"Okay, there's something very wrong with this picture." Callen looked at the empty desk next his and then cast his gaze around the Mission. "We've only got half of the love's young dream team. Tell me - what's Densi without Kensi, Sam?"

"That would be 'D'. Which is a failing grade by anyone's standards."

"Very funny. My sides are splitting." Deeks dumped his messenger bag on the floor. "I think Hetty felt sorry for her, because she told Kensi to take the rest of the week off. Mainly because she's got about a million and one things to do before the wedding, so she's not thinking straight." Kensi had seemed marginally less stressed after her bachelorette spa day, but that wasn't exactly saying much.

"If Kensi had been thinking straight, she wouldn't be marrying you, Deeks."

Switching on his laptop, Deeks gave them a jaded look. "God, you guys are hilarious. You crack me up. But listen, Kensi's not the only one who's stressing out here. So just give me a break will you?" There was a note of despondency in his voice.

"You were the one who said getting married was just like having a big party," Callen reminded him.

"So I was wrong? So sue me." IT was very tempting to hit his head off the desk. "And it's not the reception that's bothering me. It's all the other stuff. Like this is the biggest decision you can ever make. And marriage is a holy sacrament."

The teasing stopped. "You're not having second thoughts?" Sam was hovering behind his chair, concern written clearly on his face. "Kensi's not thinking about calling it all off, is she?"

"Of course I'm not. It's just… I don't know." Deeks buried his head in his hands.

"I think the word you're looking for is 'grown up'," Callen said kindly. "It had to happen sometime." He patted him on the shoulder consolingly.

"Technically, that's two words."

Callen glared at him. "Stop being picky, Deeks. We're bonding with you. Treasure the moment, because it won't happen again for a long time."

"If ever." Sam tousled his hair. "And get a damn hair cut before the wedding or I'll come over with the clippers. Even your dog looks smarter than you do."

"The canine beautician's coming over today." Deeks raised his head and looked at them sorrowfully. "Kensi insisted." It appeared that absolutely everything had to be perfect, down to clipping the dog's nails. He had a sneaking suspicion Bobby would never forgive him.

"You should have played hookey and Kensi could have got you done at the same time. That should be worth a discount. And I can just see you and Bobby with matching hair-styles. Only he'll probably look smarter."

"Gentlemen. How nice to see you all looking so relaxed after the weekend. Except for you, Agent Deeks. You look a trifle overwhelmed."

"Agent?" Sam looked stunned. "You been holding out on us, Deeks?"

"After we let you into our brotherly bond? Shame on you." Callen swatted him on the back of the head, having learned a thing or two from Gibbs.

"It was my present to Kensi." Deeks caught sight of the look on Hetty's face. "And Hetty too, of course."

"And?" Hetty prompted.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "And because I wanted to."

"Three for the price of one. Nice going, Deeks. It took you long enough."

"Three for no price at all, Sam. That has to be the cheapest wedding present ever. No wonder he's so rich – he doesn't spend any money."

"Kensi loved it," Deeks protested.

"Sure she did."

Hetty decided it was time to wade into the fray. "Ms Blye was truly delighted, gentlemen. As indeed was I."

"And I haven't noticed either of you appearing at the house bearing wedding gifts either," Deeks pointed out. "It's kin of this custom we have in the US – you get a wedding invitation – you buy a present."

"That's because we haven't decided on the right wedding present yet." Actually, that was the complete truth, Sam thought. After all, what did you get for a guy who could buy the entire contents of a department store without batting an eye? Especially on a federal agent's salary.

"Yeah – go tell that to the Marines, why don't you?" Deeks looked at Hetty and immediately regretted the words. "Please tell me there isn't another dead Marine?" Not when I'm getting married on Saturday. Not when we've still got Operation Frankenstein to wrap up. And a seating arrangement for the meal to agree. A buffet would have been so much simpler. Or a wedding planner. Why didn't I insist we hired a wedding planner?

"There's always a dead Marine. And another one after that. " Callen had lost count of the death toll many years ago.

