Chapter Five: "We are all ordinary. We are all boring. We are all spectacular. We are all shy. We are all bold. We are all heroes. We are all helpless. It just depends on the day." - Brad Meltzer


Kensi thought she'd have the gym to herself when she walked in at 5AM. She was surprised to see Kim Martinez with a good sweat going on a treadmill.

"How's Michael?" Kensi asked as she stepped on her own treadmill.

"Fine until about 3:30 this morning when he needed to go the bathroom. Bathroom runs become so much more of a production when you've got almost every pillow in the room plus two couch cushions under your injured leg. Michael should be in the hospital but his mind doesn't work that way. None of their minds work that way."

"Is he alright?"

"Oh yeah. He didn't want to use the wheelchair to get to the bathroom and decided to hop across the room. Hit the coffee table. That's when I got involved because God forbid he lean on his wife until it's a real mess," Kim said, exasperated.

Kensi nodded in agreement as she started the treadmill. "God forbid."

"And then once he was up and back from the bathroom, we had to rebuild the tower of pillows for his leg. It was nearly four when he fell asleep but I was wide awake. Figured I'd get a run in since I was up anyway."

"I thought the gym opened at five or did you pick the lock?" Kensi asked as she started to increase the treadmill's incline.

"Whenever Honos takes over a hotel, we take over a hotel. Our operations manager Nikki always negotiates 24-hour gym access, 24-hour pool access if there is a pool and 24-hour room service. We don't keep regular hours. There's also our own security. Every room we may use is swept for bugs, digital recorders or parabolic mics by a couple of security experts who travel with the team. One of them was leaving the gym when I walked in."

"You guys are really buttoned up."

"The team has a handful of rules. Everyone going home alive is rule number one. Always has been. Money spent on team security is money well spent. And with the problems in your office, we can't be too careful."

"I trust everyone on this team with my life," Kensi said defensively.

"Knowing who I work with, the people from your office who are in the crib are so clean they squeak and as good or better at their jobs than the people we have here. We don't do interagency drama. I'm DEA and a former Marine. Scott is Army. Genevieve, Rehme and Michael are Navy. Our security experts are out of the Marshal's office. Our operations manager is like you guys, NCIS. Well, most of you guys. You're working with LAPD on your team. Any territory issues there?"

"LAPD usually defers to us. Deeks has less to do with that than you think."

"But he's good at his job, right?"

"The best."

"That's why we're all part of this taskforce. Everyone plays nice, save the world, go home and do it again tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan. I like it." Kensi got the treadmill up to a good speed. "How long have you and Michael been married?"

"It will be a year in November. It's been a good year."

"Nice to see someone in a happy relationship doing what we're doing."

"You seem real comfortable with Marty. That's rare in what we do too. Michael and I don't partner up much but you and Marty are partners in all things."

"It's Deeks. Outside of his mother, who calls him Martin, he's Deeks to everyone."

"Deeks it is," Kim noted.

"And partners in all things. I like that."

"How does NCIS like that? Or is it not a problem because he's LAPD."

"NCIS doesn't have an official stand on it. Neither does LAPD but with Deeks being in our office all the time, I don't think anyone there knows. Everyone on the team at NCIS knows we're together. I mean, we live together. They probably thought we were together long before we actually were. Nobody cares but we thought they would."

"Same here. Well, Damien gets jealous he's not the center of Michael's life every now and again." Kim laughed. "So as long as it doesn't hurt the work and none of us want it to hurt the work - we're good."

"I know that feeling. I love everyone involved in our team. We're family but sometimes…"

"You want your business to be your business." Kim nodded her head.

"Something like that."

"I know. That's why Michael and I had the world's simplest wedding. Picked up the marriage license on a Friday, got married before work the following Monday."

"How'd you plan that?"

"No planning. Michael and I went down to City Clerk's office and got it done. Not really a fancy gown and flowers sort of girl."

