Chapter Eight: "The living are made of nothing but flaws. The dead, with each passing day in the afterlife, become more and more impeccable to those who remain earthbound." ― Anna Godbersen, "Splendor"


Eric walked into the canteen of the crib and nearly ran over Nell. She was leaving with a cup of coffee and a Maple Glazed Pecan and Sea Salt Kind Bar.

"You left before I woke up," he said, trying not to sound hurt.

"They called me to come in. Besides, you didn't wake me up when you got in last night. I left a note."

"It was almost three when I finally got in."

"And they called for me at five."

With a big smile, Eric said, "We're too important to the whole operation."

"Don't you forget it," Nell said with a smile.

Looking around, Eric pulled Nell back into the canteen. "I had the weirdest conversation with Hetty yesterday."

"About what?" Nell sat at one of the tables, Eric sat just to her right.

"I think Hetty thinks Genevieve wants to steal me."

"Steal you?"

"Hetty wanted to know if I was happy working with Honos. She asked me in front of Genevieve."

"What did you tell Hetty?"

"That it's great working with the team but California is my home."

"Then what's the problem?"

"Look at this place? Do you think you get an operation like this without…"

"Making an enemy of Hetty Lange? No you don't. Beale, you're not going anywhere. You get places like this by making people like Hetty your ally. If there were other people like Hetty. Which there are not."

"It would be nice to be wanted," Eric said with a sigh.

"You're assuming you're not," she said, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll be at my desk. I have a lot going on."

Nell return to her desk and was quickly joined by Eric, his 30-ounce stainless steel coffee tumbler and a cheese Danish. "Why did they call you in?"

"Assistant Director Granger is working with Honos's liaison with the State Department. The man the team found in the basement is a Chinese national named Yu Zhao, a well-respected serologist. He came to the U.S. in January to study at Scripps Research Institute. He took a road trip Easter weekend and never returned. The Chinese government has been demanding his return ever since."

"State is going to have a hard time explaining where he's been without going public with the case."

"That's not the problem. He wants to defect. As miserable as he was being held hostage, he liked what he saw of California and wants to stay."

"What's going to happen?"

"Hetty and Granger are bringing in Nate and a translator to talk to Mr. Zhao. If he really wants to stay, he should be able to stay. Honos's translator had him explain his role with Ester."

"Which was?"

"He designed a vaccine for the small pox. Honos is looking for a chemist or serologist who is fluent in Mandarin to see if they can recreate it. They don't want to get any chemical data from him to be lost in translation." Nell shook her head. "This is a mess."

"Oh it gets worse," Genevieve said walking in with Michael, who traded his wheelchair for a cane. "Eric, anything positive with facial recognition search for Ester?"

Eric put his computer monitor images on the large TV screens in the work area. "I have facial rec running at all the major transportation hubs, airports and even the LA subway. Ester Kamali's driver's license and passport photos are in every rental car computer system. We're pulling down security camera footage as well as traffic cam data trying to find Ester. So far, nothing."

"Nobody saw Ester leave the house during the raid?" Nell asked.

"No one," Michael said. "I'm not sure when but at some point during the day, she not only left but she left with the canister of the small pox virus. The men in the household have been very protective of Ester."

"We've sent alerts to all her old high school friends, as you requested," Eric told Genevieve.

"The FBI has someone at her aunt's old place in Malibu. I also asked them to send her picture to any homeless or domestic violence shelters to make sure she's not hiding there," Genevieve said, stifling a yawn. "I'm waiting for a call from the FBI in Santa Barbara."

"Do you think she's going back to Cindy Greer's house?" Eric asked.

"No. Nolan, the high school teacher in the basement at Cindy Greer's house."

"The good Samaritan," Nell said.

"Yah, not so much," Michael said. "He's in the middle of a rather nasty divorce. The future ex-wife reported him missing because he didn't appear at scheduled settlement hearing with his lawyer. Any guess on the lawyer?"

"Justin Dunn, the lawyer who lost his finger and was held in the basement," Nell answered.

"Very smart," Genevieve said. "And do you know how a high school math teacher can afford a four-million-dollar beach house in Santa Barbara?"

"Wealthy wife?" Eric guessed. "Well, son to be wealthy ex-wife?"

"Yes, Maureen Greene-Nolan's family runs one of the larger farming concerns in northern California. And she has a rather rock solid pre-nup. They both do. David Nolan's family has been making cleaning supplies for schools, hospitals and other public facilities since the 1960's," Genevieve replied.

"Leo Kamali had a facility in Russia to not only test the small pox virus on inmates he acquired from Black Bear prison but he made sure they had the equipment to put the virus in canisters that could be loaded into air filtration systems and in asthma inhalers," Michael explained.

