G clamped his hand over the agonizing pain that was suddenly pulsing through his entire right arm, taking a step back to recover his balance. However, his foot stepped over the edge of the dock and his body consequently slammed through the wood rail as he fell off the platform and into the cold water below.
"G!" Sam yelled helplessly as he placed both hands on the rail, ready to jump in and assist his injured friend.
"Leave him!" The arms dealer threatened as he turned his weapon on Sam. The agent slowly spun around and put his hands up but his face was dangerously manic.
"10-3-3, someone get Callen out of the water." Sam whispered desperately into his communication set.
Hetty dropped her head in dismay.
"What did you say?" Narek warned, moving closer to Sam.
"On it." Kensi replied.
"I said, I'm going to kill you." The agent answered, hatred in his tone.
"10-3-3, shots fired, federal agent down, we need back up and EMS to the docks along Harbor Street in Marina Del Rey." Eric voiced to the operator up in ops. The tech agent turned his gaze to Nell who had a look of worry strewn across her face.
Sam stood with his hands up, straining his ears to hear even a splash come from his partner below. He needed something, any kind of sign to know his friend wasn't dead in the water at that moment.
"I see him." Sam heard Deeks announce.
"We're leaving, let's go!" Narek declared as he rallied his troops. The group began jogging down the dock side towards the street as the leader turned his head away from Sam. Another Armenian trained his weapon on the agent in place of Narek's.
Narek took one more glance behind him and then flicked his hand in the air. "Kill him." He ordered.
Sam wasted no time. He took one step towards the broken rail, placed his hands on the wood, and jumped, feet first, off the docks before the arms dealer could finish taking aim. He flew through the air and then crashed into the frigid water below.
As soon as he heard the shot go off, Deeks was ready to blast through the door, horrified that one of his senior agents had just been killed. A moment before he kicked the back door in, he heard Sam's message mumbled through comms.
Kensi gripped Deeks by the shoulder and shook her head to stop his assault. "On it." She responded and looked into her partner's eyes. "Go, I've got Sam." She whispered.
Deeks ran off towards the front of the warehouse and out into the sun lit harbor. Once he had the ocean in his sights, he immediately saw Sam with his hands raised up on the pier. Deeks trailed his eyes down from the clearly broken apart rail behind Sam and saw the disturbed water where Callen must have just landed. "I see him." He voiced into comms. The junior agent picked up his pace and ran towards the edge of the dock where he quickly dove in.
The water was frigidly cold but Deeks pushed the sensation away as soon as he saw his superior's head break through the surface of the water. He swam as fast as he could and called out to his friend.
"Callen! Callen, hang on, I got you..." He spoke as he grabbed at G's left arm which effectively pulled the agent's head fully from the water. Callen let out a cry of pain and scrunched his face in agony from the jerking motion Deeks' hold had just caused.
Deeks suddenly looked up to see Sam plunging down into the sea about five feet behind him and Callen. The impact of the water splashed water into both of their faces but Deeks didn't loosen his grip on his team leader.
Callen's entire right shoulder was submerged below the water's surface, he treaded using his left arm only and worked to keep his head above the water.
"G." Sam frantically swam towards his partner and reached for his friend's shirt and vest, yanking him upwards. Callen's head lolled limply backwards as he was lifted and then his chin landed awkwardly against the front of his chest. Deeks still had one elbow hooked under the agent's left shoulder and could see Callen's face was bleeding.
"Where's he hit?" Deeks asked Sam as the two of them struggled to keep G afloat.
"Shoulder. Head to the dock." The eldest answered and ordered quickly.
"Shit." Callen muttered painfully as his two teammates continued manhandling him to keep him from drowning.
Just then, bullets started firing from a single Armenian's firearm at the trio in the water.
"Move! Move!" Sam shouted. The NCIS agents switched directions and swam as fast as they could towards the underside of the dock to find cover, pulling a struggling Callen with them.
The bullets kept flying but neither Sam nor Deeks slowed their movements until they were safely under the wooded pier. All three agents were huffing for breath but the shots finally stopped as soon as they reached the shadows of the dock.
Callen suddenly slumped forward which triggered Sam to dip his arm underneath G's front and wrap it across his friend's chest, pulling his face and shoulders up out of the water. "Woah no, no. Head up, head up G." Sam urged, fearing his friend was losing consciousness.
"Pull him back Deeks." The senior agent ordered, not able to find a good hold on G's body.
Deeks quickly leaned his back against one of the support beams under the dock and pulled Callen up onto his chest. The team leader allowed his friends to jostle him until he was positioned on top of Deeks' body. He was too tired to protest anyway.
"Is he out?" Deeks asked Sam, panting from the effort it was taking him to keep himself, and Callen, above the water's surface.
Sam shook his head before he answered. "No, just gassed, right buddy?" Sam clapped his hand twice on G's chest in order to rouse him.
Callen tipped his head back, resting it against Deeks' shoulder and opened his eyes.
"This sucks." He muttered. The agent didn't dare move his arm which was hanging limply under the water. His right forearm was pulsing painfully while his shoulder was an unbearable sting, the effects of the salt water on his bullet wound he imagined.
Deeks panted as he spoke into comms. "Kens, can you hear us?"
There was a delay in response but Kensi's voice broke through the silence under the dock and answered. "Yeah I can here you, I can't find you guys though."
