Hit a little "bump" of discouragement but found the support I needed from some of the readers. Thanks for reminding me that this is just for fun. I do not have the time during my break from "real life" to adequately research all areas of the story. Just writing down all the "pretend" stuff in my head.

I appreciate your reviews, comments and suggestions.

CHAPTER 21 - Unraveled

The team assembled in the ops room, going through the information gathered on the potential suspects. With input from the FBI and the CIA, Nell and Eric had narrowed the list. Late last night, Eric had notified the task force of a person of interest who might have ties to Callen. Continuing with their research, Nell and Eric had come up with two more names early this morning. Eric had just sent a fourth possibility to the task force when he got a call from the CIA. "They have a hit!" he exclaimed. "Hetty, CIA. Bringing them up." The computer geek spun his chair around and scooted over to another computer.

A moment later, a man dressed in a dark suite appeared on the big screen. "Good afternoon, Miss Lange. How have you been?"

"I'm afraid not so well the past few days, Mr. Hamilton. It seems someone is bent on destroying one of my agents."

"Yes, that would be Sherman Sykes. His was one of the names supplied by your analysts this morning. Since beginning this investigation, we have pulled on every loose thread we could get our hands on. And when we pulled on this thread, the whole thing seemed to come unraveled."

"How is this man connected with Agent Callen?" Hetty asked, sounding calm and businesslike despite her racing heart.

"Sherman Sykes worked a case with Agent Callen, back when they were both with the DEA. Sykes was a young computer expert. Because of his skills in surveillance, the DEA would occasionally put him in the field working undercover. Callen and Sykes infiltrated one of the largest drug rings in the country at that time. Using the information gained by Callen and Sykes, the DEA determined that a hanger at a private airport was being used to store drugs set for shipment. Another source indicated that a substantial amount of drug money was stashed in the hangar as well."

"By substantial, you mean…?" Hetty inquired.

"A little more than a million." Hamilton continued. "Sykes and Callen were present when the site was secured. The drugs were found just as predicted. However, there was a significant discrepancy between the amount of cash reported to have been on the premises and the actual amount seized. So, the FBI was called in to investigate."

"They thought Callen or Sykes might have been responsible for steeling some of the money?" Hetty asked.

"Right. But the source was a drug dealer who was apparently attempting to arrange a plea agreement. His story was almost immediately discounted. Sykes worked for several more months as an undercover agent and then went back to his original job, developing computer programs to safeguard the government's classified data bases. Two years ago, he was hired by the CIA in a similar capacity and is now one of our top experts in surveillance and data analysis.

"So, what is the connection between Mr. Sykes and our current case?"

"The FBI was revisiting an old case and found a similar situation, where the money seized did not match up with what was reported. Sykes' name popped up again. Only this time the source was an undercover police officer. A month ago, when the FBI began to dig around, this officer had mysteriously disappeared. This led them to reopen the DEA case that Sykes worked with Callen. They now suspect that Sykes altered Agent Callen's report to match his, falsifying the amount of money that was found."

"How could he get by with this without Callen knowing?" Kensi asked. "Didn't they work in the same office?"

"Because Agent Callen is fluent in Russian, he was frequently loaned out to the CIA for special operations. He was scheduled to leave for Russia the very next day; an assignment that lasted for almost nine months. This would have given Sykes the perfect opportunity to tamper with Callen's report. Callen would have probably never had a reason to look at this report again."

"So, Sykes found out the FBI was reinvestigating the case." Hetty said. "That's what set this whole thing in motion?"

"Yes. We now believe that Sykes was able to access information concerning his own investigation, and knew that the FBI was close to calling Agent Callen in for questioning."

"If G. was removed from the picture, no one but Sykes would ever really know what happened," Sam said as if thinking out loud.

"The problem with just killing your agent off is that Sykes would automatically become a prime suspect, unless …"

"Unless he could come up with an elaborate plan to pin the murder on someone else," Nell said. Everyone turned and peered at Nell. "Sorry," she said, shrugging her shoulders innocently.

"So where is this dirt bag right now?" Sam asked impatiently.

"Your task force is of the opinion that he is still in your area, under an assumed name. He's been hacking into various systems. It appears that he has been searching for Agent Callen. Next time he logs on, we should be able to pinpoint his location." Hamilton paused. "Miss Lange, we will notify you as soon as we have something definitive. If he is still in Los Angeles, will your team be ready to assist?"

"Of that you can be certain," Hetty said. "We are all eager to end this."

Kensi, Deeks, and Sam went down to the bullpen. Deeks sat at his desk, pretending to be interested in something he had pulled up on his laptop. Kensi sorted through a large box of items Hetty had recently confiscated from their work area; things that Hetty had determined were not conducive to a good working environment. (Once again, almost all of the items were Kensi's treasures.) Sam just paced.

