Going Dark: Chapter 11

...

When Sam and Deeks entered Sikes' room, Callen immediately got in Deeks' face.

"Is your head in the game, Deeks?" Callen asked. "Because I need you focused right now."

"I'm good, Callen," Deeks answered, his eyes serious and his face rigidly set.

Callen stepped aside and the other two agents finally got a close look at the man they'd been chasing through Istanbul for over two weeks.

Sikes' face was battered and what they could see of his body was marked with deep bruises, cuts and nasty looking burn marks. His breathing was shallow and he had a small oxygen mask over his face to help him breathe. His eyes held a look of defeat and resignation, but flashed with cold defiance whenever he looked at them.

"Mr. Sikes was just telling me how Bennett captured him," Callen said. "He was fooled into thinking Bennett was a buyer and was lured to the mansion to make a deal."

"Let me guess," Sam said. "When you got there, he tasered you."

Sikes' face contorted in anger and he reached up and pulled the oxygen mask away from his face.

"That bastard tortured me," Sikes growled. "All he had to do was pay me what I asked and I would have given him the codes."

"Did you give up the codes?" Sam asked.

Sikes sunk back into his pillow and turned his face to the wall as he labored to breathe.

"Yeah. And he told me he already has a buyer. The bastard is selling them to Iran Intelligence," Sikes said with defeat.

"Isn't that what you wanted to do?" Deeks asked quietly.

Sikes looked quickly back at the three agents, his face full of rage.

"I offered to make a deal with him, share the money," Sikes said harshly. "But he just laughed at me, the bastard. And when I wouldn't tell him where I'd hidden the codes, he tortured me until I did."

The questioning had exhausted him and his face was slick with sweat as he gasped for breath. Sam reached down and pulled the oxygen mask back over his face. They let him rest briefly before removing the mask and resuming their questioning.

"Where'd you hide the codes, Sikes?" Callen asked.

"In a burned out shop in the Tarlabasi neighborhood," Sikes said. "If I help you get this guy, can you cut me a break?"

"Give me the address," Callen said, "and we'll see."

When they had the address they left Sikes with the doctor and returned to the private cabin that had been provided for them. Callen immediately called Hetty and filled her in on their interrogation of Sikes.

"You're on speaker, Hetty," Callen said.

"I've spoken to Ziva in DC, and her contacts at Mossad have intel that Vevak, Iran's Intelligence Agency, has agents on the ground in Istanbul as of last night," Hetty informed them.

"Bennett must have set up a meet with them," Sam said.

"Hetty, he couldn't have done all of this alone," Callen said. "Someone else is helping him."

"We'll leave that for the CIA to deal with, Mr. Callen," Hetty responded. "You need to stop that sale and recover those codes."

"We're on it, Hetty," Callen answered and ended the call.

No one spoke as they all realized how close they were to failure and that made them almost desperate to find the man who had orchestrated everything that had happened to them on this operation. Callen took a deep breath as his mind raced through different scenarios on how to track down Bennett and discover where he was meeting Iran's agents.

"Even if we were able to get another tail on him, we would be walking in blind, with no idea what we were up against and no control of the situation," Callen said.

"We have nothing to lure him out with, G," Sam said. "He has no reason to even talk to us."

Callen slowly nodded, his shoulder's sagging as he searched for an angle.

Deeks suddenly looked up sharply and cleared his throat and the senior agents looked over at him expectantly.

"What if you call Bennett and tell him the codes Sikes had were dummy codes," Deeks said tentatively. "And that when I interrogated Fox, he told me where the real codes were in exchange for a deal. You told him about Fox and if you make him think he and Sikes were partners and that Fox double-crossed him, Bennett will have to respond."

"He won't risk selling the wrong codes to the Iranians," Callen said.

"That means we'll have to make you the bait, Deeks," Sam said cautiously.

"He already thinks you're a liability on this op, Deeks," Callen said. "I told him people underestimate you."

"They do?" Deeks asked with a quizzical look.

"Not everybody," Sam said with a grin.

"Not us," Callen said quite seriously. "This is a good plan, Deeks."

"Well, if he thinks I'm a liability, it will make him overconfident, and that makes me perfect bait," Deeks said.

"You sure you're up for this, Deeks?" Sam said as his eyes bored into Deeks.

Deeks didn't answer, he just stared at Sam until he looked back at Callen.

"What now, G?" Sam asked.

They spent the next half hour planning the sting and finally called Hetty to alert her to their plans. Sam watched Deeks carefully throughout the planning and conversation and Callen could tell he was uncomfortable with some of the details because it left Deeks vulnerable if anything went wrong. Callen knew this plan was their only option, but he felt as uneasy as Sam when it came to putting Deeks up against a seasoned agent like Bennett, especially one who would think nothing of killing all of them.

"The only wildcards are Iran's agents," Callen said finally. "We don't know when or where their meeting is with Bennett."

"Call him, G," Sam said. "We're running out of time."

Callen took a deep breath and dialed the embassy number Bennett had given him. He didn't breathe again until Bennett answered.