"Not even a bouquet for the ceremony?"

"Blue dress for me, grey suit for Michael and we were fine," Kim said with a laugh. "Damien was probably the most pissed off because he wanted a bachelor's party. I reminded him their time pretending Damien was dead was probably one long bachelor party."

Kensi laughed.

"My folks were a little annoyed but hey, they were three-thousand miles away." Kim said shrugging her shoulders.

"Three-thousand miles away? Are you from around here?"

"Long Beach. I'll be honest, it is weird being out here and not seeing Mom and Papi. Maybe Michael and I will surprise them if we're not called back to New York right after this is over."

"Are you're close to your parents?" Kensi asked.

"As close as you can be when you spend a decade with the Marines, getting a job with the DEA and a college education before being stationed in Columbia for a few years. Add in nearly two years in Section 20 with stops in Beirut, Budapest, Russia, Berlin, Bangkok, North and South Korea before living in New York with Honos. It's sad to say but when I get time off, the last thing I want to do get on a plane and go somewhere. Since my folks don't like to travel much, it's phone calls and Facetime."

"It is hard keeping up with family and friends in this business. Especially if you don't live in the same city." Kensi thought about the years she didn't see her mother even though her mother lived less than 20-miles away.

"I always try to call when things are quiet. Three-years ago I had a real brush with death. Called Papi to say goodbye without actually saying goodbye. I just needed to hear someone who loved me, you know?"

Kensi nodded, remember the call she made to Deeks once from a Malibu bathroom.

"But things turned out OK. And they turned out OK when we went out to visit last year around the holidays. Fortunately, they liked Michael as much as he liked them. Michael didn't have much of a family growing up. Now he has my Mom feeding him real Mexican food and a fellow soccer fan with Papi. When it works, family is great."

"Yes it is."

"So the surprise son-in-law of Gabe and Maria Martinez was a member of the Royal Navy and six years younger than me."

"Oh, cradle robber!" Kensi teased.

"I prefer cougar," Kim said proudly. "What about you and Deeks? Is he the reason you're up so early?"

"As a matter of fact, he is. No bathroom trips, though. Well, one at five to two but no, he got up at four and drove to our place to see Monty…."

"Dog?" Kim guessed.

"Yes. And by now Deeks is swimming laps at the 24-hour gym he joined only because they had an Olympic-sized pool."

"Oh, he's a swimmer. The guys in high school who were swimmers looked fine."

"Surfer and he still looks fine," Kensi said with a little pride. "Unfortunately for him, there was no way he could see Monty, surf and get back to the power plant by 6AM so quality time at Round-The-Clock Fitness will do."

"The hotel has a pool," Kim said as she started to slow the pace on the treadmill.

"Yeah, he took a look at that last night before checking in. Mr. Mermaid wanted more. He also wanted to see Monty. We always leave enough food and water plus there's a college student a block away who'll take care of Monty if we're not available but…"

"A man who misses his dog is a good man. I like that about him."

Kensi smiled. "I do too. Don't tell him that," Kensi smiled. "Do you have a dog?"

"No, we've got Damien."

Kensi laughed, as did Kim.

"How long have you and surfer-boy been together?"

"A while," Kensi said. "Not without some ups and down but we've been good for a while. A real long while."

"Anything good is worth fighting for. Michael and I didn't start off all that great but since he's been with Honos, every day has been pretty damn good. As long as he and Damien don't figure out another way to get themselves killed, I plan to be a happily married woman for the rest of my life. Not a lot a Brits running around where I grew up. But it's just right, you know?"

"I do know."

"I never saw myself with someone like him and now I can't ever see myself without him. Funny how that happens."

"You're a wise woman, Kim Martinez."

"With a damn stupid husband. If you see him make a move to get into the field, do me a favor…"

"If I can."

"You're the one on the team with the sniper background, right? Don't shoot anything important. Keep him pretty and keep him upright but keep him in the damn crib. Aim near his feet."