"Nolan Industrials has several facilities in and around the Los Angeles area that package and produce their own cleaning supplies. Their facility in Riverside was closed last month for retooling. The entire staff was given a two month paid vacation while the facility was closed. Around the same time, an offshore account was sent five million from BrandOn!"

"And David Nolan owns that account," Nell guessed.

"Our forensic accountant is working on that right now. We've done some more checking into Justin Dunn, the divorce lawyer, but he still seems to be the only victim in the basement right now," Geneveieve said.

Eli waved to Genevieve. "Excuse me," she said as she walked away.

"How is Brandon?" Nell asked Michael about their charge from the prior day.

"It looking more and more like he's the financer here without any real input in what was being done. He had his plans and schemes. Nassib and the crew working with the small pox, they were trying to recreate what Leo was planning." Michael shook his head.

"We've got every military base stateside checking their cleaning supplies. Anything from Nolan Industrials is being removed by Hazmat teams."

"Leo's plans were fluid, though. It started with a team of men and women exposing US and UK military personnel to small pox and using them to spread the virus throughout the West. It ended with Leo standing in a public square in Berlin alone with one last canister."

"Public square," Eric said, before typing furiously on his keyboard.

"Eric?" Michael and Nell asked simultaneously.

"We're looking for Ester as if she wants to leave Los Angeles," Eric said.

"With her father's connections and probably some hidden bank accounts, Ester could be smuggled anywhere either by men loyal to her father or by men looking for payouts," Michael said.

"Or she could be here to succeed where her father failed," Eric thought out loud.

Genevieve returned. "Wilmer Nava is being helpful."

"Who is questioning him?"

"Eli has pulled out his old Mossad identification cards. Seems Mr. Nava has done some very bad things in Israel. He's also done some very bad things in Russia, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia and Johannesburg. And then there is the murder of Mr. Zhao."

"Zhao's in the hospital," Nell said.

"He's just been given asylum and the Marshal service is working on a new identity for him. With a failed bombing attempt International Finance Centre back in 2009, Nava's already a wanted man in China. Eli explained the differences between Israeli prisons and Chinese prisons. He got chatty after that."

"Anarchists are chatty to start with," Michael mumbled.

"I think Nava thought he could keep his mouth closed and get a deal with Justice. It was explained to him that he's not in custody with the U.S. right now, we're just holding him for either Mossad, the FSB, the MSS, the GIP or the SSA."

"He's not in the federal detention center?"

"No, Michael brought him to an offsite location. Eli was working him most of the night."

Eric's computer beeped. "I found her," he said, sending the image to all the screens in the crib. Sleeping on a bench in Pershing Square was Ester Kamali..

"Get everyone down there now," Genevieve ordered. "Get her before she kills anyone."

Nell sent out the alert to the team.

"Eli, take Michael," Genevieve started to say.

"Who will be watching you?" Eli interrupted.

"I'm staying here, we have a whole staff that will make sure I'm fine," Genevieve argued. "I'm fine. Take Michael to the team. Michael, make sure Damien doesn't get himself or anyone else killed trying to save Ester."

"He's going to try to save her," Michael said.

"He can try. If she goes to release to small pox, she has to be stopped."

"Agreed." Eli said solemnly.

"We'll have a tactical team, Callen, Sam, Kensi, Deeks, Kim and Damien at Pershing Square in twenty minutes. A hazmat team is also on their way," Nell reported.

"Keep them nearby but not out in public. Panic could help Ester escape." Turning to Michael, Genevieve said, "Michael, I want her brought in alive if possible."

"But if she's going to release the virus, she has to be stopped."

"You understand that, make damn sure Damien does."

"Yes ma'am."

"Should I call LAPD?" Eric asked.

"Get them to quietly and slowly evacuate the area. Keep everyone several blocks away. Find out what way the wind is blowing and make sure those areas are evacuated first. Nobody should make a move on Ester – she looks like she's asleep – until we have as much of the area emptied out as possible."

Hetty's face popped up on several screens. "Director, we have the team on their way to Pershing Square. Agent Martinez and Captain Scott were just entering the boatshed to question one of the men from the raid last night when the call came in."

"Excellent. Thank Owen for dealing with State for me. I am not their favorite person."

"He got that impression."

"They're in the diplomacy business, I'm not."