G felt his legs sinking once he started to relax and kicked them in response to stay afloat.
"Just chill, I've got your body weight." Deeks voiced into his team leader's ear.
"We're under the dock, we're pinned down, suspect on the pier." Sam breathlessly informed his teammate.
"I'm freezing." Callen chattered out between his shaking lips.
"I know. How's your shoulder, are you gonna pass out?" Sam got straight to business, already moving towards G's arm. He could see the ring of red Callen's blood was making across the water's surface, evidence his friend was in bad shape.
"No." G stubbornly answered. Callen then felt his body sinking again and reflexively activated his limbs to start treading water. However, he instinctively moved his right shoulder and forearm which ripped a shout from G's throat.
"Ugh! My arm…" He cried out. Callen curled in on himself and gently rested his left hand on his right elbow.
"It's alright man, you'll be okay." Sam tried to comfort his agonized partner as he lifted him up again. The weight of all their metal vests and clothes was making the task of treading water even harder.
Callen felt his body dip down again before Deeks kicked his legs to push them both towards the surface of the water, but G's panic was getting the best of him.
"Alright, bath time's over." Callen declared between chattering teeth. He wanted out, now.
"We're just waiting on Kensi's 'all-clear'." Deeks explained, re-adjusting his hold on Callen's body. "Then we're outta here." He finished.
"Hey, I'm up by the pier, no sign of anyone, I can't see you guys either." Kensi suddenly voiced through comms.
"Let's go." Sam stated. Deeks leaned his body back away from the support beam he was resting against and kept Callen near his chest. He hooked his left arm around Callen's left elbow and started to swim towards the shore, Sam keeping his hold on Callen's vest.
The team leader let himself be dragged until, finally, he felt his hip brush against the rocky surface of the ocean floor. He kicked at the sand and tried to help his teammates heave his own body from the water until they were all seated on the sandy beach, gasping for breath.
"Is Callen okay?" Kensi questioned breathlessly through comms. She took off running towards her teammates as soon as she saw them emerge from beneath the dock dragging the team leader along with them.
"I'm good Kens, where's Narek?" Callen answered, trying to block out the pain he was so obviously feeling. The senior agent had his right arm pinned tightly against his chest with his wrist cradled within his left hand.
"Damn, that looks bad." Deeks voiced as soon as he saw Callen's warped forearm.
The senior agent glanced up and nodded his head tiredly. "I'm gonna kill that guy." He proclaimed wearily. Blood was flowing freely down Callen's right arm and soaked his forearm and hand with a red tinge.
The sound of screeching tires filled the dead air with noise along with the distant whine of sirens.
"EMS is on location." Eric informed the NCIS team. "Back up's a minute out."
The squealing tires became louder until a black van appeared on the street, followed by rapid gunshots aimed straight at the trio on the beach.
Deeks and Sam scrambled towards the dock while Callen balled himself in over his wounded right arm, sliding backwards away from the gunfire. Sam turned to reach for his partner but the gunshots separated him from his friend and forced him to retreat with Deeks.
"G! move it!" Sam called out fearing for his friend's vulnerable position and beckoning him towards his outstretched hand.
Deeks slipped his gun out from his holster and began returning fire to give Sam and Callen some cover to retreat.
The gunfire continued however while three Armenians jumped out of the sliding door of the van, guns blazing.
The three armed men started firing at the beach and Deeks took cover behind one of the wood beams under the dock. Sam flipped behind a rock and began firing at the men, trying to cover his wounded and unarmed friend.
Two Armenians approached Callen who was the closest to the van out of the three NCIS agents and aimed his gun down at the agent's head. G could do nothing but continue his backward shuffle across the sand, staring the barrel of the gun down.
Sam's stomach dropped. "Don't touch him!" He shouted angrily.
Right before he pulled the trigger, the other arms dealer clapped his hand on his shoulder.
"No, Narek said collateral, grab him and go!"
Nope. Callen thought and he swung his leg out connecting it with one of the men's ankles. The arms dealer dropped to the ground, angered, just as Sam found an opening and shot at one of the men standing.
The Armenian dropped lifeless to the ground next to Callen's legs. The remaining perps started firing back at Sam forcing him to duck for cover.
"We need back up now. They're trying to take Callen." Sam stated in frustration and panic.
Callen had flipped onto his front and was making his way to standing when he was roughly tackled to the beach. Pain exploded through his arm but he continued his struggles anyway.
The man on top of Callen roughly flipped him to his back as he stood and started to drag him towards the open van. The other Armenian helped his colleague in dragging a fighting G across the beach until they reached the van doors.
Sam stood from his position and started walking towards the van, shooting wide to avoid his partner but praying he'd hit the men dragging his friend.
Callen was roughly lifted and shoved into the open door which was swiftly slid shut.
Deeks stood as well and started shooting at the closed door, hitting one of the arms dealers who was entering the passenger side door while the van screeched away.
Sam, Deeks, and now Kensi took off running towards the vehicle just as back up cruisers arrived. All three had their guns out and were shooting at the back of the van. They could hear Callen's struggles through the still activated comm set but the van was now out of range.
"His ear piece! Trash it!" The NCIS agents heard Narek shout from the van. They heard more brawling and grunts until Callen's voice sounded.
"I got this, just find me." The team leader mumbled, and that was the last thing they heard before the line went dead.
TBC