AN: This fandom never ceases to amaze me. I was less confident in Chapter 3 because it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, and yet everyone has been so kind about it. Thank you for that. Writing can be hard. Sharing that writing? Even harder. Thank you for always making me feel like you appreciate these stories. Without further ado, let's get back to the action. I hope you enjoy.
Chapter 4
Instead of leaving the day after the funeral, Kate changed their plans after speaking with her team. While they were not sure where the case was headed, based on his notecards, they did know that Scott thought he was being followed, thought the webcam of his laptop was recording him, and suspected that the group of criminals he was tracking down was on to him. Kate, Lucy, and the rest of the team grabbed their things, the VHS, and comic books and took a flight a day early back to Hawai'i. On the way back, they began sifting through the evidence. Each took a comic book and read over the notecards Scott left between each page.
"He took meticulous notes and made a lot of impressive connections between cases that other agencies didn't even pick up on," said Maya as she put the notecards in order. Kate stood up and began to pace.
"We already knew this was bigger than New York, but Scott connected one team to banks, museums, and corporations all over the world," said Kate.
"Which means they have to have passports, multiple identities, and a lot of resources to pull these heists off," said Lucy.
"And a hacker," added Carlos.
"It's a pretty simple formula. It's like our taskforce or the NCIS team. They have a leader, a hacker, and people in the field," said Maya.
"Which would include at least one thief," said Zeinab.
"I hope he gives us more to go off of on that VHS because even with every notecard, every case, every incident, it all ends the same. Dead end," said Lucy.
"And why didn't Scott feel comfortable bringing this to Covington? I barely knew him, but he told his wife to give me the notes and not his superior," questioned Kate.
"Maybe he suspects Covington," suggested Zeinab.
"I got a weird vibe off of him, but not necessarily that kind. He was defensive, almost protective, but also conflicted about something," said Maya.
"Well, we've done everything we can until we land and have Ernie show us the tape, so we should try to get some rest," suggested Kate.
"I can't believe Ernie has a VHS player…actually, yes I can," said Carlos as he shook his head in amusement. They sat back in their seats and tried to use the rest of the flight back to the base to catch up on sleep.
It was close to midnight by the time they arrived back on base and Lucy smiled when Jane, Jesse, Kai, and Ernie were waiting on them on the tarmac with cups of coffee. She sighed in relief when Jesse handed her one.
"Thank God," said Lucy before taking a sip. Jane handed one to Kate and Kate smiled appreciatively at her.
"Thanks," said Kate.
"Welcome back, any leads yet," asked Jane as they headed toward the exit.
"We know it's an international team of criminals carrying out big heists, but we don't know how or why they would target Scott like this. We're hoping that tape can tell us more," informed Kate.
"I have a buddy at Interpol digging around as well. He found a couple of blurry images from some of the heists. Nothing of substance yet, but Ernie is running them through some software and systems," said Jane.
"Thanks, Jane." They all headed toward the NCIS bullpen and Ernie's lair. He already had the VHS player connected to a big screen and Carlos handed him the tape. Ernie let out a low whistle as he looked it over.
"I haven't seen one of these in a while, not your run of the mill VHS either. He recorded this old school," said Ernie as he pushed the tape into the VHS player and pushed play. After a couple of seconds, Scott appeared on the screen. He was sitting in the old recliner in his basement.
"Hi, Whistler, if you're seeing this, it means something went wrong and I was probably right. You know uh…I never thought I would be one of these guys, one that goes off grid and sends cryptic messages through old tech. I bet Maya is just loving all the notes and probably has my handwriting analyzed to a tee by now." Zeinab slipped her hand into Maya's as they watched Scott take a deep breath and continue.
