A/N: I truly appreciate the messages, favorites, follows, and views (especially without reviews.) I decided to add an epilogue, and should finally just be fine-tuning the last few chapters before posting them.

Chapter 8

Ops and Pasto, Colombia

Wednesday, 1:11 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time)

Ops

Hetty is standing in front of the big screen looking at a satellite image and a dot moving almost imperceptibly from the hangar while Eric and Dave are at their terminals.

Callen: "We're just about to touch down. It'll take a couple of minutes to taxi to the hangar."

Eric hears his mobile phone alert, so he grabs it out of his pants pocket and turns his chair so Dave can't see the message. Hetty's paying more attention to the dot, now clearly on the move.

Hetty: "Nell is taxiing."

Callen: "Damnit!"

Hetty: "Stay focused on the task at hand, everyone. If we lose the others, we may never find them or this ring again. We will have another chance at Miss Jones."

Kensi: "But by the time we get to her..."

Hetty: "That is a risk we must take, Miss Blye."

Deeks: "At least one of us should..."

Hetty: "No. With the potential for collateral damage and lack of intelligence, this operation will already be a challenge even for this team. Splitting up only diminishes the odds of success for both objectives."

Callen: "But..."

Hetty: "That's an order, Mr. Callen. Am I understood?"

After a pause, Callen: "Understood."

The screech of airplane wheels are heard as they land.

Eric: "I just sent you a diagram of the hangar with the approximate number and rough location of the bad guys."

Callen: "But how would you..."

Eric: "Don't worry about that. Just worry about getting the bastards."

Sam: "Thanks, Eric. We got it."

Hetty: "Status?"

Callen: "We're on the ground now and just started to taxi to the hangar."

Dave: "Nell's plane is on the runway."

Everyone is silent and lost in their own thoughts.

Eric's phone chimes again and he grabs it. Like last time, he turns away to read his message privately while Hetty refocuses her team.

Hetty: "You have your orders. Are you all ready to breach?"

Callen: "Ready."

Sam: "Ready."

Kensi: "Ready."

Eric briefly looks up, closes his eyes, and exhales deeply, then puts down his phone and gets back to work.

Deeks: "Ready to finally get this thing done and out of the way so we can finally go get the Nell-a-nator? Abso-freakin'-lutely!"

Pasto, Colombia

The airplane with the team stops near the hangar and they open their airplane door.

Sam: "Go, go, go."

The team, dressed in all black and body armor, runs down the stairs to their positions. Callen and Sam pause, prepared to breach the front door. As Deeks and Kensi maneuver around to the back of the hangar, Callen and Sam watch Nell's plane take off.

Kensi: "On your mark."

Callen and Sam take a second to refocus.

Callen: "Three, two, one, breach."

The team successfully assaults the hangar and kills Ponytail, Muscles, and the rest of the goons still in the hangar, except the ring leader. Despite the drug induced haze, the sound of gunfire initiates the hostages' innate and military honed sense of self preservation. They each drop to the ground except for the blonde abductee on the catwalk dressed like schoolgirl Brittney Spears. A bullet grazes her upper arm before she is able to yank away from the pole at her neck and take cover as well as she can with her arms bound behind her. The women are shaken up, but all are accounted for and recovered. Although a shot goes through the ring leader's lower calf and another into his shoulder, he'll live. He's soon put in zip tie cuffs.

The survivors make their way back to the airplane. Sam practically carries the ring leader with the bum leg. Kensi shepherds the women. Callen and Deeks bring the computers. Once all are on board, their plane taxis to the runway and takes off for the nearest major airport on the return route where they can blend in and get refueled for the long flight home.

Ops

In Ops, Eric allows himself a sigh of relief before logging out of his terminal and gathering his phone.

Dave: "Whaddar-ya doing? Aren't we tracking Nell?"

Eric: "Not me."

Dave: "What about the guys delivering her? Aren't we going to follow them and pick 'em up?"

Eric spins his chair to face Hetty.

Eric: "Again: Not my problem."

Eric sees Hetty purse her lips almost imperceptibly.

Hetty: "Mr. Beale, I'm sorry that things did not go to plan."

Eric stands up and shoots her a cold stare.

Eric: "So am I."

Eric breaks eye contact and calmly walks right by Hetty.

Hetty: "When can we expect you to return?"

Just before reaching the door, Eric responds calmly without looking back or breaking stride.

Eric: "I'm not sure that you should."

Hetty and Dave watch as Eric reaches the door. He walks out and the door closes behind him. Hetty turns to Dave.

Hetty: "Please continue to track Nell. I will update the team about their destination once we have one."