Note: I'm terrible at trying to predict what episodes are going to be about only from their episode titles, especially when there was almost no BTS pics from the filming of the episode. But yeesh, it's an episode titled 'Where Loyalties Lie'! Which sounds an awful lot like 'Being forced to choose whose leadership you'd rather be behind, Hetty or Kilbride'! And also, if that early info from TV Guide way back in August is supposed to be right, Kilbride won't approve of the team being 'sucked in to' whatever Hetty is up to in Syria. So, what better way to kick off the much anticipated revelations then with an episode with such a fitting title?
(If I end being right on this, or somewhat close, well…. That'd probably make me a psychic on here! :) If I end up being wrong, which I'm betting I will be, then I apologize for being a blabbermouth who's so desperate to see Hetty get the respect that she rightfully deserves from these stupid writers that she thinks every new episode that she hears of will be 'the game changer' or 'the one'.)
On to the story!
Callen was peacefully asleep one night when he suddenly got a phone call.
'Hello?' He sleepishly answered.
'Static static.. Mr. Callen!'
'Hetty? Hetty is that you?!'
'I… need…. Help! Things… have… gone… bad here!' Hetty was struggling to say much because of the bad connection.
'Where are you? Are you still in Syria?'
'Yes!...Please...be...careful!'
Then she hung up.
'Wait, Hetty!'
Later on in the boatshed
'Okay, it's really early in the morning. So unless someone has mysteriously died or needs help, I'm going back to bed.' Deeks grumbled.
Then Callen played the message that Hetty left him.
Everyone was stunned.
'Oh my gosh.' Kensi whispered.
'What is she doing back in Syria?' Sam asked.
'I don't know. Kilbride said a few months ago that she went to Syria for some classified mission. And what do you mean 'back in Syria'?' Callen replied.
'Last winter, Kilbride said that she was in Syria as a hostage negotiator of sorts. Do you know why she's back there?'
'Not a clue. But she needs help, and we need to get to her!'
'Can't we just call someone in Syria and have them search for her?' Deeks asked.
'Who do we know there? We don't know where exactly she's at, or where she sent the message from. And nobody knows her like we do. Also, why would she call me for help and not no one else?'
Nobody responded.
'It's because she trusts us to help her when she needs it!' Callen exclaimed. Then he called Fatima in OPS and asked her to arrange flights to Syria.
Later that day, in the armory
'I don't really know about this.' Deeks said, concerned.
'Deeks, our boss is in trouble! How could you not want to try to help her?!' Kensi replied, stunned.
'No no, I want to help Hetty. It's just, we're talking about going back to the country where we were shot down in a helicopter and how you ended up in a coma.'
'Deeks, I can't think about that right now. What we need to think of is getting Hetty out of danger!'
Up in OPS
'As I've already told you, whatever phone she used to send the message is untraceable! Believe me, I've tried every method I can think of to try and trace it!' Fatima said.
'There's just got to be a way!' Callen replied, unconvinced.
'Look, I'll keep trying, but it really looks like she used an untraceable phone here. And it was probably for security reasons.'
'Keep trying!' Then Callen huffed off.
'Is he always this way about Hetty?' Roundtree asked.
'Apparently.'
After several tries, Callen managed to get in touch with some friendly faces in Syria who would meet them when they landed. Callen also left a note for Fatima to give to Kilbride for when he started barking about why she was helping them. They were about to depart when Mr. Killjoy walked in and demanded to know where they were all heading off to.
'We're going to bring Hetty home. And there's nothing you can do to stop us from leaving.' Callen said.
'Oh really? Your former boss has been almost completely absent for 4 years now because she'd rather do dangerous missions then sit around this dump and babysit all of you! What makes you think bringing her home this time around will stop her from leaving again?' Kilbride asked.
'I don't know. But I do know that we don't leave team members to die in foreign countries when we have the chance to save them!'
'Hetty made her choice when she walked out that door against my judgement. If she dies, it'll be because she made that choice. And if any of you walk out that door to embark on this dangerous goose choice, you're all likely to be fired!'
Callen then remembered when the last person to say that Hetty had made her choice was, and it was back when they almost didn't get to her in time.
'Then have fun replacing an entire team of federal agents who can do our jobs better then we can!'
Then they all walked out to head to the airport.
'What a bunch of idiots.' Kilbride grumbled.
