Author's Note: Originally postes on AO3

Xxxxxxx

The Hispanic

Chapter 1

Sam came to with a groan, snapping to attention a moment later. He had no idea where he was and why he was here. Disregarding the pain, he pushed himself up, reaching for the gun that was still tucked into the holster.

The area around him was deserted, his car stood a short distance away and his partner… he turned in a full circle, glancing around, finding his partner's badge, phone and gun on the ground a few feet away from him…

His partner seemed to be missing.

Xxxxxxx

By the time Sam made it back to the mission, Ops was a hive of activity. Next to Eric and Nell, several other techs and analysts were sifting through data, checking CCTVs and trying to uncover leads on Callen's whereabouts.

Sam was in a bad mood… a really bad mood.

The meeting with their CI should have been routine. Both Callen and he had known Marc for years and there had never been anything wrong. Sam wasn't sure if Marc was in on the attack on them, but if he was and Sam got his hands on him…

"What do we have?" he asked when he entered the tech room, his voice controlled but only barely hiding the fury he felt.

"Preciously little," Eric groused. "There were no cameras at your meeting place. The SUV you described doesn't show up on any CCTVs in the area. Either they changed cars a block over or they are still in the area. We have Kaleidoscope looking, but so far nothing."

"There's nothing happening on your CI's bank accounts, which doesn't discount the possibility that he got money handed the good old fashioned way and is intelligent enough to hold onto it instead of making it appear in his bank accounts," Nell spoke up.

"Any suspicious transfers in the last 6 months?" Sam asked, his eyes on the monitors.

"Not that I can find," Nell shook her head, frustration clear in her voice.

"Keep looking," Sam encouraged before turning, not wanting to snap at either tech and knowing they were doing all they could without him putting any additional pressure on them. Kensi and Deeks were on the way back from Camp Pendleton where they had checked up on the previous leads, trying to find who had been in the know about the missing weapons.

Xxxxxxx

When Callen came to, his head was pounding and he wondered if it was trying to fall off his neck… and if that wouldn't actually be a good thing right now considering how he felt. Groaning softly, he bit his lips when even that small sound vibrated through his brain and the pounding intensified.

Movement around him alerted him to the fact that he wasn't alone and he forced his eyes open, blearily glancing around to orient himself.

Warehouse… go figure. It was always either an empty warehouse or maybe a chop shop where things like this happened.

He was positioned to one side of the vast room, tied to an uncomfortable chair with zip ties - hands and feet, they were cautious it seemed. Several men were working, shifting crates - probably the missing weapons they were investigating.

Well, it seemed that he had found the weapons. Too bad he couldn't do anything about it, tied up as he was.

Callen glanced around, trying to locate his partner, wondering if Sam had managed to get away after all when he couldn't see him anywhere close by. The attack had come as a complete surprise. Marc had been a trusted CI for years and neither of them had expected any foul play. Not a mistake he would repeat.

Looking back, he distinctly remembered the slight widening of Marc's eyes just a moment before it had all gone to hell. He wondered how they could have missed Marc working against them, or if their CI had been just as surprised and had had nothing to do with the attack.

The attack itself had been a precision strike, surgically executed. He remembered starting to turn upon seeing Marc's tell when a dart had hit him. The sedative must have been acting more or less instantly, not even leaving him time to get the dart out or reach for his gun.

He winced and squeezed his eyes shut when someone toppled one of the crates over and it crashed to the ground. Breathing through the pain the sound evoked, he forced his muscles to relax, knowing it wouldn't do him any good to be tense.

Right now, people were ignoring him and he would use that time to get his bearings and observe as much as he could.

Different reasons for agents being taken hostage came to mind…

Split second decision under duress for the agent to act as a shield. That definitely didn't apply here. There was nothing split-second about the set-up and no one had needed a human shield.

Negotiation with whatever agency employed said agent. Maybe.

Intimidation purposes - for personal or professional reasons. Another maybe.

Information gathering. Another maybe… a risky move that most criminals weren't willing to make, but some were bold enough to go that way.

Only time would tell which one it was. Callen knew he would need to be patient to find out.

Approximately half an hour later, the energy in the room changed and the men grew tenser. Several minutes later, a large SUV rolled into the warehouse before the shutters were closed once more.

Callen breathed deeply and put his game face on. The top dog had arrived. He openly watched several men step out of the car, his eyes moving over all of them. All of them were dressed smartly, but his experienced eye picked out the one in charge easily. It was in the way the man held himself, a cocky arrogance and superiority. He instantly let his training and years of experience take over in deciding how to handle this.

Callen made himself relax in his chair, returning the man's stare openly. Challenges were being issued back and forth between them even before one word was uttered.

The man came to a stop in front of him, looking down on him… literally and metaphorically. Callen swallowed back the anger at being at a disadvantage, making sure it didn't appear on his face. It wasn't the first time he found himself on uneven footing with an opponent and it probably wouldn't be the last.