Kensi started to laugh.

"I need to take a shower and arrange for my beloved's breakfast before I go. Your guy like tea?" Kim turned off the treadmill.

"Coffee. And weird juices every now and again."

"Yeah, well, this SoCal girl has had a crash course in making proper tea including heating pots and using the correct type of kettle. Of all the things a young Kim Martinez ever thought she'd own as an adult, tea cozies, plural, are the biggest surprise on the list. Michael travels with a tin of his own tea when we're on cases so I have to make sure room service sends up a proper pot."

"My operations manager would probably love to have a cup with him," Kensi said. "Hey, when this is all over, maybe we can grab a bite. You, me, Mr. Tea and Surfer Boy."

"We catch the bad guy, we find the priciest place you can. My boss will take care of it."

x-x-x

Deeks walked up to the entrance of the power plant. Damien was leaning against the wall near the entrance, smoking a cigarette and drinking a cup of coffee.

"Can I ask you something?" Damien took a long drag on his cigarette.

"Sure," Deeks was amused. For 5:45AM, Damien seemed quite serious.

"This is just between you and me."

"I have an impressive security clearance. I'm good with secrets."

"What the fuc….hell is a ret frat?"

Deeks started laughing. "RenFaire, it's RenFaire."

"I saw those two from your office this morning and still can't figure out what the hell a…"

"RenFaire."

"What is a RenFaire?"

"Why, you want in?"

"I just want to know what the hell people are talking about. I've lived outside of the States for too fuc….damn long."

"You're really trying on the swearing thing, aren't you?"

"Six-hours on a plane is a long time to spend in the middle seat."

"So true," Deeks smiled. "A RenFaire is a Renaissance Fair. It's an outdoor festival where people dress up in clothes from the Renaissance era. People perform like they would back then – puppet shows, jousting, singing and playing the lute. Folks eat food like mutton and drink wine and mead."

"No shit?"

"No shit."

After taking a sip of his coffee, Damien said, "More shit I know nothing about. I went with my kid to ComicCon in San Diego…."

"You got a kid? And you went to ComicCon?"

"I have a son named Finn. He's 18 and a good kid. Lived with his mother for a long time. Lives with me now. He starts Fordham in the fall. I've been trying to make up for lost time. That includes ComicCon. Walked around ComicCon wondering what the hell was going on. Figured RenFaire…"

"Yay, you got it right!"

Damien gave Deeks a look. "I didn't want to have to ask Finn about a RenFaire if he announced he wanted to go. God, he spent the whole ComicCon weekend telling me who everyone was. I got like Batman, Captain America and all that shit. But Walking Dead, Doctor Who, I know nothing about that. And I think I probably should if he's into it. He spent two weekends looking for Pokemons and I had no idea what the hell he was doing."

"There are a lot worse things an 18-year old can be doing besides looking for Pokemon and hanging out with his old man at ComicCon."

"That's true. I was doing a lot worse shit when I was his age than he'd ever dream about doing."

"Does he know what you do?" Deeks asked.

"Oh yeah. Finn got involved accidentally a few years ago. We were supposed to have some time together and instead I got him shot and I almost got him fucking killed. And I don't give a shit how much that costs me from the Empress of Etiquette."

"Your secret is safe with me on that one. Is he OK?"

"Yeah, bounced back no problem. He does have some of my genes."

"Is he on a swear count too?"

"No. He's a good kid. Smart too. He deserves a good life," Damien took a sip of his coffee. "Speaking of the good life, you're with the brunette."

"She might hurt you if you refer to her that way," Deeks replied, shaking his head. "Skip might."

"She's good with a tee-shirt."

"She's better with a rifle. And a knife. And tactical batons…I could go on."

Turning serious, Damien looked right at Deeks. "Don't let her out of your sight. Make everything you do together count. You think you have time. You're wrong," Damien took the last drag on his cigarette, then dropping it into the make-shift ash tray - an old cement planter filled with sand. "Gotta love America. We're here fighting for freedom and the American way and every time I want a cigarette I have to go walk to the smoking detention area with the other addicts."