"That was made clear. We should be live with video of Ester's arrest in less than twenty-minutes"

"Thank you Hetty. And thank you for your team's hard work and professionalism." Genevieve pulled out her cell phone. "Lt. Bates, it's Genevieve Fitzgerald. I need a favor."

x-x-x

Callen, Sam, Kensi and Deeks pulled into a parking garage in their large black Tahoe . The garage had been the first place evacuated – the only vehicles were Honos's Escalade, the Hazmat Unit's trucks and the tactical team's two panel vans.

Kim and Michael were waiting outside their SUV. Tossing the two kevlar vest, Sam handed Kim an H&K MP5A3 before pulling Damien aside.

"Are you going to be a problem?" Sam asked.

"Look, she's done a terrible thing," Damien tried to explain.

"She's at the heart of the plan to use a weapon of mass destruction against American citizens. Citizens you swore to protect, in a country you swore to protect when you joined the Army. You going to be able to do that today?"

"She'll listen to me."

"She plans on killing you. The way her father planned on killing you. And Stonebridge. And Martinez and everyone else in Section 20 in Berlin."

"Give me a chance. I saved her life several times. She saved mine more than once," Damien said.

"And you are part of the team who killed her father. Rightly killed her father. And you're not going to be able to put on bow on that."

"No, I'm not. But I can fucking well try to not kill a teenager whose mother died giving birth to her, whose father was killed before her eyes. She's lost everyone and everything she loves."

"What I love, what Callen, Kensi, Deeks and everyone else who makes Los Angeles their home loves is lost if she released the virus. If you can't do this…"

"I can do this. Death is all I'm good at," Damien said taking the rifle. "I just want to talk her into surrendering before everyone decides to blow her fucking head off."

"We good here?" Callen asked as he walked over.

Sam looked at Damien. "We're good."

Damien nodded his head. "Well, I could use a cigarette."

There was a truck horn blast as the team turned to the entrance ramp. Guns raised, Deeks yelled "Out of the truck, now!"

"Always happy to follow the order of a fellow LAPD detective," Matt Bernhart said as he opened the FillYourFridge delivery truck.

"Matt, why are you here?" Sam asked.

"Got a call from Bates. Seems he's besties with the woman from the Justice Department running whatever you do," Matt answered as he pointed to Damien.

"Director Fitzgerald," Kim said.

"Strange first name for a woman," Matt said with a shrug. "They want me to bring you guys in. LAPD knows you're going in a FillYourFridge truck."

"Matthew, our target might have a biological weapon."

"Protect and serve, Martin. Protect and serve. Besides, Mom's literacy charity has a lunch in the Biltmore Gold Room tomorrow – I'm her date. Can't have some sort of chemical war break out a block away."

"You drop us off and you get the hell out of there Matt," Kensi said.

"I haven't had my shots, I'll be gone, I promise."

"It's not going to be that way. She'll listen," Damien said.

"Power of positive thinking, I like it," Matt said. "Your target is in the Palm Court sleeping near Beethoven. Let's get things done."

"Eric, you have us?" Sam asked.

"I do. We have most of the park emptied out. There are two homeless men near Ester who wouldn't leave."

"Are we sure they're homeless?" Deeks asked. "There have been a number of men in this case who are willing to take care of Ester at all costs."

"There is an older man with a bad looking left leg. I'd say he's definitely homeless. The other man is disheveled but his jacket is in a lot better shape than Artie."

"Who's Artie?" Damien asked as he walked to the truck.

"Deeks's homeless coat," Kensi answered.

"You name your clothes?" Damien gave Deeks a look.

"You don't?" Deeks replied.

"Everyone, in the truck," Callen ordered. Showing the team his phone, "We've got eyes on Ester and we need to get to her before she makes a move."

Matt warned LAPD they were coming as he rode out of the Central Parking Garage with the tactical team truck just behind him. "You still wearing your terrible vest?" Matt asked Deeks.

"Not now."

"Because I got one on under my shirt – much better coverage."

"How far out?" Sam asked.

"When I stop for the next light, hop out. You'll be on the corner of where your target is. Good luck."

"Thanks Matt," Callen said.

"Always happy to help."

Bernhart pulled over as he waited in the empty intersection for the light to change. Deeks was out first with Kensi and Kim just behind him. Sam, Damien and Callen pulled up the rear.

"I think I can talk to her," Damien said to Callen.

"Fine, you get one chance. Kensi, high cover. Deeks, check out our homeless situation. Sam and Kim will be with me." Callen looked at Damien. "You go when I tell you."

"Yes sir," Damien said.

It took Kensi a minute to see find a place to set up. Once she was established, Deeks made his way into the park.

"First homeless man here is a regular. He was here when Kensi and I were working the park in the Goodsell case."

"Can you move him out?" Callen asked.

"Not without creating a scene."

"Keep him there," Sam said.

