In Darkness, Light

Chapter 9

For the past two months Nell Jones has spent much of her time working undercover in the offices of the company that once employed the now deceased Paul Sawyer. After the discovery made in Sawyer's home, by the two senior members of the team, the teams' operations manager deemed her involvement in the aforementioned capacity necessary.

Two Months Ago…

Callen and Sam busily sift through Paul Sawyer's home and effects in search of anything that might supply them with a good, solid lead. So far they've managed to tear the place apart without much luck.

"Sam, I'm beginning to think this is pointless." Callen calls out to his partner. The senior agent steps back from the single bookcase in the living room, and lets out a tired sigh. There is a brief silence that follows, during which Callen decides to move on to the next room—the master bedroom.

"I know whatcha mean!" Sam calls back. Sam is in the Study, going through the drawers of the large oak desk set in the center of the room. He finally reaches the bottom, left-hand drawer, and pulls it out. With a grim look, he turns the drawer upside down and dumps its contents out onto the desktop, and upon first glance finds it to be full of copies of old business invoices, check stubs, and other such items.

"For someone who keeps everything…there's not much here." The ex-Navy Seal mutters to himself. He turns to set the empty drawer down on the chair behind him, but as he moves to do so a soft rattling sound is heard coming from within.

"What the-" Sam murmurs, as he pulls the drawer back carefully for closer examination. He flips and rotates the drawer over in his ands and listens as the rattling continues with each movement. "G!" Sam calls for his partner, as he sets the drawer down tall-ways against the desktop, and begins to tap his knuckles along its length.

Callen enters the room a minute or so later, and stands just in the doorway watching his partner curiously. "You called?" Sam lifts his head momentarily, and gives his partner a nod.

"Yeah, I think I may have something."

"A desk drawer?"

Sam shakes his head. "No, not the drawer—what's inside the drawer." His watches the slightly confused look that crosses Callen's face, and decides that he should probably elaborate. "It's hollow." He adds, tapping his knuckles against a small section of the underside of the drawer.

"False bottom?" Callen muses questioningly. "Means he was hiding something. Something he didn't want anyone else to see."

"Probably." Sam replies, as he reaches into his pants pocket and pulls out a pocketknife. Within seconds the ex-Navy Seal manages to gain entry to the drawers secret compartment, and inside he finds a small, digital recording device along with a single, unlabeled CD-ROM. He stows his pocketknife away, and lifts out the two objects for his partner to see.

"Let me see that." Callen says, holding out his hand upon seeing the recording device. Sam tosses it through the air, and Callen catches it with ease.

"We'll have Eric look at this." Sam says, holding up the CD-ROM. "Find out if there's anything useful on it." Callen only nods in agreement.

The senior agent studies the device carefully, and begins pressing buttons curiously. "This is a pretty fancy recorder." He says, arching a brow. "There seems to be a whole catalog of entries stored on it…here, listen to this. It's the last entry he made, and its dated just two days before he was killed." Callen informs his partner, as he presses the 'play' button.

"Today, I spoke with the subject, Carlos Montoya, despite Ms. Messer's insistence that the discrepancies in inventory are no more than a simple clerical error. I don't believe her. In fact, she's next on my list of suspects. As for Mr. Montoya, my investigation into the missing components has lead me to believe that he is somehow involved, although admittedly I have no actual evidence to support this theory other than the fact that this all began shortly after I hired him onto our staff at the recommendation of a friend.

When I questioned the subject on the aforementioned matter I received little cooperation from him. He denied having any knowledge regarding the discrepancies and the missing components, and that little piece of information he gave up most reluctantly. He did, however, ask why I was so interested. I gave nothing away, and simply alluded to a looming inspection by the company's Board of Directors. I don't think he suspects my true motives though, and if he does then perhaps I might be able to use it to my advantage.

Still, I cannot risk involving local law enforcement—not yet. I know what they're doing with the components, but with the company's reputation at risk I must proceed with absolute caution."

The entry ends there, and Callen subsequently lifts his eyes to his partner. The two men share a look of understanding in regards to what they've just heard from the recorder. "You thinking, what I'm thinking?"

"Yeah. We've been looking at this all wrong. Sawyer wasn't involved…he just stuck his nose too far in where it didn't belong." Sam replies.

"It sounds to me like both Sawyer and NewTech were being used, and Sawyer found out. That's probably what got him killed." Callen states, as his mind begins to race with thousands of different possibilities.

"Whatever's really going on between Espinoza and NewTech, G, I think we're just seeing the tip of the iceberg." Sam points out grimly.

"I agree. We need to get this stuff back to Eric and Nell. See what they can find." Sam just nods in agreement with his partner.

Ops Centre, OSP – Several Hours Later…

"Okay, so there's nothing in Sawyer's recordings about what the components are actually being used for—so no help there. He does, however, mention Leslie Messer and Carlos Montoya numerous times." Nell explains to Hetty and the two senior agents waiting patiently behind her.

