The Little Red Tattoo

Chapter 7

It was late Sunday afternoon and Nell, Eric, Hetty and Deeks were sitting in Ops trying to come up with a plan of action. Callen had been contacted and was flying in on the next flight out of Denver. The rest of the Red team needed to stay and complete their mission.

Sam was driving in and should be there soon.

"What did they find in the alley? Anything that will give us an idea where she was going or what she's doing here?" Deeks was in pain but his determination was stronger.

"We are still waiting on the DNA results for official confirmation that it is Kensi Blye, but we're running passport checks for all Canadians entering the USA for the last month. Parts of two broken cell phones were also found at the site. One we matched to yours Deeks and the other we are assuming was Kensi'. She will need a new one and fast, so if we monitor the stores in the immediate area around the coffee shop, maybe we get lucky and find her when she buys the phone. I know, the odds aren't good but…" Nell was laying out what they had going and it wasn't much.

"We know that if she was on foot the hotel she is staying at must be close by. I'm going back down there and check as many hotels, motels, dives, anything where she might stay. I need a picture of her to show around and for the BOLO the LAPD is putting out."

At that moment Eric's monitor beeped, they had a hit.

"Up on the screen Mr. Beal." Hetty instructed, out of habit and not realizing Nell had just opened her mouth to say the same thing. Eric just smiled at Nell.

The passport photo of Helen Stamulus came up and they all fell silent for a second.

"Well that's definitely Kensi."
It was Sam walking in and making the comment. He went right over to Deeks and took him in for a bro hug "Good to see you again man, but you look like you were hit by a bus. Kensi do this?"
Deeks just nodded and looked back up at the screen.

Quickly saying hello to the others Sam asked about G "So when is Callen going to land? We need everyone we can get."

"Good point Sam. I've called the new team in to help with the search of the area. They are currently down at the site going over the scene one more time and waiting for further instructions."

"Very good Ms. Jones. Please send them the photo of Kensi and send them on their way. Gentlemen, you will need to set you up with phones and communications. Follow me."

Hetty started for the door and then stopped suddenly.

"I am so sorry Ms. Jones. It would seem I have forgotten my place. Your instructions please."

"Hetty, its fine please get them set-up. We need to work together to find Kensi. Eric and I have enough to do here so everything helps. Eric start running Kaleidoscope for the car. It can't be that hard to find a Red Mustang in LA, can it?"

"Already on it" came the reply. "Plus I'm running a deep background check on our Ms. Stamulus. Let's see how good your backstops are."


Half hour later, both Sam and Deeks were on the way to the coffee shop to start their search. Deeks called the precinct to check in with Bates. Maybe they found something new.

"Deeks, glad you called. We just started our investigation of a dead body found in a garbage bin not too far from the coffee shop were you said you found Blye at. This guy was stabbed to death by a pro and nothing was missing. So robbery as a motive is out. We ran him through the system and he is a known mercenary, gun for hire. Name is David Rono."

"Eric are you getting all this?" Sam was asking because this was a solid lead and Eric needed to jump on it fast. "You know what to do. God I've missed this action." Sam was pumped and firing on all cylinders and Deeks was glad they were partnered-up. He was feeding off his energy and it was keeping the pain in check.

"Thanks Captain."
"You find her Deeks and bring her back. I'll call if we have anything else." With that the line clicked off.

"We will find her don't worry about that. Question is what is she doing here and can we restore some of her memory?" Sam was thinking out loud, driving fast and making good time getting to the coffee shop. Oh yes he was pumped.

As they were parking the car Eric called "Guys you need to check a couple of hotels just north of where you are. We are tracking the car and we think she might be staying in one of them. Addresses are being sent to your phones now."

"Sam you take one and I'll take the other."

They split up and headed to the hotels.

Deeks walked into the lobby and up to the front desk. Flashing his badge and a picture of Kensi he asked the lady behind the counter if she had seen her. To his surprise the answer was yes.

"Sam, get over here quick. Eric, check the cameras all around this area, she is staying here."

Not waiting for back-up from Sam, Deeks grabbed a key from the lady and took the stairs up to her room. Slowly inserting the plastic card into the slot and drawing his weapon, he threw the door open and ran into the room yelling "LAPD" but the room was empty.

"Damn. Eric, she's gone, the place is empty. You have anything new?"

"Not on Kensi but Rono was definitely working for someone. Bank statements show he received a lump sum of money and then landed here a few days ago. He basically stayed at a cheap hotel not too far from the one you're in, seemingly waiting for something or someone.

Re Kensi, still trying to re-locate her car to find out where she went."

Deeks began to search the room while he waited for Sam. It seemed clean at first but he wasn't giving up that easy. The drawers from the cabinets were removed, checked and tossed on the floor. The sheets were removed from the bed, inspected and tossed as well. The mattress was turned over and removed from the frame and then there it was a single little pill on the floor next to the wall. He picked it up and placed it into an envelope. Just as he picking it up, Sam and two of the agents from the new team showed up.

"You two" pointing at the young men "take this back to Ops and get it analysed. Sam, there is nothing else here. Place is clean."

They took the envelope and left without saying a word.