"I've been tracking a group of thieves for months, but something changed in the past few cases. They've escalated things. At first, they stole jewelry, money, and crashed some stocks of companies, but they took only from who they deemed to be the rich and their casualties were monetary values, never people. It made it easier to track them. They had a code of sorts, a pattern I guess, but then something changed. They started hitting banks more aggressively and injured two civilians. A month ago, I almost stopped one of them. I had them in my sights after a museum was broken into but they got away and I didn't get a good look. Ever since then, it felt like I was being followed. I started noticing my camera on my laptop would click on and someone hacked a database at the field office to get my information. I was being cyberstalked and think it's by the team's hacker. I think I tracked down one of their hideouts and I'm going in tomorrow with a team, but it's pretty dangerous. If something happens, I need you to look into some things I noticed. One, the team always returns to New York. It doesn't matter where in the world they go for a heist, they always come back and they always hit some place in the city. It's why we thought it was just local. Two, and this is the part that kind of got me into some trouble with Covington, I think at least part of it is an inside job. I don't know how deep that would run, but whoever it is helped them hack into our databases. They were only in for ninety seconds and seemed to know exactly what they were looking for, which is suspicious. Kate, if you're watching this, it means I didn't make it out. I know we didn't know each other that well, but I meant what I said that last day in your office. I respect you. I respect that you live by a code and you lead with honor. It's why I wanted to work with you. Find these guys. That's all I ask." The screen went fuzzy before going blank and Kate ran a hand through her hair.
"International criminals with a home base in New York and could involve an inside job. What can we do with that," asked Kate. Carlos was already typing on his laptop.
"I'm cross-referencing similar cases from the Interpol files Tennant's friend sent. Some include some IPs and patterns the hacker has had over the past few years. I may be able to check it against some databases and known hackers underground," said Carlos.
"Good, Maya, look through the cases Scott found connections to and see if you can find any patterns. Until we get a face, an identity of someone, anything, we're stuck just like he was," said Kate.
"What about that hideout he found? What was in it," asked Jesse and Ernie began typing on his keyboard as well.
"Not much was left behind, but the blueprints of a few jobs they hit were confirmed. We can at least start there. Maya, look up the British Museum heist two years ago, the Acropolis Museum three years ago, and the Grouping Bank heist in New York City last year. Blueprints were found for all three," said Ernie.
"Got it," said Maya.
"I found something…wait…did I find something," Carlos questioned out loud.
"What is it," asked Kate.
"Okay, so there's a small group of hackers that may still be in play that would be capable of pulling this off. I've been tracing a few IPs that could be used, just running different ones through databases for a hit, and I got one. It doesn't make sense, though. It has to be a mistake," said Carlos.
"What does," asked Kate.
"It's coming from somewhere in Honolulu," informed Carlos.
"How reliable is that trace," questioned Jane. Ernie looked over Carlos's shoulder and checked it against his software as well.
"Pretty reliable," agreed Ernie.
"Where should we start looking," asked Jane.
"Pier Two," said Carlos and Ernie nodded in agreement.
"It's a local spot," agreed Ernie.
"Pier Two, that's only a few miles from here. That would be pretty bold," said Kai and Carlos shook his head in disbelief.
"Well then, you can add bold and daring to the profile. There's a network of underground hackers here, don't ask me how I know any of this, and Pier Two sometimes is a hotspot," said Carlos. Kate clapped him on the back with a proud smile.
"Gold star, Carlos," commended Kate.
"Thanks, boss," said Carlos with a grin.
"Okay, but why here? It can't be a coincidence that Scott reached out to Kate and now there's a potential hacker from the same case working nearby. What's the connection," asked Lucy.
"I don't know but I'll keep digging," assured Carlos.
"Kate and I can go check it out," suggested Lucy and Jane glanced over at Kate, who nodded.
"Okay, Jesse, Kai, back them up," instructed Jane.
"Sure thing," said Jesse.
"Maya, Zeinab, stay here and sift through everything we have so far. See if you can find a connection now that we have more to go off of," instructed Kate.
"On it," agreed Zeinab as Maya followed her out of the office. Kate smiled at her girlfriend.
"Stakeout," she asked with a knowing smile and Lucy winked at her.
