Last night was close. Too close. She mentally curses at herself. Of course Deeks would think of Grant Park. She was careless, choosing comfort over tradecraft and it almost cost her and Deeks their lives. It kept her moving all night, never settling anywhere. Remembering the look in Deeks' eyes when she took a step away from him floods her with guilt. Thinking about the hope and loss in his voice as she ran makes her tear up. It was pure frustration that led her to step in front of the camera and tell NCIS to stay away.
She has no idea if Angelo knows she did it, but she is praying NCIS sees the message and stays away. She thinks he may not have hacked the city cameras because after she did it she expected the shock collar to punish her, and it didn't. But he knows where she is because he warns her if she gets close to the edge or stays in one place too long. And when she started running last night he was in her ear warning her of the consequences of failure.
She only saw Angelo use the remote detonator on the mannequin that one time, but it was enough to leave an impression. She doesn't know its range, or how much attention he's paying, but she bets he can still blow her and whoever finds her to pieces. He doesn't seem like a man who issues idle threats.
But this can't go on forever, and she knows it.
She's exhausted. She's hungry, and she can feel that there's something else wrong. Kensi feels chills when she shouldn't. She's hot and flush when she's resting. She's been sluggish, more than just the low energy that comes with no food or limited water. She's sick and it's going to make it impossible for her to keep up her part of the game. She could barely stay ahead of Deeks, and if it wasn't for how well she knew that part of town, it would all have blown up last night. Literally.
Every time she finds a comfortable place to rest Angelo warn her to get moving. Every time she falls asleep for more than a few minutes the collar buzzes her awake. Every time she wanders close to the boundary, he taunts her. Seventy two hours into the game and she doesn't think she's going to make it another day. When all of this catches up with her, she'll pass out, and as soon as that happens, NCIS will find her.
She has to make a play today to get out of the zone and see what happens. Maybe Angelo warns her because it's out of the reach of the remote. Maybe if she heads to the north side of the zone and makes a run for it she can get clear – hitch north and find a place to get help. If it's dangerous, better she goes alone.
She's spent the day slowly moving around a small area on the northern edge of the game zone. The constant movement has kept Angelo on the quiet side. When the plan finally christalizes in her mind, she decides it's time to make a run for it. She'll keep moving in circles, but each time the circle will get closer to the edge, as best she remembers it. Then when she gets up the courage, she'll bolt north and see what happens. Every hour she delays makes it more likely the team will find her. She won't let that happen.
She turns onto a busy street. Kensi's head is down, and she is a little unsteady on her feet. There are people on the sidewalk handing out flyers for some band or restaurant or something, but she ignores them. Waves of dizziness come over her and she doesn't think she could focus on the words and read the flyer right now anyway. One of them bumps into her, and she doesn't even stop or speak to him. She continues down the street not realizing that the busker whose flyer she rejected has handed off his stack to the man next to him and is now following from a distance.
"Ops this is Cobb. I have Agent Blye in view."
The whole NCIS team goes into action. Cobb relates his position as he follows Kensi until he's told to back off when the OSP team gets on the scene. Kensi is walking with uneven strides and has lost her situational awareness, making her easy to follow. They are coming to a 'T' intersection, a street running alongside her to the right and a one about to block her path.
When she gets to the corner, she decides she is going to make a break for it.
When the rest of the team gets in place they decide the corner is the right place to grab her.
Deeks watches as she approaches the corner. He's followed her a few blocks to determine if she had a tail. He's gotten a feel for her movements. He doesn't know how, but he knows she's about to bolt, and can't close the one hundred feet in time. He prays that when he calls her name this time it ends differently from last night. There's nothing left to do.
"Kensi!" Deeks yells, and she spins to face him. The comfort she finds in his voice outweighs every other emotion, every other thing and when she locks eyes with him for a split second she believes they can find a way out of this together. But then her love for him takes over, her need to protect him. It's a trap, and she's the bait, and she can't let that happen. Her heart starts racing, the anxiety threatening to swallow her whole.
If they touch you, boom.
She begins to back up, keeping him in her sights. Shaking her head and pointing at her ear she tries to put distance between them and convey that Angelo is close.
If you cheat, boom.
Kensi and Deeks know each other too well to play this game. She is about to make a run for it, and he knows it. He is about to make a run at her, and she can feel it. They anticipate each other's movements for a living, their lives depend on it, and she can almost see the gears spinning in his mind.
The look in his eyes is pure desperation. But his eyes dart quickly to something to his right, and when she looks to her left for a blink to see what it is, it's Sam. Then right and it's Callen.
Surrounded.
They are closing in on her from three directions and the street is behind her. She doesn't have the map anymore, or time to check it, but she knows she is close to the boundary. She's trapped.
If you speak to them, boom.
She continues to back up an inch at a time, hoping that the possibility she will bolt will keep them at bay. When her back hits a telephone poll at the edge of the curb she yelps in pain, and all three men stop for a split second.
If you leave the boundary, boom.
Kensi reaches into the pocket of her sweatshirt and grabs the paring knife she swiped from the bar. It was made to cut limes and not really defend yourself, and she doesn't think it will be of much help. She also knows that if they all converge on her they will quickly overpower her slowed reflexes and weakened body. And that she would never actually use the knife to do anything but hold them at bay. She'd never hurt her team.
But if she does nothing they'll charge her and the whole team will die with her. She can't let that happen. She has to keep them at a distance, and can only think of one thing. She raises the blade to her own neck and watches all three men freeze.