"Not anymore it isn't. It looks like a bomb hit it." Sam was smiling and shaking his head in disbelief.

"Yah, well I was in a bit of a rush."

Deeks was pacing the room thinking. "She obliviously came back here, grabbed her stuff and hen moved locations. She knew we would find her. She is on a mission of some sort. It has to be, why else act this way?"

Sam was about to say something when his phone rang. Noting it was Eric he put it on speaker.

"Guys we got some info on Kensi. The identity is not back stopped very well, at least not for someone of my skills." Both Sam and Deeks looked at each other and rolled their eyes. "Ok boy wonder, what you got?" Sam replied first.

"Her name is an anagram, it's a play on the word Tamulus, which is the scientific name for the Indian red scorpion. Actually the entire name is Hottentotta Tamulus which is a scorpion that belongs to the Buthidae family. Interesting fact…"
Eric's little story was cut short by both men yelling into the phone "Get to the point."

"Ok, ok. This is important because the Red Scorpion is also a known and wanted assassin working predominantly in the Middle East. He has several high profile kills under his belt. In general there is very little information about this person, very elusive. Everyone just assumed it was a man, but maybe not. It could be Kensi or this altered version of her. We are still gathering data, but at least now we know where to look. I'll keep you guys posted."

"Is he serious about the Red Scorpion? I can't believe it could be her?"
"Why not Sam. It was what she did when she was with NCIS. Only thing that changed was the target and who she is working for. Given her amnesia along with her transformed personality, I can see it being possible. Ironically, it was why she was in Afghanistan in the first place."

"Ok, I'll buy it, for now. So she's here on an assignment and if that's the case we need to find the target and fast."

"Yeah and who is she working for now? I'm going outside for some air. You coming?"

"I'm going to give this place one more look. See you downstairs."

Deeks headed down to wait for Sam.


Nick was parked across the street from the hotel watching the events unfold. Damn he thought to himself, can this get any worse? LAPD and NCIS are looking for her as well. This is becoming a real shit show. How did Deeks manage to find her after all this time? Well if he gets in the way, I'm going to take him out too. I've never liked that guy, but if he wants to be with her, no problem, they can spend eternity together.

Bringing the car to life, Nick headed toward the fallback hotel they had planned for. If she was there he was going to take her out. Then Hetty would be the last item on his list.


Deeks was standing outside the hotel looking around trying to figure out his next move. Sam was still inside giving the room one last look. As Deeks looked across the street at nothing in particular, he had the sense that he was being watched. Silly as it was, he couldn't shake the feeling. Just then Sam rested his hand on Deeks' shoulder "Where to now? We can't let this get cold."

"Hang on." Pressing his finger to his ear he connected with Ops.

"Eric anything big going on in the city this week? Major political events, something of world wide importance, special summit or conference?"

"Nothing on a big scale and no one in the city that we would call a major international profile."

Deeks could hear a beeping sound going off in the background "What's happening Eric? Something new?"
"Hang on a minute, we have a hit on the car she was driving. It's parked in an alley about fifteen minutes for where you are now. Sending the coordinates to your phones now. Do you want me to alert LAPD?"

"No, not yet. Give us a chance to go over it first. Check the cameras in the area for Kensi, she can't just disappear."

They headed for the car but not before Deeks took another look around.


The car was sitting out in the open with the roof down. The two approached the car with caution and guns drawn but at their sides. Looking around the area and checking the nearby alley for Kensi or anyone else that might be lurking in the shadows. Sam motioned to Deeks to go wide, cross the street and come at the car from the front and he would then move in from the back.

Reaching it Sam went down on his stomach and looked under the Mustang for a bomb or detonator. It was clean, as far as he could see.

"What do you think? Seems odd to leave the car out in the open like this. She must know we are looking for her."

"Your right Deeks, almost like she wanted us to find it."

As they were looking through the car a phone began to ring and it wasn't theirs. Finding it on the floor in front of the driver's seat Deeks picked it up and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Deeks….just listen. You know I let you live yesterday. For some bizarre reason I believed you when you said you didn't want to kill me. So I guess you did get lucky last night."

"I see your sense of humour hasn't changed."

Deeks pointed to the phone and Sam nodded. He called Eric quickly to get the trace started.

"What? Didn't I say just listen. By the way Deeks, if your buddy or anyone else decides to try and trace this call before I'm done talking to you, he dies. So both of you remove the earwigs, put them on the ground and step on them. Take your phones and do the same thing. Toss your guns on the sidewalk as well."

Kensi was in a building down the street well hidden and looking down through the scope of her sniper rifle. Right now she wasn't aiming at either of them, just watching their actions.

"What are you talking about Helen?" Deeks looked at Sam and then around the street.
"Your buddy, with the blue shirt and jeans, standing next to the car, passenger side. Tell him not to move or he's dead. Know what I'm talking about now?"

"Ok…Ok. He will stay put." Deeks moved the phone away and removed the devise from his ear, dropped in on the ground and stepped on it. Then took the phone out of his pocket and broke it with his heel. The gun was next, it slide along the sidewalk out of reach. Sam followed suit muttering something about it being a waste of a brand new phone.

