Sorry to my guest French writer (had to use Google to translate) – hopefully this chapter is long enough for you :) And thanks again to everyone who is continuing to read, favourite, follow and most importantly, to those that leave a comment.
Ch 14
The NCIS agents reconvened in the Ops centre an hour after leaving the motel. The full unit was present, with Nell and Eric manning their work stations and Hetty standing still ready to address the team.
"Now," Hetty said. "I have viewed the footage of the CIA interview with Mr Callen, and both he and Mr Hanna have fully briefed me about the interaction with Boris Kozlov a few days ago. I do not have to remind you, Mr Callen that anything out of the ordinary, more so than usual, must be taken seriously. We do not know who is trying to discredit your good name so the more you disclose to me, the easier it will be to shut down the CIAs investigation."
"Nothing else has happened Hetty, you know as much as any of us now," Callen said. Over the past week he had made Hetty aware of any anomalies in his work or life. The team knew of his family roots, his foster home with the Rostoff's, his relationship with Arkady and Boris attempting to bribe him. The only thing he was not going to disclose were details of the classified operations which had taken place in Russia and the neighbouring countries. There was one particular mission that worried Callen. One of his deepest undercover missions had been as a double agent in Bogota, Columbia. He had infiltrated the drug cartels as a dishonest DEA officer and fed the cartels disinformation which had ultimately prevented millions of dollars worth of cocaine being smuggled out of the country. It may not have been connected to Russia but if the DEA revealed details of this operation, Callen would be was in a whole heap of trouble with the CIA; a Federal Agent who knew all the tricks of being a traitor and a double agent.
"Very well," Hetty peered at Callen through her spectacles. Callen was not one for sharing and Hetty had her doubts that he had just been entirely open with her and the team. "Assistant Director Granger has been briefed on this situation. Yes Mr Callen, I am well aware of your concerns about him, but he is on his way back to Los Angeles and will arrive this evening." Hetty turned to Eric before Callen could start voicing his complaints about the Assistant Director's impending presence. "Eric, do you have a fix on our friends from Langley?"
"Sure do," Eric pressed a few buttons and a street map with a blinking GPS tracker appeared on the screen. "Looks like they're about five minutes away from Arkady's house."
"Hmm, Arkady will keep them occupied for a few hours, once he starts charming them and regaling tales of his time spent in the company of our Mr Callen on various dangerous missions," Hetty mused. "Do we know where they were previously?"
"Well," Nell drew out the word as she answered Hetty. "We tracked them to the Los Angeles County social services office where we think they were trying to obtain information about Callen and the Rostoff family."
Callen squirmed slightly, trying to cover his discomfort by shifting the position in which he was leaning against the table.
"The CIA will not be able to access any of Mr Callen's records. Not from his time as a ward of the welfare state or from his classified or redacted missions with any agency." Hetty spoke to reassure Callen, although she doubted the words would have much effect.
"But surely they will link my address to the Rostoff's?" Callen said.
"Your house is under an alias so maybe they won't," Deeks said with an optimism he didn't really feel.
"We will deal with that if it happens," Hetty said. "Now I want you all to go home and get some rest. It's been a long day and if the CIA come knocking again, I fear tomorrow will be even longer."
"Sam?" Callen raised his eyebrows in question as he said Sam's name.
"Sure thing G," Sam replied. "Couch is always free for you."
"Adorable," Deeks added and broke in to a broad smile. He earned a glare from Sam and a quizzical look from Callen. Deeks continued smiling as he turned to Kensi and said. "I just love it when partners communicate telepathically. Can you guess what I'm thinking right this very minute?"
Kensi widened her eyes in mock shock and lightly punched Deeks in the shoulder. "You can clear that thought right out of your mind Deeks."
"Ow, what was that for," Deeks complained. "Hetty, did you see that? That is partner abuse. I could have you arrested and in handcuffs for that...oh yeah..."
Sam and Callen turned away from the arguing partners and exited ops, quickly followed by Kensi.
"Kensi!" Deeks shouted, walking out behind the others. "Can you guess what I'm thinking now?"
