Set anytime in the series after Deeks joins the fun. Deeks has a secret.
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As Sam drove them to talk to their lead, he was still pondering what happened at the mission. "I still don't see it. It was no different than how we've treated Deeks for years."
"Maybe that's the problem." Callen said as he was reading the Bailey file to refresh his memory about the case.
"What?"
"Your treatment of Deeks, it could use a little help."
"Yea? How about I help you to the curb. What are you talking about it? It's the same treatment he's always gotten from us."
"Don't you mean from you?" Sam was silent. "It didn't take Kensi that long to accept him and Eric accepted right away. Probably the surfer thing with them. You accepted Nell to the team immediately, well as soon as Hetty's birthday. I don't think you've ever really accepted Deeks to the team."
"Whatever you say, G. We're here." Sam pulled the car into a parking space. To Callen it looked like Sam dismissed their conversation about Deeks but in reality Sam was pondering everything Callen had said.
The interview with their lead took a couple of hours. When it was over and they were back in the car for the drive back to the mission Sam brought the subject back up, "I accepted Deeks."
"Really? Does he know that?"
That stopped Sam in his mental tracks. "He…" Deeks had to know, didn't he? Sam had to stop and think; when did he accept Deeks as more than the 'temp' he originally proclaimed him to be? Sam remained silent for the rest of the return trip but the thoughts continued to move around in his head.
Callen knew he had gotten through to him when the big guy remained silent. He just hoped that Sam would take the opportunity of training Deeks to get to know the man behind the jokes and laughter. That's when he wondered exactly how many people really got to know Deeks even as far as Callen had, which in retrospect wasn't very far at all.
The next day Callen & Sam arrived to find Deeks' bag and Kensi's stuff on the appropriate desks. "Again?" Callen stressed and shook his head. As they were putting their stuff down, Eric appeared at the head of the stairs with his 'African Red Throated Loon' whistle calling them up to ops.
Callen & Sam looked at each other and rolled their eyes as they maneuvered up the stairs and into ops. There they found Deeks, Kensi and Hetty waiting for them.
Hetty started, "Gentlemen, Mr. Deeks' case has taken an interesting turn. I was unable to find out any information on Mr. Jacoby, so I placed a call to Director Vance, who in turn called the DCS. The DCS in short told Director Vance to mind his own agency and not worry about what the CIA was doing."
The Director getting shut down was shocking; but the 'Duchess of Deception' not getting any information floored the team.
"To say the least the Director was not pleased and would like the case closed as soon as possible so he has moved its priority up a bit. Mr. Deeks, have you been able to get any information on Mr. Jacoby?"
"I asked Eric to run a standard background on Jacoby. Just what anybody could get off the internet, nothing special, so of course the information we already had was better than what he found. But I called some contacts I have in D.C. to see what they knew. What they were able to find out is that something is happening but nobody's talking."
"Eric, Nell? Anything on your end?" Callen asked.
Nell & Eric shook their heads indicating they had nothing else to add.
The frustration of the team was palatable until Sam spoke up, "If the CIA is behind this, what's to say the other fighter or his manager isn't part of whatever is going on?
"Sam?" Callen asked
"Think about it, why else would a fighter who is a professional and who is in line for a title match fight an amateur?"
"Good point." Callen added
"You really think they might be CIA?" Kensi asked.
"It's possible. They agreed to the date change and Jacoby got their signatures on that contract very quickly." Deeks added. "And it's no longer being televised. I figured it was because of the date change but maybe it's something else."
"Guys?" Callen directed his question at Nell & Eric, "what do we know about this fighter and his team?"
"Nothing." Nell added. "Haven't run them yet; didn't have a reason."
"It's a place to start. Deeks can you as Wyler's attorney make inquiries about them without drawing attention?" Callen asked.
"Yea, I can ask around. But why not have Nell or Eric do it?"
"We don't want the CIA tracing the questions back to us and blocking us again." Hetty informed him.
"Ok. I'll put out some feelers, but I don't know what I'll find. If they're backstopped the way Nell backstops, want do we expect to find?" That gave the team pause.
"Really? How many people backstop as well as Nell & Eric?" Kensi asked. The four members of the field team all smiled at Nell, who blushed at the compliment & Eric who was grinning like a fool at the compliment.
"Unfortunately, the CIA." Hetty said somberly.
Sam wasn't deterred, "like Callen said, it's a place to start."
"Ok, I'll start a search using Deeks' as a front and see what I can find. Maybe I'll find an avenue that the CIA hasn't blocked, that is if they're part of this." Nell told everyone.
"I'll ask again in D.C. to see if they've got anything about this fighter." Deeks said. The team nodded and headed off to do other work.
That afternoon while Deeks & Kensi were out getting lunch, Sam & Callen were doing paperwork when Sam questioned Callen, "How does Deeks have contacts in D.C.?"
"You should really ask him that," was all Callen would tell him without looking at his partner.
"Why don't you tell me." Sam stated, not questioned, while looking at Callen.