"We need to bring those two in for questioning." Sam states plainly.

"Agreed." Hetty replies.

"The CD-ROM you guys found in the drawer with the recorder does give us a detailed description of the components that went missing from NewTech." Eric chimes in, swiveling his own chair around to view the others.

"And?" Callen asks, slightly irritated by the fact that he is having to ask for more. Eric looks between the two men and Hetty, and it is then that they all notice the worried expression he holds about his face.

"Eric, what?" Callen demands in a firm tone, sensing bad news on the way.

"The components listed on the CD-ROM can all be combined to make one, big bomb." Eric informs them, his voice a little shaky as he speaks.

"Damn." Callen swears under his breath. Beside him, his partner is shaking his head in disbelief.

"That, Mr. Callen, would be an understatement I'm sure." Hetty remarks from off to one side.

"How big, Eric?" Sam asks then.

"Like, you know…Big." Eric replies, motioning in the air with his hands.

Nell strolls into the Ops Centre at OSP looking as though she's just been through the longest day of her entire life. Her uniform hangs loose on her small frame, and her usually neat and tidy hair is thrown a bit askew. She shuffles in about as far as the center of the room, and there she stops just before reaching the tiny operations manager who has been patiently awaiting her arrival for just under an hour at this point.

"Ms. Jones?" the older woman greets the younger tech analyst with a nod. She watches as Nell pauses a moment and sets her messenger bag down on the floor at her feet.

"Hetty." Nell returns the simple greeting, as a tired sigh escapes from within her.

"You look exhausted, my dear." Hetty notes openly. "Are you sleeping at all?" the tiny woman asks curiously, a tinge of genuine concern lacing her voice as she speaks.

"Not much, Hetty. I can't, or at least I don't feel like I can." Nell replies, wiping a hand across her brow. "Not yet, anyway."

Hetty nods understandingly. "Sit-Rep, Ms. Jones?" The tiny woman then watches as Nell stoops over to search through her bag, and then a minute or so later finds her self staring down at an unlabeled CD-ROM held within the tech analysts' hands. "And this is?"

"Everything." Nell replies. "It wasn't easy to get either. I had to dodge both Messer and Montoya all day long. I think they're beginning to suspect who I am."

"Let us pray then, that that is not the case." Hetty replies. Nell nods in agreement with her tiny boss.

"I dug through the most recent inventory logs, and found an unmarked shipment scheduled for departure tomorrow morning. Since we already know that the bomb they're building is missing only one component, and this could very well be it—this may be just the opportunity we need to find out where its being held." Nell explains.

"I see." Hetty replies, appearing to mull over the new information in silence. "Ms. Jones, perhaps it would be in our best interest to have Mr. Callen and Mr. Hanna look into tomorrow's shipment."

"I'll call them in." Nell replies, once again picking up her bag from off of the floor.

…TBC…

Author's Note: Yeah, I know this was a relatively short chapter, but the next chapter jumps right back into the main story with DENSI, and starting with a reunion between the two lovers. So trust me, please, and just hang in there. This chapter just needed to be, because it helps to show where things are headed at this point in the story. But I promise you guys won't be disappointed. Thanks again, all you guys, for your continued love and support. It is greatly appreciated :)

P.S. As a way of showing that I mean every word I just said, I am going to leave you guys with just a little glimpse of what's to come in the next chapter….Enjoy :)

Excerpt From:

Chapter 10 –

The master bathroom at the safe house is filled with the sounds of desperation and unbridled, wanton desire. Deeks kicks his blue jeans across the floor away from their feet, his top half already long-exposed, as his own hands clumsily strip Kensi of her top. He then pauses in his doings, and watches the gorgeous brunette as she hops down off the bathroom counter and quickly discards the mini-skirt she'd been wearing as part of her cover. She then makes quick work of her bra, and this leaves her dressed in nothing but a pair of black, lacy panties.

There are so many things that need to be said between them, but neither of them wants to address that darkness that awaits them there. Instead they both seek to escape from the pain and fear that has plagued their dreams for so many a-night over the past two months. For the moment, finding solace in each other is all that matters.

Kensi pulls back from Deeks' latest onslaught of fiercely, passionate kisses, desperately in need of oxygen, and rests her forehead against his. What started out as a gentle warmth pooling low in her belly, has now evolved into a raging, nearly out-of-control fire seeking to be quenched in the only way that it can be.

"Deeks," she finally manages breathlessly, her voice heavy and thick with emotion as she speaks. Her hands snake their way down to his Scooby Doo boxers where she can feel the hardness of his erection pushing out against the throbbing heat of her own sex. "Now…Please." She pleads, tugging the material of his boxers down and away from his hips.

Deeks nods in agreement. "Now." He replies, finishing the job she's started with his boxers. With good hands it takes only a second to get Kensi free from her panties as well, and then as his lips seize hers once more, he pushes her back towards the counter.

...Tune In For More, Next Time...