A/N: A big thank you to the story Followers and Favorite'ers. Without reviews, it helps to know that it's actually being appreciated. The story will be completed regardless because it has demanded it since I started fleshing it out and then dropped it in like 2018/19. But it does help motivate me to do battle with the last couple of chapters to get them to where I'm satisfied enough to publish them. And with this chapter, we're roughly halfway through the story. I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 6

Ops

Tuesday, 8:09 a.m. (Pacific Standard Time)

Dave, an intelligence analyst from the San Diego office and a haggard, grim, tired, disheveled, unshaven Eric are sitting next to each other in Ops. Hetty enters.

Hetty: "Update please, Mr. Beale."

Eric stifles a yawn, takes his glasses off with one hand, squeezes the bridge of his nose with the other hand, and puts his glasses back on. Meanwhile, Dave calls the team.

Eric: "Nell left Monterrey, Mexico on a private plane around 6:00 a.m. our time. The plane Hetty arranged for our team left around 7:00."

Dave: "Our plane is slightly faster than theirs, so we made up some time, but it took awhile to get it ready and gather the troops."

Deeks: "Look, when we got the call, I didn't even stop to brush my hair, much less my teeth."

Kensi: "Ew."

Deeks: "Come on, at least I used mouthwash… And I finally got to brush them when we took off."

Callen: "As long as the overwatch spray is still working, we should be able to track them down. They won't be far ahead of us."

Hetty: "I'll do my best to make arrangements once we know where you're landing."

Ops

Tuesday, 9:03 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time)

Eric and Dave are at their respective workstations in Ops. There are satellite images of three airports on the big screen. Hetty enters Ops.

Hetty: "Update please, Mr. Beale."

Eric stands up and moves toward the table in the center of the room as Dave calls the team before joining him.

Callen: "Okay, what's the latest?"

Eric: "The auction starts at 1 p.m. Pacific Time. The bidders have each transferred a ten thousand dollar buy-in to an account in the Cayman Islands, as well as putting two million dollars into escrow accounts. They've been given dedicated virtual private networks with a live feed and secure URL to make a best and final bid."

Dave: "Based on their current flight path and taking into account travel time from the airport to an auction site, I've narrowed down the most likely locations to Medellin, Bogota, or Cali, Colombia."

Hetty: "We will begin to make arrangements for your arrival at each location and update you once we know which one it is."

Callen: "Got it. And Eric... We're gonna get her back."

Eric: "You'd better."

Ops

Tuesday, 11:25 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time)

Hetty enters Ops to find Dave in front of his terminal typing and Eric scowling in front of the big screen, leaning both elbows on the table, with a tablet in his hands. He's laser focused on a map of the greater Colombian region with two different flight paths superimposed on top. One plane is behind the other.

Hetty: "Gentlemen."

Dave turns his chair toward Hetty, but Eric is too distracted to break his stare and acknowledge her.

Eric: "Something's not right. Nell's plane bypassed the first two airports, so it should be slowing down and maneuvering for approach to Cali by now. But the flight path looks all wrong, and they're not slowing down."

Eric thinks for a couple of seconds before a look of panic comes over him. He springs up, puts down the tablet, and mutters while sprinting to his workstation.

Eric: "No, no, no, no, no, no, no."

Eric sits down, calls Callen, and starts typing.

Hetty to Dave: "Are there any other places they might be landing with a 1 p.m. deadline our time outside of your search radius?"

Dave: "That wouldn't leave enough time to get from the airport to wherever they're having the auction, but lemme check."

Callen: "Whada got Eric? We're getting ready to land in Cali."

Eric, frantic and clipped: "You can't land yet. They're not going to Cali."

Dave: "The only other place is a small airport just outside of Pasto, but it's something like an hour further."

Eric: "I think they're landing at Antonio Narino Airport in Pasto."

Sam: "I'll tell the pilot."

Hetty: "They've probably prepared to hold the auction at the airport instead of doing it off site."

Eric: "By the time they have all of the winning bids and confirm that the money's been transferred, they can have a bunch of planes prep'd and ready to go anywhere for them to get away and to deliver the... merchandise."

Deeks: "Aannd the hits just keep on coming."

Kensi: "This is bad."

Dave: "It looks like they're going to beat you there by about half an hour depending on how long it takes for your plane to speed up again, change course, and get cleared for landing."

Callen: "Okay. What are we going to find when we get on the ground?"

Eric: "The best I can do is a satellite photo of the airport from 27 hours ago. Sending it to you now."

Hetty: "I need to go make some calls."

Hetty leaves Ops.

Callen: "Send us anything you find out about the airport that could help."

Dave: "Will do."

Dave disconnects the call while Eric glares at his screen and types aggressively. Tension hangs in the air until Dave can't take it anymore.

Dave: "Hey man, I'm really sorry I didn't see that coming."

Eric continues typing, cold and focused.

Eric: "You can start making up for it by staying on task... man."