"Stakeout," she said as they headed out of the office as well. Jesse shook his head in amusement at the couple.
"Stakeout," he asked Kai as he batted his eyelashes and Kai chuckled.
"Shut up, let's go," said Kai as he pushed him toward the door. Jane glanced over at Ernie and Carlos.
"Good work, keep it up," commended Jane.
An hour later, Lucy and Kate were sitting in the car on a stakeout outside of Pier Two. They were surveying the area for any suspicious activity while Ernie searched a database he had a hunch on. Lucy held out a granola bar to her girlfriend.
"Thanks," said Kate as she took it.
"You haven't eaten much today."
"Neither have you. Want to split it?"
"Sure," said Lucy with a bright smile and Kate smiled back adoringly.
"You know, my stakeout partners usually aren't this chipper," she said as she handed her half of the granola bar.
"Maya can be pretty chipper," reminded Lucy. Kate leaned across the center console to shift closer to her with a charming smile.
"Yeah, but you're the only one I can stare at for hours and not get bored."
"Damn, Whistler, if I didn't know any better I would think you were trying to seduce me right now," teased Lucy as she gave her a wink.
"We can hear you," said Jesse over their comms.
"HR Violation," added Kai and Lucy laughed as Kate blushed.
"Shut up," giggled Lucy as she turned down her radio to quiet the laughter of her team members.
"I could stare at you for hours too baby," assured Lucy and Kate winked at her before taking a bite of her granola bar.
"Luce, Kate, Ernie found something," informed Jesse. Lucy pulled out her phone to call Ernie.
"What's up," she asked.
"I managed to clean up those blurry images from some of the heists. Facial recognition came through and found a match to someone that landed at the airport yesterday, Yvette Rojas. Sending the picture to you now. Maya and Zeinab are already looking through her case file. She's a known hacker and been MIA for several years. Traffic cams picked her up close to your location five hours ago," explained Ernie. Lucy showed Kate the picture.
"Okay, let's take a look around," suggested Kate and Lucy nodded in agreement. They got out of the car and Jesse and Kai got out of their car as well down the block. Lucy surveyed the buildings in the area and sighed.
"It's too much ground to cover. We need to narrow it down, Ernie," said Lucy.
"Carlos managed to trace another IP to a device doing way more than downloading a few streams. It's coming from Harbor Tower," said Ernie.
"Got it, but that's still a lot of floors," said Lucy as she, Kate, Jesse, and Kai headed toward the entrance of the building.
"Checking security cameras now," informed Ernie. The sound of screeching wheels caught their attention and Jesse spun around to see an SUV peeling out of a nearby parking garage.
"We've got a green SUV, plate number LJR 428. Heading east on Alakea Street," called Jesse as they all sprinted back to their cars. Kate pulled out her phone as soon as they got into their car and Lucy sped out of the parking lot.
"Carlos, I need traffic cams and signals down here," said Kate.
"Working on it, boss," said Carlos. Lucy and Jesse headed east and raced down the street as they spotted the green SUV. The vehicle was driving at dangerously high speeds and whizzing past intersections. A red light was up ahead, but it quickly turned green, along with the three traffic lights in front of it.
"Did you see that," asked Lucy and Kate nodded.
"Carlos, they've already hacked into the traffic lights. They've got greens popping up everywhere," said Kate into the phone.
"I'm trying, I'm trying. This is a sophisticated hack, which makes no sense for this system. Just give me a minute," he said before hanging up and she frowned in confusion.
"What," asked Lucy as she sped in front of Jesse's car to try to catch up with the SUV.
"Nothing, he just hung up on. We'll circle back to that later." Kate called Maya, who immediately picked up.
"What's going on, boss?"
"Please tell me you have something on Rojas."
"Not much is known about her. She took credit for a cyberattack six years ago that wiped out the debts of thousands of customers at a bank in Rochester, New York. The profile doesn't seem to fit an escalation toward violence, though. She hacked into a corporation's emails to release details of corruption. She's coming off more as a Robin Hood type."