"Damien, Dam…Hi Deeks," Nell said, out of breath as she ran to find someone. "Charlotte Danforth from New York is on the big screen. She said she needs to talk to you."

Deeks and Damien followed Nell into the power plant. On the big screen was a woman in her mid-twenties. Wearing a navy blue Ralph Lauren wrap dress, a single strand of pearls and matching earrings, the only item out of place was a capped green Sharpie in her mouth.

"What's up Charlotte?" Damien said as he walked toward the screen. "I'm here with LAPD's Marty Deeks."

Placing the Sharpie on her desk, Charlotte replied, "Good morning Damien, hello Detective Deeks. I started looking into Karim Nassib's background. Using the logarithm I designed to back trace passport photographs, I discovered Mr. Nassib entered the U.S. through Newark Airport using the passport of a Kamal Saad of London in January of 2016. The true Kamal Saad died of leukemia in a British hospital in April of 1973."

"Do we know how long Nassib traveled as Saad?" Deeks asked.

"To the best of our knowledge, this was the only use of the Passport. Kamal Saad flew Lufthansa. His ticket was purchased by a company named Ten Eighteen. Researching connections to either Brandon Bryant or Ester Kamali, I confirmed that Leo Kamali was killed…."

"On October 18th."

"Correct Damien."

"Were you able to find out anything on Ten Eighteen?" Callen asked as he and Sam joined the group. Kensi and Kim were steps behind. Callen pointed to himself, "Callen," before turning to the others, "Sam, Kensi and you know Kim."

"I am well-acquainted with Kim. And of course I investigated Ten Eighteen. Incorporated in December of 2015 in Nevada, the two officers in the corporation are Bryant Brandt and Essie K. Harris. The company's corporate address is a mail box in a UPS Store in Henderson, Nevada. There is a corporate bank account with close to $50,000 and two corporate credit cards issued to Bryant Brandt and Essie K. Harris. Harris was the maiden name of Ester's mother."

"Any recent activity?" Sam asked.

"That's why I asked Nell to bring you here. Bryant Brandt currently has a bungalow reserved at the Beverly Hills Hotel, Essie K. Harris has two rooms booked at the Saharan Motel. Several years ago I stayed at the Beverly Hills Hotel. It is lovely. I am unaware of Saharan Motel, however. The Yelp reviews are not kind."

"A step down or two from the Beverly Hills Hotel," Deeks told her. "Where did you find her?" he whispered to Damien.

"She's Genevieve's Mini Me without the time spent in the Navy."

"I prefer protégé to Mini Me, Damien," Charlotte said calmly.

"Especially since Genevieve is a mini herself," he replied. "How long are they booked in those hotels?"

"That's the reason for my urgency. Everyone checks out this morning."

"Does Genevieve know?" Kim asked.

"Commander Rehme spoke to her just before she left Guantanamo this morning. Her C-130 is on its way to the States. Tropical Storm Earl is bearing down on Jamaica so she left with all non-essential personnel. The Director wants everyone taken into custody as soon as possible and for it to be done safely. The office needs survivors to find out what Bryant's and Kamili's plans are. AUSA Carmichael just sent a packet of whatever you may need in the way of warrants."

"Did she spend any time in a holding cell?" Deeks joked.

"After the unfortunate incident with the Director earlier this week, the FISA Court's cooperation with our office is at an all-time high. AUSA Carmichael has spoken with the Beverly Hills Hotel – you will have their complete cooperation. While she does not believe the Saharan Motel will tip off whoever is in the rooms booked by Essie K. Harris, she believes a surprise raid may be your best option. And, as always, Director Fitzgerald wants everyone to exercise caution."

"You'd miss me if anything happened, wouldn't you Charlotte?" Damien said as the call started to end.

