was recruited to spy the Russians during Cold War. She did it very well, she was excellent"
-"What made her changed her mind?"
-"Anastasia was tired. She didn't want to continue with her life like that. She did it for his young son"
-"Robbie"
-"In the end; she was determined to take her load off so we have to protect her. She was still an agent. When she communicates her decision, it was decided to watch her. The day arrived and we were prepared for the consequences. Anastasia explained all to her family, Yevgeny, Dmitry and Oksana. Things couldn't get worse. Thanks to her microphone we discover that their house was soon full of shouts and serious threats. Yevgeny discovered the microphone and we feared for her life. So we decided to take part"
-"And the gunfire happened"
-"Exactly, gunfire happened. I'm not proud of the way it was conducted. There were shoots all over the house."
-"Where was he?"
-"He was at his room inside his crib, hugging a teddy bear. He was scared, I could feel it. His deep eyes never lie to me. I approached slowly to him and grabbed him out of his crib. In that moment he said: Mama. I was shocked for a second. I didn't know what to say. How do I explain to a toddler that his family was dead? Before leaving, I went to her mother and with her last breath she made me promise to protect her son. I don't regret my decision, I'll do it again"
-"How did you find his father?"
-"Well, it wasn't easy. The search for a perfect family took two years. I have to admit that none seemed to me the perfect one until we found in Surrogacy Company a cute young English couple: Graham and Elisabeth. She was a teacher and he was a lawyer."
-"Why them?" Hetty took some pictures from a drawer and give it to Callen. They weren't the typical presentation photos: the couple were playing in the park, sharing food, making funny faces, etc.
-"They are like him" Callen smiled innocently but he couldn't help some tears running through his face.
-"We met as soon as we discovered them. They were very kind and friendly to us and to Roman. Even they made him laugh; all this process was hard to him even if he didn't understand it."
-"Did you explain his story to them?"
-"Yes, I did. They need to know. They took it philosophically"
-"Did she really died in an accident?"
-"Yes, she died one year later"
-"And to Robbie?"
Hetty kept silence. "Do you remember when he came here?"
-"Yes"
-"I tried to tell him. We had a deep conversation about him, his father, his friends and you"
Callen blushed a little. "
But I wasn't able" Hetty continues "I wasn't able to tell him who he really was. You could understand me more than anyone Mr. Callen."
-"Yes, it's not the same discover the truth when you don't have anyone than discover it when you have your life developed"
Suddenly, Eric came running to Hetty's office saying he had found the place where Robbie was: an abandoned warehouse in the outskirts of Los Angeles. Hetty called all of her team. They planned them attack. Their objective: release Robbie safely.
The team arrived to the warehouse quietly in the dead of the night. Thanks to the dark it was very easy to move but they have to be careful trying not to be discovered. Callen decided to enter the place alone while his team waited outside covering his back. Hetty stayed in the headquarters because she was convinced by him.
G noticed the emptiness inside. There was no one around. No sound. No movement. Nothing until an orange spot appeared from the shadows. He identifies a man smoking.
-"I think I gave very clear conditions" said the man in a Russian accent
-"Where is he?!"
The man took a puff on his cigar and approached slowly to Callen. G decided to point him with the gun. The Russian man laughed loudly.
-"Agent G. Callen, you are so predictable"
-"How do you know my name?"
-"A friend of yours"
-"Who?"
-"My dear Vasile Comescu"
Suddenly the lights were turned on. After getting used to clarity, G saw Robbie on a chair. The English man was tied up and with his head down. Callen was going to approach his boyfriend to save him but then he felt a gun behind his head.
-"Don't do anything stupid" said the man behind Callen
-"Vasile" replied Callen
-"Try again"
Callen turned his head a little bit and saw the same blonde guy guilty of the situation. The guy frisked G and throws his gun away.
-"You haven't fulfilled your conditions either"
-"You, Americans, aren't trustworthy people" joked Dmitry. Suddenly, shots were heard from the outside. "Mr. G. Callen, I don't have enough time. Where is she?"
-"Who?"
-"Don't act like a fool"
-"She didn't come"
-"Oh" Dmitry raised Robbie's head with his cane "You see Roman. She doesn't care about you" Robbie had his eyes closed. "Look at me when I am talking to you!" Dmitry slapped him hardly and Robbie cried. "Well, that means I don't need you anymore"
Dmitry took out a gun and shoot Robbie in his chest. Callen reacted hitting the guy from behind, knocking him and taking away his gun. He was ready to shoot when Dmitry pointed to him with a gun. The two men pointed and stared at each other. Suddenly, G's team entered successfully to the warehouse.
-"This is over" said G
-"That's what you think"
-"You are surrounded. There is no scape and I won't let you live after what you did to Robbie"
-"His name is Roman"
After that, Callen didn't think twice and shoot Dmitry. The Russian man fell down and soon a pool of blood appeared around him. Callen run to where Robbie was. The English man miraculously still had pulse.
-"Robbie, Robbie. It's me Callen" said Callen trying Robbie to open his eyes. Robbie do it slowly, meanwhile Callen was setting him free.
-"Callen?" mumbled Robbie
-"Yes, it's me. I'm here. It's over. Everything is gonna be fine"
Robbie coughed and Callen hug him trying not to hurt his boyfriend.
-"I'm sorry" whispered Robbie in Callen's ear with his last breath.
-"No!" cried Callen "Don't do this to me. Robbie! Please"
Callen started to cry. He hugged Robbie tightly. Nothing mattered anymore. The only one who understood him, the only one with whom he connected deeply, who taught him to see the world from joy, who changed him, was gone.