"Tracks with the original profile of the thieves," said Kate.
"Did you see that," asked Lucy as the traffic lights began blinking sporadically and then shorted out altogether. Bright lights caught the corner of Kate's eye.
"Lucy, watch out," yelled Kate as she pointed to the train about to dart across the tracks a few yards ahead of them. Lucy slammed on the brakes and swerved to make sure Jesse didn't hit them from behind. Both cars skidded to a halt by the railroad tracks as a train barreled by. The usual flashing lights, crossing gates, and signals for the train weren't functioning or alerting oncoming traffic to the train's presence. Kate winced as she rubbed her shoulder where the seatbelt braced her and Lucy gasped.
"Are you okay," she asked as she frantically checked her over and Kate nodded.
"Yeah, just probably gonna bruise a bit. You?"
"Yeah, same," said Lucy as she unclicked her seatbelt and sighed in relief. Both of them were confused by what had just happened, but one thing was clear. The hacker they were looking to bring in for questioning was in the area and they needed to find her before she struck again.
Lucy was watching Kate like a hawk as the doctor examined her shoulder. Once she was given the all clear and told to keep ice on it, the doctor left the room and Lucy finally let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Kate held her arms out to her.
"Luce, I'm fine. It's just a bruised shoulder."
"Yeah, because I almost drove us into a train."
"Hey, come here," said Kate and Lucy sighed as she stepped in between Kate's legs where her girlfriend was sitting on the examination table. Kate cupped her face and gazed lovingly into her eyes.
"I'm okay. You did everything right." Lucy scoffed.
"I almost got us killed and you got hurt."
"I got a couple of bruises just like usual. You did everything you could do to stop Rojas and keep us safe, okay?" Lucy slowly nodded and Kate titled her chin back up to her to tenderly kiss her. Lucy pulled Kate closer to deepen the kiss, desperate to show her just how much she loved her. Kate moaned and wrapped her legs around Lucy's waist as they passionately kissed and caressed. The sound of someone clearing their throat made them pull apart and blush as Ernie smiled sheepishly in the doorway.
"Sorry, uh, it's kind of important. Luce, can I talk to Kate alone for a moment," asked Ernie and both women were surprised by his request.
"Yeah, sure. Just make sure she keeps icing that while I'll go find us something to eat," said Lucy and Kate smiled appreciatively at her girlfriend. She shifted the bag of ice closer to her neck and winced as Ernie closed the door.
"That's never a good sign," she said.
"Something happened while you were chasing Rojas."
"Okay."
"Carlos was trying to take back control of the traffic lights. He was struggling a bit, so I offered to help, but he refused to let me, which isn't like him at all. Carlos isn't competitive like that. We've worked together just fine before and he never lets his pride get in the way, but tonight was different."
"He's human, Ernie. He probably is pissed he got bested just like you would be."
"It might be more than that." Kate frowned in confusion.
"What are you asking me, Ernie?"
"If I have your permission to look around a bit, even if it means doing some snooping?"
"Are you asking my permission to investigate Carlos?"
"I'm asking your permission to make sure no one can compromise you or any member of our teams. I might be wrong, but it seems like he was holding back." Kate slowly nodded.
"Discretely, very discretely," warned Kate.
"Of course," said Ernie before heading back to his lair and Kate took in a shaky breath. She wasn't sure if allowing the move was a good idea, but something in her instincts told her it was necessary.
After eating with Lucy in the breakroom, Kate headed to Ernie's lair. As soon as she entered, the look on his face said it all. It wasn't the usual smug smile or confidence he had when he cracked open a case. He looked emotional and downright defeated. She took in a deep breath and tossed aside the cold compress Lucy made her put on her shoulder.
"Just tell me," she said and he wordlessly handed her a folder. She hesitated for a moment before grabbing and opening it.
