Deeks programs Kensi's new number into his phone before he pulls out of the hotel parking lot. It's la lifeline to him. It puts a smile on his face all day, and while Sam and Callen are suspicious at the reemergence of his trademark smile and it's timing with regards to Kensi, he deflects their interest and avoids giving anything away. He hopes. They wrap a case that evening and in Ops after the debrief, Nell mentions they'd gotten a hit on the names that Kensi gave them from the dead terrorists at the shootout the day before.
"We dug into their financials. They have deep pockets, mostly lined with money coming in from Pakistan and Yemen."
"Prime spots for funding terrorist, both state-sponsored and rogue organizations," Sam tells the room.
"This one was interesting," Nell mentions, putting up a picture of one of the two suspects. "His credit cards are close to maxed. Everything from strip clubs to restaurants to car rentals to an Airbnb rental. As a matter of fact, he rented a crazy expensive house for this week right here in LA.
"Always with the strip clubs and then calling us the infidels," Deeks jokes.
"I'm sure he'd say he was just trying to fit in," Sam answers with a smile.
"Except, he can't because he's, you know, dead," Deeks says, and in his mind he hears Kensi say 'touché', which hasn't happened in a while. The voice in his head is clearer, crisper after hearing it that morning. His smile reappears.
"Wonder if he has any friends still hanging around?" Callen asked.
"We could always go for a drive. Knock on the door and say hi," Sam suggests.
"Nice and casual – just see who might be around." All three men smile. "You up for a quick visit?" Callen asks Deeks.
Deeks shrugs. "Who could pass up a chance to meet a bunch of strip clubbing, take out ordering terrorist sympathizers on such a beautiful LA evening?" he jokes. "Should we run it by Kensi and her mystery band of merry men?"
"Nah," Callen says. "We're just going to say hi. We'll let them know if we find anything."
"Let's go," Sam instructs, and the team heads out.
()()()()()()()()()
Bandit tells everyone to get into their positions. The man in this house with half a dozen of his most heavily armed friends was officially indicted this morning on terrorism charges. He's not an American citizen, and Dave's team is trying to get him before he can get out of the country. If he slips away they may never get another shot. Green Team and Kensi's Blue Team are moving into cover in the darkness past sunset, preparing for the simultaneous breach they need.
Blue team is on the ground level coming in from the south side, careful to avoid the west approach and the weird, out of place, hidden bunker like thing out front. Recon tells them there's only one hostile inside the fortification outside the house. They assume he'll abandon the position to defend his boss in the main house when he realizes the assault is coming from the other side. That or he'll hunker down and hide if he's looking to fight another day. Kensi's positioned in the front to defend against either of those occurrences. Not all the assignments in a takedown are exciting. She left the real glory for Green Team tonight.
There's no way to get him until he shows himself. If she stays hidden she's hopeful she'll get the first shot.
"In position, Bandit. Blue Team is a go." Green Team sounds off as ready, too, and Bandit calls them to Ready-One. From there they'll breach. Everyone moves silently. Green calls ready first, and Bandit acknowledges.
"Copy Green Team. Blue Team, we go on you."
"You ready to play peek-a-boo with your friend in the bunker, Pirate," someone asks trying to be funny about Kensi's assignment, and everyone else cringes waiting for the scolding.
"Tighten up comms," Kensi barks at them to end the banter. She'll have words with him later to drive home her point. "Blue team ready. This is Pirate. Everyone's at Ready-One. On my call." She takes one last look around. "Execute. Execute. Execute."
The last execute is barely out in the air before it starts to falls apart.
"Be advised we have visitors," Kensi says as she squints at unexpected figures that have come into view. She shakes her head as she realizes she knows the shape and gait of each of the them. Sam, Callen and Deeks are at the west edge of the infiltration zone.
"What do you see, Pirate?"
"What are they doing here?" She asks rhetorically.
"Civilians?" Dave tries to clarify.
"No, NCIS."
"God damn it," Bandit hisses. "I told you,.." but he stops. Open comms isn't the place for the conversation. "They're big boys, Pirate. They'll figure it out." From his position he can just see what she sees.
With the sounds of the breach and gunfire in the house, NCIS is alert enough to move themselves to a safe location. They just don't know the bunker is there and that path they picked for safety is anything but. Their retreat takes them exactly where they don't want to be, and Kensi can see the danger that they cannot. She tracks their movement as they head directly into the line of fire for the hardened guard location. Her hand flies to her earwig with urgency just like the old days before she realizes she isn't on NCIS comms. She has to reach them another way.
