Hello my dears. I would like to thank vivaelanime, IWantColoredRain, Petunia3116, LKK (Guest) and heyjode for the wonderful reviews. I would also like to thank those of you who have followed and favoured since my last update.
So firstly, Happy Christmas. Secondly this is set in season 2, episode 22 'Plan B'. I hope you like it.
Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: LA, nor any of the lines I have taken from the show.
Deeks returned from dropping Ray of at the airport, feeling a high at what they had achieved. That they had succeeded in making it look like the man was dead, and therefore no one would come after him. He high-fived Sam as he walked into the bullpen and shared a smile with G, feeling as if nothing could dim his good mood right then. He even smiled at Hetty as she came over to talk to them with that serious look on her face.
"This case is not over with yet, ladies and gentleman." Her words made all eyes turned to her as she continued. "Ray gave us Nelson Sanders. But we still need to remove the stolen military weapons which he sold. Which I'm sure I don't need to remind you includes five AT4 rocket launchers, all stolen from camp Pendleton." But before she could say anything more she was interrupted by a whistle coming from Eric.
"Deeks. How long have you know this guy Ray?" He asked with a frown before turning back to ops. He knew the team would follow him at those words, and they needed to. Something seriously weird was going on.
At that Deeks moved, the only thought in his mind was what had happened to his friend? Because they had all gone to serious trouble to make it look like he was dead. To make sure he was free and clear from those who would hunt him down. How could it have gone wrong so quickly?
Callen followed as did the rest of the team, though he was hoping nothing had happened to Marty's friend. He didn't want him to feel the guilt of getting him hurt, or worse killed. No. Nothing could have happened to Ray, and nothing would, not as long as he was around to stop it. Because he couldn't cope with the pain it would cause the man he loved.
As the team entered ops, Eric started talking as he always did. "It just came over the wire. Police report a car rented to Charlie Mitchell, Ray's new alias, was in involved in a chase and a shooting. Car was found abandoned."
"Wait. It hasn't even been two hours. Right. Ray couldn't have got to Miami, let alone rented a car." Deeks replied in confusion. There had to be some mistake, because this couldn't be happening. There hadn't been enough time for Ray to get into any trouble. Not yet at any rate.
"Oh, he's not in Miami. His car was found in downtown Los Angeles." Eric responded simply, causing Deeks' mind to spin. Just what the hell was going on?
Hearing that Callen turned to look at Marty. Turned to see the confused horror that was written as clear as day across his face. He wanted to go to him, tell him it was gonna be alright, but he had no idea what was going on. Though he could guess. For a reason Ray had not seen the need to divulge to his best friend, he had skipped out of the plan to go to Miami and had stayed in LA. But why, that he couldn't figure out.
At Eric's words, Kensi pulled out her phone and contacted the airline. They needed to know for sure that Ray got on his flight. They needed to know what it was they were dealing with here. It didn't take her more than a few minutes to get confirmation of what she was sure pretty much everyone there suspected. Well maybe not Deeks, but by looking at the senior agents faces she was sure they did.
"Airline says Ray never boarded the flight. He cashed in his ticket." She said relaying what she had discovered.
"And rented a car instead. Why would he do that? I mean Nelson Sanders thinks he's dead." Deeks finished for her. What was going on? He couldn't stop his eyes turning to G, hoping that the older man had the answers he himself lacked, not that he expected him to have. Which was good, because G looked as confused as he was.
"Ray's car was found two blocks from the shooting." Eric said playing the footage of the shooting for all to see. "It looks like a blotched hit. And if they hadn't crashed, the bad guys would have killed him." he continued as they all saw the shooters car crash as it chased the one Ray was driving.
"No. We staged his murder. We put it on television. There's no way the shooter should have known he was still alive." Callen replied his tone frustrated that all the hard work they had gone to to arrange the perfect hit, seemed have been undone in less than a few hours. How could this have happened?
"Unless there's a leak." Sam suggested looking from G to Deeks and back again. He wasn't sure what he could say to the younger man right then. I mean it seemed as if his friend was being hunted, and that wasn't something any one should have to deal with.
"LAPD reports no blood at the scene." Nell introjected, wanting to let Deeks know his friend had not been hurt. Not yet anyway. There was still time to protect him, well there would be if they could find him at any rate.
"He got lucky. Can you zoom in on the shooters?" Deeks replied, not letting himself feel anything at her words. He needed to concentrate on his job, which was to keep Ray safe. He had promised him he would be safe. And that was a promise he intended to keep.
"It's too blurry to make an ID. Ray was a gunsmith. He worked with every criminal gang in Los Angeles. They find out that he was an informant and that he's still in town, there's gonna be a huge price on his head." Callen responded turning from the photos to look at his team. To look at Marty, not sure what they could do but worried about the hell that could rain down on the city if the news got out.
Kensi had been looking at the zoomed in shot, hoping to be able to pick up something from what they could make out, even if they couldn't run factual recognition on the shooters. In a worried voice she spoke her thoughts. "That is some serious firepower."
"M4 assault rifles." Sam replied instantly. He recognised the guns without thought.
"M4's were part of the shipment stolen from camp Pendleton." Kensi responded with, turning to look at him as she wondered if maybe by chance they had found some of the weapons they needed to locate.
"Ray's gotta be sacred. He's looking for me." Deeks replied not being able to pull his eyes from the imagines on the screen. Not being able to stop thinking about what they would be investigating if the shooters had not gotten into the crash. Not being able to stop the worry from coursing through it at the danger Ray could be in right that moment. No matter how much he tried not to think about it.
"Then why hasn't he called you?" Sam asked, not in accusation, but as a serious question. He wanted Deeks to stop thinking of Ray as his friend, and start thinking that he could well be up to something. He didn't want Deeks' friend to be the bad guy, but well, he was bad guy. And he just didn't trust him, he never would.
"And where is he headed?" Callen asked adding onto Sam's words, though his voice tone was more of frustration, though there was a look of worry on his face. Though that worry was more for Deeks' that Ray. Marty would always come first in his mind.
"I don't know. But I know where he's gonna end up sooner or later. I gotta go back undercover." Deeks replied, turning his eyes to Callen. To his team leader, rather than the man he loved. He had wanted to keep Max from him, but he knew if it was choice between this alias remaining secret and saving Ray, there really was no choice at all. He just hoped that when this was done, G would forgive whatever he saw or heard. Would understand that it was all an act, that that wasn't who he was, even if he knew that to be Max he had to tap into the deepest darkest recesses of his soul. It was not him.
Callen looked into Marty's eyes at his words. He had read the report, he knew what that cover was, the sort of man Max Gentry was, and he hated the idea of Marty having to play him once more. But he also knew that there was nothing he could say right then that would change Marty's mind. He was determined to find his friend, and well Callen really couldn't fault him for that one.
Therefore Callen nodded, giving Deeks all he needed to move out of the room. He needed to get ready, needed to bring Max Gentry back into the light of day.
As soon as Deeks had left Callen turned the two remaining members of his team. "I'll shadow him. Sam, Kensi, you take the crime scene."
"Sure. Come on, Kens. Take care of him." Sam replied moving towards the door. He didn't know the ins and outs of the op which Deeks had run with Ray, it hadn't involved them until now. But he did know that if G had decided to be the one watching Deeks' back, then it was dangerous.
"I will." Callen responded, his eyes turning back to the blown up images on the screen, before he too moved out of ops. He needed to make sure he had everything he would need to make sure Marty got out of this okay, not to mention Ray. And once they found that man again, he was gonna have a strongly worded conversation with him, for the worry and upset he was putting the man he loved through. Oh yes, and that was a conversation he was going to enjoy.