"These were sealed records. How did you…"
"Desperate times and all that. I'm sorry, Kate." She clenched her jaw as she read over the file. He sighed when she stormed out of the room, and stood up to follow her. She headed toward the bullpen, searching for Carlos, and spotted him upstairs in the war room with the others. The moment she entered, everyone could sense the tension rolling off of her.
"Boss," asked Maya and Carlos gulped when Kate's eyes locked with his. Ernie jogged into the room and stuffed his hands into his pockets. Everyone noticed her look and Jane stepped closer to her friend.
"What's going on," asked Jane.
"Carlos and I need the room," she said and Jane glanced back and forth between them. She sighed and motioned for her team to leave. Lucy walked over to her girlfriend. She gave her hand a comforting squeeze and Kate gently squeezed it back. Lucy looked over at Carlos and sighed before leaving with Jesse, Kai, Ernie, and Jane.
"What is it," asked Maya.
"Maya, we need the room," said Kate, but Maya shook her head.
"No, that's not necessary. Why would that be…"
"Maya," interrupted Zeinab as she reached for her hand. She sighed when Maya pulled away from her and walked over to Carlos.
"Tell them it's not necessary," she said in a pleading tone that made him look down. Kate glanced at Zeinab, who nodded. Zeinab slipped her hand into Maya's to pull her over to her and they exited the war room. Kate typed in a code and locked down the room as Carlos sat down. She tossed a file onto the table in front of him.
"Open it."
"I don't need to," he mumbled.
"I knew something was off the moment you hung up on me. Maya hanging up on me? Sure. Zeinab? Never. You? Unlikely, unless there was something you wanted to hide. This goes one of two ways, Carlos. You tell me or I make you tell me," she said as she slowly paced behind him.
"I didn't know." She pulled up a chair and sat down.
"Until?" He took in a shaky breath and began to fidget.
"Until I saw her on the traffic cams."
"You let her go."
"I didn't know what to do or how she could even be involved in this. This isn't her. Boss, you have to believe me…"
"You let her go and you did it because she is your sister."
"My baby sister, who apparently has no clue what she has gotten herself into."
"She killed an agent."
"I don't believe that."
"Then what do you believe?"
"I think she's here for a reason. She knows I live here."
"How often are you two in contact?"
"We're not, but I pinged my location for her when I relocated, just in case she needed something."
"You're on a FBI Taskforce and she's a known hacker and fugitive."
"I'm never in contact with her. I sent my location to a burner phone I wasn't even sure she still used. We lost touch years ago. I didn't even know her alias as Yvette Rojas. I tried to put her on a better path. I thought she was for a while, but I also never checked."
"Why?"
"Would you want to know? She's my only family and if she did this? She'll have broken my heart." Kate pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.
"Boss…"
"Don't."
"She knows I live here now. What if she came for help, but just doesn't know how to ask? She's always been stubborn that way."
"You should've told me."
"I didn't know she was the hacker…"
"Before it even got to this. What, did you think I wouldn't understand? I don't even know how this got by clearance. I vetted you myself."
"You know my past. You know I did some foolish things when I was a kid. Carmen wanted to be a hacker just like me. Hell, she wanted to be better. We were in foster care and I knew I was out of there the moment the clock struck twelve and I turned eighteen. I left her behind to fend for myself until I could get her out too. I shouldn't have, but I did, and by the time she was out, she wanted nothing to do with me. Then I got caught, got a chance to turn my life around, and I did."
"Damn it, Carlos."
"Am I being arrested," he asked. She sighed and sat back in her chair.
"No, but you're off this case. We can talk about the rest later."
"I can help."
"Absolutely not."
"She's here for a reason. She knows I live here and just shows up miles away from the base I pinged? Boss…"
"Carlos…"
"If it were Noah…"
"I wouldn't finish that sentence if I were you," she warned as her jaw clenched and anger flashed in her eyes. He sighed in defeat.
"She's the only family I have."
"You're on leave until further notice. Go home, León." He slowly nodded and stood up.