"Agent G. Callen," the man stated evenly. There was a strong Spanish accent, corresponding to the man's visual appearance… tall, handsome, dark hair and dark brown eyes. There was intelligence in the man's eyes, a cold calculating glint that put Callen on edge… not that he let it show.

He morphed his face into adapting an easy smile. He leaned back and if he weren't bound to the chair by his hands and feet, he would be sprawling. He saw the tightening in the man's expression, knew the insolence and blatant disregard without fear he showed in his posture alone was angering the man. It was a risky game considering he had no means to protect himself right now, but he needed to find out more about this man and what pushed his buttons. "I seem to be at a disadvantage here. You obviously know my name, while I'm unaware of yours," he drawled, skirting the line of insolence while giving the man the satisfaction of admitting his disadvantage.

The smile that appeared on the man's face was indeed satisfied… a top dog's need to assert dominance being stroked and petted. "I am partly disappointed and mostly satisfied you do not know my name," the man gave back with a mild smile.

If he were a rooster, he would prance around and display all his feathers right now, showing the world just how much better he was than everyone else. Callen refrained from rolling his eyes. He tilted his head to the side. "So what can I do for you on this fine day? I suspect there is a reason for our meeting or are you just wasting my time because you don't know the right way to go about social calls?"

Even while he said it, he knew it had been a touch too much. The fist to the face therefore didn't come as too much of a surprise and he managed to turn his head with the punch, grimacing upon the blood that tickled down his temple despite his effort to soften the blow.

"Enough," the man said mildly when the hired muscle drew his hand back for a second punch. "I have some things to discuss with Agent Callen. He won't be able to converse if he is unconscious."

'Things to discuss' meant the man was after information first and foremost. This man was one of the few who seemed to be bold enough to grab a federal agent to get to know the state of things, the magnitude of the investigation. Risky. Bold. Arrogant. It fit with what he had seen in the man so far.

'Things to discuss' also meant that he had some uncomfortable hours ahead of him… especially since he wouldn't be inclined to discuss all that much.

"Agent Callen," the man said, calling his attention, "it has come to my attention that you are currently investigating my business."

Of all surprising things, this was actually one at the top of his list, because so far, their investigation into the missing weaponry at Camp Pendleton had pointed them towards a Bosnian that acted as an intermediary for a Pakistani group. There had been no hints of any connection to men with Hispanic heritage. Still… two could play the game of 'go fish'. Callen pursed his lips in thought, "there are always a lot of investigations ongoing," he said slowly, "you may want to be more specific."

He was playing this game with several distinct disadvantages… not having hired muscle to punch the opposite player was one of them. Callen spat out a mouthful of blood, barely biting back the smirk when the splatter hit his opponent's fancy shoes. Better the guy's shoes than Callen's shirt… which was technically Hetty's shirt… though he supposed the man had enough wealth that Hetty would bill him for all she could. And knowing Hetty, she would find a lot of things to put on the bill… including medical treatment, and stitches for Callen's split eyebrow.

"I'll be more specific then… you are investigating the theft of M16A Rifles and M252 Mortars from Camp Pendleton."

Callen didn't give anything away. Aside of those two weapon specs, several Javelins and high tech sniper rifles had also gone missing. The men obviously weren't fussed with what they stole, as long it was some heavy firepower. "I see," he gave back evenly.

Again, there was a tightening in the man's expression, but this time it wasn't accompanied by a punch. Instead, there was a short pause before the man spoke up once more. "I would like to know about the status of the investigation and how close you are to unveiling my involvement."

Callen smirked, insolent and lazy, "let's go with very close and work our way down from there," he suggested.

The other man tsk-ed him and shook his head, "you see, I don't believe you," he disagreed though there was a tiny spark of worry and speculation in his eyes. It was gone very quickly, but Callen saw it nonetheless. He had put the seed of suspicion into the earth. Now he would need to water it and care for it so it grew. For now, he was on his own, but he was an accomplished agent who was well versed in using misinformation and misdirection to his advantage. He just had to take care that he didn't tangle himself up in the web of fabrications he was about to spin.

Still, he enjoyed a good challenge and he got the feeling that this challenge would be quite big…

Xxxxxxx

"Damn it," Eric cursed and threw his hands up in the air.

Nell glanced at him, somewhat sympathetic to his frustration since she herself felt the same way.

"There's just a whole lot of nothing. Nada. Nix. Niente," Eric groused, standing and starting to pace Ops.

Knowing her partner in crime, Nell knew better than to approach him right now. Sometimes, Eric outpaced his frustration. She gave him five minutes before she would intercept him and see if she could redirect his focus and put that energy to better use. Until then, she would continue her own tasks and try to find out where Callen had disappeared to.

Xxxxxxx

They were dragging him into the cave, forcing him to stumble along. He wasn't sure if he could move in a straight line without support… not that he would move along voluntarily.

The hours he had spent with The Hispanic - and the fact that he still didn't have a name was bugging him a lot - had been quite painful, as he had suspected. At the same time, it hadn't been as painful as he had expected them to become. They had roughened him up some; the man had asked questions and they had traded quips and innuendos without making any headway.