"What's on your mind? I'm guessing you're not asking me out on a date, or are you?"

"You know we have some unfinished business."

"Alright, what do you want me to do Helen or should I call you Red Scorpion?"

That caught her completely by surprise. The sudden silence on the line was all Deeks needed to confirm she was in fact the Red Scorpion.

"So do I call you Ms Scorpion or is it Red since we're old friends?"

"Very clever Deeks, very clever. You're a lot smarter than you look."

"Not sure if that was a compliment, but ok."
"Get in the car. Keys are in the arm rest compartment. Leave your friend there. I'm sure he will understand. Oh and tell your buddy to stay right there for fifteen minutes. If he goes to leave before that, I'll shoot him and just in case you need a little more convincing…"

As Deeks was holding the phone against his chest and advising Sam of the situation, she shot out two tires on their car.

"What the hell?" Sam wasn't happy seeing his tires blown out.

"Really! You had to shoot the car?"

"Just making my point. Now start driving."

Deeks climbed into the Mustang and hit the ignition. The low, deep rumble of the engine filled the air as he slowly pulled away and headed down the street.

"Very good Deeks, so you can follow simple instructions. I am impressed. Now drive another hundred yards and turn left, first stop sign turn right, drive to the first bus stop and park the car and wait."

"Ok I can do that."

He was parked at the bus stop for about five minutes when a bag was thrown on to the back seat and she jumped in the car. She was wear the baseball hat and sunglasses and had a gun with a silencer, pointing at Deeks.

"Drive over to that parking garage and go the fourth level. Don't talk, just drive."

"Ok, but I can't…"

He was cut off by a jab in the ribs with the nose of the silencer. Getting the hint, he did what he was told. Reaching the fourth level of the garage he looked over to Kensi and waited for further instructions.

"Park next to that white van. Open the back doors and throw the bag in."
As he placed the bag into the van he was hit with a stun gun to the neck and blacked out.


When Deeks woke up he was tied to a chair in the middle of an abandoned warehouse. She was sitting directly in front of him, just staring at him and thinking. It couldn't be true that I was his partner, that we knew each other and that we had a thing. Well I'm was going to find out.

Shaking off the effects of the stun gun Deeks started to focus on her and the situation he found himself in. He knew Kensi but he didn't know the Red Scorpion or how she would react in any given circumstance. He had seen first hand how cold and brutal she could be, so he needed to be a little more careful around her.

"Water?" She asked him.

He licked his lips and ran his tongue over his teeth.

"Yes."

She brought the bottle to his lips and slowly poured some water into his mouth.

Swallowing he looked at her and waited.

"Now, you need to answer some questions for me. Here are the rules: no bullshit responses or smart ass comments; tell me the truth, if I think you're lying or I'm not satisfied with what you say, then I make an attitude adjustment."

She was staring directly into his eyes and Deeks could see a determination he hadn't seen before. The reality of his predicament was starting to sink in. This wasn't Kensi he was dealing with; this was an assassin, on a mission and looking for answers.


When Sam arrived back at Ops he was in a foul mood. Not only had he lost Deeks, his car needed new tires and rims. Callen had already arrived and was going over the details with Eric and Nell.

"Nice to see you again G. How's Paris doing?"

Big bro hug for the two ex-partners before getting back to business.

"Great, things are really good. She wanted to be here but we couldn't compromise the mission and she decided to stay and see it through. So this is really Kensi?"

"Yes and no. I don't know what happened to her but she's been on some wild ride over the last few years. Did the blood analysis come in yet? How about that pill we found?"

"Just got it ten minutes ago. It is Kensi, no doubt there but she has a mixture of strange drugs in her system that matched the pill. I know the CIA have used these in the past to conduct mind altering experiments, but that was years ago. They suspended the use of these drugs because the side effects where severe and in some cases resulted in death. Apparently the withdrawal can be very severe." Nell was just finishing her report when Hetty walked in.

"Gentlemen, what is our next move? We need to locate Mr. Deeks quickly. If she believes that he is a threat to her or her mission she will eliminate him. Nell, are we looking into the drug angle with the CIA?"

"I have a call into them now, not holding my breath for a speedy response."
"I will make a call. There are still a few people who owe me a favour or two."

As Hetty left the room, Callen turned and looked at Sam and asked "Is anyone else thinking of an ex-CIA agent that went missing with Kensi?' Callen paused and then continued. "Sabatino was never found was he? What if he is still alive?"

"What if he is some how connected with this and with Kensi specifically. That would explain the drugs in her system." Sam added.

"Eric, run facial recognition for Sabatino. Maybe he is here and we don't even know it."

"If he had anything to do with turning Kensi into this…this….I don't even know what to call this, but if he did, I'm going to rip him apart." Sam's blood was boiling just thinking that Sabatino was involved. Sam never liked him to begin with but to do this to Kensi was barbaric.

"Let's find him first big guy, maybe he can lead us to Kensi."

They both headed downstairs to see how Hetty was making out with her CIA connection.


Thanks again for all the comments and insights, they are great. Trying to get the next one out a little quicker.

Have a great weekend.