She moves with speed and agility, hoping all the commotion will buy her a minute. She avoids being in the open for as long as she can, then she pops a smoke grenade and tosses it in front of the bunker, needing to cross in front of it to clear Callen and Sam out of danger. She climbs over a barrier and when she hits the ground on the other side she is only a few feet from their position.
She looks right and sees Deeks, using hand motions to hold him where he is behind cover. Then she looks at the guard site. The wind is up and the smoke is dissipating too fast. Sam and Callen's temporary cover is gone.
Kensi registers Green Team declaring the target secure in her comms. She knows the mission is a success. That's something, at least. Then the bogey in the bunker decides to make his move. Gun drawn, she waits for him to be visible. He fires first, before Kensi can get an angle on him. Sam feels the pulse of automatic weapon fire whir by and he ducks behind a car.
Callen has nowhere to go.
The next thing happens with no forethought, pure instinct. She knows the danger and Callen doesn't. She's in full tac gear, he isn't. She has to be the one to make a move. She runs at Callen with speed and puts herself between Callen and the bunker.
In no man's land.
When Kesni told him to hold position, Deeks did, and he hated it. He's restrained himself twice from jumping out to support her, but it's her show. He follows her eyes and fire to the guy in the bunker and he opens fire, too. Deeks doesn't know who took him out, just that it didn't happen in time. The guard's automatic weapon is discharging as he grips the trigger in death, the shots following a path to the sky as his arm flails and he falls dead.
Deeks sees the way her body convulses when the bullets impact.
He watches her hit the ground.
Deeks runs for her, meeting Callen at her body and turning her over only to be pushed away by her team. Her eyes are wide and her breathing is staggered. They lift her and run. He can hear her team call out the obvious.
"Pirate is down."
A truck has pulled up at speed and they move Kensi towards it. Sam, Callen and Deeks have their weapons drawn but are now an afterthought as Kensi's team evacuate her from the site. When Deeks makes a move to follow Kensi he is abruptly stopped by the one they called Eightball yesterday. The man pushes Deeks back and as Kensi gets further from him, Deeks yells her name.
"Kensi!" He moves towards her again.
Eightball grabs and throws Deeks back again, this time putting him on the ground.
"You guys have done enough already."
The NCIS men watch as Bandit sends Eightball to the medical truck. Then Bandit takes two steps towards them, fury in his eyes and his sidearm in his hand.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
Deeks doesn't answer, he just asks a question of his own.
"Where are you taking her?"
"Go to hell," Bandit tells him, and turns to leave.
Deeks stands up and reaches for his shoulder. "What hospital are you taking her to?"
Bandit pushes Deeks hands off him and turns to leave again. Sam and Callen take Deeks from behind and hold him back. There's too much tension right now for any conversation to end well.
"We'll find her," Sam tells him. Callen gets Nell and Eric up to speed and they start the search while the agents head back to Ops.
()()()()
Every one of them is back at the mission working the phones. They are calling every hospital and medical facility they know. They are reading LAPD alerts. They are listening to scanners. They have Kaleidoscope trying to track the vehicles from the assault site. They are working their contacts. No one is getting anywhere until Deeks is hanging up his desk phone and his cell phone rings.
"Deeks," he announces.
A voice that breaks when it starts to talk and has to start again gives him two words that focus him completely.
"She's alive."
He starts snapping to get everyone's attention in the bullpen and people quiet down and watch hoping he actually has something.
"Where is she?" Deeks asks.
"It's bad. It'll be over soon without a miracle."
"Where is she?" This time he's begging.
"We don't want you anywhere near her."
Deeks feels the words stings and knows that they were meant to.
"Please." He's pleading now, and if he could stop tears from forming in his eyes he would, but it's no use.
"I'll text you the address. I'm only putting you on the list. Your badge won't get you in. If they use their badges, I can't stop them, but no one here will be happy to see any of you."
The line goes dead. Deeks turns to the group.
"She's alive." He tells them he has a location and that only one car can go. Sam and Callen are grabbing their things before he even gets the words out. They aren't going to miss being there for Kensi if they can be.
"Is there anything we can do from here?" Nell asks.
"Pray. It's bad," Deeks tells them.
But they knew it was bad when it happened. They've been praying for a while already.