His vision was slightly impaired due to a swelling of his left eye and his head was throbbing along with his ribs and abdomen. Still, it could have been much worse and somehow Callen got the feeling that he was missing something. Something important.

His presence in this cave did nothing to reassure him either and he wasn't sure if he would be able to act on that elusive something even if he managed to puzzle it out.

They entered another cavernous chamber - the third in a row of chambers connected by narrow and low passages - and Callen openly glanced around. It was the largest chamber so far and what he could see from the flickering lights the men held, he could detect an outcropping forming a wide ledge at a height of maybe 8 feet. The ceiling stood another 8 feet or so higher. The walls were damp and the ground was moist sand in some places and rock in others.

Callen grunted when one of the gorillas drew him to a stop and forced him down on his knees. The other man reached for something behind him and he glanced over at the tinkling of metal, seeing the gorilla approach with a chain. His eyes followed the chain back to its origin, finding it bolted firmly into the cave wall. Adrenaline doused him and without thought and warning, he bucked against the man holding him, taking him by surprise and landing several punches and kicks. The second gorilla let go of the chain and helped to intervene, being met with a roundhouse kick to the head. It glanced off but dazed the man enough to make him back off. Callen turned back to gorilla #1 and cursed when he was already back in his space, forcing him to step back to establish some distance. Another two steps and he knew he was being herded and backed into a wall. Gorilla #2 also came back into the fray and several kicks and punches later, Callen found himself face down on the ground with the iron shackle settling around his left wrist. The clicking of the manacle's lock sounded ominous.

The Hispanic - as he had taken to calling him in his head - watched the whole spectacle from a distance. When he was sure to hold Callen's attention, he took a step forward and motioned for his hired muscle to let Callen up. He made it to his knees before gorilla #2 put a hand on his shoulder, restraining him from getting up further.

"Now, Agent Callen. I fear it's time we part ways."

"Pity," Callen spat, allowing his voice to carry all the sarcasm he had held back before.

The Hispanic smirked and Callen definitely didn't like the smirk - or the cold and calculating gleam in his eyes that reappeared. "You know, these caves have been used for hundreds of years. Pirates have stored their treasures inside for safekeeping."

Reigning himself back in and regaining control over his reactions, Callen smirked back, "now, now. I didn't think I ranked as a treasure for safekeeping in your book. You flatter me."

The Hispanic rolled his eyes at having his pretty speech interrupted. He straightened, a self-important rooster ruffling his feathers, pretending not to have been interrupted. "I have some important business during the next few days and I can't have you and your colleagues traipsing around my business deals. I guess they will be looking for you and that should keep them somewhat busy."

It seemed Callen had forgotten one important option in his lists of 'why one would nab a federal agent': as a distraction.

Anger suffused him. He was being used as a distraction to keep NCIS' attention away from The Hispanic and his shady dealings. The Hispanic would make this a treasure hunt and - considering his current whereabouts - a race against time for his team. His situation was precarious and he knew his team would drop everything else they were investigating in regards to the case if they were made aware of his predicament. The remaining question was whether The Hispanic would play by fair rules or not.

Callen feared what this would do to Sam. His partner had lost Michelle a little over a year ago in a challenge not all that different from this one and Callen feared the psychological anguish this might cause Sam.

He hoped he would be able to get himself out of this alone and before his team was made aware of his current situation. He still had a bobby pin or two on him and the manacle had an old fashioned locking mechanism. He just had to keep calm and make certain The Hispanic wouldn't get to know about his contingency options.

The gorillas were stood on either side of him and from the corner of his eye he noticed the glance passing between them. He was too slow to react to that silent communication though, a split second too late to act. Instead, thug one delivered a powerful kick to his side while thug two smashed a fist against his temple and then followed him down, the man's bulk on his back keeping him immobile while thug one reached for his unshackled right wrist and drew it away from his body, stretching his arm out.

The Hispanic stepped closer and squatted down slightly after pinching up his designer pants to protect the hems from the sand. He smiled down at Callen when he strained to glance up. Their eyes met and the smile slid into a vicious smirk. "I'll leave you that bobby pin in the back of your belt," he said conversationally and Callen fought to keep his face neutral, both at being found out and even more so at the suspicion that entered his mind. "You may use it… if you can." In a lightening quick motion, The Hispanic stood and brought his foot down on Callen's restrained right hand in one swift and strong strike. Again, he was too slow to read the intent, though there wouldn't have been much he could have done to protect himself with the two gorillas on him. He heard and felt bones snap in his hand and instantly pain shot up and down his right arm, making bile want to climb up his throat. Even if he hadn't been shackled to the wall, he couldn't have made use of the newfound freedom when the gorillas let go of him. Instead, he was curled around his hand, panting through the waves of pain.

"I wish you luck, Agent Callen. I'm sure you'll need it to have a hope of withstanding the oncoming trial," The Hispanic said conversationally before he stepped back and set his gorillas upon him once more, letting them lay into him with fists and feet until unconsciousness swallowed him.

Xxxxxxx