Disclaimer: See the first chapter.
The Badges:
It had been two days since Rachel had stormed out of the OSP Headquarters, and I paced the room for the thousandth time, dialing her number for the hundredth. Each time I got the same message:
Hey, it's Rachel. Leave me a message and I'll get back to you.
Each time I left a message I never got an answer.
"Callen, she'll call, just give her some time" Kensi said from her desk, most likely trying to reassure herself and the others more than me. She, Deeks, and Sam were all looking at me worriedly. They had seen her storm out; they knew just as well as I did that she wasn't going to be coming back anytime soon.
I continued to pace, running a hand through my short hair. What could have made her storm out that was in that file? What was that file? Where did it come from? The questions bounced around inside my brain looking for answers, but I never found them.
Eric and Nell came from the Ops center and I turned to look at them, hoping they had gotten a hit on the B.O.L.O they had put out on her. They shook their heads, there was nothing.
I watched Nell walk towards one of the back rooms. Something was off about her. After a few moments I quickly followed her.
"Nell, you know something the others don't, what's going on?" I asked seeing the small red headed woman standing by the window.
She turned to look at me and said, "On the 8th Rachel asked me to pull a file for her. Okay, not really pull a file, more like, hack into the CIA database and steal the file for her"
"What was in the file Nell?" I asked softly.
"I don't know, I didn't look, I just got the file for her and put it on her desk for when she got back. Callen, whatever is in that file, it's nothing good. It took me all night to try and hack into the system to get it. The system that it was in isn't your regular CIA security system either; this was locked down tighter than tight. Something big is about to happen because of that file, trust me" Nell said looking at me.
"Callen, Dustin and the others from Rachel's team are here" Kensi said walking quickly into the room.
"What for?" I asked.
Kensi shrugged saying "They didn't tell me, but whatever it is, it has to be about Rachel", before heading back out.
Nell and I exchanged glances before following her out.
There standing along with Sam, Kensi, Deeks, Eric, and Hetty were Rachel's team, CIA agents Dustin Wiles, Brandon Briars, Samuel Porter, and Robert Knight.
"What are you doing here?" I asked crossing my arms over my chest.
Dustin turned to look at me and said "Callen, Rachel's gone rogue".
. . .
"That's impossible" I replied automatically. Rachel wasn't the type to go rogue, especially not when she had been in the CIA as long as she had been. The CIA was her life; at least, that's what she had told me when she had come back into my life all those years ago.
"Afraid not, she killed a CIA agent yesterday in Prague, and she's working with another known rogue CIA agent by the name Mike Cunningham" Dustin said sadly.
"She wouldn't do that, the CIA means everything to her" I said.
"Callen, Rachel hasn't told you everything, she hasn't been herself lately…" Dustin started.
"You think I wouldn't notice if the woman I loved was acting strange?" I snapped angrily.
Dustin sighed. "Callen, have you even realized it's been sixteen years?" he asked softly.
I froze, trying to rack my brain. That's when it clicked. It had been sixteen years since Rachel had joined the CIA, which could only mean that it had been sixteen years since Rachel's parents and little sister had been killed in the car crash that left her as the sole survivor.
"She didn't tell me…" I whispered, feeling horrible for not realizing what was happening around me.
"She finally had enough. She wanted to end it, if she killed that CIA agent, then that could only mean that he had something to do with her parents and her little sisters deaths" Dustin said.
I looked at Nell and then everything clicked into place. "The file" I said my eyes narrowing.
"What file?" the four CIA agents asked in unison. I turned to Nell to let her explain.
"The file that I managed to get by hacking into a very secure part of the CIA" she said uncomfortably. I didn't blame her, each of the four CIA agents were at least twice her size, maybe even more.
"What are we going to do to find her?" Samuel asked.
"Don't the four of you have to hunt her down, she's a rogue, you're CIA, aren't you obligated to bring an end to rogue agents?" Kensi asked from where she was standing beside Brandon. The two had lost touch when their jobs had demanded so much from them, but it was clear that despite losing touch the two seemed to still be close after everything that had happened in Scotland.
The four agents shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably. We all looked at the curiously and then Dustin finally said "I handed my badge in yesterday. They wanted me to kill Rach, and I couldn't do it. So, I gave the Director my badge and my gun, those three had a different choice, but they followed me".
My eyes widened in shock, and everyone else was thinking the same thing. How could four CIA agents, who spent most of their lives in the military and then the CIA, quit, just like that. I looked at them and knew that despite their working for the CIA, their loyalty for Rachel ran far deeper than it did for the CIA.
"Where was she last seen?" Sam asked from beside me, his arms folded over his chest.
Dustin looked at us and then said "Prague was the last time that we found anything on her and Mike Cunningham. We want to find her, and bring her home, if that's possible, if it isn't, then we'll help her finish what she started".
"It looks like you and your men will need some help finding Miss Haven then Mr. Wiles" Hetty said and we all turned to look at her.
"What do you mean Hetty?" Dustin asked.
"Why, Mr. Wiles, as Operations Manager of the Office of Special Projects, I'm offering the full support that you and your men will need to find Miss Haven" Hetty said.
"I'm afraid you won't Hetty" said a voice from behind us. We all turned and found Director Leon Vance coming through the doors to the headquarters.
"Leon, I didn't expect to see you out here so soon" Hetty replied coolly.
"Franklin Andrews called me, said that Agent Haven has actually gone rogue this time and that her team had just handed in their guns and badges, I figured they would head here, for Agent Callen's help, since the two were so…close. I'm here to put a stop to NCIS helping find a rogue agent" Vance said walking towards us, hands in pockets, toothpick in-between his teeth.
"She was our liaison, which makes her a part of this team Leon" Hetty said stepping up to meet the tall Director's gaze. I tensed, waiting for the battle to begin.
"We have to find her Director, before she does something she will regret" I said stepping up to back up our fearless leader.
"She already has Agent Callen, she's killed a long-term CIA agent, and she's already being put at the top of FBI's most wanted list, alongside an old family friend Mike Cunningham" Director Vance said.
I headed to my desk and grabbed my gun. I turned to the four former CIA agents and said "Let's go" and started walking towards the door, all of them following close behind me.
"Agent Callen if you walk out that door you will be a rogue NCIS agent; you are defying my direct orders. Use your head before you do something you'll regret" the Director said sharply.
I turned around and exchanged glances with my team, then Eric and Nell, and then Hetty. Hetty nodded slowly, her eyes closing as she did so, and then I stepped up to where the Director was standing behind Hetty's desk and placed my badge on it.
"Rachel is one of us whether you like it or not Director; I don't leave any of my team, or even an NCIS agent behind. She has worked with us for a long time, and you're about to let all her hard work go to waste. I'm not going to let that happen, not on my watch" I said before walking towards the door. I felt two more thuds on the desk and knew that Sam and Kensi had handed in their badges as well. I heard another set of footsteps and knew that Deeks was with us as well.
As the door closed behind us and we headed out into the Los Angeles night I heard Hetty say "You have just lost some of the best agents NCIS will ever get Leon."
Then, the eight of us headed out to find Rachel and her friend Mike Cunningham, wherever they were.
I thought it was time for Callen to show his face. To all of those who have been keeping up with the story, I am sorry for giving you all the chapters at once…I have been working on this really big Shakespeare project. FINALLY, after a month and a half, I can say that it is COMPLETE, and I will be getting internet back shortly, so…I will be able to give you regular updates. Let me know what you think. How do you like this last edition of Callen and Rachel?
-Haleybug