"Not this time. For once, I have good news: Mr Beale and Mr McGee have been working all night. They think they're getting close to solving the final riddle of Operation Frankenstein. With a little help from Dr Getz."

"Nate? Since when did Nate become a computer expert?"

"Dr Getz has many talents, including being a good listener, Mr Hannah."

This was getting officially weird. Deeks definitely wished he'd stayed at home. "Nate psycho-analysed them into solving the case?" he suggested lamely, feeling that some sort of response was required.

"Don't be silly, Mr Deeks. Of course he didn't."

"He freed up their unconscious minds?" Sam suggested. "Tapped into their subconscious?" That earned himself a withering look.

"You've either been reading too much science-fiction or watching one of those daytime soap operas."

Callen decided not to say anything. It seemed safer that way. After all, why subject yourself to ridicule when your colleagues were doing that very nicely all by themselves? So he just gave Hetty an interested look that invited further revelations. It worked very nicely indeed and meant that he retained a modicum of dignity. Someone had to, after all.

"Dr Getz arranged for Ms Barrett to be brought back to this country and he's been endeavouring to find some way to break this catatonic trance all our suspects share."

"Nate's got through? He's managed to make her speak?" Callen couldn't believe his ears. At last it looked like they were getting the break they needed. It had been long enough coming.

"Sadly, no." Hetty would like to be in a position to throw the book at EJ - very large, very heavy legal book. But there was no way she could be brought to trial. "It appears that the initial stages of the Operation Frankenstein consisted of deep-programme, aimed at the subconscious mind. In essence, it worked to install an automatic shutdown in the subjects when they perceived their status as operatives was in danger. It was a particularly invidious form of 'failsafe', deeply conditioned into the human brain and most certainly against every code and convention subscribed to by civilised countries. Dr Getz informs me it is unlikely that Ms Barrett will ever return to a normal functioning state and that she will require hospital treatment for the rest of her life." There was no mistaking the loathing in Hetty's voice.

Even in his darkest dreams, Callen had not wished such a fate on EJ. She was amoral and ambitious, but she had also been propelled into a situation that was out-with her control, and she had been pushed there by her uncle, the erstwhile SecNav, who had abused his own power in order to place EJ at the heart of NCIS. It hadn't worked out quite as he'd planned, given that Operation Frankenstein was now in tatters, EJ wasn't doing a whole lot of anything other than staring into space vacantly, and the former SecNav himself was now in maximum security detention.

"They brainwashed them?" Deeks shook his head in disbelief. "Brainwashed them so that they go into this living death?"

"It appears so."

Sam tried to process the information. He'd seen human atrocities at first-hand, but mainly under war conditions, when the normal rules of life were suspended. To think of such things being perpetrated against American citizens by those placed in positions of authority was not something he had ever contemplated. The only possible salvation was that Operation Frankenstein had been shrouded in such secrecy simply because those in control knew the central premise was so depraved it would never get approval.

"You want to give us the good news now?" he asked. "Because I think we could all do with that right now. And it would probably be the present anyone could give Kensi and Deeks." It was hard to forget that EJ had burnt down Jack and Rowena's home, and had nearly managed to immolate them all in the process.

"Dr Getz brought EJ to the Mission yesterday, and while she gave not the slightest flicker of a response, the transmitter implanted in her arm certainly did."

It had done more that than. It had created an automatic logon that replicated the information generated by an RSA SecurID logon device – the device that all government and military official used to access their networks. The same device that Nell referred to as her VPN token, and which had been breached at least once before – and had resulted in her arrest. And when Tim and Eric had seen the results, they were finally able to put the final pieces of the puzzle together. The end was almost in sight.


Yes - we're nearly at the resolution, folks! one more chapter to go and all will be revealed. Devious plot bunny is quite exhausted by the ramifications of Operation Frankenstein.

I've got a busy couple of weeks ahead of me, with two cases coming up in court, so please be patient, as I might not be able to update as regularly as I'd like.