Callen stopped working and looked at Sam, "because it's not my story to tell. It's his, ask him." Callen tried again. Sam, looking annoyed at his partner shook his head and went back to his paperwork. He tried to put the subject out his head, but it was there, like a song he couldn't shake in the back of his mind.
It was 8 days before the fight and they hadn't found any new leads on the Jacoby case. Deeks was resigned to actually having to do the fight especially when Eric informed the team that Jason Wyler was now a professional MMA fighter and handed Deeks a paper copy of the license. When this information got out to the betting public, the odds didn't really change. After all getting a license didn't make someone a better fighter.
The entire team was in ops discussing the case and how the operation was going to run, "Deeks & Sam will be on the floor, obvisouly, and Kensi in the audience. Deeks do you think I as your lawyer would be able to be in the high roller area?" Callen asked.
Callen had asked Deeks but it Eric who answered, "No. You aren't rich enough. Jacoby has run back ground checks on Martin A. Deeks and knows he doesn't have the money to be there."
"He ran a back ground check on me?" Deeks was slightly appalled, "You mean my small little practice doesn't make enough? Pffst!"
"Stop doin' all the pro bono work, partner. That might help." Kensi offered by way teasing.
The team smiled at their comments but continued with the work at hand, "So we need someone in the high roller area to keep an eye on things." Callen smiled. "And since you know so much about it all, I think you should do it." Callen had turned his eyes to Eric just after he finished his statement.
"Wh…Wha…huh?" Eric stammered looking up from his tablet to see everyone looking at him.
"Mr. Beale, I think he's talking about a field trip." Hetty let him know.
"What?! I don't do field work."
"Relax, Mr. Beale. You'll have back up. I'm sure Miss Jones will make sure you're safe." Hetty pulled that out knowing that Eric would do just about anything if it involved Nell.
"A high roller couple. Nice." Deeks added.
Sam was just smirking at the pair of tech ops. "What about you G?"
"I'll be there as Deeks. If I can't get into the high roller area, I can be back stage and I'll be able to wander around and see what's going on."
"Ok, but who's going to be in ops to help you guys out? I'm not comfortable leaving you all without back up," Eric let them know. When it came to his team, he was just as protective of the four field agents as they were of each other.
"If it makes you feel better, you can choose the person who will be here to assist." Hetty offered him.
"In that case, I choose me. Guys, I'm not comfortable doing field work and Hetty thank you for letting me choose, but honestly, I want to be here. From here I can help you guys the best way I can."
They were surprised by Eric's admission and respected his decision to be where he knew he would be at his best.
Hetty gave him a small smile, "As you wish, Mr. Beale." Eric smiled gratefully at Hetty.
Unfortunately, that still left them a man down. "So, who's our high roller going to be?" Callen asked. "We're not sending Nell there without backup."
"I'll take care of that, Mr. Callen. You needn't worry." Hetty smiled a secretive kind of smile that had Callen a little worried.
"Hetty?" Callen stretched her name out just wee bit. "Who do you have in mind?"
"Just an….old friend, Mr. Callen."
Callen gave her a searching look but decided to let it drop, for now. "Ok. Well, that's a little frightening." Callen turned back to Eric, "We'll need facial rec on as many people as we can. I doubt you will be able to do it on everyone there; focus on the main players and anyone they are talking or walking with."
"You got it," Eric acknowledged.
"Nell, anything yet on this fighter and his team?" Sam asked.
"They appear to be just who they claim to be." She was interrupted by Deeks.
"So you got nothing?" Deeks asked.
"No, I wasn't finished yet because I have Bacon. As in 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon." Blank looks stared back at her as she looked at the field agents. Rather than explain the reference she just plowed on, "with Eric's help we've found several encrypted emails to David "The Dragon" Crew's manager from the same IP address that sent Jacoby several emails. The IP address traces to a holding corporation in the Caymans. We also found several emails between Crew's manager and Jacoby; all the emails are using the same encryption. I've drilled down on their financials and have also found several small money transfers from this corporation to all three men: Crew, Crew's manager and Jacoby. We can positively link these guys and this IP address together. Now, trying to get information about a company in the Cayman Islands is like trying to get…"
Deeks cut her off again, "Kensi to clean her apartment?"
Nell smirked, "No, not that bad but…"
"Nell!" Kensi exclaimed, shocked at her friend.
Nell was smiling as she continued, "Anyway it's difficult but not impossible. I found the names of the corporate officers, ran backgrounds on them, then ran them through facial rec. Nothing matches up right when you go deep. But I'm not done yet."
"Deeks? You got anything from D.C.?" Callen asked.
"Nope. Still nobody talking. In fact, my contacts were told it would be best they stopped asking questions. They stopped asking questions after that."
"Sounds like CIA to me." Sam finally spoke.
"Me too, Mr. Hanna." Hetty confirmed. "Be careful all of you. We don't know exactly what's really going on and we could be walking into a hornet's nest." And she started to walk out of the ops center. "Oh, Miss Jones, please come see me about your wardrobe. You are going to be a high roller after all." Hetty smiled at the young woman.
"oohhh, Fun." Nell replied.