Hey, Bennett," Callen said lightly. "Just wanted to give you an update. We caught a break. Deeks re-interviewed Fox and he confessed to being Sikes' partner. He was looking at a lot of jail time, so he cut a deal. The best part is, he double-crossed Sikes. He gave Sikes some dummy launch codes and hid the real ones so he could sell them later to Kocak."

"You're sure about this?" Bennett asked, his voice tight. Callen could hear the barely suppressed anger in his words.

"Yeah, we're sure. Fox knows the real codes are his only bargaining chip," Callen replied. "I'm sending Deeks to pick them up in about an hour."

"Just out of curiosity, where did he hide them?" Bennett asked.

"Somewhere in the Tarlabasi neighborhood," Callen said casually. "Deeks has the exact address. Anyway, just wanted to let you know our op is wrapping up and once Deeks picks up the codes we'll be heading home. Thanks for all your help."

Callen didn't wait for Bennett to give a response. He hung up and smiled, knowing the agent had bought every lie he had just told him.

"Deeks, give us a half hour head start," Callen said as he and Sam began to prep their weapons and head out to set up before Bennett arrived to tail Deeks to the location they had chosen.

"We'll have you covered, Deeks," Sam said. "But watch yourself. This is a dangerous guy."

Both senior agents patted Deeks lightly on the shoulder before leaving and Deeks knew they were worried about him, but he didn't feel nervous at all about the sting they were about to pull. The whole thing felt familiar to him, like an LAPD undercover job. The only difference being that he was in a foreign country and wasn't familiar with the neighborhood he would be entering, but, this time, he would have backup from two of the best men he had ever worked with and that gave him all the confidence he needed, he just wasn't sure they were as confident in him as he was in them. He wondered if all the worrying was because they didn't think he could do the job. He felt he was back to having to prove himself all over again. Well, he could do that and he would do that.

...

Deeks was shocked as he drove slowly through the deserted streets of the Tarlabasi neighborhood. It looked like a war zone, with windows and doors blown out of building after building, rubble littering the streets. He knew from his research that this was the government's attempt at renovation, but they were using a sledgehammer to do it. He passed very few people and no security or police patrols that he could see. The people he did see were too busy ripping out pipes and stealing what doors and windows remained to take any notice of him. He had a camera with him so he could claim to be a photographer documenting the destruction of the historic neighborhood if anyone started to ask questions.

He was having a difficult time finding addresses, and finally resorted to stopping a couple of looters to ask directions. When he arrived outside the old apothecary shop he wasn't sure he had even been followed and if Bennett hadn't tailed him then the whole operation could be a bust. He didn't see any sign of Sam and Callen, but he knew they were close and he began to rehearse once again in his mind just how he intended to play his part. Naive and slightly incompetent, he thought, to reinforce what Bennett already believed.

He stepped out of the car carrying his camera, and even though the light was fading, he snapped a couple of pictures of the outside of the building. The facade was a weathered grey green color and the plaster was cracked and broken, fissures tracing up to the second story. The old painted lettering was barely readable above the gaping dark hole that was the entrance. He moved quickly into the hollow building, stepping carefully over the remnants of counters and broken glass. The interior was eerie and dark and smelled of rotting plaster. When his eyes adjusted to the light he saw that the space was a deep one and opened onto a back street where two gaping windows and an open door stared back at him. There were several archways along each wall and he checked each opening as he moved further inside. He was in almost halfway in when he heard the sound of a gun being cocked and he froze.

"I thought you'd recognize that sound, detective," Bennett said softly from behind him as he walked out of the last doorway he'd passed. "You're not very observant for a cop," he continued as he took the camera from Deeks' upraised hand and threw it on the floor behind him.

"I'm officially an agent now, Bennett," Deeks said. "Hetty is going to bill you for that camera, you know. Is there a reason you're here, Agent Bennett? Because I don't recall Callen telling me you were gonna be here."

"You can turn around now, Deeks," he said.

Deeks turned and was blinded by a flashlight the agent now held. He put his arm up to block the beam and looked quickly at the Beretta the CIA agent was holding on him.

"I thought we were on the same side, Bennett. Why are you pointing a gun at me?" Deeks asked, letting himself sound surprised.

"Where are the launch codes Fox told you about, Deeks?" Bennett was irritated and slightly jumpy.

"Why do you want those? NCIS is the primary agency on this operation. You're just a consultant in case we needed help." Deeks let a little whine enter his voice and he saw Bennett relax a little.

"You're not terribly bright are you detective?" Bennett said with a small condescending laugh. "Find those codes and give them to me, now." His voice was instantly aggressive and with a surprisingly fast move he had the muzzle of the Beretta pressed up under Deeks' chin before bringing the flashlight down sharply on his wrist. Deeks yelped and stumbled backward.

"What the hell are you doing, Bennett?" Deeks yelled at him, wondering where Callen and Sam were and how long they were going to let this play out.

"Get rid of your weapon, Deeks, or the next thing to hit you will be a bullet in the kneecap." Bennett's face had taken on a feral look and Deeks complied, tossing his gun at the agent's feet.