"Any loss to the team would be unacceptable Captain Scott so yes, you'd be missed. Presently, however, I miss Captain Stonebridge more," Charlotte said with a smile before cutting off the call.

"Ain't that the truth," Kim said, winking at Damien.

"How do we do this?" Kensi asked.

"I want to get Ester," Damien said.

"Is that a good idea?" Kim asked.

He nodded his head. "She'll listen to me."

"Because she's made such great decisions lately," Sam added.

"No, she'll listen. She got Leo to understand that sharing the cure for the small pox virus in Berlin was the right thing to do. I don't care what this Brandon asshole did to her, she was a good kid."

"Was may be the key word," Kensi warned.

"I'm going for Ester," Damien told the group. "You can figure out what the rest of you want to do."

"We'll take the probably paid help staying at the Saharan," Sam said. "Kensi, Deeks, you go with Scott."

"I'll go with you two," Kim said to Sam. Turning to Kensi, Kim whispered, "Keep an eye on Damien."

Kensi nodded.

"NCIS's tactical team will be at the Beverly Hills Hilton. Agent Rand is arranging for the FBI's tactical team to be at the Saharan." Nell read from her tablet. "All information about the rooms and the hotels have been sent to your phones. Commander Rehme will coordinate the raids with the FBI's Dan Taylor from New York. Be safe."

x-x-x

Damien, Kensi and Deeks along with five tactical team members surrounded the Grand Deluxe Bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Once Agent Taylor gave the 'go' command, Kensi opened in the front door with a key card provided by the front desk. Kensi, followed by Deeks, Damien and Wes from the tactical team entered quietly. She saw the other members of the team stationing themselves outside the windows.

After clearing the living room, Kensi and Deeks made their way to the bedroom while Damien and Wesley walked to the bathroom. With the bedroom door half-opened, Deeks pushed his way in with Kensi just behind him. Alone in the bed was Brandon Bryant, sleeping in an Ed Hardy Los Angeles tee-shirt and a white Hurley board shorts.

"You want to wake up Sleeping Beauty or should I?" Damien asked as he walked in the room from a connecting bathroom door.

"Please," Kensi said, wanting to see this. "Feel free."

Screwing the cap off the bottle of Voss water on the bedside table, Damien dumped it on Brandon's head.

"What the fuck?" Brandon yelled as he woke up.

Kensi, Deeks and Damien all had their Colt M4's pointed at Brandon. "I'd really give serious consideration to your next move," Deeks warned.

Damien pulled the bedding away from Brandon. "Hands on your fuc…head. Hands on your head."

Deeks tossed his handcuffs to Damien, who was happy to place them on Brandon with extreme gusto. "Where's Ester?" Damien asked.

"Lawyer," was Brandon's answer.

Dragging Brandon out of the bed by his soaking wet hair, Damien asked again. "Where's Ester?"

Brandon said nothing.

"Get this piece of shit out of here. We need to find Ester," Damien pushed Brandon to Wes.

"I got a runner," one of the tactical team members yelled. "Female suspect, bathing suit cover-up, flip-flops, beach bag, running from the pool."

"Run Ester" Brandon yelled. "Run!"

"Shut him up," Damien said as he ran from the bungalow. Kensi and Deeks were right behind Damien, Wes staying with Brandon.

"Damien, this is a hotel full of civilians," Kensi said.

"I just want one civilian," Damien told her. "Ester!"

The three chased Ester past the pool and into the garden area. Jumping through the bushes, they raced to catch Ester as she made her way to a side driveway. As Damien, Kensi and Deeks got to the driveway, they saw a taxi pull away.

"I can't see the license plate." Kensi said. "Eric, can you track that cab?" she asked using her ear piece.

"Trying," Eric replied.

"Guys," Nell said. "Callen and Sam's team found two empty rooms."

"Lost the cab, Kensi," Eric said.

"Fuck me," Damien muttered.

-30-