"Whoa, Kensilina," she hears Deeks say. All three men put their hands in front of them indicating they are holding where they are. Deeks actually takes one step back.
"Baby, what are you doing?"
She shakes her head and points at her ear again. She can still hear Angelo. He's out there somewhere.
If you accept help from them, boom.
When Nell and Eric see her point on the city camera feed, it gives them an idea. She's trying to tell them something. They scan the area for signal transmission, ruling out normal cellular traffic and other known broadcasts. They isolate the signals and find one from a source they can't identify. They intercept the message hear what Kensi is hearing.
If they touch you, boom.
"We need a signal blocker up ASAP, Castor," Nell directs.
Castor gives a focused, "On it," as he talks with Eric for the right parameters to program into the blocker. He pulls the overwatch van up on the street along Deeks and engages the blocker. When it's up and running the team in Ops feels the first hint of relief they've had in three days.
"Kens, all of us - we're all on your side here," Callen assures her.
The tears are streaming down her face and her head is shaking slowly from side to side. She can't let them get hurt trying to save her. He mind is cloudy, but she hasn't given up hope that there is a way out. She is panicking, getting frenetic as she struggles to see a way out.
"Baby, please," Deeks says to her. "Please put the knife down." He's pleading with her. "Baby, don't hurt yourself." Hearing his pain is her undoing.
She drops the knife on the ground.
"That's it, princess. That's good," he says.
But she knows it isn't good, because she has nothing to keep them away. In frustration she bangs her body back against the pole again, screaming out in pain when she does. Deeks rushes towards her at the sound, and she's out of ideas and out of time. She bolts in the only direction open to her, not bothering to think or look and listen. She stumbles, the dizziness making it impossible to keep her footing. She hears the men call her name. The car tries to stop in time but fails. She never sees it.
Deeks, Callen and Sam all rush to the street wanting to help Kensi, and they are only steps away when they hear Hetty's voice on comms. "Do not touch her."
Deeks ignores it and kneels down, only to have Sam wrap him up from behind and hold him back.
"Say again," Callen demands.
"Do not touch her," Hetty repeats. "We think she may be wired with explosives." Listening to the few messages they intercepted, the 'boom' stood out as ominous.
The team stands around her clearing the street and sidewalks of traffic. LAPD arrive and create a perimeter. Deeks doesn't take his eyes off Kesni. She's unconscious, and not seriously bleeding. Watching her rhythmic breathing is the only thing keeping him in one piece. He gets down on his knees next to her and speaks to her.
"We're here Kensi. We got you."
He defies Hetty and touches Kensi's face, moving her hair away gently.
"Deeks!" Sam yells, but he doesn't stop.
"I need her to know I'm here," Deeks explains. He touches her forehead and his brow furrows in concern. "Guys, she's burning up."
"The toxin?" Callen wonders out loud.
Deeks reaches into his back pocket and pulls out the antidote. He's about to break the seal, starting the clock on how long they have to use it when Callen offers an opinion.
"We don't know what her reaction to the antidote will be. Let's figure out the explosives first."
The overwatch van has equipment they need, and Sam sends Castor to get it.
"Mr. Hanna, I think you should wait for the bomb squad," Hetty tells them.
"She needs medical attention, Hetty, and she won't get it until they're sure she isn't wired. The bomb squad isn't onsite. I have to."
"Be careful," is all she says.
Sam tells everyone to get back, like he's going to do this alone. Deeks and Callen both say ok and then don't move. Sam looks up at them and shakes his head. He had to try.
They roll Kensi gently, stabilizing her head and get her flat on the ground.
"I got an earwig," Callen reports, and then he calls over to Castor. "Is the signal blockers still up and running?" When Castor assures him it is they have him move it even closer to Kensi, just to save against remote detonation attempts.
That's when Sam goes to work. They start cutting her hoodie at the wrist and don't get far before they see the strip adhered to her, its stickiness waning after days of wear and sweat. Finding the matching one on the other side they start there.
It's a lengthy process. It's made easier by the fact that there isn't a detonator counting down in their faces, but Sam knows how costly a mistake would be. With precision first and speed second on his mind, he takes the wrist closest to him and gets to work, gently sliding a tool between the adhesive holding the strip in place and her skin. Looking carefully with a small flashlight he finds the wire and separates the wire from the strip. Cutting one and not the other, Sam is able to remove the strip, and then remove the now harmless wire from her body.
He switches sides with Callen, who moves to Kensi's legs, and begins the process again. When her wrists are clear they begin checking the rest of her. They need to jostle her more than they would like after her impact with the car, but know that blowing up is the worst case and push through. Callen finds the strips on her ankles, and while he cuts away her socks to clear room for Sam to do his thing, Deeks is checking her waist, hips and chest.
"This isn't her necklace," Deeks tells them. Another strange piece of the puzzle.
Sam lifts it with plyers and they can see burn marks underneath. He decides to cut it off as well, taken no chances. It feels like an eternity before they are all done. The bomb squad has arrived and the strips and wires are brought to disposal at a safe distance. The ambulance is there waiting for the all clear. She's been too still, and Deeks is impatient to get her to the hospital.
"We good?" Deeks asks.
Sam lets out a deep breath. "We're good."
"The antidote?" Callen says looking for consensus.
Something doesn't feel right. Something about how Angelo plays mind games. Something about all the planning Angelo did and being able to foil his plan with a signal blocker you can buy anywhere for fifty bucks. Something about the antidote needing to be used as soon as it's opened. Something Tinordi said about how close they would come to saving her before they lost her for good.
Deeks shoves the unsealed syringe back in his pocket
"Let's get her to the hospital and see what they say," Deeks tells them, and they let it stand. He waves the EMTs over with the gurney and they are working at light speed. In no time Kensi is being put into the ambulance. Deeks rides with her, alternating between holding her hand and being told to stay back. She's pale. There's sweat and dirt on her face. There are burns on her neck.
But she's here, and breathing and holding her own. He just needs her to hold on a little longer.
A/N- Already gotten my first PM saying that the previous chapter should have had a trigger warning about suicide. I swear, Kensi isn't thinking about dying, she's thinking about living, her and the team, and everything she does is about making that happen, so it never occurred to me. Appreciate you all staying with me. Be Safe, Be Kind, Be Fierce. -Kalli.