Set anytime in the series after Deeks joins the fun. Deeks has a secret.
Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one. I'm just writing them as I want to see them.
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The morning of the fight, Deeks awoke at his usual time, early. He would normally head out to surf except last night he had been ordered to stay off of the waves by not one but two of his co-worker and his boss.
Flashback
Eric, Nell & Deeks had been standing in ops making the final preparations for their mission when Eric spoke to Deeks, "I saw gulls coming in off the bay this afternoon. Should be some great waves tomorrow morning. You want to join me?"
Nell spoke before Deeks could, "I don't thinks that a good idea. Let's not take a chance of you getting hurt just before the op."
"HEY! I'm better than that! That's not going to happen." Deeks defended.
Suddenly a new voice was heard, "Mr. Deeks? No surfing tomorrow. I don't want to find out this whole process has been blown to hell because you got hit in the head with your surfboard." Hetty informed him.
Deeks was resigned to missing out on great waves after Hetty's comment so he left ops and headed to the bullpen. He arrived to hear his name being called.
"Deeks!"
"Yea, Sam?"
"No surfing tonight or tomorrow. I don't want you getting hit in the head with your surf board or drowning or something."
"What is with everyone thinking I'm going to get hurt? I've been surfing for a long time." Deeks shook his head and sat at his desk.
"It's just so much has been done on this…"
"Save it Sam, Hetty's already informed him that he's not allowed to surf." Callen said entering the bullpen.
Deeks looked at Callen, "How do you know?"
"We were just talking and she left to go to ops to tell you no surfing."
End flashback
So there he stood, on the beach, watching Monty chase the gulls and longing for the waves when he felt a person walking up to him. "Knew I would find you here." Kensi said.
"Yea, best I'm allowed to do." Deeks said.
"I heard about that, so I thought since you can't get out there and surf, you might want to get something to eat."
"Oh, I've already eaten. I had 4 egg whites cooked without oil but with lemon pepper," whisper, "don't tell Sam about the lemon pepper," Kensi chuckled a little. Back to his normal voice, "with leftover boiled chicken and steamed broccoli. YUM!" The face he made told Kensi the truth about his thoughts on the breakfast.
"Sam makes you eat that? That's disgusting."
"Yep. But it's over. Tomorrow I get to eat!"
"Tell you what partner; win or lose, I'll buy you dinner tonight, anywhere you want to eat." Kensi offered.
"Anywhere, Kensalina?"
She nodded her head in agreement, "Even if you want those nasty fish tacos."
"Best Partner EVER!" Without thought he pulled her into a hug. "Thank you." He had to release her when her cell phone started to ring.
"Eric? What's up?" Kensi asked then paused for Eric's side of the conversations, "Ok. I'm on my way in." She disconnected the call.
Deeks called Monty over to him while Kensi was on the phone with Eric. He hooked Monty's leash onto his collar
"I've gotta go. Something's come up. I'll see you tonight, ok?"
"Wait! I'm not coming?"
"Sorry, nope. Hetty said for you to concentrate on tonight and not worry about anything going on in OSP." He looked hurt. She knew it made him feel useless and unwanted. She also knew he hated that feeling because it reminded him of his childhood. "I'll see you tonight at the fight. Right now, that's most important. Hey, don't forget, I'm buying tonight." She turned and left them standing on the beach.
Kensi arrived at the NCIS: Office of Special Projects and headed straight to the operations center. Callen and Sam where there waiting for her. Eric and Nell turned when they heard the doors slide open to admit her. "What's going on?"
Nell started, "We've had a major breach in the Pentagon's firewalls. They didn't get all the way through but they did penetrate. DOD is nervous that the next time, it might break all the way through. They are beefing up their cyber-security and they've traced the attack. It's started here in LA. We've been tasked to find them and stop them."
"Eric?" Callen asked.
"The DOD traced it to a location in the San Fernando Valley, but I don't think that's where it really started. I've been double checking on the information the DOD sent us and I found something interesting: The encryption. It's has the same type of virus embedded in it that I've already been trying to crack. It looks like it might have come from the same place that sent both Jacoby & Crew's manager emails."
This small piece of information stunned the entire group into silence.
"Are you sure?" Sam asked.
"It's not exactly the same but it is very similar." Eric confirmed.
"So what does this mean?" Kensi wanted to know. "How does this affect the op tonight?"
"It doesn't change anything for tonight, Miss Blye. We will still be there. We will still play our parts. But now, we have to figure this mess out before tonight."
Callen kicked into agent-must-solve-problem mode, "Eric? Encryption?"
"Nothing. I need the decryption key."
"Damn." Callen paused as he had an idea, "Eric, did you scan all the previous emails for the key? They had to receive it somehow, right? Maybe it was emailed."
"I looked. There aren't any emails from the sender that I can access."
"So, look at Jacoby or Crew's manager. Maybe one of them hasn't deleted it. Check every email for the last 6 months."
"On it."
"Nell, anything on the financials?"
"No. It's really a complicated circular scheme. They started with $6.8 million over 15 years ago and they still have $6.8 million. Money's funneled out through a bunch of different shell corporation only to have it sent back to them through other shell corporation. I can tell you that the faces are completely made up. No hits on any databases."
"Alright. Nell work with Eric on finding the decryption key. We need to know what's in those emails. Kensi and I are going to check out the company in the Valley and Sam, take Deeks, fill him in on the way, but you two are going to have to set the cameras and mics. If something is going to happen at the arena, the setup is probably going to be happening soon."
"Ok. We can use it as a pre-fight ritual. Walking the site, checking everything, etc." Sam agreed. "We'll even check out the recording booth and place the deleting device.