After about the hundredth time Hetty watched Sam walk back and forth, she stepped into the bullpen. "Mr. Hanna. Would you please find something to do before you wear a rut in my floor?"

Sam plopped down in his office chair. "Hetty. Can't I just wait at the hospital? Kensi could swing by and get me if they call us."

"Mr. Hanna. What if they determine the suspect's position to be in the opposite direction? You know, very well, that backtracking would cost us valuable time."

Sam crossed his arms and began swiveling his chair from side to side. "This is just taking too long."

Hetty walked closer to where Sam was sitting. "I know you are worried about your partner. But he's in good hands." Sam looked down and sighed. "How was he when you last saw him?"

Sam shook his head slowly. "I've never seen him like this. I think he's given up."

Hetty placed her hand on Sam's shoulder and he stopped turning his chair. "You'll have to remember that he is heavily medicated. This would certainly alter his ability to reason."

Sam looked into Hetty's eyes. She could see his fear. "I'll put in another call to Nate when this is over."

The seconds seemed to creep by while they waited for an update; Deeks throwing paper balls into the trashcan, Kensi searching through drawers hoping to find a stash of Ho Ho's or peanut butter cups, and Sam, once again, pacing. Seconds turned into minutes and minutes into hours. Then suddenly they were startled by Eric's shrill whistle.

"They found him!" Eric yelled from the balcony. "He's about forty minutes southeast of us. Using the name, Norman Wiley. Nell is uploading his photo and address to your phones."

Sam, Deeks, and Kensi jumped up, put their earwigs in, and grabbed their weapons. "My car," Sam said as they darted toward the exit.

Hetty made her way back up to the ops room, where she could oversee the operation. Sykes had apparently chosen his current location based on the absence of security cameras. So Eric and Nell were going to be dependent on audio form their agents to monitor the events as they unfolded.

Less than an hour later, Hetty's heart almost jumped out of her chest when she heard Sam's voice. "Hetty, we got him."

Hetty strolled to her office, fighting the urge to do a little victory dance. After making the appropriate calls to Vance, the CIA and the FBI, Hetty just sat for a few minutes. She was overcome with a sense of pride. Her information analysts had played a key role in solving the case and her agents had successfully carried out their operation. Hetty opened her desk drawer and took out Callen's shield. Slowly rubbing her thumb along the metal, her heart was now heavy. Today, they may have been successful in saving Callen's life, but they were not able to salvage his purpose for life.

Hetty returned the shield to the drawer and called the ops room. "Mr. Beale. What is the status of our agents?"

"They are still on the scene. The FBI is in route. They're holding Sykes until the FBI arrives to take him into custody."

"Please let them know I will meet them at the hospital." As Hetty got into her car, she had to smile a little. She had a mental image of the suspect cuffed and gagged, awaiting the FBI's arrival, surrounded by Sam, Kensi, and Deeks, all with guns drawn.

Callen was sleeping when Hetty entered his room. She thanked Officer Taylor for his assistance, dismissed him and then just stood at Callen's side for a moment. Then she gently ran her hand through his hair and her thumb down the side of his face and across his dry, bruised lip. She leaned in closer and, speaking in Russian, said, "My dear boy, it is over." Callen's eyes flickered open. Hetty described, to her groggy agent, the events of the day and how the case had been solved and that the suspect was in custody.

A short time later, Hetty received a call from Vance. There had been an emergency meeting of the NCIS security committee and he needed to update her.

With the phone still to her ear, she let out a big sigh. "Leon, I am standing right beside someone whom I think will be interested in hearing what you just told me. I'm putting you on speaker." She positioned the phone in front of Callen. "Go ahead, Leon."

"Agent Callen, I assume Hetty has already filled you in on the case. When you are well enough, the FBI is going to need to get your statement concerning the operation you worked with Sykes. But the reason for this call is to let you all know that our security committee just met. Based on the information supplied by the CIA, Sherman Sykes was in this alone. He used his computer skills to make it look as if your classified information had been leaked; an attempt to set Davis up as the shooter." Callen blinked slowly as he continued to listen. "But apparently the, so called, leak did not make it further than our agency data bases. At this point, your identities remain secure. The committee has, therefore, reinstated you as Senior Agent with the team in Los Angeles. That is, if you still want the job."

Hetty watched as Callen's eyes closed and his lips formed a weak, crooked smile. She moved the phone away from Callen. "Leon?"

"Hetty. Did he hear everything I just said?"

Hetty smiled down at Callen who had already drifted off to a peaceful sleep. "He heard you. And yes, he said he still wants the job."

Hetty put her phone away and then wrapped her fingers around Callen's hand. "It is over." She whispered in Russian. "You're home."