"You watch a lot of old movies, Bennett?" Deeks asked. "Cause that last line of yours really sounded familiar."

"Get the codes or I will shoot your partner here," a heavily accented voice called out from an adjacent doorway.

Deeks turned as three men shoved Callen through a door and knocked him to the floor. He didn't move and Deeks felt himself go rigid as fear for him and for Sam made him go cold. He instinctively moved toward the fallen agent, trying to see if he was wounded, but one of the men stepped between them and pointed a gun at his head, saying something quickly in what Deeks assumed was Persian or Pashto.

"Sorry, but you'll have to speak English if you want a response," Deeks said tightly.

"The launch codes, detective," Bennett said harshly.

Deeks backed slowly toward the rear of the building, hoping that Sam had escaped somehow, and wondering if he could take all of the men in front of him with the small weapon he had hidden in his coat. Playing for time, he began searching a small broken cabinet near one of the back windows. Hearing a small scratching noise he glanced quickly out the window and saw Sam looking back at him as he hid beneath the opening. Relief flooded through him as he reached inside the cabinet and pretended to search for the list of codes.

"Wrong cabinet." Deeks smiled back at the men, trying to sound nervous, which wasn't a stretch. His stomach was actually in knots as he moved to his right and a couple of the men, including Bennett stepped in that direction with him, spreading out across the room. When he reached the cabinet under the window opposite the one where Sam was hiding, he again pretended to search it while retrieving the backup pistol from his coat. He pulled the fake list of launch codes out of his shirt pocket and as he turned back toward the men, he threw the paper up in the air toward the Iranian agents and the instant he saw their eyes follow it, he brought his gun up and began firing. The man closest to him went down with two bullets to the chest.

Out of the corner of his eye, Deeks saw Sam rise and fire, taking out one the men standing over Callen, and he felt a surge of adrenaline as Callen suddenly scrambled to his feet and charged toward Bennett as he fired at Sam, who was silhouetted in the open window. Sam went down before Callen could tackle Bennett to the floor. Deeks shouted Sam's name and tore out of the open hole that was the back door, coming face to face with the lead Iranian agent, whose gun was pressed against Sam's head. Deeks stopped instantly, raising his hands while looking to see how badly Sam was wounded.

"Get me those codes, or he's dead," the agent said. His dark eyes looked lethal in the dusky light of the empty street. Deeks felt as if the world was now moving in silent slow motion. He could hear the blood pounding in his ears as he looked down at Sam, who was barely conscious. His breath was coming in shallow gasps, but his eyes held him in a steely gaze and Deeks saw him nod his head.

He couldn't breathe. Sam's life was in his hands, and he couldn't seem to breathe.

"Throw away your gun," the low voice of the Iranian cut through the roaring in his head and he tossed the gun into the gutter.

"Now bring me those launch codes," he demanded as he pulled Sam closer to him.

Deeks turned and walked back inside. He picked up the fake list and looked quickly at Callen, who stared back at him, his blue eyes flashing with the knowledge of what was happening with Sam. Bennett was lying unconscious on the floor and Callen silently picked up his gun and nodded toward the door. Deeks turned and walked quietly back outside. He knew Callen was moving into position and he knew it was up to him to get the Iranian to take his gun off Sam so Callen could take his shot.

"This what you came all this way for?" Deeks asked, stalling until Callen could get in position.

"Bring the list here to me," the agent said coldly.

"Okay," Deeks said, and then dropped the list and charged the agent.

The man's eyes briefly followed the paper as it fluttered toward the ground and reacted sharply as Deeks charged, bringing his gun up to fire at him, but never getting the chance as Callen rose in the open window and shot him in the head. He fell backward into the rubble of the dirty street, releasing his hold on Sam just as Deeks reached him.

"Sam?" His heart was racing as he pulled Sam to him.

"What the hell did you think you were doing Deeks?" Sam shouted in his face.

"Helping G save your skinny ass, Sam...well, not skinny…but..." Deeks answered with a relieved smile.

"You trying to say I have a big ass, Deeks?" Sam asked as he struggled to sit up.

"Well, it's the biggest one here Sam," Callen said as he knelt down next to his partner.

"It's well proportioned, G." Sam said softly.

"Did you know there's a fan company named after your ass Sam?" Deeks said with a crooked grin. "It's called 'The Big Ass Fan Company'."

"Oh, I gotta get me one of those," Callen laughed.

"." Deeks said as he ripped up part of his shirt and pressed it into the wound in Sam's shoulder. He looked nervously at Callen as Sam began to lose consciousness.

"Come on Sam, stay with us," Callen said as he and Deeks struggled to get the big guy on his feet.

"You get the real launch codes, G." Sam asked as the three agents stumbled into the ever-darkening building.

"Yeah, Sam. Bennett had them on him," Callen answered. "And I got to beat the shit out of him, too."

"Where is he, Callen," Deeks asked as they stopped just inside the door.

Bennett was gone.

"He's the CIA's problem now," Callen said. "Let's go home, guys."

...

Epilogue coming soon.