"Mr Deeks," Hetty said, causing Deeks to stop and turn back to face Hetty.
"Yes Hetty?" Deeks asked.
"I think you'd better quit before I make you re-take the sexual harassment in the workplace course. I know how much you enjoyed the course last time."
"Ah yes, Ok, thanks Hetty," Deeks ran out of the Ops centre and Hetty smiled as she heard him calling out apologies to Kensi.
*** NCISLA ***
The team strolled in to The Mission the following morning as usual. It had already been decided that Mason's kidnapping had not been the consequence of espionage, and as such the case was downgraded and passed to a less elite team of NCIS to follow through. The 'elite' team sat quietly at their desks in the bull pen, sipping coffee and reading newspapers. Hetty observed her team from her office and smiled to herself as she realised both Callen & Deeks owed her some long overdue reports. It never ceased to amaze her at the lengths those two went to avoid paperwork. Their excuses were varied and although she tasked Callen with chasing Deeks for his reports, she was under no illusion that Deeks hadn't a clue that Callen was just as bad as he was. Thinking on the subject further Hetty revised her opinion. Callen was simply lazy when it came to paperwork; unless of course it was in his favour to turn it in on time. Deeks on the other hand was almost too laid back to bother. Hetty shook her head. She knew full well that Deeks could easily meet deadlines if he wanted. Callen, well he too could knuckle down when he wanted. It just seemed that neither 'wanted' to and they both just liked to play the game and see how much they could get away with. Enough was enough, thought Hetty, and she started to walk over to the bull pen to persuade the two that they could spend their rare free time on catching up with overdue reports.
"Callen!" The monotone voice of Assistant Director Owen Granger broke through the calm of the early morning.
Callen put down the French newspaper he was reading and looked up questioningly at Granger as he strode in to the middle of the bull pen.
"Granger," he answered, showing a distinct lack of respect.
The rest of the team stopped their activities, watching the two men stare at each other in silence.
"Owen," Hetty greeted her boss. "So lovely of you to join us this morning. I take it you are here to offer your support to Mr Callen, now that you've had time to digest the information we discussed last night?"
"Henrietta," Granger responded. "Callen, I've just heard the CIA want to formally question you about your enduring relationship with the Russians. They'll be in the boatshed in thirty."
"My what?"
"Do I have to spell it out for you? Your long standing relationship with the Russians, from foster care with a Russian family, to covert ops in Russia and your friendship with former KGB officers."
Callen's face darkened with each word Granger said. By the time the KGB was mentioned, his eyes were hard and icy. "So I can count on your support then."
The statement dripped with sarcasm. Deeks and Kensi exchanged looks, unsure where the conversation would head next.
"Agent Callen I am well aware of the facts as presented by Henrietta yesterday, but the CIA still need to question you today. It sounds like they've discovered something new. I can only hope that means they've found out about the bribery accusation, then we can counter with Sam and his evidence."
"Fine," Callen stood up. "I'm ready for them."
"We all are," Sam said in support. He too stood, followed by Kensi and Deeks.
"The rest of you can stay here, only Callen is needed in the boatshed for now."
"Ah, that's not strictly speaking true," Hetty decided it was about time to burst Granger's bubble of self importance. "Mr Deeks will be accompanying Mr Callen for the duration, and will be providing legal counsel as and when required."
Hetty glanced round at the team, catching each of them in revealing moments. Once again Sam seemed a little put out. For a second Callen looked like a frightened child, before switching back to the rebellious look of someone itching for a fight. Deeks was staring at Callen and Hetty was sure he had caught a glimpse of what she had just witnessed, and for once Deeks wore a deadly serious expression. When Hetty looked at Kensi she could not help but smile. Kensi's eyes had softened and her lips were slightly parted and up turned at the edges. It was not a full blown smile and definitely not a smirk, but instead a rather revealing glimpse in to how proud she clearly was of Deeks, that he could offer proper support to Callen. Hetty smiled widely as she realised that in that moment, two of her most closed off agents had revealed themselves. She wondered if Callen and Kensi realised how alike they really were in the emotional sense...