"Just remember, once you are actually prepping for the fight, that's where we need you to focus. Polson will be watching Crew's side, Kensi & Eric will be watching Polson for any signal. By the way, good job on the signals."
"Deeks' idea from an old movie." Sam smiled.
"Well, it works. When the time comes, Nell you're going to be with Hetty. Don't hold anything back. If you suspect someone or something shout it out. Eric, you are going to be the lynch pin here. You have to coordinate everybody and everything that's going on."
"That's why I'm staying up here. I've got your backs." Eric confirmed. Everyone gave a small smile at tech operative's confidence.
"Everybody, let's go." Callen stated.
The three field agents left to follow their assignments while Nell and Eric continued checking past emails for the decryption key.
Sam grabbed his gear bag and headed out to his car. Before pulling out of the parking space he called Deeks.
"Sam? What's going on?"
"We gotta a case, sort of. I'm picking you up in 20." He checked the time, "Make that 30," after checking that it would be mid-day traffic. "Bring all your fight gear. Wyler and Williams have work to do at the arena."
"Ok. That sounds ominous. Make it an hour, I'm at the beach." Deeks said
"Wait 'til Hetty hears about this." Sam laughed.
"Laugh it up, Sam. I'm not surfing but that doesn't mean Monty can't play in the water. We'll be back at my place in about 30 minutes. Then I need to change and grab my stuff."
"You can't get back any faster?" Sam queried.
"I wasn't expecting to have to get back fast, so we walked here."
"I'll come get you."
"In the Challenger? Sam, two words for you: 'Wet Dog'. I don't mind if you don't." Deeks was smiling while waiting for Sam to respond, knowing what that response would be.
Sam was silent for a just a moment, "I'll be waiting for you at your place. Hurry up." And he ended the call.
Deeks laughed and called Monty over, "Sorry buddy. We have work to do. Let's go." And he headed back to his apartment.
He arrived and saw Sam waiting for him. "You ready?" Sam asked as he joined Deeks heading up to his apartment.
"Sam, I just got here. I need to grab my equipment and get Monty to the neighbors." He unlocked his door, walked in and closed it after Sam entered. "Make yourself at home. I'll be a few minutes." He headed into his bedroom and grabbed his equipment bag. Coming back out, he headed to the kitchen, "Am I going to drive anywhere today?"
"Nope. I'm your ride." Sam said.
"Do I need to bring food for the day or are you going to let me eat actual food?"
"Bring food. Until this op is over, you are still in training." Sam chuckled.
"Sam, you really are a killjoy but I have Kensi. She promised me fish tacos afterwards." Deeks said with a grin as he stuffed some leftover boiled chicken and raw vegies into his bag.
"Deeks, that's disgusting. How can you eat that? After everything you've done for the last, what? 6 months? How can you blow it all?"
"Fish tacos are disgusting and boiled chicken for 6 months isn't? I'm not blowing it all. I'm just not going to go nuts about it. You don't. You eat and look at you. I like eating. I'm feeling like Kensi all of the sudden-don't mess with my food." Deeks mock glared at the other man as he held the door open for Sam to leave. He had Monty's leash in one hand and his gear bag in the other. He walked over to the neighbor's and dropped Monty off for the day and followed Sam out the car.
By the time Deeks and Sam were back on the road, Kensi and Callen arrived at the address they were given for the source of the DOD cyber-attack.
They arrived at a medical building and got out of the car, "Is this the right address?" Kensi asked.
Callen had already pulled out his phone and dialed Eric, "Eric, are you sure about the location? It's a medical building."
"That's the address we received from the DOD. I've already double checked their work. It's solid. That's the address. Unfortunately they have building-wide wi-fi." Eric confirmed.
"There're security cameras but how are we going to figure out who or where or why?" Kensi wanted to know.
"Eric, when did the attack take place, local time?" Callen asked.
"5:03am this morning."
"Can you access their security footage and see if there are any cars or people around the building at that time?"
"It's a closed system. I'll need access; that means a warrant."
"We'll never get a warrant in time. Not to mention there are medical privacy laws to think about." Kensi added.
"I think a FISA warrant could get around that especially since the time frame is before the building is even open, if we can get it in time." Callen countered. "Thanks Eric. I'll call Hetty."
"No need, Mr. Callen. I'll get started on the warrant." Hetty left to do as she said and Callen ended the call.
Eric had nearly jumped out of his seat when the little ninja spoke. He waited until Hetty was out of the room before muttering "she really should wear a bell." Suddenly his eyes grew wide and he quickly turned around to make sure Hetty wasn't standing behind him. He was lucky but still felt that he should never tempt fate like that again.
Callen & Kensi headed back to the OSP to pick up the FISA warrant and Sam was explaining the situation to Deeks, "So, we have to place all the cameras and mics, make sure everything is up and working, place the deletion device in the recording room and prep for a fight. Piece of cake, right?"
"Right." Pause, "Whenever that's said, by anybody, isn't that when it all goes to hell?"
Sam chuckled, "Yes, so be ready for it." He glanced at the fighter next to him. "Don't worry Deeks, you're ready for this fight. Just remember, Hetty has placed a huge bet on you. If you lose, she'll probably just take it out of your paycheck."
"Oh, that is so helpful, Sam. Thank you!" Deeks dropped those words with a load of sarcasm Sam had never heard from the detective.
"Seriously, Deeks. You're going to be fine. You know what to do and you know you can do it. You concentrate on the fight and let us watch your back."
Deeks was surprised that Sam of all people could tell he was nervous. Apparently, he didn't hide his feelings as well as he thought he did. At least right now he didn't. What he didn't realize is that Sam had been studying the younger man and had learned to understand a few of his idiosyncrasies.
They arrived at the arena, grabbed their gear and headed in.