Eric's voice came across the comms. "Homeless man number two. Should be at the benches near the fountain."

"On it," Deeks replied.

"Damien, get your girl," Callen said.

"Kensi, you ready for this?" Sam asked.

"I'm good."

"She's a kid," Sam said sympathetically.

"With the small pox virus. And you, Callen, Deeks and our friends from New York are nearby. I don't want to hurt anyone but I will protect you all."

Damien crossed into the park with Kim trailing him. Callen and Sam stationed themselves just outside the Palm Court of the park near the bottom of the stairs.

With his rifle pointed down, Damien made his way toward Ester.

"I was wondering when you'd find me," Ester said as she opened her eyes.

"Ester, you need to come in with me."

"I didn't like that safe house. It was going to be too easy for your people to find."

"We found it. And the men who use to work for your father," Damien said calmly.

"Me. They work for me. They were loyal to my father and now they're loyal to me."

"So loyal they're telling everything to the FBI. Your husband, Nassib, Nava – everyone is talking," Damien lied about Nassib. "Even the jogger we thought was an innocent bystander."

"He took millions to put the small pox in schools and hospitals all over LA. I gave him $100,000 just for this," Ester pulled out the aerosol can and stood up.

"Ester has the small pox in her hand," Kensi said.

Deeks started running toward Damien and Ester.

"Do you have a shot, Kensi?" Callen asked.

"Yes, tell me when to take it."

"Let Scott see if he can get her to go with him," Sam said.

"She makes a move to take the cap off, Kensi…" Callen added.

"I'll stop her."

Damien pleaded with the girl. "Ester, is this what you want?"

"It's what my father wanted."

"And how did that end for him?" Damien tried to take a step forward but Ester raised the can.

"Michael shot him. You held me back while Michael killed him. And Col. Locke shot him too. I heard he got killed."

"Col. Locke was murdered."

"Just like my Dad."

Damien shook his head. "No, your father was killed when he was going to release small pox in a park just like this. Ester, you don't want to wind up like your father. You have…"

"A life? Brandon's going to jail, probably for life. I'm going there too."

"You open that cap, you won't have anything, Ester. Not a chance at a life, not a future, nothing. Not even someone to mourn you."

"You'd be sorry," Ester taunted Damien.

"No. The Ester I knew was funny and kind. She begged her father to share the cure to the small pox so he could die a good man."

"You don't think he died a good man."

"You do. And that's what matters. You release that, you'll die and Brandon, Nava and the rest will know you died trying to kill other people."

"Nava will like that."

"No he won't – you'll fail. There are people all over this park ready to kill you. I'm your last hope."

"And how did that work out for my father? For that Russian man and his son."

"'That Russian man' was a mobster and a drug dealer. So was his son. Your father wanted to kill innocent people."

"Innocent people die all the time," Ester cried. "My father told me that. He also told me that people like me are allowed to live in a world where we are safe."

"And releasing the virus is going to make you safe? How? You'll be hunted for the rest of your life. And you won't' be hunted long because there are people here in the park who are ready to kill you."

"Let them try."

A shot rang out as a homeless man aimed a gun at Damien. When the homeless dropped, Deeks was standing there with his rifle. "Second homeless man neutralized," Deeks told the team.

"End this Damien," Sam said.

"Ester, the next bullet is going into you. Put the can down. I'll go to every court hearing, I'll make sure you're treated fairly."

"People like me are never treated fairly. Not me, not my father and not my mother. And everyone else needs to understand that," Ester said, pulling the cap off the aerosol can. "And they'll understand that now…"

Before Ester could finish her sentence, Kensi fired from her perch on the wall near the fountain. The bullet tore into Ester's right arm, just above the elbow. As the can fell from her hand, Damien scrambled to catch it. He grabbed it just before it hit the ground.

"I have the aerosol can," Damien said.

Ester tried to kick at Damien but he took one step back.

"I wanted people to suffer like my mother suffered," Ester sneered.

"Your mother was killed in an attack and yes, she suffered. She was also a doctor who would have never wanted this for you," Damien pointed his weapon at her as Kim, Callen and Sam raced in.

"My father wanted all of this."

"He did. He was wrong and so are you," Damien took off his belt and started to make a tourniquet for Ester's arm.

"We need a bus for Ester," Deeks said as he walked to the down woman. "Only Ester."

"Oh thank God," Genevieve's voice came over the coms.

The hazmat team made its way into the park while the tactical team checked the Metro station and the underground parking lot for anyone else helping Ester. The ambulance arrived, as did Michael and Eli.

"Who let you out?" Kim said to Michael as he walked toward Damien.