"Fine," Granger growled. "You'd both better get over there pronto."
Without uttering another word Callen and Deeks left the bull pen. Sam clapped Callen on the shoulder as he passed and Kensi called out a good luck message which Callen barely registered. Once again he felt like he was about to enter the lion's den and despite all the preparation the team had done, he still felt uneasy. Someone was out to get him and determined to play dirty, but without knowing his enemy, it was proving extremely difficult to anticipate and retaliate.
*** NCISLA ***
Granger had accompanied Callen and Deeks to the boatshed, checked all audio and visual equipment was switched on and advised them he would be observing the interrogation. CIA Agents Fordham and Bolton had arrived shortly after and the questioning picked up where they had left off the previous day. It wasn't long before they started digging deep in to Callen's past.
"Tell me about your time with the Rostoff family," Agent Jessica Bolton asked Callen.
"I was there three months in early '83. They treated me like part of the family," Callen said.
"So would you describe it as a positive experience?"
"Yes," Callen nodded in agreement.
"What about your placement immediately prior to the Rostoff's?"
"Not quite as positive," Callen said, not giving too much away.
"How many bad or indifferent foster homes and orphanages were there?" Bolton moved straight on to her next question.
"A lot," Callen answered candidly.
"So the Rostoff family was a rare slice of normality for you," this time there was no question, merely a statement of fact.
Callen remained silent.
"Why do you think you had so many placements?" Fordham now spoke.
Callen shrugged, "I don't know."
"I think you do," Fordham continued. "We're still trying to get your records unsealed but we have managed to obtain some general information and spoken to a former - now retired - case manager of yours. Looks like you were sent from state to state to try and find a family that could handle you." Fordham noticed the slight change in Callen's demeanour and he paused before rifling through the pages of a note book. "The general consensus is that you were a very challenging child with episodes of violence, theft, cutting class and a general disregard for authority. I spoke with one family that said you attacked their eldest son with a hammer and another in the South that said you concocted a web of lies that almost had the mother arrested."
Deeks looked at Callen with slightly raised eyebrows as he listened to Fordham talk. Several months ago he and Kensi had heard Callen say that he had been removed from a home after two weeks, not because the foster father had been beating him, but because Callen retaliated with violence, hitting him with the very same broom handle that he had been beaten with. He waited to see whether Callen would counter with a similar or even the same story. Callen merely shook his head slightly and did not respond to Fordham's accusations.
"Agent Callen," Bolton said. "We've all read stories in the papers about the abuse suffered in foster homes and children's homes. I would imagine that you were removed from some of the homes as you were telling the truth or protecting yourself."
Callen pressed his lips together, staying silent. This was a subject he was not happy talking about.
"So these so-called 'all American' families treated you like something they'd trod in," Bolton continued. "Spending three months with the Russian Rostoff's must have felt like a slice of heaven."
"Very clever," Deeks interjected. "You're trying to get Callen to admit that a Russian family gave him the love and sense of belonging that an American family couldn't."
"It's true," admitted Callen, causing Deeks to narrow his eyes, wondering where Callen was going. "But some American families treated me OK – and I was still moved for no reason at all."
"The Russian family still gave you the most stable part of your childhood and introduced you to a language you felt at ease with." Bolton paused but there was no further reaction from either Deeks or Callen. "And that set you up for your future career as a Federal Agent with language skills that ensured you would be sent to Russia."
"If someone told me when I was living with the Rostoff's that I would have a career as a Federal Agent, I would've laughed in their face. And I did not learn Russian so I could visit Russia."
"And why would you not have believed them?" Bolton asked.
Callen leaned forward. "Fordham said it earlier – problems with authority."
"So how and why did you choose this career?"
"Guess it was a chance to pretend to be someone else professionally," Callen smile slyly. "It was either that or become an actor and I didn't fancy playing to an audience or waiting tables between jobs."