"Yes, ma'am." Kate input the code again and unlocked the room so he could leave. She sat there for a moment, sifting through her thoughts until she heard yelling downstairs. She cursed under her breath and darted up to go back into the bullpen where Zeinab was holding back Maya.
"So it's true? You betrayed us after everything we've been through together," questioned Maya as the rest of the team watched on. Jane gave Kate a sympathetic smile as Kate stepped in between Maya and Carlos.
"Maya," called Kate as Maya jerked away from Zeinab and stormed out of the bullpen. Zeinab marched over to Carlos, but Kate placed a hand on her shoulder. Zeinab stopped in her tracks as he looked down.
"Look at me," demanded Zeinab and Carlos sighed as he looked back up. She looked into his eyes, smirked at him, and shook her head before walking out as well. In that moment, Kate felt her heart breaking for her team. She saw the remorse on his face and his words in the war room did give her pause. What if it was Noah? Carlos walked past the NCIS team, who looked sad, not angry like Maya and Zeinab had been. Ernie stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked down as Carlos walked past him.
"I'm sorry," called Ernie. Carlos turned back to the man that had become one of his closest friends.
"I didn't want to," added Ernie and Carlos slowly nodded.
"How?"
"What?"
"How did you find out about her?" Ernie sighed.
"When we played D&D, you said your character had a sister, one he never got to see. I didn't think much of it until I started digging. I'm sorry."
"Me too," mumbled Carlos before heading toward the elevators. Kate felt her body sag under the weight and Jane stepped over to her before Lucy could.
"Let's go in my office," she suggested and Kate slowly nodded. Lucy smiled appreciatively. While she wanted to console her girlfriend, she didn't know what to say. She knew her boss was better with words in that regard and found herself even more relieved that Kate had her as a friend. Kate sat down in Jane's office while her friend shut the door behind her.
"Sister, huh," asked Jane as she sat down beside her and Kate nodded.
"All I can think about is what signs I should've seen, what signs did I miss? What should I have seen sooner?"
"Carlos was properly vetted and I know what you're thinking, but Ernie told me what he found too and how he found out. Carlos didn't betray you."
"How can you even say that," she questioned with a frown.
"I went back and watched the footage. Ernie showed him the image before he sent it to Lucy."
"Which means he probably alerted her and that's how she knew we were heading into the building and got ahead of us."
"He was trying to take over the traffic cams. He even started flashing the red lights and tried to alert you to the train. Someone shut it down before he could."
"Why did you say that like we don't know who it was? It was obviously Rojas."
"Carmen, her name is Carmen León. According to Ernie, her style is similar to her brother's, which means he probably taught her the basics."
"What are you getting at, Jane?"
"He knows her style and was trying to overtake the command center. Even if she was better than him, she couldn't be better than him and drive." Kate sat up straighter as she caught on.
"You don't think there's just one hacker." Jane smiled as she sat back in her chair.
"No and if we're right…"
"Carlos might be right too and she's trying to get his attention."
"Doubt she told anyone else on the team about her big brother working for the FBI."
"But Carlos pinged the base, so she would know where to find him if she ever needed him. There's another hacker."
"Which means we'll need at least one more hacker back on the case." Kate sighed.
"Maya isn't going to like that. I may be able to get Zeinab on board, but I can't blame Maya for feeling betrayed and what kind of message is that sending to all of them if I just let him back on the case after he tried to withhold that kind of information?"
"That you're not just a team, you're a family. The good kind too, not conditional or toxic, the kind that makes a mistake and fights like hell to fix it. Let him help fix it." Kate ran a hand through her hair and sighed. She was conflicted, but knew Jane was right about one thing. There was more than one hacker on the loose and they were going to need all the help they could get.
AN: So, what did you think? How are you feeling about Carlos and the situation the teams find themselves in? This was an intense chapter to write, but it was also fun to have all the drama and then the moments with Kate and Lucy together all the while.