"Genevieve thought I'd have to talk Damien into doing what had to be done."

"He did what had to be done," Kim told her husband. "I think our boy is growing up."

"God help us all," Michael said shaking his head. Walking over to Damien, Michael took Damien's weapon and kevlar vest. "Go with Ester to the hospital, I'll deal with the paperwork and the boss lady."

"Thanks Mikey."

x-x-x

Callen, Sam, Kensi, Deeks, Eric and Nell joined the Honos team around the large screen in the center of the crib. Damien was still in the hospital waiting for word on Ester's surgery.

The ZNN Breaking News banner read "Terror attempt stopped in Los Angeles" as reporter Stuart Dunston briefed the home viewers about the upcoming press conference.

"2:30 is a weird time for a press conference," Eric said.

"2:30 here, 5:30 at home," Kim said.

"Stock market is closed in New York but the markets open in Hong Kong and Tokyo in a few hours. Thwarting a terrorist attack in a major American city is always good for business," Hetty said as she entered the room with Owen Granger.

"And the people who approve budgets for places like this," Granger said, looking around the cribs, "are about to sit down and have dinner with their families, or in their offices, or with constituents or fundraisers. Dinners they'll enjoy safely thanks to NCIS and Honos."

"And LAPD," Deeks added.

"Yes Detective, and LAPD," Hetty agreed.

"How was it dealing with State, Assistant Director?" Nell asked.

"Genevieve owes me a some very expensive sushi and some quality scotch the next time I'm in New York. Mr. Zhao, however, is about to defect. Marshal Ben-Aharon is working with his agency to find set up a new identity for Zhao, who is about to get a crash course in English and start working for both Honos and Columbia University."

"He got a happy ending."

"He's going to gets months of therapy and Genevieve is going to make his life as comfortable as possible. We've set up Nassib as a killer and well, you can hear the official story yourself." Granger pointed to the screen.

Genevieve walked up to the podium in the Wilshire Federal Building's Media Room. Standing on a blue box behind the clear podium, she pulled down the microphone murmuring, "Not everyone is six feet tall, people."

"That wasn't an accident," Kim said with a smile.

"No, Ms. Martinez, I'm sure it was not," Hetty agreed.

"Good afternoon. Early this morning, a raid was led by members of the Department of Homeland Security, NCIS and the Los Angeles Police Department."

"Yay for the LAPD mention," Deeks cheered.

"The surviving members of a failed terrorist cell that was largely smashed by British Intelligence in Berlin in the fall of 2013 reformed in Lebanon last summer. Coming to Los Angeles, DHS tracked the small cell, finding a supply of a biological weapon. The weapon has been secured, as have all members of the terror cell except for this man," Genevieve said as she held up a remote and pointed to a television screen behind her. "David Nolan of Santa Barbara is wanted for accepting funds from a terror group and for using his family business to create a distribution system a biological weapon. The DHS is offering a five million dollar reward for the successful arrest and conviction of Mr. Nolan. If you know where Mr. Nolan is, please call 213-555-4959. Mr. Nolan, if you are listening, the men and women who found the bioweapon and stopped your attempt to kill innocent civilians here in Los Angeles are now looking for you. You will be found. You will be arrested. Of this I am sure."

"Though she be but little, she is fierce," Michael said with a smile.

Genevieve started to take question from the members of the press present. She passed on mentioning the real name of the bioweapon, fearing copycats. She also never mentioned Brandon Bryant, Ester Kamali or Wilmer Nava, instead heaping praise on DHS, NCIS and LAPD. It was an artful press conference given by a woman who has had 20-years of practice.

Deeks's phone ran just as the press conference started to wrap up.

"It was nice of the most powerful tiny woman East of the Mississippi to mention LAPD on the same level as NCIS which is run by the most powerful tiny woman West of the Mississippi. I'm hope we get whatever new toy Genevieve sends NCIS."

"She's usually good for that."

"Well in the spirit of cooperation, I need you and your partner to pick up Bernhart at his apartment."

"Is he OK?" Deeks worried.

"He's perfect. Well, he's perfect for Bernhart. Which isn't all that perfect. David Nolan's ex-wife just called LAPD with his location. She's on vacation in Hawaii and saw the press conference. She'd prefer LAPD knock down the door to her new house in Brentwood instead of the full weight of the US government."

"Can I bring Callen and Sam?"

"Bring whoever you need. Just remember, LAPD's bust."

"You got it." Deeks turned to the team. "LAPD knows where Nolan is."

"Let's finish this," Sam said.

-30-


Annoying author's note: One chapter left. Thank you all for reading and for following along. The feedback has been a joy to read.