"Interesting. Most people say they chose a career with any one of our federal agencies to help safeguard America and its population, whether from terrorism, espionage, drugs, internal or external threats. You however chose it so you could pretend to be someone other than G Callen."
The smile fell from Callen's face as he realised he'd made his first mistake.
"But you didn't allow Callen to finish," Deeks added quickly to support his colleague. "You've already admitted he had a problem with authority as a kid and his comment just shows how that problem still affects him today. I'm sure you've got evidence of that in your pile of papers."
Callen inhaled deeply and started to speak. "When I was in the DEA I infiltrated gangs and stopped drug cartels distributing heroin and cocaine to the streets of America. In the FBI I worked to stop internal threats to national security. With the CIA I've travelled internationally on counter espionage operations, infiltrated terrorist organisations and all to protect the United States and other nations. I've put my life on the line for my country every day for over twenty years and I'm rewarded by the CIA accusing me of what – treason?"
Bolton wrote something on her note pad and passed it to Fordham who nodded and exited the room.
"Where's he going?" Deeks asked. "Did we bore him? Maybe he enjoyed your speech Callen and has gone to bring you an Oscar..."
"Thank you Detective Deeks," Bolton closed Deeks down and returned her attention to Callen.
"That is exactly what we're concerned about, Agent Callen. New evidence has come to light that confirms you are a double agent, working for the Russians. And upon further examination of historical and circumstantial evidence, it would appear that you've been prepped for this since you were a small child. I would say you are a traitor to your own country, but with your Eastern European roots..."
"Callen, don't say another word," Deeks raised his voice in shock and he placed both hands flat on the table as he addressed Agent Bolton. "So are you making this formal now? Are you arresting Agent Callen? And why is the CIA still conducting this interview?"
"The CIA has the lead on this investigation. It directly relates to the Russian sleeper agents and people smuggling as we've repeatedly discussed. Homeland Security has been briefed as has SECNAV and the Director of NCIS. And yes, Special Agent G Callen, you are under arrest on suspicion of treason."
Callen breathed in deeply and swallowed hard. His mind raced as he tried to think what else the CIA could have uncovered that had led them to believe he would betray his country. Bolton read him his rights but the words barely registered.
"Do you understand?" Bolton repeated.
"Y-yes," Callen stumbled over his words.
"What's this new evidence?" Deeks asked.
Bolton took out a number of A4 sized photos and laid them out in front of Callen and Deeks. As expected, there were close up and wide angle shots of Callen taking money from Boris Kozlov. In addition there were photos of Callen and Arkady, some dating back years. The surprising photos were of Callen at Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow, taken several weeks ago, together with a copy of the fake passport he'd used.
"You have no family and you were sold to Russian sleeper agents who abandoned you on the streets of America – an alien country. You grew up surrounded by abuse, neglect, without love and with constant upheaval. You were moved across the width of America to ensure you remained isolated. The only stability was provided to you by a Russian family. You even bought the very house where you found that short period of normality with the Rostoff's. You've had countless therapy sessions, have trouble trusting people and cannot form emotional bonds which I imagine helps you to live with yourself after you kill people. You are a loner which has meant you're a natural as an undercover agent. You continued to study Russian and other Eastern European languages in your own time and at your own expense. You've recently taken money from a Russian official; keep regular company with a former KGB officer who has known ties to the FSB and the mafia. You just travelled to Russia using a fake passport and the LAX police interviewed as a possible spy on your return."
Bolton scooped the photos to one side to clear space for more documents, barely pausing for breath. "These printouts are from a blog your neighbour posted on the internet a few months ago, which flagged alerts with Homeland Security that you could be a Russian double agent. These stills show you meeting with former KGB Officer Arkady Kolcheck, and Russian mafia in a local restaurant on Wednesday. We have corresponding audio footage that confirms you are interested in working with them. And finally," Bolton looked up and stared at the shocked NCIS agent. "Finally, you failed to disclose the fact that your father was a Russian KGB Officer, Nikita Reznikov – who by coincidence was arrested as a traitor to his homeland. Now why would you not want to disclose that?"